MEAL

Very disappointed! As a regular at MEAL since it opened, and being absent since we moved from the area six months ago, I made a return visit last Saturday. We usually enjoyed a great dinner composed of tapas style ordering and a cocktail at the bar. On this occasion we brought a friend and decided to dine at a table in the front dining room. The server came to the table and read the list of specials and left the table, we had to ask another server to get our waitress to come back and take out drink order. The cocktails were served and the server was gone. My drink was not made as requested however she never returned to ask everything was okay. Our guest ordered the beet salad as a first course, although billed as salted beets, this was beyond palatable. The salt was so overpowering that the taste of the beets were lost. I ordered the 8 oz. strip steak, medium rare. It arrived medium to well, the server never came back to check on how our meal was. So unfortunately I had to eat my well done steak. My guest order the snapper. To be honest, I question whether it in fact was really snapper. I have never seen snapper 10″ long, 6″ wide and over an inch thick having a majority of the fish having dark meat versus the white meat that I am accustomed to. The noise level was pretty bad, especially trying to speak over the disco music that was playing as mood music in the back ground, an odd choice for a restaurant. Will I return… probably not. There are too many other eating establishment to choose from. Too bad!

Very rude and unwelcoming. The staff is «okay» when they’re not sitting there starring at you eating and drinking. Also It’s a very empty place… You can tell they have the «usuals» who come in. The food is over priced and there’s nothing great about it. Drinks over priced. It’s a WANNBE fancy place. I would never come here again and I suggest you try a different steak house.

I had the Chilean Sea Bass in a pesto sauce with pearl onions, baby carrots and sugar snap peas oh my goodness succulent, with a burst of flavor, crusty exterior and really soft on the inside. Roasted Artichoke was out of this world delicious… My appetizer was the Lobster Bisque with Chunks of Lobster so flavorful you would think your at the Jersey Shore. This review would not be complete without the vast wine list and dessert cappuccino & Crème Brûlée Love it Love it Love it!!!

My husband and I tried this restaurant last night after discovering it on Unilocal.It was absolutely phenomenal! He had the foi gras appetizer (he was born and raised in France) and said it was fabulous. I had the blue point oysters and they were the freshest I’ve ever eaten.
For dinner, my husband had the «small» portion of the pork chops, cooked medium, with the red wine dipping sauce. I had the «small» portion of he hanger steak, cooked medium, with he horseradish cream dipping sauce. The meat was delicious. We split the creamed spinach with almonds as a side. This was also great.
For desert, my husband had the crème brûlée, and I had the chocolate mousse and a cappuccino. Both desserts were both worth the smaller sizes entrees. We finished them quickly!
Our server was fabulous and suggested the right dipping sauces for the meats we chose. It was great to have the option of different sized entrees instead of getting too full on the «one size fits all» dinner portions that most restaurants offer. We will definitely be back!

4.25 to be exact.
What a meal… at MEAL! I have been here a couple times and enjoyed my time here every single time! This is very convenient for me since I live in Nutley, and it brings the feel of eating a fancy place in NYC, to my hometown! You can really tell that MEAL spends much of their effort on the presentation and ambiance, and this is a major plus! This also is complemented by a nice wine list and cocktail selection.
As for the food, my favorite appetizer here is the Truffled «Meal» Chips. These are addictive chips that are topped with bleu cheese, bacon, and scallions. My friends and I sometimes get another helping of these chips since they are very good.
It is now time for the main event, the steaks! One time I shared the 40oz Tomahawk steak, and this was a massive piece of meat. If only I was a caveman with very strong razor sharp teeth where I could hold on to the bone and take bites of it. Anyways, dreaming aside, this steak tasted great. It has a char-​taste to it and was cooked just how I asked since it is also slightly precut so you are able to see how the inside of the steak looks. One other time I was here (actually on my birthday!) I had a special of the day… a 32-​day aged 24-​oz T-​bone steak. Yes this was very, VERY good! It was a pricey piece of meat (at over $ 50), but it was well worth trying this steak at least once. My friends who have went here too have enjoyed many of the other main course dishes they got.
For desserts, we got the cheesecake lollipops. They come in a form of a «tree» with the lollipops placed on different levels of the dish with multiple dipping sauces. I feel while a little pricey, they were good and had a nice presentation to them.
With the great intimate setting this place offers, along with a delicious steak, you will definitely see me come back here again!

The food here was amazing. NYC atmosphere & quality food that was all incredible! Blood orange sangria was delish! I had two! The garlic bread on a bed of fondue melty cheese was beyond! The angry mussels were the perfect amount of spicy, just angry, not pissed off. The steaks were all cooked perfectly & were very flavorful. My friend had the lamb chops & said it was possibly the best he ever had. Our server was terrific, he was very knowledgable of the menu which I like. You really need to save room for dessert. The s’mores dessert was really perfect. I can’t wait to return to try more of their food!

Love this place! Great Happy Hour Specials, wine and food! Cheers!
Definitely check this place out!

Pleasantly surprised by the quality of the meat at this restaurant. Stumbled upon this place on Unilocal as we were looking for a good steak and I was tired of the same old eats. I love to try new places and this paid off big time.
For appetizer I would recommend trying the bacon. It was phenomenal and I would come back just for that.
For entrée we both had the hanger steak. I got mine medium rare and it was cooked to perfection. I was very pleased. For aides we got the mushrooms and Brussels sprouts. Both were perfect compliments to the dish.
We could not resist dessert even though we were stuffed. We were really pleased with the smore special which combines brownies, ice cream and marshmallows.
Definitely going back here to try the other steaks.

What a great place! Found the place on Unilocal (thank you!) And enjoyed a wonderful dinner for New Year’s Eve. Reservations are a must. The food (steaks) were terrific and the wait staff was great and very attentive. Meal is pricey but it was a treat. We will be back and plan on bringing friends!

Number 1: our waitress was amazing ! Love her so sweet ! Didnt catch her name but she was short and tiny with an accent .
Number 2: caprese salad and angry mussels = amazing !
Number 3: got two different wines, for me white Sauvignon blanc and for him red both amazing .
Number 4: I had the cabanelli I think it was called (like shrimp scampi kind of) and he had filet mignon. Both amazing
Number 5: best service ever from bus boys to the waitress to I think the manager
Honestly best restaurant around. Blows All the restaurant in the area out of the water. Will deff be back

This place is a hidden restaurant with great steak, sides, and sauce options for your steak of choice. You can pick your size too which is nice for people who will eat more or less.
They have a small outside seating area. Inside is a bar with 2 additional rooms for seating.
I love the roasted garlic that comes with every steak! The French fries were also really good. Ceasar salad not so good. Better options for sure. I wasn’t disappointed except for the salad. Will be going back!

We come to dine at MEAL when we are in the mood for a splurge. The food is pricey but consistently delicious therefore worth the cost.
We were presented with three menus when we were seated. Dinner, wine/​cocktails/​beer, plus a special wine list. I ordered my usual Grey Goose Bloody Mary which was as yummy as ever. The bread basket is also lovely. A few small crunchy/​chewy rolls presented with a trio of accompientments: a delicious mushroom balsamic purée, butter and oil with pesto. The mushroom purée was delicious as well as being the most unusual. Very nice touch.
For starters Hubby got the steamers with garlic, herbs, white wine and butter that he gave a ten. I ordered the Foie Gras which is one of my most favorite things in the world. MEAL serves theirs chilled with salted beets, dill and candied nuts, the perfect blend of sweet and savory which is how Foie Gras should be served. Outstanding.
For our mains hubby got the skirt steak with garlic and chimichurri and he said it was cooked to perfection. I got the «Forever Braised» short ribs served with baby carrots on a bed of mashed potatoes. The short ribs were fork tender, they fell apart at the touch of my utensil. So tender and so full of flavor. This has been fantastic every time I have ordered it.
The restaurant is lovely. Beautifully decorated and very comfortable
Here comes the down side. I really hate posting anything negative, especially when we enjoy a restaurant as much as we enjoy MEAL. The service had always been top notch, attentive and prompt. Which is why we were so disappointed in what happened next. Like I said before: we were handed three menus when we were seated and we ordered from there. So imagine our surprise when our server approached the table next to ours and started to read them the daily specials. Huh? To be honest we loved the dishes we ordered and may not have ordered any of the specials but we definitely would liked the option. We did ask the server why he didn’t tell us the specials and to his credit he did apologize profusely. But this has happened to us before (and reading some past Unilocal reviews has happened here before) and it really makes me crazy. Normally I would award five stars but I think this is big lapse in service therefore my rating of 4 stars. We do love the restaurant as well as the food and considering everything else was so good we will be back and try again.
Just wanted to add that we ordered the Apple Tart for dessert and it came with the pbottom burnt so badly it was inedible. Our server quickly removed it and brought us a Crème Brulee. It was hands down one of the best Crème Brulee I have ever had. Delicious surgery crust and dense room temperature underneath. And to make it all the better they comped our dessert. Classy move and very much appreciate MEAL. Thank you! Upgrading my review to 5 stars!

We went to MEAL the other night for a special event (Birthday). We went there because of Unilocal and the «Steakhouse of the year in Essex» award. When we arrived (6:30 on Saturday) the restaurant was relatively empty and we were greeted by the host which seems like the owner and promptly seated.
Our server came by to get our drink order and later for our food order. I was a little surprised he didn’t have any specials — but that was OK, since we came mostly for the steaks anyway. I later found out they actually did have specials — when another waiter gave the list to the table next to us. I probably wouldn’t have ordered any of them, but the omission did not signal a very high level of service.
For appetizers we had the chopped salad, which should be a staple of every good steakhouse, the French Onion soup and a high end Mac N Cheese.
The appetizers were mediocre in general.
First, the chopped salad was a little over the top — it had so many ingredients, it simply tasted weird. With cheese, lettuce, olives, lettuce, corn, cucumber, tomatoes and maybe more ingredient it was simply not great — the vinaigrette was good and the salad would benefit from fewer ingredients.
Next, the onion soup which should have melted Gruyère on it was burnt on the sides — a clear evidence that standards are not kept. The soup was rich — almost too much so.
Finally, the Mac-​n-​cheese was nice with peas mixed in and a smoky flavor. I have tasted better — but again, not bad.
For entrees we opted for the fillet, skirt and short ribs.
The fillets were executed well at just the right doneness level. Wat can I say — a Fillet mignon requires very little tampering, which in this case they managed to avoid. The skirt was another matter. The skirt steak was again, not touched — which is a problem. If you don’t marinade a skirt, the connective tissue remains which makes it chewy. That’s exactly what I got, disappointing. The short ribs were well executed, soft and well braised with a good wine sauce.
Finally, the sides. The menu promises «House Cut Fries». Well, if you live in a frozen fry factory, this would qualify. The fries were obviously not house cut — but frozen. We also had whipped potatoes that suffered from stiffness — I would suggest mixing in more cream/​fat — but they failed to impress.
Considering the lackluster appetizer and entrees we decided to skip the desserts who were on the pricey side.
All in all — very mediocre with inconsistent quality of dishes. Very far from the quality of a high end steak house like Morton’s, Ruth Chris or even the Park Steakhouse. Considering the value — I would most likely opt for the higher end steakhouses next time and avoid this one.

This place is absolutely amazing.
The ambiance is great and the staff is so friendly and accommodating!
Probably one of the best steaks I have ever had in my life, the clove of garlic they give with it just tops it off!

The only reason I’m not giving this place 5 stars is because the music over the speakers was so horrendous and impossible to block out. Who wants to fist-​pump while enjoying a steak dinner? The huge baked potato was awesome and both steaks we ordered were cooked perfectly pink how we had asked! We started with the shrimp cocktail and were super happy with it! Really great place. A must-​try!

I’m coming out of my Unilocal «retirement» for this one…
My wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said «steak.» My Unilocal research turned up MEAL in Nutley. I’ve been there a few times for drinks and apps but never knew they were a legit steakhouse. Definitely legit.
Let me get my wife’s order out of the way first: 8oz hanger steak with chimichurri sauce. I got their signature steak, a 16oz cowboy steak, aka a bone-​in ribeye, with the horseradish cream sauce. Dear God. They roast a whole head of garlic with each steak. Now listen and listen carefully: Crack open two or three of those garlic cloves, shmear it on that steak and dip it in the HC sauce. Orgasmic. We started off with the oysters rockefeller as an app (only $ 10, but you only get four), split the brussel sprouts (the only thing I would do differently — basically charred sprout leaves) and finished off this colossal dinner with a colossal dessert: the banana split. This split was prolly a foot long. Unnecessarily gluttonous but I wouldn’t change a thing.
I think MEAL really has the right approach: They know they’re located in Nutley so they don’t try and overdue it with the ambiance or try to win you over with over-​dramatic service (this review is getting pretty dramatic).
Hey, ordering steak can be risky. You’re shelling out a lot of dough for something that better be cooked right. Our entire dinner was done right start to finish.

I visited Meal last night with two of my girlfriends for some happy hour action and a light dinner. I was not disappointed. We chose to sit at the bar where the service was prompt and friendly and not intrusive. They offer a good happy hour deal for bevs, where it includes reduced prices on beer, half price wines by the glass and $ 5 well drinks. Tito’s is their house vodka, so you’re not getting some nasty rubbing alcohol type nonsense. Also, certain appetizers are also $ 5. I’d recommend the mussels as they hit the spot and you get a decent amount for your buck!
We got the ahi tuna special appetizer that was served over guacamole which was also very good. The tuna was seared to perfection and the diced onions were a nice compliment to it. For our dinner, my one friend and I split the skirt steak and got it medium rare. Perfect. The chimmichuri sauce that we got was also full of flavor. My other friend got the filet medallions and got it well done (she’s preggy so she had to) and we split an order of brussel sprouts which were pretty good but not the best I’ve had to be honest.
The overall experience was very enjoyable. Will definitely be back soon! Oh and they have dollar oysters on weds for all my raw bar loving friends. :)

The staff was very attentive but couldn’t do much about my salty and overlooked swordfish and given my husband’s filet was also salty I wasn’t going to chance ordering another entrée from their kitchen. Chopped salad was ok. Don’t think they use filtered water to rinse their veggies as I could taste the chlorine-​esque taste in the salad. Won’t be returning here. Nice staff though too bad it’s a Salty Meal.

3.5 stars — I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of food here at Meal. I didn’t expect much coming in but my husband and I enjoyed our dinner here. For starters, there is a wide selection of appetizers. My husband and I shared the signature Truffled MEAL chips, a mountain of thinly sliced crispy potatoes sitting on top of a blue cheese sauce with bacon and scallions. I wasn’t so sure about the blue cheese sauce but it was delicious with the potato and bacon. I couldn’t stop eating it. We also had the tuna tartare which had a touch of sweet from the pineapple and ginger sauce –also very good. I had a bowl of French onion soup which was alright but not outstanding. I think it was the Spanish sherry in the soup that threw me off.
As for entrees, I thought I was going to order a steak since it’s their specialty but chose the braised short rib which comes with small side of baby carrots and whipped potatoes. The meat was very tender and yummy but the «natural» sauce it came with was a bit bland and I could have used some bbq sauce or something. My husband went with the T-​bone special. He thought it was a decent steak, but preferred the filet minon side of the steak which was a lot more tender then the strip side. The side of peppercorn sauce was a good choice.
For dessert, we shared the Smores «Meal Style». The waiter said it was the best dessert he’s had so we had to get it. It was a warm brownie, graham cracker gelato and a toasted marshmallow. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to the hype but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I liked the warm brownie but the marshmallow was not hot and gooey and I wanted more graham cracker. There were only tiny bits in the gelato. Honestly would have preferred a classic s’more.
The service here was great. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly. He provided very detailed descriptions of the menu items we had questions about. The only thing I have an issue with is their lack of high chairs. Obviously they are sending a message that they don’t want young children ruining the ambiance but for a restaurant in the middle of the suburbs filled with families, it’s a turn off.
Even though we won’t be able to come here with the kids, my husband and I said we would come back since it’s so close to home and the best meal in town.

To be honest, it’s been hard to find a restaurant where I feel like I want to be a repeat customer. I recently moved to the area and have been underwhelmed a majority of the time. MEAL is the first place I can say I will be returning to and can see myself enjoying a nice dinner at the bar (my favorite place to eat).
Only complaint was the very large, obnoxiously loud dinner party next to us. I do wish that management had asked them to try and keep the noise levels respectable. That said, I will be back.