Restaurant Review: The Walpack Inn

Originally written for my content creation class I took in my final semester of college.

If you are traveling the back roads of northern New Jersey, searching far and wide for

somewhere to eat a delicious dinner, you may

not expect to happen upon a restaurant that appears somewhat unassuming, yet has a line of patrons waiting in the parking lot up to 15 minutes before it is scheduled to open. It could be argued that there are not many fancy places to eat up here in “the sticks,” but The Walpack Inn is waiting on a winding back road to prove you wrong. Whether you are searching for a place to celebrate an anniversary or birthday, or you just want to spend quality time with loved ones, The Walpack Inn is the place to go to. 

The Walpack Inn has quite humble beginnings dating back to 1949, when two local farmers were renowned for their cooking and bartending enough that a business was able to flourish. It has been family owned for two generations and looks to continue for as long as possible. The love for the area is obvious in even the decor inside of the establishment. Inside you can find antler chandeliers and a whole greenhouse-type area, which is where I was seated when I went with my family for my birthday dinner. The hanging plants were absolutely gorgeous and added a very gentle, calming beauty to the section of the room. Paired with a wall of large windows that you could look out of and see the beautiful country the Inn is tucked into, the atmosphere was so light and relaxing. 

Something I would highlight aside from the beautiful atmosphere is the absolutely incredible service that The Walpack Inn should be boasting about until the end of time. I have been to many restaurants in my day, and nothing holds a candle to how fantastic the service was here at The Walpack. This particular visit was owed to my turning 21, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience for my birthday dinner. We had been seated for maybe half a minute to a minute before our server was at our table, introducing herself and asking what we would like to drink. She continuously returned at 5-10 minute increments, asking if we were enjoying our meal and if we needed any refreshments. My brother ordered a lemonade, my dad ordered a whiskey and Coke, and my mom and I both ordered ice water and a glass of Moscato. And if you were wondering, yes, I experienced my rite of passage by being carded.

The Moscato was absolutely delicious and I could not have picked a better first “official” drink to enjoy at a birthday dinner. It did not taste like alcohol at all; in fact, it was so fruity and smooth going down I could have probably chugged the entire glass, if I was feeling crazy enough to do such a thing. I would have been remiss if I did not take my time savoring every sip, and thus my glass lasted all through my dinner. Now, let it be noted that I have next to no experience with tasting drinks aside from this Moscato, a shot of cinnamon whiskey, and a Mike’s Hard Lemonade (black cherry flavor), however this drink was so delicious that I will be comparing every alcoholic beverage I have in the foreseeable future with The Walpack Inn’s Moscato. 

Another thing that The Walpack can most certainly boast about is their salad bar. The lettuce is fresh and a nice mix of soft and crunchy, and the bar is full of multiple toppings and dressings to decorate the lettuce with. Even I, a notoriously picky person, decorated my lettuce with bacon bits, grated cheese, and croutons. The croutons are an important part of salad for me– if they are not crunchy, I would venture to consider the entire salad a failure. Luckily, the croutons were perfectly crunchy, and thus my salad was a success. I was a bit apprehensive considering they were exposed to the air, but it also helped that we were seated practically as soon as the doors opened for the night so everything was definitely more fresh and ready than it would have been had we made a later reservation. 

For my entree, I ordered filet mignon served over a piece of cornbread, and requested to have it cooked medium well. I think that it ended up being closer to medium, but that did not matter at all to me because it was absolutely delicious. I also ordered a side of mashed potatoes, and I will waste no time in saying that they were fantastic. Fresh, creamy, with a few small chunks of potato within, every bite was dreamlike and it paired wonderfully with the juiciness and flavor of the filet mignon. The cornbread was a bit overpowered after being drenched in the sauce from the meat, but it was still so rich in flavor that it was delicious nonetheless. I did actually try the mushroom on top of the filet mignon, and that was the only part of my meal I did not enjoy. I am not a fungi type of person, and certainly not when it comes to my food. 

The shining star of the evening was, by far, the cheesecake that my mom and I shared for dessert. I would venture to say that this was the best cheesecake I have ever had in my entire life, and thus I do not think I can eat cheesecake again unless I return to The Walpack Inn. I did not even think of taking a picture of it until there was one measly little piece of what was once a glorious slice of cheesecake left on the plate, and that was because I was too busy marveling over just how scrumptious the dessert was. Especially considering I thought I was too full to enjoy a dessert in the first place. 

I have never felt as fancy, yet, at the same time, as comfortable and relaxed as I was during my birthday dinner at The Walpack Inn. From the moment I walked through the doorway and descended the steps into the heart of the building, it made complete sense to me why my parents love going there so much. I plan to integrate The Walpack Inn into every celebration I possibly can from here on out, and I highly encourage you to do the same.