Published September 16, 2022

Tavern 5 has been on my “to-visit” list for forever. I follow them on social media and love to see their creative drinks and specials. This week, I was thrilled to finally stop in for dinner.

Tavern 5 | Design and Branding

A quarter after six and the parking lot of Tavern 5 was already packed with cars. We claimed one of the last spots and made our way to the entrance, which reminded me of the entrance to the Tabor Road Tavern. Tavern 5 had a beautiful manicured walkway and entrance. I liked the brick and wood exterior and the branding from the sign above the doorway and on the front lawn.

We stepped through the foyer doors and were greeted by two hostesses. They asked if we wanted a table inside or outside. I scanned the room before us, which was wide and had a surprising number of seats. Booths and tables sat on the right. The square bar was on the left. The far back of the building opened up onto an outdoor patio. The air hinted of fall and was free of humidity, so we decided to eat outside.

We followed the hostess down a hall between the two dining areas and down some steps. The outdoor area was framed with tall green hedges, blocking the patio and cars from the tables. Green faux grass covered the area as we were led to a two-top table against the side of the hedge.

I sat facing the building, watching the many servers hustle in and out of the building with plates and drinks. The patio behind me had 8 more 4-top tables shaded with white and black umbrellas. String lights hung across the patio; I was curious to see how bright it would be at night.

Tavern 5 Menu

The main menu was a heavy, leather-bound menu with a bronze branded logo on the front. The two interior pages were laminated and organized by categories. The full left-hand page was the liquor menu, while the right-hand side included appetizers, entrees, salads, and sides.

Two narrow single-sided menus offered additional drink and food specials. Our waitress was friendly and helpful and answered our questions about the menu.

Appetizers

Truffle Parm Pizza | $15.95

I knew I wanted to try one of the stone fired pizzas as an appetizer. Our waitress confirmed that this pizza would be a little larger than a personal pizza, and would be good for sharing.

Truffle is one of our favorite flavors, so we decided to try the truffle pizza of the bunch. This was a sauceless pizza, as most of the flavor comes from the truffle oil.

The truffle oil was balanced, which I appreciated. You could taste the flavor without it overpowering the rest of the pizza. A generous amount of shiitake mushrooms added some meatiness to the pizza and a glorious amount of shredded parmesan coated the top.

The golden crust was thin in the middle and thicker on the outer edges. Based on the shape of the pizza, I would confidently venture that the pizza crust is shaped in house and cooked to order.

Seared Ahi Tuna | $15.95

I was excited to try the Ahi tuna appetizer. I find if a restaurant offers Ahi tuna, they do it well. Based on the other dishes I saw on the menu, and what I knew from their posts on social, I was confident that we would get a good appetizer.

The plating was beautiful, highlighting the bright tuna and wasabi sauce. I liked that this appetizer came with soba noodles. In the past, I’ve seen Ahi tuna served over greens, quinoa, or fried wontons.

Four fairly thick slices of tuna coated in sesame seeds displayed the perfect sear. The wasabi had a pop of spice that mellowed away, so even I could handle it. The noodles were chilled and mellow in flavor. I liked the textures on the plate and it was a good portion to share, especially with the noodles.

The tables around us turned over. A family with young kids left, as did an elderly couple diagonal us. Girls catching up after a year apart took the table behind us, friends grabbing drinks took the table next to us, and a middle-aged couple on a date sat behind my boyfriend. Surprisingly, the outdoor dining was quiet and we could speak in a normal tone, despite the number of people sitting outside, which I enjoyed.

Our appetizers and table were cleared quickly. It seemed that the waitstaff worked as a team. Though our waitress took our order, runners from the kitchen brought our food and cleared our plates. All of the staff wore blue jeans, sneakers, and the black Tavern 5 t-shirt.

Entrees

I was glad our waitress gave us enough time to finish our appetizers and have our plates cleared before our dinners arrived. That’s my preferred pacing for a meal; I was glad we were not rushed through our courses.

Short Ribs | $28.95

The weather still hinted of summer, but I was craving fall comfort food. While the special’s entree of BBQ ribs caught my eye, I decided to order the short ribs.

I enjoyed picking the vegetable for this entree. Our waitress read me the list — broccoli, asparagus, mixed vegetables, I don’t even remember all of the options. I went with the broccoli, which was perfectly cooked and coated in garlic oil.

The huge piece of short ribs rested on a cloud of potatoes. The short ribs pulled apart like butter, I didn’t even need to use a knife. They were tender and coated in a pool of the gravy. This was such a large portion that I wrapped it and had it two more times. Even re-heated, the meat was tender and the fat was rendered down so it was buttery and delicious.

Chicken Milanese | $22.95

My boyfriend ordered the chicken milanese. This was also a giant portion. It had two breaded chicken cutlets under a bed of arugula, olives, red onion, shaved parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette, and fresh mozzarella.

My boyfriend also took a portion of his entree home too. He enjoyed it and said everything was fresh.

Dessert

The sun set and the string lights above us illuminated the patio. Our waitress returned and asked us if we wanted dessert. She brought us a new one-page menu and told us about the dessert special for the evening.

The menu offered cheesecake, a chocolate chip cookie skillet, bread pudding, ice cream, affogato, and creme brûlée.

Creme Brûlée | $10.00

Of course, we ordered the creme brûlée, which arrived shortly after we ordered it.

The creme brûlée arrived in a wide ramekin. It was creamy, smooth, and rich. The brûléed sugar was warm and crispy. I also ordered a decaf coffee, which arrived in a tall mug. It was delicious and tasted fresh, even though it was the end of the day.

My Recommendation

I would give our visit to Tavern 5 a 10/10 for the following:

• Decor and Design

  • While I didn’t get to analyze the interior of the restaurant, Tavern 5 creates a beautiful first impression from the minute you step onto the property. The building itself is maintained well with clear and unique branding. The inside of the business is welcoming and gives a good first impression. The outside dining is clean, private, and thoughtfully arranged. The menu offered the same thoughtful branding and organization as the rest of the business.

• Service

  • Our waitress was friendly, personable, and helpful throughout the meal. I appreciated the tag-team style of the service. We never asked for anything during the course of our meal, and I loved the timing for each course. I was glad we could take our time and enjoy the outdoor dining on such a nice evening.

• Food

  • 10/10 I could see why the restaurant was packed! From our entrees to our dessert — everything at Tavern 5 was fresh, thoughtfully plated, and delicious. I can’t wait to go back again and try something from their drink menu and see the new specials coming for the fall season.

Have you been to Tavern 5?

Tell me about your favorite drink or dish in a comment below. If you’re looking for other New Jersey restaurants to try, click here to browse all of my New Jersey restaurant reviews.