Darby Road

Love this place! Although I have yet to go to Darby Road for dinner or lunch, my review is based on my experience at a private party that the restaurant hosted. To start, the venue has a great ambiance. It's very clean and you definitely get that sophisticated Irish feel. The bathrooms were also very well maintained which is always a plus in my book. Contrary to what I was expecting, the way that the restaurant is set up wound up working well for the party. It was nice to have both a seating section for eating and bar area for walking around and being more social, and both sides were pretty spacious. Now onto the grub. I've heard raved review about the food from family members who have ate here previously, and I absolutely loved the food that was served and it was one of the best meals I've had while eating out in a long time. The food was served in two forms. First the staff walked around with h'orderves; they served mini fish & chips & the best of all, Reuben fritter. These were AMAZING! The perfect texture, temperature, size and above all, taste. I've had Reuben sandwiches in the past, but these little guys surpass them all. Not too sure if they offer this on their regular menu, but everyone needs to find a way to try these out. The main courses were served buffet style and consisted of penne vodka, chicken with mushroom sauce, and steak with rice. The steak was pretty mind bowing to say at the least; very tender and when you took a bite of it it would melt in your mouth like butter. Hats off to their pastry chef because the choices of desserts were endless, ranging from brownies, carrot cake, blueberry crumb cake, cookies (chocolate chip and shortbread cookies with either raspberry or apricot flavoring), and a platter of fresh fruit of course. The shortbread cookies and carrot cake particularly stood out for me because 1) I'm a fan of shortbread mixed with those two flavors and 2) I'm typically not a carrot cake eater, but this kind converted me. Their version incorporated walnuts and the icing was SO tasty; definitely not like any carrot cake I've eaten before. Aside from the food, the staff and service couldn't have been better. The servers were very polite and accommodating. If they got a sense that one table was not receiving enough appetizers while they were making their rounds, they would go and get a full plate just for that table to have. They also made sure that our drinking glasses were always full, and they even offered the small kids baskets of chicken fingers and fries, since they might not have been interested in the appetizers or buffet food. They were also very attentive with restocking the buffet dishes. Whenever it seemed like a tray was getting low they would restock it with an new, overflowing, hot pan. I  plan on venturing back to Darby Road to try out their other menu items and I would absolutely recommend this restaurant.

been here a few times and i like it.  the bar is the only place ive eaten so i cannot say anything about the dining service.  great selection of draft beers. you will not find any 1 dollar draft specials here, this may be an irish pub but it is also a more upscale restaurant than that moniker lends itself to.  its def in its first year and working through some things but overall this is a great place.

In addition to the bar scene, Darby Road offers something that's missing in Scotch Plains-kick-ass food. I used to eat at Stage House all of the time, but now that it's been converted to the Tarvern, the food has really gone down. Both times I have eaten at Darby, the food has been spot-on. I've eaten a lot of fish and chips, but these were some of the best-greasless, crispy, and flaky. I've never had any major issues with the service. The Shepard's Pie was also really good-fresh, flavorful, and a nice portion, and the fries were perfect.

Two suggestions, though. Darby definitely needs a bar menu with a few signature cocktails. I am not a beer drinker, and sometimes I need some inspiration. Also, they need to do away with those Trader Joe's crackers they serve at the beginning of the meal, and instead serve some rolls or maybe a few slices of soda bread. Even though it's a bit pricey for the area, Darby has great food, and I will definitely be a repeat customer.