Downtown Jersey City Bars & Restaurants>>Spanish, Cuban>>Cuban
Hard Grove Cafe
Description - Cuban diner style restaurant & bar. Relaxed atmosphere. Close to the Grove street PATH station. See menu on website. Services - Cuban & American diner cuisine, bar, sandwiches, cafe con leche, cuban sandwiches, cocktails & drinks, Burgers, Eggs, Soups, Snacks, Sides & Munches, Salads, Desserts, Private parties. Catering Website - www.hardgrovecafe.com Address - 319 Grove St, Jersey City, New Jersey ( NJ ) 07302-2940 Google Map Mapquest Map Telephone - (201) 451-1853 Updated on 2006-12-12 Correct, change or remove this listing
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Editor's rating of this review - 4/5
Review - I just moved to the neighborhood and decided to check out Hard Grove since it was close by. Overall I was really disappointed with the food. I ordered garlic chicken and it was very dry. The cuban sandwiches are subpar as well. The red beans are pretty decent though. The place has a cute atmosphere, they just really need to put more oomph into the food they serve.
Food - 30/50 Decor - 35/50 Customer Service - 40/50 Reviewed by - Syphrite (2007-10-05 )
Editor's rating of this review - 4/5
Review - After great renovations Hard Grove is even better ... food rarely disappoints and the service isnt fantastic, but they just move quickly. I go there on the regular!
Food - 45/50 Decor - 45/50 Customer Service - 30/50 Reviewed by - hey (2006-11-25 )
Editor's rating of this review - 4/5
Review - Yes the service is pretty terrible but i kind of knew that walking in. However, the food is great and ive rarely taken someone here who was disappointed. The repairs are great!!!!
Food - 40/50 Decor - 30/50 Customer Service - 10/50 (2006-10-05 )
Editor's rating of this review - 3/5
Review - The last few times I ate at the Hard Grove Cafe, about 8 or 9 years ago, the food was inedible. The very last time I ate there, I found a huge, scary swarm of flies in the bathroom. Since then, the place has changed owners, but I'd been skeptical and hadn't gone back. Today, because just about every other place was closed for New Year's Day, I went to brunch at the Hard Grove. It was heavenly. The gorgeous decoupage tables are still there, but the flies are gone. The coffee in the cafe con leche is perfect. The Eggs Benedict comes with great, fresh, runny poached eggs, and the place even has a children's menu. The fruit that came with the kiddie pancake meal was at a perfect stage of ripeness. My child every last bite of the pancakes, so I'm not sure what they tasted like, but looked large and delicious, and the syrup seemed to be high-quality syrup. The server was somewhat overloaded because the restaurant was so busy, but she got us everything we needed and never ignored us. The French toast and other dishes at neighboring tables looked amazing. My sense (as a non-foodie) is that the food is probably a notch down from the food at a place like Marco and Pepe or Ox, but that it's really great, well-executed, reliable, affordable food. My only complaint is that the tables right by the door get kind of cold in the winter when the door opens; maybe it would be good to figure out a way to keep the front of the restaurant from being so drafty.
Review - The decor is cool and the bar looks nice but the food is definately average. The drinks were also ok but way too sweet .. stay away from any sweet drinks. I think this place tries to give too many options on the menu. It seems some of the other reviewers had great experiences but both of our dishes were definately average. They should just stick with their best dishes and drinks and remove average choices from the menu,
Food - 25/50 Decor - 45/50 Customer Service - 35/50 (2007-06-30 )
Editor's rating of this review - 3/5
Review - One word to describe the Hard Grove orgasmic. The place is great, the food is flavorful, exotic,and very reasonably priced. Party of 4 spent under $100 (and we drank). The drinks are the best this side of New Jersey. I live in NYC and take the path to the Hard Grove, its worth all that and much more. The decor is so sohoish!!
Food - 50/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 50/50 Reviewed by - Cassandra White (2007-04-13 )
Editor's rating of this review - 3/5
Review - Went there for breakfast this morning (Sunday). Food completely mediocre for the price (thick ham steak turned out to be deli ham slices), service mediocre - not terrible, but not great. Has great potential, why don't they just take some time to get the service and food right? New renovations are nice, place is very comfortable. Coffee is really good, and the crockery is great.
Food - 35/50 Decor - 45/50 Customer Service - 30/50 Reviewed by - lookoutkitty (2006-11-26 )
Editor's rating of this review - 3/5
Review - food was the best try the mojitos great!!!
Food - 50/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 50/50 Reviewed by - erick (2006-07-31 )
Editor's rating of this review - 3/5
Review - food was not bad service was fair i like it.needs a bit of repair is on the way....
Food - 45/50 Decor - 25/50 Customer Service - 40/50 (2006-06-18 )
Review - food was great drink to kill for!!!!!!!!!
Food - 50/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 50/50 Reviewed by - carmen m (2010-05-02 )
Review - I went and had a great meal, and my server was fantastic. Place has a great mix of rock and roll style with a cool focus on modern art, and a classic latin vibe.
Food - 50/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 50/50 Reviewed by - Dan Ledggirt (2010-01-22 )
Review - I haven't had a bite to eat here in a while, but I do have a gripe to air out. Needing a strong dose of Cuban-style caffeine this morning to get my day in gear, I opted to hop in the car and pass by to pick up a small cup of Spanish Coffee - Cafe Con Leche, which always does the trick. They charge me $2.68! Can you say Strabucks Sydrome? Is rent that much now for Grove Street? You used to be able to get a cup of this stuff for a buck, even in Miami! Yes the coffee is piping hot, fresh, smells wonderful, has a lovely froth ontop and packs a heck of a punch that will get you going in no time. But for $2.68 it's a little mind-boggling. I wonder how much the rice and beans are there now.
Decor - 35/50 Customer Service - 40/50 Reviewed by - Danno (2008-03-30 )
Review - the food was good and they fixed up the place very good!!!!!!!! try it..
Food - 50/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 30/50 Reviewed by - frank colon (2007-04-04 )
Review - I was very pleased. The atmosphere was excellent. So was the food and service. I drove over one hour to eat cuban food and i was very happy to find the Hard Grove Cafe. I would defenitely recomend it. Thank you
Food - 50/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 50/50 Reviewed by - lourdes Gonzalez (2006-11-20 )
Review - service was very slow but the food was good..
Food - 50/50 Decor - 30/50 Customer Service - 10/50 (2006-11-16 )
Review - The Hard Grove is not a bad place...it's just not very good. I love the kitschy decor and the fact that it is open late, but for Cubanish food it is kind of bland. The service is fast, but the food could use something.
Food - 25/50 Decor - 4/50 Customer Service - 45/50 (2006-07-13 )
Review - what a change the old hard grove is back and better food was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Food - 50/50 Decor - 20/50 Customer Service - 50/50 Reviewed by - john (2006-06-08 )
