Depending on the time you go really makes it easier. The later, the more noise and difficulty in parking. Go for the food and drink. They have a wide range of tacos, build your own bowls and really good drinks. I suggest the trio tacos and the coconut margarita. I ordered a regular espresso martini and it was perfect. read more

Pablo - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

Go for drinks and only drinks! And maybe chips and guac/queso. The tacos were ehh. I could make better ones at home. When I order smoked brisket. I want meat and not the fat! I was told the bowl needed a sauce as it was dry and needed more flavor. The carne asada taco was okay but needed a sauce it was dry. The service was good! I'll give them that. But skip the food. read more

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Obnoxiously loud, mediocre food and overpriced drinks. The music inside and out is too loud to have a dinner conversation. The drinks were unique but very expensive The food was mediocre. read more

Large restaurant with diverse places to sit and dine. The Ban Mi tacos were fantastic. Steak fajitas was briming with steak. Good street corn and drinks not bad. Definitely will go back. read more

This is the newest hot spot in the area, that was formerly Mexiquila, so expect a fully packed parking lot but luckily there's nearby street parking in the surrounding neighborhood. They are owned by the Zest group of Cape May establishments and remodeled so that it's as beautiful as ever. It's an American-Mexican style restaurant featuring craft cocktails, unique tacos, live DJ's on the weekends with a saxophone player so this place is lively but also gets very loud. They seat by walk ins only and have 3 different indoor bars to choose from to grab a drink at while you wait. For a party of 2, we were seated within 15 minutes after arriving at 3:45pm on a Sunday. Since they recently opened, there was a service hiccup where chips and pico de gallo were set at our table that we didn't order. We got to keep them, but they also almost gave us someone else's queso too. It was nice getting to try these but they weren't my favorite. I loved the tuna tostada bites. The fish was fresh with the right amount of wasabi crema and balsamic. The street corn was charred and didn't have much crema so it was a lighter version than others I've had and tasted burnt at times. The carne lovers taco sampler came with a banh mi short rib variety that was drenched in oil from the deep fried bao bun. I could only nibble on the meat for this one. The bbq short rib was good and I didn't have an appetite for the last one. The birria one had noticeably less meat than the others but it was tasty. The side of roasted veggies I got had mostly onions. The star of the meal were definitely the cocktails. I had the tequila espresso martini and the mango habanero margarita. Both were hand crafted and were perfectly balanced. You can choose from a variety of rim options for your margarita and there's many choices. My friend had a blueberry and coconut margarita which were also delicious. I'd definitely come back to enjoy some more drinks and the high energy vibes of this place. read more

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Such a GREAT atmosphere and cool vibe with an exceptional cocktail list and a solid selection of food. The shrimp were very fresh and well sized. I loved the decor, especially the subtle leopard theme. I had to take a star for the flies. Maybe I caught Pablo on a bad day but we were swatting flies away while trying to enjoy our time there, read more

Terrible tacos that lack flavor. Grouper and sea bass tacos tasted awful almost as if the fish wasn't fresh or was going bad. Al pastor tacos were full of inedible fat/gristle chunks(see pic). Ordered drinks and it seemed like there was little to no alcohol in the drink and for fifteen dollars that's not acceptable. Won't be coming back which is a shame because they did a nice job with the interior. Based on the lack luster food and light drinks it will suffer the same fate as its predecessor. read more

Pablo - Fatty inedible Al pastor taco meat. - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

I often make the trip to Cape May to Zest's other locations. I was thrilled to see Pablo open in my area. The food is the same quality as their other locations, the service is kind and friendly, and atmosphere is classy and relaxed. Will be here frequently! read more

Pablo! You can't charge me $16 for nachos and then tack on another $5 for some ground beef? I get it, if I can't afford to go out stay home, but this is the reason the restaurant space you are taking over went out of business! We aren't paying $21 for nachos and I haven't even ordered a margarita yet! I do wish you well. read more

Service was soso... place not that crowded but no one really came over and paid attention. We walked out after 20'mins.. just drop in and greet the patrons. Also prices looked outrageous.. won't be back. read more

FIRE! The food, DJ, and atmosphere is kicking. Beautiful people enjoying a delicious dining experience. Definitely coming back

Ashlee was such a great server and bartender, amazing personality honestly makes me wanna come back I traveled here with family and she made sure we were all comfortable and had an enjoyable atmosphere. read more

I was looking forward to meeting a friend for lunch at Pablo. When entering the restaurant I was so pleasantly surprised to see how beautiful it was -- the design and renderings were like I was in a high end restaurant in Vegas. Since it was Tues.. we both ordered the Taco Tues special. Out came two soft tacos, some warm shredded chicken, white lettuce, diced unripe tomatoes on a plate. They looked so unappealing to the eye and had no taste. No pico, salsa, sour cream, guacamole was on the tacos or on the side. The meat was chewy and tasteless. What an enormous disappointment. Service was good and atmosphere outstanding. It's sad that you can't present a delicious taco. read more

We loved Pablo! Huge restaurant with fun different seating areas and bars, including an outdoor area with corn hole if you're waiting to be seated. Great for all ages and occasions. Went with my wife for date night, then came back later in the week with the whole family including our two young ones. Food was great, we loved the shrimp tacos. Great service. Fun vibes. read more

I had a great experience at Pablo. It's beautiful inside. Staff is very attentive and friendly. Try the carne trio tacos. Executed very well. Their straight up house margarita is one of the best I've ever had. Give them a try. FYI. I went during lunch period. I hear it gets somewhat loud later in the day and evening. I will be back. read more

Carne asada - not tender - chunky El pastor - the same but flavor better Worst - Poke tuna taco - all mixed up and not fresh Quesobirrea - not sure why it says queso bc there wasn't any but it was probably the best bc of the sauce but again. Meat not tender. Classic margarita - too sweet Bill 182.00 not worth it. Food server very nice. However - I am a foodie and willl not be returning. read more

Noise level was just too much. Initially we were being seated to the right but I said way too loud in here, so we moved to back bar area, where the DJ was - music was overwhelming. Even the server agreed. This was not due to people since it was just us for most of the meal but music. Food was good and there was a lot on each plate, server was good, drinks were good. Decor was redone but tbh we tried to see difference and didn't. I hope they make it. read more

Pablo is strictly phenomenal. Everything will inspire you to return. The atmosphere is electric and there are three bars and spacious seating. The service is friendly, lively and genuine. Most importantly, the food and drinks are bursting with flavor. The seafood sampler is a particularly superior dish, and the fresh sea bass just makes it even more ridiculously delicious. Drinks will not disappoint in the least. Pablo changes the food scene in the area for the better. read more

I recognize it was Cinco de Mayo but this place was popping starting at 3:00. We only had nachos since this was our first experience. The service was very good . The Manager spent a lot of time with us making sure we were comfortable and lying out future plans. They had a live entertainment and a DJ. The ambiance, especially the back bar, was over the top and not what you expect from an establishment in Somers Point. The new owners have done an excellent job with the renovation. Come Memorial Day this will be the go to spot for the summer. read more

The room is beautiful. Like the last owners made a mistake of not having enough servers. Room was packed and only a 2 servers with not an empty table on a Monday night. Also drinks had very little alcohol. Time will tell. read more

I don't have enough positive words to describe Pablo's. Everything about this place is superb! Eating the food is close to a religious experience. The decor is top notch. It's just all stupendous. If you made me say something negative about Pablo's it would be that the music is a bit too loud. However, the staff will turn it down for you if you request it. read more

Very loud. Slow service and at times couldn't even find waiter and when we did they said things like, "I have to do everything around here" or "I swear the people in kitchen have one brain cell between them all." Food was just ok. We were looking forward to trying this and were very disappointed. read more

Music is always way too loud chasing customers away. Food and service is good but the music volume kills the whole experience.

Do not let the full parking lot discourage you, there are four bars located in different areas of the restaurant, we tried three of their margaritas, the Passion Fruit being our favorite. The staff was friendly and helpful. I wish could remember the female bartender at the main bars name, she is one of the top bartenders in the area! OUTSTANDING! We will be back! read more

I realize this is a new trendy place. Food is good. But to tell someone your wait time is 50 minutes and it takes them 2hrs to seat you is ridiculous. read more

We had a party of 7 and were seated in the indoor/outdoor section which was great for us. You can see they put a lot of thought into the design offering different vibes. The one space is a little more formal and probably quieter and the space we sat in was more lively and then they have a beautiful outdoor space for lounging. Service was great and timely. The food was delicious. We had mostly tacos and some drinks. The shrimp tacos were amazing. The Grouper and short rib were also delicious. The spicy tuna taco wasn't great, tastes too fishy IMO. Would definitely go back there. read more

On the good side, they make a great jalapeño margarita. It's LOUD, I mean LOUD. The decor is light and airy but more Cuban or Brazilian than Mexican (at least the the areas of Mexico I've visited). It's almost a bistro set up and you sit close. Music is loud and very modern. It sounded repetitive. A restaurant that charges these prices should not be serving water in plastic glasses. Complete sets of silverware would be a good addition, especially if your waiter forgets it when your food arrives. Since the table setting includes two appetizer plates and a fork in the center, we thought we were being served salsa and chips. That's something you order, the plates were just a waste of space. The waiter recommended the lime-cilantro options over traditional Mexican. Good idea. My sister enjoyed the black beans and lime-cilantro rice in her bowl. My fajitas order included a salty, oddly seasoned Mexican rice (and not oddly in a good way). The refined beans were equally salty and really, it was a sauce with few bean bits included. The fajitas were well cooked but SALTY. I drank a bottle of water during dinner. Pleasant looking but... read more

Oh my... We so wanted to love this place, especially with the memory of the last lousy restaurant, Mexicali. Ummm, yeah..could have been, should have been better. **I read in a previous review that the drinks are weak. I'm not a drinker at all, but if I could not taste any liquor in the $15 cocktail... there's a problem. Tasted like a mocktail Juice that just stole my $15. The place is VERY LOUD, making it difficult to hear across the table. We could not wait to leave. Our party could not have a conversation because of the terrible acoustics. The Positives... Service by Jorge was the high point, although because of the noise, I could not hear him. Ok..now onto the food....Yikes.. Umm..so ah...For old school people...tasted like a very expensive Chi-Chi's, but without the good salsa. And very little creativity or even well-executed dishes come out of the kitchen. Tacos and Burritos.. that's about it. The kitchen needs more time, I guess, to get its act together. If they can not...it's a big place to be empty. The menu is VERY limited, the place seems to be geared for Burritos and Tacos, as they really don't have much of an entree menu. The atmosphere is very vanilla and basically doesn't have a vibe. Where is the Mexican culture in the restaurant? We could not find much. It's Americanized, dumbing down to a point where it no longer matters. The Nachos with steak were just disappointing. How could the plate be cold when there was some melted cheese? Oh yea it must have sat on the pass, dying. Cold, low-grade steak...yum! ew I ate maybe 6 chips, then moved them away from me. The server never came around to ask about the food? The chips were good; the chips were made on-site. A shame that not more of the food seems to be created in-house. Too much, "Sysco." The steak was as dry as the Mohave! The Quacamole was very good. But the chips needed Salt and SALSA!! Where were the Pickled Jalapenos? There were NONE? Zero, zip, nada. Tasteless and disappointing. At $24 bucks for 3 ounces of dry, gristle, "steak", and when I say Gristle, I'm talking about the steak Bits that when I chewed, I heard that gristle sound like I was chewing on Hard Cartilage. Pretty disgusting. A scoop of Quac. Again, Kitchen error. No way should that platter have been sent out. Cold, over-cooked steak, with the chew of rubber. The Cesear Mexican Salad with chicken was another poorly executed plate. VERY DRY Chicken, maybe 4oz of chicken, and not so surprisingly, the portion was silly for the $$. A whole head of lettuce is a couple of bucks. Really??? Et Tu, Pablo? We won't be back. There are so many very good family-run Mexican restaurants in Somers Point. We will not be back. The place will be mobbed during the summer. Kids like Tacos and Burritos. Unless the Kitchen begins to execute correctly and the place recognizes their portions vs Price may need to be evaluated, their cocktails are tasting like Mocktails even for tea totalers...by November...it won't be busy. $100 for 2 people. One ordered Nachos, and one ordered a salad. 2 Poor Cocktails. Ask yourselves...$100? Give it a rest... read more

From the moment we stepped in, the experience quietly missed the mark. The restaurant is vast--promising, in theory--but the décor feels inexplicably timid for a Mexican spot; instead of vibrant warmth, it offers a cost-conscious, unfinished vibe that suggests decor was an afterthought. It's forgivable--after all, we're here for the food--but first impressions matter. Service followed suit: our welcome was perfunctory, as if we'd interrupted a private conversation. The hosts seemed green, young, and unsure, which explains the awkwardness but doesn't excuse it. With a little more polish and genuine hospitality, the space could better match the promise of its size. From a practical standpoint, the essentials--food, service, and value--should redeem any shortcomings. Here, Pablo's struggle to do so. * Service & Noise: Service was inconsistent and hampered by an unbearable din; our server's explanations had to be repeated twice because we simply couldn't hear them. (We never heard what the server was saying) Conversation at the table broke down beyond one person's voice, which made ordering and discussing dishes a chore. * Menu & Food Expectations: The menu surprised us by how small and fast food-leaning it felt. If you're after composed Mexican authentic entrées rather than tacos and burritos, this isn't the place--the selection for mains is essentially nonexistent. * Value & Experience: Between muffled service, limited choices, and the overwhelming noise, the overall value felt diminished. With a broader menu and quieter dining room, this space could better fulfill its promise. * From first bite to last, this felt like a textbook case of Americanized shortcuts passing for Mexican cuisine. * Food * The menu beyond tacos, burritos, and fajitas is essentially nonexistent. Appetizers tasted like mass-produced, quick-service fare--nothing that suggested items were made in house. Portions and preparation felt cheap; for the prices charged, the food simply didn't deliver. * Drinks * Cocktails were unbalanced and weak, with little discernible alcohol or craft; at $15-$18 each, they came off as a poor value and, frankly, a rip-off. A mugging. * Service & Outcome * Service and training issues compounded the disappointment. We left still hungry and ended up eating elsewhere after our meal. If management doesn't address menu depth, kitchen quality, and drink prep, this place risks fading fast. Summertime there will be a line out the door, but come November, if they don't fix this, the place will be yet again a ghost town. * Bottom line: skip it -- not worth the time or money , read more

While I generally avoid a newly opened restaurant, I went on day one to Pablo's. I was not disappointed. The empanadas were delicious and tacos were great and very authentic. I went for lunch so I did not want a big meal. There is quite a variety of food. The atmosphere is lively and fun with excellent renovations. The bartenders and servers were great representatives of the business. All in all it was a great experience. Give it a try. I will be back. read more

Don't bother going if you are from out of state!!!! My friends from college (University of Delaware graduates 2022), who live out of state (Massachusetts, Delaware, New York, and Ohio), are visiting me, a New Jersey state resident, for memorial day weekend (staying in Ocean City, NJ). We decided to try this new restaurant on a rainy Saturday. After putting our name in at the hostess stand we go to the bar to get a drink to wait. As expected, the bartender asked for our IDs. My Jersey ID and the NY ID were glanced at and approved. The Ohio and Massachusetts IDs were looked at under further scrutiny then taken to another bartender. She then denied service to both IDs claiming they were fake, when they were in fact real. Per our request she brought both IDs back to her manager to which she came back to say he agreed it was fake. We then asked for the manager to speak to us (he didn't even present himself to us initially). We explain the situation and proceeds to use his iPhone flashlight to "examine" the Ohio and Massachusetts IDs. He then says the Massachusetts ID is fine but the Ohio one is still fake. If bartenders of this establishment, more importantly the manager, do not possess the ability to accurately identify real vs. fake IDs of ALL 50 states then they should invest in an ID scanner. This is extremely disappointing as I have had great experiences at other Zest Restaurant Group establishments in Cape May, NJ. Will not be returning. read more

The food was good, but the service was awful. The Baja guacamole came sprinkled with tuna, even though it's supposed to be loaded as it is advertised as tuna guacamole. To top off the experience, our server was rude. We ordered drinks, apps, and food and she left rude comments to us while we were walking out of the door. Our table wasn't bussed and we sat with our appetizer dishes on our miniature table the entire meal. I had great expectations and would've had a better experience if not for the server. read more

We were seated immediately upon arrival at a table near the bar. The MUSIC was so loud we could not hear each other and requested to be moved. We were then given a table in the room behind the hostess area. The music was still very loud. The thumping of the bass went on the entire time we were there. The food was decent. Our friend liked his chicken fajitas. The Taco's with pork had mostly pieces of gristle. The drinks were mostly void of alcohol. The service was adequate but she never returned to check on us, and while she was very pleasant, she seemed a little disorganized. We may return at some point to try it again, but we are in no hurry. read more

They have redesigned the restaurant to include more lighting and furniture. It has a very nice look inside. The server was attentive. Our table had taco's, a burrito, and fajitas. All were excellent. My only concern it was very expensive . For example the fajitas were $30 for lunch. read more

our first visit and fabulous. beautiful and spacious. excellent food (especially corn ribs - and large menu. Jorge Madrid the best server ever. noise level very high due to tiled floors. go before 4 pm as it's walk ins only read more

Visited this restaurant while traveling from Ohio. They denied my ID because they claimed it to be fake. I told them to call the police to verify it and they said nothing. Purple shirt manager came out to "verify" my ID by shining his phone flashlight on it. Denied me again. God forbid a 26 year old woman with a doctorate from Ohio wants a margarita. Embarrassing. Don't bother coming if you're out of state. read more