Updated January 18, 2023

W’s announced its new “W’s Village Grille” location in Waldwick, New Jersey, under the same ownership as the previous W’s Grill in Oakland, New Jersey.

Updated September 5, 2022
Unfortunately, W’s Grill announced its closing and final day of business on August 31, 2022. There is no current information available about who will take over the W’s Grill space in Oakland, or if the business will move to another space.

Published February 5, 2022

On a cool Wednesday night, my boyfriend and I ventured to W’s Grill, which we noticed when visiting Cucina 347. W’s Grill is also across the street from Yuki Japanese Restaurant.

Interior Design

I’m always unsure what to expect when visiting bars/grills for the first time. W’s Grill was a pleasant surprise.

Through a covered entryway sat the hostess stand. A young man came across the room and told us we could sit wherever we wanted.

We crossed through the doorway. The curved bar was straight ahead and filled with middle-aged men. Directly across from the bar stools were high-top bar tables, which rested against a tall wooden divider. I crossed past the divider and saw that booths lined the other side. Standard dining room tables filled the rest of the room.

We took an end booth. I was happily surprised to hear that the TVs were muted and that the pop music playing throughout the room was at a reasonable volume. My boyfriend and I could easily converse, which I preferred when going out to dinner.

The room was clean and uniform. The booths were large and comfortable. Yankee Jerseys (which I learned is a nod to Charlie Wonsowicz who established the grill), framed the far wall. Five TVs screening basketball hung throughout the space. Couples of various ages filled the booths on our wall. A family with toddlers occupied the booth behind us.

The young man gave us placemats which held the organized columns for the menu.

W’s Grill Menu

I was glad to see a variety of options — mussels, pizza, burgers with fun toppings, sandwiches, and more. Our waitress was an older lady with eye-catching jewelry. She read us the specials and allowed us time to browse the appetizers as we waited for our drinks.

Appetizers

Bang Bang Shrimp | $16.00

Since we loved the bang bang shrimp we had in Lake George, we wanted to try W’s appetizer.

I was shocked to see this mountain of shrimp as an appetizer. Their shape makes me imagine that these were probably breaded by hand. W’s bang bang shrimp had a little zing to the sauce, which was bearable even for me.

I loved the crispy breaded exterior. The shrimp weren’t too saucy either. I would order these again, as they’re a good appetizer for a group.

Nachos Grande | $13.00

Can you really go to a grill and not order the nachos?

W’s price for the nachos was fair, considering the portion size. I liked the addition of tomatoes and olives on it (though I picked off the jalapeños).

I personally prefer cheese in layers throughout the nachos, but I think W’s did a good job with their version. Nene’s Cucina and The Pompton Queen Diner still have the best nachos in my opinion.

Entrees

Our waitress was fantastic. She didn’t rush us to place our entree, so we wrapped our remaining appetizers and then ordered our meals.

We debated our entrees for a while. We were both in the mood for comfort food, but I was also curious to try W’s sandwiches. We compromised and tried an entree and a sandwich for dinner.

Cinnamon Coffee Rubbed Pork Loin | $18.00

Cinnamon and coffee rub caught my eye. I debated ordering this entree because it sounded intriguing. My boyfriend ordered this for his meal and let me try some.

I was impressed with the portion size — look at the amount of pork! They weren’t paper-thin slices either, so I thought this was a great portion. My boyfriend only finished two pieces and then took the rest home, which was enough for another dinner.

The pork was juicy and tender. The first bite had the cinnamon flavor which was not overly sweet. The coffee gave the pork and the pan sauce its color. I enjoyed the mashed potatoes, especially with the sauce.

Pork Loin Sandwich | $12.00

I also ordered the pork loin, but as a sandwich. This sandwich had all of my favorites — sautéed onions, Swiss cheese, cranberry sauce, and arugula.

It arrived open-faced, where you can see the stack of pork loin smothered in melted cheese. It was a giant sandwich, especially when I smooshed the top on.

I used a knife and fork to cut it. The pork was tender and coated in herbs and seasoning. The onions were tender and provided a sweetness to compliment the crisp arugula leaves. The cranberry was smoothed on the top bun and provided some tartness to the sandwich.

My plate came with fries and two pickle chips. I wondered if the fries were homemade as they were thin and crisp. You also had the option to substitute the fries for onion rings or sweet potato fries (for an extra $1) but I stuck with the classic fries.

At this point in the evening, the couples in the booths in front of us turned over and the family behind us left. Our waitress filled up our water glasses without us asking and checked in a few times as we ate. I was happy that she didn’t rush us and she gave us time to sit and talk.

Eventually we requested to-go containers to take home our leftovers. I had more than half of my sandwich remaining. I reheated it the next day for lunch and it was just as tasty as having it in-restaurant.

Dessert

The menu didn’t list the dessert options, so our waitress read them to us. If I remember correctly, there was an apple crisp, a brownie, and a Belgian waffle. While they didn’t have vanilla ice cream W’s Grill did have strawberry, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip (which I found surprising).

We opted for the waffle with strawberry ice cream.

Mini Belgian Waffle with Ice Cream | $6.00

As you can see it was actually a mini Belgian waffle! We didn’t need a normal-sized one (as that would’ve been too much), so this turned out to be perfect. I enjoyed the strawberry ice cream instead of vanilla too!

The waffle itself was warm, a little dense, but seemed like it was sprinkled with sugar, which I enjoyed.

My Recommendations

I would give our visit to W’s Grill a 10/10 for the following:

• Decor and Design

  • W’s Grill is a clean and classic space. The hardwood floor and wood paneling is warm and inviting. Like most grills, W’s features TVs with sports and a bar area. I enjoyed that it wasn’t loud for a weeknight dinner. I will have to revisit on the weekend to see how loud it gets. I love the little details throughout the space like the stained glass windows, the vintage flooring near the bar, and the Yankees jerseys framed on the back wall.

• Service

  • Our waitress was awesome. She was friendly and attentive. We never had to ask for anything. I love too that she didn’t rush us and gave us time between our courses to talk before the next dish was brought or our food was packed away.

• Food

  • I was impressed with the food offerings. I liked the variety of comfort-food entrees. I plan to go back to W’s Grill and try their mussels, wings, and pizza!

Have you been to W’s Grill?

Do you have a favorite dish from W’s Grill? Is there another grill you think I should try? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!

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