Fabulous food! The clams, shrimp and lobster were all awesome. Visiting NJ for the first time and looking for places where we can socilize with local's and learn where the great places are, Scott provided great information and made us feel welcome:) All the locals also were welcoming and we had great conversations. We sat at the bar not the dining room, that is the best way to get to know the people in the area. A must place to visit, I will be back!!
Review Source:This concerns the Pub. Â The Tavern is not worth it.
It's "Cheers" in Mendham. Â All locals, probably paying too much for their food, but such is the area.
The staff is amazing, especially Michael, the GM. Â Very attentive.
The menu rotates some great specials, and their main menu can feed an army with their portions.
As far as the food, if you're coming from NYC and expecting Daniel Boulud quality, get bent. Â This is pub food. Â Everything is well cooked, and substitutions are welcomed.
I just wish the live music they play wasn't so damn loud! Â Not the venue for it!
We had dinner in the Tavern on Saturday night. The atmosphere is nice. We ate at a booth in the bar area. Someone came over quickly to offer us water and bread, but then it took a while for a waitress to materialize.
We started with the caesar salad and the mussels. The salad was excellent and they graciously offered to split it onto two plates. The mussels were not excellent - very spicy, although not billed as such on the menu, with many unopened (and therefore inedible) shells and the ones that did open were stuck to the walls of the shell. We mentioned it to the waitress who thought it was odd and brought it back to show the chef. Apparently the chef said this was normal; I have never seen mussels act like that, though.
Entrees were good - lamb chops and chicken wrapped in prosciutto. Very tasty.
I'm not sure I'll be racing to come back, but it was a fine meal.
Returned to The Scratched Horse Tavern, and could not believe it was the same place of a few weeks ago,
My plate, $24 joker seafood stew, had about 10 small shrimp, mussles, 4 clams, small Crayfish tail, tiny diced veggies, unknown, since they were few and miniscule.
The waitress was busy laughing with friends as the 3rd member of our group waited, watching us awkwardly eat, listening to the jolly waitress chat, about 20 minutes for her order to arrive.
And again, the perputally occupied Carla was paling around with her friends as I waited 15 minutes for a drink. (The bar was empty!)
There were a total of two other tables (four people) which should tell me something the rest of Mendham knows about the Horse's Rear Tavern.
8:30pm on a Friday, wanted some light fare and drinks. Â Heard that the Pub food is bad, so we sat at the bar in the Tavern. Â Bartender was friendly, but a strange dude. Â Mostly, he just talked too much. Â The food (as usual) did not disappoint -- oysters, crab cakes, clams, prime rib sliders -- but the service did. Â
Biggest problem was when we got the check and they had an issue with us redeeming these 2 complimentary appetizer cards that we had received several months ago. Â There was NO expiration date on them and NO terms/conditions, but they were looking for any reason not to redeem them. Â I don't get what the problem was, these were given to us from another bartender there. Â Probably because we are good customers who tip well? Â You would think that these fart-sniffing Mendham-ites had never seen an unholy 'coupon' before. Â Such a dirty word.
The short, fat old man manager (finally) gruffly came back behind the bar and accepted them, after my fiance and I went back and forth with the bartender several times on this. Â He was beyond rude.
THEN I realized they'd overcharged us -- we had 4 beers not 5. Â But I didn't want to deal with that dickbag manager again, so I had the bartender just give us the 5th beer. Â I ended up just downing it, since we had already gotten the check..........
Honestly, I don't know if I'd come back after that. Step your game up, Black Horse.
My family has been to the Pub many, many times. It has great ambiance (high wooden booths, fireplaces, cozy corners) and is the perfect place for a casual dinner. The things to get:
*The crab cake sandwich (excellent; you would think you're in Maryland)
* The pulled pork sandwich (it's gigantic and very tasty)
* Sweet potato fries (need I say more?)
* Chicken Pot Pie (also gigantic)
* Their specials are also very good. One of my favorites was a bowl of mussels with a spicy chorizo broth.
There is sometimes a bit of a wait, but there's a pleasant front courtyard to stand in and you can watch the koi in their pond. It's worth it.
I've been to the pub probably 100 times in the course of my life - it is consistently good for the basic dishes such as burgers and sandwiches. Â My grandmother ordered the scallops the last time and they were well-prepared and generous with the portion (atypical for scallops). Â Service was friendly as usual, and the portions were all generous. Â Valet parking is free--if you have a really nice car they may park it out front.
Review Source:*2.5 Stars* Â
It's a nice upscasual (yeah I made that up...it's upscale and casual combined) restaurant. It's Mendham so be prepared. There are 2 side by side so be sure to choose the pub unless you have an AMEX black.
It looks like a converted ski lodge. Lots of wood.
The bar area, although tight and not much room, is stocked with a great beer selection as well potent, delicious martini's.
Once we were seated (you can call ahead for a reservation but not full proof).
Menu is typical pub food. There were 4 of us so we started out with the sampler which quite honestly couldn't serve 2. But it was actually a good thing because it wasn't impressive flavor wise.
For a meal I had their special for October: wiener schnitzel...a bit salty, a little over breaded. The cabbage was a nice touch and quite delicious.
My gf went with the salmon which she enjoyed. Our guests had a burger which they weren't crazy about and Cobb salad....
Service was good.
Prices were high even for the pub.
Maybe a good stop for drinks but the food is eh.
I've been here several times and have eaten in both the tavern and pub. Â We had dinner in the tavern the other night so the review will be focused on that meal. Â
We were going to start the night off in the pub but decided to go to the bar in the tavern before dinner. Â Smaller bar which on a busy night could be too crowded but it was a quiet night at the bar and was pleasant. Â The bar tender was friendly and the drinks were fine. Â No 'specialty' drink menu but the bartender provided some options and seemed well versed.
We opted to eat in a booth in the bar area which again on a busy night could prove to be noisy but was quiet and comfortable. Â The bar area is cozy and clearly a complementary extension of the main dining area.
We asked if they had any off menu specials which they did not so we went to the menu and I started with the crab cake and my wife the corn soup. Â Both were quite good. Â I then had the prime rib and by wife the filet mignon. Â Both were cooked as order and came with potato and vegetable. Â The potato with the filet was a string potato - very small portion which could have been better. Â With a meal such as this you'd expect that to be more robust or creative. Â Last we had dessert of cheese cake and chocolate cream pie. Â We agreed neither was outstanding. Â The cheese cake seemed it may have been frozen and was just ok and the chocolate cream pie was very heavy. Â In hindsight I would have stopped after the main course and went with a coffee. Â
Bottom line - I am a fan. Â Some hits and some misses but the hits out weigh the misses and the atmosphere and experiences of the past keep me coming back.
I have never paid so much for a crappy lunch. One star is being generous. Our adventure began when I ordered a mojito and received swamp water. The mint was rotten, brown and plentiful. Nothing in me wanted to put this in my mouth. The waiter made excuses rather than offering a replacement, which was alarming. I watched the bartender and waiter exchange words and laugh, shrugging their shoulders. I was just happy I could watch him make the drink because I did not trust I would get a quality beverage upon return.
My sister in law ordered the tuna melt, and we expected something great since it was priced at $14.95. The accompanying soup came complete with porcelain chips, which must account for the steep price. If that wasn't enough, the 'sandwich' was missing a piece of bread! Â Who serves a tuna melt open faced?! The tuna was from a can and overcome with melted cheese that was thick and cold.
My son's grilled cheese was cold but the plate was blazing hot - quite a safety issue for a hungry 6 year old! Nothing was mentioned about the temperature of the plate, I was just grateful for the lazy susan in the center of the table so that I could prevent any accidents from happening. Oh yeah, and my daughter's kiddie grilled cheese was $8! What?!
So all in all, it was a horrible experience, but to add insult to injury, the bill was unchanged. It even listed the soup as 'no charge' but the $14.95 for the tuna melt was in place. A serious gastric event was narrowly avoided and we thought it to be bad business not to acknowledge the error. We asked to speak to the manager and he was eager to rectify the situation and comped the mojito an tuna melt.
Any restaurant charging four star prices should have impeccable service and quality food to match.
Tonight was my fourth or fifth time here over the years. Â Definitely one of the nicer places in Morris county. Â I had crabcakes. They were good but not amazing. Â The beer selection is better than the wine list and I settled on Allagash White, which was excellent. Â The scallops looked pretty bad as did the halibut-manhattan clam chowder special.
I recommend you eat in the carriage house, which has a pretty well done "camp lodge meets restaurant meets lakehouse" vibe to it. Â The main dining room and bar area aren't as nice. Â Suburbia is so bizarre. Â The parking lot had two Ferraris and a McClaren (not to mention the dozen Porsches and Mercs).
Old traditional American Cuisine made right with a little twist. Because it is the oldest restaurant in NJ the decor speaks for it's age. Service was wonderful. Menu selection is not too big, not too small. Just perfect. The chef even came out to greet us. I got the grouper which was perfectly cooked and HOT. Skin was nice and crispy and i'm not sure of the sauce but it was delicious. My friend got scallops and they were cooked very nicely. Desserts are so-so but can't complain after a meal like that!
...will be back.
There are two sides to the place. There is the tavern: the upscale, trendy, fancy and nice place. Then there is the pub: a bar with pub food and where friends meet to have fun. Both places have great food with flavor and spectacular taste. There are the mac n cheese, wings, chicken, burger, and chocolate mousse cake. I highly recommend this place!
Review Source:I really, really enjoyed eating here. I was a little confused since it seems to be two different buildings, one for the tavern and one for the pub. As it turns out, I ate at the Pub. Â The place is situated in an old barn and the architecture and rustic and/or colonial decor really makes for a wonderful atmosphere. Â
My wife and I couldn't resist getting a basket of sweet potato fries for an appetizer. We ordered the small, but we should have ordered the large. Fries don't get any better than this! They were awesome!. Â
For our entrees, I had the fried chicken and my wife ordered the California Patty Melt. Â We both thought our meals were perfect. Â The fried chicken really blew me away. Â
Service was very good. Â Our waiter checked in on us often enough, although it sometimes took longer than I would have liked to refill our drinks but that is understandable given how crowded the restaurant was. Â The guy was constantly on the move taking care of his tables, including us, so I can't complain. Â
The desserts looked tempting but we were going to a movie after dinner and we decided to forgo dessert in favor of popcorn later.
Overall, a great place to eat!
(this is for the fancy side)  Service was  slow and our waitress was very rude.  My husband and I ordered steak (both medium) and it was burnt to a crisp and inedible!  Had to send it back and was so angry with the long wait that we didn't want to wait for another.  Also, extremely overpriced with subpar appetizers.  Have been to the pub side many times although and enjoy the food a lot.
Review Source:We sat on the pub side (the building to the left). No wait as it was at an off time... sometime between lunch and dinner on a Sunday. Although we just got a some appetizers, the food was great. A different take on calamari with their calamari salsa verde style, with arugula, chickpeas, and tomatoes, and the classic blue cheese wedge salad was good also. The bread they bring to the tables is also impressive. We got to help ourselves to complimentary dessert thanks to leftovers from the brunch buffet. All in all a pretty nice experience... would like to come back for a full meal sometime.
Review Source:One of the best places around!! The food at the The Black Horse Pub is always consistently very good!! The drinks are strong and not horribly overpriced and the atmosphere is fun. Every Friday and Saturday night there is a band playing. That can make for a very LOUD experience, but it's always a good time. There is seating in the bar right up close to the band and seating a bit further away. Depending on the time of day you arrive you may have to wait for a table, but the food makes it worth the wait. If you are in Mendham, this is the place to go.
Review Source:(This is for the pub side) One of the best restaurants in the area. Â Oysters are great. Â Beer and drink selection are good. Â Their burger royale is one of the best. Â Buffet on Sundays is top notch with their home smoked salmon among other favorites. Â I'd eat here multiple times per week. Â
They don't accept reservations so you can have a wait and the dining areas can be a little tight. Â Really, if you are in Mendham, this is the only place to eat. Â Finally, the prices are a little on the higher side , but remember you are in Mendham NJ.
You will love this place, it just feels good when you walk in. Lot's of people working, so you will get seated quickly and waited on promptly.
Favorite new drink is their Honey Martini, it tastes like ice cream with a kick.
Lot's of great comfort type of items on the menu from mac and cheese to fried shrimp to homemade chili. You will love the bread they serve, but make sure you leave room for your food as the portions are generous.
As local residents for more than 20 years, my parents have been taking us here for just about that same amount of time. I'm now a 23-year-old resident of Manhattan and can happily say that the Mendham Pub and Tavern easily outdoes many of the restaurants I've dined at since moving into NYC 5 years ago.
Review Source:There are two sides. The pub and the tavern. I took my parents there for there famous Father's Day brunch 2 years ago & they still talk about it. Since I have taken them several times with NO disappointment on the Pub side, not so happy happy with the Tavern side!
Father's/Mother's or any Brunch has a wide array of foods that could feed a small army. The bar is welcoming & the staff seems to really like working there which makes it a great experience for all.
The Tavern "ah" is ok! Little worn down for what there trying to go for! The steak & tail were a bit worn as well!
Pub side, the horseradish cheddar spread is devine. Â Oddly enough on the Pub side the steak was juicy & the fish was fresh! Not sure how that happens, however Im quite pleased with the Pub side.
Wide array of wines, which makes each visit exciting to not only me but my palate! My mouth just waters with the thought of it. They also have a fantastic warm cider that the bar tender is all to willing to add a bit of spice too!
Summing it up: Great for kids & adults, small parties, date night
Price: $$$
Valet: Yes
Go for a Sunday Brunch & be sure to have the warm Cider you won't be disappointed.
Signature pies that are seasonal are quite special!! Big nod to the Chef!
I've been going here (Pub) on and off for years, especially when my son was little. Â Adults could eat adult food and the kids had the typical kids fare. Â Checked it out with my son recenlty- now older and realized there is nothing really "special" going on here. Â They serve good basic food but do nothing excellent. Â This works fine if you have young kids and you live local. Â Why a group of kidless adults would choose to dine at the Pub baffles me.
Beware, the owners are obsessed with soda in small glass bottles. Â Refills are not free and this can add unexpected $$$ to your tab.
Pub is always a great meal. Â Great Oysters in season, good food, nice beer and wine selection. Â Fried chicken and chicken pot pie are killer.
Also - I don't want to divulge this but for a limited time during the winter they serve the greatest coconut cream pie on the planet that would make MaryAnn from Gilligan's island Jealous.
The worst part is that their pies are seasonal and I need to wait until next winter for a slice of the beautiful creamy goodness... Â Pray for Snow.
There are two sides. The pub and the tavern. Â My bf and I went to the black horse tavern side for our 7month anniversary, and it was an amazing experience. Â
The bread served with horseraddish cheddar spread was great! Unlike many other restaurants, I found it to be unique and interesting. It was thick and rich in flavor. Â A solid cheese flavor which tasted like peanut. I ordered the salmon and it was surprisingly very fresh. Had strong aromatic fish scent and every bite was tasty and moist. Â The combination was very sensual. And with the stuffed crab-meat, it gave it a more surprising twist. Overall the freshness won me over. Â My bf ordered the steak medium rare. It was charred, and came out a little more cooked than was desired. It tasted very typical. The inside wasn't too flavorful. Â Found it to be a little chewy n couldn't grasp enough juice in a bite. Â My bf enjoyed it though. Â Also we had Malbec with our dinner. Â It was a nice wine that went smooth with both our meals. It wasn't too dry and it had a sweet beginning, but a dry fish with no lingering aftertaste.
This review pertains to the Tavern.
Went for a quiet dinner out with Mrs. on a Saturday night. Â Menu is at first glance a very straightforward Steaks and Seafood fare. Â Arguably the other way around - seafood and steaks. Â Listed specials on our visit included an appetizer described as prime rib sliders, and soft shell crabs among the entrees. Â Couldn't solve to putting those together... so
Thai Lobster roll for her, oysters on the half shell for me. Â The thai lobster roll was delightful, and quite substantial - and came with most of a salad's worth of greens and a very flavorful dressing. Â Oysters were sizeable and pleasantly briny - very solid quality.
Went soft shell crab on the entree (always a winner unless mis-prepared) and these were nicely done. Â Crab stuff salmon across the table - delicious, but seriously filling; a major league gut grenade.
Pecan pie for dessert. Â Attentive and friendly service.
Good value for food of this quality. Â Five stars for atmosphere/setting, quality of preparation, service, and for being the only place around to get good seafood (that I've found) other than Legal Sea Foods at Short Hills Mall (which is also tasty but vastly more expensive and far inferior on ambience.
Will definitely go back to try the Pub.
On the website for a nearby tree farm, listed under the directions they name The Black Horse Inn as a landmark. Â Since we were aiming to be in the area in late morning, I took a look at the website beforehand and thought it would make a great place for lunch. Â It was definately a good call!!
As we arrived, the entrance was busy with families waiting to be seated at tables so we scooched into the bar instead. Â Our bartender Mike was great - friendly and very helpful. Â He made one of the best White Russian's I ever had! Â Complete with a "dude" reference (which I appreciated.) Â We had the standard, delicious pub faire: for him, burger with cheddar and bacon served with chips - found out there is a butcher onsite who hand makes the burgers. Â For me, a baby field green salad and mozz sticks.
Since we were dining during Sunday brunch hours, Mike let us know there was a help-yourself pastry and dessert bar available for all patrons and encouraged us to try. Â I smiled, closed my eyes to the sugary deliciousness and walked away - but it looked soooo good!
4 star food (for a pub/casual restaurant), but 5 star overall experience. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend checking it out. I popped in with a group that had been here time and time again - they said the words I'm most skeptical of when dining, "everything here is good."
Everything I tasted was at least good - the wings were solid - scallops were basic, but good - potato pancakes with fresh applesauce were money and I'm not really a huge fan of pancakes or applesauce - everyone at the table enjoyed their food (even the 2 and 5 year olds). To top it all off, there's a free dessert buffet on Sundays which is AWESOME... and there's free valet.... and the service is stellar
There's the Pub and the Tavern.
First the Pub. Raw bar, steaks and burgers are excellent. Sweet potato fries, although not on the menu, are definitely worth ordering. Most of the the other dishes I've had are just okay to truly disappointing. The atmosphere is energized and its definitely a local favorite. My real objection to the place is that it's significantly overpriced. On balance, it deserves a 3 rating.
Now the Tavern. It's definitely quieter and feels more formal. It has a smaller menu with heavier fare. The food is good and the staff is friendly. I prefer it's quiet bar to the noisier and larger bar at the Pub. Folks think of the Tavern as more expensive, but I've found my bills at the Tavern to be comparable to those I pay at the Pub. Â I'd give the Tavern a 4 overall.
With kids, choose the Pub over the Tavern. Steer them towards the hot dogs and you won't need to take out a loan to pay the bill.
Been here a number of times on my trips to the NJ/NY area. This place has been around for 20+ years under a few owners but you'd never know it as the quality and consistency has never wavered.
The "Pub" is the more "casual" bar/restaurant on the left as you drive up to the Valet parking (which given the difficulty of parking in the area is highly recommended for the few dollars it will cost you). The pub is ideal for families (anytime) and an after work drink at the bar. The dress is business casual although anything is appropriate here - even shorts and T-shirt in summer. Â It's a great, upscale yet casual place if you know what I mean. And quite friendly. I believe they have some acoustic guitar or jazz on weekend evenings. The same bartender has been there for like 15 years. When crowded which is often dinner will be very noisy. So if you want a quiet dinner go next door to the Black Horse restaurant which is a quiet, upscale New England inn type of dining experience). Â If you do eat on the Pub side, avoid being seated in the back by the kitchen as it gets real loud with kitchen noise. Just sit by fire place or around bar in the booths. Â The food is good but not great which is why I give it 4 stars and not 5. But ambiance, service, etc. is fabulous.
The black horse is a local institution but there is nothing institutional about it. Â There are two buildings here...the more casual pub side, where you can sit at the bar or at tables and get very good burgers, steaks, sandwiches drinks and desserts, and always find a crowd that is friendly and fun.
The other building is more upscale, very romantic, and with excellent cuisine. Â There too you can choose from the bar, or tables and the service is always fantastic. Â Good seafood, steaks, and what you'd expect from a country "inn". Â Also a great place to give a gift certificate.
This review is for the Inn and the Pub. My old boss lives in Mendham and he and I went to the Pub many times, the Inn once while I was living in a hotel near the new job.
The Pub, especially around the bar is a great place to hang out for a few hours, eat appetizers and enjoy the services of the excellent bartenders. Can be expensive, but not out of line for the area and a whole lot of fun. The bar tends to be a place where a lot of locals gather to talk.
The Inn is excellent and the one dinner that I had there was very good. If you are ever in the area do yourself a favor and stop by the Pub for a drink and a bite to eat.
Both buildings are original, as in quite old. I think George Washington actually stayed at the Inn. His troops bivouacked right down the road in Jockey Hollow.
Watch yourself if you are leaving late at night to get to the highway as the local police are very attentive to patrons on the move. Spoken with the voice of experience.
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