Service: 10/10 Food: 5.5/10 This is a very honest review, as I went with my family for my birthday. Our server was absolutely amazing, very attentive and made us feel welcomed. While the food came out swiftly, for the $ you're paying the serving sizes are way too small. I maybe stuck in that "American" culture expecting a larger portion, but if you're paying almost $50 for one entree make it worth it. Our table was in front of a window displaying the view of NYC, which made the experience a little bit better. I feel like considering that this establishment is a "fine dining" experience, maybe clean where people eat a little better. There was cobwebs on the wall and in the corner where my father was sitting. If you want a gorgeous view and delicious food, go to Chart House in Weehawken. Better price and nicer view. Went there a few years ago for my birthday, and they went above and beyond to make my day feel special. read more

The Highlawn was great! Food was very delicious! Service was great, our server was attentive and knew the menu like the back of her hand. She was able to answer all our questions and made great recommendations. My favorite dish was the Wood Grilled octopus, it was very tender and cooked just right and flavorful. Sitting outside will be the best choice as you will get to take great pics of the sun setting. The live music was also a great touch. After dinner you can take a walk to take in the scenery and take great pics of the skyline. A bit on the pricey side but worth every penny! I will definitely be back! read more

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4 Stars is more for the Location, View, Ambience, Service, and Cocktails, rather than the food. Food was not bad, it was definitely above average and quantity was good, but I would expect more quality and consistency for the price.. While some items great, some items were just OK (especially Seafood). I will probably dine there again but will stick to meat options.. read more

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One of the finest American restaurants in NJ. Love everything about the highlawn from brunch to lunch to dinner. Located at the tip eagle rock observatory The Highlawn has an amazing view of the NYC skyline. There is plenty of parking outside and they also have a valet who'll park your car. I'd highly recommend making a reservation as it tends to get busy. Also, you'd see plenty of tourists who would be in the area either to trail or exercise or just view the skyline. The Highlawn has brunch, lunch and dinner options. I've dined a few times, and love their food, cocktails and desserts. For Brunch- An absolute must try is their coconut cream cheese cinnamon bun, avocado toast, fritto misto, doughnut french toast, and shrimp cocktail! My absolute favorite is the french toast! Their wine menu is huge! Name a good vino and they literally have it. Off to lunch and dinner- the must haves are- burrata, beef sliders, glazed sea bass, and the truffle French fries. Yes the fries are a must have and the sea bass is one of the finest. The cocktails are exotic and leave you asking for another drink! The staff is friendly and well organized. It's a wonderful place to celebrate special occasions with your loved ones! read more

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Went to Highlawn for Mother's Day brunch. Had a 5 pm reservation. Brunch was served all day and you could tell! The salads and pastas were like glue, salmon was dry and chewy, only one chicken dish besides chicken fingers for the kids. Pastries, breads, donuts were stale. Carving station had 2 meats that were small and well done. Lots of empty tables. The desserts were the only thing that saved the day. The price for 2 people was over $200 ( I was treated so I don't know how much it was per person but I did see the bill). I will never be back. read more

Enjoyed my first experience here! Not sure why I waited so long but it was worth the wait! There's plenty of parking in the area which made it more convenient. Our reservations were seated right on time. I loved the beautiful views of the city from the restaurant. All of the staff we interacted with was friendly and polite. I enjoyed the meatball appetizer. The filet mignon with truffle aioli was phenomenal! It was cooked perfectly! I also enjoyed trying all of the different desserts but the blueberry crumble was my favorite! Would definitely recommend and I can't wait to come back! read more

The Highlawn - Grilled Filet Mignon with truffle aoili - New American Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

This place knows how to do a celebration meal. From the small gestures to the quality of the table service, this place is very classy. The window seats are the best, but the whole place is beautiful so you'll be happy anywhere. If you do want that window seat like I wanted for my parents anniversary, I suggest making a 5pm reservation (they open at 5pm). The seats are first come first serve - so if you're there first you have a good chance! When we walked in they wished my parents a happy anniversary and there was also an anniversary card on the table for them. Our waiter, Nick, brought over 2 glasses of complimentary champagne for my parents. Nick was very professional, kind, and prompt. We started with oysters and a caesar salad. Oysters were served on ice and had all of the fixings. Very good. Caesar salad had an anchovy on top and big crunchy croutons. For my meal I had the seafood cappelletti pasta. Lots of flavors and textures - a very creative and tasty meal. For dessert they brought out a sparkler on my parents dish for them - which makes for fun photos. Everyone at the table did not have a bad thing to say about their meal and my parents felt very well celebrated. They also have a bar, an outdoor patio with dining seating or casual seating for handing out, a wine cellar, and also an area for events (weddings, parties). This place overlooks the NYC skyline. You can walk around after dinner by the wall to look around at the views. Really just a great place overall. read more

The Highlawn - Oysters (3 west coast 3 east coast) - New American Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

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Great atmosphere and service. The view is to die for. It was a perfect place to see the blue moon. I sat at the bar and listened to the pianist who was superb. Later transitioned to the welcoming patio to enhance the lovely view of the city and the super moon. read more

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I was invited to a small wedding here with the ceremony on the lawn overlooking NYC and the dinner in the private basement room. The staff were very attentive but, above all, the food was fantastic. Hors d'œuvres included tasty crab cake bites, chicken quesadilla bites, hummus, gaspacho, cold cuts, etc. All were delicious. I asked for no feta on my salad and they swapped it for an entirely different, more delicious looking one, in my opinion. My salmon was absolutely perfectly cooked, flakey, delicious and not overdone. And, as someone who isn't a fan of flourless chocolate cake, they killed it with this one. It was dense, moist, and delicious. Plus, valet parking is free. Such a great time! read more

The Highlawn - New American Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

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We've been to Highlawn when it was still the Pavillion and it's sad to say that the quality really took a hit in the last few years and the view just wasnt enough to bring you back. But with a revamp that is now the Highlawn, everything was top tier. Every single dish was flavorful and perfectly curated. The sushi was to die for and a must. Highly recommend coming to dine for a special date or a nice night out ! read more

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Was so excited to go for a special dinner and it was awful. All of our dishes were terrible, my drink was flavorless, the service was meh and the toilets were clogged. Hard to describe how bad the food was. read more

Booked a table for Mom's milestone birthday and The Highlawn nailed every detail. Our window seat framed the twinkling city lights, the calamari arrived feather-light and piping hot, and the sommelier's pinot pairing sang with my perfectly seared steak. Servers glided in and out without interrupting stories, finishing with a candle-topped soufflé that had everyone grinning ear to ear. read more

Okay, so this place is now just called the Highlawn and it has new ownership and a new chef. Prior to this change, it was famous in our town for having an amazing view, but terrible food. Things have certainly changed with their new ownership and their new chef Sam. First of all, we came here for Thanksgiving and they had a set menu of four courses for $90 per person. They did not skimp on a single item from the Mushroom Soup to the Filet Mignon to the dessert, we enjoyed every part of this meal. Even the mashed potatoes were excellent, like possibly the best I have ever had. We decided to come back for Christmas Eve and this time I did take photos. The food was excellent, but we wished they had the set menu similar but different to Thanksgiving. I think they do for Christmas, but not Christmas Eve. For both visits, I made reservations weeks in advance and times were limited. I recommend booking well in advance particularly for holidays. For Christmas Eve, we both got the soup of the day which was cauliflower, apple, and five Chinese spices. I could write a sonnet or a short novel about how delicious this soup was. Despite being creamy, it was light, and the flavor was superb. This is something I found to be true even with the mushroom soup I had the last time I was there. I should mention that the bread they served prior to the soup was delicious and warm. We both got filet mignon again which was excellent as per usual with various sides including mashed potatoes, and the Chef gave us mushrooms which were delicious We ended up talking to Chef Sam, and he is absolutely delightful. I can't even write how kind he was to us, or talk about my experience with him without getting a bit teary eyed. If you have the chance to meet him, I encourage you to introduce yourself. He picked the dessert for us, and did not leave us disappointed. In terms of new management, they have made some vast improvements. My only suggestion is that they allow customers who sit a bar prior to sitting at their table pay one bill instead of two separate ones. The service is impeccable. I should also mention we sat at the bar and for me the drink I had was just okay, I got a cocktail that the bartender recommended and I asked for something sweet and got something sour. It wasn't bad, just not the best drink. Obviously, the view is beautiful and atmosphere exquisite, but I was so focused on the meal, I didn't even really notice. read more

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Dined at The Highlawn for a business meeting and was thoroughly impressed by how well they handled our group of six. Our semi-private space still captured the restaurant's elegant atmosphere while allowing comfortable conversation. The tasting menu option was pretty much perfect, at least for my own palette. read more

Exquisite and enjoyable My wife and I decided to celebrate our anniversary at Highlawn. It was a perfect evening. Dress code: they suggest business casual. I wore a dress shirt, sport jacket, jeans and shoes. I felt very comfortable. Most men wore dress shirts, slacks or dockers. Most women wore a summer sundress. Our server, Patricio, was awesome and very attentive. Several staff members, perhaps the manager?, came over to wish us a happy anniversary. We ordered the "Sinatra" cocktail and the thick bacon appetizer. Bourbon and bacon is such an awesome pairing. The bourbon was "smoked" and the bacon was perfectly seasoned. My wife then ordered the house Pinot noir and I ordered the Cab. We split the roasted beets as a second choice. They were accompanied by crushed pistachios and some sort of Yogurt dressing. They were delicious. For the main course, my wife order the queens cut prime rib and I ordered the kings cut. We spilt a few sides (creamed spinach and French fries). The prime rib was absolutely seasoned and cooked to perfection. (Medium rare). It had a rosemary crust which added a perfect touch to the meat. It came with a duck fat popover and mixed greens. We were stuffed and it didn't took like we out a dent in the prime rib. (Portions were huge) Patricio gave us the 20 yea told port after dinner and said it was on the house. "Happy anniversary". My wife ordered the Sunday and I had the blueberry crumb dessert. We each had cappuccino's and I ordered Anisette. It was a damp rainy evening so we couldn't see the city which was fine. We noticed they have an outdoor seating patio and the bar was hopping. We plan on going back and hanging at the bar. Noise level- it can get quite loud in the main dining room. Some large tables and the noise from the bar fill the room at times. The good news is, the food is so good that when it arrives at people's tables, everyone stops talking. read more

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Christmas dinner here was time well spent. The food was delicious though the menu was very limited given the holiday. The manager was kind enough to allow us to select an off menu aged steak rib eye, and it did not disappoint. read more

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My partner surprised me with dinner here. Service was attentive without being overbearing (which I really appreciate). Started with the calamari - possibly the best I've had in years? Main course was this perfectly cooked steak. Somewhat on the pricier side but honestly worth it for special occasions. read more

I thoroughly enjoyed coming here for brunch. The holiday brunch was very delicious and filling. The bread basket had an assortment of different croissants, muffins and breads. They all were equally delicious! My entree was the steak and eggs. The steak was cooked perfectly, as were the eggs. The dessert table was expansive with a variety of different cakes, chocolate fountain, candies and the best homemade hot chocolate! I look forward to coming here for dinner during for regular menu as I am sure the meal will be as outstanding as my brunch experience! Also, the views of New York City make the experience even more elevated! read more

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Spectacular, attentive service from the hostess through wait staff, an upscale, well-appointed décor dripping in ambiance both inside & out, a million-dollar, unobstructed view of the entire NYC skyline - Inwood to the Battery - with exceptionally executed food that is consistently "MWAH!". For my most recent visit, the mocktails were crisp & refreshing without the typical cloying sweetness most bartenders default to -- not to mention that Highlawn had mocktail options already on the menu without me having to specially request a regular (alcohol) beverage made without alcohol--always a bonus. The shrimp cocktail was perfect - the shrimp themselves had just the right amount of resilience to tenderness, and to my palate the cocktail sauce was made from some kind of house-made, non-ketchup tomato paste and what I'd guess was grated horseradish (not jarred)--it had a freshness about it that is typically lacking at even many higher end restaurants. The apple cider reduction-braised pork belly with pickled fennel and wafer-thin apple slices defies superlatives to describe how delicious it is - it is simply next level. And the filet mignon with bordelaise sauce was perfectly executed, and practically as tender as butter. I can only guess they may have cooked the filet via sous-vide for precision with a grill or griddle finish for a crust. I used a knife, but could easily have made due with just a fork - it was that tender. And I will dream about that sauce for days. On top of all of this, I was taking a friend out who often grabs the check before I can do anything about it, and the lovely hostess was not only able to accommodate leaving a card on file, but actually had a well established procedure in place with a form for doing so. For comparison, the last time I ate at NYC's Gramercy Tavern, the staff was perfectly able to accommodate the same request - but it was, at the time, not something they'd standardized a procedure for. All in all, world-class dining. 10/10 read more

Spent my promotion dinner here last week. Such a sophisticated vibe! Started with oysters (East coast, perfectly briny) and moved on to their famous truffle chicken. The portion sizes were just right, leaving room to share their chocolate soufflé which was absolute perfection. read more

Celebrated my birthday here and was completely blown away. The calamari appetizer was crisp and light, nothing like the heavy versions you find elsewhere. We had probably a few too many tastes of the wine recommendation, but it really complemented both the food and occassion splendidly. read more

First time at The Highlawn and it exceeded all expectations. The oysters were so fresh it was like tasting the ocean. Their approach to seafood is nothing short of extraordinary, transforming simple ingredients into complex, very memorable dishes. read more

Food was so so. My wife's lobster was tough, the crispy tuna rice cakes were soggy and cold. Service was very good. Drinks were good. The place was better under prior ownership. Now seems to cater to a more downscale crowd but still expensive. read more

they had the best duck carbonara this side of Italy. Then they didn't So I stopped going because the whole menu changed. I regret not asking for the chef's name back in fall 2024 read more

Our dinner experience at the Highlawn was great! We were greeted pleasantly by the Hostest and seated immediately. We took some time to order but all waiters were helpful and attentive. The steak was tender and salmon lemon flavored. Mash potatoes side and Brussels sprouts were perfect with our main dish. Definitely worth the $$$! Great view if you there is good weather. read more

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The service was amazing the food was good, the view was breathtaking, and the decorations were gorgeous. I definitely recommend this location for wedding, engagement, anniversaries, birthday or just if you want to show someone how much you appreciate them! read more

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The view is amazing, but you can just park and see it without going into this place. The food is overpriced and the service is terrible. The bartenders were not attentive- even when the bar was empty- and did not smile ONCE. I gave this place a try because I'm from West Orange and I was hoping for a different spot to go to on a regular basis, but I won't be coming back. read more

Save your money. If you want to dine with a view bring some food and eat in the parking lot. 45 minutes to get a cocktail. Appetizers came out first. Duck Carbonara was like eating pasta water. Plenty of amazing dining choices in Montclair. Eat elsewhere. read more

Brought my mom last week for Sunday brunch. They start at 11AM but the valet doesn't start until 1130AM. I found that odd because when we were leaving he wanted to get our car but of course we already parked it ourselves. The hostess sat us right away and our waiter immediately came to the table to introduce himself and one other. They were all great and made some great recommendations as well as taking note of my mother in laws food allergies. Everything we ordered was delicious! See my pics! The dining room with the views of the city are beautiful. It was during the day and I know the view at night is spectacular. We'll be back! read more

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Food was excellent. We ordered the mozzarella, crab cake & meatball apps- all were delicious! For dinner we ordered a variety of selections: pasta, veal, lobster-mac-n-cheese and black bass. They were prepared lovely and were good. The atmosphere was inviting - a jazz singer, decor with breathtaking views of the NYC city skyline. Not to mention the amazing cocktails & wine selections, which left nothing to be desired- AMAZING. Overall, the service was top notch and so was the experience. read more

PLEASE READ IF YOU ARE GOING HERE FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER: I made a reservation for Christmas dinner in November. Called two weeks before Christmas to confirm and was informed that Christmas dinner will be a pre-fixe menu at $145 per person. For a party of five, with drinks and tips, that is a $1,000.00 dinner. There was no notice on their website of this at all and they had not contacted me about it. The kicker, besides that it is now too late for me to get a reservation someplace else, is that they STILL DON'T HAVE THE PRE-FIXE MENU READY!!!! I can't even determine if it is worth the money. This is extremely bad business practice and I am so disappointed. I used to love Highlawn Pavilion and had heard mixed reviews of the new ownership. This tells the whole story for me. We will never visit again. read more

We met my aunt and uncle for lunch here on what turned out to be a foggy Fall day. It had been 30 years or so since I had been in Eagle Rock Reservation. I was looking forward to the Manhattan skyline view, which appeared like Brigadoon out of the fog before we finished lunch. We started with an nice MEAT & CHEESE BOARD (4/5) that had prosciutto, two kinds of salumi, olives, honeycomb, and grilled bread. ($24) For lunch, we had two orders each of ... MAINE LOBSTER ROLL (3/5), which was disappointing. Rather than fresh lobster meat, it tasted fishy, and the texture was that of frozen lobster. The Old Bay seasoned chips were excellent. ($29) HIGHLAWN PASTRAMI (5/5), which was an excellent hot pastrami sandwich on grilled rye bread with a nice mustard and dill pickle slices. It came with very nice French fries. ($26) We finished with a BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE (4/5) served with an excellent almond zabaglione and a scoop of vanilla ice cream (overkill). It was large enough for the four of us to share. Service was good but a bit uneven. For example, when refreshing my coffee, the server would bring out a fresh cup of coffee but leave the empty cup on the table. Both valet and self-parking are available. Overall, this was a delightful luncheon. Food . . . . .  4/5 Service . . .  4/5 Ambiance . 5/5 read more

The Highlawn is not inexpensive. This is a solid $$$-resturant, but I believe still delivers a good value. Unquestionably the real star is the location itself. You're on a cliff with a truly spectacular view of Manhattan and the adjacent NJ area; inside a beautiful park. Ideally you'd visit when you could be outside enjoying the view either during your meal (there is outdoor dining) or before/after. The great part is the rest of the experience is also wonderful. Service is truly top rate. On numerous occasions I've witnessed the staff handle challenging situations absolutely perfectly. From the valet to the wait staff, I cannot give a high enough rating for service. The food has to be a good 4/5 stars. Quality, creativity, preparation, presentation, and volume of the food is all very good. Raw bar is great. The prime rib carving station is always a hit. I think the meatball (appetizer) might be the best this Italian guy has ever eaten! I could go on and on... Great bar area. Classy and cool. Did I mention there's a spectacular view? read more

The Highlawn - What a view! - New American Near Me - West Orange, New Jersey

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Beautiful restaurant. We went on Sunday afternoon - 12:30 afternoon, got a great table inside with an awesome view. Service was very good and we weren't rushed at all which was nice. My husband got the eggs benedict and I got the steak and eggs. My husband loved his eggs benedict. Steak and eggs was very good - could have used a tad more chimichurri sauce. We also split a blueberry crumble which was alittle more cakey than I expected but delicious. It is a little more pricey but well worth it for a special brunch. read more

Like 3 stars is generous and most of it is for the view, which is free. I typically go to Capital Grille to have a more high end meal and leave happy 100% if the time. Wanted to try this place because of the location. Big mistake. The food is mediocre. Just misses the mark. But the wait staff is what really made the experience unpleasant. They are really just not trained to do anything. Kept bumping into chairs, didn't know what they were serving and didn't care, the communication was practically non-existent as were the care and concern. The clientelle sounds like no one ever asked them to speak with their indoor voices but on top of that, I swear, every kid in the place had their tablet blasting cartoon music and it just makes no sense for a place that's trying to be upscale, which damands a certain atmosphere. Just not a good experience, especially for the price. read more

Review is more for the ambience and drink not the food. The ambience is nice and have large windows with beautiful views of the NYC Skyline in the distance and fall foliage. The service is very friendly too. The drinks we had apologies I forget the name but one was a Pomegranate drink and the other had pineapple and tequila Both were very good. Now for the food. We decided to get the specials if the day which was the scallops with mushroom risotto and the halibut. Both dishes were on the smaller side and very bland. The halibut tasted a bit watery. read more

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Atmosphere and food for my wife and my special occasion dinner was top notch. Rib eye steak medium was perfectly prepared and presentation was first class. Wife's scallops also great. Cocktails and appetizers -- not a single complaint. Well worth the price. Bravo to the chef and kitchen staff. The service, however, while attentive and respectful, was merely adequate. Two examples. First, the coffee we ordered with dessert was weak. We could almost see clear to the bottom of the cup. Server seemed almost put out when we requested a fresh, more robust cup of joe. Second, as our evening stretched to nearly two hours in a mostly empty dining room, servers never returned to ask if we would like another cocktail (we certainly would have said yes) to to inquire what we thought of the meal (with dessert). Wife's dessert was still frozen in its center. Not good. I enjoyed my dessert and would have asked about how the fruit-based dessert was prepared. Never got the chance to discuss either point as server was AWOL. Overall, glad we choose the place and enjoyed our evening -- but are very unlikely to return. read more

Three stars based on ambiance and the spectacular view but actually just 1 star for the food. Came here 40 years ago and it was a 5 star experience. My recent visit was a disappointment. I ordered the Fritto Misto appetizer which turned out to be old, dry and shriveled up calamari and something appearing to be fried cocktail shrimp. It appeared to have been made way in advance and the waiter just scooped up some from a batch of pre-made. As for my entree, I had the seafood ravioli. It's touted as having "South African Lobster Tail and Jumbo Lump Crab Meat". I swear...there was absolutely no taste of seafood there. It was 6 ravioli roughly about 1 1/2" squared and about 1/4" in height. It tasted like it was filled a teaspoon of ricotta cheese. Plus, they drowned it in sauce. A total waste of $44. I only wish that I took pictures. I won't be going back. read more

Unfortunately I didn't love this place. My friends surprised me here for dinner and the ambience was absolutely breathtaking. Probably one of the most beautiful restaurants I've been to. The drinks looked great but I ended up not drinking. The complementary bread was very good and served with oil. My pasta on the other hand wasn't great. I wanted the rigatoni mezze without meat in the vodka sauce but they couldn't separate it so I ended up having a red sauce and it was unimpressive. My friends truffle fries came dry and had truffle on the side which was a little strange. The dessert on the other hand was great. The chai creme brûlée was delicious. Came with 2 lemon cookies and we had complimentary ice cream that was good. They have a bar so maybe I would come back for the scenery and drinks and dessert. read more

They changed ownership. The new menu is more bistro fare, with burgers and sandwiches, and a somewhat limited menu compared to the fine dining before. There were only 5 official entrees on the menu. So if you want a lot of variety and choices, you would find more at a typical Italian restaurant in the area. Still, the main reason to go here is the view. Everything we ordered was great, though somewhat overpriced. The staff was very friendly and helpful. read more

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