We went inside and placed a takeout order it was around 7 pm on a Friday and the place was empty except for two couples sitting at two tables. There was one man waiting for his order. 1st red flag. The place was dark and dingy looking, 2nd red flag. We ordered real basic 1/2 rotisserie chicken with rice and peas, my husband ordered 1/2 chicken with yellow rice and red beans. The chicken was so hard and dry that I almost choked swallowing it! It had no taste and neither did the beans and rice. They were dry as well, rice was overly sticky, nothing 'traditional' about the food. I may not be latino but I have eaten enough Latin dishes to know what's traditional and what's not, and this place IS NOT. Don't bother going here if you want, at the least, good tasting, authentic Dominican food that is prepared well! read more

I love the food. I usually get a whole chicken with yellow rice and peas. The yuca is amazing. Empanadas are so good. The sauces have so much flavor. Desserts are made perfectly. read more

I used Door Dash. They didn't have one of my items, called and explained, and I thought I needed to add a replacement. They replaced it and I got all the things, and it was AMAZING. Wonderful customer service, just fantastic food. read more

I ordered pork pasteles for Christmas. The girl taking my order didn't even understand what it was. I had to explain to her exactly what it was. Then I made sure that I wanted it made with pork. Must have said it like 10 times. I go to pick up the order the next day...I pay for it. They bring it out and it's made with chicken!!! They tell me that they will make a new order with pork and have it delivered in 4 hours. 4 hours later a driver drops off my order which was completely frozen. Mind you it takes hours for freshly made pasteles to freeze. There was no way that they had it made and frozen within 4 hours. They definitely got it from another restaurant and dropped it off. I decided to cook it to see how it taste. Upon opening it up, it only had shredded pork in it. The pork was so dry. Possibly the worst pasteles I've ever had. I paid $55 and I'm not happy. Will not be ordering from here again. read more

First time hear and it was an ok experience... when entering we asked can we sit down an eat because the girl seemed very busy behind the counter and she said yes sit whenever u like ... about 15 min went by and since the lady was still busy so my husband walked up to counter to order ! We got our coffee which was absolutely delicious Columbia's coffee then our breakfast.. breakfast was delicious everything was fresh .. I ordered the mangu with the sausage eggs and fried cheese ! .... We asked for coffee to go and we left happy ! Only thing I would improve on is the waiter service ! read more

This fold is DISGUSTING! Shrimp mofongo tastes dahs old and dry as hell. Can't even taste shrimp in it, had to turn the light on to check, I guess that's why they put 5 on the side. The sauce is PURE SALT. The shrimp empanada is not great either...flavorless with a hint if something from the Chines food place. Don't waste your time in with the place, or you'll be throwing most of it on the garbage like me. read more

Meson Tropical - Shrimp Mofongo with Shrimp - Spanish Near Me - Linden, New Jersey

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I was in the mood for some spanish food and its been a while since I been there. I ordered the steak pieces with yellow rice and black beans. They must of been busy in the morning because I was put on hold for a while. After I ordered I walked over to the place and the food was ready for me. It came to a little over $9. I went back home and dug in. The food was ok but there was plenty that I couldn't eat in one sitting. The steak was kinda dry which was the biggest thing for me but the other items are good. I had a decent experience. read more

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Their Queso Frito Mofongo is one of the most amazing flavor combinations I have ever experienced. I love that they use tostone and maduro smothered in fried cheese to top it off is a favorite in my house. I have had their chicharron de pollo which was too breaded for my taste. I have tried all the mofongos they offer and they are all on point. The carne frita here is okay. More oil then flavor which is not appetizing to me. My son loves their roasted chicken. I love their beans and rice. I come for Mofongo mostly. It's one of my favorite places for it and hard to find out here in NJ as I have searched for the authentic types. read more

Food is some of the best dominican food i've had in a long time!!! i brought my friend who's dominican and she said it's good so you know it's legit!!! we got some food to go but the quality was amazing and the ingredients were so fresh. we got rice with chicken and the pulled pork. so good. thank you we'll be back!!!!!! read more

My friend raved about this place and I added it to my bookmarks. On Saturday while craving some of my native food I decided to give them a try. At first I was ready to walk out because no one asked if I needed to order, was waiting, nothing for over 5 minutes. Just as I was about to leave a young girl was ready to take my order. I ordered white rice, light beans peril (roasted pork) and a beef enpanada. Did not like the rice. I hate mushy rice. The beans were flavorful and the pork was good. Well seasoned and cooked well, but still juicy. The beef enpanadas were filled all the way, unlike most of the other Dominican restaurants that give you an air filled pastry. It was a bit oily, but tasted good. I am giving them four star because they are family owned and managed. The young girl assisting me was the one helping the others get it together and I know family owned business are hard to control and work in. It is also hard to also get other people who do not have a real interest in the business to corporate, but if they can get some better workers their business would boom even more. Grandmom was working too, placing orders! Too cute. Business has a lot of potential and can't wait to come back to try their mofongo. read more

Found this place on Yelp. I wanted to find another Dominican spot than the one I know in Perth Amboy- and I saw that the ratings were consistently good here. But to be honest -it was the PHOTOS that led me here. I've been here twice so far Located near the corner of Wood Avenue and Elizabeth Avenue not far from the train station. Traffic is busy especially on the restaurant side approaching Wood Ave Parking- there is a small parking lot behind the restaurant- you would have to enter on the right side of the restaurant to get back there. Both times it was packed and I had to park down in the street. Now you have to be very careful where you park because there are times and meters and I know they are strict because many cars parked on Elizabeth avenue had parking tickets on them! Don't even think to park in the apartment parking a lots because I hear they have cameras and will tow your car. Inside - it's small- has about 10 tables in the front. They also have a small bar counter that has some stools too. TV noted and they play Spanish music but you can hear your company. Has that old school Dominican-family owned feel to it Food- Complimentary pan fried bread given Breakfast- they have 6 options but the official Dominican breakfast for me is #6. Comes with two eggs, 2 fried salami , 2 fried cheese and Mangu (mashed plantains) covered with red onions. Good here! I like to add some of their special green sauce to the mangu- gives it more of that vinegar taste to it :) Dinner/lunch- I tried the Mofongo with Churrasco and holy ISH - it was fantastic. The mofongo comes with side of garlic sauce and the steak comes with their secret weapon- green mojo sauce. OMG so good. We had a side of tostones that come with a side of garlic sauce - that was good . My friend has the Churrasco with side of rice and beans. Rice and beans were ok to me. They give you a lot so you can have enough to take home. My server both times was Vanessa- who was excellent. She was attentive and friendly which is always a plus. I would definitely come back for the churrasco. Would like to try the pernil one day too. read more

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Delicious food, attention and service. I enjoyed with my girlfriend and will be back. We had an awsome sunday dinner gorgeous 2. read more

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Only order from here on Monday's, food is so flavorful. Ordered two days later on Wednesday same dish, the food was literally tasteless. Need consistency. Food: Rotisserie Chicken and Yellow rice with Ajo read more

Not licking my fingers or sighing from having just been satisfied with a fulfilling lunch. Not doing either of those things because I just finished, or shall I say "partially finished" lunch. OMG!!!! Such a disappointment for me, first and foremost, seems like this delivery took forever and a 1/2 day, but its lunch time, so I can resort to pettiness and overlook that. This was a group order which consisted of the following: * 1 Pernil with White Rice & Red Beans * 1 Maduros * 2 Chicken Empanada * 2 Meat Empanada * 2 Shrimp Empanada * 1 Randy Chicken Wing with BBQ sauce. So there you have it lunch for the day. First & foremost this review is not based solely on my picky opinion, but the opinion of a diverse group of people, "My coworkers". So here it goes.... We all thought the Empanadas were mediocre to say the least; they were described as small and dry. I only had the shrimp Empanada, but I agree with everyone else; in addition, 1 Empanada was missing from our order, yet there was no explanation as to why (so much for customer service). Did they run out? Did they forget? I have no clue, but a phone call or email would have sufficed, I'll have to keep an eye on my credit card bill just to make sure there's a price adjustment. According to my coworker who ordered the Pernil with White Rice & Beans, he said the dish was good; while it didn't exceed his expectation, it did meet his expectation. Now for the main event... My Wings.... They were saturated in barbeque sauce and were extremely soggy (see pic). There wasn't an ounce of crunch to the wings at all and I can truly say I am highly disappointed and have wasted my hard earned money. I was overwhelmed with the amount of sauce used and was only able to eat 1 Wing, my supervisor agreed that there was literally too much sauce. "Will I attempt to try something else from here again?" you ask "Absolutely"... "Not!!!!" I Should have gone to Havana Central or el Lechon de Negron but they don't deliver to Avenel"damn!" read more

There aren't many appealing dining options along this stretch of Elizabeth Ave., but Meson Tropical is a great local spot. I stopped by with family just after the lunch rush, and the moment we stepped out of the car, we were welcomed by the aroma of roasting seasoned meat--surely a good omen of what was soon to be served. FOOD & DRINK: Complementary Basket of Garlic Bread: Simple but tasty! The bread is warm, garlicky, and freshly baked. Pork Mofongo w/ Carne Frita ($13.95): I haven't eaten mofongo from many places, but so far, Meson Tropical is easily the best place where I've had it to date. It was freshly made, packed with a generous amount of pork, and came with plenty of fried pork belly on the side to boot. Everything was already seasoned, but the garlic sauce kicked the flavor up a notch. Good stuff! Although a few pieces of the carne frita were slightly chewy and a couple were merely fat and skin, I still enjoyed every bite. I'd order this again. Pernil w/ Rice and Pigeon Peas ($8): It tastes just as good as it smells and looks! The shredded pork was tender, plentiful, moist and juicy, and flavorful. As for the rice and peas, it was soft, fluffy, and just as delicious. Friday Special--Beef Stew w/ Rice and Red Beans ($8): The beef was tender, the potatoes were nice and soft, and the flavor of the sauce was well balanced; even the side of red beans were tasty. Like the other dishes ordered, everything was well seasoned. Morir Sonando ($3.50): Hopefully I find a good recipe for Morir Sonando online, because I definitely want to make this at home; it's really good! The drink is milky, creamy, citrusy, sweet, and refreshing. SERVICE & AMBIANCE: We were ignored for a few minutes upon entering, but once additional waitresses walked back into the restaurant, everything was (almost) smooth sailing. A side of maduros never made it to our table even after the waitress wrote it down and repeated our table's entire order, but it's okay since we weren't charged for it anyway; plus, we were finished eating by the time we realized she forgot it. Keep in mind that since food is made-to-order, it takes awhile before it makes its way to your table. The interior of the restaurant is nice and laid back, while the music playing is modern (i.e., Bad Bunny, CNCO, etc.). The only way I could really sum up lunch here is that our first bites' were just as good as our last. Everything ordered was delicious, and the service was good. I wouldn't mind having lunch here again. (Side note: I love how the owners take the time to read and reply back to the feedback they receive. If only more restaurant owners/proprietors were like this!) read more

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Ordered rice and beans and pork chops. Food was great but the pork chops were greasy and you could see the excess on the foil plate. I had to dab it over with a paper towel before consuming. Rice and beans were great and besides the grease so was the pork chops. The wait time though is hellacious and it took almost a little over an hour and a half to get to me. So for that and the grease they get 3.5 STARS from me. read more

This has been my go to empanada spot though they offer a broad Latin menu. Prices are absolutely fair, if not actually a bargain. Portions are generous and filling, and the restaurant is casual and comfortable. Empanadas - $2 each. There are usually a few already made available for a quick heat / grab and go. Other options may be in the kitchen, but need a bit more time for cooking. Guava and cheese is melty and sweet and delicious. I've had the chicken once that set my standard for all future chicken empanadas, but was followed by one that was rather dry. Think it has to do whether it's fresh made or not. The rotisserie chicken is served skin on, juicy, with LOTS of flavor. I didn't realize it came with sides of rice and beans, and was happy to find those little gifts when I opened my take out. Even happier to discover the beans were delicious and even the white rice was buttery and rich. Service can be a little slow, but it's a great place to enjoy a smoothie or fresh juice while waiting on the kitchen. Online ordering is a nice touch to help beat the wait if you're taking out. There's a small private parking lot behind the restaurant. read more

Heavy food. Their chicken is too salty and too much spice. Not recommend. How hard is it to have a simple rotisserie chicken? read more

Tasty authentic Dominican food. Have yet to go in person but, when we order delivery ( which have been many) they never disappoint! My fave is the mondogo on sundays and their oxtails. My fiancé loves the Pernil and beef & cheese empanadas. Have tried the carne frita which also pretty tasty. read more

4 years later and the food is still amazing!!! If you want extremely flavorful Dominican food, look no further! The Shrimp Mofongo, Grilled Skirt Steak, the rice and the beans... everything is seasoned so damn good!!! And they're on DoorDash, so I can finally get delivery to Vauxhall/Union. read more

Some of the BEST Spanish food I've had from ANY place... Hands down! That mofongo is on point!

I'm pregnant and was craving mofungo. Two places near me closed early. I then googled best mofungo in central jersey and Mason tropical appeared. I'm like 20 min from home let's try it! All I can say is I am so glad I did! The mofungo with the mixed green platano and platano Maduro and fried queso was better than I could ever have imagined. Definitely fulfilled my craving. Only downside is parking is limited and place is small inside. Everything else gets a plus from me. I saw other reviews saying customer service is lacking but honestly I had a great experience. It was busy when we walked in and I waited a few minutes before being acknowledged but I get it, it was a busy Friday night. Once seated our server was super quick and friendly. Randy (maybe the owner) even came over to see if my daughter wanted some rice. This was a nice gesture and he was also very pleasant. Hubby loved his mofungo with Carne frita. I will definitely be back! read more

1st time coming here and I have to say the food was A-MA-ZING lol. I got the churrasco (steak) and shrimp.. along with tostones with garlic sauce ..yellow rice and beans. Food was excellent! Although it took a little long to come out -there was a party of like 12 along with other customers waiting for there food, so I could understand the long wait. Vanessa was our server -she was exceptional! Always coming around checking on us- making sure we were good and taken care of. Definitely one of my favorite Spanish/Dominican food spots I've tried thus far so I will definitely be coming back! read more

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Ordered through UberEats yesterday. Part of one of my dishes was missing so we call the restaurant. After some time on hold a woman comes on and insists they put it in the bag. My husband tells her we emptied the whole bag and it isn't in there. She dismisses him, insists they put it in the bag and nastily tells him to take it up with Uber. I understand mistakes happen and we would have been willing to pick it up but her attitude was really crappy. You are partnered with Uber, not me. I didn't want my money back, I wanted my dinner. We are new to Jersey and try to support local businesses. Unfortunately, this is the first and last time I'll order from this place. There are plenty of others that have great customer service. read more

Very good restaurant, delicious food, they do delivery but most of the time it is very busy and can take a while, small nice place inside. Staff are welcoming read more

Meson Tropical restaurant is where to go for some authentic Dominican cuisine!! There are a couple of Dominican restaurants in our area but this one so far is my favorite. Its not just the delicious food, but its also the authentic decor of the interior of the restaurant. Their menu is small, but each item savory in sazón, plentiful in portions and comfortably priced for family-friendly budgets! We keep coming back here whenever we get nostalgic for some Quisqueyano island food! read more

Best Dominican food!!! They have a great menu offering, we order regularly and never disappointed. You will have to wait an hour + to get the delivery from Uber eats. Wish they were a bit closer to our home. read more

Ordered through Uber eats. Really good mofongo and mangu breakfast. Also, the garlic bread was tasty. Would order from here again.

I heard great reviews from this place and decided to try for myself, but delivered. I ordered the pollo a la brasa (half chicken one), maduros, tostones, and bistec empanizado. The pricing was reasonable and affordable. My pro's about my order were the pricing, tostones, rice and the amount of food we got. First of all, my order came almost an hour and half later and had forgotten my order of maduros. The chicken looked great and great flavor, but it was dry. When I ordered online they asked how I liked my steak and so I put medium, but when I got it, I automatically knew they burnt it. The breading was too dark and hard; it was cooked well done, but not really sure they asked me how I liked it cooked when the steak was thin. I couldn't even eat some of the steak because it was so over cooked. I do understand that some food delivered from restaurants may be different, BUT this was not good. I wouldn't serve dry or burnt steak at all period. The only reason I put 2 stars is mainly the pricing. If you do order from here, I recommend picking up rather than delivery to assure that your food is made right. Hi thanks for reaching out to me. I order it on Thursday. read more

No greeting from staff. Music is blaring. Food was old. Read your receipt. They tried to charge me 18% gratuity for 3 people and then wanted a tip. I had them return my 18%. Sad how they sneak this charge on you. Would never recommend or eat there again. read more

Oh why oh why did it take me so long to come here??? Is it because it's located on a not-so-friendly parking street?? Hmmm...I'll blame it on that for now, but wow! I'm so glad I gave this place a try. It's extremely hard to find a good Latin American restaurant in Linden and I love me some yummy Latin food. This is an authentic mom and pop restaurant, so you know it can't get any better then this. Our waitress was very attentive. The food was excellent and the maduros were delicious. I would recommend trying one of there fruit shakes, which is made from real fruit, rather then those syrups. They have a pretty good lunch menu as well. Definitely worth a try. read more

Meson Tropical - Yummy! - Spanish Near Me - Linden, New Jersey

This place brings the heat. If you're in Linden, but you ain't tryin' to eat Taco Bell or Chevys (I'm only feigning ignorance), swing by here, find a parking spot and chow down. Most of the items on the menu are under $15 and they have specials err day, err day. They also have shakes to wash down that bangin' pollo you ordered after reading this. read more

If you're a native spanish speaker, this place will be cake to eat in at. If not, it's ok no worries they speak english! any sort of special / shakes are on a white board in the front. A waiter doesnt really approach you. Menus are readily available, and once you know what you want, you go right ahead and order and it's brought right out (HOT). Pernil w/ black beans and white rice. (YUM) with a mamey shake. read more

Dined in with my parents the other day and I must say - the food remains to be amazing. My Dad got the Pernil and was raving about it all day. I'm infatuated with their guava-queso empanadas. Probably one of the best things I've ever eaten. Service was superb and the staff was very friendly. I definitely want to give them another shot with delivery soon. read more

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Good Dominican food. The only thing is that to me is they are a little pricey but they are the only Dominican restaurant in the area so really the only option. The girls are always nice too. read more

Have tried so many items from here through delivery and everything is beyond delicious. Will definitely continue to order from here. Amazing portions and pricing. read more

Went for an early dinner with hubby. Very clean....simple yet cute decor. Very clean. The staff was soooo amazing.....so nice. Concerned about how we liked the food. Kept asking if we needed anything else. We had chuccaron appetizer. Delicious....so tender....made to order. We had skirt steak as main course with tostones. Soooo delish. Portions are large. Good value. I will be returning!!! read more

Meson Tropical - Skirt steak - Spanish Near Me - Linden, New Jersey

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I was disgusted to see a cockroach in the dining area! I was there to pick up my order which I placed ahead of time over the phone. I paid for my food and was walking out when all of a sudden, I saw it in plain daylight. It was HUGE! I'm sorry to say, but they lost me as a customer. read more

Today i decided to get in touch with my Puerto Rican roots. It was my first time at this restaurant and well let me just start: The Guava and cheese empanadas made my nipples tingle. Oooouu. The perfect crisp on the dough gave biting into the sweet empanada a texture like never before. The Guava and the cream cheese were a perfect blend, nothing overpowered the other. Expecting the shrimp empanada to be bland and with well you know just shrimp and dough. I put some of that sexy salsa on it and damn did that shrimp empanada rock my world. It's a great blend of onion,garlic, and chopped shrimp that come together better than imagined. The juices of the cooked shrimp and veg have the inside layer of the dough a nice softened feel when bit into that once again perfect outer crunchy texture of the empanada. We ordered the steak mofongo with a side of rice and beans. Now just so you know you can ask for your churrasco medium rare buuuuuutttt you're going to get it how they give it to you and YOU WILL NOT CARE. That's just how fantastic this food is. The only reason why it's not 5 Stars is because water is so essential and my glass was left empty for the majority of the meal. The beans had a perfect sauce to beans ratio, yes, by far the most flavorful I have ever had. The mofongo reminded me of being back on the island. Overall great experience, great restaurant aesthetic (from the music to the mom and pop boriquen restaurant vibe, to the foodgasm i was left with) Enjoy your food at a great price & take one of their menus home with you so can order delivery & utilize their coupons! read more

My god, this food is incredible - reminds me of truly authentic Dominican food. This place is literally a hidden gem. I ordered mofongo and it was prefect, presentation was also neat so that's a huge plus. My fireman ordered the skirt steak and that was also amazing! Heaven on earth. Service was alright, perhaps we caught our server had a bad day cause she had a little attitude. Luckily for me, I went for the food and I was not disappointed! P.s. It's seems that this place is byob so I'm bringing s bottle next time! read more