A small venue in a strip mall lot, so plenty of free parking. Simple interior with some original…read morePuerto Rican inspired art on the walls. Food is made to order, so if you're in a rush order ahead. Friendly & fun staff, not too busy to explain things to you. We had Alcapurria (Yuca), Cubano, Cheese Empanada, Papa Rellena, Chicharron Polo, Chimichurri Chicken, & a Vanilla Tres Leche. Everything was very good & definitely worth a revisit. A very casual place with a super chill vibe. Grades: Alcapurria (Yuca): A+ Cubano: A Cheese Empanada: A Papa Rellena: A+ Chicharron Polo: B+ Chimichurri Chicken: A Vanilla Tres Leche: A+

Friendly service and nice food options. Empanadas were tasty and original but a little pricey…read more Same can be said for the food. Place is a bit small but it looks like they are remodeling and expanding. I highly recommend the pasteles. I usually pick up 2 dozen frozen and keep them in the freezer.

Man, the pupusas are SO good, at a great price. The bean and cheese, the mixto, the pork - all…read morecombinations were good and super fresh. You can order on their website for pickup which is convenient too. The customer service is pretty mediocre, the girls behind the counter will completely ignore you and keep talking. If you're waiting on an order, I'd definitely suggest checking in once or twice because a few times now I've been waiting and they just "forgot" to call out my name. (Alas, the price and quality keep me coming back lol)

Great local Salvadoran spot that reminds me of home. I always order the same - taquitos de pollo…read morewith horchata. Honestly a great nostalgic place and a little piece of home.

Pleasant spot for a brunch meal. The menu had a lot of options. I loved how they gave us empanadas…read moreas complementary bites upon sitting down. The workers were all pretty friendly as well. I think the food is very comforting but not a culinary must-try. Seems like a staple in the community though and I can appreciate that.

Brisas has some of the best Colombian empanadas I've ever had, crispy and flavorful. My family and…read moreI used to come here all the time, especially for breakfast, and it became one of our favorite go-to spots. Their bandeja paisa for lunch is another must, as it is delicious and always satisfying. The food here has that comforting, and the service has consistently been great. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, which makes every visit even better. Overall, Brisas is a gem. I'm looking forward to coming back the next chance I get!

We went inside and placed a takeout order it was around 7 pm on a Friday and the place was empty…read moreexcept 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!

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

Where do I even start... The food is great, honestly, it always is. I usually get the Don Moro with…read morechicken, and it's consistently a 10/10. The portions are generous for the price, and the juices are amazing. The atmosphere could use some improvement. The music was a bit too loud, and while I respect and support the vendors who come into the restaurant, some were very persistent; not just at our table, but others as well. It started to feel a little uncomfortable and pressured. As for service, it was a mixed experience. The staff running food and cleaning tables were excellent, very attentive and helpful. Unfortunately, our server, Michelle, was the complete opposite. She didn't come to our table until about 20 minutes after we were seated. She took our drink order but didn't bring the drinks. We ended up waiting around 30 minutes, and even after finishing our meals, we still never received one of our Sprites. She also forgot our to-go order and never checked back on us, even though we clearly needed refills and boxes. Thankfully, other staff stepped in to help. Considering there's a service fee added, the level of service we received was disappointing. I really hope that fee is shared among the entire staff, because the rest of the team was doing a great job. Overall, the food saves the experience, but the service definitely needs improvement.

The food is authentic and super flavorful. They do not skimp on flavors and quality of the…read moreingredients. Antonella and others were super attentive while the restaurant was full and active. The restaurant is overall clean, spacious and pleasant.

After a long day of running errands + knowing we would get home late, we definitely were going to…read morebe in no mood to cook anything. I found Rinconcito Latino, which would be along the route home, so we ordered via Seamless for pickup, one Saturday evening. The quoted pickup time was 10-20 minutes but I still had to wait an additional 10 minutes after that. But no big deal, it was prime time on a Saturday night, after all. To start, hubby and I split a chorizo empanada. I enjoyed this but feel like it could have been served with some kind of sauce. We ended up making our own chipotle mayo sauce to go with it, which paired perfectly. For my main, I had the Jibarito Sandwich (instead of bread, it's a sandwich with two pieces of plantains with your choice of meat in the middle with lettuce, tomato, onion and house signature sauce). I went with the al pastor since it's not something I can easily make at home. The meat itself was more like sliced pork chop than it was al pastor. It was a little bit dry but the flavor was good. Overall, I enjoyed my sandwich. The plantains were a nice update from regular bread. The sandwich was also served with fries, which were soaked with oil but I ate them anyway. He had the Fried Pork Chunks, which comes with rice and beans, which was pretty good. But, I do wish there was an option of yellow rice rather than just white rice - but not a deal breaker. The portions are pretty big, and we had enough leftover for lunch the next day. If you're craving Latin food and find yourself in the area, Rinconcito Latino is a great option.

This is not the first time I've ordered lunch from here. I placed my grubhub order at 11:40am -…read moredelivery was on time. But damn!! the food was horrible. Now I realize just like the last time, I got last nights leftovers heated up. I have never been served white rice that was this mushy and WET, totally inedible, and disgusting! If I were dining in, I highly doubt they would dare serve this to me or anyone else. The baked chicken, DRYYY and definitely not fresh. I felt so disrespected, you wouldn't serve that to your pet! Again, not my first time but definitely my LAST!!

Found this amazing gem on GrubHub, after having a craving for the Dominican dish "tres golpes", and…read moreI am so happy I tried them! For $9, this is the best breakfast/brunch in town! I also had a cheese empanada for $3 that was great too, but I forgot to take a picture of it. Will definitely be ordering from here again!

Latin Soul is a neighborhood staple that opened pre-Pandemic so it's been around a while now. When…read moreyou walk in, a giant mural on one wall greets you. To the left is a long counter/steam table behind glass. To the right is seating. Beyond the cashier is where desserts and drinks are stored. There is a rest room in the back. This is a relatively nice set up but it is also no frills. This space has clearly had several other identities over the years. My go to dish is rice with peas and pernil. I will also add in a side order of maduros. The rice is always delicious and perfectly cooked. The pernail is cut fresh to order as it sits in a steam table tray of its own juices. The crispy skin sits on top and they cut pieces for you with your order. Be sure to ask them to scoop some gravy onto your meat and rice! The pernil is perfectly seasoned. Not too salty, not under-seasoned and it has a great texture. It is never dry or chewy (in my experience anyway). The maduros vary visit to visit. Sometimes they are perfectly cooked and sweet, other times they are a bit too soggy. Just eyeball them before you order. While pernil is my "go to" dish, I have also had their turkey in the past. Turkey is hard to keep moist, even if it's sitting in a steam table tray of broth. I will say this, if you get it fairly fresh the turkey is tender and has great flavor. Again, eyeball it before ordering. There is staff turnover at Latin Soul, so my experience with the person serving me has ranged over the years. Years ago there was one person who was super nice and friendly. Then for a while a different person took over who seemed often eager for me to leave. More recently however the staff has been very nice and friendly. Your mileage will vary. Latin Soul is great. It's one of my favorite places to go on this stretch of Elmora. Definitely give them a shot!

So I was very apprehensive to go to this location, especially because of some of the reviews that…read morespoke about ICE and I in no way wanted to deal with any shenanigans on our trip to New Jersey, but I took the risk anyway. They would have to take the whole restaurant because that's all there was there was Latinos maybe a small handful of Caucasians. This place was pretty packed on Friday with a DJ and karaoke but it's big enough that we didn't have to wait when we got there. When I say this food was amazing, I will have to say that it is the juiciest meat all across the board, the ribs, the beef, the pork, you name it and big portions of food. We all had an amazing time and left with leftovers that I was able to cook the next day and it tasted still as juicy and tender. I'm definitely looking forward to going back to New Jersey and going back to have some food!!!! Go Colombia

Very hard to find parking so I recommend doing valet -- there's no set price so just tip what you…read morefeel is appropriate. First walked into this huge, upbeat, bright, airy space. The place is massive, so I can't imagine there's usually much of a wait to be seated. Huge screen was playing soccer games and this place is definitely going to be packed during the World Cup. We ordered a couple of drinks and honestly they felt more watered down than anything else -- not really worth the price. The appetizers were good, but the service was lacking. We couldn't find anyone to bring us plates and it took so long that our entrees arrived before we even started the apps. The entrees themselves were good though -- generous portions and solid flavor. When the check came, I was disappointed to see a mandatory 20% gratuity included, especially since the service definitely didn't feel worth 20%, and we were only a party of four. Overall, it's pretty pricey as well. I might come back for the ambience and the food, but I won't exactly be running back.

This place was SO GOOD that I don't even know where to begin! I really wanted to like this spot…read morebecause its local and has street presence... but the actual dining experience exceeded my expectations! Starting with the empanadas appetizers... the best in town! Delicious flavor and crunchy texture... just perfect. Then the main dishes were each flavorful, presentable and bountiful. From the door, the hospitality was warm, friendly and welcoming. The dining space and decor are modern, open and culturally honoring of the restaurant's Colombian heritage in its aesthetic. Price was affordable snd budget friendly for families. We will definitely be back!

After coming here for Mother's Day with the family , I knew I had to celebrate my birthday here …read more The staff was so nice , and the place was beautifully decorated , the food was on point and they serve my fav dish , ajiaco! The place is right around the corner from my house so it's super convenient, I don't have to go all the way into Elizabeth for great Colombian food ! 10/10

Palmas is a fairly recent addition to downtown Cranford, but I had heard about it on TikTok. I…read moreloved walking into the Salvadoran-owned cafe as it felt very warm and inviting. The staff was friendly and offered great suggestions. Although it was very busy on Saturday afternoon, I was happy to find a few seats available with the background music at the perfect, conversational volume. I only came in to order coffee, but seeing all those delicious pastries and baked goods made me almost change my mind. There were several winter specials available, so I decided to try the dulce de leche latte. I really enjoyed it since it was bold and strong, but had a smooth, sweet finish. There were many tasty-sounding latte choices such as horchata, tiramisu, and the golden palms latte, which is made of turmeric. I look forward to trying one of those the next time that I return.

Went in here because my usual coffee spot across the street that I drove 25 minutes for is closed…read morefor New Year's Day. Shout out to Palmas Cafe for being open! I ordered three fried empanadas (two chicken and one beef). they were okay - the crust is a bit different than I'm used to, but maybe the empanadas I typically have are baked. Also seemed to be more potato than meat in the beef one. The Americano coffee is awful. It gives mostly hot water with a hint of coffee flavor. I tossed it and didn't complain. Granted it's a cafe and not a coffee shop, but it's coffee! They have a plethora of other drinks that may be worth trying, but i will never order coffee here again. The decor inside is nice Also note, this is mostly a beverage and snack place. Very little food on the menu.