South Park Bar & Grill

I truly believe this location is cursed. I've lived in this neighborhood my whole life and I've seen many places come and go. It's very hard if not impossible to get a liquor license in Montclair so people flocked to this place just because it has a bar. I'm sorry to report that on my home Saturday I noticed the place covered in heavy drapes and people coming in and out with boxes. When I looked out my window later I saw news cameras and a new awning. I'm not sure what the new place is called, looks like a V. My grandmother (yes I know of all sources why granny) said it's going to be a Vodka bar and more upscale than South Park was no riff raff. We'll see!


***UPDATE*** The reason my grandmother knew so much is because they had to notify the neighborhood since there was a taping going on. It's still the same owners the name changed and it was given a mini makeover for a new Spike show called Bars on the Brink... It really was a piece of crap; they let too many hoodlums from neighboring towns ruin this place. Going to check out the changes ASAP!

At the Bluewave presidential debate watching party.

Salad is good, beer ok. Staff is buckling from the stress of a large room, but weathering the storm.

Definite props for a place that has its own bar! My party and all got frozen margaritas and they were awesome -- I'd read a review in which someone wrote that there was little to no alcohol; these were perfectly made.

The service was a little bit slow, but the server checked in with us from time to time to reassure us, so not a big deal there. The food overall was good -- HUGE portions, so you might consider sharing, especially if you get an appetizer. One person got the chicken balsamic and said it was a bit "balsamic"y; I had buffalo chicken wings, where were terrific. Another person had a shrimp po boy, which she said was good; the other had a shrimp dish I can't recall.

Although there are a lot of salad options, the health factor of salad is counteracted by the fact that any chicken added is deep fried. So not a place to go necessarily for health-conscious folks.

The decor reminded me of The Office on Bloomfield Ave.; so not a place I'd take someone I was trying to impress! This was our first time going, and we do plan to try it again to see what else is good there.

I accidentally deleted my own review of this place so Im adding it back.

IT SUCKS!

Karaoke: Painful on all accounts. The same 5 ladies in their 30's belting out some songs from the 1990's and shaking it like a record label executive just happens to be in a scummy dive bar in Montclair, NJ. Note to those Ladies: there is NO CHANCE OF GETTING SIGNED FROM SINGING COVER SONGS IN THIS CRAPPY BAR.

Drinks: It all tastes like water - except the water. Vodka takes like water. Soda tastes like water. Beer tastes like water. Water, however, tastes like soap.

Food: If you had a diet in the pipeline, now is definitely the time to put that plan into action. I promise you'll survive one night without bad food.

If you're the kind of person who thrives on taking chances order something made from meat, like a burger. If you wake up without food poisoning you've beaten the odds and should plan a trip to Vegas immediately to ride out your wave of luck. If you wake up sick you'll wish you started that damn diet the minute the billboard-sized menu was shoved in your face.

Want a place with TV's? This is the place. There seems to be a hundred of them which makes the interior so brightly lit up that your retinas are working overtime and your pupils become so small to filter out the light that every one looks they're high on drugs. If they turned off HALF of the TV's, there would still be enough light to illuminate an small village.

The name has changed several times over the last couple of years, but its still the same crappy place, with the same crappy food, rickety bar stools, slippery-ass floor, horrible 1984 soundtrack and the same terrible service.

Don't let my review persuade you:
If you're still around until closing, the fights break out and the exterior begins to look like an episode of COPS which might be exciting for some people. Dodging pepper spray and angry police officers can be a nice unexpected cardio-work out. From what I've seen, its usually two ladies in a physical altercation which is always a super classy ending to a bad night.

Two for one drinks isn't compelling enough for me to go again. But to be honest, free drinks wouldn't even be compelling enough for a return visit.


UPDATE: ( this was really taken from the Montclair Police Blotter)

On 04/18/2012, Officers responded to the South Park Bar and Grill on a report of a fight. Upon arriving they found a female victim crying and observed clumps of hair that had been pulled from the victims head during the fight on the floor near her. Victim stated she had been attacked by an unknown female and pointed out the attacker. Witnesses present stated they observed the victims sitting at the bar by herself when she was attacked for no reason by another female sitting on the other side of the bar. The attacker, identified as forty two year old [*Name removed for privacy*] of East Orange, was arrested and charged with simple assault.

Oh god, got a gift card to the place for 100$ (was a deal, 50$ for 100). Wow, what a trip. Unfortunately, we weren't able to spend it all in 1 shot. The first time, we got some beers that were priced well and some calamari. After confirming that there were the tentacle kind, we got the plate, and it was only rings. The marinara sauce was ketchup. Terrible. Was scared to eat seafood here.

2nd time we went, we brought friends so that we could drink the rest of the certificate. Prices again, were good for booze, but service was very odd.

What is sad is that this place is in a great location, has a liquor license, and is pretty big. Unforunately, it is kind of run down, has a rap for being a shady place at night, and the bathroom is gross. Also, even though there are only a few people in the place, they have a whole section cleared out without chairs or anything. Very odd.

Will not go again.

This place is closed now, thank god. What a disgrace it was. Back in the day this place was half decent. When the last owner took over he ran it into the ground. The town shut them down ultimately for noise complaints and too many disturbance calls to the police. It became a public nuisance an attracted a less than desirable clientele to an otherwise peaceful residential, shopping and dining
street.

This is a great location and I hope to see a new and upscale bar/rest here in the future.

When I walked into this place with a female friend the other night I felt out of place. It was filled with low life's and thugs. We stayed for one drink and left. Not a place I will ever been returning too...plus the bartenders had attitudes...good riddance.

Based on other reviews my fellow Yelpers have posted about this place, I suppose I am finally about to understand what it's like to be the cheese standing alone.

While I can't speak to the nighttime crowd having only spent weekend afternoons here, I think the vibe of the place is a lot of fun for a Saturday afternoon college football crowd. The local touch football league hosts happy hours here during the fall, so definitely expect a rowdier bunch of young adults dressed in sweatpants. If that isn't your scene, you will have a miserable time here. If it is, throw on an old pair of jeans and you'll be the best dressed person at the bar.

Daytimes on the weekends at South Park are host to a variety of great specials - most notably the $5 pitcher of Bud Light and $5 appetizers. I myself have plowed through nearly everything on the appetizer menu and have found few bar food items I love more than South Park's bang bang chicken. The bang bang chicken is so delicious that I have never made it out of that place without ordering a second round of them. Some might think the portion size is small, but I am not sure there is a plate big enough to hold exactly how much bang bang chicken I would like to eat.

Another fan favorite of mine are the hefty-sized platter of nachos, which are more than enough for a table full of friends to share. The burgers and other such standard bar food are good, not great. There just really is no point to wasting time eating them when that time could be better spent eating the bang bang chicken. If you don't do chicken, there is also bang bang shrimp available. If you don't eat fish either, just know that you are probably missing out.

Minus my over the top lovefest with one particular appetizer, this place is a good time by me. I wouldn't go out of my way to hang out here but if this is where I ended up, so be it. Cheap drinks and good food can enhance most atmospheres for me.

Peace, love and bang bang chicken.

Since Montclair has mostly BYOB establishments, I feel obliged to give any restaurant with a full bar three stars.

My parents and I had originally planned on going to Raymond's for brunch but we may as well have been on the waitlist for an organ transplant. Luckily our empty bellies stopped by South Park and we were seated promptly.

Being a vegetarian, I didn't have many options i.e. I had to order a simple grilled cheese but my parents really enjoyed their crab cake sandwiches. The prices are very reasonable and the outdoor seating is nice. Montclair does have many choices but if you are looking for bar food...and well a bar in general this may be the place to go.

I came here for dinner with friends. I had a few questions for the waitress regarding the menu, and she had trouble answering them. The French fries were pretty good.