What happend to Cryan's archived

Everyone is over at the Gaslight getting yelled at and thrown out :wink:

Cryan's has always smelled like a dirty bathroom to me. NOT a place where I would want to eat. Good for a pint though.

Cryan's definitely needs to be fumigated, but I would still rather go there than the Gaslight.

"Everyone is over at the Gaslight getting yelled at and thrown out"

:rolling:

we ate there last weekend - not my choice, rather, the choice of the inlaws... anyhoo, we were one of 2 parties eating lunch there and had the WORST service. I was really pissed when they added on the gratuity, because, honestly, our waiter was the worst I've ever had. Plus the food was only so so (if that) and they were nice enough to seat us right next to the stinky kitchen, so I had to wash all of our clothes (jackets, etc) the next day because they still stank of greasy fried food. YUCK!

oh yeah - my other major peeve about that place is the garbage they dump ALL OVER THE SIDEWALK so you have to walk in the street to get around it. I even walked in one day to (very pleasantly, I might add) ask them to try to leave a path empty for pedestrians and they just stared at me like I had a 3rd eye.

The last time we went to Cryan's we saw two mice racing around the booths. So that really was the LAST time.

That is nasty! I have never seen a lot of people there EVER.

I have to admit, I've never been to Cryan's.

That's a shame because this place used to be good. I guess this is bad karma from Rep Cryan's crazy budget cap laws?

i enjoy it there

Cryan's is a peculiar place, almost every time I've been there it's empty or near empty -- makes me think it's a front for money laundering or a tax writeoff or something, rather than a restaurant in business to make money. And as others have pointed out, it does smell, not only when you're there but your jacket smells like Cryan's for a good 48 hours afterwards. I've found the food to be inconsistent, ranges from excellent to barely passable.

Isn't it a college bar? Who eats at a college bar?

And maybe he's getting his comeuppance for years of supporting Calabrese.

the trick is to go to Bunny's first - sink a few and then head over to Cryans - you will barely notice the smell

But what are they doing for St. Patrick's day?

Go in there on a Thursday or Friday night and it is packed... also the "night before Thanksgiving" you can not move in there. It's an old school Pub. It sucks about smelling like fried food when you walk out, but still it's a nice place if you go to hang out.

My grandfather used to almost live at Cryan's, before it was even named that. I think our families are sort of related (John Cryan is great uncle maybe? I have never met any of them since I was like 5 years old) But anyway, apparently even Jim Cryan says it isn't what it used to be. This is from a Ledger article on Wednesday or Thursday:


Cryan's Beef & Ale House, South Orange

It was noon inside Cryan's in South Orange, and four guys sat at the bar, drinking beer.

Let the record show I was not one of them.

"I remember the good old days, when the bar was three deep after Sunday mass," said owner Jim Cryan, son of the late John Cryan, the founder, who also served as Essex County sheriff.

Don't you dare say "St. Patty's Day" around here.

"It's St. Patrick's Day," Cryan said. "Honor the saint."

A must-try: The fish and chips, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.

"We do our own battering," Cryan said. "You have to use tap beer, just like my father's recipe, and you have to make it thick."

And the secret ingredient?

"Pay your fish man early and you'll never have a problem," Cryan said, laughing.

The place needs a complete overhaul - new carpet, fresh paint, and a scrub down. If they're just going for the Thursday & Friday night drinking crowd, I guess it can stay as it is; but they'll have to do some serious upgrading for us to become regular diners again.

I haven't been there in close to eight years. Ever since Jimmy Cryan was going nuts about a very large group of people, some of whom were tossed from Cryans, fighting in the parking lot behind the old Stuft Shirt.

I still don't understand why Pure Progress even had their kickoff at Cryan's! At least one of the MOLers who use to defend Jimmy Cryan now bashes him. Guess they saw the light.

high sky - I disagree - cryan's is not an old school pub. It's a smelly bar and subpar restaurant with a pub facade. :o(

We used to go there often, even before it was Cryan's - it used to be called Ryan's (Steak and Ale I think). When it became Cryan's, we used it for lots of family parties etc., and it was THE place to go on St Patrick's Day.
I miss going there, but we stopped mostly because of the smell.
The place really does need a makeover and a new air filtration system. I guess because it's got no windows, it's impossible to replace the air often enough.

I won't go to The Gaslight of course, so for local pub type atmosphere we go to Bunny's or St James's Gate.
The Guinness is good at both of those places!

Oh, by the way, when it was Ryan's, the Bar was much smaller and at the bottom of the stairs, not in the back area. To the left of the bar there used to hang a painting of an old Irishman with a wonderful smile - I think he had a pint in his hand. Anyone remember that painting? I often wonder where it ended up after the place was renovated back in the 70's.

bailey
Are you sure Cryan's use to be Ryan's?

Before it was Cryans- it was called "The Beef and Ale House"- very small- the bar and a few tables where the dining room is now- John Cryan bought the business after he sold his Sandford Ave place and re-novated it- using what was formally the basement of the old SoOrange Supermarket (currently the liquor store- martini bar) So no windows. This was late 70's??early 80's??
"Ryan's Place" was where the Gaslight is now- cute place with a New Orleans flavor ( I still have the matchbook)

Ok is everyone done "bashing " the place now? Especially YOU "Just the Aunt", you never liked the place from day one! Must be something very personal with you. You people have nothing better to do than bitch and complain. The place has a great business and is getting ready to come out with a brand new menu very soon! If your service was so horrible, which i doubt, you should have made it known right then and there or filled out the suggestion cards that are always on the tables in the dining room. And stop quoting Jimmy Cryan that he said the place isn't what it used to be. What he meant was that, yes, at one time there were 3 people deep at the bar, but here's a little logic for some of you who seem to be lacking commen sense. Those people unfortunately have passed on or have moved out of south orange, mostly down the shore area. And if you haven't figured it out by now.........i work there! If you would bother to come in you would see that we are getting things fixed up as far as the carpeting etc. We have great cooks in the kitchen and our staff is very friendly and give great customer service! As far as it being a college bar, yes we do have a great college customer base but if you go in on a friday or saturday night you will see that the crowd is mixed and always crowded. I hardly doubt that you were in there last night and there were only 4 people at the bar. And heres the best one..........it's a cover for money laundering???????? OMG!!!!! Are you all losing your minds? But you will all complain about other places were you're treated like dirt and you can;t bring your kids etc. but you keep going back there! I don't get it! We will be doing our usual St. Patricks Day celebration like we do every year and the place will be packed because it's the place to be, not only on March 17th but everyother day of the year! Please move on to another subject. Oh and one more thing for Just The Aunt..........stop harrasing out customers on the internet because i have had to handle several phone calls to Cryans w/ complaints about you and rumors you are starting about people who come in there! Get a life please!!

That really makes me want to go there!:shocked:

Martinigirl,
I think you'll enjoy Waiter Rant

That was funny Dave!!

Thanks Dave, i did enjoy that and i guess you got the jist of what i was saying

Martinigirl...glad you like your job and employers.

We tried Cryan's when we moved to town 10 years ago, and found nothing to make us try again. Not terrible, but not what we were looking for, and nothing in room, food or service to make us eager to try again.

So we have become Bunny's faithful. (but happy to live and let live if Cryan's keeps its parking use legal, its trash under control, and its owner's politics clean...)