The Brown Room

Wow, what an awesome place to have a drink. The atmosphere is most desirable, so laid back and elegant. It is perfection during the Christmas season with the homey decorations. The beach plum cocktail is delicious as is the food. If you want to have a drink without a loud, trashy, atmosphere and a beautiful fire. this is your place.

So the wife and I have never actually stayed at Congress Hall (a little out of our price range), but we somehow always end up at the Brown room when the night is winding down. This is such a cozy, even romantic, place to relax after a beautiful day of taking in all Cape May has to offer. The seating and fireplace crackling makes you feel like you’re at home in your own den. The lighting and music set the mood for everyone to just relax and spend some quality time while enjoy a few of their delicious cocktails. The drinks definitely remind you that you are in Cape May, very classy, but quite pricey. One of my favorites is the cherry bourbon sour, but they always have a great list of creative drinks to choose from that you should find one you’re in to.
My favorite night here my wife and I spent about 2 hours just relaxing after dinner. They had the fireplace going, every seat in the Brown Room was filled, but you didn’t feel cramped at all, a gentleman was playing some Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Beetles, mixed with some twists of his own on some modern songs, while everyone there seemed to be quietly singing along. Such a great time. I would go back for that any night.
If you don’t mind spending a little extra on cocktails and can appreciate the cozy atmosphere, check out the Brown Room!

My review of the BROWN ROOM is an EXCELLENT one. The lounge just off the lobby is extremely friendly & well laid out for hanging out casually with friends & family. It does tend to get pretty crowded on some nights but the atmosphere is always festive & calm. The guests are usually as nice as the staff in accommodating the crowds. The service is truly SUPERB… an incredible bartender in Steve & an awesome server in Sandy… it would be SUPERB to be able to clone those 2 & have them show servers & bartenders throughout what you should be doing to do your job well. The food is delicious if you choose to order… and the drinks are delectable. As i mentioned in the title, there is a DEFINITE need for more craft beers… don’t need a ton, just a few to keep interest. That aspect keeps it from 5 stars in today’s bar world. The live music is common and varied. It is a large local crowd as well which is nice because the «Cheers» aura is VERY welcoming! Go Go Go… traditional with a cool twist!

My husband and I love this bar. We visit any time we can. Most recently was a couple of weeks ago. The staff had some challenges as the coolers/​refrigerators were broken. They did not miss a beat. Our bartender Elijah was professional, kind and knowledgeable. Even when the bar was suddenly full with guests from a wedding and a traveling birthday party he kept his cool. Great place and really hard working staff!

I can’t give a real good review. Since we bypassed the brown room and went to the boiler room. That’s where the peasants eat and drink.
Do not, I repeat, do not show up in a hoodie, cargo pants and a hat. There were people in thousand dollar outfits. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Even though the valet guys told me we were fine and there’s no dress code, the upper class apparently didn’t get the memo. Kudos to them looking dapper, but I would have liked a heads up. I’d have combed my hair and put a sweater on at least.

A great bar in a beautiful historic hotel. Always one of our go to places. Visited several times this summer and all were great. From just cocktails to dessert or their Spanish Tapas menu all great.
Jimmy jimmy jimmy! He keeps us coming back. What a great guy! We love chatting with him and having an amazing drink. The best espresso martini I have ever had.
We also love the live music at night. A nice quiet place to enjoy an evening in Cape May.

Awesome bar hop. Live piano player, fast bartenders. Ambience is fun and elegant. Cape May local place but very active. Definitely recondmend coming here for drinks.

The Brown Room is a great hotel bar… except when it gets crowded. (And it gets really, really crowded.)
Nestled away inside Congress Hall, the Brown Room is a popular destination for expertly made cocktails, including my favorite, the Manhattan. If you’re smart, come early or at an off hour so you can snag a table or a seat at the bar where you can always enjoy lots of little plates.
Unfortunately, the popularity of Congress Hall in the summer is such that everyone and the mother feels the need to cram into the Brown Room, turning it in a huge adult fraternity party. Extra bonus points for the bartenders who somehow manage to keep up the pace. If you make eye contact, you’ll get your drinks pretty quickly even if you’re three or four deep in the crowd.
For me though, the allure of a great hotel bar typically involves dark lighting, a warm and intimate setting, very little noise and bustle, interesting strangers, and just a generally quiet and soothing atmosphere where one can enjoy a perfectly crafted, overpriced cocktail. Some of these variables can be experienced at the Brown Room, but because it has become such a tourist trap, rarely, if ever, will you experience them all at once.

It’s a very nice atmosphere, but we waited a good 20 minutes for a cocktail waitress and you had to flag her down if you wanted any service. When the drinks came, they were mediocre. We ordered a vodka martini and an old fashion — staple drinks with poor execution. For the price, not really worth it.

We went for their new small plate menu and got the 5 for $ 22. Absolutely amazing. Rock star service!

I came here to meet «7-​Minute Abs» Man for a drink. I really liked this place, and if I ever make it back to Cape May, I’d like to come here again. I liked the fact that it’s got comfortable seating, but I would have liked sitting at the bar better. I also really wanted to try the Blue Pig Tavern for dinner, but 7MA wanted to go somewhere «romantic.»

Was a nice fun place! The atmosphere and feel was very old school and relaxing.
One bartender was OUTSTANDING better then the other.
We tried just about every cocktail on their special cocktail list and most were amazing. Freshly made muddled drinks with fresh fruit and best ingredients!
Ended the night with one of the best old fashions I’ve ever had!
Drinks could be considered pricey but comes with the territory. For freshly made awesome drinks the prices are that bad!
Even if you go for one drink it’s worth it!

Another awesome place to come in Cape May for drinks. Fresh ingredients and top notch booze.
Always some good entertainment, people watching and the locals.
Great décor and plenty of room, always worth a visit.

One of the only places to go in Cape May if you want a quality cocktail. Their classic drinks are impeccable and their more adventurous combinations are absolutely exquisite. You’ll pay for it, but trust me — it’s worth it!

I love this place. It’s comfy, it’s stylish and you can get a fine drink here.
The Brown Room is, for lack of a better word, brown. Most things about it have a brown hue from the windows to the walls. The U-​shaped bar shows off the different alcohols they feature.
Like Bourbon? They’ve got it. I just had a bourbon and sour cherry concoction which was quite delicious. They know how to mix a solid drink here and I’m happy to pay them for it. Their beer list is not huge but it is well curated.
If you’re a drinker with some style, this place is your jam.

Great adult bar with interesting cocktails, friendly bartenders and (yes!) a bowl of salty spicy crunchy snacks to help those drinks go down just that much better. The crunchies are free too! Unfortunately nothing on tap, but they do pour some nice craft bottles. Those cocktails are $ 12, beers are about 6.
This is the hotel bar for Congressional Hall and has a working fireplace that felt great when we visited on a cool April evening. Offers live music after about 7pm, that April Friday it was a dude with a guitar and a pretty good voice.
No pitchers of cheap beer here, no children drinking lol, despite the bad name (the brown room — seriously!?), this is my kind of place.

I am almost a Cape May local as I have been going there for more than 20 years and am grandfathered in due to my parent’s residence there. I love the Brown Room. I have a strong eye for décor and love the Ralph Lauren home feel to this place. It’s the type of setting that you feel you should be wearing a long dress with gloves smoking a cigarette with a cigarette holder. They have a strong drink menu and a friendly staff. Why not five stars? I have been lucky enough not to have to pay a bill here, but my boyfriend made a comment regarding their «mark-​up». Hey, good furnishings don’t come cheap! In general Congress Hall and everything that the owner touches (Curtis Bradshaw or something like that) seems to try to gold. Totally check this place out but maybe have a couple of drinks at home before going! Ha ha

This is a pretty hip spot in Cape May, from what I could tell. One night (maybe Wednesday) was for locals, and there were plenty of locals there to give us advice on things to do with a rainy week.
The room itself is very comfortable, with couches and chairs, along with the bar. Live entertainment on Thursday was exceptional. The drinks aren’t necessarily cheap, but it’s a great spot for a before or after dinner drink. I’ll go back.

Having read much, but never visited the large and famous Congress Hall, I made a point to check it out one evening while in Cape May. What got my initial attention was the noise and kickin’ bass from an apparent wedding reception across the hallway. So I decided to head away from the noise into what looked like an oversized library or family room.
I looked around at the numerous people sitting at a small bar or lounging on the variety of couches and chairs scattered throughout the dimly lit space, which I soon found out was «The Brown Room.» I grabbed a beer at the bar and luckily found an empty leather chair nearby. After sitting down (really down) in it, I started absorbing the chill vibe of the place.
It was like I somehow snuck into an after-​dinner party filled with pleasant conversation and flowing drinks. If smoking was still permitted indoors, I could imagine gentlemen puffing on cigars and smacking each other on the back while laughing at their own jokes. Heck, I could have seen Professor Plum or Miss Scarlett mingling among the crowd and never batted an eye.
However, a majority of people were enjoying the talents of a young lady singing and playing guitar near the fireplace. She was really good, playing a variety of radio friendly songs and even belting out an acoustic version of «Hey Ya!» I was impressed.
I sat comfortably for awhile, listening to the music and enjoying my drink before eventually moving downstairs to check out the «Boiler Room.» Thankfully, I didn’t see a lead pipe, wrench or unused candlestick on my way out.

Great to visit on a Sunday afternoon. Luci is a great and friendly bar tender… and will take good care of you!