Skinner’s Loft
“The rooftop is very romantic and cozy – perfect for a hot date or a night out with the gals.”
“I was here a few days ago and got the filet mignon sliders with horse shoe fries and that was also very good.”
“(hence the name Skinner's LOFT) The walls by the giant window were made of exposed brick and everything was lit by candles and natural lighting.”
Skinner’s Loft
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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3 1/2 stars. My first visit left mixed reactions.
The good: stellar bread basket; very good salad, salmon, fries, portions, service and hosts. Good calamari ($12) in interesting sauces and a good burger ($12)
The less good: like many farm to table genre restaurants, the ingredients are very good, but the menu is very limited in terms of entrees (although not in terms of apps). Dinner for two with alcohol will easily top $100 (the cheapest bottle of wine is $38).
The bad: the cappuccino was served in what appeared to be a slightly elongated shot glass–easily the smallest cappuccino (indeed it would be the smallest espresso) I have ever seen and why?
The good and bad–street parking is difficult because that portion of Newark Avenue is closed to traffic–but that makes for a nice street scene. The restaurant comps 3 hours of parking at 100 Christopher Columbus–but the waitress forgot to tell us the validation does not work in the Pay Here machine at the entrance.
Yum!
I came here for brunch with a friend. He had the sliders with shoestring fries – which looked awesome – and I had the red velvet pancakes. The pancakes were awesome; dessert for breakfast is always awesome. How many f***ing times can I say the word "awesome?" Too many. The point is, the food is really good.
The service is quick and the waitstaff are great.
The waitstaff here belongs on the cast for The Book of Mormon. They were not only quick, polite, and eager to please, but they were also dressed in a white short dress shirt, black pants, and a black tie. (Mormon missionary uniform from the Broadway production).
Sunday brunch was pretty busy, but my group of three didn't have to wait long for a table. Skinner's Loft had multiple floors. We sat on the second floor, the first floor was mostly a bar area with a few tables. The large windows kept the room well lit. Our waiter was quick to take our drink orders and bring us a complimentary bucket of biscuits and muffins. I had the Gentlemen's Mimosa, which wasn't very strong. The biscuits were very dense, and the muffin i ate had so many blueberries, it might as well have been filled with jelly.
The Crispy Braised Pork Belly with eggs and creamy Parmesan polenta intrigued me. How could something be braised AND crispy? Short answer, is they failed. The pork belly was not crispy. But it was very tender and whatever it was braised in made it delicious. The polenta was very creamy and tasted heavily of Parmesan cheese. It was my favorite part of the dish. I could have eaten it all day
I've been to this place a few times before and am typically also pleased. Good menu, fun ambiance, great drink menu, and attentive service. The place has a huge bar downstairs, dining room upstairs, and roof deck on nice weather. I have sat on the roof deck for brunch and it was so bright and spacious that I didn't even feel like I was in downtown JC.
On my most recent visit on a Friday night, there was a brief wait of about 10 mins to sit in the dining room. Luckily they have a page of cocktails, a huge wine list, and expansive craft beer selection to keep you busy selecting drink options.
Once seated, we decided to split a few of the sharing plates. Menu has a good selection of salad, sandwiches, and entrees (including salmon, chicken, filet) but the main star here are the small plates and sharing plates. There about 8 small plates and 10 sharing plates to choose from. Tons of veggie options including veggie charcuterie. We split two sharing plates and a small plate and I was stuffed. Sharing plates range in price from $10-15 while entrees are upwards of $30. It is a bit pricey but they give decent portions so you won't be hungry.There is also a complementary bread basket filled with focaccia, biscuits, and white bread.
We split the tequila lime steak and shrimp nachos which had good flavor and a helping of well seasoned proteins. Loved the arancini balls which came with a truffle aioli. The calamari is good but a bit too fried for my liking. I have also have had their pasta specials which were also good.
All in all, this place is a great option in the area and highly recommended to grab some drinks and sharing apps and/or dinner.
Came to Skinner's Loft for the first time today after passing it almost daily for over two years. We always seem to skip it because the meals are a bit pricier than our wallets can afford for a casual dinner — so we decided to just get drinks and a shareable plate or two.
There's the downstairs section with the bar, another level up is larger tables and a little more of a formal dining experience and then there is also the rooftop with adorable tables and colorful umbrellas. We opted to grab a table right by the window on the first floor.
Skinner's Loft has an incredible drink menu – wine, beer, liquor and cocktails. We went for the wine and ordered the mushroom pizzella and the fried calamari to share. The waiter also brought us some delicious warm bread to start.
The food was great! And sharing two of the "shareable" plates versus ordering entrees each was plenty of food! The drinks were good and the service was good too!
Definitely want to grab drinks upstairs on the roof when it gets warmer!
Right in the heart of the beautiful grove street strip, we ended up here for casual dinner before hitting up an arcade nearby. It was packed inside and the wait for a rooftop seat was quite a while so we decided to take a seat on the curb. Our waitress was nice and helped out with picking our dinner plates. I had the organic French cut chicken breast, which came with zucchini noodles, lots of chick pea, and lemon caper white wine sauce. Absolutely delicious! The zesty sauce was such a perfect match for the juicy chicken breasts that came out warm and paired with some grilled asparagus, just the way I like it. I was barely breathing in between bites! Was totally blown away since I wasn't expecting much from a bar restaurant.
My man got the Filet Mignon Sliders, which came with heaps of shoestring fries- I didn't try the sliders but the fries were on point. His appetizer of choice, the mini chorizo corn dogs, was a bit of a let down according to him, but we ordered a bottle of red to share and were quite jolly upon finishing our meal.
I'd love to come back for a meal on their rooftop!
I've been here for both brunch and dinner, and enjoyed both times. They have 3 floors, all of which seem to have very different atmospheres. The first floor was more of a typical bar, while the second has an eclectic mix of whimsical decorations, and the 3rd is a lovely open rooftop.
For Brunch: they start with a basket of assorted breads (mini corn muffin, cranberry muffin, and butter biscuits) with mini jar of jelly and butter. I always look favorably upon a restaurant that serves good bread. They also offer a decent amount of options on their brunch menu all between $10-$20. I had the salami and egg sandwich that came with a side of home fries, while my friends ordered a burger and omelet. Everything was good but nothing too special. I really liked my home fries because they were well seasoned, but the sandwich seemed like it had too much mayo or something that made it kind of heavy.
We also ordered a bellini, mimosa, and bloody maria (tequila instead of vodka). I thought the bellini and mimosa were average but the bloody maria was delicious. They make it on the spicier side which i love!
For Dinner: we had mushroom risotto balls, meatballs, and calamari. Everything was good. Nothing exceptional but all very tasty. They also have a decent selection of drinks.
Didn't get a chance to eat but had a drink here the other day. Great atmosphere and good cocktails. Looks like a perfect date spot. Definitely going to try the food next time.
Jersey City has really turned around these past few years. It seems like a lot of these places are a step up from Hoboken.