Rod’s Steak & Seafood Grille

My wife and I recently visited this establishment for a nice Valentine’s day dinner and Rod’s certainly delivered. I requested seating in of of their train cars prior to our visit and I would recommend this option if you want something more intimate and quiet. The main restaurant is busy and can get quite loud, especially if there’s live music playing. Not the most romantic environment so if you’re looking for romance definitely request the train car.
As far as the food goes, it was pretty solid albeit a bit pricey but that’s to be expected anywhere in the vicinity of Morristown. We split an escargot and my wife ordered a chopped salad and I ordered the wedge. FYI, the wedge salad is for bacon lovers for sure. This salad comes unmixed with a whole slice of blue cheese and a massive slap of bacon on top; yummy. For our entrees, I ordered the smaller size prime rib which was actually quite large; around 17 oz and my wife ordered the 9 oz filet. Both were very delicious. You also have to order your sides separately because your main courses do not come prepared with any. If you choose the baked potato I would suggest ordering just one; it was massive and the waiter played it down as much smaller. This item is easily shareable as well as any other side you choose to order.
The food here was solid; I wasn’t blown away but it was generally good. The restaurant itself could also use some updating but the train car was a nice touch and definitely made for an excellent meal. Come here, enjoy the food, have a nice dinner and some drinks but just remember this experience doesn’t come cheap. The wedge salad alone with that massive slab of bacon may be well worth the price of admission.

We just went to Rod’s on Saturday for Valentine’s Day. I have never been there before, but have been meaning to go there for a special occassion.
My husband and I loved the food!!! Our steaks were perfect and the augratin potatoes and lobster macaroni and cheese were delicious!
The service wasn’t as great. The back waiter took our drink orders, but we were holding our menu for at least 20 – 25 minutes waiting to order our meal. Finally, the head waiter arrived.
They also asked us for dessert about 3 times when we said we were already full.
Nevertheless, the food and ambiance was great! I would definitely go again.

Interesting place. Passed it many times throughout the years of travel but never there was a steakhouse there until the first visit the other night. Complimentary valet parking for a place with a «Morristown» address is a nice break to begin with. Going on a Saturday evening the place seemed to be very busy and it was good to have a reservation waiting for our table.
We were seated in the train car, which seemed to be quite a walk through a maze to get there but in reality was no so bad getting back to the restroom during the meal. The standout feeling was that of age — well kept indeed, but still an unusually old feel to the place and quite cramped for seating. Service seemed very high end but the let down at the end was literally no one came back to get the bill after it was paid. Meaning it was paid in cash, no change was needed (thankfully), but we walked away after a long wait with no one coming back to check the bill.
The calamari starter with hot & sweet peppers and pomodoro sauce was quiet good, the caesar salad was okay, and I really enjoyed my choice of the rack of Colorado lamb with potato purée, vegetable tourne, and lamb jus.
Overall a solid experience but not enough to make me a fan.

Went here for my boyfriends birthday and received much more then expected. Definitely a perfect place for birthday, anniversary, or special occasion. The service and food were impeccable. Rods is huge. The main dining room has an elegant, old school, titanic vibe. It is loud, but not in a noisy way, in a lively way, where you can still hear the person sitting across from you and still feel like you’re having a night out. We sat in the main dining room upstairs, and while many reviewers will suggest the train car, we preferred being in the open space with other guests. The train vs the main restaurant will offer two completely different experiences, romantic, quiet and intimate vs grand, buzzing and open. We also loved the live music coming from the bar area. They were even nice enough to bring an entire mini cake with candles on the house to celebrate the birthday dinner.

The BaconLT salad is very good especially the thick bacon added more flavor to it. Oysters are extremely fresh. The 2-​lb lobster are really good, but it’s not worth $ 55. We also got the steak & lobster tail. It was $ 44 which is great deal. The steak was over cooked but still good. Also came with mashed potatoes. The ice cream is so so.

I took my boyfriend here this past weekend for his birthday dinner and I had a great time. Our waiter was very attentive and polite. We started with the escargot, crab bisque and ahi tuna. My boyfriend said the escargot was delicious and my crab bisque was very tasty as well. The rub on the ahi tuna was a little bitter but other than that it was delicious. My bf got the delmonico steak and I got the lamb. The lamb was cooked perfectly and I loved the flavor. The delmonico steak looked charred but was juicy as ever on the inside. For his birthday they gave him a mini cake which was delicious! I had an amazing dining experience here. The only thing I would change is to ask to be seated somewhere else. We were sitting next to a narrow walkway so everyone kept constantly walking past us going to their seats and bumping into our table which wasn’t great, but other than that, everything was flawless.

Great Thanksgiving Day Buffer! We ate at noon and 10 hours later I am still full. It was perfect for our pre-​day move.

The food was good enough, but the service was pretty lackluster.
We were told that shorts were unacceptable. At least half of the patrons were wearing shorts. (not us as we were discouraged.)
We went to order our dinner. We were told they were out of certain items. At a restaurant such as this, we should be told this information when we are seated. NOT when we are ordering.
Furthermore, our severs seemed to disappear for long stretches of time. I do not appreciate waiting desperately for water while trying to eat what’s supposed to be a high end dinner. The food was quite good, but not so good as it got colder as I grew exceedingly parched.
The room is absolutely stunning. It is old, but well kept. Multiple levels. Beautiful center chandelier. Wooden bar, chairs, tables, etc, all look hand made of the finest craftsmanship.
If only they upped their level of service to match their fine food and ambiance. There’s potential here for Rod’s to return to past glory.
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Came to Rods on a Friday night and fell in love with the ambiance. Very classy, welcoming and cozy. The décor is absolutely beautiful too. This is a really good place to go on a date!
Had the Roasted Jumbo Shrimp and Scallop to start and oh my goodness, I don’t think I ever had such tender scallops in my entire life. It was incredible! The sauce was delicious and I made sure I didn’t waste any of it, thank you bread basket!
I ordered to Delmonico Steak and it was cooked to perfection! However when it came out, I was surprised the side that came with it was half a cooked tomato and not mashed potatoes. Who serves tomato with steak? I was not expecting that. It did not go well together. Good thing the steak was 24 oz! However the NY steak was not cooked to perfection (we asked for medium rare, but it was pretty well done and tougher than we would of liked). Probably because it was waiting on the Delmonico Steak.
I would say the service was average at first and got worse later on. Took forever to get the check. Overall Rod’s is a great place for a date night but it’s pretty pricey.

A couple of years back my family and I had a not so good experience with Rods. Poor service, cold food… etc…
I was contacted personally by the family who runs the restaurant to come back and they will make it right. I respected it so much that me and my family decided to give it another shot.
We were all very pleased with everything. Service was spot on. The food was cooked to our likings. The drinks were made perfectly.
This proves that you have to give a place more than 1 try before making a decision. Yes I have been guilty of it.
Steaks — are seasoned well enough that they aren’t overly done and you can actually taste the quality of the beef.
Apps — take your pick. You won’t go wrong with any of them.
Service — as mentioned previously, very good. It’s a steakhouse so it better be.
Prices — a little on the high end but it’s expected.
ENJOY!

Steak house atmosphere at its finest!!! You walk in this old wooden Victorian dark feel with the smell of heaven in the air (steak cooking in he air-​like smelling the word «sizzling and succulent“We walk to this gorgeous vintage bar (dark wood as well) and had Hennesey XO sips (bc its my birthday ofcourse)
We get seated in this gorgeous booth and get served warm bread and butter. I had the escargot (1^st time is a charm) were served breaded with buttery with garlic sauce and unraveled like little worms in your mouth. It had a «clammish» taste but I’m glad I did it. Then we had calamari which was breaded and crispy great flavor and wonderful marinera sauce.
Time for entrees: Rib eye for me without a doubt done medium with great juices. creamed spinach in its copper sauce pan very good and potatoes au gratin. My partner had NY Strip with lots of flavor (better than Roots in Morristown)
Overall it was great … I’m mean like I said classic steak house with great steak (expect to dish out money) worth every penny tho!!!

Wonderful meal in a beautiful setting. I recommend the balcony if stairs are not a problem for anyone in your party.
This is not an inexpensive night out but by no means did we feel we were gouged. Our apps were Crab Bisque (⁸⁄₁₀) and Ceasar Salad (¹⁰⁄₁₀). Entrees were a Swordfish special (⁹⁄₁₀) and perhaps one of the best steaks I’ve ever had: Delmonico Blackened Cowboy Chop (¹¹⁄₁₀). Don’t let the «blackened» scare you. It was barely there spice. Cooked perfectly as requested and proper fat content. Dessert was heavenly cheesecake (¹⁰⁄₁₀).
Service was knowledgable and very caring. We were not rushed nor were we left with long lags between courses. We were at our table just under 2 hours but the time flew by.
Tiniest of gripes which don’t knock a star off :
Dessert menu was a bit limited.
As others have mentioned, there is a musty smell which there is probably nothing they can do about. It’s noticeable when you enter but we forgot about it upon sitting down.
9.5÷10 which translates to 5 stars.

We arrived at Rod’s, a historic, nice and cozy place, but needs an update. The service and staff are fantástic.
We found that there were some good dishes but the soup was not one of them. The steaks that we ordered were good although a little dry.
We told that the chef was on vacation the reason for inconsistent dishes. Apparently there is an issue with consistancy. Chef nerds to properly train the staff in the kitchen.

AMBIENCE ⁴⁄₅
Vibes of the manly steakhouse that it is: wood everywhere, brass railings, giant chandelier, white linen tablecloths, waiters in bow-​ties, moody paintings of classic subjects (eg horses, naked ladies) everywhere. The adjacent train cars are a nice touch. It smells a bit musty/​old, which is both a positive (for authenticity and atmo) but also a negative (not sure it’s supposed to smell like this?).
FOOD 4.9÷5
Excellent excellent excellent. Everything we had was delicious… Down to the chopped salad. We *devoured* our salads. They looked simple and unexciting but the dressing was addicting and ingredients were fresh. My dad got the salmon with mango and some other stuff on top and cleaned his plate. My filet Mignon was perfectly cooked and the Bernaise sauce was top notch. We ordered shoestring onions and not only were they delicious, but it was a huge basket full. Docking 0.1 point for butter being very cold and not spreadable. The bread was forgettable but didn’t impact the meal in any way.
SERVICE 2.5÷5
Waiter was very nice but went missing for long periods of time right after we sat down and messed up our orders a bit. It was a Monday night so it wasn’t super busy or anything. When asked what the steak sauces («additions») were, at first it seemed like he had no knowledge of this menu item and when I pointed to it on the menu he attempted a response but had no better idea than I what «Oscar» meant. (It’s crab atop your steak, I think?)
I’ll definitely come back– the food is superb. As again as I type this 3 fruit flies are circling my leftover steak though

Disclaimer: this one’s just for the Mother’s Day Brunch.
Rod’s is kind of an oddity: the main dining room is a train car attached to a quaint boutique hotel. I’m sure the restaurant itself is a fine attraction, though Mother’s Day Brunch was held in a ballroom. Stepping into the ballroom and you can see why: they were clearly planning on a crowd of at least a hundred and packed the banquet well.
The food was good, if not great. Where this brunch excelled was the immense selection and friendly and efficient waitstaff.
The spread included a staffed omelette station, a selection of bagels with cream cheese and gravlax, a few salads, red and black (salmon?) caviar, corned beef hash, a raw bar with shrimp, oysters, and mussels, a variety of pates, hot pasta choices, two types of prepared salmon, beef tips in a mushrooms sauce, and a carving station with turkey, prime rib, and ham. Some dishes (the beef tips, the corned beef hash, the raw bar selections) definitely fared better than others (an over-​cooked and pretty bland prime rib). And… that’s just the mains. A dessert bar was located just off the ballroom and included crepes, puddings, a wide selection of pastries, ice cream, gelatin, mousses, and heaps of fresh fruit.
Not a cheap meal, to be sure, but a memorable one.

Located off the lobby of the Madison Hotel, Rod’s Steak & Seafood Grille has been a dining destination several times in the past 25 years. This morning our party of eleven was accommodated for Mother’s Day brunch.
Although I’ve also dined in other rooms here, including the vintage railcar, brunch is served in an old-​school, ornate dining hall. While the room is spacious, the Mother’s Day brunch crowd did manage to pack it beyond the point where moving around was easy.
The brunch spread was extensive, combining attractively presented platters with steam table fare. I never pass up a raw bar at a buffet, and certainly ate enough shrimp (large, tail-​on) and oysters to keep me satisfied. There is plenty of variety to choose from. An omelet station was manned by two cooks who seemed to have very different opinions as to what a finished omelet should look like, and refused a request from a member of our party for a plain scrambled egg. At the opposite end of the long buffet pier was a carving station (prime rib, ham and turkey), which I didn’t personally sample– too many other choices!
We arrived for the 10:00 opening of today’s buffet, but much of the steam table offerings appeared to have been sitting for quite some time. I sampled judiciously, and found the corned beef hash and grilled vegetables to be much more palatable than the salmon or sirloin tips– both in their seasoning and freshness. Desserts occupy a slightly smaller table in the next room, and were generally tasty.
Service at our table was pleasant, and seemed to be eager-​to-​please. Fortunately, we had Spanish-​speaking members of our party to expedite a few dialogs which weren’t being understood. Coffee cups and water glasses were filled only after being requested; sometimes more than once. Inexplicably, a large table of eleven guests received only a single small bowl of coffee sweeteners and a single small cup of milk, and despite multiple requests, additions weren’t provided.
All told, this was a pleasant family brunch experience. The food and service were generally «good,» and the variety was more than enough to please all tastes. At $ 28.95 per adult, it was the variety rather than outstanding food or service which provided value.

Where to start? Beautiful establishment for fine dining or a great bar experience. If you are in New Jersey you MUST have dinner here.
Service is phenomenal. Walmer at the bar is extremely talented and makes some amazing drinks. Between both bars at the restaurant (both very nice I may add,) service was great and pours were on point. :)
Jerry and Alex are very friendly and accommodating to any needs.
Mike and Louie in the train cars will also ensure you have the meal of a lifetime.
Babbette is my favorite! Absolutely wonderful and happy!
The food: lunch or dinner… Everything is amazing. Not many restaurants can be as consistent and keep everything fresh. Also, they age the meat themselves and it’s done right… Impressive.
Anytime I am in NJ you can guarantee I will stop here for a drink or meal.

Came for brunch with fam! Great selection at an excellent price point– hot food was disappointing as was the cheese selection, but the carving station, made to order omelettes, and seafood more than compensated for it. Dessert buffet is also extensive!

I have been to Rod’s several times for Sunday brunch and have always come away disappointed. The ideal of a $ 30 all you can eat brunch may attract some people but lots of ordinary food is not for me. I have had better brunch /​breakfast fare at local diners and at significantly lower prices.
Sorry, this isn’t a great place to eat because it’s attractive with a friendly staff. But I go out to eat for the food and this restaurant has always make me wishing I was eating some place else.
As for dinner, I have not dared to try it after so many unhappy brunch meals (our friends like the place and we like our friends). But if you want a nice steak for dinner or lunch with good service, try Roots a mile or so down the same road in Morristown.
Agan, this is only for the brunch — not for me — so many better places in the area, I can’t recommend Rod’s

I am disappoint.
Came here tonight for our anniversary with high hopes from all the rave reviews (and a few flops at other establishments on our previous anniversaries) and made a reservation in the train car.
When we arrived we were seated right away. The staff was friendly and the train car was an awesome experience. However the food really sucks. Like bad.
My filet (rare) was a tad overcooked and had a bit of a BBQ style char on the outside (I hate that and I’ve never had that while dining out). It was not tender and was very very dry! I’ve never had a dry filet while eating out. Ever. I figured the sauce I ordered with it would have made it better but it never arrived at our table.
My potatoes au gratin were very chunky (aren’t they supposed to be scalloped potatoes?) and lacked flavor. The casserole dish they were served in made the potatoes like molten lava on the sides and ice in the middle. At least they were edible compared to my filet. They were not what I expected from a place like this at all. They had somewhat of a Boston Market style quality to them is the best way I can put it.
My boyfriend enjoyed his porter house steak (aka man fuel) and the wine was very good (waiter chose a Merlot for us). He sampled my food and agreed with my criticism. We decided to skip dessert (on our anniversary!)
A few hours after arriving home, I decided I would give the potatoes we asked to have wrapped for us with the rest of the leftovers another go since I was hungry after barely eating the $ 200 meal my boyfriend and I just shared– they weren’t wrapped for us. Just my lousy dry tree bark like filet. WHOMP WHOMP. I’m a Unilocaler and when I am promised potatoes, I want my damn potatoes! Sucks.
TL;DR: I am extremely disappointed. I feel awful since my poor boyfriend spent so much money and went out of his way to plan a nice evening for us and the food just killed it. We won’t be back-​and I rarely ever dislike places.