Third time here today and all three were business related. Love the sushi. The servers were good too and they pay attention. They always ask if we need anything or if everything is good. The ambience is great and there's ample parking. read more

Sorry my visit to Ovations was not quite as good as some other postings on here - in fact based on their reviews I'm feeling like there is another restaurant at the same address with the same name - as we couldn't have both eatin at the Ovations I went to.. Service, kind of okay - but the servers must be asked to say the nightly specials with an elevated accent and attitude - not cute, only obnoxious to me. Drinks especially Martinis are pushed hard and heavy by the waiters - as if they're special, which they are not. Our group ordered some normal drinks, vodka with a mixer, wine, etc. My 'Arnold Palmer' was okay - just a little sweet, vodka/lemonade/icetea - had a very small alcohol pour. Wife's drink mixture of lime juice and vodka - same thing - this bartender thinks it's okay to pour less than the normal amount of alcohol and it shows. Appetizers: the group six of us had sushi and salads that we shared. Sushi was obviously not really fresh - I kind of thought this would be the case, as the restaurant had a lot of empty tables on a weekend night. One of the salads was a mixture of cucumbers tomatoes, feta, etc. - you could see that the cucumbers had been cut some other day and kept to serve several days later. Entrees: Wife had fish, sauce was way overdone - there is no dish that needs to be drowned as much as this one - most of the time less is more I had a pork chop - fair sauce, but definitely overcooked. You could see that the other dishes suffered from the same chef - who is obviously inexperienced going by a book, step 1, step 2, step 3 - without the knowledge of how long, how much. Didn't complain as we were with several other people - but next time someone suggests Ovations - we will clearly say 'NO THANKS' by the way you'll also find 'New York Prices' without NY food, NY service here - so If you want to pay a lot of dough for food that is very poor - go to Ovations read more

Another good lunch on 3/7. Came with clients that also liked the food. Food remains solid!

I had driven by this place countless times , but never ate there. Had a business lunch which was pretty good. I had a fish dish which was quite tasty as was the salad that preceded it. Service was fine. The place has a very upscale feel and look to it. read more

After hearing such raving reviews from former coworkers, friends etc, my husband and I were very disappointed. We arrived around 4:30 for an early dinner and happy hour and despite being open since 11:30am, there was no sushi service until 5pm and they were out of two chicken based appetizers. Needless to say we left and went to downtown Somerville where we had a much better meal and experience. read more

I would go 3.75 stars...lol...I had the lobster and crab ravioli in the pink sauce and it was very tasty! I also tried an eel sushi and it was more on the 3 star side, so a 3rd visit might sway this rating up or down. I bumped it up to 4 because there are a lot of other items that I'd like to try here. Worth a revisit. read more

I don't understand all the negative reviews here. I live in Dallas and visit NJ about 6 times each year and I always go to Ovations. Food, Staff, everything is amazing. They even custom made a phenomenal special meal for me last time. I'm going to NJ tomorrow and I'll be there tomorrow night. read more

This is a nice place .they have plenty of parking. it's always clean even the two bathrooms. the decor is fresh and up-to-date . The service is impeccable .the food is amazing! Martinis are good, hi hater roll for sushi , calamari, berry tart dessert, all the food! They have specials and they have happy hour . Decent prices for the quality and quantity they are affiliated with social in Somerville .it's my go to place !!it's like a little hidden gem .I love the sauce that comes with the bread !!I'll be back again!! Try it if your in the area! read more

Great food, great atmosphere, great service. Little skeptical on a place that serves sushi and Italian but probably the best sushi I've ever eaten in the area. Fish is always fresh. Give it a try! read more

My co-workers and I have had many Friday night happy hours here and love it! The food could be pricy but at happy hour Martinis are 5$ and appetizers are pretty cheap. The atmosphere is very sheik and metro. Sushi is amazing and the Elderflower Martini is my favorite! We are fans and will continue to release our Friday stress here for as long as we can. read more

We had the gnocchi mac and cheese with truffle oil. It was really more like a soup, but it was one of the most fantastic things I have ever had. We then split a few different rolls, all of which were pretty good. The drinks were also rather nice. It was a little pricey, but I will be back. The only downside to the whole experience was being seated in the bar area where there were a few of the most obnoxious and loud goons I have ever seen. read more

In the area from Maryland to Flemington NJ. I coach the EvoShield Canes 17U showcase baseball team competing at Diamond Nation Father's Day weekend. So, Saturday evening (last night) I wanted to treat myself to a Father's Day top shelf meal since I'm missing Father's Day with my own children and my own Dad. I remembered that 2 years ago I was up here staying at the Double Tree Hotel in Somerset that I ventured out one evening on a cruise around the area to see what was around us when I came across this "house" across the street from a canal that had a nice courtyard, off street parking lot and a lit sign that said "Ovations". Last night I couldn't remember the name of it but I researched for about an hour to find that place because I remember the meal, the service and the ambiance was top notch. So...as I was walking through the lobby to find this great spot on my own when one of the Dads (Peter) from my team asked what I was doing for dinner and I told him. He immediately said he was coming with me. I said: "Awesome! You will love this spot, if we can figure out where it is." Well, needless to say we found Ovations thanks to my Yelp app! When the hostess (Peggy) greeted us she made us feel as if we were lifelong friends! I asked her to be seated in a certain place. Of course Peggy came through right away! She was extremely accommodating. The servers...yes SERVERS, 3 of them came right over to our table with water, the menus, informing us of the evening specials which all sound tremendous. They gave us a few moments to settle in and think about what to order. Now, being a Greek American that grew up in the restaurant business in Baltimore, MD, with most of my uncles owning restaurants I felt right at home and pampered by all the attention the staff was giving us. They took our appetizer orders of Stuffed Avocado which was amazing and Peter got the Calamari which was great too! As we were enjoying the awesome Pecorino Cheese, Calamata (pitted) Olives and cherry peppers and home made various breads, the proprietor, Bechtel, came by the table with his charm and wit, as he was doing to all the tables. (As my Dad would often say "you gotta make the rounds to make the customers feel like they're in your home breaking bread with you.) I told Bechtel the story of how 2 years ago I stumbled onto Ovations and his cousin Izzy (or did he say brother?) and how impressed I was that I had to come back! Well anyway, he recommended the Braised Shank of Lamb and we both got it...WOW, it was amazing!!! They really know what they are doing in that kitchen and out front to make your dining experience awesome! The desert CremBruLe' was awesome too, with the expresso. Thank you Bechtel, Peggy, Jesus, and Pablo for your hospitality and professionalism! We had an amazing dining experience. A special thank you goes out to my friend Peter for selecting the menu, the 2 bottles of red wine we polished off and for picking up the check!!! Happy Father's Day! read more

Thought my experience here was fantastic, great martinis, fantastic sushi. Hard to imagine that Social is owned and operated by the same people. read more

Sushi was fresh and tasty. They have a great happy hour promotions - great way to sample some foods with the finger food orders!

Great spot to enjoy quality Italian fare. (Menu also offers Sushi which we did not try.) Appetizers are varied with something for everyone-strongly recommend the homemade tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole-delicious. The organic mesclun greens salad features a tasty, honey-mustard dressing made in-house. I had the chicken Marsala over linguine-delicious! Great service, too! read more

Went there a date & the ambiance was great & relaxed vibe. Had sushi (hi hater roll & king Kong roll), ahi tuna, & creme brulé. The tuna I could leave but the rolls were amazing & the creme brule was phenomenal! read more

Probably one of my worst experiences at a restaurant. The food was lackluster. Ive had better food at chain restaurants. The staff was pleasant in the beginning and disintegrated quickly. There were things we ordered and didn't receive. We had some requests that didn't get fulfilled for 5-15 minutes. The request was a fork and next was a straw. I brought in a cake for my partners birthday. The cake was brought out, that's all. I had to ask for a knife to cut the cake and fork and plates to eat the cake. Then at the bottom of the menu it is stated that parties of 6 a gratuity is added. Of course no problem. So when i get the receipt i pay what's on the receipt because in my mind the gratuity was added, because there were 7 of us. And I'm not one to hangle, so i look at the grand total and move along. But no as we leave the owner or manger busts out of the front door NO TIP?! . I'm sorry i thought it was already included , two you are working in a customer service industry and it is COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE AND UNPROFESSIONAL to yell form the front door as I'm walking down the sidewalk for a tip. I am a hairstylist and work with the public all day long. It's completely unacceptable. I do understand we were a group in our mid twenties and you may think we don't deserve the level of respect, but my job has me in the room with executives and ceos with the top pharmaceutical companies on the planet as well as a celeb clientele, Trust me i know when someone is talking down to me and when they respect who i am and my craft. I am completely disgusted by the service. I felt degraded and I will never return and I'll be sure to never let my clients waste their time or money. read more

I think the reviews are pretty dead on with this place. The food is great and the decor is nice without trying to go Manhattan. Definitely will visit again. read more

Love this place and the guys Jesus, Tony, Izzy, Beckam and Jimmy! You can have a special dinner from Jimmy or the Sushi bar.

Very good place to eat. Food was delicious. Prices slightly on the higher side, but you know where the $ went. Nice decor. Could be a little brighter, but that is a personal preference. Definitely a repeat. read more

I have never written a review on any restaurant but tonight I had the best veal parmesan I have ever had and I try the veal at every Italian restaurant I go to. The veal could be cut with a fork, cooked perfectly, with just the right amount of cheese and sauce. My husband had the appetizer with mussels and calamari and raved about how fresh and delicious it was. He topped it off with the lobster and crab ravioli, also delicious. This was by far the best meal we've had since moving to Somerset a couple of months ago. The first time I've given the chef a hug for the most delicious dinner ever. read more

I've dined here many times - with my son who attends nearby Rutgers, co workers, etc and the sushi is outstanding. But it's more than just a sushi place as the cuisine is excellent with this place being the exception rather than the 'norm' for what one would expect from South Bound Brook (I've worked up here for 20 years). Took a client there this past week, who was retiring. He isn't a sushi fan, so I opted to go to their standard menu. Their Stracciatella soup is terrific - try it!. For starters, I ordered the clams, sausage, peppers in a rich wine butter broth. My guest's scallops (He raved about) and I had the Striped Bass with chopped tomatos , capers, along with mussels and clams. Cocktails are first rate, very good service and the room makes you think you're in a hip urban setting. It works on all fronts. read more

I have been to Ovations a number of times and have held informal meetings there. The food and service are OUTSTANDING! The beer and drinks are reasonably priced, the food is prepared just the way my guests like it. I order a burger medium rare, it comes out medium rare! The place has its areas where it is quiet and we can hear ourselves speak. The wait service is always around and responsive. The restrooms are always clean and crowd that frequents Ovations are respectful, courteous, and fun to be around. There is plenty of parking and it's just a fun place to go. read more

My girlfriend and I had dinner here recently, it turned out to be a pretty nice spot. I liked how the place was set up, great for a semi-romantic get together or a purely business dinner. I was not a huge fan of the orange sauce they brought out with the bread, but it was free so there really isn't too much I can say. The spring rolls were a good, conservative choice to start out with. I had a roll of sushi with my entree, the sushi was better than what I expected. My girlfriend enjoyed her pasta. Overall a good choice. Would return. read more

Asked for gluten free options at an engagement party, which they were prepped for over the phone, and they just did not serve me food. If I did not go to the manager and ask to be fed I literally would have sat and watched everyone else eat pasta while I starved. Thanks for the incredibly late salad. read more

I stopped here after a long business day; I figured that a restaurant with a parking lot full of BMWs, Jaguars and Mercedeses had to have something going for it. Started off with a glass of the house Chardonnay--which was wonderful. Then had the Lobster Bisque and the Linguini. The food was hot and flavorful . . . but I was disappointed that the both the bisque and the Linguini, were both populated with of sand grit and shells. I decided to call the waiter's attention to it, and his tepid response was infuriating. "Oh, they didn't clean the seafood very well? I'll make sure they know about it." That made the entire experience collapse. What I was expecting was an apology from the manager, the owner, perhaps the chef himself, in person. And maybe even a complimentary glass of wine to make up for it. I come to this area often for business, but this is a place to which I'll not return, nor will I recommend it. Oh, and the supple twenty-something greeter with long blond tresses and a skirt line that both met at butt-cheek level was a bit of a distraction. I was there for the food, not a lap dance. read more

Great atmosphere, great sushi. The edamame appetizer was to die for. Cocktails were equally delicious. Waitress was attentive and gave great food and drink recommendations one of which was the Sophia Roll. Would definitely like to go there again. Great date venue. read more

One of the worst service experiences I have ever had. We had reservations and did not get seated until 30 minutes later. The food did not come out for over an hour and no one came to apologize or give us an update, or even give a refill of bread or water to hold us over. When we asked where our food was, the waiter replied that the restaurant was busy handling a bigger party. We finally were able to talk to a manager, and even he was disrespectful, almost laughing in our faces. I don't see the point in going to a place that treats us like a 2nd class citizen. read more

What a great experience! We called for a reservation for 18, 20 minute prior and they welcomed us. The staff was very professional, the food as terrific..from Italian to Sushi, and the specials were fantastic. Our order was taken promptly and served quickly with attention to all details. We had a table of teens & table of adults which the staff juggled perfectly. read more

My first time back at ovations in over a year and the staff were incredibly friendly. I had their mushroom flatbread and boy was it tasty! Tony made me his "Tony Special Martini" (on the house) and I really enjoyed it. It was a refreshing cocktail. I recommend dining here for lunch or dinner -even for their happy hour! I plan to go back when it gets warmer and the patio is open. read more

While the food and service was good the portions were very very small for the price. It seems to me that they are skimping to lower costs. Wont get me again. read more

I've been here twice, the first time it was a 4 star experience, yesterday was def two stars, hence my rating of 3 stars. The first time the food was amazing but the service was slow. Bf got the rigatoni, it was excellent. My salad with chicken was great. The chicken was so well seasoned. But the service was slow so I wanted to come back before leaving a review. Yesterday was a trainwreck. The service was even slower than the first time and there was no great food to make it okay. My shrimp wrap I had to send back cause I asked for no onions. When I got it back there were still onions. My bf asked for a martini with a twist and got olives. I ordered a margarita with a salt rim. And literally got a margarita with salt. I shit you not, the bartender made me a margarita with table salt mixed in and there was a smear of table salt on the edge of the glass. I was in shock, it was undrinkable. My bf is very mellow/non confrontational so that was the ONLY reason I didn't ask for a manager to ask that the nasty drink and shrimp wrap be removed from my bill. I'm not a fan of paying for food/drinks I had no desire to partake in but I didn't want my bf to be uncomfortable/embarrassed so I just sucked it up and let it be. I don't eat onions for dietary reasons but getting the wrap back with onions made me wish it was on my list of allergies. Both days the sushi was fantastic. Edamame and seaweed salad were good, though those two are impossible to fuck up. But I think the sushi saves this place. Both times there was only 1/2 servers taking care of the entire dining room with one food runner. Totally ineffective. I think when they first opened things must've been better cause from what I've experienced here, the rave reviews do not make sense. read more

What a nice surprise to find this little place tucked into a street along the D&R Canal! After having lunch and dinner there recently, I felt that they needed to be better known. Italian and sushi sounds counterintuitive, right? Well, it isn't! Both sides of the menu are tempting, modern with a nod to tradition and throughly delicious. Their bar drinks and wine selections are decent and everything is on the reasonable side. You can easily make a dinner from one of their special salads and sushi or go for something off the Italian menu. The nicest thing about them is that you can modify practically any plate to suit your personal taste. Lunch was very good: a friend and I shared a salad and we each had sushi, followed by coffee and cappuccino. The place was full and humming. We had dinner there with friends and between the four of us we had three salads, sushi + mackerel sashimi (buttery, fresh, melt-in-your-mouth good!), and three seafood specials. Everything was devoured to the last bite. The warm bread with Romesco sauce/dip offered as soon as you sit down is excellent. Service is friendly, nicely paced and attentive enough to always feel taken care of. The decor is modern, yet welcoming and comfortable. There's even a patio with bright red umbrellas for having a meal al fresco, although with the summer we've been having, the cool inside was much more attractive. We will be going back there often. read more

I have been wanting to try this place for a long term me. I was very impressed with good and menu selection.

Excellent food and service! The Strip steak with gorgonzola and penne all vodka were exceptional! Tony and Jimmy give fantastic customer service! read more

the food including the sushi is quite amazing here. The bar service is usually slow and inattentive depending on who is bartending. The decor is nice but almost a little too dark inside and i still cant figure out that whole rocks in the bathroom sink thing. read more

Very surprised by some of the reviews! Went there for the first time three months ago with a group of people and have been back since - solo or with friends. Great food, great service at the bar as well as the dining room. This place is always lively and the bartenders are very friendly - they will engage in conversation or leave you alone if you want to.Food quality is consistent and the menu so diverse to cater all tastes. $8 specialty martinis are excellent and big... There's a reason why the place is always busy. read more

Wow, what can I say. My boss asked the front desk for a recommended restaurant and they didn't hesitate to send us here, and boy were they spot on. Very nice location, decor and staff. Toni the Manager took care of us and when we asked for recommendations, he brought Gimi the Chef to the table. They both took care of us the rest of the night. Fantastic meal: wine, appetizer, salad, main, dessert and after dinner drink with a twist...I won't spoil what I learned from Toni here. read more

Pretty good food, good drinks and a cool atmosphere. Izzy, the owner and host goes out of his way to make you feel comfortable

Four of us had dinner here Friday night and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the food. Seafood ravioli, veal parmigiana, seafood risotto and cappellini with sirloin tips were all cooked to perfection. Salad was fresh, Asian spring roll appetizers were delicious. Service was prompt and the manager came by to check that everything was ok. We'll definitely visit here again. My only negative was the sound - very loud and somewhat hard to hear your dinner partners. There is a bar along with the restaurant and they were both busy Friday night. Try another weeknight if you want some quiet conversation to go with your meal. read more