Light Rail Cafe

Went on a Thursday night., they have Karaōke, I had a decent time. drinks are OK, not great or cheap, the bar had neighborhood locals and I observed a few LGBT couples. The bar itself is very small but nice, clean, decorated, you would not think you are in a local bar. Female bartenders are GREAT, Nice personalities and No Attitude. As with anything, when outside of this place — walking to your car — stay /​be aware of your surroundings.

This is a delightful spot. The environment is pleasant, people are kind, food is delicious. Also it’s neighborly convenient.

I always enjoy eating lunch here, the food is delicious and bartenders are always professional, the restaurant is nice and clean, also they give you discounts for working at JCMC.

A small spot not really that crowded for lunchtime. I had the catfish sliders w/​fries which were decent. Servers were friendly and attentive and the place was clean.

Just outstanding all-​around!
Everything I have tried on the menu has been excellent. My favorite so far has been the pasta: alfredo, vodka sauce, scampi, with chicken or shrimp… So delicious!
As for the service? Everyone who works here has a great personality, and really makes sure that you have a great dining/​drinking experience.
Cash only, but they have an ATM outside.

For a full-​on outstanding high-​quality, yet low-​key neighborhood dining and drinking experience, I can star this no less than five. Been there twice this week and will have to fight the urge to go back before Sunday. Catfish sliders? Please…

Tried Light Rail Café for first time during Sept. 2015 with girlfriend. Visited for dinner and not for the bar. About six other patrons were in attendance. The restaurant is attractive — nice flooring, tables, and welcoming entrance. Place looks nice from the outside. Love the stone look.
Ordered mini Nacho Supreme appetizer. Then we ordered entrees. Parmesan with Shrimp and Quesadilla with Chicken. Unfortunately, the bartender, who doubles as the waiter, did mess up the order. We did not bother mentioning it. We received a Grande Nacho Supreme appetizer rather than the mini we ordered. Suspected this when we got it, but did not know for sure. Confirmed it when we got the bill. However, the nachos are excellent. The other mistake is that we received the Parmesan with chicken rather than shrimp. Did not complain as we were hungry enough to not want to wait for another order. The chicken was not so good. Not sure if it was just over-​beaten and made rubbery or if it was re-​heated (i.e microwaved) from frozen. This goes for the chicken in both the Quesadilla and the Parmesan entrée. My guess is it was just thin breast slices that were over-​beaten and over-​cooked.
I would order nachos again, especially for take-​out. I’ll likely give the place another chance as I do like the menu, venue, and prices. Just not sure if the establishment is invested in the place as a restaurant. That is, the emphasis may be more on serving drinks than on serving entrees.

There are so many great spots in JC outside of the downtown area and this is certainly one of them. Light Rail Café has good food, great service, and awesome drinks, and I definitely recommend paying them a visit.
Drinks: I had the red sangria. ENORMOUS glass which is $ 10. This glass is maybe twice the size of normal sangria pours, and quite potent as well. They have good happy hour prices too– sangria is $ 7, house wine and domestic beer is $ 5, margaritas are also around $ 7, etc. I enjoyed the sangria and it packed quite the punch. They have both red and white. Other options include various infused vodkas, electric lemonade, wine, bottled beer, margaritas, and a full bar.
Food: Lots of options. I had the BBQ shrimp wrap. Not at all what I was expecting. I expected shrimp with some barbecue sauce and maybe cheese or coleslaw. Instead, the sauce was kind of creamy and very different from what I expect when I hear «barbecue sauce». But it was super delicious and I really enjoyed it. Shrimp in the really tasty sauce along with lots of grilled red onions. I liked it a lot and would order it again. It comes with either regular fries, cajun fries, sweet potato fries, caesar salad, or garden salad. I had the sweet potato fries and they were good as well.
Improvements:
— they have a decent bottled beer selection, but some beers on drafts would be awesome
— still cash only (I think they have an atm nearby though)
— my food took a LONG time to come out and it wasn’t super busy. when the food did arrive the inside of the wrap was insanely hot (like inedibly hot and so much so that some of the filling fell on my arm and it hurt) but the outside was just a plain tortilla/​wrap– not grilled or anything
Those are mostly minor improvements and suggestions. Overall, I really enjoyed the food and drinks I had at LRC. There is also a nice neighborhood feel here, people seem to know each other and it is nice. They also have a sangria rewards program, I think buy 10 get 1 free which is a bonus as well.

Bartender was extremely friendly, drinks were great and affordable. I would recommend the dark and storm for the guys and the jolly rancher for the girls for drinks. The food was very good try the calamari for app it was crunchy and came with an addicting sauce. My date and I had the salmon which was seasoned very well and came with Cooke sauté spinach and Cajun fries which were amazing! The vibe was nice very modern and comfortable atmosphere along with friendly people as well. Stop for a bite there before you hit the night life. Looking forward to coming back when they complete their renovations and turn the top floor into a lounge! Only downside is the area outside is not so safe! Take an über or park close by at night!

Excellent!!! Everything is excellent… The food, the drinks, the atmosphere, the staff and the regulars! 2 thumbs up!

«Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your nameee and they’re always glad you came» I’ve been a regular here for sometime now and here’s why ;
Friendly staff and customers. You may even meet the owner during your visit and he always greats everyone.
DRINK SPECIALS Mon-​Fri 11am-​7pm !! Martinis, Sangria, Mimosas, Electric Lemonade, etc. all for $ 4-​$ 7 a piece. (Not bad)
FOOD IS TO DIE FOR! Everything from there pasta meals to their WINGS (my favorite is the buffalo, Caribbean jerk, and lemon pepper) To anything on there daily (weekday) lunch special. Everything is always on point. Last Friday I went and ordered the smothered fried chicken rice and broccoli (a lunch special for $ 8) and nearly had to order a second one for home! It was just that amazing! The gravy was LIFE! My mouth is watering just reminiscing about it.
Only con is it IS a CASH ONLY bar so stop at your favorite atm or bank before coming… There’s also an atm outside the front door just in case you run low.
ENJOY!

Hidden gem in Jersey City.
The staff is friendly and attentive, they offer daily lunch specials that are a steal for the quality, and $ 3 Jameson shots on Monday nights cannot be beaten.
The signature drink is their own house made secret recipe sangria, and you can start up a sangria rewards card which I found to be super cute and thoughtful.
This place is definitely a neighborhood bar. Pretty much everyone is family here but even so, newcomers are welcomed in warmly.
The owner and manager are very involved in the neighborhood, and this place definitely adds immeasurable value to an up and coming area.
It’s literally steps away from the Garfield ave Lightrail stop– so getting here from anywhere in the city is easy!
Definitely give this place a try. But bring cash! They don’t accept credit (yet).

Being a New Yorker now translplanted in NJ, its hard to find that same city like vibe in a local café/​bar. This is why I keep coming back to my «cheers». The LRC continues to be a great, friendly spot with great food, drinks and service staff. From Shirley and Chelsea to the cooks Jay and Alfonso. Everything I order has always been exceptional. I appreciate that they allow me to order off the menu to accomodate my special diet. They have now incorporated cigar night which has been a success thus far. I can’t wait to see what extras the new renovations will bring. Murielle

Four stars. Nice place, clean as a whistle, nice patio for the smokers amongst us (much better than walking in the front door through a cigarette haze from those standing outside), my favorite bartender Brittany at the helm making great cocktails. Food is quite good. As a first time visitor I was made to feel quite welcome from Shirley the manager and the regulars were accepting as well. Parking can be difficult (we’ve tried several times in the past and couldn’t find a spot nearby) but once Berry Lane Park is open it’ll be an easy walk. The Light Rail Café will be in my normal rotation I think. One minus-​no draft beer, though. Can something be done about that?

I’m giving this place 5 stars because there’s a new bartender who is attentive, super sweet, knowkedgable and good looking. Her name is Sherri. Ohh and the food is great.

I was very impressed by this place. The décor and drink specials are wonderful. I haven’t tried any food but it looks good. I will be back today!

The food is good, the staff is very friendly, the drinks are great, but the service is incredibly slow. It took 30 min for or food too come out after we ordered. It could be a great place if they sped up service.

Love this place. Great atmosphere and cool bartenders. The owner is awesome host. Food is great and drinks are even better

Everything is great, the food, the service, and the ambiance. perfect neighborhood spot.

I must say the Lightrail Café shocked me. I came here on a Monday night with some friends and family, just to hang out.
They have a full bar which is decently stocked. I ordered a margarita-​sangria which was good; it’s on the sweet side. Everyone else ordered a variety of things.
As far as food goes, their kitchen closes at 11pm and we had arrived around 10:30ish so the kitchen was only doing fried items. We ordered the Sweet/​Spicy Thai chicken wings. They have great flavor and just the right balance of sweet and spicy— I personally could go for a little more of the spice; I like my food with a bit of a kick.
We also had fried jumbo shrimp. They really are JUMBO! And they also have good flavor and are served with a homemade tartar sauce. The tartar sauce was good and that’s saying something because I typically do not like tartar sauce.
The mood is intimate, it’s good for small groups and the bartender that night (Jay) was very friendly and good looking– also married. Lol
I’m going to go back!