Above Restaurant Closing, Reopening Under New Management?
We tried it a couple of times and the service was very bad. I couldn't even tell you anymore what the food was like but we remembered the service (or lack of it).
wow, I had no idea they were closing. We tried several times and it was just never as good as it should have been. Stopped going probably over 5 years ago.
that’s too bad. EArly on there was a mix of great food and lively bar. But the frequency of managerial changes and menus wasn’t a good sign.
More concerning than losing Above is what it may mean for Ashley, I understood that Above helped keep the grocery store afloat. Unfortunately it too, has been pretty aimless and questionable.
South Orange desperately needs the new town hall restaurant, which will be run by a highly experienced restauranteurs. A number of places in town tend towards mediocre and great competition will either force them to up their game or break.
shh said:
wow, I had no idea they were closing. We tried several times and it was just never as good as it should have been. Stopped going probably over 5 years ago.
Same. The website doesn't even mention that they are closing: http://www.aboverestaurantbar.com/
I only went twice (or maybe 3 times?), and really wanted to like it, but each time I left disappointed, so didn't make an effort to return.
So disappointed. I did go in it's early years. Loved the location and enjoyed dining on the roof garden in the summer. I agree it did suffer from the many changes as did the market below. Hopefully some new great eatery will appear in it's place.
At least a week ago the checkout employees at Ashley were told not to allow charges for Above. A month ago, Above was reportedly out of many of the bottles on its wine list. That is it for a restaurant in a PILOT property. I will be surprised if Ashley holds out much longer.
Someone has already suggested turning the building into apartments.
This is unfortunate but not surprising. We used to like this place back when it was new/newish (say circa 2009-2012) but other than the occasional visit to the roof deck on a nice spring or summer evening, it dropped from consideration as a dining option a long time ago. Food was mediocre at best and overpriced. And even a drink on the roof deck was questionable because they made it into a smoking lounge (bleah) and service was spotty.
At the end I think they seemed to be more of a late-night destination than anything else -- one time a year or two ago I got off the train at about 11 pm or so on a Wed or Thu night and I was surprised to see several dozen SHU types queued up on the street outside.
I'm not sure about the Ashley tie-in with this, as peteglider mentions. IDK maybe I'm wrong, but at least from what I see Ashley seems like it's doing well, I don't agree with the 'aimless and questionable' description.
Only went there once, and that was unfortunately one time too many. Was a good space, but everything else wasn't - and I'm not a super picky restaurant guy. Hopefully something else can make better use of the liquor license. We still need a proper craft beer place somewhere in SOMa.
I liked the idea of a rooftop space. That said, I didn't go there that often, and I'm not even sure why. I wasn't impressed by the dinner menu, but the apps and cocktails were fine. Just never occurred to me to go there.
Hope the liquor license doesn't remain dormant too long.
They announced they are doing renovations and will have new management.
The article I saw said reopening mid Feb with new management and menu.
Its truly a shame because that space offers so much, year round, and is really pretty. We wanted so badly to love it but it went down and down from day 1. I can remember some wonderful sushi there though, early on.
Is there a link to the article? I don't see anything on Village green, I don't know where else an article on a local restaurant closing would be.
It sounds like Above as we know it is finito and there's something new coming. But if I had a nickel for every time I've seen a "renovating" resto never re-open, I'd have a lot of nickels. So I think the thread title is accurate.
Oh, so maybe the demise isn't final? Perhaps the name will remain, and the reopening under new management will simply be a new team with the same owners? I wonder why they refused to accept credit cards or checks and let their supply run out then? Anyone have a link to something authoritative? I was just reporting what they told me, but I changed the title.
Interesting that the people behind Above recently opened the Par 440 Restaurant at the East Orange Golf Course (which is in Millburn)
Smedley said:
And even a drink on the roof deck was questionable because they made it into a smoking lounge (bleah) and service was spotty.
A smoking lounge would end it for me.
when a restaurant changed hands, they often say “renovating”.
Above was a nice space with “meh” overpriced food and bad service. I’m surprised to hear it has stayed open this long
Formerlyjerseyjack said:
Smedley said:
And even a drink on the roof deck was questionable because they made it into a smoking lounge (bleah) and service was spotty.
A smoking lounge would end it for me.
They had two outdoor sections. small one off the bar by the train allowed smoking. Much larger one in the back was smoke free. The outdoor areas were not connected so would have no impact on you if you just sat in the larger (nicer too) outdoor area.
Inconsistent food quality and service were the issues.
We eat out a lot, and have never stepped foot in Above because of the uninspiring menu and blah reviews. Here's hoping for something much better. And while we're at it, why hasn't the new Indian place in SO opened yet? Heard the place looked ready to be opened for a while now.
mikescott said:
Formerlyjerseyjack said:
Smedley said:
And even a drink on the roof deck was questionable because they made it into a smoking lounge (bleah) and service was spotty.
A smoking lounge would end it for me.
They had two outdoor sections. small one off the bar by the train allowed smoking. Much larger one in the back was smoke free. The outdoor areas were not connected so would have no impact on you if you just sat in the larger (nicer too) outdoor area.
Inconsistent food quality and service were the issues.
What turned me off was that we wanted to sit outside and order a food item off of the bar menu - but in order to do this, we had to sit in the smoky outdoor area to do so. We needed to order off of the main menu if we wanted to sit there. (Had a similar issue with McCloone's - had to order food from a particular menu in order to sit outside.)
Good drinks, piss poor food. I also put McCloone's in this category.
We've hosted events at Above and eaten lunch and dinner as much as we possibly could over the years to support it but really, why should I care more about supporting this than the owner's do? And to @jaime's point, it had some nutty rules that made it hard to enjoy being there. Bad food and service is a kill switch for any restaurant. I really hope that it can be saved, under the guise of those who know how to run a restaurant, as we cannot afford yet another empty building.
Above was fine when it opened but once the novelty wore off so did patronage and that started the downward cycle of new chefs and mish-mosh menus containing holdover items which the new chefs were not interested in making. With two larger restaurants with liquor licenses for sale, I don't believe there will be any serious interest in operating a restaurant there for any length of time. There is a persistent report that the building housing Ashley and Above were found to have been under taxed for years and the amount of the unpaid tax is very high. Don't be surprised if an application is put in to convert at least part of the building to housing.
2nd floor businesses have always proven to be tough -- especially a restaurant.
As new places open up those that are mediocre or that haven’t evolved are bound to fail, and that’s a good thing. I sincerely hope that Above2 does more than the Lot19 to South MountAin Tavern change, which is just continued mediocrity. I suspect When the new “town hall” place opens , it will really force change or shut down sub par places
Featured Events
-
Auditions for the Maplewood Strollers' Production of 'The Colored Museum'
Jan 14, 2025 at 7:00pm
Advertisement
We went out to dinner at Above Restaurant tonight, having no idea that it was its last night in operation. The waiter had called in sick, so the bartender waited on us. There were only a few tables. Many of the menu items that we ordered were unavailable. They claimed that the credit card machine was broken, and wouldn't accept checks, so we had to pay in cash, by going to the local ATM downstairs. The substitute hamburger was not very edible, (we were not charged) but the other food was ok. A sad demise for a restaurant that had hopeful beginnings several years ago.