Wanted a good Mexican meal for cinco de Mayo. Was seated quickly but the service and waitress sucked! Called prior for specials $3 corona and $5 mini chimichangas waitress starting with the letter W didn't know the specials. Tried to charge us full price for drinks and didn't let us order the mini chimichanga took forever to get service ordered app to share didn't give us plates or utensils to eat. After the tasteless pork and pineapple taquito app we just wanted to finish drinks before entre she told us if we didn't order right away because of the holiday we would have to leave. Never again will we go there! HORRIBLE! read more

Delicious! We ordered for pick up..the girl said 40 minutes but it was ready in 20. My husband had the garlic shrimp and I had the fish tacos. The guacamole in the tacos was very good and the tacos were fresh. We will definitely be back again! read more

Chilangos Restaurant - Garlic shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Amazing selection of tequila - go there if you are looking to sample unusual and hard to find varieties. The food is fresh and delicious. My favorites are simple staples - enchiladas, burritos, and flautas. Chilangos can get busy, so try to visit on off-peak hours. Excellent spot to sit outside at picnic tables during summer. (They turned their parking lot into a great patio during the pandemic closures.) read more

The best authentic Mexican restaurant in the area! Been out of the area for 15 years and everything is the same high quality offerings as my last meal! Homemade, fresh tortilla chips and salsa , of which the flavor is unrivaled! Greeted at the door by Leo, the owner, and his attention to detail and customer satisfaction is top notch. Frequent check ins to assure a great dining experience. Fish tacos were plentiful and a great scoop of homemade guacamole on top finished the dish. Everything on the menu is a winner, and the tequila selection and homemade sangria makes the restaurant an easy return choice!!! read more

Here is the situation. Called on a Sunday at 445 pm to place a pick up order for 545. Told to call back at 515 pm. Told at 515 that they might not have it for 545, so okay. Get there at 6 and it takes 15 minutes to figure out that they served half of our order to dining in patrons, so our friends, who went to get the order waited another 30 minutes. We all get that things happen and we are easygoing, but what really fried me is that no one in the restaurant apologized. Half the order cold, helf good. read more

First time. Good food. Great service. Nice bartender. Good margarita's. Easy parking. Will come back.

Skip. Plenty of better options all with better views in Atlantic highlands. Ate off kids and lunch menu- fish tacos, chicken tacos and chicken quesadilla. All very bland and lacked sufficient sides. I mean who serves a chicken taco with nothing but a tortilla and chicken. Really!? No cheese. No salsa. No lettuce or tomatoes?? Just dry. Ugh. Authentic?? Not even close. Chips and salsa on the house pre ordering was decent and mild enough for kids. $3 sangria was a good deal but weak as you'd expect. Lunch menu was all under $10 but regular menu looked to be a complete rip off. $18 burrito?? Stupid. And as only guests in this place I can't believe I had to ask for water three times to actually get it. And good luck getting a to go container. Ps why have basically pitch black lighting in the bathrooms?! Go elsewhere. read more

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After reading the reviews the I had high hopes. Unfortunately, my wife and I found the food to be bland. Not sure if we'll go back. The service was good and the people were friendly read more

Chilangos Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

How could you not love it here. When you're here, it's like family. I was first taken here when I was visiting friends who lived in the area and insisted we go here. The first thing that caught my eye was the wall, yes wall of over 100 different tequilas. Every tequila you can think of. As a tequila drinker, I was already a fan. The food does not disappoint. Not your regular tex mex. The owner even went as far as to ask my favorite dishes and flavors to make me something special, off the menu. Not very often I go to a restaurant and they do that - they insisted! As far as the drinks, all I can say is "cake shots." Shots made out of cake blended with tequila. Sounds gross, but trust me on this one, delicious. The Tres Leches cake is phenomenal... and I'm not a cake person. Can not wait to go back! read more

This was my first visit to Chilango's. It was a Sunday at 2:15pm. I took a seat at the bar and ordered from a very friendly and interactive Juan. I chose the Shrimp & Pineapple Fajita special. I enjoyed my meal while watching CNN fake news and soccer. Interestingly, there was no football on the televisions. Spanish music was playing which was only barely audible since it was busy with NY Twin Lights Bike Ride participants from Huddle Park which I hadn't known about beforehand. I'm glad I turned down the chips and salsa because I was given a whole lot of food. The dish, technically a second dish, came with rice, beans and vegetables. It was amazing food and service albeit on the more expensive side. read more

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I've eaten here a few times and each time has been fantastic. The staff is all very nice and the owner has hand selected tequilas and mezcal samples which were very much enjoyed. Highly recommended. read more

This wasn't our first time. The food was very good and we ordered margaritas which were fantastic. The prices were reasonable considering everywhere you go now the prices are up significantly. I think we will stop by a little more often. I recommend to anyone looking for good tasting Mexican food. Thumbs up. read more

Honestly this was not only the worst Mexican food I have ever had, but the worst restaurant food I have ever had in general. As Highlands locals we were very excited to try out Chilango's, being the Mexican staple in the area. Much to our dismay, the restaurant was not only untidy, but everything from the drinks to the food was absolutely disgusting and tasted terrible. We ordered the Skinny margarita, which tasted like a combination of straight lime juice and water ($30) and we couldn't even drink half. We also ordered an appetizer and two entrees - all of which were tasteless and by far the worst Mexican food I have ever had. I couldn't even eat my entree (Santa Fe Enchiladas) and my boyfriend has had a stomach ache since we left the restaurant. If you have any other option than this restaurant, I would highly recommend. Terrible food and a stomach ache for a pricey cost. read more

Chilangos Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

OMG my family and I go in this place almost every month. And we are always BLOWN AWAY by how good the food is each time.

If you're looking for authentic taco's, this isn't it. The beef taco's came with ground beef that may as well be Sloppy Joe hamburger meat... but without seasoning. Chicken tacos were dry and unseasoned as well. I'm talking no salt and no pepper. I'm looking around and the clientele is essentially white, so perhaps this they cook this way to cater to a demographic that's isn't usually too big on spices. Decent service and over all good atmosphere, just don't come here if you're looking for good genuine tacos. I can't offer feedback on any of their menu items. read more

Extremely upset with our experience with this restaurant tonight. I heard about them through word of mouth and have long been looking forward to the chimichangas. Ordered through Grubhub and as I am a pescatarian so specified in the notes very clearly for both my husbands and my order that we wanted to no ground beef only shrimp for the "beef or shrimp chimi". When it arrrived, both had both shrimp and beef which I could not eat. Called the restaurant and they blamed Grubhub, Grubhub did refund but we have no dinner! If these two orgs are going to partner then they need to get their communication straight. I am extremely disappointed (and hungry!) that we cannot support this local business. Awful customer service that they did not make it right. read more

We decided to stop in as we were craving Mexican food after a long day at the beach. The food was so bland and flavorless. I mean, like literally no flavor and the salt shaker got a good workout. They forgot our appetizers and the soda was flat. Mind you, I am a cook myself and am very sensitive to salt. But...damn. We ordered a chicken burrito and a beef burrito for 19 dollars ea. You would think the owner of the place heard of seasonings. The chicken was shredded and moist, but it was straight up white, no color from any spice or browning. The ground beef was ...weird. It was grainy and tasted boiled or canned. The clientele eating there were all old white people so maybe that explains why? There was some young people there, but they were at the bar listening to the "owner" brag about how much passion he had for his restaurant and cooking. Lol. Come here for adult beverages if you must, but avoid the overpriced bland food. Great location and server was nice. read more

Cozy, friendly place. Food was Delish, margaritas were freshly made (no mix!), Bartender was our Top-Notch waiter, and the Mgr/owner was welcoming & most hospitable. I am looking forward to a return visit! read more

I love Leo and his staff. Authentic cuisine and a local favorite! We have never had anything but great experiences here!

Don't come here. Everything on the menu is garbage. The service and food absolutely sucks. The waitress was a bitch. Even the free nachos were garbage. If I am going to spend $200 on dinner, I would buy 200 at Taco Bell. This place used to be amazing... Not sure what happened but everything was seriously underwhelming. Super fatty steak. Spent 250 for 4 of us and will never do that again. read more

Was there for a small baby shower yesterday. Had one waitress for 30 people plus other patrons which is tough. Took my order three times and I wanted a simple chicken quesadilla. The food took two hours to come out. I was given a chicken fajita and when I corrected the order to much annoyance what came back out was the chicken fajita mixture in the quesadilla. It was lumpy and barely resembled a quesadilla. Not cool. The rice and beans came out way after people received their meals. Two stars because the Tre Leches cake was really good. read more

After a day at "The Hook" you have to check this place out. Authentic Mex. grub. Start it off with 275 varieties of tequila. We chose Heradura salt and lime, Oh yes. Fernando will hook you up. Started with wings and frosty Corona, crispy skin and tender with a little bit of heat. On to the fish tacos w/ Corona batter, fresh + yummy. If you're craving Cancun don't come here, this is off the beaten path good. read more

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Had great hopes for this place. Great tequila selection. Very good guacamole and salsa. Unfortunately, the chicken chimichanga I had was tasteless as were the pinto beans and rice. It was as if someone in the kitchen just never bothered to season anything. No spice, no salt just bland bland bland. The chimichanga, which was supposed to contain shredded chicken, was basically a huge, whole dry chicken breast wrapped in a fried tortilla. The staff was very friendly and it was a pleasant atmosphere but not worth the 30 minute drive. Plenty of better places in Freehold. read more

Oh the shredded pork burrito is amazing!! Wish they didn't skimp on the guacamole, its a tiny little monkey dish and that is their only size offering but everything else is so good you can overlook having to buy two for a table of four..we tried the stuffed jalapeños this time, they were just ok, stuffed with cream cheese and crab, were a little fishy tasting..stick with the mains! OMG the table next to us we're celebrating a bday and they offered us some WOW...they said the owners wife made it and it was SO good and chocolaty..not sure if they do this for everyone or if these folks were friends but worth a ask it was really good!!! read more

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Very friendly staff and yummy food. I've been there multiple times now... both to eat in and for take out. Authentic Mexican and awesome tequila bar. A crowd favorite for me and my crew. read more

Chilangos Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Leo is an incredible host and owner. The food here is incredible and if you are in the mood for traditional Mexican food this is the spot. During the day their food truck serves up some of the best curb side eats too! Must try is the naked tamales. read more

My friends and I loved our meal tonight. Fresh salsa, solid drinks, delicious dinners and a check that didn't hurt at the end of the night. Our waitress, Annette, was not only on top of everything but a real pleasure to chat with. The manager came over and was warm and gracious. It was a great experience and we will definitely be back! read more

I was starving and we stopped at this place. From the outside looks a little bit abandoned, but inside is really nice. My husband had the tilapia and I had some taco chicken with some pico de gayo that honestly didn't look like pico de gayo at all, and some also weird guacamole. The kids chicken tortilla is just a flour tortilla with chicken. That's it. It was ok. And the price also was fine. The service was really good. I think that if you want to go and have sone margaritas with some basic tacos, it's fine. read more

Chilangos Restaurant - Very weird type of Pico de Gayo and Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Food is not bad. Service is good. Restaurant has a funky smell and ambience is not perfect :/

Tried the Chilangos food truck. What a treat. Lady in truck was very helpful. Had the beef tacos and a burrito. Now that is Mexican food!!!

First off to the other reviewers that called it authentic. C'mon, just because you went to cancun and your resort had the same food. SMFH. Not bad, not great. Definitely not 20$ quesadilla great. Salsa and chips were on point. I ordered fajita style chimichanga. It was good. prices on the menu did not add up at all. Mexican style food is fairly on the cheaper side. But everything costs close to 20$. whether it's a regur quesadilla or steak entree. Confusing but beneficial if you are going for the pricier proteins like shrimp or steak or seafood. But a regular beef or chicken burrito roughly the same price. Also Guacamole served in my dish was almost one tablespoon. Not enough to do anything with or taste. It did have a pleasant taste but why bother At that point. Pros: General portions, salsa fairly authentic menu options. Cons: prices rates, server attentiveness, too much rice too little guac not "authentic" read more

It 's a cold and rainy Friday evening. The effects of Hurricane Ida are still lingering. Exhausted from the long work week I just want to go get some Mexican food and then come home and collapse. I brave the nasty weather, driving through the storm and a couple of flooded streets. Heavy winds blow my car around, but I am determined not to be stopped. I've already come so far... I enter to find a cute and cozy Mexican Restaurant. Jalapeno pepper lights line the ceiling and tiny maracas decorate the walls. The people are loud and boisterous and the place smells inviting. My senses are aroused and I am ready to indulge in some fattening food. The friendly waitress brings us some chips and salsa and takes are drink orders immediately, giving us time to peruse the menu. My bf chooses the Chilango's burrito. A chipotle sauce marinated chicken burrito which came with rice and beans. I decide to go for the Mom's special. A chile relleno, 1 Mexican meatball and 1 chicken enchilada also served with rice and beans. We eat some chips and salsa while we wait. The chips seem slightly stale, but the salsa is spicy, not too runny and delicious. We are starving, but after awhile our food comes. My enchilada is ok as is the chile relleno, but I don't care for the mexican meatball. It's too salty. My bf's burrito is alright as well. Not bad, but we agree that Juanito's in Red Bank is much better. I decide I must try the dessert. Tres Leches Cake. It's a little too sweet for my tastes, but it too is alright. We leave back into the stormy night, ready to make the trek back home slightly disappointed in our meal. We decide we will not return. read more

My mother has lived in Mexico for seven years, and one of my best friends has lived there off an on for over ten...suffice to say I've been to Mexico a few times and eaten enough authentic Mexican food to have an informed opinion. Today I had the most incredible Mexican food I've eaten on the east coast. Period. I should mention that I'm a California girl, and we have really good Mexican food there, most likely because California was Mexico until 1850. At any rate, I'm rather picky about my Mexican cuisine and have been frustrated with people telling me how great the food is someplace only to go myself and find it the same disappointing bland rice and beans and Lowery's seasoning mix on the meat. But not this spot. No Chilango's has the best fresh pico de gallo I've tasted outside my own kitchen or across the border....and that's not all....I also got to have the best enchiladas with pasilla sauce that wasn't on the menu but tasted sublime. My partner enjoyed her chorizo tacos and we both loved the guacamole and the margaritas. I wish I lived closer so I could taste all the other amazing offerings, they had nopales on the menu and I got all excited! Alas, it's not so close, but when I go back to the Jersey shore I'm definitely taking a break at Chilango's... it's certainly cheaper to go there than buying a plane ticket to visit my mom;) read more

Have stopped in for drinks and eats after kayaking in Sandy Hook National park. The drinks are great and the food is prepared with care and love to bring great flavors to the dinning table. The mole sauce is amazing. Happy Summer everone get out and enjoy. read more

If only Chilango's was closer to the Lazy L I'd be here all the time. Visited Weds. night with mi compadre, Toot, and Uncle Paulie, a New Jersey expatriate, in from his new home in Costa Rica. In short, I'll say it again, this is Mexican Food heaven. We ate at the 6 stool bar and watched game 1 of the World Series while we ate our ridiculously delicious meals. Juan, the barkeep, who hails from Mexico City, was pouring the drinks and mixing the cocktails. I ordered a shot of Patron, but Juan suggested Asombroso Reposado instead, and man that was some good f'ing Tequila!! At $11 a shot just slightly more than the Patron but worth every peso! As a bonus it comes in a beautiful, hand crafted bottle, that is probably the nicest liquor bottle I have ever seen. . The owner / chef, Leo, (pronounced layo) made my steak burrito and chatted with us and the other 2 bar patrons. What a nice guy and a great chef. There is talk, justifiably so, of Leo opening other locations and I can only hope that one of those locations is closer to me. Juan set me up with a few tastes of other Tequilas, all gratis, and about half a glass of some wonderful Margaritas he was making for someone else. Juan is an artist, not just a barkeep, and his Margarita was something special. There was a magician sitting next to me at the bar and he performed a few card tricks that left me truly amazed. He said he would be performing there on Tuesday nights and I think would be worth checking out, although I'm sure my Tequila consumption made me an easy mark. In short, Te amo Chilango's! read more

I'm really tempted to give it 1 star. As per my first review, I never loved the place, but it seems every time I go back it's worse than the time before. It's black balled, shit listed now. Last time I went the food was really bad (my shredded pork was more fat than meat) and the service was super slow. I just can't justify going back ever. One good thing, the chocolate tres leches cake was good. And the mojitos are still pretty good too. read more

I immediately liked the place because they had their own parking lot across the street. Convenience is a huge plus! As soon as I walked into the restaurant it smelled like urine, but I had been on a no carb diet and had been craving Mexican food for so long I had to try it. The server was so rude she didn't say hello, (nor did the bartender, it was lunch the place was empty!) didn't ask me and my boyfriend what we wanted to drink, nothing. We had no choice but to kill Her with kindness. Guacamole came and I never ever ever add salt to anything but I continuously poured salt over the Guacamole because there was no flavor whatsoever. Same with the chips. Cold, stale and flavorless. Chimichanga had that tomato sauce on top which I hate! Ugh. I want cheese and sour cream. My biggest complaint about it was that the tortilla was soggy and mushy. Yuck. Never going back because of the service (which was horrendous) and the tasteless careless food. read more

To start with, they did not put any forks or napkins. I got a hair that was disgusting.no tiene sabor .es lo peor de comida mexicana que hemos comido!!!! read more

This place is always great. I have been coming here for years and have tried a majority of the menu. The steak Chimichanga and the shrimp in garlic sauce are my favorite Mainstays, but there are usually fantastic specials. The pork burrito and sesame coconut flautas come to mind. The cocktails are also fantastic. The best time to come is when Juan is working the bar. He is a master of his craft and makes a killer margarita, but the hidden gem is the mojito. Getting back to Juan, he is the man. He crafts everything to your taste and always gives you a sample of something else in order to expand your palate. If you come here on a Friday or Saturday night expect a wait, and if you're hoping to sit at the bar good luck, as it's tiny. Other then that, if you want a great meal and a killer cocktail you can't go wrong with Chilangos. read more

Chilango's bills itself as authentic Mexican cuisine. That is both correct and incorrect. The family who owns it is from Mexico City. If you know anything about Mexico City they have started to serve Tex Mex because that is what the tourists expect and tourists think of it as Mexican food. So this is Tex Mex from a family from Mexico City. http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodmexican.html Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by it's heavy use of melted cheese, meat (especially beef), beans, and spices, in addition to Mexican-style tortillas. Texas-style chili con carne, chili con queso, chili gravy, and fajitas are all Tex-Mex inventions. A common feature of Tex-Mex is the combination plate, with several of the above on one large platter. Serving tortilla chips and a hot sauce or salsa as an appetizer is common in Tex-Mex restaurants. Saying it is authentic Tex Mex is like saying something is authentic Asian fusion. But their web site clearly says authentic Mexican and it is not it is Tex Mex. Having established that this is a Tex Mex restaurant and not a true authentic Mexican restaurant let's get to the food we had. The chips seemed to be out of the bag and the salsa out of a jar. I asked if they had Chili Relleno's since I read they have it as a special sometimes. The waitress who was very courteous said they are frozen and pre made since it takes so long to make them and they only have chicken. So I said never mind and ordered cheese enchiladas off the specials menu. It wasn't anything I couldn't get at any other Tex Mex or "Mexican" restaurant anywhere else. My husband had the Mahi Mahi fish tacos off the specials menu. They were beer battered and you could actually taste the beer and that is unusual for beer battered anything. That was their one saving grace. If I wanted fajitas or other Tex Mex fare I would go to any number of Tex Mex places in the city. I am not a huge fan of Tex Mex. I really did not enjoy much about this restaurant and think they are posing. I did happen to notice that most of the customers who were there when we were there were over weight gringo's. That is not the restaurant's fault but catering to them is. This is not a destination restaurant. That means don't bother to go out of the way to eat here if you are from the city. If you are from the neighborhood I guess it is okay but we felt it was over priced for what it offered. I personally have no reason to ever go back. I wish Yelp had a better rating system than 5 stars. I reserve one star for something really terrible like food poisoning. To give 2 stars means it was really awful. 3 stars means average. This is more like 2 and half stars. If you are looking for good or authentic Mexican food in Jersey I would suggest going to Charrito's in Union City or El Meson in Freehold. There is also El Tapitia in Asbury Park. Also on the shore in Bradley Beach is La Hacienda. I think based on the reviews the higher ratings are for the drinks but this is a restaurant and I am rating them on the food. If you are sober you can't rate Chilango's too high unless you are unfamiliar with authentic Mexican food. It is not terrible but it is not authentic Mexican cuisine. It is Tex Mex which is a dime a dozen. Also the quality was just okay and there was nothing on the menu that was unusual that you can't get at any other Tex Mex or "Mexican" restaurant. It's nothing special. read more

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