Chimney Rock Inn Flemington

EE Grimshaw

***3 1/2 stars*** My initial feelings on this place changed dramatically over the course of the first 10 seconds. When I saw the freezer of pizzas for sale by the door, I was thinking to myself, "I don't know...Friendly's can pull that optic off. Can a regular restaurant though?" And then a passing waitress complimented my sneakers and I was on top of the world. I came here for lunch on Sunday with my chum around 12:30ish. I grew up about 25 minutes away in western Hunterdon, so I'm very familiar with Flemington and its ridiculous traffic circles but I'm PRETTY sure this restaurant popped up within the last few years well after I had left, but I wouldn't swear to it; I usually was on this section of Route 31 to get UFO pants at the Flemington Department Store because I thought I was gangsta. Anyway. It was super toasty out and I was ambivalent on booze, but the Blueberry Mule (I think around $12 or $13) caught my eye. It was the highlight of our adventure - I thought it was both delicious and refreshing, with the vanilla and blueberry flavors actually being pretty subtle though still noticeable/enjoyable and the ginger beer providing a lovely zip. Absolutely would get that again. We split the Garlic Nuggets app ($7.99), I ended up getting the Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich ($13.99) sans toppings, and my chum went with some type of hardcore grilled cheese (I just went on the website to try to find it like a responsible reviewer but couldn't - my apologies). She was a big fan, regardless. The Garlic Nuggets turned out to be a super misleading name for what showed up, which was...garlic knots. After they showed up, I read over the description and it does clearly say it's bread, but we thought it would be fancy chicken nuggets or something to that effect. Absolutely our fault, but I personally think they should call them something other than nuggets. For what it's worth, they were pretty decent. A little heavy (it is knots of thick bread after all) and definitely needed to be doused in the olive oil for flavoring purposes. Just bring your reading comprehension skills and you'll be fine. The initial Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich that showed up had toppings on it, which was mildly disappointing but not the end of the world since all I had to do was scrape them off. I was just about done completing that process when a server came rushing over to give me the correct, naked sandwich. You obviously don't want to get the wrong order to begin with, but points for correcting it pretty quickly. The brisket was a little dry, though part of that undoubtedly was because it had no toppings. It was supposed to come with BBQ sauce on the side, but alas. Thankfully my friend was able to get our waiter's attention immediately to remedy that issue, and the remainder of the sandwich was good - not earthshattering, but something I wouldn't be upset about ordering again. The service was okay. It felt worse than it was because we had somewhere to be that afternoon, but we were in and out of there in about an hour and 10 minutes. Our waiter was nice but seemed harried and a little overwhelmed; it looked like he was assigned most if not all of the tables in our section, which hovered close to double digits. Given the circumstances, I thought he handled it well. And I thought the price point was on par for the area - no issues there. I'm honestly mystified at how many people are writing negative reviews about the credit card transaction fees as if there's a nefarious conspiracy afoot - that's been prevalent everywhere for months now. If you're that riled up, go to the ATM beforehand. The pizza seems to be the big selling point here, and we saw several nearby customers ordering/enjoying it. I would probably give that a shot next time so I can avoid getting tricked by the garlic nuggets again.

Ysmael Breton

We were headed to a fair about 45 minutes from where we live and decided to have dinner around that location. My wife found this spot and it was alot of fun, plenty of space inside but we chose to sit outside on such a beautiful day. They had good drinks and the food was delicious. My wife and I shared some fried pickles with a spicy dipping sauce and then shared a BBQ platter with brisket and pulled pork and ribs and garlic sweet potato fries and coleslaw. Everything was so good. My son got a cowboy burger and it was perfect! (I love cowboy burgers) with the crispy onions and bacon and cheddar cheese. So good. We also started with mozzarella sticks which are handmade. So crunchy and cheesy. We really enjoyed our dinner there at the Chimney Rock Inn. We would definitely comeback if we are in the area

David Westin

If they think it’s ok to sneak charges on the check I have to think they wouldn’t have issues doing sneaky stuff with the food. I get costs are going up and that business need to pass on those costs. It is what it is. But…. What I won’t accept is when a business does it without being overt and honest. After finishing our meal tonight, I find they snuck a new “transaction fee” for using a credit card onto the bill. No real warning was provided. Sure, there is a “small print” version of a sign by where they put up ads for specials, but this is about as unnoticeable as their respect for their customers. And yes there are two prices on the check, but I only see this after it’s too late. I don’t have an issue paying more to offset costs and to support a local…business. But I’m done with this place for now. If they are being sneaky on the check, I don’t want to think about the sneaky stuff happening with the food. I don’t trust ‘em anymore.

Brianne Stull

Our waitress was so great! We ordered Quesadilla, tasted like a margarita pizza. Didn't care for it. Mac and cheese sandwich was so good but there was looked like pieces of fuzz on the toast. Then we ordered tacos. That was the best part! Would try again with other stuff. The Mac and cheese sandwich came with garlic wedges we picked. Took pics before I found all the fuzz.