Sometimes, being spoiled really sets the bar too high for places to match. For Peruvian style…read morerestaurants with roasted chickens, ceviche etc. Pio Pio remains my gold standard a decade after my first visit to the esteemed chain. That said, I do my best to temper my expectations whenever I go to a place like Sofia's, which strikes me as more of a mom and pop standalone than part of a chain of restaurants in New York City. I was nearby and I needed lunch so I stopped by Sofia's to get some food to take home. The exterior is a tad off-putting to be honest. The awning is black and the "Sofia's Restaurant" lettering is very worn, to the point where at first I was unclear if the restaurant was even open. I peeked inside and saw activity so in I went. The interior features rest rooms near the entrance, a counter to the left and seating to the right. It looked good inside, and quite a contrast from what I expected from the exterior's appearance. The staff was nice (not overly effusive, but not rude either) and took my order quickly. So here's what I tried: CHICKEN Like so many places with this style of menu, you can order a roast chicken. You can get a quarter, half or an entire chicken. I wound up ordering a whole chicken so I'd have left overs for a couple days. This also let me try both the white and dark meat sections. Overall, the chicken is good. If I were to place Pio Pio's chicken as an "A+", this chicken is basically a "B-". The chicken was moist and well cooked, but it was not marinated as well as I would have liked. Even the heavily seasoned skin did not have the flavor punch I am used to from Pio, but would I get it again? Sure. It does the trick in a pinch. With the chicken you get their version of "green sauce" which is...okay. Again, if we are to hold Pio's as an "A+", this would be a "B-". There is good flavor, but it does not have the flavor hit I had hoped for. SALAD The side salad order features iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and a couple chopped vegetables. A creamy dressing is drizzled on top. This was fine as a side to the chicken. It wasn't anything to write home about, but I didn't dislike it either. MADUROS Perhaps the most disappointing of the dishes I purchased. My favorite maduros come from either Pio Pio or Sophie's Cuban Cuisine. They should be well cooked, not dried out and of course, sweet. These were sweet, but the texture was bad. These had clearly been deep (deep) fried in oil far too much, so they were overly oily and falling apart. Worse, the order was *swimming* in a thick layer of oil in a plastic container that had a nice opening, causing this to leak all over the rest of my order. Never again. Overall, Sofia's is okay, but it's not great. If I'm in the area again I may get the chicken again and perhaps try some other dishes but I won't be going out of my way to visit.

Por favor no le echen la cáscara de huevo dentro del chaufa. Es muy desagradable tener que masticar…read moreeso crujiente dentro del arroz.

OK, so for the past year I've been eating from this place and I didn't know that this is where it…read morewas being ordered from until I picked up my order yesterday I got some perineal plantain and rice that rice was seasoned to the Lord. It was so good. The Pernell was perfection the crackling godsend. My plantains were so sweet and they gave me a nice hearty amount. I cannot wait to go back and try more food, I will be returning the service even though it was just a quick pick up amazing the loveliest, ladies and gentlemen I've met in a long time. I should've took a picture before I started eating my food so I'll post one next time.

Amazing food!!!!!! I love it. Pay under $20 bucks and food is good each time. It's really good.read more

Located in a parking garage in the Elizabeth Mini Mall, but don't let that fool you!…read more The entrance is a bit difficult to find.. it is reached from inside the parking garage. But once you find it, you'll be rewarded with some of the best Salvadoran food in Elizabeth! Parking is free in the lot, however, it is sometimes full. The restaurant itself is deceptively large. You first enter through the bar area, down a hallway, into the dining room which is quite spacious. Once seated, I was greeted and I ordered (2) pupusas especiales made with maiz, which is stuffed with pork, beans, and cheese. They were amazing and so far the best I've had in Elizabeth. They had the perfect fluffy and airiness, and clearly freshly made. The fillings themselves were great, as well as the curtido and salsa rojo. For $2 each, it was a steal, and many of the other dishes looked appetizing as well such as their homemade soups and typical plates. The dining room was pretty crowded for lunch time, which of course is a good sign. The service was extremely friendly and inviting and hope to return again!

Great happy hour. $2 margs, mojitos...$1 extra for flavors, not the best drinks tbh, but for the…read moreprice you can't beat the deal. Service is great. The pupusas were amazing and so was the casamiento. However, empanadas were not good I'd pass. And the soup flavoring was top tier, but the carrots were still hard and the meat was a little tough, a little skimp on the works in soup tbh. I will definitely be back. Music was very good, I even danced with my daughter.

Affordable good quality and delicious food Daily specials…read moreare always good friendly staff I have being eating there for years and always make my belly happy

I've driven by Pasion Peruana Restaurant many times over the years but never had the opportunity to…read morestop by. Recently I had a hankering for a Rotisserie chicken and some Maduros so I decided to make a special trip. Pasion has its own parking lot (but I wound up parking in the Dollar Tree lot next door since I went shopping there too). Pasion is not the...most elegant looking restaurant. It looks rather old and aged (I do not know what year it actually opened). It's also oddly dim inside. Most of the interior is dedicated to seating and the counter where you order is towards the back. There is a bathroom off to the side. I ordered my food from a very nice lady and it came out rather quickly. When I got home I was surprised to find the chicken cut in a rather...rustic fashion. I'm used to rotisserie chickens cut into four, equal sized pieces but this was cut up into six pieces of varying sizes. Sadly, the chicken was rather dry but the green sauce that came with it was super tasty and spicy so dipping it into the sauce helped a lot. The Maduros were...not great. They had a bit of an oily taste to them that I've never tasted in Maduros before. It wasn't very pleasant. Based on other reviews here this place seems to have its fans and that's cool. This is a mom and pop business and I believe in supporting local businesses. I'm glad I tried this place, but I likely won't be gong back.

This place was pretty average Peruvian food. It definitely wasn't bad but it also didn't "wow" me…read more The price point was reasonable. We ordered a seafood saltado and chicken with rice. I think that if you're in the area and looking for some cool Peruvian, this would t be bad to stop at.

Today I was invited out to lunch and we ordered from La Skinita Peruvian Cuisine. This was my first…read moretime trying Peruvian food. We initially tried to place a delivery order, but delivery wasn't available at the time due to a system/machine issue, so we had to go in person to order, which was disappointing. I ordered the Arroz Chaufa with all the works, which is similar to Chinese fried rice. The quality of the rice and the meat was very good and everything tasted fresh. Unfortunately, the dish was extremely salty. I was told soy sauce is added to the rice, and since I usually don't add soy sauce to my fried rice, the flavor was overpowering. If it weren't for the heavy saltiness, it would have been excellent, but I couldn't eat it. My friend ordered the traditional Peruvian ceviche, made with fresh fish, lime juice, red onion, sweet potato, and other ingredients. He added hot sauce and said the flavors were good, but something--possibly the lime or soy sauce--was very potent, to the point where even the hot sauce couldn't balance out the saltiness. Another friend ordered the Arroz Chaufa with shrimp and unfortunately had to throw it out as well due to the saltiness. It was a shame, especially for first-time customers. Overall, the food quality seemed good and the ingredients were fresh, but the salt level made the dishes unenjoyable for us. With better balance, these dishes could be really amazing.

I really miss Portuguese BBQ in NJ from when I used to work in Newark, but rarely come out this way…read moremuch anymore. BBQ joints dotted the landscape in the Ironbound neighborhood. But I found Long Ave BBQ on a Yelp search and on a trip back on I-78, I took a detour through Hillside to pick up dinner. The place reminds me of all the hole-in-the-wall places in the Ironbound with stainless steel covering everything, a brick pit charcoal grill and a giant ventilation hood sucking all the smoke up through the chimney and the whole neighborhood smells like BBQ. One innovation I see is that they use a motorized grill basket system that's constantly turning a bunch of grill baskets with chicken & ribs sandwiched in them. After perusing the menu, I order the Parrillada Portuguesa, a huge family meal for 6 people, that'll last my little family of 3 for 3 days. The PP comes with grilled chicken breast, a half chicken, pork ribs & cross sliced beef short ribs (Korean LA Kalbi style). The slices of chicken breast are too dry and with not a lot of flavor, but the pork ribs have that Ironbound Portuguese charcoal flavor I miss so much (even though a few ribs were a little tough to chew). The BBQ half chicken is alright, but not as much flavor as Peruvian rotisserie style and the short ribs are not as good as Korean style. I think they should do whole beef ribs Southern style, low and slow or even a whole beef brisket would be great. The Parrillada comes with 2 side dishes that are not shy by any means. You get an aluminum tray filled with 1/2 french fries and 1/2 rice that will be enough for 3 meals also! Next time, I would come back just for a full rack of the pork ribs, but I hope that the pitmaster doesn't overcook it.

I decided to get some Portuguese BBQ. When I arrived I parked on the street nearby. I called in the…read moreorder of the half chicken and steak. When I walked in, I was greeted. My food was ready and I paid. When I dug in, I enjoyed the platter. It was very good and flavorful. All in all I had a good experience.

You can order food 40 minutes ahead of time, take your time getting there, and the food still will…read morenot be ready. Poor service, overpriced food, there are better options around.

I have now come here twice during my lunch break, & both times I left full & happy. I definitely…read morefelt like I needed a nap going back to work, because the portion sizes are very large. Small location with a small cafe interior style. Staff is always friendly & fun. Located on Liberty Ave, which is the "Main St" of Hillside, so there is street parking, it's actually Free, & you may be able to find parking on a nearby side street. Simple menu w/Daily specials that truly do change daily (I learned from others who go more frequently. Both times I had the Peruvian Fried Rice w/steak. The 2nd time I had one of their rich pieces of chocolate cake as a dessert. Amazing! Glad it's an option for me during my lunch breaks.