This place does not disappoint with its food. I usually come here if I'm in the area to have a nice meal after a long night of drinking. Everything is made fresh, and very tasty. They also serve liquor here. The burger is phenomenal, and the grilled chicken sandwich is not flimsy or small at all. FYI: This place gets mobbed after all the bars close up. So if you plan on coming by, leave the bar a little early haha. TIP: My suggestion if you get the burger, make it a double! You will be very happy with it ;) read more

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Every time I go there I get greeting in Spanish what people don't know how to speak English. I buy Empanadas and it had no taste and on top of that I was with my girlfriend and in front of me a Columbia customer gets the same thing 5 empanadas at a cheaper price than they charge me. They charged him$7.50 and they charge me$10.25 here we go again. How I know this my girlfriend is Colombian she told me when we got home. She was afraid I was going to do something to them. don't spend your money on them. they are racist read more

I was wondering in the area with my Mom and saw La Cantera on the glass . I said what are the chances it's associated with the one I go to in Plainfield. sure enough they were the waitress said. I go to the Plainfield location all the time because it's a lot closer. The food is similar and the Empanadas were way bigger than plainfield location. I order the chicharrones with the potato and a side of that crazy white sauce . I could literally eat that on anything .we also ordered the Empanadas they were so yummy especially with the house made hot sauce. Me and my mom shared the Bandeja Piasa the plate was huge my mom was wowed by it . We didn't even make a dent in it because we had the other items. Now if you are in the area it's a great spot to try and they have plenty of Tvs for those Soccer fans . read more

YES YES YES!!! Top Colombian restaurant in Elizabeth. I will say that a tip I learned is to either eat at the restaurant because the food is fresh, obviously, or if you're ordering take out, pick up your food as fast as you can lol. Because the fresher the food the better it taste. When the food is cold it no longer has any flavor. The fires here are so crunchy and crispy. Highly recommend! read more

Localizado en Elizabeth New Jersey , La cantera es uno de los unicos restaurantes en Nueva Jersey que si saben como cocinar un propio consomé. El ambiente del restaurant es plano y e un poco similar a un restaurant en Colombia. Hay partidos de futbol que se enseñan en la television, como por ejemplo partidos de la liga colombiana , o partidos internacionales que tienen que invulucrar la selección de Colombia. Yo le daría 4 estrellas de 5. Los trabajadores del restaurant son muy humildes y cariñosos. Se conoce también la comida del menu entonces ellos te podrían sugerir un buen plato para comer. Yo ha regresado muchos veces a este restaurant , no lo puedo dejar en empoza , lol. Yo recomendaría este comida a mucha gente latina porque es un lugar donde tu puedes probar algo nuevo y autentico , de un diferente cultura. MI experiencia fue autentica en este restaurant . read more

Me and my husband were In Town and tried this spot.The food is very Delicious we will eat here again

I have eaten here numerous times but the food hasnt been on point the last 2 times ive been there. The chicken soup and empanadas are always great but the rice is being served old the last few times. The food for the most part is good but their rice hasnt been right and they keep serving it old. The servers were the help i needed to seal the deal and not return The can be a little more than rude and they dont check on you The last 3 times ive been there ive had to walk to the front counter and register to ask for silver or condiments They just want their tip it seems and dont really care for the customers or service they provide Decent food Bad service Diring some desperate times i might eat there again but ill try to And im gonna this to my last review also because i wont be going back I went there again 8/7/20 and this time the empandas were super old and hard I always get the chicken soup and that came out luke warm at best They fell off harder than a 2 yr old falling out of their crib They are hit or miss but have been missing for a while kind of like my father Never going back again sadly this time the service was better than the food read more

Love this place! We have became regulars, every weekend! My man Never Gets tired of there amazing churrasco !! Always come sizzling and ready to eat! I love their salad and natural juices their whole fish / bandeja paisa are amazing too! The whole menu is everything and you get your moneys worth for sure! read more

Absolutely the best COLOMBIAN good! The place is small but with a lot of variety. Parking is across the street but it's better to go on the weekends because parking is free and go early. I went late but there was still a good selection of food. Loved it! Will go again. read more

I come here most weekends for the sancocho. Great flavor and 2 big ass pieces of oxtail. Love it!

waitress was super rude towards my family and ruined the whole ambient with her attitude. Overall the food was ok, but the picada was just the worst thing I veered had. Definitely not coming back for a overpriced food and horrible costumer service. read more

Ummm YUMMM :) This is my late night go to place for yummy food. Can be healthy and order sizzling grilled steak and salad or a total piggy and order arepa rellena or bandeja paisa. My gf got me hooked on this place while attending Kean U nearby. Countless meals at this little gem. Waitresses are all friendly. Service is quick. Just great little place. read more

La Cantera Restaurant - Lunch specials- mini bandeja paisas with a side of avocado. Under $9 /meal includes a drink! - Colombian Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

A+ the best Colombian Restaurant ever! Muy buena la comida, mucho sabor. This is a great restaurant with great food!

It was a rainy cold weekend. When we decided to try this place it was not all that crowded when we entered but got crowded soon after we arrived. I've had better it was cold inside so I had to eat with my rain coat on. In the end I asked for water it tasted nasty. Hot sauce was too spicy to enjoy I spit it right out. Empeñadas were frozen not homemade. It was ok I left not wanting to return sorry but I've had better. But they tried. I guess? So be warned the price is ok. My order was $4.99 and son and husband dish es were $13 a piece. read more

I've Been getting food from this restaurant for a minute now and I must say it's always good and fresh. Decent prices too. read more

La Cantera Restaurant - Rice beans maduros arepa chorizo egg and bistec with a coke - Colombian Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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Really good I love it ths s my first time here! I came with my father for eat something different nd I order a Bandeja Paisa nd he order a Churrasco and sicerely the food is clean nd the plates big! Also I listen they have some specials n the week ! so I will come back Los recomiendo muy buen lugar and the waitress muy amigables psdt: Pongan sangria !!!! read more

Let me begin by saying one thing. Small place with a great taste. I have been to this place 4 or 5 times now and finally decided to write a review about it. I always get there very hungry so I always begin with an empanada as an appetizer and although they are not my favorite ones I have ever eaten they are full of flavor and the crust has the right amount of snap, perfect crunch. For my meal I usually have their "todo terreno" which is a hot dog put together Colombian style...very delicious, filling and only $6 however on 10/9/12 I decided otherwise and chose one of their daily specials. Pericazo con Calentado, which is usually served as a breakfast dish. Its a plate loaded to the brim with Carne Azada, scrambled eggs with vegetables(usually tomato and onion) ,a rice and bean mixture and a piece of chorizo. To wash it all down I drank my favorite Colombian soft drink, a soda called "COLOMBIANA" The scrambled eggs and carne asada were very tasty and cookled perfectly but the chorizo was over cooked and a little too crispy for my liking. I didnt let this bother me and I finished every single piece of food on the plate and let me tell you I was not hungry again until the very next day. I left this place feeling satisfied both in my mind and my belly. The place is small and the food is wonderful. I most certainly will continue to frequent this establishment whenever I have a craving for some great Colombian food. Give it a try, I dont think you will be disappointed. read more

Help yourself and go somewhere else!!!!! Don't order delivery the guy it's in Rush and he snatched the money from my hands, so rude I called to let manager know and guess what. A month later I called back to order and get deliver and they called me back saying I was rude to the deliver guy he wasn't going to deliver two blocks away from where I was like how crazy that it. I went in person and tried talking to owner and the delivery guy jump to our conversation and stared defending himself like what type of customer service it's that! The customer it's right and you don't fight with the customer !!!! Owner didn't didn't even apologize and say nothing ... this restaurant it's a joke and the honestly who runs this place the deliver guy? Or the owner come on !! read more

Had Brandeja paisa lunch special which included a drink and consisted of rice, beans,bread,steak, plantains and chicharon. The steak was a bit dry but everything else was ok. My meal was missing the avocado. Food was ok but the portions were no huge, take home kind of portions. The waitress was nice and attentive and the atmosphere was casual dinning. It seemed to draw a lot of people to relax and enjoy their meal, people laughing having a good time. The decor was red and gold but it didn't look tacky some how, they made it work. Was it the best Colombian restaurant I've been to, no. But they offered traditional dishes at affordable prices. All in all I would come here again. read more

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This place is just disgusting. Went for lunch with friends, service was slow, chicken was raw my coworker found a hair in his food. Talked to the manager and he told me to talk to the owner. Talked to the owner and all he said was okay. I would never come here again. read more

They serve good Colombian food. The milkshakes are great but don't try them if you're watching your figure. There's a small meter parking across the street so finding parking isn't an issue. read more

La Cantera Restaurant - Tilapia - Colombian Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Great customer service, good food, clean place and very affordable. I always recommend it and tak about their foods

My friend and I ordered 2 steaks; they were both overcooked and very rough. The service was ok but the food was horrible. Never again.

The place is part of the Colombian community in Elizabeth. If you like hanging out there then you should try this restaurant. They make an exquisite bandeja paisa and the ambiance is good. There are great restaurants in the area so it's difficult to choose which one is best. read more

La Cantera Restaurant - Bandeja Paisa - Colombian Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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Great little Colombian joint. They have traditional Colombian dishes like bandeja piasa/típica and much more. read more

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This place has the worst empanadas I've ever had. They are bright orange and the crust is thick, not crispy or crunchy. Ive come to this place several times (to give it another chance), but its always a disappointment. Decent decor, but from a Colombian, I would not recommend this place. read more

omg, My boss decides to buy us lunch & says I have to try this "Cubano mixto" from "la cantera". This thing was huge, delicious, and I went back that night to get one for my fiancé. Guess what, he loved it too. Don't forget the pink sauce yummmmmm. mind you I could only eat half of it because it was so big but so worth trying to finish. xoxo gracias Cantera read more

Food is great, but i had a bad experience. order pick at 12 for 1pm i show up at 1:20 and my food still wasnt ready. the lady threw all the blame on the cook. smh will not be coming back here. read more

Wow! What a joke of a restaurant. I ordered a cubano de pollo with specific orders to remove the bacon because of religious reasons. Not only did I receive my sandwich last in the table I was in, I received the sandwich WITH bacon. That was the first problem but I asked to send it back to make a new sandwich. Five minutes later, I received the SAME sandwich with the bacon removed with residue. Never returning here. read more

They hung up on me when I asked a question about there Cuban chicken sandwich. They avoided my second call. Once I went there to order my food, they gave me avocado on my sandwich and I wanted lettuce. I took a bite into the sandwich and their was a hair. I am never eating here again. Avoid it at all costs, they overcharge people that don't understand Spanish. SHADY as all hell!! The burgers are good though. read more

This is BY FAR the worst dining experience I ever had. The place is not exactly in the best neighborhood. But, whatever. So we get there, waitress never even gave us a menu. Ok she must have forgot. We finally ordered. The food was extremely bland and boring. I asked for some salsa, which honestly was the only redeeming element of this craphole. That helped give the food some flavor. Our waitress, Monica, COMPLETELY abandoned us after we put our order through. Btw, I order a seared chicken that came on a plank, and was tasteless, but it came with a green salsa in a plastic container on the side. The plastic was melted by coming in contact with the scalding hot metal plate. Of course I never ate it. Anyway, it was time to go. My friends, for some reason decided to pack their inedible food for home (I tried their courses - Cuban sandwich and I forgot the other, both bland and disgusting). Of course, Monica was nowhere in sight, but another waitress came to the rescue. Monica finally shows up and instead of taking our food to pack it for home, handed us bags for my friends to pack themselves! Seriously, I would not write a review this bad for bad food, bad neighborhood, etc. but the service we got was stunningly incompetent!!! Btw, felt sick afterwards. Must have been all the salsa. Go ahead, I dare you to eat at this hellhole. read more

I ordered a few days ago and since I was reviewing another place in Elizabeth I decided to review my pickup experience. I placed the order through the phone where the lady on the phone seemed to have a bit of any attitude other than that I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with a mango juice it was very delicious. This is my second time trying them out. read more

Went for a traditional Cuban sandwich that was not traditional at all. First it was a ham and cheese sandwich with half a strip of bacon. I definitely won't be back. There is no available parking. Just not worth the time. read more

This a good place to eat!! Great food and good prices...I recommend many of the dishes!! The burgers are the best Colombian burger you will find in Elizabeth period! The churasco, chuzos and etc are all great!!! read more

My BF took me here last Friday & the food was fantastic! I got the skirt steak, white rice & red beans, he had the surf & turf (skirt steak stuffed with shrimp), with sides of maduros & tostones. Authentic, flavorful, delicious! Make sure you get a bowl of their homemade hot sauce - unbelievably fresh & delicious on everything from the rice & beans to the tostones!!! AND we ate well for about $35 for the two of us!!! read more

Great Colombian food, good serving size, the price is right. Servers speak little to no English, but that's alright. What do you expect, you're in Elizabeth! read more

This is the best spot for authentic Colombian food...wow! I like to come here after a night out...perfect finish to the night is the chicken soup and rice. So flavorful and deep and light. I love this spot. read more

All the times I've been here you'd think I'd get bored. Nope. The food is just too good. Churasco is a must have.

I have been coming here for years with my husband. The empanadas are always fresh here! For a small restaurant they are always nice and warming.. the food is good. I've never had a problem or complaint here. read more

I dont always have a good expierence there, some employees are just never in a good mood or always forget things. Wont be going there again.