I had the steak for two here, with heirloom tomato salads with my boyfriend for our anniversary. We received a complimentary dessert and a customized menu. It was adorable and the food was exquisite. Thank you for the great experience stage left! read more

Stage Left Steak - Must try the molten chocolate cake! - American Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

This restaurant is expensive, but worth every penny! It is classic fine dining done at it's best. The service was technically perfect while still being approachable and friendly. The maitre'd was a delight. The ambiance was what you would expect from a fine dining restaurant, quite elegant. The food was simply put magical, the wagyu beef tasting was wonderful, as close as meat can ever get to being butter in it's richness and texture. The portions are decpetively small as my wife and I both left feeling full. Highly recommend this restaurant. I've dined at every restaurant in and around New Brunswick, Stage Left is just about in it's own category of excellence. read more

Split the burger and the Tomahawk steak with my girlfriend. Best I've ever had. Can't wait to go back

A group of us went for restaurant week and we were all very please with the food. I started off with with the scallop appetizer. Cooked perfectly and the sauce was amazing. My entree was a medium flat iron steak. I thought it was a little rare for my taste but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Topped off my meal with the coconut sabayon. So creamy, so happy. Practically licked my bowl clean! My only compliant was that I thought the service was a little slow. Not sure if it was because we were seated in the back room so the staff had a harder time seeing us. read more

Went for Sunday brunch, steak on hot salt block was excellent, great service and atmosphere. Also excellent guitar player !

Would you pay $18 for a burger? What if I told you that in my opinion it was the best burger in NJ? It is wood-grilled, best done medium rare and extremely juicy. It's huge and won't disappoint. Best first two bites into a burger I've had in a while. I'd go great with a beer but the prices for beers are like $6-8 and a cocktail is $10. I thought I was in NJ, not NYC. Nevertheless I still got their signature cocktail which was something where they make their own grenadine there. Wasn't too bad, and on-par with other $10 cocktails I've had in NYC. I returned later and had a flatiron steak, also prepared very nicely in its wood-grill, but I'd still prefer the burger there. read more

I love everything about this restaurant. The ambiance is a 1920s, art deco, jazz vibe. We made reservations here to try it out for our rehearsal dinner and they really took really good care of us. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. My Dirty Martini was perfect. Alex, the events planner, even sent us over complimentary aperitifs and dessert. And the food was excellent. Unlike some other businesses, it is exactly what you would expect for the price you are paying. We were not disappointed. I even spoke to the owner of the restaurant and he was really great to speak with. I think we made a great choice for the rehearsal dinner. read more

Yes, this place is almost as good as it gets. The staff is very well-trained here and the food is generally excellent. The owners run the place well and it shows. After the matinee play at the George Street Playhouse, we sat at the Art Deco bar and sipped cocktails while chatting with the knowledgeable lady bartender. I shared a little of Tim's Whistlepig Old Fashioned and his Basil Hayden Manhattan while enjoying a glass of ice water. :) For dinner in the cozy front dining room, I had the best Filet Mignon and the best creamed spinach side dish of my life. My husband enjoyed his venison dinner, which he said seemed a little overcooked. The potato gratin was okay. However, the beet salad was the stingiest, tiniest beet salad ever put in front of me. My husband enjoyed his scallops and pork bellies app. A shared dessert was delicious. The one of the owners stopped by and chatted, which we enjoyed. Overall, it was a good experience, but an expensive treat. Reservations are recommended. read more

Wow- this place was amazing. Scotch list was separated by region- amazing. The burger lived up to the hype, and the fries were amazing. The creamed spinach tasted like basil was mixed in, which was weird, but I still ate it all. The cheese platter was very exotic, and we enjoyed 8 of the 9 presented after the waiter explained them all. The true highlight was the strip steak my fiance ordered. This was the best steak we have had in the area, and we have tried a lot of steak houses. I'd go back for steak anytime. read more

Our favorite New Brunswick restaurant. The food is always fresh, innovative and well presented. My wife and I have gone to them for our past anniversaries and have had great meals served by attentive staff in a serene setting. Now they've updated the space. Weekend and theatre service bring a bit of a rush - suggest midweek dining for clients or dates. read more

I really love the service and the ambience of Stage Left. Paige the bartender made a perfect Hendricks Martini with ice chips floating on the top and cucumber on a skewer. perfect. Then had the famous Stage Left Burger. Wow ... dynamite! Super juicy and flavorful. No one a normal eater can eat an 11 Oz burger plus bun and sides. Wow!!! Very good experience sitting at the cozy bar and chatting with other customers. Talked with one of the owners tonight ... they run the place with a lot of pride and attention. Definitely go! read more

Stage Left Steak - Fantastically juicy burger! But this really is a fine dining experience. - American Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Went to Stage Left last night pre-concert, intending to sit at the bar for burgers and drinks. Keep in mind that it was about 100 degrees outside. The bar was closed because the air conditioner was broken. The host asked us if we would sit outside. We said no way and he replied "yeah, i'm required to ask everybody." no one was sitting outside. Anyway, we got a table right next to the door to the bar and it got opened so often that it was unbearably hot in the dining room (a/c not working well there either). The dining rooms smells like mold, by the way. Took them 20 minutes to make 2 martinis, including a "he's making them right now" 10 minutes into that time. Cosmo had black floating objects in it. Shrimp in the shrimp cocktail were not deveined properly. they were very gritty. Fries with the burgers were so oversalted, as to be almost inedible. This was so bad that we were discussing openly with the 2 tables next to us how bad the experience was. these guys are charging $40 for a piece of salmon? are they kidding? read more

When I invite discerning foodie friends out to NJ from Manhattan there is an element of pressure that comes with the territory. However, the word of mouth praise I had been receiving about Stage Left for some time left me confident in the choice. We would not be disappointed. We timed our reservation to catch the tail end of the theatre crowd and arrived in time to enjoy a drink at the bar prior to sitting. We were seated as soon as the four of us were ready and were looked after by attentive wait staff and Francis, one of the most knowledgeable owners of any establishment around. I suspect many patrons enjoy the amazing Jamon Iberico without realizing quite what a rarity and treat it is to have it on a menu in the US. It really is remarkable and not to be missed. Allow the restaurant to recommend an accompanying wine and you may be lucky enough to hear some fascinating backstory about the vintner and origins of the vineyard from a host who is a trove of information on wines, whiskeys and food itself. Someone at the table has to try the steak tasting or Wagyu on the heated salt block as well as the Wild Boar Chop. Exceptional. Stage Left knows steak like few places around, NYC included, and everyone at our table was delighted with the whole evening. Well timed attention from the waiters and great hosting by Francis added to the experience. I look forward to another visit very soon. read more

What a disaster! My 2 friends and I went to dinner last night. We were hoping for a special meal as it was my friend's birthday. We were seated promptly and ordered our drinks. As we waited for our drinks, the waiter came by with bread (rolls) for the table. The rolls were hard as rocks. They were not warm and were stale. The butter that accompanied the rolls must have been frozen since we couldn't get our knives into it. We had to wait several minutes for the butter to soften. When our drinks arrived I advised the waiter that the rolls were hard as rocks. He apologized and replaced the rocks with new rocks. We placed our orders. One of us ordered the squash lasagna. The other ordered the scallops and I ordered the flat iron steak. The waiter never asked if I wanted a side dish to go with the steak. The waitress came with knives and gave the lasagna person and the scallop person a steak knife. She proceeded to give me, the steak person, a butter knife. She was annoyed when I asked for a steak knife. The food arrived and the lasagna and scallop dishes were decent enough. My small steak arrived on a large plate with no side dish. I was unaware that the meal was a la carte. The waiter never mentioned it to me nor did I see that listed on the menu. So it seemed like I would be eating my steak with the rock. I guess the owner/manager saw my displeasure and offered me mashed potatoes. He also made a point of telling me that he wouldn't charge me for the potatoes. How generous!!! I couldn't wait to get out of there. The prices are high and the quality was mediocre. Save your money and go to a restaurant that serves good food and tries to please its customers. read more

You can purchase a salt block to cook steak on and there is no ventilation in the restaurant. I am not particular, but it was uncomfortable to breath for a long period of time. Could never go back again. The service staff seemed unconcerned, and commented that this happens regularly. read more

My son had read an article in NJ Monthly about the best burgers in New Jersey and wanted to try one at Stage Left for his birthday. All started well... I made reservations for my family of five and had mentioned it was a birthday celebration. I also requested the bar area so he could order his burger. I was so impressed with the professional staff when we entered and were seated. We were provided with menus personalized wishing my son a happy birthday. Sweet, right? Seated at a round table in the front window. Wow! The five of us ordered; chicken sandwich (good), lobster mac n cheese( fishy tasting and oily), Vegetarian risotto (wallpaper paste with heartburn), and 2 burgers ( excellent). One bottle of wine. After our food was served our waiter disappeared. Could not get drinks refilled including a bottle of wine that was stowed at the bar to keep chilled. Staff would not make eye contact, including a waiter from the table next to ours. Finally my husband got up and went to the bar to ask for our waiter. He comes after a bit of time and refills our wine, a sever refills our water. We are finished with our meal at this point. We asked to have the mac n cheese and risotto wrapped. He vanishes never to be seen again. Fifteen minutes later another server comes with our take way and asks if we would like to order dessert. We declined. The quality of food and service did not merit the price paid. Try eating a mammoth burger without so much as a glass of water. Also on the way to the restroom I passed the waiter from the table next to ours who was huddled in front of a computer monitor picking his nose. read more

Honestly - a little disappointed. This place is good and easily one of the better places in New Brunswick, but it would probably disappoint a NYC foodie. Stage Left is a little on the pretentious side - environment is stuffy, corporate types sitting around the bar, and there was even some sort of presentation taking place in one of the dining rooms. The service was friendly, but like I said earlier - pretentious. I don't think our waiter was trying to be this way, but I couldn't help but feel he was talking down to us. Food? Very good, but not great. The menu has some interesting selections, but lost my interest with too much of the 'same old' - you can't reinvent the wheel and expect people to be impressed. I have an appreciation for the wow factor and the way that Stage Left has been hyped, as well as thier NYC prices, I was expecting more excitement on my plate. I had the venison and my coworker had the beef. Not much to tell other than it tasted good. I had the octopus appetizer - again, nothing original or unique other than the fact it was octopus. Time to revamp the menu and the concept. I would go back, but may not be my first choice. Maybe this place has been two hyped - at least to me. read more

Went out with friends that night to grab a quick dinner and drinks and ended up staying there for a good 3 hours. Food to me wasnt bad, but it was a bit steep. They do have a good wine menu, as well as food menu. I went for the usual steak, and it pretty good. Like i said, if the price wasnt too high, I would have given it 4 stars! read more

With their "Zoom Wine dinners", Stage Left kept us going during the COVID lockdown as much as anything else. Having winemakers speak to us from their vineyards was a special treat that made the lockdown bearable. Getting back to the restaurant for the "Seven Deadly Zins" was even more special. The entire staff from the owners to the bus kids go out of their way to make you feel special. Can't wait for the next event! read more

Meh. Had dinner yesterday with my wife and wasn't impressed. The prices are high and I was expecting high quality food in return. Wasn't impressed - we had: - the pork roll (good but too salty) and the veal short bread (good) as appetizers; - the lamb loin, which was well cooked but came with a not-so-good poelenta; - the duck breast, which was not well cooked (rubbery). We also had a reasonably priced wine (Oregon Pinot, around $50). Given the quality of the entrees, we decided to skip desert. For such a high-class restaurant, I expected more. Service was decent. read more

Food was good, service left a lot to be desired. This is not a cheap restaurant, we really expected the service would've been a lot higher. It took almost 20 minutes to place our drink order. Side dishes were forgotten and late to the table, as were our to-go boxes. Overall, disappointing for the price point, especially given the special occasion we drove over an hour for. We would've preferred to go somewhere closer to home, for less money, much better service, and comparable if not better food (Prime 13, Pt. Pleasant Beach). read more

Got shut out at Due Mari so decided to give Stage Left a try. They've been around for quite a while catering to the theater crowd in New Brunswick. Supposed to have a good burger there but I was out for a nice anniversary dinner so burgers were out. My first two courses were very good, a nice leek soup and a tasty scallop appetizer (the highlight for me). Made a mistake picking my entree, a pasta dish with some sort of Thai peanut sauce. I guess I was still craving pasta at Due Mari. Anyway, the first two bites were good but it quickly felt very heavy. Linguine was clumped and mushy at times. Not a great dish but again, I blame myself for ordering pasta here. I was asking for trouble. Setting was a little stuffy for me in the dining room. Might've been better off staying in the bar area, maybe next time. Service was excellent. Very attentive and friendly. I think it's worth a visit. Definitely better options on the menu than what I selected. read more

Stuffy, snooty, unhip. The food quality was amazing, however everything else was awful. Atmosphere = country club, 1990s. Our server was effective but cold and rattled off specials quickly and dismally. Couldn't get a smile out of the guy. We were there on NYE and booked specifically because it appeared from their website the full, regular menu would be in force: there was no mention of a limited NYE menu with higher prices on the website OR when we made the reservation. I have no issue with paying a higher price on a holiday, but I'd like to know in advance. I would like to give it one star, but in all fairness, the food was impeccable. Never again. read more

Very disappointing due to terrible service. We waited 2 hours before our food even came out. Our waiters did not seem familiar with the menus and were inattentive to our table throughout the night. The highlight of the night was the salt block that was brought out to cook our steak. I would not eat here again, the menu is too overpriced for such bad service. read more

A fantastic experience in every way. Always greeted professionally, but warmly. The food is consistently of the highest quality, fully reflects the best of what is in season, prepared creatively and down right delicious! I have some food allergies in my family and they always accommodate with fantastic substitutes whenever there is an issue. A great wine list with many unique offerings across a wide range of price points. The owners are always on hand and eager to make sure everything is right. There is a reason they have been in business for more than 25 years. They love what they do and so will you. read more

Very fine dining. Professional, expert waitstaff. I had the wagyu steak on a hot Himalayan salt block. Phenomenal. Quite pricey. But if you feel like seeing how the other half lives for a night, well worth it. read more

We went here for a dinner meeting...13 people....the rolls were overdone to the point you, could not cut them. The salad looked like clover and and baked potatoes were rewarmed....the steak was ok, but for $100 for the meal, take your business elsewhere. We are here often, and will not return! read more

What an incredible meal. From start to finish, it's 5 stars. I came here for my birthday dinner a few weeks back and we were treated like royalty. I first ordered a cocktail and asked the bartender to make anything with Dead Rabbit Whiskey. I know they usually hate requests like that but he did it with a smile and made the perfect drink. We were then seated and had a great table. We were a party of 4. The service was attentive but not overbearing. My water glass never went empty. The first course was amazing. The foie gras melted in my mouth. It was perfect on it's own. My husband had the Wagyu tasting and I had the burger. Our guests had the fried chicken (so good!) and the filet. Everyone loved it. Great wine list and desserts also. I can't wait to go back! read more

Very very good, but not truly great. I'd heard a lot about Stage Left and was anxious to finally try it out. The checks in the plus column were strong. Yummy food, great service, amazing wine list, cool vibe. But there were too many little nits to pick to keep it from truly being great. There was no specialty cocktail list, and while the beers they have were good, the selection was kind of minimal. My steak was prepared well, though it could have used a bit more char on the outside. Plus it was a little bit too tendon-ey and fatty at the ends. The sides tasted great, but were pretty small. Potatoes aren't that expensive, give us a bunch! Many restaurants in New Brunswick are in older buildings that previously had many rooms. I don't hold that against them, but the flow of the restaurant did seem off. The desserts were good, though not having ice wine in their hundreds of bottles did make me a bit sad. read more

I ended up stopping by the restaurant on a recomemdation from a friend, i happen to be in the area so id figured why not ? after reading some of the reviews there is one thing that i certainly can agree on, this place is expensive !! we got a table in the front which allowed us to order from the bar menu as well as the regular menu no big deal we sat down the place is nice , good service. they start you off w some bread & butter, no big deal this was fine. we had the house red wine . for appetizers we went with the Chilled Garlic Shrimp Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette , i was disapointed with this it lacked taste. our second appetizer the Chicken Tempura with Sweet Chili Sauce , was great nice taste the sauce was delicious. for diner my choice was the 9oz filet migon , mediun rare nicely done. he had the kobe beaf special it comes w a huge burning block which allowes u to cook the meat on it this was great as well. the place was not bad but it is very pricey & because of where it is & where i live chances r i would not visit again because i would have to go out of my way, my chances of coming by again would be determined by if i happen to be in the area. read more

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We went there for burgerpalooza. The burgers with the thick cut bacon were fantastic! The butter they serve you with the rolls was the best I've ever tasted. However chocolate cake we had for dessert was nothing to write home about. Also, their servers seemed a bit snooty (minus 1 star for that). read more

Stage Left Steak - American Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Went with a friend for quick lunch. Service was ok, we sat for quite a while waiting to order drinks at the bar. The selection was meek, although other reviewers say they have an extensive wine list? No chianti or shiraz, weird. This red wine the tender did suggest was quite good however,...Onward, we order some meals, nothing too extravagant a BLT and a market salad which I added chicken to - they totally forgot my chicken, didnt order it i don't think, but the salad was good regardless. It was dressed in light pomegranate vingerette with pumpkin seeds and grilled pears. The BLT came with a whole fried potatoe which was so yummy, the fries were like 1.5 inches thick and salty. I don't eat much salt but i loved them. Restaurant seems a bit more uppity, not really my crowd. I probably will not go back based on that. read more

Lobster.... and mac and cheese..... how could you go wrong??? well i was utterly disappointed. Maybe my friends had hyped it up too much... but it just wasn't all that. anyway... on the the meat... the burgers were tasty, big in portion, juice with every bite but once again not amazing. My friend ordered the Kobe beef steak special. This dish on the other hand was quite yummy. It was really neat that it was brought out on a preheated salt block. The only drawback to that was that the last few pieces of meat were way too salty. In all i gave it 2 stars rather than 3 because although the food wasn't bad i did not think that the price justified the quality of food. It was too expensive for food that only tasted ok. read more

Don't let the scaffolding deter you from dining at the top restaurant in the New Brunswick area - Stage Left Steak! While the steaks alone are worth the trip - brought out just seared with a hot salt brick so you can finish cooking it to your exact liking - Stage Left Steak is way more than just a steak house. The seafood is always superbly prepared (especially the current scallop preparation - YUM) and my vegetarian friends have never had a problem finding delicious options, though I usually recommend that the vegetarians cheat for a night and have the best burger on the planet - pricey yes, but sooooo worth it. My husband is a sommelier, so the wine list is always of the utmost importance to him, and the wine list here never disappoints... a wide variety of producers from around the world and a good range of prices. The knowledgeable staff is there to help guide you if you need it, which I sometimes do when dining alone. Another plus for eating at their bar - it's a safe place for women to dine by themselves and the bartenders are always friendly and happy to chat. They also have very inventive cocktails with seasonal variations. Definitely a place to eat, drink, and be merry this holiday season and beyond! read more

Priciest place in New Brunswick, but if you haven't had a burger at the bar, you haven't had a burger in NJ at all. It is the best burger you will ever have. Also the bartender has been the same young lady since I have been visiting this place and she is exceptional. The somiel always picks the best wines and had also been a regular fixture while frequenting this place. Unfortunately I was there late January 2011 and the bartender is new and the service at the bar is now terrible. read more

We ate there on Sunday night the 3rd of Sept 2017. Let's start out with the positives. The setting and the staff were both excellent. After that, it was so very disappointing. The BBQ appetizer was old. The dish smelled bad (old shrimp) and tasted even worse. I didn't finish the one piece that I sample and neither did my wife. Let's get right to the steaks. We all had the filet. The beef was dry and a bit tough. The most dominant flavor was of the grill itself and not of the steak. There were five of us there, we all had the filet. Not one of us finished our steak and we all ordered the petite filet. It was that bad. read more

Tried to go here Friday 3/8/13 before the JEWEL show ( next door at STATE THEATER). We were turned away. Were told we wouldn't have enough time before the show. We were only offered bar seats and appetizers. The bar seats were by the tap. No room to even put a dish in front of us. Hostess and bartender weren't too friendly or helpful. I work in a restaurant. You never turn down a sale. We went next door to CATHERINE LOMBARDI'S without a reservation. We had a glass of wine 2 appetizers. Filet mignon dinner and made it to the show. read more

I will tell you pretty much what I told Francis (co-owner) Francis, It was a pleasure to meet you last night. Our small party (4) had a great time. The food was excellent, the wine, cocktails and Scotch superb. The Cintron Brothers Flamenco music was fantastic, as was The Balvenie Scotch tasting hosted by Jim Patterson (a great guy). It was also a pleasure to meet Jonathan Walsh the Alec Bradley Cigar rep., who, it turns out, knows my son, who works for Ashton Cigars based in Tampa, FL. My good friend of over 40 years and I don't get to see each other too often. So it was really nice to be able to share a wonderful night at your wonderful venue with our wives. Thanks again Sam S. read more

We visited Stage left on a Wednesday night and it more crowded than one would expect. Our table was prepared for us and we were promptly seated. They had all of four beers on tap which I found very odd but they did have a pretty good wine selection to make up for that. We were in a slight hurry to leave so we skipped appetizers. For entrees, everyone in our 5 person party had some form of steak. I got the bone in Filet Mignon. This is the first place I had seen bone in filet and I love that cut generally, so I had to try it. I had requested it medium rare but it came as more of a medium. A couple guys in our group got their steak on a hot salt brick, which sounded very gimmicky to me when the waiter explained it. You basically get your meat a degree less than what you request it and you sear it to your degree of choice at the table. It's an experience if you're into that sort of thing. I did try a piece of wagyu beef which was very good. For sides we got the lobster mac n cheese, roasted mushrooms, a creamed corn with truffle and garlic parm potatoes. Everything was fresh and cooked to perfection. Their dessert selection was pretty impressive too. I got their black forest cake and did try the bread pudding too, both were great. The service was slower than I'd have liked but our waiter gave great recommendations and was very attentive to our needs. I'd definitely want to go back to try more of their menu. read more

I wanted to love stage left because it's a warm and beautiful place with a great staff and reputation. We ordered the calamari and ribs as an appetizer. The calamari was nice with the vinegar. The cream sauce was bland. The ribs were tough but the sauce was good. The biggest disappointment was the burger. It was so raw in the middle that we pulled out the center easily and it was completely uncooked and not even warm. Our stomachs were hurting afterwards. I have never seen a burger made like that. The staff saw the pieces we pulled out and the burger we didn't eat but didn't say or do anything to fix it. The flank steak with the sweet potato and carrot and cream sauce were to die for. That sauce was so savory, I would put in a pot pie. Dessert was fine. The bread pudding was well cooked but a tad bit too sweet. Maybe if they added a less sweet fruit to balance it out or less sugar, it would have been better. read more

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