Straight to the point food joint with a lot of of food items to offer. Craving sandwiches to arepas and patacons, all the way to the sweet tooth lovers opting for one of their shakes. I've never had an arepa before so I didn't know what to expect. I got the arepa cubana and omg, it was SO good. It was pretty big too, so I could only eat half at the time and happily saved my other half for later in the day. The arepa wasn't oily/greasy and had the right amount of crunch to it. I'm so glad they didn't overdo it with their house made sauce because it would have left a soggy mess. Notes: Street parking only read more

Banana King - Arepa Cubano - American Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

See all

The woman answering phone calls is very ignorant and kept hanging up on me when i was trying to make an order here. disrespectful

THE SERVICE IS THE WORST. Mind you the people that work here are Latinos so they should have way better service and understanding!. I came 9:30am the place is empty I woke up with morning sickness from being pregnant and the salads they had were literally black in the bottom I asked THE MANAGER THE WOMAN WITH THE BLACK SWEATER if she could make a fresh one because I can't eat a salad that looked like that because I'm pregnant. And she loud and clear said NO because they made the salads at 12!. She's definitely not fit to be a manager. 0 starts from me. I'm willing to be bad reviewing this place until the owners do something about it. read more

not the best place in the world, i feel like the service has changed. hit or miss, sometimes the cashier and ladies in the counter are nice, sometimes they're not. could never go wrong with greasy food after a night out, but wouldnt necessarily make this my #1 option, only if im craving choripapa o sandwich de chorizo...but those prices smh like $15 for a combo not pleasant to sit, ambiance not the best due to randos coming in. 3/5 for me. read more

me and my man went here and girl the server could not keep her eyes off my man. meat too salty and maybe they should wear hair caps.id leave zeros stars if i could. read more

Ok WTH. This was my 3rd time coming to this banana king, bc the first 2 times I got the steak sandwich it was soooo good. I decide to get the steak sandwich again and it taste like SHIT. ughhhh . It was tasteless & burnt OMG. WTH. Straight burned the steak. Not good. Had to throw it away. read more

Banana King - Burnt steak sandwich couldn't finish eating the burnt pieces of steak. - American Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

This was my 1st time trying food from here, but I've here good reviews about the food so I ordered a couple different things. I ordered the Salchipapa which is fries and a chopped up hot dog . The fries were crisp and the hot dog was good as well. Good item to get after a late night of hanging out and drinking. I also got the Porcion Chicharron which was basically pork chicharrons with onions and lime. Was really looking forward to this item but it basically had no flavor to it, and the raw onion smell really over powers the dish and takes away from it, so disappointing Another item was the Cheesesteak Sandwich combo with the Mango smoothie. The most stand out part of the cheesesteak were the burnt hard steak pieces. The best item to get was the Mango smoothie, it was super delicious and the only item I was go there and get over and over again. Make sure to get it with carnation milk!! Willing to go there again just to try other smoothie flavors, everything else they can keep for now smh lol read more

This place has the best milkshakes i would come here maybe ounce a day. Very refreshing (Batidas) means milkshakes. My only concern is the prices are too high really mover priced for a milk shake and a few empanadas. Its incredible how much they will charge you. What i like best about this location is its open 24/7 and every time i come in they are always ready to serve and friendly staff. If your a milkshake lover than i will gurranteed you u come check these refreshing (batidas) Milkshakes out. read more

Treat Banana King as you would any other fast food chain. Are there better options for Colombian food in Elizabeth? Certainly. Look further down Elizabeth Ave. or Morris Ave. and you'd surely find one. Banana King is quite successful in standardizing Colombian fast food, thus they have several locations. You can expect to find an extensive menu of cravings whether it be arepas, burgers, patacones, hot dogs, empanadas, and their namesake shakes. They offer a ton of fruit shake flavors and juices, such as lulo, soursop, passion fruit, mamey, guava, and more. I personally find they make the shakes a bit too sweet, so perhaps ask for them to go light on added sugar. Banana Shakes satisfies the need of an easy, in-expensive, straight-forward ordering experience, without having to walk through a Colombian bakery or restaurant. And perhaps most importantly, they are open late, similarly to Cali Burger and other spots such as Crown Fried Chicken, NY Fried Chicken, etc, and thus serve their purpose as a greasy late night indulgence. read more

Food is really greasy, I can only eat it if I'm completely wasted. Their juices are good I like to get Mora (blackberry) in water, it's like a slushy. Their picada is decent if you're going to eat there I'd recommend that. They are open very late so it's a good alternative to fast food. Meh. read more

I have had chicken and steak kabab all over and with out any mistake they make the most horrible I have ever had!!!

One of my BFFs lives in Elizabeth, New Jersey and is currently located right on Elizabeth Avenue. Little did I know that during my recent visit, I'd have the opportunity to try one of the most renowned local places. Enter my newbie-experience with Banana's King. Or Banana King. I'm not sure which it actually is. Their sign says one thing, their Yelp listing says another. And I have no idea how to ask because I don't speak Spanish, which is what pretty much everyone here does. I still managed to order okay, even tho I am "Grande Rojo Gringo." I love trying local food, especially if it's stuff I've never heard of or tried before. I had a King Patacon, which is a flattened deep-fried plantain with grilled chicken, shrimp, cheese and tomatoes. It was tasty in a "this is great, but I never need to eat it again" kind of way. I also tried the salchipapas, which are fries with mayo, slices of beef sausage and kind of a thousand island dressing that is all the rage around here. You could get it on anything, and there was a special dispenser so you can even have more. The salchipappas were also tasty, and I also never need to eat that again. Really, it wasn't bad at all. But it's definitely not for me. Everything was prepared well, quick and hot. Oh, and I also ordered a coconut shake, because they claim to have the world's best, or something like that. It wasn't. It was nasty. Too sweet and tasted more like hazelnut than coconut. Fail on that. I'd come back and try a few more things. Maybe next visit. read more

See all

Great smoothies. Loved the mango smoothie on milk. The greatest thing is that is open 24/7 read more

Absolutely horrible that not just 1 but ALL 3 cooks did not have their masks on while preparing multiple customers orders. They have a sign posted that no one is permitted to enter without a mask but the employees are not enforcing this state mandated order !! If they can't comply with the states safety measures then they should be shut down for putting others at risk in the middle of this pandemic that has already taken so many lives!! read more

Banana King - None of the cooks are wearing masks!!!! - American Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Great for a quick meal. Better than eating McDonalds or Taco Bell.. Better quality.. --Food: Tasty. Freshly made. Love the cheesesteak sandwich which is about $4. Quality quick (on the go) good. --Drinks: No liquor. Shakes are worth trying :) --Price: Very reasonable. The portion is great for the price. --Atmosphere: Definitely the Spanish chicken shack sort of feel. Nothing fancy. read more

See all

the service sucks the girls don't speak English or they just rude horrible service I will not be coming back they need better people working there read more

Great food Always fast and Fresh ..love the steak arepas and empanadas as well ...have been coming hear for some time now and their always on point ..also open 24 hours is a big plus read more

Banana King - American Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Banana King is definitely not glamorous by any means, but it serves it's purpose. You don't go to banana king to get great authentic Colombian food, because there are so many better places for that. When you're out or up late at night and you have a huge craving for some greasy food you go to banana king because it's one of the few places open. It's a step above the typical fast food drive thru places, and definitely a step or two below the upper tier "fast-casual" restaurants. They do have amazing shakes though. That's just about the only thing I would buy from there in the day time, and the only reason I'm not giving them 2 stars instead of three. read more

Regular Degular shake place. Everybody raves about this place and I honestly can't see why. They had flies as big as humans which was so disgusting but my friend insisted. I can't say I was disappointed it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Banana king is basically a spanish chicken shack nothing more nothing less. I got the #9 combo ordering is extremely hard because everything is in spanish. The #9 is the "patacon king" shrimp, chicken, cheese , tomatoes, and what taste like mac sauce from mcdonalds all on top of a giant plantain slice. Now this meal would have been amazing without the cheese and the sauce it made me sick to my stomach. I hate sauces especially mayonnaise. So I was so bummed out about that. I wanted t love this meal so bad. I do like that their open late, so if you wanted a late night snack or meal I'm sure this would suffice. I feel bad I don't have anything interesting to say about this place. I do wish they had better customer service , nobody cares to explain anything to you. The only question they can answer is what can I get you. read more

This is one of the best, if not the best, Latino places I've ever gotten food from. First off, the Cuban sandwich is absolutely phenomenal. Best one I've ever had, I think. The cheese empanada was pretty good too, especially with the pink sauce, which was totally perfect. My absolute favorite part of my order was the papaya and mango shake, my two favorite fruits blended into a beautiful creamy shake. I was still sipping it slowly to savor it as I wrote this review. All in all, if I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Will definitely order from here again. read more

If you don't know what to try: 1. Mora milkshake and 2. the pernil sandwich w/ pink sauce You can't go wrong with that :) read more

This is your typical milkshake stop but with some spanish flair to it. They have many different options to choose from, banana, mango, passion fruit, blackberry, and you can mix them up. you have a choice with water or milk and if you want it with milk you can get it with condensed milk or just sugar. Condensed milk with anything is amazing and if you don't care for the extra calories, GO FOR IT. They also have some typical spanish street foods, super yummy, well seasoned and to me, it seems pretty fresh. Another tip, they are open late nights so if you ever want a midnight snack and you're around the area, totally stop by. read more

First person I saw when I got into this place was a police officer stand next to the door. Then I realized maybe this isn't the best crowd to be around but who cares when this place has the best salchipapas (fries and sausages) in Elizabeth NJ. I called them first because I just wanted to pick up my food before I was heading home. It took me more than 10 minutes until someone finally picked up the phone. But who cares when they have the best salchipapas in town. I was waiting in line to pay for my order and there were 5 guys staring at me which made me feel uncomfortable since I was there at 2am. But who cares when they have the best salchipapas in town. Finally I got to the cashier to pay for my food and the lady told me they had an issue with the system so they weren't able to receive any cards. I didn't have cash with me at that moment so literally needed it to count some quarters I had in my purse to pay for my order. But who cares when they have the best salchipapas in town. All I can say is if you are a salchipapas' lover give it a try to this place located in Elizabeth NJ read more

Nothing like a dingy, greasy, late night spanish spot! When you drive up to this spot, you can already spot how obnoxious it is with the green and yellow signage. The menu is simple and straight forward. I always get an order of salchipapas (their fries are baaangin, got that "special sauce" which is clearly ketchup + mayo mixed, and hot dogs in it), a chicken empanada, (If u catch them fresh and not dried out then major thumbs up! The filling is tasty and the crust is nice and crunchy!), and a mango shake. Super delish. Great late night spot for drunk food. read more

I've been here a few times before - there is a plumbing supply store next door and sometimes you can't find everything you need at a big box store! It's in the not so great end of Elizabeth Ave. but as long as you park right in front, you'll be alright. The shakes are legit, many different Latin inspired fruity flavors and your run of the mill flavors like Mora (blackberry)! I've also had their hot dogs there before - "Sabor Latino style" with ketchup and mayo topped with shoestring potato chips! Very delicioso! They also make burgers and have a hot food display with empanadas and arepas. If you don't speak Spanish, have fun and pronounce the best you can! read more

Love the drinks. Take out is smooth, smoothies are out of this world. Passion fruit is my favorite

Honestly, their food and milkshakes are so good! But the service not so much. There is this lady that works here she was the rudest waiter ever! She kept on telling everybody how important her hair is. While everybody tried taking their order. When I call to place an order they do no answer what's the problem? read more

It is open 24hrs!!! Beware: This is a bad neighborhood. This is one of my favorite places to eat. It is Colombian style fast food. I like everything in the menu ( I may be bias because I am Colombian and enjoy the food) But plenty of my American friends enjoy it My go-to is the steak sandwich with bacon with passion fruit smoothie made with milk (you have options) The smoothies are great if you like tropical fruit like mango,passion fruit, etc. Go somewhere else for Vanilla or Chocolate. Sometimes I get get the chorizo with arepa. ( Colombian sausage with corn style bread) *This is behind the glass food. I hear good things about the salchi-papa Overall: I say its worth the try . If you like latin food and enjoy fast food. This place is for you. Don't go asking for anything gluten free. Those words have never been spoken out loud in this place. *Don't get anything out that has been sitting behind the glass when its super late and night and it looks like it has been sitting there for a while. read more

eh, I think Banana King is more hype than anything. The King Patacon is made of a large tostone with tomato, chicken cheese & shrimp. It ok. Don't go thinking it's the best thing around because you will be disappointed. Just an fyi: make sure to clarify when ordering empanadas which type. They carry the regular ones (you know, with the form outline on the crust) and Colombian ones which are pretty repulsive. The milkshakes are in a league of their own though & I highly recommend them. I do wish they had someone working the counter who spoke a little more english though. I understand you are in Elizabeth but these are young workers and not everyone who goes there speaks spanish. Thankfully I do speak spanish so I was ok but it was pretty painful watching others order. read more

This is by far the worst banana king I've ever been too!! THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS SO BADDDD, will not be returning here even if my life depended on it. read more

I have just had the WORST arepa in my life . No if and or buts about it. It was literally the Taco Bell of arepas. Disappointing.

Really great food! Just make sure you plan out when to order them. They take their time and also they get a lot of orders.

This place makes slightly okay (subpar) food and shakes if you want something quick. But god forbid you try to customize an order due to allergies. They just decided to purposely mess up my order beyond belief for the last time (arepa was completely torn apart and full of the pink sauce which I specifically asked to not include because I'm allergic to tomatoes). I got the message loud and clear, I won't be coming back here to avoid you guys having to do less work (if you really think about it). But not before I make sure other people are aware of their complete lack of consideration. Y'all almost had a long-term customer. Almost. read more

Crappy service . I had to wait 5 minutes for the cashier to finish texting before I could place my order. I had the chicken empanadas and a banana milkshake. The shake was my favorite part, very tasty . The empanadas on the other hand were very dry . read more

The food here is not the greatest, and the customer service is not 5 star however this should be expected from a business such as this. They are a small operation and the food they provide is good, it is not that most amazing looking food but the quality is still good. My biggest pro for banana king is that they are now featured on uber eats which is a big reason for my increased business as I used to never frequent the location due to its difficult parking. They hours are great and their smoothies are amazing, I think that if I could rate items of food separately then the smoothies are actually 5 stars but the sandwiches are not on the same level. Overall you will spend more money than you would at some other burger spot or McDonald's but the quality of restaurant is above that but below an artisan sandwich/burger spot. Favorite order is the Cuban sandwich and strawberry smoothie. read more

Oh the many little treasures in Elizabeth. If you are craving a milkshake, this is the place to go. They have dozens of flavors ranging from mango, papaya, and so forth. But wait, there's more. Much more. They have delicious burgers AND lots of staple Cololbian treats like Empanadas (though, I will tell you right now that if you're looking for a really good empanada, there are better options within walking distance) Overall, a nice place to hang and it's open late. read more

Camt go wrong here. The shakes are King. Gotta love banana king. Order the steak sandwich with cheese and the chocolate shake with condensed milk. Liquid gold! read more

Banana King - American Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

I used to eat here a lot, but now that my metabolism has slowed down a bit and I place more importance on the quality of food I eat, I only eat here once in a while. When I first discovered Banana King, I was in love and would have given it 5 stars. Banana King is great if you're in the mood for greasy, fattening fast food. The shakes are yummy (too sweet to drink my own- I usually just steal some from my husband). I usually get an arepa when I eat here (I like just about all varieties). Emapandas are good, too, if you're looking for cheesy and greasy. read more

Only in this banana king will you ask for no mayo, and the girl will ask you three times if you want mayo or not, and they still put mayo on your food. Just go down the street to Alvarez, not worth it. read more

First of all, it is called BANANA KING. Not Banana's. No one named Banana owns it. And it is NOT a bad neighborhood. You get out of your car, grab what you want, get in your car and go. No one is going to rob you for a smoothie. I particularly like the house mix for a smoothie and the flavor is outstanding. I could taste the strawberries, mango and pineapple. It was the best. read more