My husband and I go to El Meson every Friday night by ourselves or with friends and it's truly become our favorite weekly tradition. The food is consistently delicious fresh and flavorful. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the staff always makes us feel right at home. So if you're looking for a wonderful Mexican food and friendly service El Meson is a must visit. P.S try their specials and delicious dessert read more

El Meson - Paella - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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Oh my. I hate to give one star but the food here was laughably bad. I ordered a chicken quesadilla. The server asked if I was okay with veggies in it. I figured onions / peppers (ya know, quesadilla stuff) and said sure. Instead of a pressed cheesy quesadilla I received a tortilla stuffed with huge pieces of broccoli, carrots and zucchini. Totally bizarre and unappetizing. The pieces of chicken were equally bad and were steamed and dry and not flavorful, almost felt like chicken you'd find in a stir fry without seasoning. My husband had the same kind of chicken in his tacos. Not good. Other misses included my kids cheese quesadilla which wasn't properly melted and just filled with shredded cheese. And the guacamole which was watery and not thick or creamy. We weren't sure if this was made with tomatillos, or maybe just water. Whatever it was, I wasn't sold. Pros included a nice outdoor patio, good service, BYOB, and decent chips and salsa. Maybe that's why people come here? For appetizing food this is not where you want to be. I won't be returning. read more

3.5 My wife always enjoys the chimichanga and for the first time I got an entree: Shrimp in garlic butter. It was very good. But the portions are no longer big enough to take some home, like they used to be. read more

It was good, not wowed though. We had to go to raceway mall so I was looking forward to finding a good authentic Mexican restaurant. Parking behind the shops was convenient, even better it was free on Sunday when we were there. Even more convenient El Meson has a path / entrance in the far corner to the parking lot off the railroad tracks. Staff was pleasant but not sure how much any language barriers was an issue or just inexperienced service. They offer indoor and outdoor seating and are a BYOB restaurant. A dos xx would have been nice. My wife got the steak soft tacos and I got the chimmi with lamb. Both plates were $21 each. We both got ample potions of meat in our dishes, her steak was more flavorful than my lamb though and overall my dish was a bit bland, ie not wowed. Rice portion was a bit small but then a good helping of sour cream. They charge for bottled water but don't give you a heads up or choice for tap. I also had to asked for the check twice and when I asked if there is a service charge for using credit. I was told no but then the check came back with a 3% service charge. Again maybe something got lost in translation. Feel free to comment with your suggestions for a really good Mexican restaurant in the area. If they have mole' sauce that would be a plus. read more

Ambience : nice Soup: great tortilla chips: fresh thin delicious I have been here 3 times in the 30 plus years I live here. read more

Our favorite mexican spot. Best food and great service -- truly never disappoints. We're already looking forward to our next visit. Burritos are fire and the super nachos are unmatched. 100/10 read more

My favorite restaurant in the world! Gourmet Mexican food with no resemblance to the rest. Great service - always a wonderful experience.

We went with a party of 8 and the food was fantastic we all had there specials and all loved there meal I had a shank with bone with mashed potato's and it was cooked perfectly.The service is always first class and friendly.If you want a real Mexican meal this is the place for you.They have outside seating and free parking. read more

Everything was fantastic and very authentic the wait staff knew everything about the menu and were knowledgeable about gluten free free food

I haven't had such low grade and poorly prepared food since middle school cafeteria. I had fajitas with steak and lamb. There were 2 tiny strips of steak. And if the other meat was in fact lamb, it was grade F overcooked garbage. But most of the plate was onions and peppers drowned in brown sauce. My kids got burritos that were basically rolled up quesadillas with 3 lbs of cheese to hide the lacking meat. And my partner got a veggie taco bowl that had a glob of guacamole with undercooked vegetables. They also automatically put bottles of water on the table which we would have been charged for had we not asked the waiter to replace them with tap water. How ridiculous! And that wasn't enough, I spent the next day attached to a toilet bowl. How can a Mexican restaurant in Freehold Boro that is home to so many Mexican families be so bad?! Needless to say, will never be going back again. read more

Still my go to local Mexican restaurant food is always fresh. The staff is amazing always making you feel comfortable and the kitchen really gets it out to you hot and delicious. If you've never tried their chicken soup, you're certainly in for a treat read more

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What a disappointment! This place used to be great. Ordered fajitas. Chicken and pork it was tasteless. No flavor. Rice and beans were not hot. The portions were very small. It's not what it used to be read more

Food was not great and added extra into our bill. Food was stale and gave us a hard time with the bill

El Meson in Freehold, NJ, is a must-visit for anyone craving delicious Mexican food. The flavors are authentic, the service is fantastic, and the warm, inviting ambience makes every meal special. Highly recommended! read more

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The free chips and salsa were yummy, a little weird that they charge for refills on that though. I've never experienced that before; but honestly whatevs, we didn't even finish our first basket. The last time I ate enchiladas was four years ago. Since then, I've been acting like a little witch hexed me so that I can only ever order chicken burritos and chimichangas at Mexican restaurants. Thank god I've since broken free from that curse. The enchiladas from here were delicious and extremely filling. The middle enchilada being simply stuffed with cheese was definitely a little bamboozling. I didn't read the item description closely enough while I was ordering so I was anticipating a third meat in addition to the steak and chicken. Feel like they should've put in a third meat for the enchilada combination platter, especially considering the price. Like, come ON!! A rolled tortilla filled with cheese? At a "filled-with-meat" price? Seriously felt like I was being punked. read more

El Meson - Chips and Salsa, Soup (forgot which one) - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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Decided to gout for lunch here with coworkers ! We got seated right away as they only had outdoor seating and it wasnt busy! I ordered chips and guacamole for the table which the guacamole was really good , so I definitely would recommend getting! I wanted to try the nachos , but to be honest I was super impressed. I love nachos but these were just not the greatest. The description didn't specify it had olives which i hate olives but no big deal ill just pick them off but there was so many I couldn't ! Aside from the olives the nachos just werent all that, really not much flavor in them, therefore I wouldnt order them again. Id try something else on the menu. read more

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We come to this place often. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. The salsa is very good and if you like spicy you can also order a house made spicy salsa. Chips are fresh. The service is very fast and efficient. I got the cheese enchiladas with grilled onions and peppers. And my husband got the fajita combo with chicken and pork. Even though I love spicy food my go to sauce here is the salsa guajillo which is more on the sweeter side. The only thing about the enchiladas was that my cheese was not as melted I would like but normally is. You can choose to top your foods with different sauces which is very unique. Food is more authentic than Tex mex which I love. read more

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Excellent stopover for me. I had an hour wait for my rude from Freehold Transportation Center. So I ducked in here for coffee. Very friendly and so nice that when I tried to give them my credit card, they said it's OK and let me HAVE my coffee on the house. Unbelievably nice and a place I would recommend to travelers. read more

El Meson is one of Freehold's go to mexican place. I didn't have high hopes but the enchilada's with salsa verde were better than I thought. The chips with salsa were standard. The outdoor seating was expansive if you want to dine outside. Everything was surprisingly decent and I would come back. read more

El Meson - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Food was good but the "nickeling and dimeing" had me leaving El Meson with a bad taste in my mouth. We sat down promptly and got a small basket of chips and salsa. We learned that if we wanted more chips it would be an additional $5 per basket. Our party of 4 finished the first basket pretty quickly, but didn't want to fill up on them before dinner -- but I have never seen any Mexican restaurant charge for more chips. Maybe this is a new practice post-Covid that I'm unaware of? Right off the bat, I'm rolling my eyes. Next, our waiter asks us what we wanted to drink. We all just wanted water. We were not asked if we wanted bottled, sparkling or tap, so we assumed we'd just be given tap, which was fine. Tap should always be given by default if no alternative is requested. The waiter comes back with 4 Poland Spring water bottles. Again, we didn't ask for bottled, so I had assumed maybe there was a problem with the tap, or perhaps a problem with the ice maker, hence them giving us the bottles. Looking back at it, I should have said something, but didn't think about it in the moment. You can probably see where I'm going with this, but we were charged almost $10 for water. Again, the food was good, but wow the prices were wild. Almost $25 for a quesadilla. That's Manhattan prices. We're not in Manhattan. I understand inflation and post-Covid prices blah blah blah -- but I haven't seen prices like that before. Also, you want to share a plate? Tack on extra $10. The prices just didn't make sense. Lastly, we get the bill and pay with a credit card. As soon as I get the receipt back to leave a tip and sign, I see that a 3% credit card fee charge was added. This was not communicated by the waiter nor stated on the menu. It's not even the monetary value that irks me, it's the principle of adding these hidden fees after I pay for them. This was the cherry on top for me. Passing the credit card fee onto the customer like that is not a good look -- at least absorb it into the already overpriced menu. Or maybe that wouldn't be a good to have most entrees nearing $30. In conclusion -- we won't be back. 2 stars instead of 1 because the food didn't suck. The $10 water + the $4 service fee is the nickeling and dimeing that lost us as customers. $14, basically half the price of an entree, is why I'm writing this review. Sounds kinda pathetic, I know, but it's the principle. Take care of the customers and the customers will take care of you. This wasn't the case at El Meson. read more

Great service. We also liked the outdoor seating area. The food was average. We did enjoy the complimentary chips and salsa. We ordered the chimichanga and enchiladas. Nothing had any real flavor. The pork in the chimichanga was tasteless. We would probably not return with so many other options in the area. read more

El Meson - Outdoor seating covered with heater - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Today we decided to give Meson another chance & have lunch. We ordered 2 rotisserie chicken with white rice and red bean, one order of white rice bean and beef stew. Rice and bean was fine, but chicken was old and super burn and dry. Beef stew was old too 3 burn pieces from over heating. I usually would had return the food but I don't want the drama. So we ate a bit of the rice and bean and chicken left the meat. Watch your receipt they charge 18% gratuity on the sneak. Which I made them return. read more

We just had dinner at El Mason and the food was excellent. The prices haven't changed from all the years we have been going there. The service was also attentive. The restaurant was so clean and the ambiance was perfect for a Mexican restaurant. read more

El Meson has been my favorite local Mexican restaurant for what seems like at least 20 years. The food is always solid and very authentic. My favorite thing to order is always the Taco Salad with steak, (photo in review). This Taco Salad has been exactly the same all these years and so delicious. It's pretty simply made with lettuce, mushrooms, cheese, beans, guacamole, a nice house dressing and a freshly made taco shell. I like mine with fajita steak but you can add whatever protein you like...chicken, Lamb, Mako Shark, Pork Carnitas, beef, etc. Everything is made fresh and the service is top notch. My family is also always happy with their favorite entrees such as their favorites like burritos, enchiladas, tacos or anything on the menu, frankly. In the warmer months it's nice to eat outdoors on their patio. It's BYOB so no frozen margaritas, but you can bring your own! I highly recommend El Meson. If you love Mexican, you have to try it for yourself. You'll be glad you did. read more

El Meson - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

This place was very unprofessional and they treat their customers like idiots. I ordered a salad and this place brought me a soggy salad with cold mushrooms. The salad was $18. When I asked the waitress to charge me for the meat I ate he refused he wanted to charge me full price for a salad I did not even eat. I was very disappointed because the way he handled this situation. My mother order a seafood soup. It was horrible with uncooked veggies and it only came with two shrimps, one mussel, and one oyster for $15 very overpriced. My mother said "it taste like Chef Boyardee". The waitress brought back a hand written receipt and overcharged us $10. We asked him why and he changed the prices on the recipient multiple times. Very unprofessional!!! My family and I will not be returning back to this restaurant ever again. Please save your stomach and your money and go anywhere else with better Mexican food. This place was not authentic Mexican food, I would not even serve a plate from here to my worst enemy. read more

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Great Mexican food. Food price for the amount that you get. My favorite is the tamales but I haven't been there in some time.

This place gets crowded really fast. My boyfriend and I came here around 4:45 PM on a Saturday but by the time we left around 5:30 PM the place was packed. I was originally going to give this place 3 stars based on my dish but my boyfriend absolutely loved his so I'll give it 4. I got the enchiladas with steak as the meat. I thought this dish had way too much cheese for my personal taste but my boyfriend loves cheese so it was perfect for him. I was expecting actual steak within my enchiladas but it was thin stringy chewy pieces of beef. If I knew that I would have ordered pork instead. My boyfriend got the chimichanga stuffed with pork and finished the whole plate haha, he thought the flavors worked really well together. Keep in mind there is a $6 surcharge if you share a plate and only the first bowl of chips & salsa is on the house. We will come back here for the friendly staff and I think I just need to to try a different dish. read more

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Food is good but prices have gone up and portions are getting smaller. Not as good as once was.

First the service was good it's the only reason it I gave two stars. However food is not authentic Mexican. I had a fajita combo and I have never seen fajitas come with broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. The prices are way too expensive for the food being served. I ordered a queso fundido for an appetizer which cost $16 and it was the most oily cheese I had a have eaten, definitely not what I was expecting. It had a nice vibe but will not be returning or recommending this restaurant to anyone. read more

Somewhere between a 3 and a 4. The food is good and you get a good amount of it. Service was fast. Like a lot of places now, you get a slight discount if paying with cash. They are also BYOB. No major complaints except the prices seem a little high. This place has been mentioned a few times but to me, it wasn't anything special. Not a must visit but not bad if you're craving Mexican food with a big menu. read more

i like it here. authentic mexican. BYOB. GOOD CHIPS. good fajitas and enchilada. consistent.

Worst experience. Service and foid were awful. Chicken fajitas were precooked and tasteless. Asked 4 different servers/ busboys for a plate .server never came to ask how was everything. When he asked if I wanted a box and I told him thst the fajitas were inedible, there was no apology, no offer to get something else. Did not take it off the check either. Absolutely the worst, so many great Mexican restaurants in the area, but not this one! read more

The authentic Mexican food is as good as it gets and the chef's special dishes are innovated and delicious. They go out of their way to make your meal a wonderful experience. read more

I took a chance on the swordfish (many restaurants don't do well with swordfish in terms of dryness). I ordered the special, Pez Espada A La Parrilla (grilled swordfish served w/ a Veracruz sauce - tomato-based sauce w/ tomatoes, capers, olives, onions, peppers , garlic and white wine ). It was delicious and very tender. It came with rice and black beans, both of which were very good. The free nachos were warm and tasted homemade. We sat outside in their outside tent area. It was nice - nothing fancy which is what I was looking for. Service was very good. The waiter and others were very attentive and responsive. read more

This is Mexican food that has been dumbed down for Americans. It's more like Tex-Mex. The food was devoid of flavor. I had a chorizo & shrimp burrito. The chorizo was flavorless. The pico de gallo and salse verde were tasteless. The staff was fantastic and very attentive and worthy of 5 stars. But the food was bland and overpriced. Again, this isn't real Mexican food. Not even close. Authentic Mexican food can be had in New Brunswick, Trenton and Bordentown. read more

Large portions and thought food was ok. They would prefer cash tips. It was difficult to read handwritten receipt. They had a nice outdoor space. read more

El Meson - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Five stars doesn't do El Meson justice. I cannot say enough about the overall experience: authentic Mexican food, unbelievably awesome staff, outside seating, & BYOB! As a family we spend a large amount of our budget on restaurants across NJ & El Meson is our go to spot. Give it a try, you will fall in love. read more

El Meson - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

I'm not going to lie, this place is cute, lovely, staff are really nice and PLEASE BE AWARE THIS IS A BYOB SPOT. I ordered salmon tacos which was good, but it was pretty much 2 pieces of grilled salmon on a tortilla. Wasn't bad at all, it was good, and again the staff was super nice. Unfortunately I can't give this place more than 3 stars simply because they're dishes are a bit too overpriced for the amount of food they serve. The serving is perfect, but honestly it shouldn't be priced at $24 for 3 small tacos and a small serving of rice and beans. Also, I wish they had a better selection of tacos. There's no "Taco Section" on the menu and looking for taco is like finding Waldo. My friend and I took about 20 min looking for taco options on the menu. Don't get me wrong, this place is not bad at all, they make you feel welcomed and the food is good. read more

El Meson - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

I want to love this place more than 3 stars but the prices are a little over the top for Mexican cuisine. I understand it's in a nice part of town but there should be a fair price. Most dishes start around 18.99. You can find things less than that. I'm used to ordering 4 Street tacos with all the extra fixings for $8.50 and I'll leave stuffed. The portion sizes are nice and this will most likely be a once in awhile kinda thing. My waiter was friendly and fast. I can appreciate that. I ordered the special, lobster enchilada. My god was it delicious. At around $26 dollars I wouldn't expect anything less. After a glass of water and dessert my bill soared to over $40 dollars for one person. Seems a bit excessive for one person. I know I know. It was lobster. But if it was chicken it would be near $30 I wouldn't say don't come here because you'll miss out on delicious food but just be aware, it will cost you. read more

El Meson - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

El Meson is a little too expensive compared to other Mexican restaurants on the same street and in my opinion the quality doesn't justify a price difference. Had a loco burrito which was good and it was served with two portions of rice (??) and guacamole for $1.00 extra both of which were tasteless. I requested more chips which never arrived as did the server who disappeared after delivering my food so do not recommend and will not return. read more