The Kitchen at Grove Station

Great ingredients prepared rather poorly. At least for the price…
I went there a few weeks ago and was impressed at what they had done to what was a daycare center (when I lived in JC, 15 years ago). Overall, I had a lot of nit-​picky issues with this place, and one major one. The food tasted really good, but some of it was either overcooked (pork belly taco, the pork belly was deep-​fried within an inch of its life) or just not a good combination on a plate (duck breast over gnocchi, gnocchi was very mushy and pasty). Something I’m sure that can be worked on over time. The dining room was very greasy and smoky smelling. We left with that stink on our clothes, which I really can’t stand when eating out. I guess an open kitchen in that space just doesn’t work. I’m sure they can’t have the proper ventilation that is required being in that building… So that’s that…
My major issue was with our waiter. He was not a good waiter or person for that matter. Everything seemed fine and dandy, when we were first seated, he took our drink order pretty quickly, but then we just sat there for a good 15 – 20 minutes before he returned to take our food order. During that time, he was clearing a table about 10 feet from us, and a condiment cup full of ketchup fell to the floor. It made a loud CLANG on the floor and I felt something hit me in the leg. The impact shot ketchup all over me and a friend sitting across from me. It was a lot. At least on me. We used the napkins we had to clean up as much as we could. After the waiter got the stuff off the other table he came over, took our order, and apologized to my friend profusely about the ketchup and began to walk away, I had to get his attention to ask for more napkins, he looked at me and nodded. A few minutes later he tossed a few paper napkins on the table as he walked by. Still not enough to clean what was all over my legs shoes and shirt. But whatever. He seemed busy. It’s just ketchup. So finally our food came and he asked if we needed anything else, and before I could answer (I needed more napkins) he was gone. Whatever, busy… we ate, we finished, he asked if we wanted dessert, no, ok, check, thank you, apologized to my friend again, we paid and went on our way. When we were outside, I was informed by my dining mates that I still had ketchup all over my jacket sleeve, back, and bag. So, I went back in and he looked at me from the kitchen counter, without coming over. I had to holler over to asked if he could get me a wet ragged and that I still had a lot of ketchup on me, he just rolled his eyes and walked off. I didn’t know if he was coming back or not. I couldn’t get anyone else attention, no one seemed to give much of a damn. So I just stood there to see if the guy would come back, my friends were smoking outside anyway. About a minute later he came out of the back with a dirty wet rag, walked over and dropped it on the table in front of me and walked away without saying a word. I was like, «WTF?!», I cleaned off as much as I could with this stink-​ass rag, and walked out. He never returned. I just left the rag on the table by the door and left. That sheezel pissed me off. And for the record. There were two waiters working, and only 5 tables occupied. It wasn’t busy. I was just lying to myself.
There was no reason for this behavior except the obvious. I don’t look or act like a weirdo or jerk. I am very friendly and nice to people, especially people that are expected to wait on me. Ive worked in the food industry for many years and am one of those guilt ridden, overly nice to waitstaff kind of people. I’ve broken up with people that are rude to waiters! My general rule is to over tip. I showed this a-​hole nothing by respect and kindness and thats how I get treated. Nice.
I guess people are people, no matter what they do for a living. F-​this guy.

Awesome little brunch spot that is definitely popular. Love that this is a farm to table style restaurant and that they are so conveniently located next to the PATH station (because if I can’t get to a place via public transportation, it just doesn’t exist :)) Nice strong coffee brews that will certainly wake you up (and for the price, one cup better wake you up). The prices are also relatively decent for such fresh ingredients. Definitely get their duck confit hash (although be prepared for the very small serving) or their salmon scramble. And whatever you do, get the pork belly on the side (you will not be disappointed!) Yummy donut holes to end our brunch and lots of mimosas to go around. Overall this is a very quaint, beautifully decorated fun place to brunch. Make sure you come early and with all your friends at once so that you can get a table. Service is good but they do get very busy. We had a good meal here and I will probably come back, but it may not be for a while.

The Kitchen at Grove Station is super hip and trendy as noted by Unilocalers with its «hipster» ambiance with the mason jars, antler lighting fixtures, and more.
FOOD: We found a bone in the food! Yikes! I know this was not intentional, but yikes is that pretty scary. Luckily, we were able to pick it out of the food, but a bone in the food is a no-​no.
Salmon Scramble: The cured salmon was delicious. With little bits of roe (as they rightly call it tobiko on the menu) and the brioche bread, it was mighty delicious and fresh. The salmon was cured perfectly and beautifully presented.
Duck Confit Hash: The hash was tasty with the fingerling potatoes and cheese, but it was nothing extremely special. I would say that it was pretty good, but I think I favored the Salmon Scramble more.
SERVICE: With all of the nicely dressed wait staff and I saw a man bun, this place is truly hip to the core. There was no rush and we were attended to. The wait staff was also courteous after we requested to move tables (the table was a little wobbly) and immediately placed us somewhere else.
I believe I would give The Kitchen another chance in the future when coming back to Jersey City for brunch.

The coffee was brilliant ! Ended up having an extra cup of the espresso after brunch …
The brunch sausage and egg grilled cheese was good too … The spicy italian sausage had the right amount of flavour

I hate to give this place 3 stars but I need to be honest with my expectations and the overall experience of this place. Its a super cute and chic restaurant, with an interesting menu full of options for those with different taste buds. But it lacks a true foodie experience. I left hungry! I hate leaving a restaurant hungry, I meant that was the whole point of me going.
Let me start with the fact that this location is a little confusing. The address puts you down the road this place is actually right across the street from grove street and is located on the first floor of a high rise. Confusing, I know. We had to call them so they can direct us where to go.
Once we actually found the place, it had a very nice atmosphere. Staff was nice and we were seated right away.
The menu is a bit small but that’s okay, that’s usually when you find the best food. Here is my issue with the menu– there is no clear indication of app portions and entrée portions. The menu is simply listed based on light and casual (apps?) Cool and crisp (raw foods?) Grains and greens (salads?) Warm and cozy (not sure…) Hearty and Robust (not sure…). Can we please get a better understanding of these portions? My friends and I ordered, the spinach & smoked salmon salad, the seafood dumpling, the kitchen burger and the squash as an app. Everything was extremely small portions with the exception of the burger. I get that we are the ones who ordered the food so its on us but if we knew these weren’t entrees and simply, soups and side salad, we would have ordered differently.
The food here is extremely delicious and well prepared. But with the uncork fee ($ 25), awkward location, and small portions. It left me wanting so much more. Sorry Kitchen, but you left me unsatisfied.

I swoon over the décor in this place. We’d been there for dinner, which was excellent, so on a Sunday afternoon biking around JC like cool people, we thought to come back to my favorite interior for their brunch!
This is a fancy pants brunch.
Their sugar doughnuts were almost like a sweet bread. Could use some chocolate sauce! ;)
I got the Loaded Baked Potato Frittata — you won’t eat the entire day after this sucker.
My other half got the Pork Belly Sandwhich — also delish.
The best part is the Honey Bear Helper — an intoxicating drink served in the cutest little damn bear you ever did see.

Walked in on a Saturday night at 8pm and got a table. Ordered a good bottle of pinot nior for $ 26. My friend and I each had the burger with pork belly. It was one of the best burgers I have ever had. The pork belly was a bit to much so would enjoy next time without.
Service was great only problem was she dropped the check without asking if we would like dessert and coffee.

*Brunch Review*
Recently we stopped by for brunch at one of JC’s most popular restaurants. The food at Kitchen at Grove is stellar. The overall experience for brunch though is a bit of a letdown. It begins with the fact that they don’t take reservations… so you come walk in and are told it will be a 25 – 30 minute wait. But wait times can stretch up to an hour or more… clearly they can’t rush anyone which is great, but there needs to be a better system to organize the chaos.
The presentation of the food is picture perfect. Everything we tried was excellent — the salmon scramble, grilled cheese and duck confit in particular was really fresh and delicious. The French toast was good, but paled in comparison to the others. Portions are on the smaller side and if you’re really hungry, get a side. We also felt the drinks were overpriced — a glass of orange juice is $ 6 — and it’s not freshly squeezed. We saw them pouring it from a can.
Service was okay — the staff was doing their best to deal with everyone, with the place being packed and everyone being super hungry by the time they were seated.
We did enjoy the food, but may not go back till they start taking reservations.

The ‘Kitchen’ at Grove Street was a very disappointing experience. I got a bloody mary ($ 12). It didn’t taste like much of anything. It was very watery, extremely weak and I could barely even taste tomato juice. It had absolutely no kick. The bloody mary at the ‘Kitchen’ should be used as a guide on how to never make a bloody mary. I would very honesty prefer getting a bloody mary at Applebees. If you’re going to offer a $ 12 bloody mary, you have to use real ingredients and it should be made someone who’s tasted a good bloody mary before.
As for the food, the portions were way too small. I left the ‘Kitchen’ hungry. I got the french — there were only 2 small squares of bread and when it arrived I immediately thought, ‘Damn, I’m not going to be full when I leave here.’ My friend got the shrimp and grits — which was even more disappointing-​portion wise. It was served on an enormous plate with a depression at then center which allowed for maybe 1 medium ladle-​sized scoop of grits. 0. The majority of the plate, was a large unused white surface — it was the kind of plating that you might see in a fancy french bistro serving cuisine remotely deserving of such a pretentious plate. At the ‘Kitchen’, the laughably large plate was a thinly veiled effort to appear as fine dining while cheap-​ing out on portion size.
The staff was very inattentive to very basic needs. My two friends had to ask for their coffee three times. They should have asked the table if anyone needed any refills. After paying, they returned the receipt for signature without the card.
Other quick notes: the music was basic and did not match the ‘farm-​to-​table’ vibe they are trying to achieve. That vibe, by the way, seems to be just a vibe. The menu seems to attempt to attract the eye of people that like the idea of ‘hipstery farm-​to-​table’ menu items, but do not really know what good food tastes like. It was made for people that are accustomed to being over charged for everything and do not realize when the food is sub-​par, the atmosphere is inauthentic and ironically is meant to encourage a kind of misplaced pretentious feeling, and the service makes me wish that they served their food cafeteria style.

Food in this place is ART because it is artistically done that demonstrates creativity, style and a deep understanding of flavor and ingredients! What’s also great about this place is that the chef has been consistently performing and never once was it not enjoyable.
They do not seem to have very stable waiting personnel. Every time we went in (once 2 – 3 weeks) there is a group of new people and the ones we see again are usually not the good ones. Yesterday we waited for nearly 2 hours for our hot dishes! Apparently they made some mistakes and the waiter and manager did apologize and gave us 2 appetizers for free. But that long wait was insane!
However, Yes, staff may not always perform at the top level, and yes food did not always come fast. However they definitely has the best chef there!

LOVE this place so far. Probably my new favorite location for lunch when I’m not pretending to be Vegan.
5 stars for sure for the décor. This is what I like in terms of a place to dine. Sitting alone in a spacious booth aside tall windows that bring in just the right amount of sunlight. The place is spacious and airy, with a modern country-​like feel. Service is excellent, too.
The deal is sealed with food made from the freshest, most highest quality ingredients, all locally sourced, and prepared both simply and elegantly. Little twists on classics like their grilled cheese, made with fontina, oven-​dried tomatoes, and caramelized onions are executed with total perfection, and are absolutely delicious to boot.
My favorite so far is their spicy chicken salad sandwich, modestly dressed with paprika aioli and fresno chilis and served on a freshly baked, crusty, airy roll. Both sandwiches are served with an arugula salad that is delicately dressed but deliciously flavored.
Can’t wait to pop in and try more things on the menu.

Solid jersey city brunch spot. Hipster vibe, good food and cool/​casual ambience sets this place apart! Came here with friends; we were seated right away with no wait in a comfy and spacious booth.
What we ordered:
Shrimp and Grits — had a hint of paprika. Other reviewers state portion is small, however I thought it was enough given its heaviness!
Kitchen Burger and fries — my husband absolutely loved it. Fries were fresh and crispy
Steel cut oatmeal — our friend said that it was one of the best he’s had and would be willing to come back from the city for it
Loaded baked potato frittata — tasty, not incredibly flavorful compared to other dishes that were ordered but still very good
Honey bear juice — had honey, pineapple, ginger, turmeric, and pineapple in it. I don’t normally like healthy juices, but I would definitely order this again! It also comes In a cute bear glass :)

Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmmm! Went with some friends for lunch/​brunch! I got the Kitchen Burger cooked medium and it was delicious! The cheese was melted with just right caramelized onions on top along with tomato and lettuce. It was such a good burger and came with fries as well. The only thing I suggest is if you like ketchup with your fries ask for a lot of extra ketchup because they give just a very small little dish with ketchup in it and a good amount of fries.
This place is BYOB and we found out once we got there that they are affiliated with some liquor store around there that if you do it in advance you can have wine delivered to the restaurant. Ask about it because I’m not too sure. We brought our own wine.
I would love to try their dinner menu!!! Just note that for me it’s kind of pricey. Ended up paying $ 18 for the burger (that was with tax and tip).

The place was cute and menu looked healthy — plus BYO. Lunch menu is limited and on the day my wife and I went, there was no Crudo, Duck or Tuna carpaccio, so it was a bit disappointing. Anyway, we’ve had our Anniversary Cava opened so it was too late to bolt. The polenta starter was pretty good — tasty and plentiful. Wife ended up ordering the Kitchen burger, which was pretty good. I had the crispy Pork Belly Egg and Cheese, but the Pork Belly wasn’t crispy and the egg ran all over the place. So it was kind of a bummer to settle for something else other than what I was fantasizing on eating that day.
Maybe we’ll try it again another time — as long as it stays BYO.

Small menu but excellent food and service!
We wanted to stay local and found this place. The décor definitely gives you a feel of being a hip restaurant in Manhattan. The service was excellent, our waiter asked if anyone had food allergies prior to providing suggestions (one friend was vegetarian). I got an avocado with egg sandwich and it was served with arugula on the side and it was absolutely delicious. The greens were very fresh and dressed very lightly. The eggs were cooked to perfection and the amount of avocado to egg ratio was spot on. The bread it was also just amazing. Also ordered a ice chai latte, raw sugar cane sugar came on the side but I liked my with the strong natural flavor and loved that it wasn’t already sweeten.
Great food, great service, will definitely be back for brunch to try the other items on the menu!

Byob usually means I’m about 80 miles south in the city of brotherly love walking to one of the many Byobs in Philadelphia. Apparently restaurants in nj are offering up the option to tote in your beverage of choice and as soon as I saw the menu I knew we needed to go.
We arrived around 10 am (right before the brunch rush) the ability to sit outside was a bonus and then we waited … If the champs had been popped and I had water it probably wouldn’t have felt like an eternity but it was. They were obviously short staffed and though the staff on seemed to be pitching in it took time for everything .
Champs popped, orders placed and I was still waiting on my coffee … After getting said beverage I waited for cream finally I went in and got some from the super friendly barista .
When our food arrived it was amazing ! Decent portions for the price point Ashley and I were very happy with our choices. The loaded baked potato frittata was everything and the brioche french toast super rich and satisfying.
I was very impressed with the food and the staff though very nice seemed aloof to the essence of time. Luckily I had no where to be. I will absolutely come back for dinner.
*reservations NOT accepted (though they should change this as this would allow for them to better serve customers and turn over tables).
*BYOB

My new favorite restaurant in JC, hands down. This farmhouse chic space is beautifully decorated that is warm and inviting.
The only reasons for minus one star is the location and accommodations. To find the place or to explain to someone how to get here is a bit tricky as it is close to the grove street path but tucked away under a commercial building of sorts. Much like all restaurants in the area unfortunately it is street parking only. I’m not sure if the restaurant is wheelchair or stroller friendly because I didn’t find any ramps and there are a set of stairs leading up to the restaurant. Single stroller mamas and papas– if you are on your own, steer those wheels somewhere else and come back with another pair of hands to help you carry it up.
Now that we’ve found parking, located the entrance, carried the stroller up the stairs, a little piece of heaven awaits. We were warmly greeted and seated immediately. The menu is small but each dish clearly was carefully chosen to be there with purpose. I have had the kitchen burger and the duck on 2 separate occasions. The kitchen burger is smoked and you must try it, I don’t eat burgers (ever) but it looked so cool on another patron’s table when the waiter lifted up the glass dome to reveal this burger that slowly emerged when the cloud of smoke dissipated. Magical… And yummmmy! The duck is also perfectly cooked and came in a healthy portion and tasteful pricing.
Bottom line– I would come back once a week if the choice of «what do you wanna eat» is mine to make.
Tip: BYOB (and everyone day and night always have a bottle at their tables).

Came here for dinner the other night and it was delicious! Can’t wait to come back and try out their other menu items. First off, espresso with milk and chocolate was beyond scrumptious as was the rest of their food. Yes it’s a little pricey but each bite is worth every penny. My husband and I ordered the raw tuna as an app. Pretty good although a little pricey for an app.$ 15 but comes with 5 or 6 big bites!
I ordered the duck dinner and wanted to lick the plate clean! If you enjoy eating duck -$ 20, then this is a must get! The crust/​skin is perfectly crisp and the meat is tender and juicy. Everything that pairs it leaves you wanting more because it’s a perfect balance of sweet and salty.
Additionally the hubby ordered the burger-​$ 11 and the way they brought it out totally wanted to make us down that burger in one big bite! We ordered it medium done and it came out medium, soft and juicy enclosed in a glass lid (like the one the rose in the movie beauty and the beast) and when it was brought out, the delectable steam from the burger was wafted into our faces! Yum!
The menu pieces definitely appeal to the senses and there is a high expect ion on the quality of food.

Let me begin by saying «I love this place and I want it to succeed…»
Here comes the but…
But, I’m just not as in love with the food as everyone else seems to be.
Décor, impeccable. Staff, possibly the best service in New Jersey. Coffee, pretty smart move to hand the reigns to crowd favorite Mod Cup. Food… That’s where I stumble.
I’ve been twice now. Once for dinner and once for brunch. The highlight of my dinner was undercooked shrimp, which is seemingly difficult to do since they cook so quickly. Today we had snow-​day brunch where I ordered the Chorizo and potato frittata. Presentation was top tier, but that’s where it ended. Something about the color was just kind of off. Bite after bite I kept waiting to be wowed but some spicy sausage or a burst of fresh herbs, but I just wasn’t. It didn’t help that parts of it were on the edge of being cold. Nothing about my meal was worthy of sending back by any means and I ate the whole damn thing, but…
Everything (other than the food) is so excellent I guess my expectations for the food are a little higher than normal, and/​or just not being met.
I will be back, I will try again. I hope my opinion will change.

I loved everything about The Kitchen from the moment we walked in the front door. With such a small space, they were able to convert a small space into an intimate dining experience for a various party sizes. It had a very homey feel to it, the delicious smells of breakfast cooking wafting through the air, the simplistic and rustic décor and the simple high quality brunch options.
There is absolutely no doubt that the brunch at The Kitchen is delicious. I ordered the Crispy Pork Belly, Egg & Cheese sandwich and the Castle Valley Grits and was absolutely blown away. Sandwiched between two perfectly toasted slices of ciabatta, the pork belly was thickly sliced and crisp, the egg was cooked to perfection with just the right amount of runny yolk although there was a bit too much more cheese than I would have liked. It was served alongside a n arugula salad lightly tossed in oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. The grits were served in a mini skillet topped with a poached egg, mushrooms and hollandaise on a beautiful but unnecessary large cutting board.
The boyfriend ordered the Hanger Steak and Eggs and unfortunately for him his meal didn’t come out as great as mine. He requested it cooked medium well and it came out completely well done. It would have been fine if we weren’t told that the reason our meal was taking so long was because of the steak.
Food was great, ambience was wonderful why the low rating? The service. From the moment we walked it, it was just one thing after another and as time went by stars slowly starting dropping. We already knew that coming here we would expect a bit of a wait, we were told upon our arrival that the wait would be about 30 minutes but we had the choice of sitting at the bar. That wasn’t too big of an issue, the bar was adorable — reclaimed wood, high stools with a perfect view of the snowy mess outside. What I didn’t understand was the clearly empty table (that could have seated two) that remained empty the entire time that we were there, but whatever that was fine.
We were quickly given our waters and menus which was great but then it seemed that we were forgotten. After glancing around for a while we were finally able to flag down the gentleman that seated us and even he must have realized that we were forgotten because he scrambled to the kitchen to pick up an order pad. Shortly after we placed our orders a server came by to introduce himself as our server even though «we already placed our orders with his manager.» And this is where things quickly/​slowly (however you want to look at it) went sour.
When we initially sat down the restaurant was pretty busy, each table was filled and people were being served their meals or they were on their way out. But during the time we waited for our meals I witnessed nearby tables getting served their meals and then witnessed those very same tables being cleared and the seating of new patrons. all the while not a single person checked on us to refill waters or even bring out our food.
Tick tock, 20 minutes, 30 minutes went by and our patience was wearing thin, we stopped a different server asking about our meal — the one who had introduced himself as our server disappeared and he just told us «it was coming.» So the waiting game commenced, another 15 minutes rolled by and we were just about ready to leave. We tried to flag down the manager to get our bill for our drinks and cancel our food but were once again told «your food is coming.» All the while we were in perfect view of the kitchen, they weren’t busy — clearly the morning rush had passed and things had significantly slowed down. And of course to add insult to injury the steak came out wrong. not wanting to wait another 40 minutes for our food we quickly finished our meal and left.
Not once did we receive an apology, things happen we understand if you forgot to place our order or if you get backed up in the kitchen but to ignore us and have us continue to wait is unacceptable. Ill say it again, the food was absolutely delicious but I will have to think twice if I will ever return again.