Hole in a wall alert!!! What a great find. We were in search for some sancocho and found a great…read moreDominican version of the famous soup. Great flavor... filling... fresh! Yum! The people working there are super nice (but be prepared to speak Spanish or be patient). Totally worth the visit, just don't expect a five star dining experience. You'll get a huge bang for your buck. Enjoy/disfruten!

So my wife and I stopped by Ridgefield Park to see a house decked in Halloween decorations at 335…read moreMain Street, it was fun. After taking pictures we google places to eat nearby, and this is how we found this Dominican restaurant. As soon as we stepped in we got a whiff of tasty Dominican cuisine. We were greeted by Beatriz, a charming & friendly young lady. It so happens that the chef and owner are two gentlemen that we knew from another Dominican restaurant in Teaneck years ago. The owner Dario & chef Ismael. We recognized each other, what a small world. We ordered Chicken soup, Sancocho (a hearty Dominican soup) & Fried Chicken Crackling with Red bean Moro (mixed red beans and rice) to go. The Chicken is crispy but yet tender inside, full of flavor, the Moro is soft and tasty. We placed both soups in the fridge to eat tomorrow. Ismael did a superb job cooking and the owner Dario is very amiable! They do deliveries.

If you're looking for Latin/Dominican cuisine Lula's is your spot in NJ…read more After experiencing some of the best Latin cuisine in NYC for the better part of 20+ years, I was afraid I wasn't going to find a restaurant that would fulfill those Latin cravings, but THANK GOODNESS that Lula's exist in Lodi. I found Lodi's through some random research on Yelp and Google and they are as freaking delicious as advertised. I've been to Lula's a few times for takeout/pickup and the folks here are very cordial and friendly. The restaurant is very small and only has a few barstools at a counter looking out onto Essex Street. If you're driving here, which just about everyone does, the parking lot only consist of a few spots directly in front of it, but the spots typically open up quick since 99.99999% of customers are here to grab and go. As for the menu, I've only come here for the daily lunch specials because they are an awesome, awesome deal. On Monday to Saturday (closed on Sundays) from 11AM-3PM they serve rice and beans or moro rice with a protein from the daily specials menu. AND, mostly importantly, the specials range from $8.50-$14.95 (the Ox Tail Stew being the main outlier at $14.95), with the average around $10, which is a steal! Proteins that you can choose include Chicken Stew, Roasted Pork (aka Pernil), Baked Chicken, Ox Tail Stew, Rib Stew, Pork Chop Stew, Beef Stew, Goat Stew, BBQ Ribs and many, many more. Depending on the day, the specials will be different, so do check the menu online (https://lulaslodi.com/daily-specials/). In addition, if you're just strolling in off of the street and haven't looked at the menu, don't expect a menu to be hanging above the ordering counter because there is none! (Although they do have their paper menus sitting by the cashier) But do your homework before hand or be ready to ask "what is that?" when looking through the glass windows where the food is kept warm. Since I have the utmost faith in them scooping the food for my entree, I typically just call in my food now and it's ready to go. So you're thinking, OK, that's a pretty good deal for these lunch specials, but what about portioning? Did I not just say it's an awesome, awesome deal???? It wouldn't be an AWESOME, AWESOME deal without a huge portion! The portions are ridiculous! I consider myself someone who has a big appetite and can eat a lot and I even have to split the lunch special into 2 meals because it's A LOT of food. For someone with a massive appetite, this will probably hit the spot. For someone with an small, average or decent appetite, this is undoubtedly a 2 meal entree because they jam the round tin foil tray to the top. And it goes without saying that the food is delicious. I've tried the Chicken Stew, Beef Stew, Baked Chicken and Roasted Pork and, so far, it all is exceptional. The rice is perfectly cooked and the meats are tasty. The only slight I have is I did wish they included a littttle bit more meat for some of the dishes because there is a heck of a lot of rice, but most of the time they give the right amount of protein. I think you pretty much know where I stand about Lula's. I'm super grateful that they aren't too far away and I know where I will ABSOLUTELY be going when in need of good takeout Latin food.

If you ever wonder where to get Dominican food in Bergen county, there is absolutely no need to…read moredrive all the way to Manhattan. All one got to do is stop by Lula's Latin Cuisine in Lodi. You will not only get an absolutely delicious food by an amazing host/owner, Reimy and his team. I had the privilege of stopping by tonight to finally get rabo guisado (oxtail stew), white rice with black beans for takeout. Upon arrival, their small parking lot in front is shared with another establishment off the busy Essex Street. It's a small establishment with a great selection of food. There were some seatings by the window, but predominately takeout. Their price was reasonable and portion size decent. The food was tasty, well seasoned and delicious as a sign that they put love in preparing their food. This was my first time here but certainly not the last which I can recommend.

Pleasantly designed interior that teaches you subtly about the Dominican Republic where this…read moreexcellent cuisine hails from. The people behind the counter could not be more gracious and friendly. I've been with a group (and today by myself to get another taste) and we all enjoyed our plates - and each others'. The goat is perfectly moist and seasoned; everything else I've tried so far is, if I may quote Goldilocks enthusiastically, '' JUUUUST RIGHT!!'' and worthy of repeat visits. Very reasonable pricing. Anticipating many more satisfying experiences here! PS I ate an arepita de yuca here today and found it memorable! Looks like a potato latke, but its taste is distinct and it was perfectly prepared. Thanks, ladies!

El sazón de Doña Ramona es especial, great Dominican Food and the service is great. Welcoming…read moreambiance and delicious food.

8/9/24 Chinola and…read moreMorir Sonando - Chinola is a bit on the sweet side but the Morir Sonando was perfect Asian Chicharron - this is a must order. Tender, juicy and flavorful. Arroz con Camarones - very good but wish there was more shrimp. I would actually prefer small shrimps cooked into the rice then the large shrimp placed on top. Mofongo de Longaniza - mofongo was good and hubby liked the longaniza. But I didn't care for the longaniza, it was not as flavorful as others I've had.

I went to El Rio Nilo after seeing it on a foodie Instagram. The idea of Dominican sushi was…read moresomething I could not miss out on! My friend and I visited on Tuesday evening. The restaurant was super empty, but it was just as well because then we were able to enjoy some quiet. I ordered El Taino Frito roll which I was a fried sushi roll filled with mozzarella, Maduros, and bacon. My friend got El Pharaoh which was a regular sushi roll filled with ham and maduros and shrimp tempura. Both were immensely delicious. We also each ordered a side of maduros and thoroughly enjoyed them. My friend got a chicken empanada. She enjoyed it! The waitress was very nice. Loved the feel of restaurant. Would definitely go back!

Went in after jury duty since it was near by on Wednesday. I ordered 2 medium meals - oxtail and…read morebaked chicken. While my food was being prepped I used the restroom. The floor was sticky and there were napkins for toilet paper. It smelled because you can't flush the napkins. The server reviewed my order and the total was 29.86 with tax. I was in shock but also in a rush and just paid the bill. The menu I ordered from was on the counter next to the register. As for the food the rice was a bit mushy and the oxtail was more fat than meat with very little meat. Also it lacked some flavor. I ordered the chicken for my husband who will eat it today. I mentioned the menu because it does not show a medium oxtail meal as 18.00 or a large meal for that price yet I was charged 18.00, the chicken meal was 10.00 which is listed. I was never informed about any up charge for the oxtail. I also tipped 2.00. I gave it a 2 due to the dirty bathroom, tasteless food and overcharge. Upside, the listed prices if they are real, are a good value for the area.

I am glad we found this humble restaurant!…read more I am a true believer that a restaurant doesn't have to over sell to attract customers because people will be back for authentic food, top notch customer service, and unbeatable/reasonable prices. We ordered take out today, but will be back again to dine in next time. The Mofongo ( mashed plantains) is well seasoned and is served with a generous portion of cheese. I also ordered the sweet plantains, could maybe be cooked a little longer so it's softer. Tip: plenty of metered street parking and limit free restaurant parking at the back entrance.

I stumbled upon this establishment when I was searching for a Latin restaurant in Grubhub. Last…read morenight we decided against delivery and opted to drive out and dine in. This place has a parking lot next door but it seems that this lot belongs to an auto repair shop not the restaurant, it has tow-away signs but we parked in the lot because it was after hours. The restaurant is spacious, with plenty of tables, the music is low, the decor is low-key with some Winter motiffs. I told my wife that I was expecting more of an Island/Caribbean decoration. My wife ordered the Asopaó de Camarones (Shrimp Soupy Rice) & got Spaghetti with Dominican Salami, Tostones & Avocado. Hot tea to drink. I expected the Spaghetti to come with Dominican Salami as an option (this is how Dominican Spaghetti is prepared and served) but unfortunately it does not, the Spaghetti is plain & adding the Dominican Salami is extra. My wife's Asopaó was full of shrimps, very tasty she loved it as did i. My Spaghetti with Dominican Salami was pretty good. The Spaghetti were al dente enough (not too soft nor too hard), flavorful, Dominican Salami chunks were hearty (I was hoping that the Salami would be stewed but it was fried instead), the avocado was fresh & unblemished, & the tostones were perfectly golden fried & crispy. Ashley & Stacey were our servers and they were very friendly, full of smiles, on-point & honest. I said honest, because after paying the bill we asked for a pen to add a tip and she explained to us thar the tip (which is an automatic 15%) is already included. Which surprised us, usually tip is included with a party of 6 or more, we are only a couple. My wife and I always tip between 10% & 20% depending on the service of course. But no matter how bad, horrible was the service we tip at least the 10%. We detest restaurants that force us to tip. We believe we have the right to give a certain amount of our hard earned money ourselves, without forcing our hand. Because of this practice of including the automatic 15% tip, no matter the size of the dining party, I give a rating of 3 stars. If it wasn't for this forceful tipping, I would have given this place an easy 5 stars. So beware when dining in at La Cocina de Cristina, while the food is amazing, their tipping policy will force you to shell out 15% of your bill, whether the service was good or not. We will NOT dine in at this place ever again. If anything, I will order via Grubhub (which allows me to tip accordingly) or order take-out.

I happened to be in hackensack this past weekend and had a hankering for chicharron and tostones…read more I wound up getting their picadera (sampler) plate and it was off the chain. The chicharron, longaniza, and chicken were fried to perfection and the tostones were good too. I prefer my tostones a little crisper which is the only reason for the 4 stars and not 5 but that's just my preference. The place is beautifully decorated with dominican and it is very clean and well put together. Very nice vibe inside.

They consistency change prices at will. I paid 14 dollars for 3 pieces of oxtail?? And it was a…read moresmall? For lunch? It wouldve been easier to punch myself in the face for 14 dollars. There's several dozen other restaurants in the area like La costeña that's a block away. This place isnt worth it in anyway.

My absolute favorite spanish food spot!! I love the chicken stew. It gets very busy around lunch…read moretime so plan accordingly it's worth it!!

This place gets some bad reviews, and I can see why some people may say they didn't like their…read moreexperience there. However, every time I visit this place I can clearly say I truly enjoy my meal. You also can get a cold beer for about 6 dollars which is reasonable compared to other places. The issue is they make some things really well and maybe others not so great. I always eat a few things I know they make well. After all you don't order a filet at a fried chicken joint. Today I visited after being disappointed at the Freakin Rican spot on Cedar lane. See that review for details. I went by Elsa's and ordered some Mofongo with their famous Chicharones and it was delicious. Perfectly seasoned and paired with some delicious sauce that was perfect. My wife had oxtails with rice and beans and they were delicious too! We enjoyed a couple of really cold beers each and our bill was only around 60 dollars. The place has a really relaxing atmosphere and the service was good. I had to battle with a couple of knats but it just added to the entertainment, lol! The place could use some remodeling and cleaning but at least they consistently serve me good food at a great price. If you go there just temper your expectations. It reminds me of a roadside eatery in the islands which always serves good food but you have to battle with some bugs. Lmao!

What can I say Elsa once again our savior after having their doors closed (Freaking Rican…read morewants-Teaneck) we landed in our best choice of food. I had the stewed ox tails, rice and beans (delicious). My hubby ordered mofongo de chicharrón soo good. The service always top notch so making you feel like familia. Music tridimensional bachata dancing melodies. I have to say they are not scarce with their food had enough to take home yay . Gracias

My boyfriend and I regularly come to this spot to pick up breakfast after dropping off my daughter…read morenearby. I get the same thing every time, and the taste is always consistent. The food is delicious and for $12, they definitely don't underserve you the portions. The girl serving me in the morning is always very polite. Also, their passion fruit juice is really good too, not overly sugary and concentrated. Definitely give this place a try!

Translated from the Spanish as the little palm, La Palmita Restaurant, located on a busy Boulevard…read morein Hasbrouck Heights, serves Hispanic food predominantly Dominican cuisine. Parking could be a little tricky, depending on the time of day. First-timer at this storefront establishment under new management whose interior was cozy with a few tables. They have food already prepared, especially when you're on your lunch break, and it is convenient. Numerous lunch special options are offered for $12, and I ordered the costilla de cerdo guisada (stewed pork ribs) with black beans over white rice. This place is exactly what was needed, as the food is homemade, authentic, and tasty at a decent price. Make sure to bring cash, as they charge a bit more for credit cards. I could recommend this place.

Great food and service. Love there pastelitos/empanadas. Sad to see them go out of business they…read morewere a staple in the community.

This place is absolutely not closed, it's not in the most visible space but it's up and running…read more And BOY is it delicious!!! As a vegan this cuisine has exactly what I need from a nutritional standpoint when it comes to getting the most out of your dollar. Plates ranging from small to large you can get whatever you want, squeezed into the container and ready for you to enjoy! I order white rice, pinto beans, spinach (they don't have it all the time) plantain and a handshake from one of the most genuine and respectful business owners I've ever come across. He runs this place with terrific customer service with his wife in the back cooking up the goodness. Together they make a dynamic duo. Since moving here this has been my go to. But be sure to check their hours they open at 1130am usually and close pretty early. So get in when you can.