Rats Restaurant - Grounds for Sculpture

My husband and I love going to Rats. We were there the day after Valentine's day. Whenever we go we love to sit in the Bar room. This time we weren't so happy. They have moved the tables so close together that it is impossible to have a conversation without the next table hearing everything you are saying and vice Versa. It is not comfortable. Another thing is that that they have always had a limited menu which was fine but this time it seemed even more limited. Even though I did give this restaurant a high rating because our dinners were delicious in the end I was a bit disappointed.

We had a confirmed reservation for weeks but by the time we were ordering entrees, they had run out of all selections. It was Valentines day and my husband’s birthday and i had planned it for weeks. It was a limited menu due to Valentine’s day to begin with. The restaurant should have planned the kitchen supplies better.

We have been many times but this is the second time in a row that our food took over an hour. Several items on the very limited menu were long gone by the time we were seated. In the past we have really enjoyed going but the last two times left a lot to be desired. I hope they get the place back to how wonderful it used to be.

Special occasion for our family dinner. Waited 2+ hours for our food to arrive and they had run out of just about everything on their limited Valentine’s Day menu. Barely saw any servers. Manager was apologetic. Substituted food came and it was very disappointing. Thankfully our check was discounted. So embarrassing.

We had a 8:15 P.M reservation, waiting for 30 minutes before someone asked us if we want some water. Took another 20 minutes before we can order our food. The bread was cold and stale, the drink was so dilute. Our main meal came out at 10:10 P.M. The manager offered to pay for our drinks and desserts, but we were so exhausted after waiting for so long we want to bring our desserts home. Oh boy what a disappointment, when we open our desserts the next day my crème Brule tasted like burned coffee, and my wife brownie looked deformed. The say the least this would be our first and last

They were out of everything on the menu. What we did get to was delicious.

My Wife and I went there for Valentines, which also is her birthday. We ordered the Valentines tasting menu which was expensive ($100/person). The waitress was super pleasant but it took forever to get our entree. We had ordered the octopus, and that’s what took a lot of time. The waitress was apologetic but at that price range they should have offered more, maybe a discount for the inconvenience or free entree for another visit. The ambiance was great, the food was delicious. My wife was a little disappointed. TBD if we ever come back.

It was a holiday so the overall experience was ok. We had previously had dinner at Rats and it was great. The service was poor. No waiter was assigned to our table, menu was very limited, food was cold (sent back). It took extremely long for the dinner to be re-prepared. My wife was completely done her dinner when my dinner finally was served. Waiter kept apologizing, manager apologized, etc. Thanks for the apology, but lip serve only.
They also run out of multiple items on the limited menu. People at other tables were not happy.
I would not go back on a holiday.

We are members of Grounds for Sculpture and we eat at Rat’s several times a year. It is always an extraordinary experience with great food, amazing ambiance that brings you right into the world of Wind in the Willows, and great service. It is as close as you can come to enjoying the leisure of a meal hosted by Mr. Rat.

We went to this restaurant for the Valentines dinner. We chose the pre-fix menu and it was horrible. The portions were too small that we left restaurant hungry. Also at the end of the dinner we asked our waiter if we can order the short ribs from regular menu because we were still hungry, first she said ok, but then came back saying that they are out of short ribs. They brought us the deserts and didn’t even offer coffee or tea. Also at the beginning of the dinner we order bottle of the still water, they took the water away and during the dinner didn’t offer to refresh the glasses till I asked them. We will never come back for pre-fix menu.

I wouldn’t recommend the holiday taste testing at Rats. For 100$ a person you basically get 5 plates smaller then an appetizer. We had buyers remorse and felt price gouged. You don’t even get a glass of wine with that 100$ a person charge. All and all we spent 340$ there’s for two with tip and left feel hungry. We are no stranger to Rats. This was out 7th annual Valentine’s Day at Rats and the disappointment was real. We will never go for a taste testing holiday menu again. Food was dry, presentation was sub par and the portions were a rip off. Just because the ambiance is nice doesn’t mean everything should be over priced.

Our go-to place for special events - anniversary, Valentine's Day. Great food, great service. Classy but not stuffy. Top notch.
Funky bar area. Sunday brunch is super.
Unique menu items.

Quiet and pretty. It is colocated with the Grounds for Sculpture and is a beautiful place for lunch while visiting the Sculpture Park.

The restaurant is upscale and expensive, but the food is quality. The wine list is extensive, but again, the cheapest bottle I saw was $40. I opted for a glass of Sangria at $12 or $13, the pitcher is $52. The sangria was a white wine spiced sangria perfect for fall and winter with bits of apple. It was very good and unusual. We bypassed appetizers and went to the main course. Both of us ordered the Trout Amandine at $25. It was plated nicely and delicious with a bed of small potatoes and green beans under it. Our waiter came around with bread to start off and popovers during our meal. We had desserts and they were also delicious. In addition, our server came around with a delicious cranberry biscuit. We were quite satiated. It's one thing going to and upscale, expensive restaurant and coming out hungry. It's quite another when you are satisfied, and we were. We will come back again at some point, perhaps for lunch!

Food is always excellent!

Perfect as usual. Professional service and delicious food.

3rd time here. This time with a party of 6. Service and food are great. Ambiance is eclectic. This place does not disappoint.

The menu was small, the portions were small. We ordered duck and it was basically raw and the skin was like rubber and it had no taste. The trout was plated skin side up and had to be flipped to be eaten. It was also tasteless.
The bread was good and the server was nice. We wont be going back.

As always cant complain ..my request for specific area of seating was honored..thanks monsieur Rat.
Had beet salad, trout amandine ,( was so fresh)..croissant w ham & gruyere, and French dip..all of us had great time..only issue waiter could have been bit more attentive..forgot a drink that was ordered...but overall an all time favorite..!

Excellent service, food and atmosphere. Made my moms 87th birthday a delight

Short ribs we’re phenomenal! Waiter slow and forgot my wine. Comedy show was excellent! My stomach hurt from crying.

Outstanding food, service and ambiance - as usual!!!! The Comedy Show was outstanding as well!!!! An overall WONDERFUL night!!!!
Rats is EXCELLENT in every way!!!!!

Love the building and the ambiance of the restaurant. My husband and I had lunch prior to walking Grounds for Sculpture and it was lovely!! It was our 24th anniversary and it was the perfect lunch. Our server Olivia was pleasant and knowledgeable of the food, the restaurant and Grounds for Sculpture! We were sat by a lovely window that over looked the Koi Pond. Will definitely come again!!!

Nice selection and value for 3 course Restaurant Week

Tables too close

My husband and I have been coming to Rat's for many years for special occasions and this meal was for our anniversary. Normally, we love coming here and have a lovely experience. This time was just average and a little disappointing. We ordered from the standard menu (not the restaurant week menu). The menu has shrunk considerably compared to the past and we had trouble finding things we wanted to order. We ended up ordering the duck for an entree and were both disappointed. We did enjoy our appetizers (onion soup and a cheese tray they made up special for my husband) and we liked the bread; especially the warm popovers (delicious!). Service was very good and the waiter did us a big favor and moved us to the table we wanted when it became available mid-meal which we appreciated. At first we were given a table near the bar which was too noisy for us and had a very different feel from the main part of the restaurant which has a special ambiance. We originally requested a specific table on Open Table and for some reason the request never made it to Rats; so, it's best to follow up with a phone call to Rats if you want a specific table.

The Moroccan room is my favorite place to eat, the ambiance is wonderful. We were there for lunch during restaurant week so we ordered from a 3 course set menu, the food was good but not exceptional.

it took close to 40 mins for the server to even take our drinks order, let alone the food. And I saw others getting their orders pretty quick. Not sure on what basis the discrimination was made. Not a good experience

Overall very nice place for a date

This was our first time here and we can't wait to come back. Food was good but what made is so special was our server. She walked us through our dining experience step by step and always with a friendly smile. She made us feel so special that we have become raving fans. Thank you

Absolutely iconic place that is beyond words, must be experienced. You will not be disappointed. Truly a world-class gem hidden right in Hamilton, NJ.

This was my first time to Rat's even though I live relatively close by. The service was excellent and the food is some of the best that I have eaten in this area. I will be back to Rat's for sure in the near future.

Food was good, and the atmosphere was nice. The server seemed a little confused at times, but otherwise a good night out.

The food was served cold. The cauliflower steak was horrible. The service was inattentive. I got soup spoons to eat a brownie dessert. This place has lost its luster. I will not return. I could not be more disappointed.

We had a delicious anniversary dinner. The service, room and attention to detail was right on point. We highly recommend a visit to Rat's Restaurant.

Started at bar, which is small but cozy. Cocktails were excellent....loved the spicy pear martini! Dined during Restaurant Week, prefix was very good. Beet Salad had a nice amount of beets and was nice start to dinner. Friends had the soup and enjoyed it as well. Short Rib was delicious as were the potatoes and vegetables that accompanied it. Creme Brûlée was delicious, nice crunch on top with yummy, creamy vanilla custard.

We all had the price fix menu for winter restaurant week. We were all very oleased with the service, ambiance and food. The only dish I wasn’t happy with was the brownie/ice cream dessert; the brownie was too hard. Otherwise we enjoyed the dinner and would come back even though an hour away from home.

We loved the ambiance and the food was great

This was our first time at Rat's. The place is wonderful! We very much enjoyed our meal. My husband had the duck entree and I had the trout. The wait staff was very knowledgeable and attentive. I was even offered gluten free bread! (I have celiac disease). My only preference would not to be seated in the bar area at a table near the windows as the seating for two is too close to the next table and an intimate conversation is really not possible. As a mater of fact, the couple next to us was seated just a few minutes after us so he waiter commented that he could provide the specials information to both our tables at the same time. I had no problem with that at all, but this is an example of the tables being too close to each other. In the future, I now know to ask for another room if possible. But again, the service, food and atmosphere made it an all together enjoyable experience that will have us coming back again!

Food and ambience was very special. Service was atrocious. Drinks were late, then everything except desert came out together. Bread came late. Desert came, and then coffee followed after desert was almost done. Total shame because the food, restaurant and grounds were fabulous!