The service is bad the waters was so rude .. having a a bad attitude if you guys need more business you should have better service

Don Pepe II is a great place off of 46, I have been coming here with family for a long time, not to regularly but enough to remember the times in between. I started off with the raw oysters and they were all very fresh, I also tried the stuffed avocado which was delicious. For dinner I had the steak which was cooked perfectly and a large portion, large enough that what I didn't finish I took home for dinner the next day. The staff here was very attentive we had ordered a pitcher of sangria and when we were getting low they came by to ask if we would like a refill or any other drinks. The atmosphere of this place is very nice, defiantly a great spot for dinner. read more

Don Pepe II - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

My wife an I have been good here for over 30 years. The original is in Newark and my wife's family used to go to that one before moving into it of Newark many years ago. The food is always excellent. The garlic shrimp is one of our favorite appetizers. I usually get the surf and turf. The service is very good but they do get very busy and sometimes it may take a little long to get your food. Do forget to get a pitcher of sangria!! White or red. It delicious. read more

Food was ok, but extremely overpriced. Also, the waiter didn't like the tip we left. He approached us and wanted more money and then he started talking about us to other people in the restaurant. The waiter never brought more drinks to our table and the food had different portion sizes. He said unlimited rice and Spanish fries, but he never brought us additional rice and fries when we ran out. Not going back !!! Don't waste your time and money! read more

Came for dinner and had a great experience. Food and service were both great. Would definitely recommend!

I recently came to Don Pepe 2 restaurant for a holiday dinner with a few colleagues and what an amazing experience it was. You walk in and the restaurant is very nice and clean and all waiters are very well put together with a shirt and tie. The host is very welcoming as they take you to your table. We had the croquettes, octopus, and clams for appetizers and they were all outstanding. I personally got the paella and it was cooked perfectly. The rest of the table all got steaks of different cuts that were still cooked to perfect medium rare temperatures. For dessert I got the tres leches cake that was so moist and delicious. The service was amazing the whole night the waiter and even the manager coming to the table multiple times to make sure everything was ok. I fully recommend taking a visit to this restaurant if you're ever in the area! You won't be disappointed!! read more

On Easter weekend, three of us and two friends were looking forward to nice dinner. It was 5.00 pm, restaurant was 3/4 empty with plenty of tables. Three of us we wanted to get the table, to sit down. My wife was in a pain from sciatica inflammation a needed to sit down. Receptionist and floor manager told us that we have to wait for our friends - restaurant policy. Our friends were 2 minutes away. As repeating customers we were disgusted with their "policy". We needed to sit down and restaurant was practically empty. We were ready to leave, when our friends showed up and convinced us to stay. We sat down at our table, close to the kitchen, with screeching door begging for oil and banging of dishes. Waiters going in and out of the kitchen. Very annoying. Took over half of hour for waiter to come to take order. He refused to issue separate checks between the parties. Another "policy"! We already lost the appetite and slow service in half empty place with standing waiters watching us eat, did not help our mood or atmosphere. We shared the cost of dinner with friends, but did not reward the restaurant with tip. This brought the angry manager to question our 0 portion of the tip. This was our last time dining in Don Pepe establishment after treatment we received. They can stick to their "policies," we will patronize those who appreciate customers and make them feel welcome. read more

New Year's Eve nightmare 8 people $800.00 including Tip. $90.00 - Raw Ribeye. Cold seabass, Small Dryad out red snapper. Tender loin medallions were not as described, shoe leather. Garlic shrimp did not taste well metallic taste. Veal Chops were purple and black under cooked. Next Bartender approached table in defensive manner with poor attitude, after serving wrong drinks 2 tines was given Titos and Tonic. Instead of Hendricks and Club and Titos and club. Absolute vodka did not taste like it does. Inconclusion, Don Pepe 2 we have been there before and never had such bad table service ever. Beware, they cannot handle New Yeats eve guests. Amateur night. Beware in future. read more

Had dinner inside service was absolutely perfect. If our waiter passed our table he was checking on us and pouring our Sangria. Food was amazing as usual. Huge portions. read more

Don Pepe II - Paella Marinera - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

We ordered food at 3:30 for pickup. They said it would be ready by 4:15. It is now 5:21 and we are still waiting for our order. Disgusting that they gave no idea when it will be ready. I phone call telling us it will be delayed would have been nice. They are even rude about asking a question. Don't eat here or order food on any holiday. Go elsewhere if you want to eat. read more

This place is good. We celebrated our son's graduation at their steakhouse & it was a wonderful experience. The food was pretty good and plentiful. Our family definitely enjoyed the experience. Staff was very, very attentive. read more

The Tale of Twin Lobsters! My wife and I decided to celebrate my promotion last night and we were both craving some amazing seafood and selected Don Peppe II as our spot. We usually head to the Iron Bound section Newark, but because of reviews and being close we selected and we could not be anymore happier with our choice. The staff was great from our greeter to our waiter and all of the runners. All friendly and smiles. The food was even better then expected. We selected 2 appetizers to start; broiled scallops with crab and shrimp stuffing and clams casino. WOW & AWESOME!!!! For our main course my wife selected shrimp in garlic which tasted incredible and the aroma from the dish was fantastic. She new it was going to be GREAT when almost every table had ordered one it looked like. I ordered the twin stuffed whole lobsters. I forgot what a great lobster tasted like until tonight. Truly great dining experience. read more

Don Pepe II - Broiled Scallops with a shrimp & crabmeat stuffing. WOW! - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

Food and service is always great when I dine here. Always gets a little busy, but worth the wait. Love their seafood paella!

I've have gone many times. Most of the dishes are good. I usually order the steak since I don't like shrimp or bronzino or lobster. Paella was ok. Sangria is ok. Bread was meh. read more

My in-laws like this place. Sorry, I didn't like it. Though portions are huge, it lacked depth of flavor. The paella was really wet - I like the crispier kind. I got the garlic shrimp, which was fine. We also had the sea bass and cod fish. I think the sea bass was better tasting since it's fattier. Service is friendly - definitely good for large gatherings. read more

Best thing about a funeral.. too touchy? For the last couple years we've gotten a tray or two of paella from Don Pepe II. From funerals to parties to our Christmas Eve bash on Monday. That stuff goes FAST! Chock full of seafood in every scoop, if they threw in two or three more mussels it'd be hard to stir up. Still haven't found a good plate of paella in Boston. And if my memory serves me correctly, it's better than Sevilla up the street on route 46, although to be quite honest, it's been a little while since I've been there. So go ahead and try it out (and lemme know if I've been spending too much these past few years since it is a couple dollars cheaper.. heh). Trays run about $48 (at least our paella did) and considering a dinner portion in the restaurant is about $22, I think it's a great deal. I know this part is a bit second hand, but my mom said that during her last visit she was required to order two dishes. Anyway, I did check the website and you'll notice that under the seafood menu for dinner, it says minimum 2 orders are required on Saturdays (they tried to order one paella to split, but couldn't). It does not indicate this in the meat section though.. interesting. Parking is tight. Even when I had to find a space temporarily to pick up stuff in the past, it's been difficult. Three stars because I've never actually eaten inside the restaurant. So I can't let you know about the service and the atmosphere. One of these days! :) read more

Don Pepe II - Tray of paella from take out - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

Giant Portions Great place for family gatherings. The servings are generous so best to share the dishes -- like family style. Service is good, though the place is busy and noisy. Family and friends that we took there always enjoyed the food and the sangria. Tip: Split and entree, it's just too much food. Thanks read more

Went here to celebrate my son's birthday--the place was mobbed! We had a 7:30 reservation, and were told repeatedly that we were "soon." When directly asked about when our table would be ready, we received an evasive response. We left at 8:45...never getting to a table! I asked why they take reserves if they can't honor them. I received a response that people sit at the tables too long and don't leave. I would think that business owners should know when tables turn over... We will NEVER be back. read more

Excellent Basque/Spanish restaurant. 1) I will recommend coming here for the lunch specials Monday-Friday. 2) Get the Pollo Al Ajillo, it is one of my favorite European dishes. 3) The warm bread they serve is amazing. read more

Don Pepe II - Pollo Al Ajillo - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

A classic institution with awesome food. Pepe has never let me down! The food is always quality and considerably huge in quantity. I normally do family style here. The seafood is always fresh. The shrimp, the Chilean sea bass, the lobster and their paella are amazingly good! The steaks are good quality and great for the price! Definitely one of my recommended place! read more

An honor to review one of my hometown favorites! Grew up eating paella marinera here. Just the smell is so nostalgic! The sweetest most friendly staff, lovely ambiance, and the BEST bread and paella. Delicious flavor on the rice and the tender seafood. Also loved the spicy and regular olive oil selection. Didn't have room to get postre, but dessert menu looked very exciting. read more

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I have been going here once or twice a month for close to 20 years. I know everyone in the place and they know me. Stop into the bar and you have a "Cheers" experience with people who are there all the time. Except on Saturday night, there is a definite neighborhood feel to the place. If you are looking for a cheap meal, this isn't the place for you. You are going to pay for a great meal - what makes this place special is you will get value for the price. My wife usually has the Chilean Sea Bass. It's a large piece of fish prepared to order. I have tried everything from the baby squid in ink to the veal chops. Their variety is so good that one of my favorites is shrimp and lobster on ziti in vodka sauce (yeah, I know, it's a Portuguese restaurant). My go-to is either of the Paellas since they're good for at least two additional meals. Order one level of done-ness up if you get a steak. Their medium is medium-rare. Don't be afraid to ask them to cook it more - they won't mind. The only dish we ever had we did not care for was the clams in green sauce and only because it wasn't our kind of dish. It was prepared perfectly. Tony got us something else - no charge. I also enjoy the occasional 4-5 lb lobster, sometimes boiled, sometimes grilled, sometimes stuffed. The appetizers are expensive as part of a meal but we often order two or three appetizers and that's sufficient to make a meal shared around the table. Do not be afraid to ask them to give you half portions. I often get half garlic shrimp and half sausage if I am alone since they are too much food separately. On the rare times I have desert, I like the pears poached in port wine with vanilla ice cream. Another measure of a place is how they treat their people. We knew the current manager when he was a waiter. I have watched two waiters and a manager retire from there. His gets good people and they stay. Oh, by the way, Manny's Sangria is great too. And if he recommends a dish, try it! PS: If you go to the Newark restaurant, keep in mind they are different owners. Also, avoid Saturday night and holidays. All food is cooked to order so they can get slow when they are busy. read more

They have both indoor and outdoor dining with social distancing. Windows inside are open for extra ventilation. No hand sanitizer required upon entry or check of temperature as we have experienced in other places. They still hand out menus and specials on a paper; they may want to consider changing this to QR code or ask patrons to view menu on their phone via website. Free crusty warmed bread with butter packets is good for dipping in sauces. When dining in, we try to order what we can finish to reduce the need of take home containers. We shared a pitcher of red sangria, an appetizer, an entree, a dessert and two liqueur coffees for a little over $100. Service wore masks and were attentive. Four generous crab cakes came with tarter sauce. Mariscada Don Pepe was a red sauce with a half of a lobster (no claw), scallops, shrimp, a few calamari rings, small mussels and clams came with side of yellow rice with some red roasted peppers and peas and crispy potatoe slices (always a favorite) the waiter offered more rice and potatoes but there was plenty for us. Tiramisu was excellent! Hot liqueur coffees had a lot of whipped cream had a soda plastic straw which seemed a little odd. Overall a pleasant experience. read more

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Don Pepe II (not to be confused with Don Pepe I or Don Pepe Steakhouse) is a solid neighborhood staple in North Jersey. The location is large, the food is good, the service fair. It wasn't noisy and the place is definitely a little more upscale. However, things like tight parking, brusque waiters, and not seating large parties until everyone arrives leave room for improvement. In addition, I dock points for authenticity - tonight you could have ordered Halibut Francaise. The special appetizer of grilled octopus was fantastic tonight, as well as the steak and the sea bass (also a special). For dessert, trust me on the rice pudding brulee. All other dishes sampled tonight were forgettable. They specialize in extra large portions of paella, which were pleasant, but I've had better. Side note - 100 Reviews!! WOOT! read more

Cons: Made Mothers Day reservations weeks ahead of time, and they didnt keep them nor tell us they couldn't. Our party were told it will be 1 hour ahead of our reserved time. We found this out 15 mins past our reserved time by having to ask the staff and the status of our table. We had 2 disabled persons in our party who couldn't be accommodated because of the literal, 30 people in waiting room. We had no choice but to retrieve our cars and locate anothwr venue. Absolutely unacceptable for a business that has been around for many years and should know better. read more

First off, many thanks to Don Pepe for making my parents 62nd anniversary a successful celebration. While we were unable to dine in, I ventured up to Pune Brook to pick up a to-go order that would have fed an army. Instead it was just the 4 of us. I ordered at the bar and pretty much begged the bartender to ensure the order was 100% correct, hot and well packaged. I enjoyed a glass of their divine white sangria at the bar while I awaited my traveling meal. Surprisingly busy on a Sunday afternoon. Food came out just as requested. The 20 minute ride home was a bit precarious as most of the dishes had some sort of sauce or broth. I can't begin to pronounce the meals as they appear on the menu but we had the stuffed lobsters, garlic shrimp, seafood medley and veal. Not one complaint. In fact, my father who owned restaurants and is a chef in his own right, was so busy enjoying each course he barely spoke. When we couldn't eat another bite I looked at my brother and asked if we possibly had forgotten to feed my parents since I hadn't seen them enjoy a meal like this one in a very long time! The best $150 I've ever spent! In fact, we ended up having leftovers for 2 days! Well done! read more

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Hands down the best espresso martini I've ever had! Their food is my absolute favorite as well. Their pork chops in garlic sauce, shrimp in garlic, and generous portions are just amazing. Highly recommend. read more

I am beside myself tonight, Christmas Eve 2020 ! Ordered 2 Paella one with meat and one seafood. First, the order was over a half hour late. Then, it was only seafood . I called and spoke to a very rude man who said, too bad you have 2 orders. You can drive back and pick up some chicken and sausage. I am now an hour late because they started late. They refused to give me a refund for the wrong dinner! And slammed the phone in my face after saying, call Carmen! It was a disgrace! During a pandemic trying to give business to a restaurant, and this was the treatment! Definitely not worth my 98.00 bill and will NEVER go there again.! Do not order and try to help this business! No stars read more

Used to like this restaurant. Not anymore. Apparently cook has changed. The "Spanish paella" tasked more like a Latin American/Caribbean "arroz con pollo". Please get a Spaniard (Spanish) cook, or send your cook to Spain to learn how to cook. I am not going back to this restaurant. read more

Really enjoy food here! We ordered the grilled octopus and calamari- amazing. The paella order is also huge and full of squid, clams, mussels and a delicious sausage (a small half lobster). The six piece baby lamb was perfectly cooked as well (medium rare). Overall, these were made very well and fed four of us. They may try to convince you to place two orders of paella but don't do it- too much food! read more

Don Pepe II - Paw lla A La Valenciana and lamb - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

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This is our anniversary spot. We've been coming since 2000, the wife before that! 100% consistently great food, staff & sangria for YEARS! The house chips are excellent. Mushrooms in garlic a must app, ask for it. Incredible fish, esp Chilean sea bass & Mariscada. HUGE steaks, pork chops, veal. Garlic soup deeelish! Amazing Choco Choco Choco cake, flan, & specialty boozy coffees. Always a winner, every time. read more

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We ate at Don Pepe II and ordered the Paella for the first time and it will not be the last! Amazing! I wish I lived closer so I could have it more often! read more

Don Pepe II - Paella with Lobster, Chicken, Mussels, Sausage and Shrimp! Delicious! - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

1/22/23 My husband and I dined here for the first time. The service was slow. The food was average. And the distances between the tables was cramped. Hopefully, this restaurant will step it up in the future. read more

This was our first time at this 32 year old restaurant. This is not a place to go for ambience or service (which was very slow), but the food was fantastic. We shared a fantastic, non greasy crispy fried soft shell crab entree as an appetizer. It came with three perfectly fried (and meaty) soft shell crabs. We got their garlic sauce on the side. For entrees we both had the amazing (and messy) twin whole lobsters stuffed with crab meat, shrimps, and scallops. They came with perfectly crispy (and non greasy) handmade potato chips. The stuffing was very good. read more

Don Pepe II - twin stuffed lobsters with crab, scallops, and shrimp - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

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Besides the price is quite high and the scallops I had were quite overdone, I like this place. It's not fancy, but fancy enough. Good for family dinners. The portion is HUGE so people usually pack leftovers. The paella was delicious---perfect and flavorful rice soaked in the sauce and seafood juice, nom nom. You get a decent amount of seafood as well---lots of shrimp, clams, mussels, sausage, and a half-cut not so good lobster. Sangria wasn't fruity enough tho. Desserts are ok. I don't get why you would have coffee after your huge meal. But people do order them. read more

Came here on a tues night, it was pretty empty. Tried the sangria, it was good. Ordered the paella with the chicken, sausage and seafood, the porterhouse, and the egg breaded chicken in tomatoe and wine sauce. For appetizer we ordered the avacado which was yummy. The paella was ok, was expecting better, kind of bland to me and rice was dry. Everything else was great tho. Waiter was nice and didnt rush to get us out cuz we sat there and chitchatted for like an hr after dinner. We had alot of leftovers since the plates were pretty big. the bill came out to 125 ish which wasnt bad at all. I will def. come back again. read more

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For many years our New Year's Eve tradition was to get take out lobster dinners from here. Unfortunately, quality has decreased significantly while prices are soaring. Over $100 for what were supposed to be 2 lb lobster dinners. Lobsters were tiny ( no way were they 2 pounds), tough, rubbery and just not good. Came with only potato chips- no veg or rice as in previous years. Very disappointed. read more

Went here for my mom's birthday and this was my first time even though I've lived here for 27 years! Absolutely loved all the food. She got paella and i got filet mignon, which i did ask for medium and it came out medium rare and then they reheated it to medium well but that was the only hiccup of the night. The veggies were tasty, the potato chips homemade, and the steak was HUGE. I was initially peeved that i had to spend $38 for a steak but it's lasting me two meals...I'm a big dude. Huge portions. Also we got the mussels marinara as an appetizer. Delicious. The dessert menu was impressive as well. I got the Leche frita with a glass of sherry and my mom got a double chocolate fudge cake with an amaretto disarono. Overall, an excellent meal with equally excellent service. read more

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I come here about every six months with my good friend who lives out of town. Service is always exceptional and the food is amazing. My go-to entree is the shrimp with penne in vodka sauce. Huge portions so be ready to bring some home for later. Note for vegetarians: they only have one dish - vegetarian pasta. Everything else has seafood or meat in it. read more

Don Pepe II - Shrimp with penne and vodka sauce - Spanish Near Me - Pine Brook, New Jersey

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I really hate to write this review but this place just was not as good as I thought it was going to be and actually was pretty disappointing. I've been here about ten years ago and it was very good then but now, not so much. So we came here for my mother in laws birthday. Most of the table ordered filet mignon I went with the paella. When the steak came you can see that it's so over cooked. So my husband makes a comment and the waiter/manager? Comes over and tells his mother to cut into the middle, she does and you can still tell that it was over cooked but he totally made it seem like it was cooked medium and the way it was ordered and was trying to justify it. At that point she just gave up and ate it and my husband let it go but the people who got the steaks agreed that the steak was just bad and not how it was cooked, just bad quality. The paella was really...unforgettable. I wasn't blown away and happy that I ordered it. The mussels were sandy and fishy :( We also ordered some appetizers and the fried calamari was cut really thick and was rubbery. The garlic shrimp and the scallops were good though. This whole experience really wasn't ideal and it is going to be difficult for me to come back here knowing what happened this go round. read more