Allendale
Allendale Mediterranean Grill

Allendale Mediterranean Grill

101 W Allendale Ave, 07401, United States

Cafés • Grill • American • North American


"I can't count how many times my chum and I looked around this restaurant in total confusion. Allendale Corner looks like a diner that decided within the last week that it wanted to be something else. They have the luncheonette counter and stool setup that you associate with coffee, eggs, bacon and other standard American diner breakfast staples, but there's a makeshift banner outside proclaiming it's a Mediterranean restaurant, and the menu is heavily influenced that way as well (the aforementioned breakfast staples are there, but I'd say more as a supporting character . Also hinting at an odd transition there was a collection of four or five hookahs just hanging out on the side of the counter. Were they there as part of a random decorating scheme? Did the restaurant intend to circulate them amongst the customers later in the day? Unclear. We stopped by for brunch on a nippy Saturday morning. True to its name, it's right on the corner of a quiet small town roundabout that I assume is much busier during the week, especially since it's a block away from the train station. They don't have a foyer or partition to separate the customers from the door outside, so it was still a little chilly at our table, despite being seated well into the restaurant we kept our coats on throughout the meal. I ordered the Deluxe Allendale Platter, which was comprised of two eggs (scrambled , white toast, home fries and turkey sausage. It was just okay; the sausage and eggs were average and the toast in my opinion was overdone and a little tough to bite into. They also didn't come with butter, and we had to hail down the waitress to get some onto our table. The real star though was the home fries, very nicely seasoned with a Cajon flavoring. Definitely the best item I had here. My chum had a cheesesteak wrap (also fine , with a side of fries that looked perfectly crispy. She was a fan of the fries, so apparently this place's wheelhouse is the almighty potato. The service was okay (seeing a theme? . Our waitress was pretty solid and prompt in terms of obtaining our orders and stopping by to check on us, but it took a little longer than it should have for the food to arrive. Nothing we ordered was insanely complex, but I'd say it took about 35 minutes for the entrees to arrive. Not a big deal, but if you're coming here on a schedule, I'd take that under advisement. From my vantagepoint, it looked like the restaurant may have gotten quasi slammed with takeout orders that would explain that, but I think a more experienced waitress would have apologized for and explained the wait and/or tried to expedite the orders with the kitchen. I got the impression that this was very much a family operation, with the waitress possibly the teenage daughter of the owner/guy in the kitchen, so the dynamic may have made that awkward. She was very nice though, and I certainly didn't think any of that was a dealbreaker. The bathroom could definitely use some spiffing up you shouldn'"