Library 2

Don’t get why people like this place. Steak was awful, food tasteless and not worth a penny. I’ll never eat here again.

After years of going to the Library II, and it being great… This may be the last visit. I don’t know who the blonde lady is that insisted that she took a class about food poisoning and is therefore an expert, and who had NO sympathy when we asked for help, but she needs to consider how she speaks to loyal, repeat customers. «I took a class» is NOT what you tell someone who has just gotten violently ill after consuming your seafood. She only came out after I told the busboy (who she sent out to check on us) that I was going to write this review. Disgraceful behavior. Maybe we’ll ask the board of health to analyze the leftover food. I welcome a call from the owner. It’s a shame that a wonderful evening was ruined by such a condescending, dismissive individual. A huge and very sincere thanks to the busboy!!!

This place is really cool. My husband and I went on a Friday night. There was a bit of wait, but a drink by the bar made the time go by much quicker. And it was our first time, we looked around at all the décor –there were books everywhere– and people watched. The food was awesome, a little on the pricey side, but well worth it. The waitress took our drink orders then explained once we decided on a main dish we go to the ordering window. After a little debate, we made our way to the window. The nice gentlemen cut the meat right in from of us (if your ordering steak). That was pretty neat. Then (depending on your order) we had a huge salad bar to binge on while we waited for our main course. It’s stocked with everything you could ask for when preparing yourself an amazing salad. I ordered a seafood dish with a baked potato. There was so much food, I couldn’t eat everything in one sitting, so I took the leftovers home. My husband ate the rest the next day! He was able to finish his AMAZING sirloin steak. On our way out we saw that a live band was setting up so I’m sure that made the establishment even better. I definitely see us going back in the future. We will bring some friends too!

DEFINITELY THE BEST MEAL IVE EVER HAD! little pricy but you do get what you pay for I had gotten the filet medallions and I ate it and it made me smile I couldn’t control it LOL it was that good and the unlimited salad bar is awesome it has everything ! Chicken, ham, bacon, eggs, pasta, asparagus, and there was 2 blocks of real cheese to cut up and eat no complaints about this place the atmosphere is very chill and relaxed and the books on the wall is definitely different, this is a must try place you haven’t lived until you’ve went here!!!

This place has a very romantic and intimate atmosphere. The lighting is very low, but the music is loud enough to enjoy without being too much. We were told to make as much noise as we wanted because it wasn’t an actual library. There are books lining the walls and on display; you are more than welcome to look around and touch them. The food could be considered a little pricey depending on what your used to, but it is definitely worth it. The steak was huge and cooked exactly the way I asked. It was so nice to not send my food back to be recooked. It was flavorful and tender. The salad bar comes with the meal and is self-​serve, as is the bread and cheese. All-​in-​all in was a very good experience and hubby & I will definitely return!

My negative review is regarding the experience. We came tonight with the specific intention of sitting at the bar to eat dinner, have a few drinks, and watch the Nova game. The only open seats where next to a family, with kids ranging in age from 4 – 15. Yes, there were children sitting at the bar when it was crowded. If you are an adult and are sitting at a bar, the last thing you want to is sit next to children. Their 4 year old was coughing non stop and then when seats opened up next is, we moved down. (This isn’t friendly’s, it’s a steakhouse) The bar tender asked why we moved and I told her the 4 year old was endlessly coughing next to us while we were trying to eat. Once we moved, the parents then put the girl in our old seats, essentially moving even closer to us. This isn’t the 1980’s, isn’t it an ABC violation to have children at the bar?
Note: We have 3 kids, but I would never, ever seat them at a crowded bar.
Also… We ordered both steaks medium. My rib eye came out medium well and her filet came out rare. Hers had to be sent back, so we basically ate in shifts. Food was still good, but the experience was terrible! But don’t worry, I still left a 25% tip.
$ 113 for dinner for 2 at a bar and this is the experience you give us? Not cool.

I came here for my dad’s birthday because my parents used to go here all the time back in the day. And my dad really wanted a good steak! I absolutely loved the atmosphere and the books covering the walls. It’s such a unique concept with the decorations and how you have to go up to the counter and order. I also really enjoyed the salad bar that came with my steak on a stick. The salad bar had so many different options and looked clean! My steak on a stick was amazing! So flavorful, and the vegetables that came with it were also fantastic. The baked potato that came with my meal wasn’t great, but to be honest, I didn’t even need the potato because of the salad bar! I would highly recommend coming here if you love steak.

Bad bad bad. Service was very slow. It took one and a half hours to get our order. Most of all food wasn’t good too. There are other restaurants in the neighborhood with much better price and quality. The kitchen people, sever and the manager didn’t even noticed they served us prim rib instead of ribeye steak which I ordered. –the order ticket says 16 ribeye m. Capital grill has much better steaks and service. I am a big fan of Peter Luger steak house and this restaurant is not worth for the price at all.

I love to come here. The Chilean sea bass was the best I have ever tasted. The rice was flavorful and cooked just right. The salad bar is so good, sometimes I have no room left for the main course! Paul is extremely gracious. I can not say enough good things about it. Consistently Library is wonderful.

Ok, this place is a like a time machine that will take foodies back to the year 1988. Get the surf and turf, I got mine with a 12oz ny strip, the lobster was huge and amazing, they give you real butter for dipping, not friggin Whirl. And pile your salad bar plate with romain and dump a ladle full of Russian dressing over it, then make it rain a layer of baco-​bits and revel in the nostalgia of Ronald reagans final year in office…

Great food and great entertainment. It’s pricey but most steakhouses are, yet not all of them are good

I went here with a party of four for my birthday, expecting and hoping for an amazing steak dinner. What we got was «just okay». First the good: service was top notch, salad bar was delicious, scallops wrapped in bacon were great. Now the «just okay»: ALL of our steaks, were completely under seasoned (we had to keep adding salt and pepper, which we never do), my husband’s «rib-​eye» was really just a piece of prime rib that they throw on the grill and then finish in the oven (the waitress said «this is our version of a rib-​eye», which is fine, but we would’ve appreciated a head’s up so we weren’t salivating for a true rib-​eye), and my daughter’s filet came with the chain still attached, which was impossible to cut through (you have to ask for a center cut if you don’t want the chain, which I’ve really never even heard of any restaurant anywhere ever serving), and the crab meat topping on my filet was quite under seasoned as well. The manager was very kind about the chain on the filet, which is the only thing we complained about, and deducted it from the bill ($ 30 off of a $ 60 surf & turf platter). Every item is a la carte, so in addition to your $ 38 steak, there’s a $ 6 baked potato, $ 5 sauteed onions, etc. (My son ordered a $ 40 filet, and that’s all that came on his plate.) The total bill for 4 steak dinners, 1 crab meat topping, 2 baked potatoes, one scallop appetizer, 3 sodas and 1 pint of beer came to $ 196 before tip. I felt that the place was VERY overpriced for the quality and amount of food that we received.

Love the Library. it’s fun going up to the «butcher» for your cut of meat. The salad bar is the best

The salad bar is surprisingly good — lots of choices and everything fresh. It is available as a meal and frankly, I could do that in a heartbeat.
The meal I ordered was cooked exactly as I requested and everything was well seasoned.
The décor, and the restaurant in general, was dated. I felt like it was really trendy 30 years ago, but the food made up for it.

Outstanding service, dinner selections, salad and cheese bar. I had the beef medallions which were melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious! Hubby had a 22 oz porterhouse ½ inch thick and cooked to medium perfection!
Definitely recommend for a relaxing night out!

This place has the most amazing salad bar I have ever enjoyed. I mean it is so good! The best! The entrees are super good and portions are huge.
Drinks are fantastic, one of the best Martinis I have had as well and the service is great. Yes it is a little dark but that’s how they do! Love it!

Pricey but worth it. The atmosphere was pleasant — dark and comfortable. Definitely not fancy. Great menu selection. They have a wonderful salad bar that is included with the meal. It had a large selection and was fresh. Be careful not to fill up on the salad bar. I had the prime rib. It was huge, tender and delicious. Even the service was outstanding.
I rarely give a five star rating on anything but this place deserved it. Give them a try but plan to spend a bundle.

Where to begin…
The young, blonde curly haired hostess was so outwardly rude, never smiled OR greeted a single patron with kindness and respect. Not surprising, as the older blonde manager occasionally working with her (figured out who she was based on others reviews) was equally cold to the customers. We were seated right next to the hostess station which was a constant distraction the entire evening as I was in constant disbelief with the rude behavior of the hostess, as well as the obvious tiff between she and a muscle head employee who attempted to approach her a couple of times. His attempts failed. She was not having it, and I wanted to tell him to run like hell. I will NEVER understand employing an entitled, self absorbed, rude person as a HOSTESS in any restaurant. It’s their JOB to make people feel welcome and to greet them with a smile. FIRE HER. And the manager while you’re at it…
Ordering your own meal at the cooks window is an interesting concept that I might not mind if the line for that wasn’t in the way of the line at the salad bar, and the entrees weren’t so expensive. The 12 oz. NY strip steak I ordered was OK. Cooked just fine, but had no flavor at all. My fiancé said the same about his filet mignon.
Over dinner, we discussed that perhaps ordering from the chef at the window could prevent issues with the order sometimes experienced at other restaurants, as you are skipping the step of going through a 3^rd party server. Well… we never got our scallops, and despite telling the waiter «nevermind, we aren’t really interested anymore», we were still charged once we received the check. Not to mention that we were originally given the wrong check that belonged to another table. Each time we had to correct the waiter and the issues with the check, we had to wait at least 5 – 10 minutes to get each issue corrected. More time to observe the miserable hostess and grow increasingly ticked off.
The only reason I gave it 2 stars and not 1 was because of the salad bar. It wasn’t the best, but was the only part of dinner I enjoyed.

Hands down the best steak I’ve ever had. Everytime I go I only get the same thing– filet mignon special 10 oz filet butterfly cut cooked Med Well with mushrooms on top. It is cooked perfectly everytime, but what is almost just as good us the unlimited salad bar that’s included. Ham, chicken, cheeses, breads, all dressings and lettuces.
All this is well worth the price. I usually go up to the salad bar 3 times so I never leave hungry bc normally I eat a 18 – 24 oz steak. All 10 oz of the filet melts in your mouth.
I was surprised at other reviews but can honestly say idk bc I only get the best steak ever-​the 10 oz filet special cut right in front of me by the butcher!

A lot better tonight! Blonde manager back making sure things r ran smoothly! Waiter was pleasant, professional and helpful! He even brought me over a whole plate of lemons which r my favorite! Staff was constantly clearing table, making sure ice tea/​water full! This time we sat by the bar because of dads wheelchair trying to stay out of the way! Worked out good! No one hit him or had to squeeze by him! Salad bar was great as usual, entrees perfect! I had scallops they were just ok! Should have got the lobster! Soooooo much better! Baked potatoes great! Def will be back! Guess they listened from
Last time!

The steak was good and salad bar as well. However, I just could not get over how dark this place is. All I could think was they keep the atmosphere that dark because it is probably dirty. I understand having dim lights for ambiance, but it was practically pitch black. You couldn’t even see the plate in front of you. I don’t think I would go back here… the food wasn’t good enough to sit and eat in the dark.

This a place is pretty cool. It’s very dark, books everywhere makes sense since it’s called the library. Candle sticks on every table which sets this to be more of a intimate setting. You can def tell that this place is a bit on the older side. Everything from the tables to chairs seems to be a little outdated. Not necessarily bad but its not eye catching. They do have nice painting tho!
With that said, once you walk in, you are seated and a waiter/​waitress will take your drink order. You’re then to go the back, read a menu off a black board and order with the butcher… its pretty cool. You get to see all the fresh meat and see them cut it and weigh it as you order. Talk about Fresh!
Once you order, you then have access to the largest salad bar ever seen. I would honestly come back just for the salad bar. Every kind of topping, cheese, green, dressing, ect. ITS ALL THERE!!! They even have a cheese and bread section, yes cheese and bread (fresh bread) at the salad bar.
My Fiancé and I were pretty happy with our food. He ordered a steak which was perfectly cooked. I ordered shrimp and it was pretty good. For the two of us, two entrees, two drinks and two sides, our bill was around 100. Was it worth it, probably not. We would have rather paid the extra money and gone somewhere nicer. I would go back for the salad bar tho. Great selection!

This was my first visit to one of the Library establishments in about 20 years.
The place was clean and the ambiance was just right.
The host was friendly and instructed us how to properly order our steak/​meal at the window.
The salad bar was clean and well stocked with a nice variety of salad favorites.
The meal (Prime Rib) was perfectly cooked to my desired doneness.
The only turn off was excessive gristle and fat. This was the first time I have ever had Prime Rib with fat deposits that were chewy and a lot of stringy gristle. Usually what fat is present falls apart like butter. Not in this case though.
That said, the flavor was really good and I did enjoy the parts I was able to eat.
The server was attentive at the beginning of the meal but disappeared after the meal was delivered. We had to wave him down for more drinks and later for the check.
I would probably recommend the Williamstown or Egg Harbor Twp. Library restaurants before this one mainly because of how the Prime Rib came out. If I’m paying $ 50 for a Prime Rib I would hope that it wouldnt have a large amount of chewy fat and gristle throughout it.

In my opinion, the only thing that sets this apart from any other steakhouse is the salad bar, which is quite long and exhaustive. Plan to wait in a slow-​moving line to get your salad. Speaking of waiting in line, you also get to do that to «pick out”/order my steak or seafood wasn’t really worth it (and can technically be done in many other steak houses).
The food was really good, and my steak was cooked to order. The ambiance was fun, but it gets very crowded.

My wife loves the filet here and the I think the salad bar is fantastic.
Attentive waitstaff, cool atmosphere, loads of old books (hence the name)
Window ordering allows you to observe cutting go your steak.
My broiled crab stuffed shrimp, was the bomb!

This is an old school restaurant that has made its mark in South Jersey many years ago. Its still a wonderful restaurants decades later. There was a guy with a guitar there saturday night for nice entertainment too. The servers are top notch all the way too. Can’t do enough for you. The salad bar is awesome as always and the filets were delicious! Love the candle lit table surrounded by books that are extremely old. We opened one and say someone wrote a note in it from 1929. How cool is that? If you love steaks, and are looking for an old time restaurants, this is your place. Enjoy!

Its really hard to believe I havent reviewed The Library before considering the amount of times my family has eaten here over the years. It has been one of our go to restaurants in the area for years. My aunt and uncle and my fiancé and I went here this past Saturday night to enjoy a night out together.
The place is very dark when you walk in, but its got a pretty cool vibe to it. There are book shelves lining the exterior of the restaurant and you can actually take the books off the shelves if you want to. All they ask is that if you take one with you, you bring one back the next time. I have never once been to this restaurant in 26 years when it was not packed full of people. A lot of places need to change their menus and keep it fresh to stay alive in the restaurant game, but not this place. Its stayed true to itself the entire time and it is still kicking strong.
The salad bar is outstanding here, probably the best one I have ever seen. You could definitely make a meal just out of the salad bar, and I always have to remind myself of that when I get up there, otherwise my I would be full before we got our food. I love the bread and cheese options at the end of the salad bar as well. Best pumpernickel bread I have had anywhere.
You order at a window where a guy literally cuts your steak right in front of you. You tell him how big and what cut you want, and he slices it. I love the steaks at the library. For years I always ordered the 16 oz NY sirloin medium. The only complaint I have about the steaks at the Library is the lack of a crust. If they had a crust, they would be the best steaks around. That being said, they are extremely well priced and the flavor of them is good every time. Funny thing is, I havent ordered a steak in the last 4 or 5 trips here because I discovered something amazing. The baked cajun salmon is ridiculously tasty. The best salmon I have had anywhere bar none. They cook it perfectly every time, it is an enormous portion and the cajun seasoning is just right on it. It also has a bit of a crust to it, which i absolutely love.
I used to not like the desserts at the Library, but they have really stepped their game up in recent years. I have had a few of them, and they are all very well done. Favorites include the Jewish Apple cake, peanut butter bomb and brownie a la mode which we had for the first time Saturday. While i thought there was far too much whipped cream on it, the brownie was rich and decadent and the ice cream was fantastic. It was a match made in heaven.
Always a solid meal at the Library II. Check it out if you want an affordable and delicious steak or the best salmon you have ever had!