"What a pleasant surprise — it’s honestly surreal to visit places you once frequented as a curious youth. I’m talking about what once was HELL’S KITCHEN, a hipster neighborhood bar that is now a posh, beautifully curated lounge / restaurant — which is now BURKE’S TAVERN. This was an impromptu visit during a snowy Saturday — from beginning to end the experience was very overwhelming in the most positive way. From entrance to seating to the bar — from the subway tile and very carefully curated wood accents / furniture, to vintage tchotchkes and so much more — once you enter the locale, it really engulfs you with the ambiance and experience. Here is where it goes from great to magic… Luisa our bartender made us some of the BEST COCKTAILS I’ve had in a really long time! I had the Paper Plane which was a whisky based cocktail with amaretto and aperol - it was HEAVEN in a glass. Followed by a French liqueur cocktail of which the name escapes me… honestly — paradise on a cold snowy day! Thank you Luisa! Made our day!!! Here is where the establishment misses the mark keeping them from 5 Stars from my perspective. Wait time for food… We ordered something pretty simple, but it took almost 45min to get our food — luckily we were so distracted by the delicious cocktails, time escaped us - but yeah, it took quite some time, and we had to remind them in efforts to finally get the dishes. Okay… The dishes… I got a Steak & Eggs for $23 dolllars — shell steak I believe with house fries, eggs, and a slice of toast - pretty reasonable for what I was expecting and fair. BUT - the flavor was lacking that umphhh - presentation was more like an $18 dish, due to receiving a sliced steak that was well done vs medium; home fries were just 2-3 full potatoes sliced in half — not really home fries, but not complaining for the giant pieces of potatoes lol - I don’t mind potatoes but if you are a lover, that style of home fries is for you lol. Eggs were not over easy as requested, but the sliced toast tasted like a buttered artisan sourdough which was amazing! Steak was tender but tasted slightly gamey… like maybe it wasn’t fresh from the butcher that day? Overall it was nice but NOT AMAZING! Second dish was a CHIKIN sandwich (that’s how it’s spelled) that has what feels like an Asian or some kind of exotic name attached to the sandwich. $18 bucks… just the sandwich , this was recommended by the bartender. The sandwich in burger style form, was small, for $18 we were expected a diner sized sandwich in burger form. Flavors were decent, but the chicken was not crispy, and some parts were chewy and others crispy and soft…. It had to be returned, after 2 bites it was just no-go. Ok so we said let’s just get some fries while we drink…. Fries were tasty but tasted and resembled the fries you get at a chicken shack (aka crown fried chicken) — those fries that emulate the McDonald’s fries that you buy at Costco or restaurant depot. Now… based on this we did not want to explore anything else on the menu, but we remained happy with our cocktails and craft beers and wine. We felt ultimately that this location was built with cocktails and libations in mind - that was the primary it feels like, and that food was secondary — could be 1000% wrong, but that’s what it felt like for us, and after speaking with friends who also agreed, the consensus is, go for the amazing cocktails but avoid the food… In the end, it was still a happy impromptu visit, will definitely be back for the cocktails, and for food there is always the Ironbound for authentic Brazilian and European cuisine — and so much more. CHEERS!!! 🍻"

"Burke's is a gem to say thr least. Obviously those who were in the know didn't let me in on what amazing food and ambiance. The shrimp with sauce...tasty. My chicken sandwich with slaw was flavorful and last but not least that blueberry cheesecake... My words will not due it justice! Definitely will be back great staff and treated us like we home."

"We had a strange experience here the other night. A coworker and I came in for dinner around 7 and were seated promptly. We didn’t order drinks, but the cocktails looked great. The first half of the meal went well. The server was friendly and attentive at first, but after our food arrived, he disappeared. Someone else cleared our plates, and we waited a long time without being offered dessert or the check. I eventually had to flag down another server, who found him. When I asked to split the check based on what we each ordered, he did the opposite by mistake, then had to reprint it twice. Each time took about five minutes, even though the restaurant was maybe 20% full. From the time we finished eating to the time we left was nearly an hour, mostly just waiting. The food was hit or miss. The salad I ordered arrived in the middle of us yet without any plates for us to split it, if that was the case. My lamb burger was over charred and messy, and the sides were confusing: a long whole roasted pepper, 2 halves of a radish, and tempura-fried caper berries. I had to ask what they were. A simple arugula salad with radishes would’ve made more sense. I also ordered fries, which I misread as $4 but were actually $8. Unfortunately, they were plain and unseasoned, not worth the price. I asked for mayo when I ordered them then had to ask again for mayo when the food was dropped and it didn’t have it. I also had to ask for a salt shaker. On the positive side, my coworker enjoyed her pizza, and the ambiance was nice, with tasteful fall decorations out front."

"How can this place not be a 5 star?! The service is friendly and helpful. The pizza crust and toppings are great ( hence half eaten in pic). Look at that chicken sandwich!!! I am not from the area and admittedly was not sure of the area. I was pleasantly surprised the restaurant was safe, clean, all the clientele was wonderful. A surprise home run!! Give it a try!"

"Excellent food and very attentive service! The place has a European feel to it and the staff goes above and beyond to make you feel welcomed. The Moroccan lamb meatballs are absolutely out of this world. I'm glad I picked this place out of all the other choices in the Ironbound section of Newark. Great atmosphere ! Thank you!"