Bat Barry’s

We went for drinks and the bartender was obnoxious to my friend, and then didn’t know how to mix a Tequila Sunrise-​he had to look it up in a book. Not good.

Great for lunch and dinner. You should definitely try the pear salad, steak tip appetizer and bistro burger. The staff are really nice, too.

Last time I came here, had the pear salad and it still has not disappointed. Nice spot for lunch or early dinner. Attentive and friendly staff. My sister comes here often and says all the food she has had so far has been delicious. Haven’t tried the dinner hours yet but I’m sure it’s just as good.

The weekend bartender/​hostess (middle aged woman — spiky hair, cigarette smoker) is awful. She leaves the bar/​restaurant unattended to go for regular smoke breaks and when she is there she ignores «new» customers to stand around and socialize with «regulars». Loudly and obnoxiously. Not the way to encourage new and/​or repeat business.

Well, I only stopped in because I had an 8pm movie next door and PJ Finnegan’s was packed to the gills.
Where do i begin Bat Barry?
I have no problem with a small simple menu, but Bat Barry– we’re on Center Avenue in Westwood NJ, not Tribeca.
Granted we already got some very lukewarm reviews from friends of ours but really decided to give it a chance.
We ordered several appetizers.
Lets start by saying that they served the appetizers but never brought us plates.
Now I tend to judge most restaurants by their calamari. It’s a SIMPLE dish– if you can’t get this right, it’s probably going to be downhill from there.
The calamari, over breaded, tougher than leather and tasteless.
Salt and pepper– that’s all you need. Don’t over think it.
As I was working my jaw muscles on the calamari all I could think of was how Gordon Ramsey might have reacted.
«Tough, tasteless, rubbish.»
Baked clams. From the freezer tray to your plate.
The service was pretty lackluster in the sense that whereas our waitress was certainly very nice– she wasn’t very attentive, she didn’t list specials.
Bottom line, do yourself a favor– go down the block to Pompilio’s, save some money and your digestive tract.
I really felt as if I were paying for their overhead and décor, because it certainly should not have been the food.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed. The experience wasn’t bad but I’ve been to better bar food joints in the area.
Food: average, basic. The burger was good, however, if you’re looking for a burger go to The Iron Horse where they’re known for that. I’d say the crispy/​deep fried fries were the most notable parts of our meals.
Price: a bit high for what they offer, experience included.
Service: the server apologized at the end of the meal for being too busy and not as attentive as she could have been. If you looked around, the place was pretty empty…
Ambiance: there’s a large dining area that’s nice looking but the seating is way too spread out and makes the place look extra empty.
I would recommend coming here for a group of 10+ because I don’t doubt they could accommodate and there’s enough variety on the menu to please a large group.

We waited 10 mins to be greeted by a server after being seated, only to have him just ask what we wanted as if we were at a diner — no mention of specials (which we knew that had because we overheard the bartender go over them with a bar patron as we had a drink before dinner), or even us his name. There are about 12 tables in the whole place and only 2 servers… that’s way too disproportionate. I saw whom I assumed was an owner running around clearing tables, but didn’t see him engage in conversation with any tables which was supposed to be a highlight of this quaint place.
As for food, I got the duck which was great– nicely paired with grapes and veggies, and my wife got the steak tips which were amazing.
Better service and it would have gotten a 4 or 5, worse food and it could have been a 1 or 2.

my boyfriend and i recently moved to the area and decided to give this place a try. the service was wonderful even though we arrived a bit late in the night. he had the steak and i had the duck. both were delicious and cooked to perfection. we are looking forward to going back.

Good food, great service, nice atmosphere. Really great place to eat if you are catching a movie next door. Will definitely go back. Looks like you’d expect pub food when you walk in but the menu us surprisingly different. We’ve eaten here with my toddler and his young cousins and they offered a nice children’s selection too!

My family and I had a really great time here, and it was our first time! We hadn’t planned on going here but had to grab some dinner before watching a movie next door.
We were greeted by the hostess and I believe owner, who were both so very friendly. They were even very accommodating, giving us great seats since we were there with two young children and an infant.
The food was fantastic — the kids had a cheese pizza, I had the hangar steak (which was so sumptuous and tender!!) and my husband had the risotto (which was also delicious). We didn’t wait long before our dinner was served, and the staff was very attentive and courteous.
The owner/​manager was very nice to the kids, and even spoke to them while we walked outside.
We will definitely come here again and will recommend this place to our families and friends! Thank you!

I gave this restaurant one star because the room is quite attractive, clean appearing and the young waitress was anxious to please.
It did not get more stars because the food was very poor.
We ordered a bottle of$ 20 wine which was terrible and then a salad with the dressing too heavily laden with anchovies. We had to ask for bread which was stale and cold when it arrived. I ordered the shrimp and scallop special. The scallops were so dry and woody that they were inedible. My husbands burger was also dry and the fries were frozen.
All this to say that if this place had a decent chef, they would do well because the room is attractive and comfortable.

Eh. This place was just alright. Not worth the prices! They messed up a lot of orders.
Very slow service yet hardly any customers.
The menu outside was nothing like the one we got.
I won’t be back!

I had their risotto a while ago and I really liked it, very nice atmosphere as well.

The food is ok. Not great, not bad. My mashed potatoes were served cold in the middle. Id really like to see this place succeed, as a good place to eat with a decent bar is what we need in the Westwood area, but they will need to step up the food. Wine and service were good! Bar area seemed pretty lively!

I really enjoy eating here. The first time I came for lunch, I admit I wasn’t blown away. The hanger steak sandwich was quite tough which is disappointing. But this place is so close by that I gave it another shot for dinner and left very happy. Since then I’ve been back often and have enjoyed every dish. They usually have a chicken dish on the specials list, and I’ve loved each one I’ve tried. They do an excellent job of seasoning just right, it’s flavorful but not overpowering. The half chicken is great too. I’ve tried a salmon risotto which is also delicious. Once, the person I was with ordered the steak sandwich and also noted it was very tough. I m not sure why this is, it’s not the particular cut of beef because I’ve had a hanger steak sandwich at Park West Tavern in Ridgewood and it was great. So I avoid beef here, but I’m very pleased with everything else. The staff is always very friendly and attentive. You can usually walk in and be seated during the week but it’s not a huge space, so definitely call ahead on weekends. Terrific space and food, I wish they had a tender cut of beef and I wish there wasn’t veal on the menu (my personal respect animals beliefs) but otherwise I love it. Oh and sometimes they have a ricotta cheesecake for dessert which is terrific.

Didn’t know what to expect here. We’ve walked passed a gazillions times and just always assumed it was a pub (as it looks from the outside) — we were wrong.
Inside is very well decorated — tons of color and embellishment. We had our choice to sit in either the bar area or the dining room — I immediately chose the bar area for one reason. The dining room had a ton of gorgeous crystal chandeliers very close together and VERY low to the tables. It was way too bright for my liking…
Service was a bit spotty at first as we were there during lunchtime.
We ordered the steak tip with slivers of hot peppers (quite good).
Cob salad — was ok. I hate messy salads served on flat plates
Burger with avocado and cheese. Looked delicious and was informed it was.
They have an interesting menu and have a wine selection labeled «20 wines for $ 20»
Not too sure the ambience would make me want to drink a bottle.
Nothing here screams for me to come back.

Didn’t knock the ball out…
Décor/​Atmosphere *** Not really as «Pubbish» inside as I had expected. Pale blue colors and tables that seem to belong in a café but overall pleasant and appealing albeit a little brightly lit. It was not very busy on a Sat night with most patrons 50+ and neat but casual dress. My wife and I ate at the bar as we were having a casual night out and the dining room did not look very comfortable. There was one other couple at the bar at 8:00 on a Sat although younger people started to come in around 9:30.
Service **** As mentioned earlier we sat at the bar and the bartender was great. She was friendly, knowledgable and proud of the restaurant. A guy sat at the end of the bar milking a beer who I guessed was the owner as everyone who worked their seemed to be catering to him. I only mention this as I feel that this type of owner is a distraction to a restaurant. As an example the Chef came out to chat with him for awhile, how about instead talk with your customers?
Food *** I ordered the French cut chicken and my wife the Sole. The presentation was nice but the food was just ok. The French cut chicken says it is stuffed with mashed potatoes but really it is layered, chicken, mashed, chicken. The top piece was a little overcooked so it helped that the sauce was so there to moisten it up. The mashed looked like they had been sitting around as they were grey. The bottom piece of chicken had become soggy and and adventure to find under the mashed. It wasn’t bad but nothing great either. The Sole was described as just ok.
Value *** Entrees hover around 20+ which is reasonable, I thought the drinks were a little pricey. With tip $ 90 for two is more than I would like for the food.
Overall *** I had higher hopes but in the end we decided we probably wouldn’t return.

Went in for a few glasses of wine, must try again and include food next time. Very nice friendly vibe at the bar.

Let me begin by saying, I really enjoyed Bat Barry and I think it has the *potential* to be a four – if not five – star establishment. But for now, they have a few issues.
My boyfriend and I arrived on a Saturday night and enjoyed the calm and classy interior, and ordered some Goose Island IPA on draft. They had a lot of good-​sounding specials, but some of the prices gave us second thoughts, so he settled on the Bistro burger and I went with the half chicken.
The burger was tasty; he asked for medium, and it came out nicely browned with a pink middle. But while the burger was good, it failed to reach that «omg crave» level. Maybe I’m asking too much, but since BB’s puts out this gastropub vibe, I assumed their burger would be lip-​smackingly good, with some amazing fries on the side. The fries, similarly, were decent but nothing special.
As for my chicken, it was very tasty, but the flavors were a little muddled. It seemed like the chef had a whole mix of herbs and an overly salty sauce, which mostly just served to interrupt my enjoyment of the very tender and juicy meat. The vegetables on the side were pretty limp, though adequate, and the mashed potatoes had a decent flavor but were a bit lumpy. This might have been an issue of presentation, though, since the mashed potatoes were served as a layer between the two pieces of chicken.
Overall, the highlights were the burger patty and the chicken itself, but everything else kind of dragged it down a bit. I would like to come back and try some of the great sounding salads or appetizers, or maybe just for more beer at only $ 5.50 a pint!

The one star is for the drinks that’s it!!!
beautifully decorated but needs so much more, staff does not look professional and food is not good at all…