The Butcher's Block, Long Branch, NJ:
A Restaurant Review

The Butcher's Block is a mecca for meat lovers. They are a whole animal, "farm to table" butcher shop, restaurant, coffee bar, and a market, all in one that serves some of the best meats in Central Jersey.

The Butcher's Block is the creation Tom D'Ambrisi. It's attached to D'Ambrisi Wholesale Foods a meat-distribution company run by his father, Rudy, and brother, Rudy Jr.
Tom D'Ambrisi and his wife, Cara, converted office space and a refrigerated area from D'Ambrisi Wholesale Foods into a restaurant, butcher shop, coffee bar, and market complex. The name of the complex "The Butcher's Block" was coined with the idea that "the butcher is the heart of the block."

The D'Ambrisi's have teamed up with Partner/Executive Chef Bud Carter who runs the kitchen.

Their meats are sourced from animals raised humanely on 100% grass-fed grass from New Jersey and New York farms. The menu emphasizes the use of organic products also sourced from local farms and features natural, prime-cut meats, cooked in a wood-fired oven.

While The Butcher's Block is a carnivore's paradise, they also serve seafood as a daily special from Local 130 Seafood in Asbury Park, known for using only local wild-caught seafood direct from New Jersey fishermen.

Chef Carter's kitchen will prepare dishes selected from the menu, and any of the meats diners select from the Butcher shop (at market price). The Butcher shop selections include prime dry-aged beef, bone-in and boneless rib-eyes, tomahawk cuts, and porterhouse steaks, plus chicken, pork, and sausages.

Note: Tomahawk steak is a cut of beef rib eye that has five or more inches of extra rib bone. It's called a "tomahawk" cut because the steak with the long bone resembles a single-handed axe. In some restaurants, it's called the "cowboy steak" or a "bone-in rib eye". These steaks are typically served at high-end restaurants.

For price-conscious diners, be forewarned, ask for the price of the steak before you order. If you're not accustomed to high-quality, metropolitan steakhouses, you could experience sticker shock.

This small family-owned restaurant has an upscale rustic, unique design. The NYC-style ambiance is homey, nostalgic, and aesthetically pleasing.
It takes you back to an old NYC neighborhood block in the meat district. The decor uses a lot of exposed brick, wood, and metal. The layout gives off a hip, trendy, vibe throughout the different themed rooms.

They have a butcher's room where you can select your meats, a cafe area called the Warehouse Cafe, and The Block Parlor, the main dining area. The rooms are small, with only a couple of tables in each. During the warmer months, there is outside seating on tables and benches.

If it's your first visit, you are invited to receive a short introduction about their different steak cuts from their fridge display. They also have an in-house store where you can buy cuts to bring home for your cooking.

The wait staff is friendly. welcoming, and attentive. Hands-on owner Tom D'Ambrisi can be seen roaming the complex with a passion to ensure the diners are having a positive, memorable dining experience.

The Butcher's Bock is open 5 days/week: for lunch Tuesday - Saturday, & six days for dinner Tuesday - Sunday.

Reservations are a must, expect availability to be a week, sometimes up to a month, during peak times.

(updated December 2024)