I've been driving past this restaurant for a year and finally had the opportunity to stop in and eat on Saturday. I'm not sure why the 3.0 rating. I found the food pretty good specifically the empanadas. I could not believe how delicious they were. I thought I made good empanadas but these are better than mine! I have to step up my game. Unfortunately, I dug in and forgot to take a photo. The style of empanadas were the way the Puerto Rican empanadas are made, with the ground beef and potato in it. Very tasty. They were pretty big as welI. I also ordered the corn softshell fish tacos, which had a nice mild flavor. Think they were cod or halibut. I thought I would be able to choose three different tacos, but I could not so I had to choose one type. My friend ordered the Birria tacos, which were very good. I gave him a fish taco and I took a Birria taco. The tacos came with a green sauce as well as chipotle sauce. The green sauce was to die for. I was obsessed with it. The server said he believed it was made with avocado and garlic. I forgot what else he mentioned. I would like to recreate it. The taco platter came with the basic Mexican style yellow rice and black beans. The rice and beans like every other Mexican restaurant that I have dined in, lacked a bit of flavor. I think that's just the way their rice and beans are made. I don't want to compare them with Cuban black, which are the best because those have Cuban flavors and made differently and the Mexican beans are made differently so this did not surprise me and I am not going to take away stars for the way that they are made. I brought the left over beans home and doctored them up with a little vinegar and pack of white label sazon a bit more water for the boil and to mix in the flavors and all was good. The restaurant is very nice with some nice murals decorating the walls. The server, Brian, was very personable and informative. I plan to come back here and try their other dishes. So far, I recommend. Do try those empanadas! You won't be disappointed! read more

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I went here with a friend last night for a girls dinner. We had heard hot and cold reviews here. So we wanted to try it for ourselves. 1. Our waitress was the nicest server ever !! She was so kind and warm. The service was also fast ! And it wasn't empty either !! Everything arrived hot fresh and quickly ! 2. The drinks were fantastic. My friend got the prickly pear and I got the cocoloco ! We both ordered seconds ! 3. We did a special appetizer which was cheese corn and chips. Sooo good !! 4. I ordered the veggie fajita. Came out sizzling and delicious. My friend got the shrimp tacos. There were three and plentiful !! 5. We shared the churros for dessert. Also well worth it. 6 the volume was also easy to talk and hear each other. I don't see how anyone is complaining about this place. Now if you expect authentic Mexican. This isn't it. But for a great night out with yummy food and drinks ?? This is your place. read more

Casa Calaveras was delicious as always! Although it was busy on a Friday night, we were seated right away. The chips and salsa are always a perfect starter. The El Gringo carnitas and beef tacos were absolutely delicious and so flavorful. This was my first time trying the empanadas and they did not disappoint! The two sauces also paired perfectly with them. There are also so many gluten free options on their menu! read more

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One of my favorite local spots! Daily happy hour, amazing food and drinks. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Some of my go to's are chips and guac, steak quesadillas and the burrito bowl. read more

Casa Calaveras - Burrito Bowl with shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Middletown Township, New Jersey

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FOOD- good, presentable, plentiful. Too much topping for a small piece of cod. My cocktail was ok. The flavor was NOT bold. (peach) SERVICE- at first she didn't introduce herself but she was attentive. Very sweet and soft spoken. AMBIANCE- Very nice. Bright colors with low lighting. Very sexy. read more

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Food is always great! Been there a few times and I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves Mexican food and a good vibe. Drinks are delicious. Only negative thing I can say is one time I order the veggie burria tacos and I got actual meat. I noticed on the first bite so no harm done but still a decent mix up. They were very apologetic and very nice about it. read more

Great food for a non-Mexican owned restaurant! Chips and guac were great and had so much flavor. They have authentic Mexican sodas and a huge drink list (alcoholic) to choose from. The tacos were great and felt very authentic. Service was great and the inside is very clean and new. The main reason for not giving five stars is the price of food and transparency from the staff. I understand with inflation that food costs are high but $16 for chips and guac is pretty high. The portion is big but there's too many chips so you have a lot of them leftover and nothing to dip them In. Honestly would've liked a smaller portion with a lot less chips for $10-$12. The transparency part comes from the server upon seating us said "could I start you off with some chips and guac" before even handing us our menus and my wife made a comment like "oh it must be on the house judging by the way she said it" because she said it in the same way an Italian restaurant would ask to start you off with bread and butter that is on the house. Not really saying I expected it for free but if I knew beforehand that it was $16 chips and guac I wouldn't have gotten it. Just know going there that it is a little pricey but the food is great and it has a nice atmosphere, I would definitely return! read more

Casa Calaveras - Steak Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Middletown Township, New Jersey

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Beautiful restaurant and atmosphere. Very nice place to eat when the weather is nice as they open up and have a nice outside eating area. The bar is set up nicely so you can watch sports with friends and family if desired. The wings were tangy, spicy and sweet. Cooked well and a mexican version of Buffalo wings - the dipping sauce is like a ranch made with cilantro - very tasty! I bet it would go well with a beer and some football games! The tacos are presented nicely and you can choose from hard shell, soft or corn tortillas. I had the chili relleno tacos on corn tortillas. The Chicken tacos were just okay - chicken was a bit dry. The kids "american" tacos were good for kids who don't want spice or veggies on their meal. The fish tacos which were probably the best we had at our table. Great flavor. The nachos we got were huge and very good. I wish their cheese sauce had some heat to it, but understand why it's not. Definitely a place I would return to. I would try new items, enjoy the atmosphere and could definitely see myself getting the wings again. Not getting chips and salsa for free felt like I was missing something from my Mexican experience. Also, more hot sauce options. Lastly, the kids loved all the Jarritos options. The Mexican coke is what you find in the glass bottle and it tastes better than a can - just made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. read more

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You will love Casa Calaveras! There's nothing to bash here the place is cool! Lots of bright colored murals on the wall and the dining area has the perfect tone for family and to bring a date. The hostess handled the super busy Cinco de Mayo with control and poise. Nice work for such a pair of young ladies. We made it to the busy bar and were able to grab a drink quickly. Wow the margaritas were excellent! While waiting for a table the hostess grabbed my attention and seated us early at a high top table in the bar area. We ordered appetizers and another round the entire time not being rushed and being well attended to. The food was great. We had a some wings and shared the shrimp salad and some delicious tacos. All while a roaming Mariachi band entertained the packed house. We walked in on a busy Mexican holiday and enjoyed ourselves with a reservation and without a major wait. This place gets 5 stars from me. read more

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Ok so I really do feel terrible giving a new restaurant such a bad rating. Let me preface that I've been beyond excited to have a fun Mexican spot open so close to home. I went opening week and truly hope they improve. Unfortunately I was left with a lack of a desire to return period. The house margaritas we tried all flavors. Extremely strong on the sour mix taste. The passion was the best flavor imo. Still not something I would order again. That's where positives end. All in all we did Guac for the table. It lacked seasoning and we left it uneaten. Felt like such a waste of an avocado and hurt a little since I love guac. Steak tacos with zero seasoning bland very dry. Not a sauce offered. Still highly doubt it would help. I'd encourage even basic s&p maybe a pickled onion for acidity. The chicken quesadillas felt just ok. At this point I questioned who did quality control and if they liked Mexican food. The chicken torta was dreadful and crazy dry. I personally feel like any home cooked taco night would be a better quality of food over what is served here. I expect so much more flavor and in general basic seasoning. The service was slow and that could very well be first week kinks so I don't want to base anything off that. For a beautiful restaurant it's just unfortunate the food doesn't just miss the mark. I'm not sure they know how to cook Mexican food period. read more

Casa Calaveras - Quesadillas steak taco and chips and guac - Mexican Near Me - Middletown Township, New Jersey

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On opening night the service and food were fantastic. The house made guacamole was delicious. The Al pastor tacos and carne asada tacos were delicious. All food tasted so fresh. The restaurant decor is appropriate and lively to go along with the Mexican theme. I would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant. read more

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Was not my favorite Mexican restaurant, rather go to Chilangos in the highlands. Menu was very high priced for what you got, no free chips and salsa and very par food. The margaritas didn't even have salt or sugar on them. The only thing we liked were the wings . Wings- a lot of flavor and good amount for the price paid. Nachos- loaded with cheese and that's it. No other toppings maybe you will get a jalapeño here and a tomato there. Also layered poor, once you past the top layer no more toppings. Flautas- crunchy but cold. Margaritas- good flavor but disappointed no salt or sugar on the rim. Service- our girl seemed like she did not want to be there, nor serve us from the second we sat down. She caught an attitude with us because we were still not sure what we wanted to eat the second we sat. All this being said I'll try it again in the future knowing that they just opened but highly disappointed with all the hype around it. Bill- $107 after tip for party of 2. read more

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This was our first visit here. Loved it! We arrived approximately 5:15pm on a Saturday afternoon and it was too cold to eat outside. When we walked in, the ambiance is absolutely beautiful! It was not busy at all; there were a few tables and maybe a couple of people at the bar. We sat at far end of bar in corner, perfect seats! The bartender Brian came over right away with the menus, plates and was very friendly. We reviewed the menu (which I forgot to take pictures of) and we started with the empanadas. You get 3 with two different sauces on the side. I really like them and they had a lot of meat inside. We weren't going to order anything else but then we looked at the menu and ended up ordering tacos, which they had a few options. We went with the "El Gringos" which come with your choice of meat, pico de gallo, cheese and sour cream (even though we omitted the pico de gallo). Your choice of meat can be beef, chicken, carnitas , steak or shrimp . They ask you if you want flour corn, or hard shell tortillas. I enjoyed them more than the empanadas. I really enjoyed the whole vibe, it was very relaxing, the lighting was cool too. I've seen some reviews where people thought the music was too loud but I didn't feel that way, I thought it was good just the way it was. During our whole visit not only the bartender, Brian, but also the other bartender, was extremely attentive. I will definitely be revisiting this establishment- very happy with my experience. read more

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Spent over $100 for two handhelds and some chips and gauc last night, via UberEats. We requested extra sour cream. What we got was NO SOUR CREAM. Tried to send feedback through UberEats, but good luck with that. Tried calling the restaurant but the phone just rings and rings...This is 2025 and they don't even have voicemail!!! We have spent much money here and at their other restaurant in Atlantic Highlands. Will be rethinking those choices in the future. For such an overpriced meal, for them to skip on a basic condiment? Unacceptable. read more

Wondered why the website never mentioned any of the daily the specials so we called as we heard they were good. They told us what they were but never posted other specials as they said they would. Because it was local, group of us used to visit Monday's after work & ordered the specials including drinks. The food & drinks were ok but gave us an opportunity to unwind together so the mediocre fare was acceptable. All of a sudden without notice, they are no longer open on Monday's! Called once again to inquire & got the cold shoulder. Our opinion is if you're not looking for good Mexican food & you're local this is the place for you. If not, keep looking read more

Have to admit I'm really in disbelief over the low rating so far as I have been there twice and had a great experience both times Staff has been very friendly and the prices have been very reasonable Portions have been phenomenal as both times I had the chicken burrito and ended up taking half of it home because it was so large read more

Casa Calaveras - Mexican Near Me - Middletown Township, New Jersey

This place is delicious. Everything I enjoyed was full of flavor and even some spice! That is hard to come by at the Mexican spots by us. The guacamole was fresh and delicious, and the waiter was well versed in gluten allergy. I had a great meal here and did not get sick- a win. We will certainly return! read more

I hope that this constructive criticism can help save this restaurant from shuttering, but unless there is an immediate and complete overhaul of its food and beverage, including ingredients, preparation and presentation, this restaurant is unlikely to last long. Until then, the major chains of southwestern fast cuisine would be a much better bet. For authentic Mexican food, head to west Red Bank for a number of options with much better food and equally as good service. Perhaps a replacement executive chef is waiting to be discovered there. In any event, bagged chips, seemingly fake cheese and mushy tacos/quesadillas are just not worth the prices here. The cocktails seem to be thoughtlessly made with cheap ingredients. Casa Calaveras does have very good service, which is unfortunate for the wait staff who carry the burden of serving substandard food. read more

I have been going to this restaurant and the food is amazing every time!! The staff could not be nicer, Just a great experience!! read more

Wait was over an hour. However, new place so that's expected. However, not many tables ,a large area is reserved for parties and remains empty even with an hour late time. We ordered the nachos. Fresh ingredients but not enough cheese and very dry overall. I had a burger since they refused a bean for rice substitution on the stuffed poblano. The fries were good but the quality of beef, not good at all. Lots of things on the burger but the chopped meat itself, not even seasoned. Food was served quickly but the wait service was not adequate. We had to continuously find our waiter to get help. On a good note the churros were excellent! read more

Casa Calaveras - Dessert churros. - Mexican Near Me - Middletown Township, New Jersey

Cool place but dang, it's not great. We have Red Bank to compete with, so this need to step it up a lot. Basic food with little flavor, can't recommend it read more

While the ambiance is nice, and the presentation of the food is good, I've just never had a good experience. At a previous meal, the meat in our fajitas were overcooked. This most recent visit, our appetizer was delayed extraordinarily long, and then the wrong entree came out, and the entree was even missing the rice and beans. Once it's a coincidence, twice is a pattern. read more

The best part of this place is the staff. They were all very nice and attentive. Menu and marketing were very promising but shockingly disappointed in the quality and thoughtlessness in executing food and drinks though. Tacos were weirdly soaked in grease, meat was chewy, and flavorless. guacamole tasted old. You can get a better margarita at a chain restaurant. Bill was $100 with tip so it wasn't a cheap lunch either. The hand dryer in women's bathroom feels like it was installed by and for a 6ft man only and was awkwardly high to be effective. I don't understand the execution strategy on any choices they made. Maybe it just wasn't for us or we ordered the wrong things. read more

Casa Calaveras - Mexican Near Me - Middletown Township, New Jersey

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The good: decor is nice; it's clean inside, has outdoor seating, has a full bar The bad: both the service and the food were mediocre. I felt the server wasn't too attentive, the price point is very high for what I feel is average food quality. It's really unfortunate because I was looking very forward to this place and it just didn't have any wow factor. Did I hate it? No, but I also can't justify spending the money for this level of quality. It gets 3/5. read more

Went for date night with my wife - we sat at the bar for happy hour. Staff were nice and friendly. Choices of tequila were amazing We ordered all of the taco choices. Beef - not good. Super greasy and salty. Very basic Al pastor and chicken - the meat by themselves was good (pork was better) but the flour taco was so dense that it made the taco dry and close to impossible to enjoy. You definitely need salsa or some kind of sauce to make it edible. Nachos - guac was great. Chips were not warm and needed salt. It felt like it was a handful of chips right out of a bag and then all the condiments were put on it thinking that would be enough. Recommendation - only go for drinks. Be aware - we both got margaritas and both were very tequila forward. For me that's great but not for my wife. Definitely specify how you like it before getting your drink. read more

Way overpriced, small portions, no complimentary chips and salsa, no condiments, not even salt and pepper, music too loud.

I have eaten here twice, and enjoyed both meals. Service is really wonderful, and the interior is beautiful. The guac and chips are standard, the chicken nachos are fantastic! I had the Carne Asada tacos, the meat was tender and flavorful. The first time we went was a Saturday night, they quoted us 1.5 hrs, but we were sat in 37 minutes. They are working out some kinks, but I will definitely be back. read more

The ambience was really nice, but unfortunately cannot say the same for the food. It wasn't even mediocre and for the price, it was even worse. I would not recommend eating here when there are better Mexican places to eat that are less expensive as well. read more

An honest review! We did not love it, it was okay. What I will say is I believe in the owner. I didn't love Atlantic house when they first opened but they are my go to restaurant now. I believe the owner will evaluate and make changes to give his customers the food they are expecting. I'm not comfortable providing a review of the food just yet. Everything was just fine just not great. Beautiful space and good service. I look forward to seeing Casa Calaveras evolve. read more

We waited an hour for our food and most of it was still cold. I have no opinion on the ambiance, it was quite generic. They were also noticeably understaffed on Mother's Day. There were only three workers outside the kitchen and the restaurant was packed with customers. They also served people who came after us before we got there, and the burger (which I ordered medium-rare because it was served well done the last time I ordered medium there) was served well done once again. I made a yelp account exclusively to leave a negative review on this restaurant, I would have given it zero stars if at all possible. I will not be returning here ever again. read more

SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT I went into this restaurant thinking that it would be a good diner for me and my family but I am sadly disappointed. Me and my family's food was not only very overpriced, it was poor quality. me my self, I got the Kearny Asada taco and may I say it was the oilyest taco I've ever had there should be a picture showing how oily it was. And the worst part of it all is that it was $130 for only three people and all we got was for plates. read more

Casa Calaveras - The Kearny Asada - Mexican Near Me - Middletown Township, New Jersey

The margaritas are out of this world. Paige, our server, always has a smile on her face when she serves. It's truly a fantastic experience! The ambiance there is also great, the murals, tequila, etc is fantastic. I will be coming back - thank you Paige and Casa Calaveras! read more

I've been twice and the chips quac and pico are so delicious. The cocktails are really good. Staff is great. I've gotten steak and chicken both were really good. Fast service and never have to wait for a seat. read more

If you are a vegetarian, you HAVE to try the mushroom birria tacos. Absolutely amazing! Will 100% be coming back for them!

Very cool vibe and ambience. The hostess greeted us with a smile. We knew we were in good hands when we saw that Courtney was our bartender. She made us delicious margaritas, on the rocks, with the perfect balance of tequila and sour mix. The beef tacos and nacho chips with salsa were fresh and delicious. I look forward to my next visit! read more

Chicken enchiladas were so dry I felt like I was chewing sandpaper. Salsa for the chips (8.99 for salsa and chips is criminal) was like chili paste . The green salsa was not bad, probably best part of the entire meal. My soon to be wife got the fajitas, steak had absolutely no flavor . Overall terrible experience and definitely won't be back. Server and hostess were nice so that was good at least read more

Food was very good three out of four margaritas were amazing(tried 3/4), steak fajitas were amazing! Service was great, overall restaurant was very clean and nice. Andy our server, was awesome! read more

Casa Calaveras - burrito bowl - Mexican Near Me - Middletown Township, New Jersey

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It's alright, I would go back for the drinks but the food wasn't given Mexican food, flavors were not there tooo plain

Tonight we went in and got probably the worst service I've ever received. I'll spare you the details but we waited 15 minutes for our beers, 20 minutes to place our food order when the bartender told us he would be right back, and a water took about 15 minutes to hit our table after asking. The food was excellent as always, but the service was not up to par tonight, we felt very neglected even with two bartenders working back there. Was very disappointed with this experience and will probably ask to sit in a booth next time rather than in the bar area due to this experience and seeing the bartender was more worried about the drinks going to the servers than his own table. read more

Food was ok- nothing special. I feel the prices were on the high side for what you get. Margaritas were mediocre. I most likely will not be coming back. read more