outdated and falling apart. Stairs alone are a lawsuit waiting to happen. Failing retaining walls. Staff is rude too. Also, probably a good idea to go ahead and wash you hands in the lake instead of the bathroom sink....tap water is no potable and has a fowl odor.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jon Crowley
beers cold . foods hot and great views . can come in on boat and have lunch on deck .
Amazing people owners are so great people very personable. Polite . Love the tiki bar outside. Beautiful view. Cute staff
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
William Courson (Bill)
This was my first experience dining at the Jefferson House and it was just wonderful - I'll definitely be coming back. Wonderful views overlooking Lake Hopatcong, delicious reasonably-priced food thoughtfully prepared, and the best service I've had in a very long time. Our waitress (who told us she had been working there for 30 years) was a true professional: friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. I happen to be a dog lover, and our adjoining outdoor tables boasted a French Bulldog, two Golden Retrievers and a King Charle Spaniel. Love this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marisa Church
i don’t understand the bad reviews about this place. i’m surprised this isn’t at least a 4.0. this was my first time here and i’m going to tell it like how i saw it. i first walked in and was super skeptical about this place. on top of this, i was nervous about the ratings too. it didn’t seem like the best of places, especially since the bar area was crowded and super loud. after being seated though, i started to feel a little bit more comfortable. the whole outside area was crowded, but somehow i still got my food very quickly. they even seemed short on staff, but the service was still great. i dropped a shrimp on the floor and had to toss it, but without even asking or noticing anyone saw, and older man gave me another one for free and joked around with me. he was super nice and the service was great. i ordered the shrimp scampi and it looked great and tasted great. they didn’t have a dessert menu, so i was worried it wouldn’t taste that great. but my cheesecake was presented beautifully and tasted amazing. lastly, the view was just amazing! overall, i am super happy with my experience and strongly recommend this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Byron Meneses
Food was good so was the drinks. The wake is choppy when you’re trying to park your boat. They have cheap O ring tie downs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lee Gilbert
A fun place to visit, but food is mediocre, and wine portions were a joke. As in most fun places, ask for a rare hamburger and it comes medium well, along with extra cost meally sweet potato fries. My wife and her friend did like the chicken wings. Scenery is great, right on Lake Hopatcong, and the band was great (Fully Loaded).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Frank Fazio (VishnaMa)
Tried this place for the first time and was VERY, pleasantly surprised. I'm not into the bar scene but once we got there the food was great (This is not gourmet fine dining but what you get is delicious, especially the cod) and the view outstanding. Our waiter "Jason" was outstanding with his hospitality (might be an owner he weas so good?) and the greeter at the desk got a us a great table even without a reservation with a very long line behind us. Finding parking was not easy but they HAVE parking all over the place in assorted areas. WILL return!
Stopped for quick drinks for Saturday happy hour. We asked for a drink list..bartender had major attitude. It was like nobody ever asks for that...?¿ Ordered an orange crush...got orange vodka and Sprite..wtf. When I questioned it I was told THAT is a Jefferson House orange crush...lol Can't wait to get back to OC Maryland..?
Jadyn Bishock
Someone needs to call Gordon Ramsey ASAP...My experience here was like an episode straight out of Kitchen Nightmares. Starting from the confusing entrance through a dingy dusty hallway. My mom and I were sat down by the water towards the back of the restaurant at a table with chairs that were covered in spider webs. Service was slow to begin with, taking 10-15 minutes to even receive water.We ordered the Seafood Crabcakes, which aren't fresh to begin with and also cheapened by adding shrimp to the crabcakes – can't even afford to serve 100% crab for 19? and then both ordered bacon cheeseburgers. I ordered it without cheese and tomato, and requested the onions to be caramelized. My mom ordered it with *cheddar* cheese, as well as caramelized onions too.When the burgers arrive, her burger has AMERICAN cheese on it. We send it back to the kitchen to have the burger replaced with cheddar cheese and it comes back within 5 minutes–the fastest anything at this restaurant has happened so far. The waiter comes back to clarify that the cheddar cheese is shredded versus a slice – and as she takes a bite, it is clear the shredded cheddar cheese has just been sprinkled on top of the American cheese. The fact that it came out within 5 minutes shows that not only that they didn't even bother to cook a whole new burger which is standard practice at any restaurant, but they couldn't even SCRAPE off the American cheese on the burger in the first place.My mom continued to eat her burger due to her hunger, and when the waiter came back to clear our table, he made an indication to take my mom's plate–still half full and mid-eaten–because of her complaints of the food without taking into consideration the fact that she was literally still eating?After we receive the check, we got up and went inside to pay ASAP instead of having to wait yet another 20minutes for the check to be picked up. We wait about 5 minutes for the waiter to come inside to swipe our card. Afterwards we noticed that we were overcharged on the burgers for $1 each without an itemized receipt explaining why. We bring it up to the waiter who says that the "upgrade" to caramelized onions cost a $1 each... which he never mentioned to us at the table when we first brought it up as common curtesy.A woman, potentially a manager? (although I hope it isn't...) came up to us asking what was going on. The waiter used this as his chance to run and hide in the kitchen. My mom begins to explain what has happened throughout our time at the restaurant – which has been nothing short of unpleasant – and this woman does everything BUT pay attention. She begins cutting my mom off by repeatedly interjecting with "Ok, ok, ok." My mom asks if she will let her finish talking. When my mom mentions the onion overcharge, the woman immediately grabs a menu to double check if that information was on the menu (it wasn't.) This woman then asks us how much the overcharge was and then walks away in the middle of my mom complaining to grab $2 from the petty cash drawer. She essentially shoves the cash at my mom. As we sign the check, my mom says we'll never be coming back and we'll be leaving bad reviews... A man working at the restaurant laughs as he passes by the situation–a customer explaining how terrible her experience at this place was...Unfortunately, it is clear that this family run restaurant has a lot of dysfunction–similar to the places you'd see on Kitchen Nightmares. I imagine they're only still in business because of the lake view (which even that is mediocre) and being the only option available when the Windlass and Alice is closed, because their lack of customer service is disgusting, the restaurant itself is dusty and dirty, their food is lackluster and overpriced. I am suspicious at the amount and rate of the 5 star reviews about this place when they are the epitome of a NO class restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Nancy B.
Tried to get one drink at the bar so I could sit by the lake and have a drink. They weren't busy at all, five customers in the whole place, and was told they had a $30 minimum so I couldn't just get one drink. What!? $30 minimum? I've heard of $5 or $10, but $30? Outrageous. I left and won't be coming back.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Paul Rosato
Food is good, atmosphere is fun, parking is okay. Nice view of the lake. If you're looking for a nice meal with a good view, it's worth the trip.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Elli Vizcaino
This is the worse restaurant in all of Lake Hopatcong & Sussex county. It was our first time eating here and certainly will be our last. We decided to eat here because The Windlass was closed. What a huge mistake it turned out to be. Slow service, overpriced low quality food and incredibly poor customer service. We ordered 2 bacon cheeseburgers, one with cheese and one without. I asked for cheddar and received American. When I complained to the waiter, he took the burger back to the kitchen, only to come back with shredded cheddar cheese slapped on top of the American. My burger was also cold by that time. I'm used to being serviced at restaurants that will remake the entire meal if they screw up or at the very least willing to do away with the wrong item on the order. Despite expressing my grave disappointment to the waiter, he did nothing to try and make up for it. There was no offer to get a manager, to discount the food or comp it, no offer of complimentary food/beverage of any kind, absolutely nothing.As we left and went to pay the bill, we noticed we had been overcharged. When brought to the waiter's attention he claimed the sauteed onions we asked for were additional, yet he never made us aware there would be an extra charge for requesting that the onions the burger already came dressed with, be carmelized. And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, he turns the issue over to a hostile woman who demanded to know what happened but then decides to cut me off as I start to explain. I had to assert myself so she could let me finish. She then rudely hands me $2 in cash for the overcharge, no apologies no concern for our awful experience whatsoever. At this point already feeling incredibly sour, there was just no way I could leave a tip.This has got to be one of the worse if not worst dining experiences we have ever had. I mentioned I was going to leave a bad Google review and an old man who could have been the owner just laughed. Like seriously? Stay away from this place if you value quality food and polite hospitality. Never again! They reek of racism in this place as I also noticed the segregration that another reviewer has mentioned.
outdated and falling apart. Stairs alone are a lawsuit waiting to happen. Failing retaining walls. Staff is rude too. Also, probably a good idea to go ahead and wash you hands in the lake instead of the bathroom sink....tap water is no potable and has a fowl odor.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
beers cold . foods hot and great views . can come in on boat and have lunch on deck .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish & Chips, Shrimp Scampi Pasta, Stuffed Mushrooms, Nachos Grande, Mussels Marinara, Broiled Captain's Platter, Stuffed Mushroom Crab Cakes Shrimp Tacos, Basket of Onion Rings, Delmonico Steak, Cheeseburger
At a shower was great ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very nice good attention
Amazing people owners are so great people very personable. Polite . Love the tiki bar outside. Beautiful view. Cute staff
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
This was my first experience dining at the Jefferson House and it was just wonderful - I'll definitely be coming back. Wonderful views overlooking Lake Hopatcong, delicious reasonably-priced food thoughtfully prepared, and the best service I've had in a very long time. Our waitress (who told us she had been working there for 30 years) was a true professional: friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. I happen to be a dog lover, and our adjoining outdoor tables boasted a French Bulldog, two Golden Retrievers and a King Charle Spaniel. Love this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
i don’t understand the bad reviews about this place. i’m surprised this isn’t at least a 4.0. this was my first time here and i’m going to tell it like how i saw it. i first walked in and was super skeptical about this place. on top of this, i was nervous about the ratings too. it didn’t seem like the best of places, especially since the bar area was crowded and super loud. after being seated though, i started to feel a little bit more comfortable. the whole outside area was crowded, but somehow i still got my food very quickly. they even seemed short on staff, but the service was still great. i dropped a shrimp on the floor and had to toss it, but without even asking or noticing anyone saw, and older man gave me another one for free and joked around with me. he was super nice and the service was great. i ordered the shrimp scampi and it looked great and tasted great. they didn’t have a dessert menu, so i was worried it wouldn’t taste that great. but my cheesecake was presented beautifully and tasted amazing. lastly, the view was just amazing! overall, i am super happy with my experience and strongly recommend this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Food was good so was the drinks. The wake is choppy when you’re trying to park your boat. They have cheap O ring tie downs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A fun place to visit, but food is mediocre, and wine portions were a joke. As in most fun places, ask for a rare hamburger and it comes medium well, along with extra cost meally sweet potato fries. My wife and her friend did like the chicken wings. Scenery is great, right on Lake Hopatcong, and the band was great (Fully Loaded).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Tried this place for the first time and was VERY, pleasantly surprised. I'm not into the bar scene but once we got there the food was great (This is not gourmet fine dining but what you get is delicious, especially the cod) and the view outstanding. Our waiter "Jason" was outstanding with his hospitality (might be an owner he weas so good?) and the greeter at the desk got a us a great table even without a reservation with a very long line behind us. Finding parking was not easy but they HAVE parking all over the place in assorted areas. WILL return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Stopped for quick drinks for Saturday happy hour. We asked for a drink list..bartender had major attitude. It was like nobody ever asks for that...?¿ Ordered an orange crush...got orange vodka and Sprite..wtf. When I questioned it I was told THAT is a Jefferson House orange crush...lol Can't wait to get back to OC Maryland..?
Someone needs to call Gordon Ramsey ASAP...My experience here was like an episode straight out of Kitchen Nightmares. Starting from the confusing entrance through a dingy dusty hallway. My mom and I were sat down by the water towards the back of the restaurant at a table with chairs that were covered in spider webs. Service was slow to begin with, taking 10-15 minutes to even receive water.We ordered the Seafood Crabcakes, which aren't fresh to begin with and also cheapened by adding shrimp to the crabcakes – can't even afford to serve 100% crab for 19? and then both ordered bacon cheeseburgers. I ordered it without cheese and tomato, and requested the onions to be caramelized. My mom ordered it with *cheddar* cheese, as well as caramelized onions too.When the burgers arrive, her burger has AMERICAN cheese on it. We send it back to the kitchen to have the burger replaced with cheddar cheese and it comes back within 5 minutes–the fastest anything at this restaurant has happened so far. The waiter comes back to clarify that the cheddar cheese is shredded versus a slice – and as she takes a bite, it is clear the shredded cheddar cheese has just been sprinkled on top of the American cheese. The fact that it came out within 5 minutes shows that not only that they didn't even bother to cook a whole new burger which is standard practice at any restaurant, but they couldn't even SCRAPE off the American cheese on the burger in the first place.My mom continued to eat her burger due to her hunger, and when the waiter came back to clear our table, he made an indication to take my mom's plate–still half full and mid-eaten–because of her complaints of the food without taking into consideration the fact that she was literally still eating?After we receive the check, we got up and went inside to pay ASAP instead of having to wait yet another 20minutes for the check to be picked up. We wait about 5 minutes for the waiter to come inside to swipe our card. Afterwards we noticed that we were overcharged on the burgers for $1 each without an itemized receipt explaining why. We bring it up to the waiter who says that the "upgrade" to caramelized onions cost a $1 each... which he never mentioned to us at the table when we first brought it up as common curtesy.A woman, potentially a manager? (although I hope it isn't...) came up to us asking what was going on. The waiter used this as his chance to run and hide in the kitchen. My mom begins to explain what has happened throughout our time at the restaurant – which has been nothing short of unpleasant – and this woman does everything BUT pay attention. She begins cutting my mom off by repeatedly interjecting with "Ok, ok, ok." My mom asks if she will let her finish talking. When my mom mentions the onion overcharge, the woman immediately grabs a menu to double check if that information was on the menu (it wasn't.) This woman then asks us how much the overcharge was and then walks away in the middle of my mom complaining to grab $2 from the petty cash drawer. She essentially shoves the cash at my mom. As we sign the check, my mom says we'll never be coming back and we'll be leaving bad reviews... A man working at the restaurant laughs as he passes by the situation–a customer explaining how terrible her experience at this place was...Unfortunately, it is clear that this family run restaurant has a lot of dysfunction–similar to the places you'd see on Kitchen Nightmares. I imagine they're only still in business because of the lake view (which even that is mediocre) and being the only option available when the Windlass and Alice is closed, because their lack of customer service is disgusting, the restaurant itself is dusty and dirty, their food is lackluster and overpriced. I am suspicious at the amount and rate of the 5 star reviews about this place when they are the epitome of a NO class restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tried to get one drink at the bar so I could sit by the lake and have a drink. They weren't busy at all, five customers in the whole place, and was told they had a $30 minimum so I couldn't just get one drink. What!? $30 minimum? I've heard of $5 or $10, but $30? Outrageous. I left and won't be coming back.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Food is good, atmosphere is fun, parking is okay. Nice view of the lake. If you're looking for a nice meal with a good view, it's worth the trip.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
This is the worse restaurant in all of Lake Hopatcong & Sussex county. It was our first time eating here and certainly will be our last. We decided to eat here because The Windlass was closed. What a huge mistake it turned out to be. Slow service, overpriced low quality food and incredibly poor customer service. We ordered 2 bacon cheeseburgers, one with cheese and one without. I asked for cheddar and received American. When I complained to the waiter, he took the burger back to the kitchen, only to come back with shredded cheddar cheese slapped on top of the American. My burger was also cold by that time. I'm used to being serviced at restaurants that will remake the entire meal if they screw up or at the very least willing to do away with the wrong item on the order. Despite expressing my grave disappointment to the waiter, he did nothing to try and make up for it. There was no offer to get a manager, to discount the food or comp it, no offer of complimentary food/beverage of any kind, absolutely nothing.As we left and went to pay the bill, we noticed we had been overcharged. When brought to the waiter's attention he claimed the sauteed onions we asked for were additional, yet he never made us aware there would be an extra charge for requesting that the onions the burger already came dressed with, be carmelized. And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, he turns the issue over to a hostile woman who demanded to know what happened but then decides to cut me off as I start to explain. I had to assert myself so she could let me finish. She then rudely hands me $2 in cash for the overcharge, no apologies no concern for our awful experience whatsoever. At this point already feeling incredibly sour, there was just no way I could leave a tip.This has got to be one of the worse if not worst dining experiences we have ever had. I mentioned I was going to leave a bad Google review and an old man who could have been the owner just laughed. Like seriously? Stay away from this place if you value quality food and polite hospitality. Never again! They reek of racism in this place as I also noticed the segregration that another reviewer has mentioned.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1