Lovely little Peruvian & Colombian restaurant. I stopped by for brunch and enjoyed a light meal of baked goods and a quesadilla. The arepa de choclo con queso (sweet corn arepa topped with cheese) was definitely a highlight - I've never had this dish before and it was a delicious sweet and savory snack. I would stop by again for this alone! The empanada and quesadilla were also tasty and not too heavy, which I appreciated for a nice breakfast. read more

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The station diner down a couple door had a 45 minutes wait so we punted down here for Sunday lunch. It was also busy but we were lucky to get a table. we started off drinks and ordered the sweet corn arepa, pan de bono, and a beef empanada. I figured it would be busy and ordering a couple of bakery items would appease our toddler. for entrees we shared the picadillo for 2, the steak with yellow sauce noodles, and our little got the crispy chicken meal. overall food was good. the noodles needed salt. the food came out relatively fast. I let bad bc the waitress was always missing something. I had to ask for ketchup when the kids meal came. we had to ask for silverware when the food came out. had to ask for chimi sauce when our other entree came out. the place is clean and new. kinda loud for my taste but it's nice I suppose. keep the portion big and I will continue to come back. read more

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Stopped in and had a very good lunch here. Service was attentive and food was very good with good sized portions. You can tell they used quality ingredients and all the food seemed to be made in house. Prices were fair for quality and quantity of food. Got a coffee to go which was good as well. read more

Mateo's Bakery & Restaurant - Bakeries Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Mateo's recently opened in Cranford and it is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. They worked hard to renovate this store front into a comfortable and nicely decorated space. The exterior features a bold sign that welcomes you in. The interior is full of decor on one wall, chalk drawings and informaton on another and a large LCD screen above the cashier station. There are plenty of tables inside and I think you could easily have 20ish people inside. It took me a moment to get seated. After waiting a couple minutes I was told to just pick any table (works for me). My waitress came over within a couple minutes to take my order. Here's what I had: HUEVOS PERICO & AREPA COLOMBIANA This dish featured eggs scrambled with tomatoes and onions. On the side was an Arepa with a lovely layer of cheese melted on top. The eggs were very tasty on their own. One bite border lined on "too salty" but the rest was fine. The Arepa was fantastic and tasty. I would have a bite of the Arepa, then some egg with it. I also asked for their in-house made hot sauce which was *wonderfully* spicy and tasty at the same time! MADUROS Fried sweet Plantains were also part of the menu so I ordered a side. They were freshly made and sweet, but not over done. I would definitely get these again! Like other reviews here, I would love to give this place five stars but they do have one flaw, and I stress that this may fall into the category of "soft opening growing pains": the wait staff is overwhelmed. There are two people expected to cover the cashier/counter and all the tables in the restaurant. I think this is a bit much. Ideally there should be someone manning the counter while the wait staff manages the floor. They seemed overwhelmed a lot of the time and when I had asked for hot sauce the waitress forgot about it. I really don't blame her. She was being pulled in five different directions. She got it to me eventually with apologies and she was super nice. She was really trying hard and I appreciated the effort. I look forward to trying Mateo's again! read more

This is one of the best meals we've had this year! Mateo's has a mix of Peruvian and Colombian specialties, including ceviche and Peruvian Japanese food, prepared by a chef that studied in Peru, as well as Colombian specialities. They give healthy portions with fresh ingredients and lots of meat! Everyone at the restaurant is really friendly. We went home full and with another meal's worth of leftovers and tried a few dishes that we'd never had before. It's really good, better than similar places we've been in Manhattan, it's worth a trip to Cranford just to check it out. read more

Mateo's Bakery & Restaurant - Arroz con mariscos (seafood rice) - Bakeries Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Good so far is great just check your bill , I had discrepancies twice already. Overcharging and charged for items I didn't order. Good is good. read more

Mateo's Bakery & Restaurant - Bakeries Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Ive been here a few times but the last 2 times was an order at the counter to takr w me to the train. First time there was an immediate attitude change after i didn't tip for her handing me the order apparently. Thought maybe she was having a bad day. Second time, same exact thing. Cheery as heck but as soon as i didn't do a tip on the receipt, a b. Wow. Tip to owner: u do this to customers u lose them. U just lost me. No one likes scammy people. If i eat in, yes ill tip appropriately. Not when taking it to go. Ridiculous lol read more

Top notch food all the way! We started with the sweet corn arepa with cheese, which was divine. Our entrees were arroz chaufa with beef and parihuela, a Peruvian seafood soup. The beef was perfectly prepared in a hearty dish dish, while the broth for the seafood soup was one of the best I've ever had, hearty and silky. Add to it a marvelous chicha morada, a drink made by boiling purple corn with various fruits (!). Service is not super rapid because there are about a dozen tables in a place with minimal staff, but it's worth it for the food you get. Highly recommended. read more

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I was in the area and searched for the spot to have lunch seen this Peruvian/Colombian gem pop up on a TIKTOK post so decided to go check them out. As soon as we walked in we l we were greeted and told to sit at any table. The ambiance was modern and had upbeat music was not too loud and we cannot forget the wonderful smell that definitely had us looking forward to a meal. The host came right away and took our order and we went for the lunch special for 14.99 which included a beef soup, then entrée and a free drink included which I think was definitely worth it. It was very delicious and definitely worth the price. I was told they have different specials daily so I will definitely be back. Overall food and service was spot on. I highly recommend you all to try Mateo's Bakery and Restaurant! read more

Mateo's Bakery & Restaurant - Lunch menu special - Bakeries Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Food was good, we ordered tallarines and arroz chaufa and tostones. Owner came to our table to make sure we were happy. I just wish the lights were dimmed a little for dinner. read more

Perfect time last Saturday night at Mateo's in Cranford! The ceviche was super fresh and the octopus appetizer was outstanding. Everything was freshly made, including a delicious green sauce they served with Crispy Peruvian corn as soon as we arrived. This was our second visit in two weeks but there were so many incredible dishes coming out of the kitchen that we need to come back and try. The owner Jose was a sweetheart, he and his staff were all so helpful -- you can tell they care. The portions were large and the prices were quite reasonable. The music and vibe were great and it was good to see them so busy with many returning customers. Great addition to Cranford, we will definitely be back! read more

Mateo's Bakery & Restaurant - Octopus appetizer - Bakeries Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

The food here is amazing!! I had Chauffa de Pollo and it did not disappoint The service was on point. The place was clean and The ambience was lovely read more

We loved this place. We saw it on IG and had to try it. It was well worth the trip as the food was delicious and the place is very clean. BYOB as well. Looking forward to coming back and trying other things on the menu!!! read more

Mateo's Bakery & Restaurant - Steak Tallarin - Bakeries Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Everything was exceptional. From the Ceviche to the Chicken and Beef Skewers. 10/10 would recommend. Must try their signature drink.

I must say that this was not a great food experience. Great quick Service however, empanadas were hard as a rock. Cheese Finger was so cold. Latte came out with scorched milk which is not edible. $17 was not even normal for the things we got at a Colombian bakery. I was excited to try this bakery. Unfortunately will not be returning. read more

My new Columbian empanada spot! I ordered 30 emapanads a few days ahead of time. I came about 10 min early to pick up and they were in process. They were fresh, ontime and absolutely delicious. Staff super nice and met all expectations. I will be back. :) read more

My family ate here the other night. The menu has both Peruvian and Colombian authentic options. My husband (who is Colombian) had the bandeja paisa and he said it was really good, my son had a Peruvian soup with beef, noodles, egg and milk and he loved it and I had the chaufa de mariscos and it was super delicious and had like a super distinct taste- I could tell the owners/chef has an artistic touch. My son's passion fruit juice tasted really good and wasn't too sweet. The service was very attentive and the owner came out to ask how the food was and you could tell he is very passionate about his food and was very nice. Mateo's will def be one of our routine dinner places. read more