I highly recommend Fernando's to all my friends and relatives. The food Is excellent and the service is always good. Between the menu and the days specials there is always something great to choose from. (BYOB) and the atmosphere is open and pleasant. read more

Wow, they really did a nice job with some renovations. We were there this evening and had a great meal. Service was very good and meal was spaced out appropriately between courses. The prime rib was excellent and generously portioned. Perfect evening from soup to dessert. read more

the bread in a basket was to die for. Great food, nice place in the heart of hightstown. However I thought this place was a little expensive for lunch. read more

Nice BYOB restaurant in the East Windsor/Hightstown area. We had the house salad which was nice and crisp, the mussels appetizer which was super flavorful (I love garlic), and then I went for the pork medallion entree because I rarely eat pork and it was delicious. Definitely worth trying this place out. There's a liquor store down the block headed towards Home Depot if you forget your booze! read more

This place is a real find! A hidden Gem in a small sleepy town. We were pleasantly surprised by the variety of items on the menu. I ordered the NY strip and I asked it to be blackened (Cajun seasoning), cooked to perfection and delicious with the Wasabi mashed potatoes. My husband enjoyed stuffed shrimp, he just wished there was more of them (4). Our friends ordered the prime rib special and pork loin special. Appreciated the fact all entrees are served with either soup or salad. Very relaxing atmosphere and friendly service. Remember to BYOB. We will be back. read more

Super good !!!! This place moved from the diner like place in Robbinsville, now have the room to serve more people and better atmosphere. Food was great and is BYOB. Everything seemed fresh and well prepare with great service. read more

I yelp'd this place as i was in town for business and was pleasantly surprised. Small and quaint with excellent food and service. Highly recommend the tilapia and shrimp.... read more

We visited on Thanksgiving which was set up as a buffet. Mushroom soup was outstanding, salads varied and fresh. The main buffet included a lot of different foods, including a turkey and roast beef carving station. We have been here before and the food is normally outstanding. Although, this time, the food was just OK, like a home cooked meal. I wish we could have ordered off the main menu as before. The service team does an outstanding job, and I also like that the tables are not crowded together. read more

Just had great dinner at this place. Cozy, comfortable, friendly service & great food. Lunches here are terrific too! Bring your own wine. Off street parking too! read more

Great filet, pretty good service. Worth a stop for a meal! I did return an hour and a half another day and the hostess told me they closed the kitchen because it was a slow night, so beware! read more

Fernando's is the place we go with friends and family. All are pleasantly surprised and happy. The food is consistently good. It is the place we compare other restaurants to. We were there on New Year's Eve and despite the fact that the restaurant was full, our party of 6 received the same excellent food, fun presentations, and timely arrival. read more

LOVE this place. Very cute and tucked away in the town but it's delicious and the staff is great! Try it out if you're in own! Wish there were more of them in town! read more

We were recommended to come to this restaurant and the reviews on line seemed positive. Mussels that were given rave reviews on line needed a microscope to be seen. Hot italian bread & butter good. Service just okay. Food pricey and nothing special although someone ordered linguini with clams and said it was very good. Best part of meal.......desserts. I had the sorbet excellent and ice cream excellent but will not be returning here for that! Cappuccino like hot water! read more

Went with friends last weekend. They have a great vibe as the place was packed and people were enjoying being there. The interior isn't anything special, but that's ok. Two in our party got a pork osso bucco. It was exceptional. My prime rib was fine (it is prime rib) but the veggies were really plain (steamed carrots and broccoli). The other member of the party had tuna which she said tasted a little too fishy. Dinner salads were fine and fresh bread was great. All in all we had a blast, and the staff was attentive but not obtrusive. A great experience and definitely recommended. read more

Excellent food. Loved the salmon. Lost a star for slower than average service. Wait staff was friendly no knock there at all, just on the slower side for a half full place. BYOB was a plus. Definitely returning. read more

We were here for the first time this past Friday, we live locally and have never visited this restaurant. I can't believe we have been missing out on some good food and service. We had two of the specials on the menu chicken marsala and grilled skewers (chicken, filet mignon and crab cake). We also had the Portobello and fresh mozzarella appetizer. The fresh mozz and portabella was accompanied with a pesto and red sauce that was very tasteful. The same followed with the main course everything was cooked well and the sauces were all well-seasoned and blended with each meal. The service was good and the prices were reasonably set for each item. We will definitely come back for another visit in the future. read more

Amazing place! Finally a great place to eat in Hightstown! The mushroom bisque was to die for! Tilapia Encrusted with Sesame & Wasabi Mash Potatoes... OMG a taste sensation! BYOB... I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised! Can't wait to bring Mom there! :) read more

Recently reopened in new location on 173 Mercer St in Highstown!!! They're back. Same chef and owner. Food continues to be outstanding, great service. Make sure to check our the baked cod or a great NY strip steak. Service is great, and makes you feel like you're having a 5 star experience in a casual neighborhood place. It is our 'every friday' place to go. You won't regret trying them out!! read more

Tho we live in the general area this was our first time at Fernando's. Really good. Plenty of parking (in the rear of the building), roomy interior, VERY pleasant and attentive staff and an extensive menu, Most importantly the food was excellent (from appetizers to salads, entrees to dessert). The plates are a bit pricey ($20+ to $30+) BUT the quality justifies the price (IMHO). And it's a BYO so that helps keep the total bill reasonable. The only reason I didn't give the place 5 stars is that the interior is somewhat non-descript. But you don't go to a good restaurant for the décor, right? Anyway, we'll be visiting again in the future!!! read more

I rarely give a poor review, however, this was hands down the worst restaurant! Aside from the sweet waitress, the service was horrible. After waiting over an hour for our food to arrive I went to Fernando to ask him if our meal would be out soon ? His response was "you have only been here for a half hour" Not only does he lack manners but he also cannot tell time. As I asked him at 9:05 and he we sat down at 7:30. We were so lucky to have Fernando personally deliver our meals ;) when he placed the meals down he did not say "sorry for your wait or enjoy" he simply said " you need to be patient". Newsflash Fernando: the meal was gross as I think the chicken was still quacking and you attitude is awful! The waitress came over, apologized and said the cook left and she was also getting another job as she was not happy. We left her a great tip and thanked her for being so kind. Do not go here! on the flip side went to an amazing Italian restaurant tonight!:) read more

This is a great little restaurant! They have AMAZING quality food that is quite tasty! And the cheesecake is even better! Highly recommend!

Do not go here when they are busy, food came out over cooked. Not really that good for what they charged.table for six not ready for our reservation time. read more

Went there last night around 8:30 pm, we were the last people to leave and it was only 10 pm. The service is great, food is pretty good, but I've had much better. If you're looking for a fun Friday night dinner... Don't go here. Kind of boring, waiters folding napkins in front of us, like they were all ready to leave. If you're a senior.... This is more your speed, but not for 30 somethings. read more

Have gone there a couple of times now and have not been disappointed. Both times we went with friends that we have not seen in a while and it is a great place to catch up. Some restaurants ambient noise is just too loud to have conversation. The food is great with a good presentation and as stated in other reviews it is BYOB which is a plus. Wait staff is attentive, without standing on top of you and after the meal winds down they are not looking to kick you out the door. Would definitely go again. read more

i just luv fernando's grille. my family, friends and i have been there dozens of times for lunch and dinner since they opened and have never been disappointed. the food is really good, the prices so reasonable and the wait staff is very attentive. the portions are generous, too. we like to top off our wonderful meals with their sorbet cups, delicious. you can go in jeans or dress up for a special occasion and will feel comfortable. i also appreciate that the owner is a local person whose family lives in the area which makes him very committed to the welfare of the community. after hurricane irene he did a benefit for the flooded out merchants from hightstown and the place was packed. read more

Here for business. Tried Fernando's on Monday and came back on Thursday. Both meals good to very good at reasonable price. Excellent salads. Fair minestrone (This recipe needs rework. many good ingredients, but missing harmony--perhaps due to acidic/metallic broth). Very good eggplant parmesan paired with tasty shrimp grilled spot on. Grilled scallops over saute spinach and rice pilaf with grilled tomato will not disappoint. Generous, but not excessive portions. Attentive, friendly staff who quickly open your BYOB wine. More than worth a try. You will enjoy the quality of the meal and the classy relaxed atmosphere. read more

I read a number of negative reviews about this place but decided to come nonetheless since my fiancé and I are new to Hightstown. The service was great-- the staff was very friendly and accommodating. We both enjoyed our meals very much. My fiancé was practically licking his plate by the end of the meal-- he ordered the pork medallions which came in a chipotle BBQ sauce. I ordered the chicken pesto rigatoni which was absolutely delicious. The broccoli soaked up the pesto broth and I requested sundried tomatoes in lieu of regular tomatoes. Great choice! Each entree came with your choice of soup or salad. I had the mushroom bisque and it was very good. The bill was very reasonable and we thoroughly enjoyed our first time here. We will definitely be returning! read more

The food is excellent! And they regularly have jazz nights, making it quite the hotspot.

I go here about once a week with my work buddies for lunch. The quality and freshness of the food served here is excellent. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food that you are getting. The menu is relatively small but that only means that all of the menu items are excellent! The daily specials are all fantastic. I have really enjoyed and wholeheartedly recommend the Mushroom Bisque soup, the tomato soup, the fish soup with tomato sauce. My colleague enjoyed the the spit pea soup (i don't like peas!). All of the main courses are awesome. All I can say is the chef puts his own spin on many standard dishes. He makes them unique and delicious. We get excellent service as well (perhaps because we are regulars). There is only one server during lunch so it is understandable if timing of service is delayed (we haven't experienced this though). This is a place you could take your business guests for lunch (I haven't had dinner here) and they would be very impressed. read more

The service again was pleasant but for the first time I ordered something and all parts were not I am happy I'm here. I asked for fries crisp and hot and they were not I will be back to try again read more

I went here for lunch. Not bad - cute, cozy place. Service was good but then again there were only 3 other people there. I had the crabcake sandwich - good but not enough crab meat. fries were really tastey. I'd probably go back again. read more

Very good food, good service. The ambiance is not the greatest, but the food more than makes up for it. Definitely the best eatery in the area. Prices are reasonable and the portions are satisfying. The only reason for the withdrawal of the fifth star is the short menu and the fact that the menu is not changed often enough. We are to continue to frequent the place. read more

Minutes off of the NJ Turnpike, Fernando's Grille is the ideal spot for harried travelers looking for a high quality meal in a quaint and comforting setting. Indubitably a local favorite, Fernando's grilled chicken is some of the best I've ever had; 100% juicy and flavorful. The pesto was delightful as well. The owner himself was present, brought us to our table, and was very enthusiastic. Such a low-key location with such enjoyable food is definitely worth checking out. read more

I read the reviews before going to Fernando's Grille and many recommended the mushroom bisque. Of course, that's exactly what I ordered and it was delicious! It's worth the 30 mins. drive from Jackson. I will definitely be returning to this location. The waitresses were very sweet and accommodating, especially when there were 16 of us at the table. Food came out quickly and steaming hot. read more

We go to Fernandos pretty often and almost always have a good meal and experience. Not this time. I called to make a reservation for six people for a Friday night at 7:30. I was told 7:30 didn't work but how about 7:15. Sure that's ok. I couldn't figure out what the deal was then but I figured it out later. We felt that the service was a little off and for sure seemed rushed. The food was generally good. we enjoyed the mussels the squash soup and the tuna. The tilapia was a little over cooked and dry and the prime rib was really tough. We were enjoying some nice family time after dinner until at 9:15 the house lights came up for the universal signal it was time to clear out. They even started cleaning all around us. The sign on the door and the website says they close at ten but we were summarily shown the door along with the other couple of tables. I didn't see the owner that night which might explain the poor service that night. read more

I look at all the positive reviews and wonder, what restaurant were they at??? Fernando's was thoroughly dreadful from beginning to end. After we were seated, we were not contacted by ANY waitstaff or other employees for half an hour. The one positive note in the whole experience: two of my companions reported that the wild mushroom bisque was excellent. ONE HOUR after we finished the appetizers the main courses finally arrived. (The waiter could not be bothered to remember who had ordered what.) Then we dug in. The food was COLD. The crab cakes would have been OK if they were warmer than room temperature, but the chicken was far inferior in flavor and texture to an order of McNuggets. Had it been sitting in the pass-through for most of that hour? At the end, when the manager asked us how everything had been, I told him -- in a calm voice, without any rude language -- about the miserable service and sub-McDonald's level food, and he was rude and unapologetic. DO NOT GO TO FERNANDO'S. read more