The Capital Grille

Celebrated a friends anniversary here. Staff was very attentive, food was delicious! Who would’ve thought to find such a sophisticated hidden treasure by the mall! By the way steak tartar was the perfect starter.

I’ve eaten here twice. Both times I’ve had the lamb chops. The first time they overcooked them, which was promptly fixed with wonderful service. They were perfectly medium.(4 stars for that)
The second time we went I was specific about medium and got a medium/​well.
A bit of an internal sigh. At least not well done.
The beef tartar was below mediocre. There was zero seasoning in it. It was these lumpy pieces of unseasoned meat on a cooked egg and maybe something else? I tried to save it a little with the table salt and the sauce from another dish, but it was just pointless. Ugh
Likelihood of coming back is slim, as its not fun wondering if they’ll get the meal right.

Celebrated a birthday dinner on a Sunday night, so parking was a breeze at GSP Mall.
We had reservations, and even though we arrive 10−15mins early, they seated us right away. I was surprised how packed it was for a Sunday night.
For appetizers, we decided to try several items from their signature Pan-​Fried Calamari with hot cherry peppers (yum!), Shrimp Cocktail (Jumbo) & Oysters (large & fresh, but they need to learn how to clean it better. crunchy fresh oysters are a no-​no).
For dinner, our group ordered NY Strip, Filet Mignon, Chilean Sea Bass w/​Mushroom Soy Broth, and the Sushi-​Grade Sesame Seared Tuna w/​Ginger Rice. All looked delicious, and the meats were cooked perfectly. The disappointment was with the Tuna as we requested it rare, but it came a bit over cooked. Didn’t complain as we didn’t want to waste a good Tuna. They give you 3 different dipping sauces, but none really hit the mark. For the price, I expected something more, something more superb — I don’t think I’d order it again, as I’ve had it better in other places.
But the dinner ended on a sweet note by various scrumptious desserts
Would consider going again for another special celebration, as its a bit too pricey for a regular dinner outing.

Stopped in for lunch — great bread basket, tasty clam chowder, excellent lobster roll. Top quality lobster meat, no filler, nice touch of tarragon. Served with some of the best hand cut fries in recent memory (parmagian cheese and truffle). Service all around excellent (hostess, server, busboy), as to be expected at this price point. I will definately try one of their other locations for dinner soon, as I am not in this neighborhood very often

This was my 3^rd time visiting Capital Grilled but it was my first time visiting the Garden State Plaza location. Among all of my 3 visits, the garden state plaza is my least favorite one. I love Capital Grille but last night was a big let down.
Everything was a bit off, the food was a bit off, the service was a bit off.
We order the shellfish platter, but the shrimp was over cooked and lobster did not taste fresh either.
Hubby ordered dry aged porterhouse cooked in medium, but it was more like medium rare. Both of our steak were extremely salty that I stopped eating after couple bites.
The service was a m-​e-​h as well, since I have been to the other 2 locations in NYC and have been experienced the amazing service in that 2 locations, I felt disappointed that the service I experienced last night was not really keeping up with the other 2 stores. Our waitress was a bit cold, she wasn’t doing anything wrong but she was just cold. When I asked a question about if I can have my steak cook butterfly style, I felt a bit uneasy that she gave me the face that looks like I was asking a very ridiculous question.

After an epic failure at the Chart House for my anniversary the week before. I decided to try the Capital Grille on New Years Eve. Food was great. Service was great. Nothing really bad to say. I will definitely return.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this place. I’ve been in the area for awhile and seeing it right in the Garden State Plaza, I didn’t think it would be as high end as it was. It was a nice surprise then to find it as comparable a steakhouse in the area as any other restaurant.
We went out for dinner after a movie and I was surprised that there is no entrance from the mall directly to the restaurant. Inconvenient, sure, but just another way it separates itself from the other establishments tied to the mall. Had I seen the free complimentary valet parking in front of the entrance, we would have used that instead.
We had reservations so things moved very quickly. Service was very good — would have liked more than one attempt at a refill at the end of dinner, but that’s fine. Let’s talk about the food…
The complimentary bread was out of this world. Just… yes.
We had the calamari with peppers for a starter, and I was nervous that it wouldn’t be spicy. I was happily mistaken, as the calamari was crisp and tasty while the peppers added a significant enough kick that made me love it (and made my companion avoid a second helping).
I ordered the sushi-​grade tuna dish and that was very nice. Three types of sauces accompanied the dish, and it was really great. I didn’t know which one to try, because they were all very good! The fish was nice and tender, even though it could have been filleted a bit better. Sounds corny, but it wasn’t as soft to cut as it could have been.
My companion has a filet mignon medium well with Parmesan truffle fries, and while she was wrong to order a steak above anything other than medium or below, she seemed to enjoy it. The taste I had was overcooked for my liking but that’s not the restaurant’s fault. Again, medium well is a travesty!
The fries were fine. They had other sides id have preferred to try like the lobster Mac and cheese but that’s for next time.
Overall a great meal. A bit pricey (about $ 160 with tip, only soft drinks), but it was a very nice time and very good food. I will be back.

Nice atmosphere. Been here a number of times, have hosted events here
Food: very good. Sometimes a bit too salty on the steaks all you need to do is advise your waiter. My steak was great
Staff: nice service. They where pretty quick at refilling beverages.
Why not 5 stars? Well this is the second time we where not given a bread basket with dinner. Details. I didn’t ask for one because I wanted to avoid bread tonight but it’s important to not forget.
You forgot the bread I forgot to add a star. ;)

My first visit to Capital Grille was also the day, my husband proposed to me. The ambience was impressive with the low lighting and dark mahogany wood interior. Every part of the meal was delicious including the lobster mac and cheese. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who want to take their significant other or a friend to an upscale restaurant for dinner.
The location in New York by Wall Street is also a nice location for an early dinner or after work drinks with co-​workers.

Top notch décor, menu, and wine selection.
Its what a NY steakhouse should be… close to a Ruth’s Chris… well above a Morton’s.
(it is a chain folks…)
Food is excellent.
Porcini dusted bone in rib eye with a 15 year old balsamic glaze… are you kidding me? Mmmmm.
Best mashed potatoes (skip the au gratin)
Get the lobster Mac n Cheese! (skip the lobster/​crab cake). Porkbelly app was huge and delish.
Finish with the house made cheesecake, but by all means you MUST have the coconut cream pie.
Individual pie-​lette. Piled high with fresh whip cream and caramel sauce.
Request Cesar if he’s on. Great waiter. Nice guy.

When spending well over $ 100 per person on dinner, there’s an expectation of excellence. Excellence in ambiance, service and especially food. My first trip to The Capital Grille Thanksgiving eve missed the mark on two of these accounts and therefore the two stars. There wasn’t any problem that I considered terminal but it was enough of a concern that I would only return under very specific circumstances.
We had a 7PM reservation and they were quite busy. Unfortunately, we weren’t seated until closer to 7:40. While I totally understand that delays occur, my 80 year old father does not. In the lobby waiting area there are only two chairs. Thankfully another patron was kind enough to give up her seat so dad could sit down. Okay, things happen but there was a constant deluge of patrons leaving and there were plenty of places we could have been seated earlier. And speaking of seating, we were seated at a table in the bar which my father quickly asked to be changed. Once again, this should have been made clear when we booked the reservations.
Server came over and handed us an iPad containing the wine list. Interestingly, before doing so, he didn’t bother to ask if we were planning to order wine. Fortunately, we were. Now, I consider myself fairly tech savvy but I couldn’t figure out how the hell to use it. There’s a reason why wine lists are usually in huge leather-​bound volumes. It makes comparison and selection straightforward. Indeed, there are times when technology can be easily trumped by tradition and this was certainly one of them. Epic failure. The wine list was so convoluted, in fact, that I gave up on it and ordered a mixed drink. Same with my dad. Despite this, the wine glasses remained on the table for most of the meal until I asked them to be removed.
To their credit, the food was excellent as it should have been. However, and this is especially true of a chain restaurant, the process should have been much easier and way, way more polished. It was an experience more suited to a Houlihans with a price reflecting more like a Morton’s. I realize that being Thanksgiving, they might not have been on their A game and, like previously mentioned, nothing was terminal. I might even give them another shot but if things aren’t a whole hell of a lot better, that trip will be my last.

The service here is unreal. Walt Disney World level. Most recently, we went on Thanksgiving day. Our waiter Bruno was awesome — perfectly accommodating, highly attentive, and great company. Every employee we bumped into had something nice to say. We were looked after by not one, but two different managers, who wanted to make sure we were doing well. Nothing seemed forced or fake, everyone was natural and genuine.
I don’t like fancy dinner places at all, even though I eat at them from time to time. But for what we paid, we got a lot of delicious food and had a great time. Highly recommended.

You can’t go wrong with this place. Service and food is top class. The prices are great too. My fav is the Mediterranean salad. Here’s a tip, order the calamari grilled instead of fried …

Just celebrated an anniversary dinner. The food was exceptional and the service was even better. Our server Cesar made our experience warm, and special. The porterhouse was cooked perfectly highly recommend and all our sides were flavorful and generous in portion. The lobster Mac & cheese is a must try. As a close to your meal try the crème brûlée cheesecake.

First review in a looooooooooong time!
I’m torn about this place. I’ve dined here twice and the service has always been impeccable. I really love their mac and cheese, their mashed potatoes are super creamy and seasoned well, the brussel sprouts are a nice addition as well. My mom loved the calamari. The onion bread is fantastic.
On to the main course — Two out of the two times, my medium rare steak came out medium to medium well. I’ve ordered the porterhouse and the ribeye and both came out overcooked. I hate to be a pain but if I am paying $ 50 for an entrée, I expect it to come out perfectly the way I want it. I respectfully asked the waiter to take a look at my overdone steak and he happily agreed and provided his apologies for my overcooked steak and sent it back to the kitchen for a new one.
I am really glad that CG’s service was top notch in the way they handled the situation. However, that situation should have NEVER happened for a steakhouse. I think it’s pretty bad that both times I’ve dined here, that I was served an overcooked steak. Nonetheless, there are some really good things about this restaurant but perhaps I should reconsider dining here again. I am not looking forward to a third overcooked steak.
Two stars because there are some highlights that this restaurant does really well but a steakhouse screwing up the steak? Perhaps I should stick to just grilling my own steaks.

A great way to treat yourself to a delicious steak!
This isn’t a place you are going to go to on an average night, but for a special occasion, this is worth the money. It’s a lot of money, but you can really taste the quality in every bite and you get amazing, attentive service (giving a shout out to Alex).
The dark wallpaper and paintings give the place a turn of the century high class feel and the low light makes it romantic. The mozzarella in the mozzarella tomato salad is among the best and freshest I’ve ever had. The clam chowder soup was packed with claims. Then the steaks had the perfect amount of crispiness on the outside and soft tenderness on the inside. My only complaint is they come in such big sizes! The chunks of lobster in the mac and cheese were enormous but the noodles are very tasty, so definitely a good shareable side!
My big issue was getting there on a Saturday night was terrible to find parking and we parked far away neat the AMC. When we finally walked to the restaurant, we saw there was complimentary valet parking. So make note of that next time you come to save yourself the headache and enjoy!

Have been back several times over the years. Came Saturday night for dinner.
The experience remains consistent. Great service, food & ambiance. Can’t go wrong.

Every CG I’ve been to has been very good– the uniformity of the quality of food and service is remarkable. I took a star off for the wait time. I waited at the bar for a while before our table was ready– by this, I mean I had 2 full cocktails.
We had a bottle of wine with our meals– it’s been a while so I can’t even remember exactly what was ordered as sides but I do recall that there was the familiar $ 200 per person check. For the two of us, it was actually over $ 400, and it’s generally bc of the wine.
Loved the bathroom– very clean. The bartender also knew how to make a very refreshing old fashioned.

Sunday Dinner!
Came in with a few friends looking forward to a delicious meal and was not disappointed.
We started strong with their Pineapple Infused Vodka… It was phenomenal and on the same level as the one Del Frisco’s makes… $ 14 was actually a nice price as that drink normally teeters around $ 20.
We ordered Calamari for the table along with a couple French Onion Soups. Absolute knockout in both regards. Both were a top 10 for me and maybe even a top 5. Also, the several kinds of warm bread served early on with butter and cracked sea salt really hits the spot.
24oz Dry Aged Porterhouse — Black and Blue — To eat this steak anything past medium rare would be an embarrassment and you should be ejected from the arena for it! Enjoy the Pictures!

Love Capital Grill and first time at this one in NJ. Also first time desserts. My sons birthday. Fantastic beef and lamb, sides etc. However desserts are downright terrible and very poor value. So much so as to ruin otherwise good meal. 3 ice cream «hand crafted» were slimy and cheap vanilla chocolate and strawberry. Hand crafted I guess meant the dessert Stash spooning them into espresso cups. Yech. Banana cream pie was actually greasy tart shell with 3 thin slices of banana covered in crappiest whipped cream I’ve had. They would improve it with a few long spritzes of Miracle Whip, rainbow sprinkles and a Hershey bar. Shameful /​together with totally bored and apathetic waiter ruined the evening
This place on my official Unilocal Elite Do Not Return List. Exceptionally disappointing and makes me want to skip over Capital Grill for the finer places in NY (Wolfgangs, Luger etc) and even Roots in NJ because of this shockingly poor showing in quality, value and service. (Reception desk characteristically cheery and good Now off to Suburban Dinner for dessert and local bar for drinks.
Maybe this just a bad example of an otherwise good high end chain. Hey — it’s New Jersey after-​all.