Grand Lux Cafe

I visited on a Monday evening and was promptly greeted and seated. I made a trip to the washroom to wash my hands. The bathroom was completely destroyed. There was water all over the counter. There were paper towels all over the floor. There were feces smeared on the wall. I told the host about the issues. After my meal, the bathroom had not been cleaned. It had been a solid 60 minutes since I’d brought it to their attention.
I wrote to the company and spoke to a manager the next day. He assured me this was a one off situation and that it was not representative of how they do business. He advised that he’d send me a gift card to visit the location again, but that wasn’t ever received.
The food was great. The service was great.

The Story: Can you say Triple Date?
Food: I’ve been here a couple times with different groups of people. Overall I think their food is pretty good. They have an amazing Cobb salad but I didn’t order that the most recent visit.
Tahitian Pineapple — This drink is yummy! It’s one of those drinks that is so good you don’t know until it hits you!
Volcano Shrimp — This is okay. But they literally halved 4 shrimps into 8 pieces. Talk about profit margin!
Chicken Pot Pie — It was yummy and creamy. However, I think I prefer the KFC one…
Price: A little more expensive than your local apple bees and chills. Around Outback steak house. Between 6 people we spent $ 300 with tip.
Décor: Very nice inside. Only complaint about the décor is how dim it was.
Service: Service wasn’t outstanding. The fact that my water was NEVER filled up really annoyed me. (hence the 3 stars)
Parking & Finding the Place: Located next to the AMC at Garden State Plaza… you can’t miss it!
Additional Thoughts:

The food was actually a lot better than I thought it would be. Décor felt like a Cheesecake factory knockoff. I did have a few complaints. The service at the bar was fairly inattentive. There were 4 bartenders, 2 of the them were for the service bar. So, there was plenty of staff. I literally stared at one of the bartenders for 5 minutes, and he/​she (not trying to get anyone in trouble) never even glanced at me to see if I was okay. And it’s not like they were really busy. Also, the service bartender was kind of casually making drinks and loudly tossing shakers into the sink right in front of me. It was unnerving. Even though the food was good, I wouldn’t go back. Service is important to me, and I just got the feeling that most of the people that helped me didn’t really need their jobs.
Finally, almost forgot, but this was frustrating at the time because I couldn’t get anyone’s attention: My girlfriend and I had 3 different plates that included ramikens of sauce or dressing. One was ketchup, one was salad dressing, and the last was sour cream. We ran out of condiments on all three. And really, we’re not people that drench our food in condiments. Really, I don’t see how a 1oz soufflé cup of dressing is going to be enough for a platter sized cob salad (mind you, she didn’t ask for it on the side. She did however ask for the salad to be chopped, but it wasn’t). A 1oz cup of sour cream might be enough for a large quesadilla, if you filled the cup more than half way. Same goes for the ketchup with my french fries.
Restaurant owners take note: it may look like you fancied up your place by not putting a ketchup bottle on the table, and adding a ramiken of ketchup to the plate. I know, you can also cut down on wasted ketchup, and fill out the plate a little better (since apparently you’re not offering a pickle with your BLT [which was excellent btw]). But, if the soufflé cup of ketchup is too small, or served half empty, and your servers are not on point, then you’ve reached the point of diminishing returns.
I know. i’m a jerk. I just want a restaurant to run the way it should for once.
So, GLC is 3-​stars A-​ok if you’re okay with unenthusiastic service and good food that is really close, but still not completely dialed in.

While the food here is pretty solid, especially pasta and sandwiches, the service and clientele was so awful on a recent visit that it will be my last time there. Service began with a waitress who didn’t come to our table to take drink orders or at all, for nearly 30 minutes until we asked another employee to find her. I then had to track her down again because my beer order never showed up. When it did, it was the wrong beer. Our friend with us also got attitude for ordering a mix of juices on the menu because the mix itself wasn’t on. She was also told twice that refills weren’t included, which would be fine information if it weren’t for the attitude and huffiness. Later, a patron across the aisle loudly commented that she’d like to be moved because our table was staring at her. This was apparently because a 10-​month old baby had looked her way twice. He was probably confused as to her orange fake tanner glow. The food itself was good as it has always been. The pasta was excellent with a huge amount of flavor and the cuban I ordered was on delicious crispy bread with a good balance of meat and sourness from the pickles. This was also the first time I’ve ever been told we needed to order dessert before food even arrived because apparently one dish took 30 minutes to make, not even one we’d asked about. Forgive me, but that seems like a problem with the menu or approach. Very strange for a restaurant with tons of desserts sitting out at the counter on the way in. When we approached a manger while leaving, he did seem vaguely apologetic, but did nothing to make the experience right and I suspect it wasn’t the first complaint. While walking out, I heard another table sending back food because it wasn’t the dish they’d ordered. On food alone, Grand Lux is a great option to break up a long day of shopping at the mall, but the service can be truly horrendous.

Fabulous place to eat! Lots of fantastic food and nice setting for dining! Considering that Grand Lux Café is owned by The Cheesecake Factory, I’d give this place two thumbs WAAAAAAAAAAAAY UP!

I’ve eaten here a few times, just stopped in most recently on a Saturday evening just after the new year. It was about 10:30 pm and there was still a lot of people in the place.
Its just your typical Grand Lux. Very nice décor, the place was clean, the waitress was nice. I usually come here just for the small plates and tapas, i love the fact they have so much to chose from and its good food to snack on when you don’t want a big meal.

Disappointed. Ordered the southwestern salad to go, it was dumped into the to go box, with the greens on the top and the tortilla strips and corn on the bottom.
I asked to substitute the honey lime vinaigrette dressing with something else and the waitress had no idea what dressings were available. Waited a long time to just order.
Expensive but portion was big. Chicken wasn’t marinated at all — salad was really bland. Waste of money in my opinion.

We came on a Friday night and surprisingly only waited about fifteen minutes. Being an affiliate of Cheese Cake Factory, the food is similar. I would say that this place is slightly better than Cheese Cake Factory: both the food and décor. For a chain restaurant, this place is near the top for quality. My only complaint about the food is that it was too salty.

Ive never been here before, and was happy to try it on a weekday for lunch. The Grand Lux has a similar charm to that of a Cheesecake Factory, but with just a little more polish. We were seated quickly, and greeted by our waiter, Shane, shortly after being seated. He was great, and really appreciated his service.
I ordered the Bento Box with caesar salad, cream of chicken, Parmesan fries, and steak. It was very good, but a bit much for one person unless you are pushing the obesity meter. I would suggest sharing it or if you are really hungry then just hold off on any appetizers.
I would only suggest looking at the steak sauce. It was very sweet ad tangy, and I really prefer a saltier taste with my steak.
I will definitely be back, and looking forward to trying more of the menu.

I had heard that Grand Lux Café was just a fancier Cheesecake Factory and it kinda is. The place is well decorated and the ambiance was pretty trendy. I came on a Sunday for dinner with a friend. It was close to 9pm, so it wasn’t very busy. I ordered a Cuban sandwich with fries. It was pretty good. Ordered the Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert. It’s made to order, so it’s best to order it with your entrée so it comes out around the time you finish. Nothing really awesome about Grand Lux Café, but if you’re looking for a nicer casual dining experience at the mall, this place works.

Was surprised to see 3 star for this place was expecting 4 to 4,5 and I myself am elf give 5 for this place till I found out why I AGREE this place has changed so here my MiXED review for what I order
Asian RIB taco — great taste you should order this
Ahi ceviche — it’s OK nothing spctacular
Calamari — taste like old cooking oil and this is one of my pet peeves.
Carbonara pasta — BIG disappointment I think that’s where the big change hapoend I used to order pasta and I finished them all the time no matter how large the serving was. This time it’s so OILY and DRY didn’t even eat half of it no taste whatsoever just the oil.
Service — always as GOOD as before and very attentive
Overall the AMBIANCE is great and much better than even the high end restaurant around the area. but they got to fix their food if they want to bring back the Regulars.

I have been here many, many times for lunch and dinner. I really love this place because of their very large selection of entrée’s and consistently good quality food and service. This time was no different. The two of us were here on a Saturday evening for dinner without a reservation. We were seated immediately just before 6pm.
I started with a Mai Tai for $ 12. I normally order my favorite Jambalaya, but, I really enjoyed my smothered catfish for $ 17.95 this time. I will return here for more catfish. I love cajun catfish. Their Jambalaya and smothered catfish are two of my favorites here.
My total bill less gratuities was $ 61. I would rate this place a little above average or 3.5 stars.

I don’t know why Grand Lux generates such criticism. It’s exactly the same experience, food, and quality that I expect from Cheesecake Factory, and everyone I know loves Cheesecake Factory. Is it because Grand Lux brands itself as ‘higher class’ than Cheesecake because they use organic/​fresh/​whatever materials? If I’m judging by ambiance, service, and food alone, I can’t find anything that significantly sets this place apart from Cheesecake, and that’s including the price point.
It’s consistent, I-​know-​what-​to-​expect American cuisine. Free bread, friendly service, large seating areas. Personally, I enjoyed my soup and sandwich combo for a late Sunday brunch. My only gripe is that the soup selection is limited and what I had (cream of chicken) was too sweet. However, everything else is right on point in terms of what I’d expect from a restaurant of this type that charges this amount of money in Garden State Plaza. No, not the most orgasmic food experience you’ll ever have, but compared to some of the crap in the mall, it’s much better.

We had dinner here this weekend and what a disappointment. The crowds of people who wait for a seat at Grand Lux on weekends hasn’t decreased, but the food? UGH. What happened? New chefs? Our food was wayyyyyyyyyyy to salty, and the sauce/​marinade has all changed. The presentation of the dish was the first clue — the dishes looked different. The chicken madeira which was my favorite dish here, was almost inedible.
We got a booth seating for 6 all to ourselves — that was the nice part. The drinks tasted the same. I always get a mai tai, but make sure to ask for a double shot because it’s quite weak otherwise. I’m sure there’s heaps of calories in there, but the fruity tangy mai tais always get me going. That is, until the food came out. The shrimp scampi had 5 measly pieces of tiny shrimps, and the pasta was overcooked with just too much salt. The pasta sauce was also lacking in flavor and amount, which made the pasta itself quickly dry and just unappealing.
The buffalo rolls tasted more or less the same as before. That comes with blue cheese and tobasco sauce on the side — good way to start a meal. Service is a hit or miss. People seem to enjoy the outdoor seating area, which is very well barricaded. I just can’t stand fly intrusions and the likely worse service.
All in all, I’m very disappointed and I left with a heavy heart — probably won’t be returning for a while — the sting will last.

I’ll definitely be coming back for their happy hour!!! I hadn’t been here years, so my sister and I decide to go for late lunch. It was during their happy hour. Best happy hour, I’ve been to a few that I thought were the best but this one is better! Huge selection of apps and small plates/​tapas. Small selection of drink specials but they all sounded delicious and well priced. We ordered 4 apps and two drinks. Drinks were great, the apps were scrumptious. Buffalo chicken egg rolls, Thai chicken and shrimp spring rolls, double cheddar sliders, and warm brie with dates and arugula mini pizza. These appetizers and small plates actually were a very decent amount of food. My drink was simply delcious it was a mango vodka drink, not too sweet but not too tart. The waitor was nice, attentive, and informative.

Huge portions that are delicious and worth paying for. Not expensive if you think about it, since it was fresh and delicious! I had the chicken piccata lunch special and it was huge! Menu has many to choose from so if you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for it may be somewhat daunting. But no matter what you decide on it’ll be delicious! The service was slightly slow but I Was hungry and it being Labor Day Monday people kept streaming in. At least there was warm sourdough bread served for the table prior to the food coming out. I didn’t think I Would finish my dish but I did and didn’t feel guilty about it! Recommended! The décor of the restaurant is really elegant and luxe! Haha
Waitstaff is friendly. You can go shopping in the mall afterwards. What better way to spend a day then eating and shopping?!!

This place was awesome. We had a great waiter, the food came out very very quickly, and everything was just really good. Great prices too! I would definitely come jersey to come back here. Loved it!

My boyfriend and I were craving very different things so we ended up here on a lazy Sunday night which was a great compromise. There’s so much on the menu to choose from especially if you have a large party to please. I usually go with one of the pastas. This time I had the carbonara with chicken. It’s a thin spaghetti in egg and cheese sauce with a lot of bacon toppings and chicken. Portions were large I had enough for three meals! My boyfriend ordered the salisbury steak which I thought was delicious although a tad salty. I love the strawberry lemonades here and we finished the meal with the crème brûlée which was good. I would like to try the warm butter cake and beignets next for dessert next time. Service is always consistent and attentive.

What a horrible experience my family and I had here the other night. It’s a shame too, even though both managers and our waiter were nice and apologetic, it just does not excuse the bad service…
It all started off okay, we placed our orders for the kids, asking for the kids’ food first which arrived promptly (and must say the kid’s mac and cheese was pretty yummy), but that’s when service went downhill.
— It took the waiter 20 minutes to swing back around to us to ask my wife and I what we wanted after delivering our kids food
— We asked for bread multiple times and almost gave up on it when it finally came out of the 4^th asking
— I asked for medium rare, my steak came out well, well done (does 2 well wells equal charcoal bricks? In this case it does).
— when the manager and waiter offered to replace it, took another 20 minutes for it to come out
— overall spent 2 hours at this restaurant waiting on food
— all the while, my drink was empty and never once refilled (I asked multiple times as well).

We usually dine here after the movies which is right next to this place. If you were blindfolded and walked here you would think you are inside the Cheesecake factory. They are exactly the same style although this one seems like it belongs somewhere in Atlantic City based on the décor alone.
Food here is decent, and the portions are huge. You can definitely get away with sharing a main dish between two people.
Service is good and not rushed and they do have outside seating for the warmer months of the year.
There is also a pretty big bar dining area where you can just sit and eat, even with kids if you don’t want to wait for a table here. Sometimes the wait can be very lengthy depending on time of day and the bar area always seems to be available or 5 minute wait.
The deserts here are excellent, however you need to order them when you sit down as they normally take up to 45 minutes to prepare. They were well worth it though so order them ahead of time and worst case take it home and enjoy with a cup of coffee.