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Rats Restaurant - Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ

Rats Restaurant - Grounds for Sculpture

4.3
4.3
8518 Reviews
$31 to $50
Contemporary French

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 35 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Charming
  • Great for scenic views
  • Great for outdoor dining
Rat’s Restaurant is the perfect dining destination. Named for the fabled entertaining character in Kenneth Graham’s children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows, Rat’s Restaurant is designed to give visitors the sense they have stepped into a village reminiscent of the impressionist painter Claude Monet’s beloved town of Giverny. Rustic fireplaces, country French cuisine, seasonal hand-crafted cocktails and an eclectic beer and wine list are just the beginning. Regarded as one of the most romantic and beautiful restaurants in our region, Rat’s was named Philadelphia Magazine’s “Most Romantic Restaurant. Rats Restaurant and catering is proudly managed by Constellation Culinary.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary French
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Thu–Sun 11:00 am–2:45 pm Dinner Thu–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–8:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (609) 584-7800
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Jules Odum
  • Catering
    Rat’s Restaurant and Ground For Sculpture offers a full complement of resources and services for a wide range of social, private, and corporate functions. So many events—from weddings and holiday parties to meetings & trade shows have been inspired by the unique interplay of nature and art. Only the unparalleled service and dedicated staff’s attention to detail rival the setting itself. Rat's provides award-winning menus for groups up to 200 with flexible space and tiered food and beverage packages that may be customized to your specific need and budget <br />
  • Private party facilities
    When looking to host a memorable affair, Rat’s Restaurant at Grounds for Sculpture is the ultimate venue for a unique and elegant event. Whether planning a small wedding, intimate cocktail party, or corporate dinner, Rat’s private dining rooms, lounges, and outdoor spaces is just right!
  • Neighborhood
    Princeton
  • Cross street
    Sculpture Way
  • Parking details
    Abundant parking is available in our private parking lot.
  • Public transit
    Less than 3 miles from the Hamilton, NJ Amtrak/NJ Transit complex
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Thanksgiving Day

    Nov 28, 2024 only
    Please join us for your special day at our magical Rat's restaurant at the Grounds for Sculpture. We are offering a 4-course Thanksgiving Feast for $70. for adults and a kids menu for $15. A credit card is required to hold this reservation. You must cancel 48 hours in advance or you will be charged $25 per person.

What 8,518 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.1Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 3.9Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • New Jersey

    Most Booked

  • Mercer

    Best Ambiance

  • Mercer

    Great for brunch

  • Mercer

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Mercer

    Romantic

  • Mercer

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Nestled amidst the enchanting Grounds for Sculpture, Rats Restaurant offers a "magical" dining experience with its stunning ambiance reminiscent of a Monet painting. While the "beautiful" setting and "great cocktails" consistently impress, service and menu reliability can vary. It's a "unique" spot for special occasions, but reservations are essential.

8,518 Reviews
  1. Roberta

    New York City

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was a very enjoyable evening from beginning to end. Our waiter Rob contributed to the pleasant experience. All and all I would recommend at least trying Rats. I’m pretty sure you’ll agree.

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  2. Emre

    New Jersey

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Good ambience, good service, desserts are fine but the foods are not worth the price.

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  3. Louis

    Philadelphia

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent. Assistant GM, Brandon, greeted us and periodically checked on our table. Our server, Ben, was attentive and charming. Beautifully warm atmosphere. Such a unique establishment. Cheese plate was tastefully arranged with honey, jam, nuts and several perfect cheeses. Pork belly and Caesar salad were lovely and generous apps while all our entrees were to perfection. We had a bit of a “tasting” assortment of deserts which were well worth the indulgence. Highly recommended for a tasting event, holiday, group or date.

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  4. Jake

    New Jersey

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent service, decor, ambience, and food! Would recommend.

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  5. Patricia A

    New York City

    24 reviews

    5.0

    24 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very lovely. Fireplaces were awesome. All the different rooms were cool. Food was yummy and service excellent.

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  6. Craig

    Atlantic City

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amy is the most wonderful waitress. We request her every time we visit.

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  7. Robin

    Chicago

    70 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    70 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I visited the sculpture garden the first time over the summer and loved the art and had dinner outside afterwards. It was a wonderful experience. I live in in Florida and I just came for a visit last night to experience the inside and it was fabulous with the fireplace! I’ve been to many restaurants this is now one of my favorites! 

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  8. Anne

    Philadelphia

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday. The food, service, and ambiance is one of a kind!

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  9. Alison

    Philadelphia

    21 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant. Excellent in every way, as always!

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  10. John

    Atlantic City

    15 reviews

    1.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Extremely disappointing. First off! Don’t believe the menu on the website which has a very appealing brunch menu. In reality they offered the lunch menu with choice of 4 brunch items. When I asked the server about it, she giddily said the website doesn’t get updated and you can’t rely on it. Okay, fine I’ll move on. We order a bottle of wine and, a $30 cheese board (no charcuterie) as an appetizer, and sandwiches for lunch (since the advertised croque monsiour was not available today). Let me give proper accolades to the one positive. The fresh, whole grain bread and homemade herb butter was delicious and our server gave use extra pieces of bread since we ordered the cheese platter. I soon learned why. On the cheese platter were 3 average size crostinis which were beyond stale. There were 4 selections of cheese: 2 extremely hard and dry cheddars (so hard you could barely cut without a cheese knife which I asked for and they don’t have), 1 edible cheddar, and a very nice creamy blue cheese. Less than 10 minutes after the cheese board arrived a food runner arrives next to our table holding 2 plates with our sandwiches, which I didn’t accept as we were still eating our appetizer. IMHO bringing out entrees while guests are eating appetizers is one of the biggest giveaways that the restaurant is not a classy place and no matter how good the food might be, it is a mediocre dining experience at best. We are just trying to make the best of it when the manager walks up and asks “how is everything.” Don’t ask if you don’t want to know. He is in the wrong line of work. I briefly give my opinion of the cheese board without even saying, how stale the crostinis were. I advised the major complaint was with lunch being delivered while we are still eating our appetizer. Instead of being apologetic for the blunder and moving on, he chooses to explain that some people want their lunch to come out right away so they don’t have to wait. Oh please, what a joke!

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FAQs

Rats Restaurant - Grounds for Sculpture is rated 4.3 stars by 8518 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 35 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Rats Restaurant - Grounds for Sculpture

16 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, NJ 08619

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Sculpture Way
  • Neighborhood
    Princeton
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Thu–Sun 11:00 am–2:45 pm Dinner Thu–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–8:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary French
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Abundant parking is available in our private parking lot.
  • Public transit
    Less than 3 miles from the Hamilton, NJ Amtrak/NJ Transit complex
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Jules Odum
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (609) 584-7800
  • Catering
    Rat’s Restaurant and Ground For Sculpture offers a full complement of resources and services for a wide range of social, private, and corporate functions. So many events—from weddings and holiday parties to meetings & trade shows have been inspired by the unique interplay of nature and art. Only the unparalleled service and dedicated staff’s attention to detail rival the setting itself. Rat's provides award-winning menus for groups up to 200 with flexible space and tiered food and beverage packages that may be customized to your specific need and budget <br />
  • Private party facilities
    When looking to host a memorable affair, Rat’s Restaurant at Grounds for Sculpture is the ultimate venue for a unique and elegant event. Whether planning a small wedding, intimate cocktail party, or corporate dinner, Rat’s private dining rooms, lounges, and outdoor spaces is just right!
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