Gusto Grill
“On to the mains, I had grilled salmon over roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed spinach and my son had the wagyu bacon cheddar burger.”
“Our waitress was alright–in terms of being friendly & welcoming.”
“20 draft beers caused me to select a flight which was expertly explained by Evan.”
Gusto Grill
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Came here for Valentine's Day this year and it definitely did not disappoint! First off, can you believe they take reservations on 2/14? We did not want to have to wait for 1-2 hours for a table that day in the city so I looked to book a place on the Open Table app.
Our waiter, Danny, was fantastic. He showed us great service, where sometimes it is hard to find in NY! I could not chose between these two cocktails and Danny was nice enough to tell me to try the Fig Infused Bourbon! And of course, it was right up my alley, since I'm a whiskey-type of girl.
Also, my friend asked me to pick a draft beer for him. Based on my understanding of his taste buds, I thought he might like the Oskar Blues strong pale ale, however, I was not too sure. And guess what? Danny was like no worries, I will bring over a taster since him, himself haven;t tried it before.
For apps, we ordered the Seared Sea Scallops which comes in three pieces, over squid ink risotto, topped with pomegranates (5/5 stars), Pork Belly with sweet yams (5/5 stars), drizzled with brown sugar syrup and fried calamari (4/5 stars, too much breading).
For entrees, we ordered the Duck, which is served with asparagus and rice. The duck itself was on point because it was not dry at all. We also ordered the stuffed chicken (with cranberries and rice) and creamy risotto. I enjoyed the chicken but there was only 4 pieces! For the risotto, I disliked the big pieces of carrots and a little too creamy for my taste.
Overall, I would recommend this spot for my New Jersey friends!
I was eager to try a restaurant I hadn't been to before. My friend, who lives in East Brunswick, had been here a few times for lunch, but we were meeting for dinner. It seemed to be priced a bit higher than what I'm used to but, what the heck. I wasn't entirely happy, though, that their bar menu was ONLY available during Happy Hour.
We were greeted and seated at a nice table in a room that felt cavernous (in a good way), owing to the two-story ceiling in the bar area. Our waitress, Kayt, was friendly and efficient.
We started by ordering two glasses of German Riesling, skipped the appetizers, and went straight to the entrees. I ordered the Stuffed Chicken after Kayt told me that I could substitute two sides for the Risotto that it came with. I'm not a risotto lover, and love it even less with the kale and parsnips of the description. I know it's eco-illegal to dislike kale, but since when have I been politically correct? Spinach with garlic and mashed potatoes are more my forte.
My chicken was tasty, but not an overly large piece of bird. The spinach didn't have much of a garlic taste, and there wasn't a whole lot of it, either. The potatoes were room temperature.
My friend ordered the swordfish, also substituting different sides. The fish was a thin, small piece. I didn't taste it, but she thought her entire dish, fish and sides, was completely lacking in flavor.
While I thoroughly liked the atmosphere, my friend and I spent a good two hours at the table, catching up on our lives after a long hiatus. Those sturdy wooden – and cushionless – chairs became torturous by the time we were ready to leave. Maybe that's by design?
This is not a place where you're likely to have leftovers to take home, and that's a small eater writing those words. If it hadn't been for the good bread that's served with the meal, I probably would have left hungry. My friend said she'd give it two stars if she were writing this review. I'm bumping it up to three because of the atmosphere and the bread. I love bread. And atmosphere. The food? Not so much.
I go here occasionally after work for some happy hour drinks and food. They have a few discounted drinks ($2 off) although it is only offered in the bar area. Sangria is very good and fruit is fresh. We seem to always order their pizzas which are amazing. I love the salad pizza the most!
Went to Gusto because of the 4 stars review.
I'm a bit disappointed with the taste of the food.
I ordered the frying oysters for appetizer and Salmon for entree.
The taste are bland for both of them. Nothing special or kicking on the palate.
I give 3 stars for the friendly and warmth service from the waitress.
The price is reasonable for fine dining with wine and beer
After driving by this restaurant for years, we finally decided to go check it out. We ordered the rigatoni, calamari, slider sandwiches, and prosciutto arugula pizza. The slider sandwiches were amazing, the meat just melted in your mouth and the rolls they were in were so tasty! The calamari was just ok, not the best I've had. I loved the prosciutto arugula pizza. Just the crust alone was the most flavorful crust I've ever tasted. The rigatoni was just ok, nothing special. The ambiance was quite nice with outdoor seating available. Our waitress was very accommodating and offered great service. This is a great place to take a date and it even has a few tables on a second floor overlooking the restaurant!
This place never ceases to amaze me and my taste buds. I haven't been here in awhile since moving further away But when I get a chance to go I always over indulge. Why not? You just can't seem to help yourself when you're here. The menu screams "try everything." The little inner voice says okay! I came here with my son tonight to splurge. We were starving. So we started off with the ahi tuna appetizer(sorry no pic ) which got devoured in 2.3 seconds and we also ordered the short rib sliders. The gravy on them deserves to be drowned on a heaping mound of mashed potatoes. These are so good they need to make them a main course with mashed potatoes. Ironically on this dismal rainy day I wasn't feeling thw soup tonight. I know weird right? On to the mains, I had grilled salmon over roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed spinach and my son had the wagyu bacon cheddar burger. Which we both devoured in heavenly silence murmuring illegible words to each other in between inhaling the deliciousness that had come. We ended with dessert of course. Cookie sundae with its warm gooey cookie and vanilla ice cream and Nutella bread pudding( confirming that Nutella should be part of the basic food group) must try the Nutella bread pudding..definitely still adore this place. Till next time…check them out.
My husband and I came here for dinner with some friends. I've had Gusto bookmarked for a long time and was looking forward to eating here. Sadly, Gusto fell short of my expectations both in terms of food and service. We sat outside on the patio, which was delightful. Gusto has a nice atmosphere. I'll give them that. They also have a good beer selection. My first bad experience was with the drink I tried to ordered. Our waitress told us that the bartender refused to alter my drink by substituting vodka (my liquor of choice) for gin in this elderflower cocktail. It's not like this is a super fancy restaurant where they wouldn't allow any substitutions. I'm sitting outside, breathing in exhaust fumes from route 18. Our appetizers were all pretty uninspiring. The baked mac and cheese with andouille sausage was really dissatisfying. The pasta was overcooked and the shells were nested together. Also, this dish was underseasoned and in need of salt. The pork belly was cooked well, but the sweet potato puree surrounding it was cold. I can't imagine they'd intentionally serve hot pork belly in a bed of cold potatoes. The margherita pizza and rigatoni were both average at best. The best thing we had was the porcini and truffle ravioli. We probably wouldn't come back to Gusto for a meal because we can get better and cheaper food elsewhere, but we'd probably return for a happy hour /bar bites situation.
What a great grown up hang out spot …………….Serving what can best be described as American bistro food. No. this is by no means "A glorified Greek diner".
Gusto Grill has upped their game since last we dined there, the menu has been edited but covers just about all you could want when having a few cocktails or out on a date night.
We started with the excellent and garlicky escargot and grilled octopus,and the kitchen didn't disappoint, the silky soft, savory octopus had the right amount of char to off set the tart dressing on the bed of kale salad while we exhausted the table's supply of bread sopping up every morsel of the Escargot's sauce….the snails, quite frankly were just an after thought.
A generously poured G&T and a split of champagne later our entrees arrived.
The double cut frenched pork chops on a bed of pureed sweet potatoes with roasted apples in bourbon was as it should be as the chef grilled it to perfectly medium well and I will be forgiven for gnawing on the bones to get every morsel of meat….
The espresso NY strip with fingerling potatoes was next and again the kitchen showed it's expertise with a perfect medium rare and great crust, the espresso demi glace was welcomed but subtle in it's smoky finish…a nice touch.
All fat and happy with a contented grins we braved……dessert.
We went old school with a Gusto apple pie a la mode and it was huge.
Nothing fancy here but what a fitting end to a great meal.
Now just a word on service.
Our wait person was a delightfully pleasant and efficient young French lady who made our dining experience worth remembering with her wit and unassuming skill so much so we found it necessary to voice that to the night manager…as well as tip accordingly.
I am so gratified to see a independent restaurant of this caliber thrive on the notorious home of every chain restaurant that the Route 18 corridor has become.
I guard my 5 star reviews jealously but Gusto Grill well deserves it.