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ihatetictoc t1_jdhv5fj wrote

When it was on GROVE and Columbus it was a funner atmosphere. The service was shit but damn the food was good.

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hipsteradonis t1_jdhtma2 wrote

I had the absolute worst service and experience there in 2011 and never went back. Also it was Jwow and Snookie’s favorite place

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DontBeEvil1 t1_jdi3q8u wrote

Good riddance! It's about time.

I used to LOVE Hard Grove back in the day, and would go there weekly (sometimes multiple times) when they were actually located on Grove. I knew the waiters and waitresses and bartenders, and their food and drinks were top notch. It was by far my favorite JC restaurant and hangout spot back then.

I patiently waited and closely followed all their trials and tribulations trying to get up and running at a new location, and returned years later when they finally opened at their current, soon to be closed spot. Most of the faces from the OG place had been replaced, with only 1 remaining. While she remained top notch, all the other staff was sub par, with the manager being one of the worst. It seemed as if her only function was to slouch at the bar and gossip and complain about customers and people in her life. The last time I was there, I had to eat my meal while listening to her loudly make fun of the appearance of a customer who had recently celebrated her birthday there. She made fun of this woman to another customer who was eating at the bar. Truly disgusting and inappropriate behavior.

Aside from that, the food was not quite the same and the drinks went from AMAZING at the OG location, to just plain bad. I went from going every week to once every couple of months to a couple times a year. Every time was a disappointment. The final straw was when I went about 6 weeks ago, and despite the place being empty, the service was still horrendous, the food took extremely long to come out, drinks and appetizers were bland, and when they brought out the chicken entree which had always been my favorite it had a bizarre rubbery consistency that I had never experienced before. After 2 bites I saw that the chicken was COMPLETELY RAW on the inside. 🤮 The bartender apologized, acknowledging that they weren't even busy so that shouldn't happen and told the manager. The gossiping, lazy manager just took the dish and said nothing. I cancelled the order and asked for the check. They offered me nothing, charged me for everything I already had and at full price, and in that moment I knew I would never be back. I also knew their time was limited because how could a place survive that is barely open, has bad service, serves bad, raw food and bad drinks and makes zero effort to gain, retain and please customers?

Hard Grove, it's sad it came to this, but your demise was a LONG TIME COMING.

BYE. 🤷‍♂️

And NO. I won't be visiting your new location. For obvious reasons.

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lastinglovehandles t1_jdhpwyx wrote

Remember when HG was hopping. Giant size mojitos and Cunningham’s fav restaurant I think.

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Whole-Campaign89 t1_jdhvwit wrote

Sorry to see them go, but service was always crummy. Went once when they were on the corner at Grove back in 2011/12 and service was abysmal - chalked it up to the relative lack of competition downtown back then. Gave the new location a go about six months after they reopened - by which time there was many more dining options in the neighborhood - and the service was even worse than before. Never went back. Wish them well in whatever comes next for them.

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nuncio_populi t1_jdjm6t1 wrote

Didn’t the owner get appointed to the bench in the District of NJ or something?

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doglywolf t1_jdiciov wrote

ID feel sorry for this place cause it seems like a local mom and pop owned place but its not it belongs to one of those "Groups" . Also terrible service and same people that run an exclusive bar with $2500 a year membership..... RIP

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Good mixed drinks though for a quick pass though in the summer - IF the only overwhelmed person working the entire place ever actually gets around to getting it to you at least.

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ashlandbus t1_jdi0ys7 wrote

I think the same owners are opening a cannabis consumption lounge there

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bodhipooh t1_jdi5c9u wrote

Meh... so many other better places that closed long ago and I still miss: LITM, Port-O Lounge, Golden Grille, Ox, The Merchant, Park & Sixth Gastropub.

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DPedia t1_jdieapt wrote

You have to clarify which of the 3(?) Park & Sixth versions you mean. I liked the one where Buddy Whogivesashit is.

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bodhipooh t1_jdj4r6q wrote

I did specify... Park & Sixth Gastropub. The York Street location was the only one named that way. The other two locations were Park & Sixth, not Park & Sixth Gastropub. Same owner, different menus and vibes.

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doglywolf t1_jdic4e7 wrote

>Park & Sixth Gastropub.

Make that place was great but Ed and Mary's is really awesome too and great local owners

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DPedia t1_jdief6b wrote

Park & Sixth has been many places, but not there. You're thinking of Ninth & Coles I believe.

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Ericpar t1_jdij81v wrote

I went when they weren't busy. The waiter didn't take our order for an hour. Food took an hour to come out. Forgot the drinks. Meh.

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cgoldste909 t1_jdhqm5y wrote

Damn: they were an institution downtown. I was skeptical when they moved from the corner of Grove and Columbus years back, but the food got even better in the current spot.

I'm going to miss their Gloria Estefan panini

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DontBeEvil1 t1_jdi0fxd wrote

LOL.

You Must either be an employee, the owner, have a very bad memory, have limited experience at the old spot, or just a liar.

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AccountantOfFraud t1_jdi9svw wrote

Never been but everyone seems to agree the food was good at least.

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DontBeEvil1 t1_jdibnqq wrote

🤔 1 person in this sub said the food at the new place was good.

LOL.

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StashDaGumbo t1_jdhr4p1 wrote

www.sophiarooftop.com - private venue, 143 newark ave

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doglywolf t1_jdicdml wrote

$2500 a year member required...no public applications accepted . Referral only - tells you exactly who these people are.

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DontBeEvil1 t1_jdi4pyb wrote

A joke. Unless all staff (including the owners are replaced) the claims of culinary expertise and fantastic service are beyond laughable. 😂

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DSM201 t1_jdmuh4z wrote

I’ll just go to the Bareburger next door assuming it ever opens

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Knobbies4Ever t1_jdipx40 wrote

I lived around the corner when this place opened, and it was magic in those early years when Domenic Santana was running it. Really brought a blast of needed energy to Grove Street.

Happy to have those memories.

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DontBeEvil1 t1_jdj6167 wrote

So, it was sold?

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Knobbies4Ever t1_jdm3l12 wrote

Yes. Not sure if Domenic sold to the current owners or if there was someone else in between. But he opened the original place.

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DontBeEvil1 t1_jdmmwvn wrote

Oh, so that would explain everything, because the quality of the place went down so much from it used to be.

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blunteredwun t1_jdk1lzq wrote

lol didn’t see this one coming

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