House policy

Dining Policies

The house rules for eating, drinking and booking at City Rub — how the food is cooked, how the bar works, how a table or an event is held, and what happens with take-out. The rules for this website are on the Terms page.

Food cooked to order

Steaks and burgers are cooked to the temperature you ask for. A steak asked for rare or medium rare, or a burger left pink in the middle, has not been heated all the way through. That is the point of ordering it that way, and it carries a risk that a fully cooked one does not.

• Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
• That risk is higher if you are pregnant, elderly, very young, or living with an illness or a medicine that weakens your immune system. If any of that applies, order it cooked through — and say so out loud when you order, rather than assuming.
• Ask for it cooked through at any time. Nobody will mind.

Allergies and what is in a dish

A line on a menu is a description, not an ingredient list. It does not name every spice, oil, stock, sauce, thickener or rub that went into the dish.

• Tell the person taking your order before you order — not after the plate arrives.
• If cross-contact matters to you, say so plainly. A kitchen can only work around what it has been told about.
• Do not rely on this website for anything to do with an allergy. Menus and recipes change; a web page does not change with them.
• Ordering by telephone for take-out or delivery? Say it on the call.

The bar

• Twenty-one to be served. There is no exception, for anyone, on any night.
• You may be asked for a government-issued photo ID at any time, however old you look. No ID, no service — that is not a judgment about you, it is the only thing that stands up.
• Nobody who is visibly intoxicated will be served. New Jersey law makes serving a visibly intoxicated guest unlawful, and the restaurant answers for it.
• Do not buy or pass a drink to anyone under twenty-one. It puts them, you and the restaurant at risk.
• Staff may refuse a drink, stop service or close a tab without giving a reason. Please do not argue with a bartender about it.
• No alcohol brought in from outside, and none carried out.

Reservations and large tables

• Tables are booked by telephone on (862) 237-7528. This website does not book a table and takes no payment.
• A held table is held for a while, not all night. If you are running late, call and it will usually be kept.
• Give the real number of guests when you book, and call if it changes. A table set for eight cannot quietly become twelve.
• If you cannot make it, a call is enough — and it is genuinely appreciated. An empty held table on a Saturday costs a small restaurant real money.

Private events and party packages

• Events are arranged directly with the restaurant, by telephone or at info@cityrub.com. What is agreed at the time of booking is what applies: the date, the headcount, the menu, the space and the hours.
• If a deposit or a minimum spend applies to your booking, you will be told what it is before you commit to anything, and it will be part of what you agree. It will never appear for the first time on the night.
• The final headcount you confirm is what gets bought, cooked and staffed. Confirm it honestly and confirm it on time.
• Nothing on this website books an event, holds a date or takes money for one.

Take-out and delivery

The restaurant puts it plainly: “Call us and you can pick it up or we can deliver. Restrictions apply.” Here is what that means in practice.

• Orders are taken on the telephone. This website takes no orders and no card details.
• “Restrictions apply” covers how far a delivery will travel, what it costs, whether there is a minimum order, and whether delivery is running at that hour at all. Those things move with the night and the kitchen. Ask on the call and you will be told before the order is placed.
• Check the order before you leave the counter, or before the driver leaves you. It is far easier to fix then.
• Once food has left the building, its temperature and handling are out of the kitchen’s hands. Smoked food is at its best straight away. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat them thoroughly.

What the bill says

• Prices shown on this website are published for information only. The menu in the room is the one that governs — see Terms.
• If a service charge or an automatic gratuity applies to a large table or a private event, it will be stated to you before you order and it will appear on the bill as its own line, named for what it is. Nothing mandatory is added quietly at the end.
• Anything you tip beyond that is entirely yours to decide.

Live music, photographs and filming

• On music nights the room may be photographed or filmed — by the restaurant, by the performers, or by press. If you are in the room, you may appear in it.
• If you would rather not, say so to a manager and you will be kept out of the frame. You do not have to give a reason.
• Photographs of your own table and your own food are welcome. A professional shoot — lights, tripods, a crew — needs arranging first at info@cityrub.com.
• Please do not film staff or other guests who have said no.

Service dogs, and dogs

• A trained service dog is welcome anywhere guests are welcome. That is a right under the Americans with Disabilities Act, not a favour, and no certificate or paperwork needs to be produced.
• Staff may ask only the two questions that Act allows: is the dog required because of a disability, and what work or task has it been trained to perform. Nobody will ask what your disability is, or ask the dog to demonstrate.
• A comfort, emotional-support or therapy animal is not a service dog under that Act. It may still be very welcome here — but that is the restaurant’s decision rather than a right.
• For any other dog, call (862) 237-7528 and ask first. Whether a dog can join you, and where it can sit, is the restaurant’s call and it can depend on the night.

In the room

• The restaurant may refuse service, or ask someone to leave, over behaviour that puts staff or guests at risk or stops other people enjoying their evening.
• Please keep an eye on your own coats, bags, phones and keys, in the room and in the parking lot.

About this page

This page is general information for guests, written in plain English. It is not legal advice. It is not a statement that City Rub Smokehouse holds any particular licence, permit or certification — RunKeepAI builds and maintains the website and makes no claim about the restaurant’s compliance with anything. Before the restaurant relies on this page, its own attorney should read it.

If anything written here does not match how City Rub actually runs, the restaurant’s own word governs and this page should be corrected. Say so at info@cityrub.com or (862) 237-7528 and it will be put right.

City Rub Smokehouse · 118 Stockton Street, Newark, New Jersey 07105 · (862) 237-7528 · info@cityrub.com