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Skinner's Loft

3.9 (1.1k reviews)
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Skinner's Loft Photos

SKINNER'S LOFT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Skinner's Loft

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Josephine L.

I have a friend who, despite being full Korean, always craves American diner fare when we meet up. I don't know why...and frankly, I'm afraid to ask. I just tell myself that my dewy glass skin reminds him of frying oil. Anyway, the last time we got together, he picked Skinner's Loft for brunch. I was ready to write the place off, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good everything was. Skinner's isn't going to win World's Best anything, but it's a solid neighborhood spot with big portions for decent prices. The Buttermilk Pancakes were large, fluffy and satisfying. My Croque Monsieur was perfectly crispy and loaded with delicious melted bechamel, gruyere and prosciutto. One of the tastiest Croque Monsieurs I've had, including the ones I enjoyed living in France, and certainly bigger than its Manhattan counterparts. The Crispy Shrimp & Bacon Sandwich was also a pleasant taste bomb of basil, dill & cucumber remoulade, tomatoes, and, of course, bacon. Bottom line: Skinner's offers a brunch that's tastier and more affordable than many NYC joints. When you're hungover on a Sat morning, this might be the best place for you.

Desiree F.

I stopped in this restaurant for dinner. When I arrived I was greeted and sat at the bar. I ordered with the nice bartender Gary. I ordered pinot nior and the lamb pasta special. The food was very tasty. The only thing is the wine was a tad pricey. Next time I'll ask before I order. All in all a good experience.

Buffalo cauliflower sandwich
Sara G.

Our favorite dinner spot!l in JC. Servers and bartenders are all very nice. Tons of vegetarian options. Intimate date night spot.

Rooftop patio
Rachel S.

Cute rooftop patio with smaller bar with great limited options. Got an olive appetizer and drinks. Warm Punch Drunk was the best on a chilly night and the Spicy Fruit Margarita was good and touch spicy. Try the patio but stay for the food and bar downstairs!

Vegan Cauliflower
Chanda A.

We had a lovely weeknight dinner on the rooftop at Skinner's Loft last Monday! We went for the rooftop, but would go back for the food, ambiance and service. They also have a good variety of vegetarian and vegan options that are all clearly labeled.  We ordered: Parmesan Herb Fries: So good! We were low key fighting over the last fries.  Spicy Vegan Bean Chili: Decent, but would have been better with more ingredients (corn, chilis, etc). Otherwise, it's just beans with a slight kick.  Vegan Cauliflower Steak: Best dish of the night!! The arugula pesto was delish. Organic Mushroom Risotto: Good but not great. The flavor was a bit flat and could have used some more seasoning; a little garlic could go a long way! Verdict: Skinner's Loft is a great option in Jersey City! The service was amazing, they have plenty of veggie options and a low key but lively atmosphere (at least on a Monday; I can't speak to the weekend). The rooftop is cozy and intimate and the interior is decorated with a sense of fun and whimsy. I'll definitely be back!  PS - The rooftop does have a slightly abridged menu, but I think this mainly applies to drinks

Hot sauce
Suchi O.

tried this place for brunch on saturday. maximalist vibes - stain glass windows, lantern lamps, glass bead dividers. There is bar downstairs. We sat upstairs....it was lightly packed with quite a few empty tables. Drinks were good. We tried bloody maria and gentleman's mimosa. Food is good, portions are decent. But hostess said they could not make simple changes substituting a protein for chicken. Also, while taking the order she said I had choice of parm fries but returned to tell me that they can't make it as it is dinner-only item. How hard is it to make regular fries parm fries - add cheese and some herbs? Service was OK. I would have given another star had they adjusted for few of the food requests.

Chopped Salad and Buffalo Spring Rolla
Henry T.

Came to Skinner's on a Saturday night. We were sat right away. The service was excellent. Very attentive and on the spot with the recommendations. I was feeling the Chopped Salad and Buffalo Spring Rolls. My wife had the Steak Frittes. Both dishes were very good. The steak was cooked to perfection and the Salad was a good portion with great flavor. The Buffalo Spring Rolls stole the show. Definitely recommend Skinner's Loft while in Jersey City.

Salmon and Potato Cake
Barbara C.

Skinner's Loft is a cute and classy spot right on Newark Ave in Downtown Jersey City. Food: Food and drinks are great here - You can tell everything is made with quality ingredients and the flavor palettes and textures are well thought out. They definitely craft their dishes here well. Service: Have always received top tier service here - Wait staff is kind, personable, and happy to give recommendations and accommodate. Seating: For weekends, definitely make a reservation - Have had luck with walk ins on weekdays! NOTE - If you need accessible seating, or someone in your group may have trouble with stairs, would reserve and call ahead to see if you could be seated downstairs! They have live jazz upstairs during the week sometimes, which I would definitely recommend checking out!

Heritage PORK RAGU
Jason P.

The place has a cool vibe with some decent food and good service. Apps - definitely get the buffalo chicken egg rolls, calamari was a little bland. Drinks - Dirty Martini was eh, but the espresso martinis were good Dinner - Beef Brisket was good and a large portion size but nothing I'd rush back for. The mashed potatoes it came with were top notch! The table next to us got the salmon and it did look a little small and weak (they sent it back lol), but no one I was with got it so can't fully comment.

Tarragon Chicken Salad Club
T. G.

Stopped by quick to grab a bite and was glad we did! Cute ambience, they have bar seating, roof seating, inside and outside also - great options! We sat inside near the bar and tried Tarragon Chicken Salad Club. It was pretty large- came with bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado. (Heavy on the mayo, so heads up if that's not your thing) fries were good! We didn't try any cocktails- but I'd stop back in! Solid location and nice service.

Avocado slices
Nicole W.

Always a vibe! A quaint little spot great for catching up and nice tapas. Food is very good, but portion size is very small for the price. Go for jazz night!

QR menu.. Pork Belly Polenta, Ginger Ale
Candice N.

Really nice ambience right in downtown Jersey City! I appreciated the prompt service when I told them I didn't have much time. My waitress was very attentive. And the brunch menu? So many things I wanted to try, but I settled on the pork belly polenta to start.. I'll be back for sure!

Beer, whiskey sour, old fashioned
Theresa M.

The ambiance of this restaurant is really nice and is in that part of Jersey City where no cars are allowed through. We went for dinner and I ordered the Whiskey Smoked sugar rubbed barbecue brisket as my main. This dish was just okay to me. The beef itself had a lot of fat and I mostly just tasted BBQ sauce. In my opinion, it was a good dish but nothing special. The spinach and mashed potato sides were very tasty though - good amount of flavor and added more taste to the beef when you eat them together. We also saw $1 oysters on the menu and ordered a dozen. This I would highly recommend! They were cheap and really tasty and fresh! Sometimes with $1 oysters they can taste grainy/gritty but these oysters were really well cleaned and had a great texture.

Grilled Octopus Salad

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9 months ago

Amazing cozy rooftop! Great drinks highly recommended. The house fries are a great bite too to pair with the drinks.

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Ask the Community - Skinner's Loft

Does the restaurant offer brunch on Saturday's?

Yes

Are reservations needed? was told a year ago they weren't

Are mimosas ordered individually or is there a bottomless option?

Individually

What are vegan favorites here?

They have Vegan fried avocado wedges, vegan Bolognese, vegan Ruben, vegan Banh Mi.

How would they fit a party of 14?

They have seating on the second floor with plenty of room for a large table.

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Monkey Bar

Monkey Bar

4.3
(499 reviews)
4.6 mi

The truffle monkey bread while a total carb and calorie bomb was delicious and left a lasting…read moreimpression. It featured a crispy, sugar-glazed exterior and a soft, chewy interior, topped with truffle cheese and served with a truffle butter dip; the pairing was superb, and it tasted great both on its own and with the dip. For the main course, I ordered the miso-glazed black cod. The flavor was flawless, and while the portion was small (which was acceptable), the pool of broth accompanying it was completely unnecessary; it was inedibly salty, so what was the point of serving it? After finishing the fish, I was left with a plate full of broth, rendering the plate unusable. Plus, it was overpriced; for this dish, you're better off going to Strip House Strip House remains the undisputed king of this dish in New York. A friend ordered the chicken parmesan. It was just average. Another friend ordered the short rib stroganoff. The flavor was decent, but it was far too rich and heavy. As someone whose palate is split 50/50 between Western and Chinese cuisine, I could manage only five bites at most. If you have a palate that prefers 100% Chinese food, proceed with caution on this dish. Friends ordered sides of mac & cheese and mashed potatoes. These are dishes originally meant for low-income Americans to fill up on cheaply; there's no limit to how good they can be, but also no floor to how bad they can get. Both were on par with the average quality found in upscale restaurants. Honestly, these are two dishes I would never order myself. To sum up: the atmosphere was great. It's also hard to get a reservation; the place was packed when we had lunch at 2 PM. Aside from that monkey bread, I didn't feel like anything else justified the price or offered something you couldn't find elsewhere. I don't quite get the hype. Perhaps I just didn't order the right dishes; maybe next time I'll try the burger and the steak.

The Truffle Monkey Bread (9/10) was easily the best thing we ordered. It had a crispy honey-glazed…read morecrust, plenty of truffle, and an amazing truffle butter on the side. The Thick Cut Bacon (8.5/10) was sweet, crunchy, and cooked perfectly. The Wagyu Cheeseburger (7.5/10) tasted good, but the bun was too dry, dense, and oversized for the burger. The King Crab Rangoon (8/10) was packed with crab, almost too much for my taste, but the sweet chili and hot mustard sauces balanced it out nicely. The Espresso Martini (6/10) was a pretty standard espresso martini. The Long Island Cold Brew (3/10) tasted like cold brew mixed with vodka, which just wasn't for me. Service was fine overall (7/10). The highlight was the complimentary sorbet they brought out for my friend's birthday. The vibes were classic Hogsalt with dim lighting, old-school jazz, and a cozy atmosphere (7/10).

Photos
Spicy Shrimp scampi
Spicy Shrimp scampi
Truffle Monkey Bread (~$35)
Truffle Monkey Bread (~$35)
Truffle Monkey Bread

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Truffle Monkey Bread
Lola's

Lola's

4.5
(92 reviews)
3.4 mi

My parents and I stopped into Lola's for a Sunday night dinner. We were seated right away in the…read moreback near the kitchen (which is open concept and fun to watch). We perused the menu and decided to go with the Naan, Beet and Rhubarb Salad, Yellowfin Sashimi, and then entrees grit cakes, low country broil, and dumplings. The food was exceptional. Nice combinations of flavors with fresh ingredients. Ambiance is nice. It's a cute spot, not too loud. Definitely a nice spot to relax. Service was fantastic. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. My mom also has an allergy to chili and the staff was nice enough to go through the menu and help her pick options that worked. Overall, highly recommend Lola's! Lovely staff, flavorful food and a cute atmosphere will make for a fun evening.

Stumbled across this spot by just walking in flatiron. We were seated by the kitchen counter which…read moreis a pretty cool concept. The ambiance was great and I loved watching the food being cooked. Service was 10/10 and our waitress was really attentive. Apologies that her name is slipping me at the moment. I wish they had more items to choose from but overall would recommend. I had the low country boil and my friend had the pork dumplings and grit cakes, all very delicious. I will come back for the fried chicken thighs

Photos
Interior
Interior
SOUTHERN CHOPPED HERITAGE PORK sweet potato, black garlic honey butter, collard greens
SOUTHERN CHOPPED HERITAGE PORK sweet potato, black garlic honey butter, collard greens
HOUSEMADE NAAN carrot masala yogurt, cilantro chutney

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HOUSEMADE NAAN carrot masala yogurt, cilantro chutney
Don Angie

Don Angie

4.5
(1.1k reviews)
2.5 mi
$$$
Full bar
Gluten-free friendly

I've been to Don Angie a few times and it never disappoints! The food here is solid and the staff…read moreare all super nice. It can be hard to get a reservation here, but it opens 7 days ahead of time on OpenTable at 9am so definitely plan ahead if you want a reservation. For apps, we tried the Amberjack Crudo, the stuffed garlic flatbread, and the chrysanthemum salad. All three were delicious and I'd highly recommend trying them all. The flatbread had a cheesy texture while being super crispy similar to a Chinese scallion pancake. The chrysanthemum salad had a nice texture and was super refreshing. For entrees, we had the buffalo milk caramelle, gnocchi, sourdough pasta, steak Al Limone, and the lasagna. The caramelle portion was small but it had a nice sweet taste to it. The lasagna is the star as it comes with 6 large pinwheels and is served with garlic bread on the side! The sourdough pasta was also tasty along with the lemon sauce steak. For sides, I recommend getting the Japanese sweet potato's. They are super sweet and crunchy and was definitely the unexpected star of the food we tried! For dessert, the tiramisu is delicious but our group really loved the mochi!

Came in thinking it was overrated but can pleasantly say it was really good!…read more Got the chrysanthemum salad, sourdough pasta and of course the lasagna Salad was really solid tho 26$ and no meat in it is crazy. Overpriced for sure but delicious nonetheless Sourdough pasta was my favorite of the night and only 3$ more than the salad lol. Pasta was aldente and sauce was nice and flavorful Sweet potato side was not bad but didn't stand out either Now the lasagna, tbh still a solid dish. Definitely suggest taking it home and then reheating it for the next day. It is a lot of food and the tomato sauce was nice and tangy. Only Wish there was more tomato sauce and for the lasagna to be served hotter. It came out warm but i wanted it like lava Bread was good just needed to be seasoned

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Don Angie
Don Angie
Don Angie

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Tanner Smiths

Tanner Smiths

4.3
(2.4k reviews)
4.4 mi
$$

The bartender Josiah was great! He was very knowledgeable about the spirits and made great drink…read morerecommendations! The ambiance was just what you want for a speakeasy just with a more inviting entrance. Their menu is also designed like a cute little newspaper. I came alone after seeing a show! Glad I stopped in!

We had scored an awesome street parking spot and there was no way we were giving that up, so hubs…read moremade sure wherever we ate was within this area. We reserved for a quick bite at Redeye Grill before catching Dog Day Afternoon on Broadway, but as soon as we walked up, some bouncer told us they were closed for a private wedding reception. We were dazed and confused because how was I able to reserve online? But the real plot twist was that it ended up being the best thing that happened. We actually stumbled into Tanner Smith's thinking it'd be the typical, boring bar-food spot. Nope. They first sat us at a hi-top by the door, but that wasn't our vibe, so we grabbed seats at the bar instead. Best decision. Our bartender, Josiah, was absolutely killing it. My cocktail had passion fruit, so of course I asked my usual question: "But is it real passion fruit?" He just nodded in agreement and that told me everything I needed to know. That drink was legit and had nice strength. The food was great too. My fish tacos were packed with fresh fish, the guacamole and salsa were chunky and full of flavor and hubs enjoyed his pastrami sandwich. I have no clue when we'll be back in Midtown, but one thing's for sure- we're sitting with Josiah again.

Photos
The setting from the entrance
The setting from the entrance
Double Smoked Cheeseburger
Double Smoked Cheeseburger
Gluten free bun

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Gluten free bun
Friedman's

Friedman's

4.0
(3.4k reviews)
3.4 mi
$$

Had reservations for 2 on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed. We got there about three…read moreminutes late, but they seated us within 5 minutes in a booth. It was our first time eating at a Friedman's location. It had a nice diner feel to it, with a mix of booths and tables. The brunch menu has a variety of breakfast items, salads, sandwiches and burgers, starters, and entrees (fish tacos, grain bowl, fried chicken). I like that several of the items are naturally gluten free, and some can be made gluten free by request. We decided to go with three breakfast items from the brunch menu: I got the shakshuka, my sister got the Nova Benny, and we got the lemon ricotta pancakes to share. All 3 dishes were great. The shashuka came with grilled ciabatta, perfect for dipping into the sunny side eggs and tomato sauce. My sister loved that the poached eggs and smoked salmon of the Nova Benny came on top of a crispy potato latke. The pancakes were fluffy and the lemon ricotta and lemon zest elevated their flavor. Our server was friendly and attentive, and he asked us if we had any allergies when he took our order. He came by several times to check on us and refill water. I would return to Friedman's when I'm in the Herald Square area, or check out one of their other locations in the city.

Came on a busy Thursday morning at nine am. Got a decaf iced vanilla latte and a nova Benny and the…read moreMac and cheese. And lemme just say the food came out sooo quick. The Benedict was so delicious. I've never had it on a crispy hash brown type before. It was good and a massive portion. Mac and cheese was alright, though I would probably opt out of it next time. I was so full I totally forgot to drink my latte but the latte was good too. Ambiance was nice clean and very busy.

Photos
Interior
Interior
Vanilla Cafe Latte
Vanilla Cafe Latte
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Berry French Toast

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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Berry French Toast
Zou Zou’s

Zou Zou’s

4.2
(584 reviews)
3.3 mi
$$$
Full bar
Gluten-free friendly

Went to Zou Zou's for a little bday celebration with gfs and had a great time. Not to mention,…read morethere was such a sweet little bday care when we got to the table. So thoughtful, and such a great touch to start the evening for us. We decided to order the family style menu and we enjoyed the whole dinner. All of the dishes on the menu were really good and great price for $74pp. I wish we had a 4th in our party so we couldve had the duck, but we'll definitely be returning to do so. The dips were so good and so fresh! I think all of the dishes were perfectly seasoned. I get sad when dishes are overly seasoned or overly salty. Oh, and im not much of a sweet tooth, but their dessert was marvelous and the sweetness was balanced so nicely.

Came back here for dinner largely to get the cheesecake. It's certainly unique and huge - both this…read moreand the caramelized pineapple could feed 4 people each. The cheese is on the lighter side and the textural combination is nice, sort of like a baklava cheesecake but crispier and lighter. I like heavier cheesecakes though. Drinks: golden negroni was spot on, but didn't like the sangria. They had a medjool cocktail that went off the menu to my disappointment. Appetizers: the octopus carpaccio was the best and I'd order again. The tuna tartare was a little too heavy on the sauce flavor, and the golden beets were unmemorable. The yellowtail was good I think, but didn't stand out either. Mains: the duck borek has more of a sausage like meat texture. I thought it was decent but the meat being duck didn't do much and I've had better boreks in Astoria. It comes with a vegetable side that is a nice offset. I tried a friend's lamb chops and this was really good with the cooked cherries.

Photos
Zou Zou’s
Zou Zou’s
Zou Zou’s

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Skinner's Loft - newamerican - Updated July 2026

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