Egan and Sons in Montclair

[hitmanoo]

I've never gone to the bar area at E&S. All of my experiences have been in the back dining room, as I've always gone with my dad and my wife.

I haven't had any problems with the service. I think my dad is more of a handful than anything the serving staff can throw at us.

I think the brew a decent beer. As for the burgers, they are so-so, and that's only when they're not way overcooked which in my experience has been more often than not.

As a side note, Tommy I saw your post on a burger, beer, martini, etc, but I'm not a Bergen county expert. I'm mainly around Essex county, so I couldn't offer you much help.

[Curlz]

As for the burgers, they are so-so, and that's only when they're not way overcooked which in my experience has been more often than not.

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Couldn't agree more! The kitchen is, iirc, in the basement, and they send the food up on a dumbwaiter (which is different from a dumb waiter, btw ). I suspect that plates sometimes sit a little too long, hence the reason I order my burger rare when I want medium rare.

[tommy]

As a side note, Tommy I saw your post on a burger, beer, martini, etc, but I'm not a Bergen county expert.  I'm mainly around Essex county, so I couldn't offer you much help.

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i've been known to bounce around essex as well. i'm no stranger to clifton, nutley, belleville, bloomfield, and, montclair i suppose is in essex. your advice would definitely help.

i've heard the servers at egan's are decent and friendly. so i think i'll give the dining room proper a try next time. but on this night, the bartenders had their heads up their butts or something. not that they weren't nice (though i can't say there was any give-and-take), it's just that the place didn't have their stuff together. although, i will say that the one manager-looking dude was completely obnoxious, going as far as dismissing a request to sample one of the beers on tap. i would normally attribute the situation to a communication breakdown, but even giving him the benefit of the doubt, he rubbed me the wrong way. and there're about a million ways to rub me the right way.

[hitmanoo]

i've heard the servers at egan's are decent and friendly.  so i think i'll give the dining room proper a try next time.  but on this night, the bartenders had their heads up their butts or something.  not that they weren't nice (though i can't say there was any give-and-take), it's just that the place didn't have their stuff together.  although, i will say that the one manager-looking dude was completely obnoxious, going as far as dismissing a request to sample one of the beers on tap.  i would normally attribute the situation to a communication breakdown, but even giving him the benefit of the doubt, he rubbed me the wrong way.  and there're about a million ways to rub me the right way.

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To not let you sample some of the beer on tap is just bad business. What could that set them back--5 cents? I can see why you wouldn't be too anxious to return.

My last trip to Egan and Sons:

Me: "That guy looks just like Yogi Berra"

My Dad: "That's because that is Yogi Berra."

Me: "Well... that explains it."

[richl2214]

Tommy you didn't miss anything. All their homebrew tap beer is pretty terrible.

[hitmanoo]

Tommy you didn't miss anything.  All their homebrew tap beer is pretty terrible.

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I completely disagree. It may not be best ever, but a few of them I really enjoyed.

[Rosie]

I was there about 8-9 months ago. Service was off--refills of water, bread, and the waitress were hard to find! Fish and chips were ok. Lowell’s pork was inedible—overcooked and tasteless. Forget the chicken potpie if it is still on the menu. It had very little filling and the sauce was watery. We had desserts but I don’t remember what. Haven’t been back. They are expanding next door. Perhaps lunch would be a better time to try this restaurant.

[tommy]

To not let you sample some of the beer on tap is just bad business.  What could that set them back--5 cents?  I can see why you wouldn't be too anxious to return.

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yup. but it's pointless to even put a cost on that much beer. it was just plain bad business. and stupid. not to mention rude.

i sampled 2 of their beers. the lager and the ale i think. one of them didn't do much for me at all, though i don't have a very developed taste for beer.

from what i can tell, given the opinions of people whose opinions i trust and my own singular experience, the place is a colossal failure, that just happens to make money hand-over-fist. unfortunately for NJ that's the rule rather than the exception.

Edited January 27, 2006 by tommy (log)

[richl2214]

I was there about 8-9 months ago. Service was off--refills of water, bread, and the waitress were hard to find! Fish and chips were ok. Lowell’s pork was inedible—overcooked and tasteless. Forget the chicken potpie if it is still on the menu. It had very little filling and the sauce was watery. We had desserts but I don’t remember what. Haven’t been back. They are expanding next door. Perhaps lunch would be a better time to try this restaurant.

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Life is too short to eat mediocre food and have bad service. Imagine how good the service and food will be when they expand?

[Curlz]

E&S is one of the few places that I can go to without feeling like I'm old (read: it's not packed with twentysomethings), and if I go with one thing in mind--meeting friends to have a couple of drinks (rarely beer) and eating some pub food--it fits the bill. The experiences I've had in the cafe have been fine. Not spectacular, but certainly not bad, or I wouldn't go back. I've found that sticking to the pub food is the answer. What Tommy is describing at the bar, however, is completely unacceptable, and I understand why he was turned off.

[Franky2Times]

I was there about 8-9 months ago. Service was off--refills of water, bread, and the waitress were hard to find! Fish and chips were ok. Lowell’s pork was inedible—overcooked and tasteless. Forget the chicken potpie if it is still on the menu. It had very little filling and the sauce was watery. We had desserts but I don’t remember what. Haven’t been back. They are expanding next door. Perhaps lunch would be a better time to try this restaurant.

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Sorry gal, the place wasn't even opened 9 months ago. INEDIBLE!!! One of the best pork chops I've ever had.

[tommy]

I was there about 8-9 months ago. Service was off--refills of water, bread, and the waitress were hard to find! Fish and chips were ok. Lowell’s pork was inedible—overcooked and tasteless. Forget the chicken potpie if it is still on the menu. It had very little filling and the sauce was watery. We had desserts but I don’t remember what. Haven’t been back. They are expanding next door. Perhaps lunch would be a better time to try this restaurant.

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Sorry gal, the place wasn't even opened 9 months ago. INEDIBLE!!! One of the best pork chops I've ever had.

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they opened in may/05. 8 months ago according to my calculations.

the menu on their website describes the pork chop as "Rubber". so perhaps they were successful in executing that particular dish during rosie's visit. consistency does certainly not seem a strong suit of this place.

[Peter Conway]

I was there about 8-9 months ago. Service was off--refills of water, bread, and the waitress were hard to find! Fish and chips were ok. Lowell’s pork was inedible—overcooked and tasteless. Forget the chicken potpie if it is still on the menu. It had very little filling and the sauce was watery. We had desserts but I don’t remember what. Haven’t been back. They are expanding next door. Perhaps lunch would be a better time to try this restaurant.

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Sorry gal, the place wasn't even opened 9 months ago. INEDIBLE!!! One of the best pork chops I've ever had.

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Egan's was open the begining of May 2005 that's 10 months by my count. I loved Egans, would still like to love it, Montclair needs a great pub, but I don't go there any more because aside from the crowds you just don't know what your going to get. Sometimes it will great and sometimes very disappointing.

[hitmanoo]

I was there about 8-9 months ago. Service was off--refills of water, bread, and the waitress were hard to find! Fish and chips were ok. Lowell’s pork was inedible—overcooked and tasteless. Forget the chicken potpie if it is still on the menu. It had very little filling and the sauce was watery. We had desserts but I don’t remember what. Haven’t been back. They are expanding next door. Perhaps lunch would be a better time to try this restaurant.

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Sorry gal, the place wasn't even opened 9 months ago. INEDIBLE!!! One of the best pork chops I've ever had.

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Best ever?!? I rarely quote myself, but on my experience:

The pork chops were a different story. The waitress asked me how I wanted them cooked. I went with medium, stressing to the waitress that they please not be overcooked. Unfortunately, they killed them. They were so overcooked and dry that I had to send them back. It's so rare that I send back food at a restaurant that I don't even remember the last time I did so.

The pork chops either needed to be brined or to be cooked for less time. Absolutely terrible, and I really enjoy a good pork chop.

Edited January 29, 2006 by hitmanoo (log)

[tommy]

I rarely quote myself, but ...

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sure, aside from, say, every one of your posts in your sig line.

Life is too short for bad Caesar Salad. (Me)

[hitmanoo]

I rarely quote myself, but ...

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sure, aside from, say, every one of your posts in your sig line.

Life is too short for bad Caesar Salad. (Me)

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I said rarely, not never!

[Deldino]

Hi!

I see this topic has been dead for awhile. any updates on how Egans is doing 1 year later?

Is it worth trying out now or not.

Thanks

[jim07044]

I only go there for the bar scene. The burger and fries are good on the occassions I've ordered something. I keep hearing rumors about Egan's owners opening a seafood restaurant next door, but I don't see any construction progress to back it up.

[Curlz]

I still think of Egan's as a good place to go for a burger and on occasion, their fish and chips. I will say that the last time I was there (a few weeks ago, on a Sat night) was the first time that I thought the fish was over-battered--but the fish itself was still good, and perfectly cooked.

My issue is more about the attitude that I've seen more than once. I realize that it's a popular place and it gets packed, but I still don't understand why so many restaurants don't focus on customer service as much as the food. Having called at about 6pm to ask if we reserve a table for 6, I was told "There isn't a wait right now, so we're not taking names." My response was that we would be there within 15 mins, so that was great. 11-12 mins later (yes, I checked my watch), we arrived to a waiting list and when I said (I swear, with no attitude) "Wow--that didn't take long; the guy I spoke with less than 15 mins ago wasn't taking names," the rather b*tchy young woman said "Well, you must have spoken to one of our bartenders." It was then that I copped a bit of attitude and said "Well, you shouldn't let them answer the phone, then, because I called, and that's what I was told." I left it at that, we waited at the bar, and had a great time despite our 'welcome,' but that experience echoes others that friends have had. I try to go there on a weeknight whenever possible, as it's a better experience.

ETA: I've also heard/read that E&S is taking over the space next door (an old butcher, iirc) and that they'll expand their current space and make a seafood restaurant as well. I think the place is hung up on permits at the moment.

Edited February 22, 2007 by Curlz (log)

[tommy]

the management of this place seems to have no idea how their staff treats customers. given this, they fail. if they *do* know what's going on, then they're failing again.

if egan's wasn't essentially the only game in town, they might have to actually try a bit harder. they are, and they don't.

[Deldino]

Thanks for the feeback guys - I guess the answer is to go on a weeknight If I feel like going - I live more in the ridgewood/midland park/glen rock area so I might not make the trip if I wasn't visiting in Montclair.

I wish there was a good bar un the above area for 30-40 year olds where you can sit at the bar and get decent food.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Edited February 23, 2007 by Deldino (log)

[richl2214]

Go to Sharkey's in Clifton instead.

[Curlz]

Ignoring my own advice, we ended up at Egan's last night b/c of geography. Had a great time, and I was surprised that the bar was only 2 deep at 6:45 or so. It never got nuttier than that--perhaps because it's the end of a getaway week?

The hostess was, I think, one of the owners. Very nice, and very much on the ball. Our third person was arriving later, and when our table came up, we told her to jump ahead on the list, as we weren't in a rush. She came back about 10 minutes later and said "Are you sure she's coming? (we were) Because I have a long list of 2s after you, so I'm going to give you a table now rather than have you wait longer later on." We only occupied the 3-top for 10 mins before our pal showed up, so that move was much appreciated.

We started with the Cashel blue cheese/walnut salad, which is consistently good, and then followed it with burgers and fish and chips. First-time oddity: the burgers come with shoestring-cut fries, but this time, the fish came with fatter ones--and in paper on the plate. I liked the bigger 'chips' better, but I can't understand why they differentiate between the dishes! Wouldn't giving everyone 'chips' or everyone shoestrings make it easier on the kitchen? I'm also officially still loving the fish, but not the batter. Despite being completely cooked inside and out, the batter is just a bit gummy, and I don't know what changed or when, but I've really noticed it on these last two visits.

They shared a chocolate doublechocolatewithchocolate thingy. I ate the mint off the top.

Service is friendly enough, but just okay--it's that simple. I know it's a pub, but once we got our food, the only attention was the hovering of the busboy. He couldn't bring plates so we could share the salad, but wow, was he fast on clearing them! Getting water (and subsequent refills) was a chore, but we didn't get pushed out b/c there wasn't a waiting list any more (9ish). Stick to those burgers and the fish and you'll do just fine!

[jim07044]

Had a great time, and I was surprised that the bar was only 2 deep at 6:45 or so. It never got nuttier than that--perhaps because it's the end of a getaway week?

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Yup. Walnut Street Station (NJ Transit Rail) makes this place packed on Thursday and Friday nights for the after-work scene, but probably lighter on Saturday nights where most of those people go elsewhere.

As for the customer service complaints, I think Egan's wanted to be an Irish-pub-in-Montclair first and offer food second. It has a very Tierney's feel (neighborhood drinking hole) but just a notch more upscale than Tierney's. Success is in the eye of the owner, I guess.

Montclair has plenty of great restaurants for food, luckily, and Blu is one of the best seafood restaurants around. I'm not complaining ... you can slum it at Red Cheetah, Just Jakes, and South Park if you want to hang with the $1 draft/jello shot college kids ...

Edited February 26, 2007 by jim07044 (log)

[JohnnyH]

As for the customer service complaints, I think Egan's wanted to be an Irish-pub-in-Montclair first and offer food second. It has a very Tierney's feel (neighborhood drinking hole) but just a notch more upscale than Tierney's. Success is in the eye of the owner, I guess.

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It's undeniably just a pub, but it's a whole hell of a lot more than one notch up the scale from Tierney's. Don't get me wrong -- I like Tierney's a lot and have very mixed feelings about Egan's -- but the owners are most definitely not shooting to be in anything other than a very different league.