The food is okay, I was hoping to be wowed a bit more but it's average. Points for being a halal spot that's a little different for your typical fare, though. It's a quick place for lunch and a few healthy options. The food comes out quickly and I did like their sauces. I will say I was a little disappointed that the bathroom did not have a changing table but if that's not a concern, feel free to stop in for a quick bite. read more

Espetadas - Chicken Wrap - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

Espetadas has made for a pretty underwhelming take out experience for my whole family. I cannot speak on the atmosphere or service, but I do know that the food was ready when my family member went to pick it up. We tried the Chef's Special which includes the chicken espetada and cataplana with two sides. We got the chicken espetada with the mild sauce, which was skewered chicken. This chicken was undercooked and not tender at all. The mild sauce was also okay. The cataplana is a chicken dish with rice and vegetables. The chicken in this dish is definitely better, but the rice tastes sour and the vegetables are for okay. In terms of sides, the mashed potato is okay, but honestly worse in quality than at-home mashed potatoes. The coleslaw is the only decent thing I tried, though nothing special. I definitely will not be dining with Espetadas again. read more

Pictured: Chicken Espetadas $19 The chicken tasted pretty decent but they can definitely improve the spice level. The presentation was great but service was slow. Overall a 6.5/10 read more

Came here as a group of 4 on a Saturday night and we were seated immediately! There is plenty of seating with tables and booths and the service was prompt! I started off with the Arabian mocktail which was very tasty and fresh. They don't skimp on portions here which is rare for the area we were in. The food was definitely 10/10, I split the espetada fusion platter with my husband and we got chicken/ beef as pictured with 4 sides (mashed potatoes, fries, spicy rice, and coleslaw). The fact that we got so many sides with heavy portions was a huge plus and not something I was expecting! It offered lots of variety to eat the meat with and added to a great experience food wise! I'd give bonus points if I could for presentation, the meat came on hanging skewers that were easy to maneuver and added to the overall experience! Given the great service and delicious halal food, I would definitely come back and try more items! read more

See all

This place was great! Simple ambiance and cozy. The server was helpful with recommendations and we got our food pretty quick. The drink I ordered was a mocktail type drink and it was so good. The platter was definitely enough for two so I had leftovers. The meats were so good. I'd add a bit more sauce to them. The sides were also all delicious. The chocolate brownie with ice cream was really good. I'd tone it down a bit on the heat as the skillet got over bubbly. Overall a great place to eat. I'll be back here for sure. read more

Smells amazing! Truly smells like off the grill! Ordered the chefs special platter with the sauces to be garlic flavor and the sides were grilled pineapple and grilled corn on the cob. The food was delish. Freshly made. Loving the grill marks on my pineapple and corn on the cob. Chicken was moist and juicy not dried or overly cooked. Veggies were good. Except the broccoli seemed over done. Was craving halal so this satisfied my craving. For $20.00 it was a big portion. I was able to share it with two family members. Placed some hot sauce on it and it was done! Lol will have to try the beef and jerk bbq sauce next time! Staff was super friendly. Clean atmosphere. In observance they have a waiter to cater to your dining in needs. The decor gave an industrial trendy vibe. I believe I saw a communal sink by the bathrooms which reminded me of my travels to Asia. Communal sinks I think are good bc you see who washes their hands or not! Lol how could you NOT pass up washing your hands before eating? Lol Overall good place to try out and come back to. Wishing nothing but future success my friendship :) read more

Espetadas - The counter to place an order - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

See all

Definitely not the Peri Peri spot I was hoping for it to be, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of their other offerings that I might just return for. If the food had come out hot we might have enjoyed it more, but as is the preparation and flavors were still pretty good. Beef Skewer - definitely the best item we had. The beef is grilled medium. The huge chunks are juicy and easy to chew. The flavors are delicious, I don't even know how to describe it aside from awesome! Peri peri chicken - disappointing. Not nearly as succulent or saucy as Porto's. However, the spicy sauce is pretty banging! Fries - loved the crunchiness of the battered fries. I wish they were seasoned like at other Peri Peri places. Grilled Pineapple - VERY disappointing. Canned pineapple with some grill marks on it. A missed opportunity. Thanks for having prayer rugs in the corner! That and the classy interior decor makes for a warm and inviting place for dinner! read more

Espetadas - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

See all

I heard about this place probably two weeks ago when someone I follow on Instagram went to the friends and family event and had only good things to say. With my mom's birthday coming up, I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to try a new restaurant and support a Muslim business. I reached out to the restaurant on Instagram 5 days ago on 12/26 to confirm whether they'd be open on New Year's Eve and if so, what their hours would be. They responded quickly with this information and then a few days later advised me about the time when the kitchen would close on New Year's Eve, which I appreciated. The day of, I placed an order via Menufy at 3:38pm for a 6pm pick up. My husband arrived at 6pm and is told it'll be 10 more minutes. No problem. He heads over to neighboring Shoprite to pick up a few things. He comes back to the restaurant 10 minutes later, and is told it'll be another 20 minutes. At this point, he asks to cancel the order, but the owner insists it's almost ready. My husband proceeds to wait another 25 minutes for the order before it's ready. Apparently there are several other irate customers who are also waiting an inordinate amount of time for orders placed well ahead so this doesn't seem like an isolated incident. He comes home with the food and we realize the two drinks we order are missing. He calls the restaurant and they say he can come back in to get them, which at this point is a ridiculous proposition. We ask for a refund and end the call. We got the trimestre frango, picatta burger, and chicken espetada along with several sides: baked potato, cole slaw, fries, grilled pineapple, and corn on the cob. All of the chicken dishes taste great and the sides rounded out the meal. The chocolate mousse is a tasty and light way to end the meal. It doesn't hold a candle Nando's, but in a country that doesn't have a single halal Nando's, it's as good as the halal community will find here. The circumstances under which I'd patronize this restaurant again are when they iron out whatever issues cause them to delay orders by an hour or more. They may need to limit the number of orders they accept or update customers with a realistic pick up time. We wouldn't have minded being told orders need to be placed 4+ hours ahead of time OR being told they cannot accept any more orders for the day. Clearly, business is booming, but at some point, the amount of money you bring in by accepting a number of orders you cannot satisfactorily fulfill isn't worth the number of dissatisfied customers who are turned off by long waits and incorrect orders. Do right by customers and the business will flourish. If this restaurant survives its first year, I'll consider going back when they iron out these rookie mistakes. TL;DR - food is good, but order management system is unacceptable. read more

Espetadas - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

See all

Food was amazing!! and fast and amazing service get the BROWNIES The chicken burger was one of the best burgers i've had and the french fries were perfectly crispy outside and soft inside the mild sauce is amazing with the mashed potatoes and the Mashed potatoes were the best i was expecting boxed mash but it was amazing read more

Espetadas - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

Had food catered from here last night. So so good! Chicken was nice and moist. Rice and veggies were delicious! Can't wait to go here for an actual meal. read more

Espetadas - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

Tried Espetadas US few days ago. Excellent experience, from customer service to food to ambience. We had fusion espetadas, to get an idea of chicken and beef, and both were very well cooked, soft and juicy, beef wasn't over cooked and each bite was bursting with flavors. Also had beef gourmet burger and it's also worth recommending as they have not tried to ruin it by adding Desi flavors in it and have kept it authentic. Sides, worth recommending from the ones we tried, are mashed potatoes, French fries and sautéed vegetables. Very pleasant and flavorful addition to the Desi halal food scene and being Portuguese, make it stand out from the crowd and is totally worth it. I wish them very well. This is here to stay Insha'Allah. read more

See all

There was only 1 guy working there when my party of 4 showed up. Service is not fast paced but we liked it. It made the meal seem more intimate and gave us plenty of time to talk to one another. Atmosphere is cute, could definitely see it as a date night spot. The food itself was SPECTACULAR. We had the Espetadas Fusion, which is Chicken and Beef so you can try both flavors (and it comes with 4 sides!!) and Seafood Cataplana. The espetadas were amazing- it just takes you to flavor town. For the sides we ordered 2 seasoned rice (definitely get this), 1 sautéed vegetables (nice palette cleanser), 1 baked potato (eh). The cataplana is lightly seasoned, allowing the natural flavor of the shrimp and vegetables flavor the rice. Would recommend giving them a try! read more

Espetadas - Espetadas Fusion Platter (sides: 2 Seasoned Rice, Baked Potato, Sauteed Vegetables) - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

Nice and friendly staff BUT. Food is ok. Alfredo is actually pretty good. Chicken is good. Where I sat, my food got cold in seconds, there was an air vent on the top above me blowing air into my food and cooling down. Hmmm, I hate cold food. Steak is good. Rice was dry , fountain soda was horrible, please get your machine checked. But it wasn't worth the money I spent to eat. Price VS food and experience, probably won't come again. Maybe do take out for the chicken? My Alfredo is better and so is my steak rice and veggies. read more

See all

Love their burgers and the presentation of the food. Place is always clean, it's easy to find parking and it's halal. read more

We decided to give this place a try, since we never had this type of food before. Ordering from them online was easy and the order was correct when we picked it up. We ordered the espetadas fusion. One beef and one chicken, basted in hot sauce with extra-hot on the side. For sides, we chose 2 sauteed vegetables (which was mainly zucchini and yellow squash, with a bit of broccoli and carrot, but not bad), a rice side (not spicy at all) and grilled pineapple (good). There were six small pieces of meat on each espetada, separated by red and green bell pepper slices. The reason I deducted a star is because this is not a lot of meat for the $55. However, it was very tasty and the extra-hot sauce has a slight kick to it. For us, this place will be a once in a while something different place, not a weekly go to. read more

See all

The peri peri chicken wasn't really cooked through and I got the "hot" flavoring, which was just red pepper flakes thrown onto the chicken. The spicy rice was ok, and the mint mojito was good. The peri peri spots in Nyc taste better. read more

The food was just so so. The serving was very bad. The service lady dosen 't know the menu. What is the worst is they cheat on the check. The price on the menu is much lower than they charge. We bought 110$ food but they charged us 180$. read more

Unimpressive. We had a (very small) half chicken - the white portion was dry & flavorless. Sides were ordinary steamed broccoli and yellow rice (decent). I got the piri piri sauce on the side, that was fine. My wife had a non-alcoholic pina colada which she said was quite good. Overall it's a sort of Greek diner disguised as a Portuguese restaurant. read more

Great food with a friendly setting. Would definitely go back and have recommended it to friends.

We ordered a lot of items on the menu and a the board the food was delicious, well spiced and consistent. I would definitely be back. Favorites were chicken and beef skewers and rib eye steak. Brownies with ice cream were so delicious. Only problem was because they serve it on a sizzling hot cast iron skillet the bottom of the botines were a bit burnt. But the actual brownie was on of the best I ever had. read more

Espetadas opened recently amidst COVID and they are taking all the precautions! Mostly takeout is available but they have opened up in door seating at 25% capacity, I suggest calling and making a reservation before hand. Food is of Portuguese with American fusion, and I am not joking but everything we tried was amazing!! The best drink was the strawberry mojito, it was tart and refreshing but if you like sweet smoothies the sunshine mocktail and bumble are the way to go. The beef burger was so delicious, flavorful and cooked to perfection. The chicken piccata was something new and equally impressive! The tenders and Espetadas(skewered meat) were juicy and seasoned, with a smoky taste from grilling. They gave us a hummus on the house as we waited! Also was wonderful with the warmed pita. We will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu, this area needed a place like this, I'm glad we were able to check it out! read more

See all

I tried this new halal spot a few weeks ago to see what the hype was about and maybe I didn't try the right things but I got their chicken tenders. they were juicy, however the flavor just was not there. The fries were probably better than the chicken. Might give it another shot some other time if i'm really up to it but, def nothing special unfortunately.. read more

If you are expecting the typical Portuguese food with generous portions. Out of luck here. I got a "quarter"chicken with 1 small side. It was a thigh and leg . About 6 oz of chicken with bone. The leg was the size of my fellow diners chicken wing. I have never seen a leg thigh this small and looked very dry. Typical Portuguese you would get 1/2 chicken &tray of rice & fries. I will not be back. Not good value and not like any Portuguese I have ever had. I am not sure what this food is. read more

Espetadas - "1/4 chicken" - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

The menu has good varieties, the food is really delicious, cooked to perfection, the steak, chicken, Alfredo pasta and the sides are all really tasty. We plan to come here frequently read more

Got a chance to try out Espetadas today. A welcome addition as there is nothing else like it in the area. The food is Halal so add this to the growing list of Halal options in Central Jersey. The Beef Gourmet Burger, the Chicken Fillet Burger and the tender strips were really good. Location is great and easy to get to. 1318 Centennial Avenue in Piscataway. Right off of Exit 6 on 287 in the shopping center with ShopRite and Applebee's. read more

Espetadas - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

Food was amazing and the spice level was perfect. Phone ordering is recommended and do ask for the order number along with the best time to pick up the food to avoid any confusion. The location is easy to access with ample parking. The restaurant is welcoming with a nice ambiance. The food was packed nicely and labeled to avoid a mix up. All in all - a good experience and looking forward to eating on premises than home. read more

Espetadas - Menu - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

See all

Have eaten twice here now and the food has been great both times! Pictured below is a Chicken Wrap which is grilled chicken marinated in their "special marinade", lettuce, salsa sauce, mayonnaise, and Monterey Jack cheese. read more

Espetadas - Chicken Wrap - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

See all

We ordered door dash . They never had food prepared in time. The delivery guy was kind enough to text me and tell me details saying it wasn't prepared etc. he waited another hour . Finally delivered the food. The food was waaaaaay below my standards . We ordered the espetadas meal which included 2 skewers one chicken and one beef with probably 5 pieces on each including a 4 small sides is 48$ way over priced . The meat was also undercooked. The sides were French fries cold slaw grilled veggies and rice. I also ordered a chicken wrap and grilled chicken burger with fries . Not impressed whatsoever. I requested everything to have little or no spice and everything came beyond spicey . My kids couldn't eat the food. All of this cost me 110$ this didn't even include my DoorDash fee!! Definitely won't be ordering or going here again. read more

The food tastes good and is cooked well. Everything is flavorful. The place is clean. Easy to sit and eat there without being bothered and it's family friendly (baby friendly). I have eaten there several times and it is consistent. Wait staff and good employees are tough for anyone to find right now. Consistent good quality food that is halal is almost impossible to find and for that the prices are accurate. Interestingly enough people who are looking for good halal food tend to be looking for extremely cheap food. Im not sure why. Steak anywhere costs the same. Why should it be cheaper if its halal? read more

Food was decent, service was decent as was the size of the portions and the price. Nothing knocked me out and nothing was bad. It was billed as Portuguese food but not like the Portuguese restaurants I'm familiar with which would be ok but hard for me to tell what they were striving for. The chicken espetadas was good but unfortunately there was a fast food tone to the experience. read more

Summary: Fantastic and yummy food. Great presentation, service and value for price. Details: Got Gourmet and Picatta burgers. Both were uniquely flavorful. Buns were nice. Serving size was great. Chicken Espedata was really good. Came with two sides. Plenty of chicken. Very tender and moist. Not dry or hard. Very juicy. Frangos was also very nice. Fries are really yummy. I recommend go Mild. I got hot and it was sort of hot. Got the mild sauce on the side and it was really good. Like lemon and herb from Tribos. Service was really good. We didn't make reservations but they accommodated us. It was a long wait time so they gave complimentary Hummus. JazakaAllah for great service and food. read more

Espetadas - Espedata chicken - Halal Near Me - Piscataway, New Jersey

When I arrived two gentlemen asked if i was picking up food. A bit weird... no greeting. This place has no servers but plenty of seating. You must get up and order food at the register. You must get up yourself and get your own beverages as well. ATLEAST, If you dine-in they will bring the food to you. I wanted a booth but they were "reserved" so at a table. I was hoping to get a portugese style chicken that ive had in the area but I got something better to my surprise! The chicken was delicious! Spicy and well cooked. The vegetables had a hint of butter and i wish i got more broccolli and less zuchinni. Other than that the service seemed spotty at best 7/10 Probably best as take out. At which id go to other places with similar food as id get a whole chicken and 2 sides. Versus half a chicken and 1 side for the same price. read more

Fresh food, Great taste. I had their chef's special garlic sauced espetadas, which comes with two sides and Cataplana ( vegetables, rice and chicken cooked in traditional cookware).. it was a lot of food and everything tastes great. If you are peri peri lover, this is the place for you. Chicken strips and fries served with a tasty blue cheese sauce.. it was finger licking good. Don't forget to order their refreshing Pina Colada and Bumble drink. read more

See all

I always rate restaurants by their bathroom. This one was filthy and germ ridden I'm sure. Tell tale sign in my opinion of how they maintain their overall facility including the kitchen. It's a no for me. read more

Saw they were finally open after seeing their "coming soon" sign for months so while at Shoprite I placed an order to go. I got the quarter chicken & the Beef Espetada along with fries, mixed veggies and the spicy rice for sides. The fries and rice were really good. Maybe the rice could have been a little spicier. The veggies were a little soggy. I assume they were steamed and not boiled and perhaps they sat in the little plastic container a few minutes too long, but they kind of reminded me of just a bag of steamed veggies I get from Shoprite. I mixed them with the rice which certainly kicked them up a notch. Both the chicken and the beef were very flavorful and cooked to perfection and if taste was all that mattered I would no doubt give this review a 5. The problem is the price. This place is not cheap for what they give you. $27 gets you 1 beef skewer and 2 sides. $7 gets you one of the smallest chicken quarters I have ever seen and add $3 for one of the above mentioned sides. For $27 I expected at least 2 skewers and for $7 I expected larger pieces of chicken. Even the sides are comparable to $2-2.50 sides you find at most places. To further insult these prices, their website which has the ability to order directly does not have the same prices as their menu. The chickens are all $1 more if you order online and then they still charge a $1.50 convivence fee for the order. This is not some fancy place like Spain Inn a couple miles away, this is a strip mall counter service place next to a Jersey Mikes, a pizza place and a salad place. While the girl who got my food was fast, I did notice she had a Nintendo Switch to entertain herself between customers and she looked at me like I had 3 heads when I wished her a happy new years. If money is no object, by all means try this place out, it's delicious food. But if you're looking to feel like you got what you paid for, keep looking. read more

I wanted to wait until I tried Espetadas at least twice before leaving a review since sometimes there can be one off instances that aren't reflective of the establishment as a whole. Unfortunately, for me this wasn't the case. The first time I visited was about two weeks ago for dine in during a busy weekend to break my fast. We were asked to place our orders before 6pm to ensure that there wouldn't be a delay when we ate at 7:45pm. I've never been to a restaurant that does but figured it was efficient. My friend and I ordered an Espetada fusion with sides of fries, spicy rice, and mashed potatoes. The food was cold (not surprising, they probably made it shortly after we placed the order) and the spicy rice was anything but spicy. We still ended up finishing our meal because it was decent but the real kicker was when a man (I assume was the owner) stopped by our table several times within a span of a few minutes. Each time asking us if we liked the food, if we wanted to-go boxes, and the check. I mean....if you want us to leave just say so! The entire experience felt somewhat rushed and yet I chalked it up to just being a busy weekend. I went back to Espetadas yesterday for a pick up order thinking it would be a different (perhaps better) experience but boy was I wrong. I called several times but the line was busy so I placed the order through Menufy instead. When I got there at the specified pickup time, the waitress at the counter told me she gave my order to someone else. (Mind you, I placed the order with the expectation it would be ready in time for me to break my fast). She took my # down on a napkin and told me to just wait 10 more minutes and she'd call me when my order was ready. I walked in 15 minutes later after receiving no call & being quite upset, I was handed my order hastily (almost as if to just get me out of the store) and offered a complimentary drink for the mixup. While I appreciated the gesture, this coupled with my past experience definitely left me thinking if it's worth the $60 I spent. Oh and not to mention the food was cold...again. Tl;dr: I want to give halal restaurants my business but can't say I'm all too thrilled with my experiences. Probably won't be retuning anytime soon. Advice to management: Set better expectations for patrons if you have a time limit for dine-in and train your staff better. read more

I tried this place for the 1st, and this is the last time. They are over booking the table and the crowded especially with COVID situation. The main guy is walking around and serving without mask, with no gloves and no sanitizer. I ordered takeout and was told that it's going to take 15 mins and too over 1/2 hr. Not how Piscataway township is letting them operate them this way. read more

Attended the soft opening for Espetadas US tonight and the food was absolutely amazing - so glad I don't have to go 45 minutes away any longer to get our peri peri fix. Everything we tried was delicious and we can't wait for their grand opening at the end of the month on December 26th. We tried their tender strips, Frango, piccata burger, chicken wrap, and a variety of sides and everything was great. Their pina colada and mojito were both refreshing as well. read more

See all

Amazinggg food and halal. I ordered the half chicken and Piccata burger both were delicious. The hottest sauce wasn't too bad for me. 10/10 would come back here. Clean aesthetic environment and amazing service. The worker were extremely nice! read more

We went as a group and we all ordered different dishes. The overall decision was that the food was delicious . Those who ordered the steaks, really enjoyed them. Not only were they delicious, but they also were visually appealing. I ordered the chicken espedata. A hanging skewer with chicken and vegetables. It was delicious and once again, visually appealing. Overall, we really enjoyed our time and the food at Espedatas. read more

See all