Loved every aspect of it!!!…read more Lots of room, so it doesn't feel crowded, even though it can fit quite a lot of people between the multiple dining rooms. The private party room at the entrance is eye catching. Very friendly server and wait staff. Helpful, knowledgeable, and patient. Margaritas are a must. I personally recommend the jalapeño cucumber marg with a tajin rim. The flautas as an appetizer were perfect. Lightly fried and full of flavor, especially with the avocado ranch/crema dipping sauce. The shrimp ajillo (garlic) entree was right up my alley. Personally, I could've done with a bit of spice kick, but it was good all the same, and especially the cilantro lime rice that came with it. I'll definitely return, and probably with more friends!!!

My client ordered takeout for us last week. My client…read moreordered fajita's with the skirt steak for himself and a quesadilla for his neighbor. For me, he ordered a chicken fajita's with grilled chicken since I'm not a fan of blackened chicken. I was so excited to get my fajita. Whenever I have Mexican food, I usually order Fajita's. I have been on the hunt the past 6 months to find the best place for fajita's. I have been to many places in Brick, Toms River & Lakewood. Most of them have been a disappointment. While I don't want to say Sofia's was a disappointment, I will say I was not impressed. My client loved his fajita. He was very happy with his meal and will most likely order again. My food on the other hand had very little flavor. Like I said, my client ordered the chicken grilled because I'm not a fan of blackened. The onions and peppers were horrible. They were barely cooked so they were crispy. I understand not wanting them to cook so they get mushy but they shouldn't be raw which is basically what I received. The flavor was minimal as well. It wasn't terrible but it was only slight. Not flavorful like you would expect a fajita to taste. I think Sofia's is a bit overpriced for what you receive. My meal was nothing to write home about. Needless to say, I'm still on the hunt for a good fajita. I do want to point out that the 2 girls in the front were awesome. They greeted me with a smile and were very helpful. They were also grateful for the small tip I gave them. I tipped them what I had in my wallet. Sofia's is just ok. Nothing extraordinary. Nothing stood out other than the 2 employee's that I interacted with that day. While I am not going to discourage anybody from trying Sofia's, I'm not going to encourage either. Maybe the cook had a bad day. Maybe they were busy and I didn't realize it. (It was only 4:30 in the afternoon when I picked our meal up so it was still early). I'm not sure I'll be going back for a 2nd try at Sofia's. Once I'm disappointed, I tend to not do it again but you never know. My client paid for my meal and I'm grateful for that. My client and his neighbor enjoyed their meals so I'm grateful for that as well.

I little expensive for lunch. Ours were $16 for the Chimichanga and $20 for Chiles Rellenos Queso…read more Decent dinning area. I might come back for dinner.

Service was fine, but the food was some of the worst Mexican I've ever had…read more Rice and beans were so bland they made plain oatmeal taste exciting. The red "salsa" was so watered down it was thinner than V8 and had no taste. It's like someone dumped a cup of tomato sauce in a gallon of water and stirred in some chili powder for kick. Seriously, buy some hamburger, a box of Old El Paso taco mix and it'll be 10 times more flavorful than the food here. The manager needs to hire a new/better cook. Whoever was on deck the day I was there (4/22/2026) was awful.

The restaurant was so chilly until we were finished and the heat came on. The place is cute looking…read morewith the space available. The chips were okay but we didn't get any salsa. The grilled Chicken with salad (very little tomato, onion and avocado) needed some flavor, again no salsa. The refried beans were excellent. The fajitas needed salsa and sour cream, and guacamole would've been nice (even a little). The waitress was pleasant.

Food was amazing they cook with such a passion showing us the true authentic flavor of spicier that…read moreMexico has, also the fresh waters are always available which is great because I do enjoy the horchata water and also the cucumber water, the tacos are also amazing and the fajitas de pollo are outstanding. The service was very friendly and ambience is always clean I would recommend this 10/10

The employees were all very kind. The food was outstanding - we had the guacamole (delicious),…read morefajitas were very good (came with chicken, beef & shrimp), and enchiladas (very good). The portions were very generous - we each took more than half our dishes home.

Absolutely fabulous! Authentic Mexican food, deliciously and artistically prepared, friendly and…read moreprompt service, and SO much to enjoy, visually, within the restaurant! The sound system was a bit loud, but that's the ONLY gentle criticism I have. I wish we lived closer to Toms River: La Cazuela de Dona Mary would be one of our favorite restaurants. Thanks for the treat! We'll be back again next year: count on it!!

This was our third visit to El Familiar. Today was Father's Day 2026…read more First, my daughter had made reservations for 15. They didn't hesitate. We showed up at 12:30 pm. We were seated almost immediately. The restaurant had just a few tables occupied. The restaurant was clean, quiet and our seating was spacious. We were promptly attended to. Second, we were given a Father's Day menu which was a very abbreviated version of their usual menu. Our server was quick to point out that if there was anything we wanted that was on the normal menu that we remembered, all we had to do was ask. We were delighted. We placed our drink orders. We were given plenty of time to review the menu and discuss what else we might want from the regular menu. We placed our orders. The wait for our meals was commensurate with the number of people. The food arrived piping hot. Everyone was served within minutes. The food was absolutely delicious and the portions enormous. I ordered 2 appetizers thinking they were going to be reasonable. I fed most of the table while still having enough for myself. Needless to say, to-go containers were necessary. Last, I want to say again that this was my and my wife's third visit. Each time we were served and attended to by Danna (?). I can't say enough positive things about her. She was attentive, friendly, warm, patient and very happy and helpful. She was very accepting even though I was doing my best with my high school Spanish. For my wife and me, I will ask for Danna to be our server and will be as much of a regular patron as possible. I would highly recommend El Familiar. You can't beat the ambiance, food quality and service.

Visited this restaurant with my family and we all loved the food. There were so many options on the…read moremenu and all were delicious. They even have a drink menu with fruit juices that are a must try. The service was great, waitress was very kind and patient especially with my newborn being there. The ambiance was nice, families were present. I'd definitely come back.

Won't be back! I arrived to meet my husband for lunch - we had passed this place many times and we…read moreboth had meetings that way so thought let's give them a try. Hubs wasn't there yet so I headed to the restroom to wash my hands - I didn't even get to push open the bathroom door yet and a woman came rushing out from the kitchen area to tell me that I couldn't use the restroom unless I buy something.. let me say they are not in an area that has no restrooms, everything else in that strip mall, even the gas station next door as a bathroom it's not like anyone would come in purely to use the bathroom. I was taken aback I said I was planning to have lunch but my husband is not here yet so I wanted to walk my hands, are you saying that I have to pay for my lunch before I can wash my hands.? She said well my boss said no bathroom unless you buy something. On that note, I left, told my husband to meet me next door at Lenny's and we spent $50 there on lunch and ate it down by the waterfront instead of eating at Ortega's. I'm a business woman, in my fifties, who was planning to enjoy lunch at your place, not someone looking to just use your bathroom and not spend money in your establishment. Poor customer service makes people feel unwelcome, even if you did have good food people are going to remember in unwelcoming attitude over anything you may serve.. can't recommended them and that's a shame for the business because you had the opportunity for some great advertisement and blew it. Good luck to you.

Delightful employees, great food at very reasonable prices. BYO…read moreGreat menu selection, no matter what you feel like having.

My family has been raving about how fantastic these tacos are at Taco- Tastic!!…read moreSo tonight we ordered to go dinner! Got to admit it was Taco -Tastic Fantastic!! Fresh ingredients! Lots of flavors and textures! Definitely recommend!

Last time we ordered I should've stuck to saying I'd never go back…read more We ordered several orders of tacos. The guy even confirmed upon pick up that the Al pastor tacos had no cilantro or onions. I guess this is their interpretation of that. I had to pick it all apart. Also there is no pineapple on 2 of them. That's the entire flavor point of these. And I asked for red salsa and got green.

Make sure you check your order before leaving. We ordered a steak burrito and 3 asada tacos. The…read moreburrito didn't have beans or rice, and my tacos were missing onions and chives. They do give a fair amt of meat, but it was tasteless and dry. Most mexican restaurants food has flavor. Very dissatisfied, food was late when arrived in this area on a Sunday. Only a few choices for food in this location. Price we paid approx $35, kinda pricey for these two items. Customer service was quick, but they need to pay attention to orders.

Very good food, though maybe a touch inconsistent. Reasonable prices. Menu is a bit different from…read moreyour usual American Mexican restaurant, and that's a positive.

I love this place. I highly recommend al pastor tacos; I order mine with double corn tortillas!…read moreHowever I often go on Saturday or Sunday because that's when they serve birria.

It's very good for some who is new the flavors , but if you had the flavor before, it's better I…read morethink to go to Taco Bell , it is fast food Mexican food. And Taco Bell is just better in that way. Very nice place and people

Nice stafff food I travel to get their at least once a weeek prices reasonableread more

The food was outstanding! The owner was there working and she was so kind and caring. The place is…read moretiny and cute and homey with good vibes. The chilaquiles with steak and red sauce was LO MEJOR! "The Best!"