Egan & Sons

"Egan & Sons was an impulse decision yesterday. I had an early dismissal from work due to the New Year's weekend, so I didn't get to explore a new NYC spot for lunch. On the way home on the train, I texted my recently sick top-tier Montclair chum who's been cooped up inside for most of the holidays, and boom - instant plans, instant meal. I hopped off at Walnut Street and wandered down the street. Who says NJ Transit isn't convenient? I came here once years ago and was a little thrown when I walked in from Walnut; I had no idea the official entrance was actually in the back, which features a personal parking lot. (My chum used it and it was one of the most chaotic situations I've ever seen, with several valet-esque spots and a lot of drivers looking agitated and confused. Everyone got through it in one piece from what I could tell, but that is a fender bender waiting to happen.) As a result, I had to awkwardly walk all the way through the restaurant to get to the host in the back, who then...walked me back close to the door I came in at. There was enough signage for me to figure out what to do, but the logistics could and should definitely be tinkered with - I'm sure they get tons of foot traffic like me. It was pretty crowded for mid-afternoon, but I'm sure the holidays threw off a lot of peoples' eating schedules, including my own. I secured a high-top near the bar, and was promptly attended to by the waitress, who took my drink order while I waited for my chum. The obvious cocktail choice was the Maple Old Fashioned ($15) from their specials menu. It took a little long to show up, but was definitely decent for what it was. Because it relied quite a bit on a type of maple syrup, it was sweeter than I would have preferred (I think it's easy to forget that bourbon itself is one of the sweeter spirits so if you're going to double down on that you have to be careful). They could have emphasized the maple through some type of garnish or flavored rim, which would have had the flavor without being overpowering. Since I was eating almost two hours later than I normally would (see above reference to holiday schedule), I was pretty famished. We split the Truffle Mac & Cheese app ($16ish), and I got a plain hamburger medium-rare ($12ish). The Mac & Cheese was divisive at our table. My chum didn't like it at all because of the inclusion of the chives. I also wasn't a fan (they're completely unnecessary based on the flavor, etc.), but they were also easy to pick out if it was a problem. Beyond that though, I thought it was excellent and was perfectly happy to gobble down the lion's share. The burger was the highlight for me. The cattle was slightly undercooked (definitely rare), but I actually prefer rare and just play it safe when I'm ordering them from a place I'm not too familiar with so I don't end up with something mooing on my plate. My favorite bovine in the area is the Cloverleaf, and I'll happily order rare from them without thinking. It was juicy without being greasy, and the bun had a nice density to it - not too thick though and easy to munch. The service was good. It wasn't a situation where we were on the clock (again, holiday schedules), so even if it was on the slower side it wasn't an issue at all. Our waitress was pleasant and stopped by throughout the meal consistently, even though I think she had quite a few tables to navigate. And the price point was definitely reasonable for the area, maybe even on the cheaper side honestly. I don't hit the bovine as often as I used to, but this was one of the better ones in recent memory."

"Stopped in for the first time this week for happy hour. They have a decent amount of items to choose from-both drinks and food. We ordered the oysters ($1.50/each)-they were decent, Thai chili wings were outstanding, we enjoyed the fried pickles and the cheese pizza was okay. We will definitely be back for the wings! They have their own beers-we enjoyed their lager. Parking is available on the side street and meters in front. Big area to meet with a group and plenty of bar space."

"It’s wonderful to be able to eat outside at the end of October! They were a little busy. I think the dry wings were not dry. They were slimy. Air fryer would fix that. The Chicken pot pie, Shrimp and Fish tacos, Hamburger and Cobb Salad was great!"

"This is my friend's go-to spot in Montclair. I was impressed with the vibe and decorations - cozy and rustic. The only sad thing here was we were ignored at the beginning as our waitress was busy with other tables and didn't come to ours at all. Probably she was new and too nervous to pay attention to my glass of water. However, she made it up for being informative and helpful to adjust my dish. I was delighted that my food came out pretty well as per my request."

"They have done some work here to make the restaurant itself much nicer. Good beer selection and friendly bartenders. Got the nachos as an appetizer as well as the chicken wings. Nachos were good size for sharing. The chicken wings were okay. I got the burger for an entre. The blend they use for the beef is pretty good, they seasoned it very well. The pizza was the other entre and it was decent. The star of the meal was the truffle fries! They were near perfect and the right amount of flavor. Our waiter was also pretty good, they he gave us great service. The best part is they have a parking lot which, is good for Montclair. Price wise it is a bit high - i.e. things like fries don't come with a burger, but again they were good. Overall I give Egan & Sons a 3.5 out of 5."