Excellent food, service and fine ambience. Had the filet mignon cooked perfectly and the starter pop overs are fantastic. Drank the Turley zin. read more

Horrible food. Not worth a penny. Ordered fish with ceased salad. Fish had no seasoning, no sauce, no flavor. Simply fried served over Cesar salad with dressing and cheese hard to find. The chicken burgers were too greasy and had a feeling of yuck after having. Discomfort in the stomach and a horrible after taste. The steak burger with a huge onion ring in it made no sense. A little bit of credit I could give to lobster Mac and cheese that I paid $30 for. Very disappointed. There are so many good places to eat with that much price. What a mistake and what a waste of $150. read more

We are regulars to Roots Ocean Prime and have never been disappointed. If you are looking for an elegant and delicious meal with very prompt service then choose Roots! read more

The restaurant is very nicely appointed and comfortable. On a nice day when they can open up the big doors it's very pleasant to be sort of outside. Service is fine. Appetizers, sides and desserts were very good. But the steaks, at the premium price of $59 was mediocre. Geez, guys, it's your specialty - that's the thing you ought to excel at! Get it right. I'm not exaggerating to say I've had better steaks at and Outback or Texas Roadhouse. We've tried it twice and the steak quality was mediocre both times. Sent one back, server apologized, etd, but second was no better. Huh? Been to the Morristown location multiple times and it does a great job in all ways. We were thrilled to see them opening in Princeton. Alas, our experience has been the same as several others we've spoken to. I'll probably try it again in a year or so to see if it's improved. Wish it were better; we go to Mccarter frequently and it would be nice to be able to eat there before a show. read more

We stopped here today for a matinee lunch, and were thrilled. I should add that I loved Cargot and have previously been less than impressed with other Fenwick places. The setting is comfortable and steakhouse feeling--dark wood & leather. A big change from the white and zinc from Cargot. Service was immaculate. They greeted us, knew that some sites said they were open at 11:30 (when we arrived), but in Sundays it's noon. We ordered drinks and decided on the cold seafood platter, calamari, 20oz cowboy steak (explained as more of a ribeye than the leaner Kansas steak), mushrooms. They took my allergies seriously--yay! So refreshing. The popovers with butter were well-loved--both chewy and spongy, the way they're supposed to be. My sourdough toasts with olive oil were equally tasty. Nice they toasted the bread. The calamari was crispy, no grease. The warmed marinara bright and tangy. Everyone loved the tuna tartar on guacamole, next to crab over an impressive bed of smoking dry ice, lobster tail & claw, 2 oysters, 3 shrimp. The shrimp was slightly overcooked. The steak was amazing--smoky, charred, medium rare. Our normal joke--she can eat no lean applied to me, I preferred those parts. All in all, they took care of us, we were happily satiated, will definitely return. I love Witherspoon for when we are in town, but prior to a McCarter show, this is our new go-to. $144 prior to tip for 2 parents & 2 hungry kids read more

Great place to have an intimate party or romantic night out! I had the surf and turf which was great! Bacon Brussels and truffle mac is a must have! read more

This place was beyond excellent! Came here with a few coworkers on a Thursday night. The prices were a little on the higher side but the quality and value was beyondd. To start, the French onion soup was delicious as was the tuna tartare. For the entree, the dry aged cowboy steak was phenomenal and perfectly cooked. So tender, flavorful and juicy. All of the sides - the lobster macaroni and cheese, corn, broccoli and garlic, and French fries were amazing. I left very full! The wait staff was friendly and attentive. I will definitely come back - five stars!!!! read more

Roots Ocean Prime - Lobster macaroni and cheese - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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Our last night visiting our grand daughter who is a student here at Princeton and we had our least favorite meal here since Thursday night. We just finished dinner on a Sunday evening reservation at 6 pm. The parking is an issue if you are from out of town, and are not familiar with the campus. We were told that free parking was behind some land mark we were not familiar with, so we paid $2.25 on the meter to park on the street. Not sure why the web site doesn't clearly state where the free is located???? We were given a table in the middle which was kinda like being in a hall way. The dress code is non- existent as we saw a man in a too small golf shirt that didn't tuck in to his waistband. People also dined in ball caps. The restaurant tries to be a prime steak house, but it does not have the culture to fulfill its desire. Table cloths are polyester as well as the napkins. The wait staff is friendly but all very young and inexperienced. The web site said stone crab in season but they were out and the waiter said king crab claws were better because they had more crab. The wine list is nice but our waiter got nervous or just forgot and failed to decant the Darioush Cab. The filet was not prime, but of a lower grade. The beef Wellington did not have a true Wellington wrap pastry around it. The strip was also not a prime cut. The steaks were average plus. They brought Roots steak sauce to the table with out asking which is never a good sign! The cheese cake was good. We would not return since Princeton has other great dining choices. We did not take any photos. read more

Roots is a nice spot to dine in Princeton NJ. Decent food and drinks however if you have the bartender named Sue S. You're not in a hospitable environment. She's short and not pleasant read more

Excellent restaurant for any special occasions. Great service and decent food. We came as a big party so I had to call to make the reservation. They happily accommodated us. We ordered French onion soup (good), Rhode Island crispy calamari (excellent), spicy fall off the bone ribs (excellent), 8 oz. petit filet mignon and 12 oz filet mignon (perfectly grilled to every's like), lobster tail (good), and Viking village BLT scallops (Excellent). I will come back again next time when I visit the campus. read more

We ordered takeout steaks from Roots and the receptionist did a fantastic job taking our order and organizing. He explained best way to pick it up and ensured our order was placed correctly. We ordered four filet mignon steaks with various sides: creamed spinach, Mac n cheese, and Brussels sprouts with bacon. The filets were a tad overcooked to our order, however, that did not detract from their delicious, salty preparation and grilled goodness. The beat side was the Brussels sprouts then Mac n cheese. Wouldn't recommend the creamed spinach. The outdoor dining look appealing and would want to come back for dinner again. read more

Roots Ocean Prime - Filet mignon - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

A truly exceptional steakhouse. I have been to Roots several times as it is my favorite place to eat before seeing a show at McCarter across the street. A quintessential steak house with comfortable seating, tasty wine list and attentive service. Dinner starts with wonderful popovers. I order the oysters and the strip steak. I have also had the ribeye and fillet on other occasions and enjoyed them all. It is a luxury steakhouse so one should expect a bill commensurate with the experience. You truly do get what you pay for here and it is a luxury service at premium price. Highly recommended and I will certainly return. read more

Seems like a nice place. The Barman is in the wrong position. Seems he wants to be sitting having dinner rather than providing a service. Posh boy. read more

A very pleasurable dinner...... Excellent venue...Boat house/stone gate house meets venerable old school steak house. Long bar and banquettes in the front and a formal dining room in the back with what appears to be a expansive patio dining area. Just the correct amount of formality at the door with Charles holding court and making sure the machine runs smoothly and we were passed off to the most personable, energetic and professional Luis who is just one of the reasons I've given a 5 star rating to Roots. Lobster bisque to start.... The creamy essence of the lobster was indeed captured and this was an excellent version. The bowl it sat in was rather too large and deep but I'll get over it. The French Onion soup appeared rather tiny but after just one spoon full of the rich,savory,cheesy necter of sweet onion goodness with perhaps a splash of Cognac?....the chef knew that to offer any more would be too much of a good thing and we would have held it against him. Brilliant. Luis convinced us that the steakhouse staple, thick cut maple bacon would be even more delicious with nice,fat butter sautéed shrimp riding along like some sunburnt surfer astride it's bacon long board and we went for it.... good but perhaps a bit too much and the bacon could have been crisper. The generous Gin and Tonic and my wife's tart Caipirinha was taking effect and we hadn't even got to the Meat course as yet.... 20 oz prime Cowboy done Black and Blue/sublime whipped potatoes/béarnaise.... A beautiful char, just warmed in the center and the sauce complimented the first bite. The only way a fine piece of meat should be honored in my opinion along with a decent red {Barolo was my choice}. 16 oz Domestic double cut Lamb Chops/local roasted mushrooms/mac and cheese. Done Rare with a hint of rosemary and butter this was "all the way to the bone" good with the almost crisp mushrooms and creamy mac and cheese we were already anticipating a doggy bag....... but...... Butter cake and a double expressos all around. This was a classic steak house dinner in a very pleasant venue with excellent service, professional kitchen, focused menu and great food.....and convenient parking in Princeton no less. Thank you Charles,Luis and Roots for a memorable meal. read more

First time dining here and it was absolutely amazing I ordered the surf and turf and cooked perfectly. The service was great. We sat by the fireplace, great ambiance. Everything was amazing will come again. read more

Roots Ocean Prime - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

This place has potential but currently cannot execute on the top notch service or caliber of food that we expected. The building and location are solid. Great curb appeal. Parking is a head scratcher. Valet option would help. Vibe does is a bit low energy and does not sync with the great aesthetics of the building and interior. Service also low energy. Simple tip to start: serve side dishes directly to each customer and engage more with them. Not here to nitpick so I'll spare some minor gripes. Four of us wanted so much to dig this place but... not so much. We are rooting for roots as we are frequent Princeton visitors and their location is great. Until we hear or read of a turnaround for them we'll be dining elsewhere for dinner. read more

To sum up our dinner in one word- Eh. Lettuce wedge was average and had way too much dressing. Fried chicken breast tasted just like a giant chicken finger- nothing mind blowing. Popovers are a nice touch. Had to ask for water refills a few times. read more

One of the top steakhouses I have been too and I've been to a bunch. Great menu, great service and great atmosphere all while being located in the middle of the gorgeous Princeton campus. A little pricey, but we'll worth it. read more

Vast majority of the great reviews are celebratory dinners and comments on the ambiance, it is quite nice, granted it is not as nice as what they took over from Cargot. Got awful painting in the inner dinning room, looks like something that belongs at alchemist and barrister, or hoagie haven for that matter, not fitting of a place of this caliber. Coupled with the tacky banners draped over the beautiful historic stone front, just takes away from the place. Moving on to the service, for some reason the entire side patio area had no tables setup and when we asked to sit outside, they said all the tables there were broken and there outside seating was limited. Mind you I was there on sunday and sat on one of many tables, they all suddenly went bad? I call BS. Moving inside, it's a steakhouse, so, I order the porterhouse for two. Would expect at that price point it would be dry aged, it's not. I am confident the outback stakehouse or Applebee's for that matter could produce better flavor out of that perfect cut of meat. By the way, lunch from previous visit wasn't great. Ribs were flavorful but despite the description on menu, no where near fall off the bone level. Kobe. Burgers were crumbling and dry, ordered medium rare, came medium well. If you can't do meat right here, just close down. The good: - the place is still really scenic outside and impressive inside - appetizers were good - ah, that's about it. read more

Dined here for the first time last night. Amazing experience! The food is fresh and tasty. Service is top knotch. Our waiter, Kevin, was helpful in recommending drinks and top / popular menu choices. We started with the complimentary bread. It is a generous sized croissant per person, served with sea salted butter. Melts in your mouth!! For apps, we ordered Caesar salad, burrata and tuna tartare. Delicious! For entrees, we got the jail island salmon, Chilean sea bass, 8oz steak, jumbo shrimp and creamed spinach. The sides serve 3 people easily. We finished everything happily! Re cocktails, we got the cucumber cooler (specialty drink on the menu). Nice dry and refreshing taste. The passion fruit drink with rum was the perfect summer refreshment! For dessert, we ordered the warm butter cake and the flourless chocolate cake. 5 stars all around. Can't wait to come back! read more

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I have always loved Roots until tonight... I made a reservation to celebrate my wedding anniversary with my family and to my surprise, a family with a dog was seated next to us. This is unsanitary, especially as I watch the wait staff stop to pet it and then enter the kitchen to hep carry food out to the tables. My daughter does not have a food allergy as I said to the waiter, but she does have a dog allergy. Absolutely, disgusting! read more

5-star meal ONLY because our server Anna is the best in the business. She made all the best recommendations, was very attentive and made our meal great. We will certainly be coming back because of Anna :) Thank you & we'll see you soon!! read more

A great spot in Princeton to come for a dinner and stroll. We were greeted very well, and started off with some popovers. They were baked perfectly and we can't complain. We then started with some appetizers. First some east coast oysters which were very good for a Briney oyster, even though kumamoto is usually our favorite. We then got the tuna tartar. It was so fresh and PERFECTLY chilled. Delicious. For dinner we got the 12oz filet mignon to share (it's a good size) and we topped it with the crab Louie. Also got a side of mushrooms and corn. The steak was tender, perfectly cooked and so easy and to eat. Delicious. The crab was thick and delicious as well. The side of corn was wow (a must try side). The mushrooms were fresh and tasty, but a tad too salty. For dessert we got the pound cake. It was warm and fresh, very very good. The only down side is the place is kept pretty cold. In the future I would bring a sweater. All in all it was a great experience. read more

Roots Ocean Prime - 12oz filet Mignon w/ colossal crab and asparagus - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

We order (to go) 2 live Maine lobsters for my mom birthday. The butter is a bit bland but the lobster is fresh, juicy and cleanly cracked. Each is 1.5 pounds and costs 35$. I would definitely try the restaurant again. Bonus: the restaurant follows the COVID guidelines properly. read more

Roots Ocean Prime - Live Maine lobster - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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This is a phenomenal restaurant with regard to both food and service. The ambiance is also wonderful. I felt as if I was dining in Manhattan. They could not have been more accommodating! I thoroughly recommend. You will not be disappointed! read more

Yum! Awesome restaurant with a beautiful interior. The food was fabulous. Service was absolutely incredible. The staff is extremely kind and accommodating. The only thing I would change if I went again would be to refrain from ordering the steak "Oscar style." I felt the quality of the crab was poor. read more

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I've been here twice. The first time I was absolutely blown away. Price be damned, it was well worth every penny. The service was extraordinary. I really felt like we had found this amazing place to celebrate birthdays or milestones. Last night that perspective was a complete 180° turn from my first trip. We had a party of 6 to celebrate my wife's birthday. The food was good as always, but the service was absolutely horrendous. It took almost an hour to even put in our order. The waiters came and took our drink orders, then disappeared for over half an hour. They took our appetizer order and disappeared again. Eventually came back when we were eating our apps to take our order. The meal itself was fine, but the thing that really annoyed me was the waiters came and took our plates without us telling them. We probably had $100+ sides on the table, some of them were over half full. The waiters came and just grabbed the pans and took them away. We all assumed they were going to put them in take away containers. Finally my wife spoke up when one grabbed her unfinished plate and said "Wait. You're wrapping these up, right?" and the waiter replied "I can do that." They then only brought back her main dish leftovers. It was extremely annoying to basically through money away. They didn't even ask: Can I take this for you? They just came and grabbed it. Every restaurant I've been to in my 40 years on this planet even asks if you want something in a takeaway container. Even the previous trip here, they boxed it for us without even asking. We paid a lot of money for this food and I expected to be able to enjoy it another time. It's very aggravating to the point we're making a complaint to the restaurant. read more

Mother's Day brunch. Everything was perfect Def a must do. A bit expensive but for an occasion it's a good choice. Only bad thing is they don't know has to make chocolate martinis and seating is tight along the wall by the bar not ideal we had to shuffle our plates to fit our meal read more

The best! It was great to try something new in Princeton. We always stick to Blue Point, but Roots Ocean Prime is an excellent contender. We had the Florida stone crab claws which were good, Dad enjoyed his New England clam chowder, Mom loved her oysters, and we also split the Roots crispy shrimp scampi which were out of this world! The sauce was incredible For our entrees, Dad had the halibut (another insanely good sauce), Mom had the salmon she really liked, and I had the scallops which were very good. We split the whipped potatoes, asparagus, and creamed corn. All great! Dessert was the best part. I put a note in the Resy we'd be there for Mom's birthday, but I didn't think much of it. They surprised her with an ice cream and cookies while Dad tried the 16-layer carrot cake and I had the celebration cake. Everything was great! The service was impeccable. We loved our server! Already made our reservation for next month read more

Came here for my fiancés birthday and absolutely love it ! Great food ! The Prime cowboy steak was so juicy and tender . Very flavorful . Kendall was very sweet and her customer service was 10/10. Will definitely be returning. read more

Roots Ocean Prime - Prime cowboy , Dry aged cowboy , pomme frites and roasted corn - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

The food is superb, no question about that. But the price does not really agree with the level. It's really a great restaurant, but nothing special for the price ($40-$50 for a steak without a side, and $30-$40 for a seafood dish). On top of that, I smh managed to get poisoning from the lobster I had there (not a biggie, but again, for the price the expectations are high). read more

Went here for the first time last night Sat at a booth in the bar area Love the atmosphere Dimly lit small booth felt private and romantic The hot popovers omg SO light,flaky and buttery Great cocktails Steak was delicious Sides are good size easily feed 3 Salads were also big enough to be shared We had leftovers Had to get dessert too but took 1/2 home Left stuffed Would definitely recommend Can't wait to come back read more

Roots Ocean Prime - Seasonal cranberry apple martini And an old fashion. - Steakhouses Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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Second time at Roots. Very different experience than the first time. First time was exceptional and I would have rated it 5 stars based on that experience. This time not so much. More like 1 or 2 stars. So I went with an overall 3 star rating. The details. Waiter didn't write down our order (not sure if this is standard practice). He came back to clarify a couple of things. Not a big deal. Except then our steaks both came out rare, approaching blue rare, when we both ordered medium rare. I can't help but wonder if this was because it was entered incorrectly in the first place. My husband decided to just eat his steak even though he doesn't prefer the texture of rare steak. I tried but wasn't enjoying it. The waiter didn't come back right away to check that everything was okay, so by the time my steak was re-fired, everything else on the table was cold. My husband had expected as much which was why he decided to just eat his and not send it back. Unfortunately, when steak isn't cooked to order the first time, it really ruins the experience. The steak came back to me still raw in half of it and overcooked in half of it. This time I just ate it. The bernaise had come out tepid to begin with, so I requested new bernaise. That came out stone cold. Earlier in the meal my lobster bisque had also been served tepid and with uncooked potato cubes in it. And the popovers we were served were pretty much incinerated - overcooked to the point that there was very little pillowy goodness inside. Somewhere around the time that our entrées were being served, a regular came in and our waiter kind of disappeared on us because he was spending so much time chatting with this table and generally fawning on them. This was very apparent as our booths were adjacent. As a result, we waited quite a bit after our entrées were done and eventually another waiter stepped in to ask if we wanted coffee or dessert. My husband said that our waiter looked annoyed with the other waiter and took him aside. The whole thing was really odd. One other odd thing. We had a drink at the bar prior to dinner and I noticed a waiter taste testing the drinks by putting a straw in and using his finger on the top of the straw to draw out some liquid. There was nothing unsanitary about what he was doing, but it just seemed like a strange thing to do and I saw him do it multiple times. Overall an odd experience. We were here in December and had a phenomenal meal. It was a disappointing experience this time to say the least as we were celebrating our birthdays and had really been looking forward to an exceptional steak dinner. When you're spending upwards of $300 on dinner and drinks for two people, you expect better than this. Not sure if something has changed, if it was an off night, or if the place is just very inconsistent. read more

Really wanted to try this new place in Princeton pre-COVID but just went last night. Started off with a farmers mule and the wife had a brandy Alexander.... great start..... we split the chopped salad and slab of bacon..... wife remarked it was one of the best salads she's had in a while, lots of maple sweetness in the bacon - thumbs up. Here's where the constructive criticism starts: Had a prime cowboy ribeye medium rare and specifically asked for cajun spiced. Wife got a steamed lobster tail which was excellent. Mine came out medium well the first time out.... waiter quickly told me to cut it to check meat temp and did so and sent it back. New steak came out quick - really quick. I cut into it and it seemed more rare than medium rare but I kept it thinking I was hungry .... as I took a couple bites.... too rare. They promptly took it back and .... as the hostess/manager? Said... third time was a charm.... cooked perfect medium rare.... but not cajun spiced..... I get we are in a COVID environment, but when I'm paying 200 for a meal..... I kind of still expect the cook to know how to cook a medium rare steak, no? Having said all that, even though it took a few tries and I didn't get it seasoned the way I wanted.... when cooked proper temperature that was a damn good steak! Not just "for PRInceton" but a damn good steak! Definitely coming back in the hopes the cook gets it right next time..... food quality, drinks and ambiance, notably during COVID were excellent. Nothing comped but it wasn't about that. Good service and and great food (even if pricey) was worth this first time try. read more

They've reopened with outside dining and they've opened the large rear dining room where all of the side walls open to make it an open space. They've built large upholstered walls which separate the tables in this space. It's the only place in Princeton that doesn't look like a do it yourself project. So you'll be comfortable. Service is impeccable. Food is still fantastic. With all of the touches that make it a fine dining experience. read more

Upon entering the restaurant we were hit with the smell of cleansing solution from the bar. Extremely stale & foul smelling! Glad we were able to be in the back dinning room away from the stench that never dissipated. Service was strange. At 2:45 pm They had a full dinning room and it seemed that every table needed something and suddenly no server could be found. Food and ambiance good and I will return but something was definitely off this time around. read more

Definitely regret not eating here earlier! I got takeout (curbside pickup was easy & timely - staff are clearly very respectful of COVID guidelines) and had such an amazing meal. The scallops were cooked to perfection, and the flavors paired with it (the creaminess of the risotto, the smokiness of the bacon) were mind-blowingly good. Everything in the trio was also amazing - let me just say a word about the lobster bisque. I don't like soup usually. But this soup converted me to the point that I was trying to steal it from my family members at the table. It's flavorful, has these huge chunks of lobster, isn't too heavy -- literally so good. Huge fan, will definitely be back for more!! read more

Went to Roots Ocean Prime for dinner last night and was blown away by this warm and welcoming addition to the Princeton food scene. First of all the space itself is full of warm wood and gives you almost a ski chalet vibe when you walk into the main large dining area. The tall ceilings with beautiful wood vaults all around and the large brick fireplace really sets the mood for a night of romantic dining. While I didn't get any pictures of our food, all I can say was mmmmm. The double cut lamb was cooked to perfection and the French onion soup left me wanting more of the delicious caramelized onions and hearty beef broth. All of their side items each come in their own small casserole dish and are more than enough to share. The creamed spinach was my favorite! My husband is a vegetarian and even though this restaurant boasts an array of well thought out meat and seafood options, they still had options for him. He went with the cauliflower steak which was browned to perfection and still maintained a tender consistency. Needless to say, he loved it. Kudos to the chef! The service in this restaurant was second to none. The wait staff worked in teams and each was attentive and professional. Overall it's a restaurant that will definitely be in our date night rotation. The ambiance, food,service and the great cocktails make this place a definite must try if you're in the area. read more

We were seated in the back room surrounded by large parties and as a party of 2, we were forgotten about on multiple occasions. Had to ask for bread three times before finally receiving cold popovers and no butter. Needed to ask two different people for butter before receiving it, the same with getting our water glasses refilled. Food was great, my steak was one of the best I've ever had. But the disappointing service makes me hesitant to want to return. read more

From the first moment of receiving a beautiful and delicious popover to the appetizers, steaks, sides and dessert the food was top notch. The decor and ambiance as well as the service was outstanding as well. The tuna tar tar was excellent as well as the cowboy ribeye. The enormous salted potato and the creamed spinach were also excellent. The lobster mac n cheese was good but a bit heavy so that was one of the few things we did not love. The cauliflower puree also was pretty bland so would not order that again. I did not have it but my family said the cheesecake was outstanding. read more

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