The food I have eaten here is better than some of the food I had in PR. Prices are great. Very…read morenice people. I really like this spot. The rice was good and just what I been lookin for. Thanks I needed that. I didn't know what to pick it all looked good. I will be back to try more.

Why go off-roading in the Barrens when Camden's right across the river? Be sure to take pockmarked…read moreand cratered River Avenue, bypassing valleys of decayed industrial might, passing hills of bustling auto shops until your Civic reaches the corner shop, beside the old ice house, with the wide window lit with neon and the awning colored the red white and blue of Puerto Rico and listing half a dozen fine entrees. Is this Camden's version of El Barrio? The space has nothing homey about it, it's just a big room full of cheap-cushioned chairs and different-sized tables. The steam table is the main attraction, massive and brooding, a stainless steel ENIAC, its slots filled with Hispanic stews, starches and staples we have grown to know and love. Primarily take-out, the steady flow of customers provides a nice slice o' South Jersey livin': you got the mechanic, the mail man, the construction worker - surprised to see no cops, but every man for himself and god against all in Camden, NJ! And the food's as hearty and wholesome (and sometimes even a little 'over-proportioned') as El Borinqueno's customers. Order the pollo a brasa and the stout grandma behind the counter takes a serrated blade to a bronzed chicken, tanning in a bin with her girlfriends, cleaving off a Fred Flintstone mallet of moist leg and thigh covered in a light spice rub. The same blade makes a special guest appearance when one orders the roast pork, wherein the stout grandma nonchalantly hacks sizeable hunks of flesh off a massive pork wad. The pork looks and tastes great, with a golden, crisped skin shielding the glistening layer of fat covering the bashful white meat. The skin's the best part - a moist snap crackle pop of pig, not burnt but "cooked to perfection". All meats come with a side of thick red beans and a choice of starch - fluffy white rice, salty yellow rice sprinkled with a shower of tiny pigeon peas and green peppers, and some sort of fried-looking rice. But, I'm just mad about saffron - there's nothing like yellow rice cooked right! I surely don't have the acumen or the patience for it, but someone here definitely earned her chops. Be sure to flood every item on your plate with lots of garlic sauce and vinegary hot sauce. Obviously, the restaurant isn't South Beach Diet certified, and I'd avoid the beach if I ate here too often. You can even order deep fried empanadas for a "snack" - they're okay, a wide variety (pizza, cheesesteak, chicken, shrimp, beef). The beef empanada is stuffed with a beefy paste tasting like bolognese. Which is pretty decent, and worth wearing that tread mill out for!

The servers at this restaurant are rude and incompetent. I went in to eat with my family and they…read morebehaved like they did not want to work there and uninterested. I asked them for certain things and they acted like they lacked comprehension skills. The food here is good, but the service lacks attention to detail and enthusiasm. My family did not feel welcomed and the experience was lackluster. I expect better from this establishment, especially since it became popular due to the community that surrounds it and the people that choose to spend their hard earned money there. Los meseros de este restaurante fueron groseros y poco atentos. Fui a comer con mi familia y parecía que el personal no quería estar allí. Cuando pedí algunas cosas sencillas, actuaron con desinterés y falta de disposición, lo cual arruinó bastante la experiencia. Aunque la comida estaba buena, el servicio carecía de entusiasmo, atención al detalle y cortesía básica. Mi familia no se sintió bienvenida y, en general, la visita fue decepcionante. Esperaba algo mejor, especialmente de un restaurante que ha ganado popularidad gracias a la comunidad local y a los clientes fieles que deciden gastar su dinero con esfuerzo aquí.

The food was okay. Not very fresh. The freshest item I had was the vegetable mofongo. Decent…read moreflavors. It didn't seem very clean inside.

The food was really good. It is tapas so the portions are very nice and shareable. The only reason…read moreI don't give it a five star it's because I was looking for more options. We have visited Spain and we have come across having some sort of meat so that was kind of disappointing. The service was great atmosphere is very nice and cozy but we definitely did not see the menu before going and so be expected to have more meat variety. .

Small restaurant with good tapas! Sadly they had run out of empanadas by the time we arrived, but…read morethe deliciously hearty mussels more than made up for it. I would probably not order the cod fritters again as it didn't really do anything for me, and would get the patatas bravas with extra sauce. The service was great and the whole experience felt cozy since it's BYOB and a smaller space. Unfortunately it's probably not a great spot for groups bigger than 4 just given the size but perfect for a casual date night or catch up dinner with a few friends!

long time amada goer here. recently they added and changed a few things so I thought i'd give some…read moreinput. as usual the service, and ambience was impeccable. I am vegetarian, so here are my thoughts on the new items. Ensalade Verde: is the absolute best salad in the city. in the country even. absolute must get. it's big, however me and my sister still refuse to split it. definitely shareable though if you're not as greedy. Patatas Bravas: slightly different iteration than their past one. I think it's actually better. you get more potato's, more sauce, and the sauce just tastes slightly better but who knows. always ordered when we go Brussels Catalana: technically there is blue cheese in this, however, I am a certified blue cheese hater and I had no idea. so don't be turned off by that. first time having this dish and it was solid. good portion, well coated, right texture. will get again Pimientos De Pardon: shishito peppers were good, decent amount of them. I think everyone had three and we had 4 people. wouldn't get again just because there are other things more worth it but still great. Unknown Cauliflower dish: i'm not seeing it on the menu, so maybe it was just removed, but it was essentially a cauliflower gratin dish. I wouldn't get again. it was good, but lacked salt and was basically just a cauliflower in some heavy cream with a tiny amount of bread crumbs. Valenciana Paella: this has meat in it obviously, but I did eat around the pieces. if you're vegetarian and don't mind your food touching the meat, it's very easy to pick around. all the meat pieces are medium sized. This was very good, the rice was amazing, the watercress was so good. presentation was great. worth the time and money especially if you eat meat Ganache de Chocolate: pretty good. honestly interested in trying the rice pudding next. or just ordering another patatas bravas for dessert. shareable between two people. Passion fruit mocktail: MUST GET for all non drinkers! expensive? yes. worth it? yes. taste is great and it's also a nice thing to have if you're with others who drink and don't want to be left out. it's set up just like an alcoholic drink would be.

78/100 Amada is…read morecertainly a good date night restaurant with its polished interior, small bites, and intimate lighting. However I found it to be unsuitable to dining with a large group due to it being very loud and crowded. I'd recommend the tasting set if you want to be full when you leave without breaking the bank. --- I dined at Amada on Friday night with a party of 8. Typical of a Friday night in Philly, Amada was packed. It was incredibly loud, which meant you couldn't hear anyone past those seated directly next to you. Our server, Alexander, was excellent. Since the whole restaurant was fully seated, service was a little slow (2 hours for our meal-not tasting menu), but his attitude and friendliness were exceptional. The tapas (small bites) are meant to be shared, meaning it will come out at different times if you all order individually. The staff plated nuts separately so that we could still share while being mindful of our party's dietary restriction. We ordered numerous tapas try for the table: (1) chorizo Bilbao, (2) piquillos (crab-stuffed peppers), (3) tortilla española (Spanish omelette), (4) espãrragos blancos (asparagus), (5) pimientos de padrõn (shishito peppers), (6) setas (mushrooms), (7) torreznos (crispy pork belly), and (8) chicken skewers. Overall, everything came out smaller than we expected for the price. (Not too upset since it's a $$$/$$$$ restaurant.) The flavor of every dish was tasty, if not all a bit salty. The standouts for us were the: (2) piquillos, (3) tortilla española, and (8) chicken skewers. I really enjoyed the crab filling of the piquillos, the balance of flavors in the tortilla, and the juiciness of the chicken. In the end, we racked up quite a bill and were still hungry afterwards. Personally, Amada is out my price range, but everything was quite flavorful. For others, I would recommend dining at Amada with smaller parties (6 or less) to accommodate the loud ambiance. Amada is definitely better suited for a romantic date spot or small gathering. For better value, the tasting set may make more sense.

Delicious food great customer service. This restaurant is very clean as well.Best Latin food in the…read morearea.

There are only a few tables. This place does a major takeout biz. The customer area in front is…read morenicely tiled and kept very clean. There is plenty of staff to help. The food is mostly prepared in advance and ready to eat. Upu will see it on display at a glass-enclosed steam table. It is appealing and will peak your appetite. Dominican caribean latin. Eanglish and Spanish are spoken.

Patatas bravas (Salsa Brava, Garlic Aioli) $8.5 - was afraid this might be too salty but it wasn't…read more The aioli was good to dip the bread in as well Rainbow trout (Basil Purée, Aleppo Pepper) $14 - favorite! The basil puree was light but flavorful. The trout was soft, easy to cut, could eat a whole thing myself Chicken thigh (Aji Verde) $10.5 - a little difficult to cut but not bad. Wouldn't mind ordering again but would likely try something else since there's so many options Moruno lamb loin (Asparagus Purée) $14.5 - least favorite. Difficult to cut. A little oily Spiced beef empanadas (Red Pepper Sauce) $8.5 - a little spice, soft, not greasy. Red pepper sauce was the best part of this. Would get again Albondigas (Spiced Meatballs in Jamón-Tomato Sauce) $9.5 - soft, sauce good to dip in the bread One of the managers stopped by our table to check how everything was. We appreciate that he came down to our eye level to talk to us. Little things like that makes a big difference.

There were a lot of options in this pleasant surprise of a neighborhood, but I had my sights set on…read moreBarcelona a day or two before based on the menu - it looked edgy and tapas felt like the play on a day that was going to involve a lot of eating. I came into town for a brief cameo to go to the Phillies/Mets game with my cousin chums, a game that will go down as one of the most unpleasant in-person experiences of my life, but that was to Barcelona's benefit; what the Mets lacked in competitiveness and quality starting pitching, Barcelona made up for with unique and tasty offerings. We stopped by this past Saturday afternoon around 2:30pmish. The movie marquee on the exterior is a very cool touch and definitely something you notice from a block out. It was a little chaotic when we first walked in (seemed like a birthday party or baby shower had just ended) so it took a few minutes to get someone's attention, but not a big deal. We got a chance to soak in the interior, which was pretty modern/pleasant; heavy emphasis on wood, both in terms of the tables and walls and cool, dim lighting. Given the sunny weather, we opted to sit outside and quickly requested a change to the shaded table after changing two or three skin tones in five minutes. All good. Everyone was emotionally drawn to the charcuterie (which would have been impossible to overlook anyway since it took up a significant chunk of the menu), and we went with the Aperitivo Board pretty much because one of my cousin chums has an unhealthy obsession with olives. Good overall though it didn't have the edgy variety of the top-tier boards I've had (which for my money usually include sweeter options like fruit compote and my all-time fave charcuterie accompaniment, honeycomb), but it did the job. The real highlight of the board for me and possibly everyone though was the patatas bravas, which was basically seasoned potatoes covered in garlic aioli. Delicious, even though it seemed a little naughty to have it on a charcuterie board. We also ordered two additional tapas, the albondigas and the jamon & manchego croquetas (I think), which translated roughly to meatballs and a bowl of French fries topped with an egg and some ham. In hindsight I don't know why we doubled down on the potatoes but it is what it is. The meatballs were very tender/juicy, but I don't think I sampled too much of the croquetas beyond grabbing a random French fry or two, so the combo of that dish was probably lost on me. Everything hit the spot though - no issues. I also got some chilled red wine, which I selected because red seemed like the move and it was very toasty outside. Not a particularly sophisticated thought process there, but didn't need to be. The service was fine; we weren't in a rush and basically had a leisurely pace throughout the meal that our waitress matched. It was pretty busy in our area as well, so if we were waiting a few extra minutes here or there, that made sense to me. A few of the Boomer male customers shot me passive aggressive looks at my Mets jersey, but I'm not going to blame the wine bar for some of their Cro-Magnon clientele; as long as your staff isn't making tongue-in-cheek comments about Chase Utley and Ruben Tejada, we're good. Very cool spot, and would have zero issue coming back to explore more of this lengthy menu, inside or outside.