MJ's in Spotswood had the 'Dowden Brothers Band' for last night (5/29) on their website, but in reality only one person was singing and playing an acoustic guitar in the bar area. Is it a false advertisement or an "one man band"? Very disappointed to say the least since we went there so we could dance to a full live band. Having one person playing in the bar area just adds more noise. A full live band is loud and energetic which drowns the noise and gets people on the dance floor and sit there tapping and/or nodding their head. Before 2026, MJ's in Spotswood had full bands playing almost every weekend. Now it is just the other way around with one or two musicians. You really need a drummer to get people on the dance floor. The Cabin restaurant in Freehold on the other hand always has full bands playing every weekend and the dance floor is always packed as well as the rest of the restaurant. We like MJ's in Spotswood since it is close by us and our friends. We hope it will bring back full bands on the weekends regularly. Also, We went to MJ's in Spotswood last Tuesday night (5/26) for their prime rib dinner special. It didn't come with a salad. Asked for an end cut but they said they don't serve them. The prime rib on both plates had globs of un-rendered fat and gristle but no crust. We spent half of our time trimming the fat and gristle away. The cheese on the baked potato was not even melt. The bacon bits on the baked potato were so dry and hard. No butter or sour cream. The only thing good on the plate was the green beans. So not sure their prime rib dinner is worth the price. read more

I have been to the Matawan location a million times so my expectations were super high. I was really disappointed in comparison. This location does not have outdoor seating, they did not have some of the items to make the drinks on the menu and the food just wasn't the same as the matawan location. That being said, the service was incredible. Everyone was so nice and friendly and attentive. I would definitely give them another shot though read more

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Nice ppl work here, however after my last three experiences have to update my review on this place. My boyfriend and I came once and waited 10 minutes in the lobby area, no one even came so we just went somewhere else. The following visit we arrived around 8:30-9pm. We put in our order of calamari, a special and a dinner entree. The app came out quickly. After an hour+ the waitress came over to say she never put in the rest of the food and the kitchen was closed. She asked us if we wanted any of the "fried food menu" which is confusing - like is that strictly fried food? What is included? They only comped the calamari from the bill, not our one drink which seemed very cheap. It was very disappointing. We had to go to one of the local restaurants that still had the kitchen open. We def did not want to stay at that point. Finally our last visit we ordered the calamari, the tuna salad and a plain burger with fries. The calamari and first drink came out quickly and was great! However the waiter basically disappeared and it took an hour+ to receive our dinners, which weren't even complicated. It was also very slow, maybe only three tables in restaurant. The second drink I ordered tasted gross as the glass was dirty. When we went to pay, I mentioned to the waiter about the wait time and the drink tasting weird. He asked the bartender about this as there were no managers present. He had the waiter come back and grab the drink instead of getting a new one. The bartender was being rude and didn't show any consideration. The waiter apologized for the wait and lack of curtesy but this seemed out of his control. It is a chill spot if you're looking to talk, drink, play trivia or hear live music - however the food is mediocre and the service is horrible. Great ppl work here, just not a reliable restaurant. read more

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This place has gone downhill. Used to be a great spot for a quick bite but has sadly turned into an atrocity. The server was great, but unfortunately she was the only one working and they had her swamped with several tables. Ordered an item off of the specials menu that the kitchen didn't even know how to cook. The bartender we asked to clarify also didn't know the menu. It came out incorrect, and when sent back, 10 minutes later it came back incorrect a second time. The cook had no idea what was even on the specials menu. The "thin crust" pizza was just a tortilla. Extremely flimsy and soggy. We were also informed that the head chef had left for the day, 30 minutes before the kitchen closed. The server did a great job with being understaffed and having a kitchen that has no idea what is going on. But after being a customer for 10+ years, I will never be going back. read more

Excellent food and service. Love the fried calamari, a great hamburger and chicken wingz. read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Chicken,wings and fried calamari. - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

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Service great - food ok - nothing exceptional but the prices are reasonable and the ambiance is pleasant. I'd go back again and try something else. read more

a cozy bar scene! there's live music on weekends. staff and service always friendly: and let me tell you - their food is so impressive. they have great specials and happy hours. our go-to is their penne vodka pizza. such delicious bar pizza amongst other selections. highly recommend for a night out and good bar food read more

We went on Wednesday bingo night- had a large group there. The server was ok but would not do separate checks for our large group. The food was typical bar food, had salads, pizza, appetizers. The bathrooms were clean. Plenty of service staff to keep the place organized. It's a fun place, has a lot of TV's, and music too. I would go back read more

The only thing good here are the specialty drinks. The guacamole was old, brown and watery. The cheese dip for the pretzel was separated and runny. The specialty soup was bland and tasted like it was made with stale ingredients. Dry fried chicken sliders. Appetizers came out and entrees followed 2 minutes later with no regard we were still eating the apps. Its always empty and the service is slow. No excuses for slow service when a sever has a station with 3 customers. I've tried numerous times to give this place a chance because it's local and convenient but I just can't do it anymore. Mjs has lost my business. read more

Food was good and my food runner, Brian, was quick, nice, and proper. Our waitress was respectful and always there for our needs. Recommend this place! read more

I tried to eat at this MJ's on a Monday afternoon. Our experience was not up to the standards that MJs usually provides. Soups were poorly prepared, vegetables were extremely oily, garlic and salt were both overpowering. I'm sure these issues were due to kitchen staff issues. I've had the same food prepared at this restaurant before and the quality was much better. I will try them again on a Friday night, perhaps it will be better. read more

Food is good, the service is pretty good. They do have live music which I'm not a fan of while dining so check their site if that's something you want to avoid. read more

The Garlic Parm wings are delicious. Perfectly cooked and good sized and not over sauced. Great sports bar atmosphere with good bartenders. read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Garlic Parm and Honey Thai wings 12 Piece On The Bone with Sauce - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

MJ's Restaurant, Bar & Grill is a place where I would say that their strong suit is mostly on the bar part and as a tavern (or bar, pub, watering hole, whatever you want to call it), it does a fine job. Drinks are good and the service is friendly and professional. And for food, the food is also pretty good, but keep in mind that I am judging it as bar food. There is nothing wrong with bar food. Some truly memorable meals have been eaten in bars. The food here does not take many chances and does not stray far from typical "pub grub" (again, nothing wrong with that). Pizza, burgers or a wrap are all good choices. I think that you would be happy with any of the above. These neighborhood bar restaurants are good places and often will be forever in the memories of the community around them. I woukd recommend a visit here and build some memories of your own. read more

We just got simple burgers and fries, they were below average. None of us had the desire to finish them. Overall disappointing and not worth the price. read more

Have to add a star! Friday night, service at the bar is efficient and helpful. Food was delicious. Had potstickers and a panini. The panini was chicken and avocado. Well prepared sandwich with delicious fresh ingredients. The place is full of regulars but we were attended to promptly all night. Prices are very fair. 15 beers on tap. The Sam Summer was cold and fresh! read more

Fabulous food. Mike is a great bartender. Been coming in for many years through management changes, and the food is still great Come for a visit. You will love our very own "Cheers" in SPOTSWOOD! read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

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After a fun filled day at the movies, tricking my man into believing he was gonna see Super Mario only to have him watch the twisted mind of Evil Dead. ...... Tatted Stache and Chels Bells with the two of us sauntered on down to MJ's Entering the establishment reminded me of a down home sports bar and grill. We all decided that a smorgasbord of apps was gonna be most delightful. An order of Bavarian Pretzels made me feel as if I was in the Dark Forest, eating and enjoying each bite I looked for Hansel and Gretel nearby. Calamari that the tatted lovers ordered was as fresh as if plucked from Davy Jones locker that morning! The vodka pizza, thin crust with the perfect crunch. Although I didn't feel the buzz from the sauce. Pulled pork sandwich has great flavor, bun was a little too big for my liking. But the pork made me go wee wee wee all the way home. The friendliest waiter I've ever had. Eating at MJ's was like eating at the Goat's house himself and a sure fire slam dunk! read more

waited for 20 minutes to be seated on a Monday afternoon at 12 noon. No body showed up to seat us as we watch about 7 employees walk around we then went to the bar and waited another 15 minutes and no one. I asked the others patrons at the bar(3) where the bartender was and they said they had been waiting for 15 minutes before we did. We left and went somewhere else. read more

We had a great lunch today with 13 adults to celebrate 2 birthdays. The appetizers are really good. My favorite is garlic parmesan wings. The drinks were good with fun names. Our lunch was great and the portions are big. Our server was very good. Her name was Sharon and she was friendly and attentive. She pretty much handled our large group by herself. I recommend mjs Spotswood read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Celebrating at MJS - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

My review is 3 stars just because the wings are the best. However the sliders with the chips are for a kid not an adult. I have always loved MJ's food but now it seems like the quality of the burger (slider) for $10 or $11 dollars was terrible! I could have gone to McDonalds for a small cheeseburger. What is going on MJ's? Is this food the same my other favorite location in Matawan? The wings for $16 were the only thing worth paying that price. Very disappointed and would return it if I was in the restaurant eating. Unbelievable. read more

Good Local Hangout... Good Food... Good Bartenders... Lots of local residents at Bar... same friendly faces all that time. read more

Absolutely love this place. To be honest -have not had a bad meal there yet. Love the wings and nachos, and the calamari of course. Personal pizzas are quite tasty and so are the salads. Some very interesting choices under specials. My absolute favorite- cod sandwich, simple and very delicious meal. Make sure you try their pomegranate martini, they are very delicious. Oh and cream brûlée - amazing. read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

For the most part, the staff is awesome (only had one experience where our waitress was terribly inattentive , even though it was a really slow night) and the food/drinks are great! Burgers (I've tried several of them so far), wings are incredible (garlic parm is my favorite) and the wraps are delicious. Only thing that we've ever gotten that we weren't wild about was the nachos...every other thing that we've tried, we loved! read more

How can I not give a place that our family eats at religiously once a week anything less than 5 stars? It's been two years since I wrote my first review of MJ's in Spotswood. Since then it has become the premiere gathering place for all of our friends, family, and neighbors across the area. We absolutely love coming here. We love the food. We love the drinks. We love the fun, festive atmosphere. And we most especially love the people who work here. When we come to MJ's, we feel like family. (And yes, that includes you, Thursday night trivia guy!) I can't tell you how special it is to have a place so close to home that's so reliable, so consistent, so affordable, has so much variety, serves great food, and treats their customers so well. Every time we come here, we see people we know, and it turns into a big giant party -- adults gathering at each others' tables, sending drinks (oftentimes shots) back and forth across the dining room; kids running amok with coloring books and iPads because they're so happy to see one another. That may sound a little off-putting to newbies who have never been here, but trust me, MJ's has a great space where everyone's having a good time -- you will, too. I've tried, and I like, just about everything on the menu. It would be impossible for me to review everything we love to eat here. The food is not fancy or fussy in any way. It's just really good, well above-average pub grub. Burgers are always popular. And believe it or not, their turkey burger is off-the-charts. (You might not switch back after trying it.) The wraps are deceptively filling. The salads and soups are always fresh. Pizza, pasta and entrees always deliver. You just can't go wrong here. A big thank you to all of the amazing staff who have served us over the years, tolerating countless and annoying custom orders, substitutions, and special requests for the kids. We love coming here and plan to keep visiting for years to come. You are our favorite! read more

Excellent service and food. Yummy drinks. Fast service. Reasonable pricing. 1st time here. Definately not the last read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Hot open face Turkey Sandwich - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

I don't know why people like it here. Have gone a few times and service is always terrible. Would only go here to have a drink at the bar, definitely not eat. Had come here during the week for dinner one night and they ran out of steak. How? Boyfriend ordered a Bloody Mary that was absolutely awful. Have gone to the bar for girls night and that's about all I would go for. read more

I went here last night for dinner. We got sat at a high top, service was pretty good. There was live music, and a bunch of TVs by the bar area. I went with the chicken Italiano sandwich which had breaded chicken cutlets, mozzarella cheese, spinach and red peppers on a panini. It was very good, I enjoyed it. The fries were good too. It's a good place for dinner and to watch games at the bar! read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Chicken Italiano Sandwich - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

Food is good. Carly is an awesome bartender, very attentive and friendly. Bands on Fridays are good but way too loud for the venue and make it hard at times to enjoy your experience there. read more

Yea- this was good stuff. What I particularly enjoyed was calling for delivery and not paying an extra $20 in delivery fees and charges, which seems like the new normal in Covid times. Wings I did buffalo and honey thai. Nice and big, not breaded, these were good quality. The buffalo were nicely spicy, but the honey thai was just ok. I would ask for these well done next time to get a bit more crunch, but still really good. I did the big bog burger, and it delivered in size and taste. Burger quality may not be there, and it was overcooked for sure, but still tasty and not burned. Fries were really good. Overall, completely satisfied with my meal here- am a big fan. read more

Love the outside seating area . Food good sushi awesome. Great go to spot to meet up with friends . ( Matawan) the Middletown wings are awesome read more

Don't go is my advice. Service is terrible. Food is garbage and not worth the money. Don't ever go to the brunch on Sunday. For 27 per person you supposedly get a nice brunch.. so not ... eggs are cold, hash browns are def from the frozen food section of your local super market and the prepared omelets are awful. They serve lox and cream cheese right... no bagels.. like no toast whatsoever.. when we asked we were told they forgot to order. So you just charged me 27 plus for a meal that had the cream cheese and all sorts of jellies but nothing to put it on... oh okay Like I said stay away ... go to ihop at least you know what you are getting read more

I love this place! Never had a bad meal. Excellent drink selections. Plenty of beer choices. Theme nights, daily specials, etc. Plenty of great entrees, burgers, salads, pizzas, etc. Very fun place to go. read more

This was a terrible disappointment again. Our family came to this restaurant for many years as the Cambridge Inn. When MJ's took over the first year was a disaster and the following year not much better. We skipped last year and decided to try again. What a mistake! They are an overpriced cafeteria. The turkey (main Thanskgiving item) was sliced WaWa style (but not as good) over stuffing. Off taste and cold. Sweet potatoes were undercooked and crunchy. Mashed potatoes had multiple lumps but were fresh made. The salad was pre dressed and soggy. For $27 per person NOT including drinks this was a giant let down. I'm sure this will be our last visit. I wouldn't make it your first. read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Thanskgiving meal - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

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Went back for a tray of wings on superbowl and they were totally up to MJs original standards. Glad to hear it was just temporary Regular Guy Eddie read more

Been wanting to try this place out since it is no longer my cambridge inn. Well I can say thing positive, they cleaned it up nice and rearranged nicely. Noise level is still the same..loud. the servers are a little better, which is not saying much. I suppose at least they are all old enough to drink or at least serve alcohol. Now for the "food" we ordered a large Margherita pizza. All I can say is wth??!! It was like a giant tortilla with cheese n a few blops of sauce with basil crumbles. Eewww yucko. I was still hungry so I ordered a Ceasar salad with grilled salmon. The salad was decent but the grilled salmon was like a frozen mass lump with no flavor. Yucky. So as far as I'm concerned that cured me of wanting to go back there. I will stick with my stand by bars with awesome food. That will not be in the rotation or even a thought. Glad I got that out of my system. What a waste of time n money, left hungry and annoyed. Oh well.. read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Their version of Margherita pizza - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

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Went here after running around shopping all day with a friend. Had been to the old Cambridge Inn which I always liked, as far as I remember but I really enjoyed this. Service was slow but since I wasn't in any hurry I didn't care. Food was reasonably priced came out hot and was very tasty. Service was slow but very friendly. We will go back for sure! read more

Stopped here for a bite to eat between baseball games. Outside tables were appropriately spaced, umbrellas provided shade and menus were digital to minimize contact. Thoroughly enjoyed my Blackened Grouper Sandwich; a special. My husband enjoyed the Sausage & Pepper Sandwich, another special, and our son said they made a really good chicken quesadilla. They have lights hung overhead to accommodate evening dining and the staff was very nice. We would go back again when in the area! read more

Ah yes, "who are the people in the Neighbor? in you're Neighborhood" that's how we start the new year, getting out more offend while having some great food and drinks. MJs is just that place. The food and service is always great and the staff is very friendly. read more

MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill - Bars Near Me - Spotswood, New Jersey

Alright, I've been coming here a bunch more times since this place opened and i keep giving them more chances and more money and this is my final conclusion I used to only come on wing wednesdays because their chicken wings were DELICIOUS, keyword: were. Recently they've shrunk in size and no longer have the tasty flavor they once had. Friday nights are a good time to go to the bar, my friends and i usually take over the jukebox they have [whenever its working] also 5 dollar lits and fireball shots sound real nice. There is also this one dude that works in the bar area that we usually chat up, such a cool young dude. Now the last time i went to the bar area was on a wednesday night and this old dude was behind the bar and said he couldn't swipe our card in their machine and couldn't type the numbers in, so what does he have us do? He made us read out our card number to him in a very loud bar. It was extremely unprofessional and rude. That was our last time going to the bar area (or atleast when that old man is around). Obviously this old man couldnt bother going to a different machine and swiping our card there. Our card was not declined, their scanner on that machine just "didn't work" and he couldn't read the numbers on the card. Even another patron sitting next to us who goes there every week (i literally see him and his wife there everytime i go) said that what the bartender made us do was totally uncool. Also this old bartender total kills the good vibes, every other bartender there are totally cool. I even see how rude he is to the girl bartenders, idk why??? They always look uncomfortable around him, I try to avoid the area whenever he is around. They need to work on organizing what drink is what in the bar area. I saw one of the waitresses at the bar stand stick her nose in my beer wondering if it was yuengling or not. I understand smelling beers to determine which is which (which wouldnt be necessary if the bar was organized) BUT you WAFT the beer if it's going to a patron, not stick your nose to it. I didnt drink it after it was brought to me, i was way turned off food and drink for the rest of the night. Atleast when i brought up the issue to them they took that beer off my tab, so they've got that going for them. The last time i went in was for their express lunch special, for 9 bucks you get a meal with a side and a drink! Just don't let the server trick you into getting a soup or salad. I should've known better that it wasn't part of the deal and both my husband and i wound up getting soups that were 12 buck for both of them. The soups was good, but not worth 12 bucks. So in conclusion this place has really good food, sad to see the wings have gone down hill. Just keep an eye on your server to make sure they dont stick their noses in your beer, dont read your card number out loud in public and avoid the old man. Since i live a block away from here i will be coming back as alway. ALSO THEY HAVE THE BEST FRIES IN THE AREA. read more