Rock Tha Boat

The food is excellent! I’m just afraid of the location. I get the whiting platter. It is always fresh and I love the coleslaw.

Another one of my favorite quality, and best bang for the buck Newark eateries. $ 5.00 wing tray, or $ 10 shrimp tray are my staples! Anybody worried about wait times, be sure to take a menu, and remember to call ahead next time… problem solved. If you don’t call ahead and order chicken or something else that takes a minute to cook, guess what you will have to wait because its made to order. I don’t mind the wait, so much of the grease smell that will be left on your clothes if your in there for more than 10 minutes (which is to be expected).
To be clear if you have to wait five minutes to order in my experience its because they are busy helping other customers.
PS $ 1 & $ 2 fish sandwiches can be grabbed quickly for a snack, but you can’t call those in on the phone. Also, note they are usually open to selling you what you want, if your being picky and want a $ 4 fish sandwich they will cater to your request. Crab cakes are decent as well.

I had high hopes for this place. I thought I had found a gem based on the reviews and the crowd that was in the place. I walked in and waited about five minutes to order my food. I ordered turkey chops and whiting. After waiting for twenty five minutes, it was all just okay. The food wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t mind blowing. It didn’t give me a foodgasm. AND to top it off, they were out of the banana pudding!

I think the food and service is good. The only reason that I give it 3 stars is because the service is slow sometimes and the portions on are small sometimes (especially the sides). So they are a little inconsistent. Also it is over priced. I use to pay a lot when I went to The Shark Bar in NYC but that was a completely different experience. They should reconsider that as well. But over all, the food is definitely good and worth going back for.

I’ve heard about this place for years but its easy to miss it because of location and size. I finally tried it though and im not disappointed. The prices are fair. My first experience wasn’t the best. Against my better judgment (not caring for whiting, preferring cod fish) I ordered the whiting anyway which is so highly recommended. It was verrrry bland and soggy which I didn’t understand because I watched them make it. The sides and the uptown were amazing though. Enough to make me come back and try something else. The next time I ordered the turkey chops dinner. O. M. G. Soooo delicious and the perfect crunch. The mac and cheese left me licking my fork for more! I love their food!

Had to go from UMDNJ over to Newark Beth Israel and it was a beautiful day, so I decided to walk. Yes, a bit atypical for a white guy, but I like Newark and like discovering the many little gems… from old, beautiful buildings, to friendly and interesting older folks, to tasty treats. This place was on the way, I was hungry, so I gave it a try.
I got the whiting sandwich (cuz I’m cheap — it was $ 5 for A LOT of food) and really enjoyed it. It was fried fresh, and tasted very good — nice and crisp. I ate about a third of it, and bagged the rest to have for dinner.
The place is clean, the gentlemen there were friendly, welcoming and professional, and there is a large selection of different sodas, including the very tasty Shabazz Fruit Cola!
Hope to come back again.

This place specializes in seafood comfort food. Don’t come here for fried chicken, oxtails, ribs, etc. because they do not have any.
You order at the counter. They have various types of fish, fish sandwiches, and sides. I had the crab cakes which came with 2 sides and cornbread. I also got a free drink.
When I got my crab cakes, I was initially really disappointed by what I saw. I saw 2 large dark brown, almost black lumps. It did not look good and looked dry and unappealing. But I put on some tarter sauce and headed home to try it. I was really surprised because my crab cakes were actually really moist and well seasoned. I did find a shell or something in my crab cake but other than that, everything was good. Well cooked, well seasoned, and nicely done.
For sides, I got macaroni and cheese and collard greens. The mac and cheese disappointed me because it had a LOT of pepper and that overpowered the dish. The collard greens were good, not the best I’ve had, but good. The corn bread was more like a cake. Not corn bread like at all but not bad.
The drink (I think it was an Uptown but he didn’t give me a choice) was way too sweet for my taste but complimented the food well. I also had the banana pudding which disappointed me. It’s not bad but certainly not as good as other ones I’ve had (Je’s in Newark has a better one, in my opinion).
The one thing that I thought was ridiculous was the price. I realize that it is seafood, but for the location, service (styrofoam boxes), and even quantity, I felt it was a bit much. For my food and dessert, I paid $ 16. I would have paid $ 10 – 12 but I thought it was way too much for take out.
In any case, pretty good seafood if you have a craving for some fried fish and sides.

yes Yes and YES!!! now the brotha answering the phone isn’t super friendly, but hey he smiles when you walk in and joke with him about it. as much as folks go to ambassadors, I like to feel a little more than 3 inches when order and waiting for my chicken. the wings are good and you get big portions! Try it you’ll like it.

Used to be the spot for Soul Food in Newark but I cant say that so confidently lately. Let me say this first… The best Banana pudding you will ever have in your life will be from here. Now the past 3! times Ive been there they havent had it. 3 times is alot, makes me wonder whats going on. Ive had just about everything atleast once here. The chicken used to always be sooo good. With the meal you get 5 wings, unfortunately lately they have dramatically decreased in size. They used to barely fit in the takeout box and now they fit just fine in the box. The sides are all solid and reliable. Mac n Cheese, Greens, Potatoe/​Macaroni Salad, String Beans… all good and all consistent. Stick with the chicken, tilapia, whiting, or shrimp and you cant go wrong. The corn bread is good n fluffy and on the sweet side. The crab cakes I had once were horrible, more like bread cakes and I wasn’t impressed with the scallops either. For some reason soul food tends to be on the expensive side and this place is no different. $ 11 for a meal and two sides, also comes with a drink but he didn’t give me one last time and I forgot. A previous review stated you could make 3 meals out of one here… As long as Ive been coming here there have NEVER been portions of that size. The portions are a great size just not quite that big. A few months ago this place woulda been a shoe-​in for 4*s but lately things have been a little suspect, still worth going though.

«Rock Tha Boat» rocks my pallet! GF first discovered the place several months back while craving a fish sandwich. She followed her nose into this East Orange location and it has been ON ever since!
Whiting Sandwich: Fresh and battered to perfection.
Turkey Chop Dinner: Whoa! Tastes like pork chops, but better!
Chicken Wings Dinner: 7 whole wings with two sides!
Oxtail Dinner: Tender and seasoned beautifully.
Mac & Cheese Side: Yes, the real shit!
Greens: Tangy and twangy… the way we like it.
Cornbread: A little too sweet and fluffy, more like cake than cornbread.
Uptown: (a.k.a Arnold Palmer) Yummy and free with dinners.
Prices are low, portions are huge (I could make three meals outta one order), the food is good and so far, consistent with every order. Oh, and they deliver! Soul Food delivery? Are you kidding me? That’s the shit right there!