OLD MAN RAFFERTY’S RESTAURANT: DOWNTOWN ASBURY PARK. GREAT FOOD, GREAT PRICES!!!

Asbury Park, with its new revitalization has become a place for the young and old to visit for shopping and eating. On a Saturday evening, with the town starting to come to life, my wife and I wondered downtown and were looking for a light dinner. We came across “Old Man Rafferty’s” and saw that evening though it was only about 5:15, this place was almost filled to capacity. So we decided that it must be a great place for the clientele it was already accommodating.

We had to wait about fifteen minutes for a table, but Old Man Rafferty’s was worth the wait. An open area restaurant built in the historical Steinbach building, the developers must have spent major money renovating and repairing this building to what it is now. All the details were very impressive and the atmosphere was family fun. This is the third restaurant by the same owners, with the original being in New Brunswick known as the “Habit”.

The menu was plentiful and very reasonable for pub style dinning. We started with a cup of soup; I had French Onion, and my wife had Tomato Basil. Both were served in an oversized cup and there was plenty for each of us to share. We were impressed that the soups were served very hot, which sometimes is a disappointment when a restaurant is very crowded, they come out luke warm. Both had great taste and flavor, and we could not wait until our entrees arrived.

My choice of entree was the Chateau Steak Sandwich, which was tender sliced Chateau steak topped with fresh greens tossed in a Sherry Wine Vinaigrette with Gorgonzola cheese, poached pears and sautéed red onion. This was served on a toasted ciabatta roll and served with French fries and dill pickle slices. It tasted as good as it sounds. I thoroughly enjoyed it and even though I thought I would not be able to finish it, I did.

My wife went with the Italian Country Salad which had fresh Mesclun Greens, sliced poached pears, Gorgonzola cheese, and candied walnuts. This was topped with delicate Sherry wine vinaigrette. And again, it was delicious.

We could not eat dessert, but opted for a takeout piece of one of their many homemade desserts. We went with the classic strawberry cheesecake, and a few hours later we were enjoying our fine choice.

Old Man Rafferty’s was a great find for good pub food at a very reasonable price. The total for our meal with tip came to less than Fifty dollars including dessert. You can’t beat that and you must visit Old Man Rafferty’s on your next visit to Asbury Park.