We went there for my poppy's birthday and it was an amazing experience! He loved all his food and we were in a nice private room so we could all hear each other! The service was amazing and everyone was always checking on us! Highly recommend trying if you haven't already:) read more

I came in for brunch on a Sunday with three friends. We had an rsvp and were seated even though we came in a bit early. We were happy to see that there were specials for brunch, so we treated ourselves to a carafe of mimosas. The drinks were okay, but didn't seem to Serve a full glass for each of us. We each ordered our meals and were happy with them, but the meals in all were average. The steak in two of our steak and eggs meal were cooked just as we ordered and that was nice. All in all the meals were bad at all, just nothing worth writing home about. Same goes for the service; nothing bad, but nothing worth noting as special. Would I return? Only if someone else wanted to go. read more

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Decent food w/ cocktails, service has been great each time I've been there, date/celebration worthy ambiance!

Big let down. This restaurant was listed in industry magazine, so I thought it would be decent but it wasn't. The bar scene looked OK.

Meet an amazing girl from Bumble here. Everything about this restaurant was amazing from the wait staff to the food and the drinks. Right in downtown Freehold off the main road. Will be back, hopefully with my bumble date read more

Metropolitan Cafe - Side patio - New American Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

This is my 2nd time at this establishment.. with pretty much the same group of friends. It seems to be the only spot where you can dance to a DJ in the area without a cover.. When we came last time, we were in the VIP section.. had small plates on steady rotation (apps were really tasty), our drink orders were always being taken, and the music was really good! This was a few years ago. Fast forward to this past weekend.. I was excited to make a night of it since my last experience was pretty decent. It definitely fell short in all areas... We were actually sitting down to a dinner --about 4 couples in total. Marc was our server and while he was really cool with a great sense of humor.. I don't think he had any control over the taste of the food. What happened?? Pretty much everything was just ehhh.. we ordered a round of apps for the table.. lettuce wraps, potstickers, and filet mignon egg rolls.. I wasn't wowed by any of it. I still had high hopes for my main course.. tuna tartare nachos and short rib tacos with a side of fries.. the fries were the tastiest things I had all night. I didn't even finish my nachos.. the rib was DRY DRY DRY and tasteless with the cole slaw on top being cabbage--which added to the dryness. After dinner, we headed over to the dance floor... and the DJ was not good at all.. all over the place in genre..had an attitude when I asked for a special request (that he never played!) I tell you, the only good thing about my night is that the Sicilian Kiss martini was delicious.. I'm not sure we'll return. read more

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I've been here a few times for the past month for drinks and some small plates. My friends and I generally have a good time coming here. We enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, ambience and nice service. Although the restaurant patrons tend to be an older crowd, it's still a great place for drinks and happy hour. I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars because my gripe is that the food, while delicious, comes in tiny portions. Also the menu prices are pretty steep across the board. The cocktails and mixed drinks are pretty good here. Surprisingly, so is the sushi! I don't think I see any Asian behind the sushi bar, but it doesn't matter if it tastes really good. Each roll will be over $10 for the most part and small. The Ahi tuna nachos are a must get. For other food items, we've tried the BBQ brisket tacos, crispy calamari shrimp, and Grilled chicken Caprese salad and they were also good, just pricey. You get the theme here - nice ambience, good service, good drinks, good sushi, decent food, pricier than average, but good times. 3.5 stars read more

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The food does not have any taste. The restaurant has no identity. Quality of sushi, steak, etc is not good. The one upside is the grilled shrimp, otherwise this would be a 1 star. read more

Very nice spot to eat and get drinks in!! Went for lunch - wasn't too crowded / had a lot of seating / atmosphere is beautiful. Service was fast but can't say much bedside manner was present with my particular experience. It's not a huge deal- everyone has their days in not discrediting metro for it, it just wasn't great this day and time. Only slight downside for this restaurant is it is a little bit more pricey even for lunch, but I do think it's worth it if that's something that doesn't burden you. Overall would def come here again read more

Metropolitan Cafe - Espresso martini - New American Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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We were in town for an event and the menu/pictures of this place looked great so we decided to pop in for a drink and lunch. There was something going on upstairs and very loud children screaming and having a meltdown. We were tempted to sit outside to avoid the noise but chose to sit at the bar instead. The drinks were very sweet (an old fashioned and a peach martini) and the service was pretty slow compared to what we are used to. We placed an order for an app and asked for water. The filet mignon spring roll was huge but sadly it was flavorless. There was no salt, no anything. The sauce drizzled on it was the only thing that saved it from being completely bland. Our waters had not arrived and our drinks were gone by this point. We decided not to order food here and just walk down the sidewalk to another place to see if we could do better. We usually sit at the bar for attentive service and that did not happen here! If food and drinks were better we could have overlooked the lack of care but it was all blah so we left. The look/decor was nice but that's about all I can say I liked here. read more

Food was great, dessert was better! Apps, dinner and dessert all memorable. Can't wait to go back. Service was good and the place had a cool vibe. read more

We came here on NYE with a party of 7. The staff was very friendly and the ambiance was nice enough. The good: nice menu with choices from sushi to steak and creative options The bad: The food was not served hot, if you don't like heavy sauce drowning every appetizer and entree then don't come here. Food was average at best. Sushi was terrible. The sashimi was sliced so thin and the edge of the tuna had a strip of fat on it zoom on on the top left of the picture and yes that was 2 slices even though they were so thin it looks like one piece. The ugly: There were fruit flies on the food. I attached a picture of a fly on the lettuce! I couldn't catch all the flies in one photo but you get the idea. Service: We were so rushed the entire meal it was terrible. They tried cleaning up our appetizers as people were still eating, we told them that we weren't finished eating the apps and then they brought everyone's main course. They tried to take our dessert order while we were still finishing dinner. It was a total rush job. I will not be returning read more

Metropolitan Cafe - A fly on the lettuce - New American Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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This my go to joint! I absolutely love Metropolitan Cafe. Their selection is nice with some American dishes, some sushi, and a few other genres mixed in making it an easy place to take any of your friends and family. The food is consistently delicious as are the cocktails. Most recently I had the Caprese salad as the appetizer and the cod as the main dish. Both were done just right and presented very nicely too. Metropolitan gets 5 out of 5 stars from me but I always like to do my due diligence and offer constructive feedback and this really is minor but would go a long way for a few of us out there. It would really be helpful for those of us who can't eat gluten if they would update their menu to reflect what we can actually eat. Right now there are only 2 (maybe 3) things with the little symbol next to them that say they can be made gluten free but well over half of the menu can actually be done gluten free very easily if you speak up and ask questions -- for instance most of the sushi menu is either already gluten free or with minor modifications would be gluten free but none of it is labeled so. As a person with Celiacs, you have no idea how much a menu with variety does to excite me. A lot of times we get stuck eating the same things over and over because they're "safe." Metropolitan has so many dishes that can be done gluten free but they just aren't marketing them so that the people who do need to eat gluten free can easily see their choices. Also, a little more education to the waitstaff on the gluten matter would be great! Some servers already know that many more of the items can be made gluten free and can spout them all off but some of them will tell you only the ones mark we can be done gluten free. I had to get up and ask someone else on a recent visit, partially because I knew many items could be done but also it didn't put a lot of trust in me that my server would make sure I wouldn't get anything I couldn't eat and I've regretted not speaking up in the past. Everyone has been receptive and helpful when I have spoken up, always willing to learn along with me which is really what's its all about. That's the way to keep people coming back. That being said -- most people won't have dietary restrictions like me and run into that issue which is excellent! Overall, I just love coming here and highly recommend this restaurant to everyone. They're on Open Table so it's always very easy to work out reservations which I apprentice too. Especially with the pandemic, it's hard to figure out which places are open, how much seating they have etc, it's nice to have a restaurant who puts all of the info in one place and lets you set up your reservation with a few clicks. We will be back soon! read more

Metropolitan Cafe - Cod with mango salsa - New American Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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The Metropolitan Cafe offers a wide selection of food and wines in an outdoor, lounge-style cafe setting. If you choose to sit outside you have a great view of Main Street in Freehold, which is usually pretty busy and bustling at night. The food is interesting, with an emphasis for sushi, steak, and pasta dishes. The sushi menu is pretty good, as there are many choices and flavors. If the sushi says spicy, it actually is, unlike other sushi spots. That is great, because I am a big fan of all things with heat ! There is also great happy hour specials and wine nights. Definitely call in or check the website for more details. If you are looking for a social restaurant to try with nice views, and a lively atmosphere, then give this place a try. read more

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Placed a to go order for sushi as my usual place was closed. Figured that I would try a new place, their website looks good and prices are similar to the other premium sushi stores. Was able to place an order online, however they happened to be short on ingredients and could not make a certain item. I would expect that it should be possible to block ability to order things that cannot be made. Sushi quality subtracts 2 stars. Everyone has had experience of trying omg-this-is-best-in-the-world. This level is one-step-better-than-sushi-from-shoprite. If prices were set at 50% off - I would totally give 5 stars as that would be amazing at that price point. Every roll did not looked like the food from professional pictures on the website. Ingredients were fresh and had no issues. However it is very easy to conclude that whoever made those rolls is not a professional sushi maker. I would expect to produce same or better quality if I was making it myself. Overall this is not a sushi place, but a bar that has a potential to put up few rolls to go down with your beer. Unfortunately, I am not going for a repeated visit as there are better places within just few miles. read more

Atmosphere & decor are very nice. Service was excellent. Food was not very good. Bread was not fresh. Grilled Ahi Tuna was very dry (really disappointing). My wife said that her scallops risotto was so so. I won't be back. read more

Great food with many options! A really nice environment going out at night or for a good lunch in downtown freehold. Moderately expensive yet delicious food. read more

Grateful food across the board...great atmosphere...great service...one of our favorite spots.mm

John the bartender is awesome , he makes the best drinks! Good vibes and service. Always a good place to grab a drink.

Great food drinks and service. Bartenders are super nice and accommodating. Overall great vibes and place!!

This place is ridiculously OVERPRICED with very poor service. And, they have the audacity to ask for 25% tip on top of their HUGE Bill?? Yehh right!! Sorry, there are plenty of other places in NJ with better prices and service quality. read more

I come here quite a bit and it has always been a great time, for late night drinks, a quiet lunch, or a fun family dinner. The decor is pretty and cozy. The lounge area in the front is nice to have drinks in. The booths in the back are romantic to have a date night. The lunch I went to with my grandpa in November I got a sesame tuna salad. The portion was small and perfect as a lunch portion and the sangria was yummy too! read more

Metropolitan Cafe - Sesame Tuna Salad for lunch and Sangria Rosada - New American Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Kerry was phenomenal, she was attentive and amazing!!! The food was awesome and delicious!!

While Metro Cafe is about an hour drive from us, it was highly recommended by a friend. We made an 80th birthday party here and I have to tell you, it was exceptional. The staff was more than accommodating, food delicious and the service couldn't have been better. They set us up in the back room in front of the kitchen which was a bit of an issue because the wait staff had to gently wade through a crowd of senior citizens but they were gracious and friendly all the while. For a set price we had some chafing dishes with breakfast staples, breads and bagels, poached salmon, an omelet station, carafes of Bloody Marys and Mimosas and some other stuff that I'm sure I'm forgetting. We were going to bring a cake but decided at the last minute to simply use one of theirs and again, delicious...really delicious. At the end we were presented with a bill that I considered to be more than fair and was exactly what we had agreed on. I can't really comment on the restaurant as a regular patron but I can say that what I saw come out of the kitchen looked amazing. Hours drive aside and the fact that there are literally hundreds of places I can have brunch between here and there, I would actually consider taking the drive again. You should, too. Much thanks. read more

Some of our friends were in the area, so we got together for dinner and drinks on a Friday night. As an aside, parking in downtown Freehold on a Friday or Saturday night is an absolute nightmare. There were no spots, and at least 25 cars were circling the municipal lots. I was convinced we were going to get in a collision, but I digress. We sat upstairs. The service was good. Our waitress checked on us regularly to see if we wanted drink refills. After she read the specials, she made a point to come over to the other side of our table to ask us if we heard her and needed her to repeat anything. There were 8 of us, and this place was noisy, so that was a good job by her. All of our food came out pretty promptly. There's really no diplomatic way to put this, but most of our food was not very satisfying. This was some of the most expensive, least palatable food I've eaten. For starters, we ordered the goat cheese guacamole, crispy calamari and shrimp, and baked brie lollipops. The description under the guacamole says "fresh avocado." This is an embellishment because the guacamole that was put in this appetizer was definitely outsourced. I know frozen/supermarket guacamole when I taste it. That or they made this dip a few days ago. The calamari and shrimp appetizer had some pretty sad looking fried fish. The shrimp was miniature. I don't expect jumbo shrimp, but it was so small that it shouldn't have even been listed as an ingredient. We were all like... "where is the shrimp??" It really looked like fried Bumble Bee Tiny Shrimp. The calamari was slightly better, but it was overcooked. The baked brie lollipops were the winner of the three, but I could have easily made this dish myself with 3 Trader Joes ingredients in 3 minutes. For our meals, my husband and I shared the spicy girl roll, tiger roll, and the Asian Romanian Steak. The sushi was okay. I thought it was pretty good for a Restaurant that isn't a Japanese Restaurant. The fish was fresh. Friends who also ordered sushi agreed that it was decent. The Asian Romanian Steak came out how we ordered it, medium rare. Unfortunately, it tasted like it was doused in soy sauce. Ekkk. I didn't really taste any other flavors. Mashed potatoes and veggies were good. No complaints there. For drinks, I had two maraschino cherry martinis. The drink was sweet and tasty and didn't leave me with a headache, which is always a good thing. For dessert we had the donuts and the chocolate chip cookie (I forget exactly what they were called, and their website isn't working). The donuts themselves were warm and yummy, but the dipping sauces (white chocolate, raspberry, and chocolate) were disappointing. The white chocolate was not white chocolate. It tasted like bad fluffernutter. And the "chocolate" was blatantly chocolate syrup. So sad, Metro! Why don't you just melt some chocolate!? The raspberry sauce tasted like concord grapes? Idk...it was confusing. The cookie was definitely not a homemade cookie. Metro is making out like bandits by cutting corners, using inexpensive ingredients and up charging. I guess what they're doing is working for them, as this place is consistently packed, but this doesn't work for me. read more

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We had a very nice Father's Day brunch at this restaurant. We sat outside, and the service was prompt and the staff attentive. We enjoyed the Filet Mignon Spring Rolls and Sweet & Spicy Calamari & Shrimp appetizers. For our entrees, I had the seaweed salad appetizer and a California roll. My husband had the Twice Cooked Cuban Steak, my son the BBQ Boneless Short Rib, and my daughter the Pork Tenderloin. All were tasty. We shared the S'mores Skillet for dessert. We also had a couple of cocktails with our food, and the bartender came outside to serve us the drinks. Overall, it was a nice experience and will come back. read more

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First time here but definitely not our last. The Cuban steak might have been the best steak I have ever had! The steak was amazingly seasoned. The flavor was fantastic! And so tender and juicy. Perfectly grilled. My wife had a pasta dish with sausage that she really liked too. Highly recommend this place! Can't wait to get back there. read more

Fabulous atmosphere, food is absolutely top notch and they serve booze!! (NJ is vastly BYOB) Had the blood orange martini, calamari for an app and the Salmon as the entree. Will be back! read more

I sat at the bar with my wife for lunch and it was horrible. The bartender played on his phone the whole time. and then proceeded to eat his lunch. I don't care if you eat but considering we were the only people there, I feel like he could've done it out of our sites. we felt like we were such a nusance. read more

Wonderful! From the food to the atmosphere to the service. Metro is a very trendy restaurant that is perfect for girls night out or a date night. I have been here many times for birthdays,graduations or just out with friends and the experience is always excellent. I always recommend to make a reservation because it does get busy especially being a staple in downtown freehold. My friends and I were seated upstairs away from the hustle and bustle of the bar area. We ordered the angry mango martinis and boy were they strong and yet flavorful. For appetizer I had the smoked salamon sashimi- metro has a really great sushi Bar so even if your not in the mood for a heavy dinner they have plenty of options. For dinner I had the scallop stuffed with crab pinwheels and jasmine rice with spinach- I loved it! Not to overwhelming and just the right portion and it was flavorful. Dessert was the s'mores skillet with marshmallow ice cream over a cookie. I thought the cookie was going to be different but still a veery good choice. Our waiter John was knowledge, attentive and charismatic. Can't wait for the next trip to metro! read more

Metropolitan Cafe - Stuffed Pinwheel Scallops - New American Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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The service was awful. The lady greeted us by saying if we are going to be late to call in advance. Literally no one was in the restaurant. How about treat the customers in your place nicely. We will not be back. read more

Bartenders are slow and miserable. Patrons are old and stuck up. Place killed my vibe

Metro as the locals will call it is a freehold institution and I have never been there. The Inside was nicer than I thought. We had to sit inside because the outside was fully booked on a Monday. Insanity. As for the food I had the filet mignon egg rolls which were bland and needed a punch of seasoning. The fried green tomatoes were delicious and I would reorder. For dinner I had the chicken milanese salad and it was a nice balance between the fried chicken cultet and the acidic salad. The chicken cutlet was thin but has a nice texture to it. The salmon wasn't my favorite honestly. It didn't have good flavor and wasn't cooked right. The smores skillet was small but perfectly done. Try it if you are ordering dessert. I think it took us 30 minutes to get our wine from when we sat down and ordered so I think that needs to be tightened up but all good. It took so long that she took our dinner order before bringing the wine. Anyway, it is a solid place overall and I would come back. read more

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Waste of money honestly. The menu was bla. Next door looked more appetizing unfortunately. Service was okay, food was not that good - small portions that were not even tasty, outside seating was nice but I'm only rating a 2 star for environment and our waitress. Will I come back? Not really. For the price they charge for dishes, you'd think they invested more time into making sure their options checked out. I expected so much more from this place given its other reviews and location. read more

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Came for the great location for outdoor music at the gazebo but food was mediocre and service was too. Wait person should have explained that our appy and entree basically had the same sauce, boring! And there was too much of it. Also salad had too much dressing. My husband had a steak sandwich ordered rare-med rare and it was way overdone. There just wasn't much we liked. The bread came with butter laced w maple syrup, not appealing. We won't be going there again. There are much better alternatives. read more

The customer service at this restaurant is abysmal. We placed a carry out order that could not be fulfilled. The restaurant was irresponsible and did not inform us until after we had waited for our meal for over an hour. Will not be doing business with these people again. read more

Nice place in Freehold for lunch.They have a great outdoor seating area in the front. We ordered the Spinach Artichoke Appetizer served with naan bread it was okay, I order the shaved steak sandwich which was great, my wife ordered the Chicken Milanese salad which was good just strange the chicken was on the bottom with the salad on top and my daughter requested a few changes to the Chicken Tacos and the kitchen was very accommodating and they came out just as requested. The prices are a little on the high side but worth it. I highly recommend this place and I will be back read more

We came here for a special occasion and generally were impressed with the food and beverages. Our mac & cheese appetizer was sinfully delicious but probably filled us up a bit too much before our main course. I got the burger with bacon and it did not disappoint -- it was a huge serving, cooked perfectly, with a generous helping of crispy fries. The drinks were a bit strong, but if that's what you're looking for then this is the place for you. In particular, I was impressed that the Old Fashioned we ordered was served with a single large spherical ice cube, which helps keep the drink cold while preventing it from melting too fast. Pretty decent bar game if you ask me. Our server was very attentive and professional. Everything we ordered came back pretty fast. We sat in a nice oversized booth near the back of the house, so we had a cozy and private experience. We'll definitely come back again soon. read more

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Location is on main st in downtown Freehold which has such potential but as I've said at other reviews can't hold a candle to Red Bank oe Asbury Park, but I appreciate the effort. We were seated upstairs early for our reservation. I couldn't get a good view of the downstairs main level, but it looked like a dark and modern bar setting. Upstairs, where we sat, was ok. Perfectly clean and neat, but I can't place a finger on it, but something with the carpetting and lighting and walls, reminded me more of a hotel convention hall than a restaurant. Our server Paige was awesome and is probably the main reason for the stars in this review. Warm, friendly, attentive, helpful ... really just a perfect server! So I started with a tequila old fashioned (with casamigos anejo) which was great. Appetizers: yellowtail and jalapeno sushi- this was ok. Crab and shrimp stuff portabello mushroom- delicious. Mains: seared tuna with lo mein- disappointing. Tuna was ordered medium rare but was more medium well. lo mein was tasty but not fresh. Short ribs: tender but mediocre, with mashed potatoes and root vegetable. We've had much better. I had a screaming hill IPA which was fine. Finished with coffee. Overall this was ok. Star of the night was Paige our server, thanks for great service and making it a pleasant night for us! read more

This is a really cool spot to hang out in the bar/lounge area. They have ladies night on Thursday's with half price martinis which are pretty decent... other specials on other nights. Warning: late night it gets club-like, with a dj and dancing. Fun for people in their 30s-40s. Music is younger though, a shame more don't come out. The vibe of this place is very relaxed and upper class, it's nice. Bar food was good (had the chix parm sliders - decently priced and good portion size, tasty). I came here for dinner, however, and the service was absolutely atrocious! The waiter was nice, but it took my date and I 3 hours to order and complete our meals which is ridiculous. Very inattentive and disappeared multiple times. I had the duck and it was okay, not amazing. Side dish could've used help. The steak with rice and veggies my date had was also very average. The calamari appetizer was Asian-like not marinara based, so that was interesting and pretty tasty. Plus side: portions are large. The extensive wine selection is pricy, but very good wine there I will say. Would come here for nightlife or happy hour, but probably not dinner again. read more