I got to stop at this restaurant for lunch! When I arrived I parked in their lot. I walked in and…read morewas greeted. The place was super cute. I ordered: Red snapper, jollof rice, beans Goat, jollof rice, spinach, plaintain, Puff puff Egusi Soup The food was delicious and I loved the goat the most! All in all it was a great experience!

Amazing food! The place is clean and organized. Great…read more service as well. Would definitely recommend to anyone in NJ.

We stopped by on Saturday afternoon, we were a table of 6. Although they were friendly, they were…read moreextremely slow. We were the only customers there so assumed we would get served quickly, however, it took over an hour before we started to get our food. My dad didn't get his food until we were all done. Also, it took about 15 minutes to get water and they did not offer to refill our cups after that. The food was good but unfortunately service was not.

Admittedly, we were super hungry when we arrived- the waiter was kind enough to tell us what was…read moreready (stew that had been simmering, etc), so we just jumped on that, plus some fried Plantains. I barely got bites in-between my kids inhaling the food. The chicken (Pollo Guisado) was so tender and delicious, we could have ordered 3 plates. The peppered steak was equally delicious, with a complex broth/sauce that we kept dipping our Fried plantains into. Fried plantains, always good, were especially great here (opted for ripe). The service was exactly as you'd expect, a more family approach than formal, which we love. If we pass through this part of NJ again, we will be back. Additionally, the Tamarindo drink was top notch.

From the service to the food everything was on point. Had a really great time being hereread more

We had high hopes for this spot. The menu had a lot of great-sounding options. Unfortunately,…read moreultimately even mild hot was too hot for us, and we can generally take a lot of spice. Lamb rice had potential, but it was too hot to finish. My medium wings were good but also too spicy. We liked the yucca fries and jalapeño poppers.

I had takeout from Lula's Latin Cuisine in Bergenfield, NJ, and I was impressed by the portion…read moresize--6 pounds of food. This was the first time a restaurant asked if I had any food allergies, which I appreciated. The staff was friendly, and the music created a lively atmosphere while I waited.

The food is beyond delicious! Very tasty! The pernil is sooooo good as well as the rice and beans.read more

THE GOOD ----------------…read more+ EXCELLENT FOOD ++++ Quarter Chicken lunch special was fantastic. Chicken was tender, beans mixed with the rice was delicious. ++++ Lomo Saltado lunch special was even better! Sliced pieces of steak were tender, juicy and absolutely mmmm mmmmm good. + Lunch special prices were a steal at $10.95 (as of August 2025) + Restaurant isn't huge, but there's still plenty of sit down space + Staff were friendly and food came out very quick THE NOT SO GOOD ---------------------------- - There's no private parking lot, but there are typically plenty of angle parking spaces outside

- Cozy, comfy joint with about 10 well-spaced tables--plenty of room to sit without feeling…read morecrowded; soft background music adds to the vibe without interfering with conversation - Friendly counter staff and quick table service on a Wednesday afternoon - Delicious food: Lomo Saltado was the star--tender beef strips, sautéed onions and tomatoes, soft fries, and rice soaking up the flavorful sauce; beef soup was hearty and delicious--tender meat chunks, egg, potatoes, and small pasta pieces; chicken soup and quarter chicken with rice and beans were also tasty--chicken skin had a nice crisp - Very reasonable lunch specials from Monday-Friday (11a-3p); $10.95 for an entrée, soup or salad, and a can of soda

A hidden gem what you would call a hole in the wall. Visiting from out of town and this place did…read morenot disappoint. I had white rice, black bean and the pollo guisado it was very flavorful. My husband had some sancocho and that was delicious as well. Service was done with a smile and we paid after we ate. If you're in the area check them out. Very good food and great customer service.

First time here & wont be the last! Chris is very friendly & helpful as I'm not familiar with…read moreDominican food. My husband & I had chicken over rice with black beans & tostones too! The chicken was so flavorful & perfect with rice & beans. Tostones are made to order & just delicious! We both brought some home because the portions are huge! Very pleasant & comfortable atmosphere.

The food is very good but for a Spanish restaurant the portions are small compare to other…read morerestaurants.

Honestly, the service here was pretty bad. The staff had a lot of attitude and didn't even say a…read moresimple hello, which was very off-putting. I don't understand why the customer service is so poor. The food was okay, but with service like that, I would definitely think twice before coming back. It's also pretty expensive for what you get. Also, staff should wear gloves when handling the metal trays where they display the food. Gloves should be a must.

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.