Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in South Orange

Every time we dine here the food never disappoints. The service is exceptional! We will always come back when we are visiting our son at Seton Hall University!

We were celebrating three birthdays as a family and the Highlawn staff and management did their very best! The food was impeccable especially their specialty salads and the staff were very accommodating with various food allergens.

The entertainment was very loud, where you could hear conversations or them calling your name while you were waiting. I asked for bread and the dip that they give was a bowl of oil.

Food and service as great. Only downfall is that we sat so close to the people next to us and could hear their whole conversation.

Give the Village Hall another try!! I'm a SOMA resident and have been to the Village Hall a handful of times, each time a little disappointed by some aspect of the experience. But after last night, I can honestly say I was happily impressed. After some subtle and not-so-subtle changes, I think they have finally gotten it right. It was a Friday night. They had a tasteful jazz trio playing. Not too distracting for conversation, but also not just bland background music; they were very good. Acoustics are amazing! They've made tasteful changes to the main dining space making it much cozier. Among them: a new seating arrangement with a long, leather seating unit that divides the space nicely (before it was just a huge, open space with sparse tables and chairs and it just didn't work); they painted the ceiling a ruby red, which, combined with the dark-blue leather seating/booths, made it feel super inviting. Combine that with the features that were already in place and I just loved being there. For the meal, I started out with a drink on the specials list (Winter Spritz with fig and mint). For the app, I had the Bang Bang Shrimp and then the Short Rib Pappardelle pasta as my main. Both were bursting with flavor, complex, and absolutely delicious. The short rib was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sauce made it one the better pasta dishes I've had anywhere for quite some time. I will definitely be making a trip back soon specifically for that order. (SUGGESTION: My only suggestion is to forgo the smaller app plates for something larger. Not to get more food, but to allow for more space so that when you scoop portions it doesn't fall off the edges of the plate.) The service was never rushed but efficient and polite from beginning to end. We are often quick to discount local restaurants or give up on them after one bad experience. I would encourage everyone to give VH another try. After my experience last night, I will 100% be going back for more.