Excellent food, big menu, excellent service and nice atmosphere. Tried Don Pepe for the first time and they were excellent in so many ways

The food is very good. My friend had shrimp and he said it was the best shrimp dish he'd ever had. My husband had the lobster paella, it was excellent. Everything else was really high quality too. The one thing that was really bad was the ribeye. It was fatty and there was a lot of connective tissue, it was very hard to eat. The mashed potatoes that came with it were some of the best I've ever had. The vegetables were cooked very well. Not overcooked like mosy places do. The portions are really large. For two or three people don't get an appetizer. You will have enough to eat. We have been there twice, the first time had great service the second time it was really slow. The decor is very nice but not overly fancy. The servers have been very nice even the time they were slow. They did not rush us on either occasion. The menu is probably the biggest menu I've ever seen. We will go back but the next time I'm ordering chicken. read more

The chicken rice was old and dry like discolored and the salad was soggy After we specifically asked for dressing on the side. $35 dollars in the garbage Don't waist your money read more

Came here with my family and was highly disappointed. Service was horrible, our waitress barely helped us. We would ask for something and she would take forever, she would talk to people and be on her phone. My mother in law asked for the pork chops and the waitress convinced her they were dry and suggested the special and said it was good and when it arrives it's greasy and all fat. The waitress never came to ask how our meal was. The only one that was attentive was the bus boy, he was so helpful and brought the things we asked for. We asked for a manager and I know who came to the table wasn't a manager but probably another waitress or staff member who barely spoke English. We were really disappointed and the money wasn't worth it. We will never come back. read more

This place is soooo good! I remember when it used to be next to the Dunkin but now it moved to its own standalone building. Their pictures are from the old days, but you gotta come out to see what its like! Their food is delicious, I usually get the lomo saltado with a mango milk shake. The staff are super friendly. Keep up the great work! read more

Wow! Don't fall asleep on Peruvian food, they have options on top of options. Operations are big and leftovers taste just as good the next day. The bar is fully stacked and I dare you to challenge the mixologist. read more

Service was friendly, & efficient, food was delicious and soo fresh Great for small parties

If you are Hispanic or you are at work and want to go there for lunch that's not your place . They just want to see people with clean clothes or not Hispanic ones. Very bad service , they can be looking at you that you are needing something and they just keep looking at you, then they just disappear. I've been on alot of restaurants from different countries and I see the difference of service with the costumers. Food is good don't get me wrong but the service is not good . Not recommend . Maybe I go back to don pepe whenever they have better service . read more

The wait for the new location was final over, the doors finally open and we went on 2/19 the end of the first week. After getting our table we sat there for the longest time. Not sure if this was good or bad but it did give us time to peruse the 50 lb menu of a kagillion pages. I started in Genesis (appetizers), paged thru Leviticus and Deuteronomy, cruised through Old Testament, rounded thru New Testament and ended in Revelations ( Desserts). With so many pages and option it was overwhelming with what to order. A server came by eventually and took our drink order. I asked for a specific liquor and it took 15 mins for the server to return with and answer. All in all we we there for 2 hours with only 30 mins of actual eating and drinking. Wife's food can out and mine followed 15 mins later. Nothing but my rice had flavor. Not even salt or pepper. Our appetizer order of Cheese Tequenos were good but could have been browned versus raw looking but cooked. That liquor I asked for cost $11 which is 1/5th the cost of the largest bottle they sell retail. Did I infer "ripoff!!!!" Go back again? Probably not. Too expensive for what you get and the wait. Also, restaurant was freezing because there's a ceiling tile missing in the men's room and a cold wind blows in through it. read more

The food is great. Menu is huge. Portions are giant. Takeout efficient. Prices are fair. read more

Don Pepe - Milanese - Peruvian Near Me - Jamesburg, New Jersey

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So great to have this place in our neighborhood. It's got it all good bar, nice restaurant and music on certain nights. Large entrees. The Peruvian Paella with lobster is fabulous. Just a note to the chef - please don't overcook the lobster. Caring service too. read more

Don Pepe - So much! - Peruvian Near Me - Jamesburg, New Jersey

Exceeded my expectations!! Excellent food. Superb service. Stefane is amazing!! Truly authentic. read more

Don Pepe - Peruvian Near Me - Jamesburg, New Jersey

This places surprised with the quality of food they have. I had ceviche , grilled octopus salad and beef stuffed potato. All three dishes out of this world. I have been in many good restaurants and this one is one of those that you want to come back. read more

This was our first time at Don Pepe but not our last. There is a huge menu which includes many Peruvian specialties. Our lovely young waitress was delighted to describe these dishes in detail and after listening to any of our food preferences, made several recommendations. We ordered a variety of main courses and all four in our party were delighted with their choice. Portions are huge - my husband and I each took home enough for another meal. We did not drink that night but I looked at the drink menu which had a variety of Peruvian specialties along with the more common choices one might find and prices were very reasonable. There is a friendly, family atmosphere. On a Sunday night it was very busy so suggest making reservations read more

Went in to dine with my wife, it was our first time at the establishment. No tables were readily available so we sat at the bar. A menu was quickly given to us, but to place our order took a while until we flagged someone to take our order. Now for the so called BARTENDER, yes you tend the Bar! Not once did he acknowledge us...not once. I had to order a beer from the waiter, helloooo BARTENDER. Our order came with the side dish arriving 5-7 minutes before the entrees so little cold...no biggie. The food was good and would definetly go back "for the food". Back to the BARTENDER, I finished my beer and not once did he look our way nor did he come down to ask if I needed another. As an owner of a restaurant myself in LA, I would consider policing the service more, especially the BARTENDER, that's where you make the money if the service is there. read more

I frequent this place as it is quite local to me. Their food is delicious for everything I have tried. They give you a decent amount of food so pricing is good compared to the portions. I typically get the roasted chicken with fried rice,which is just amazing. They give you this homemade avocado sauce that is packed with flavor and take your taste buds on a ride of a lifetime. I did take off 1 star for the terrible customer service they tender over the phone and I did express that to the lady when I picked up my food and she apologized and seemed receptive of the feedback I gave her. I am also a business owner and customer service is always at the forefront of my business and as it should be for any business. They offer great food and with a little tweak to the customer service side, they will help their business grower stronger. I will be order again soon and hope to see an improvement and get some more delicious food. Definitely worth a trip! read more

Don Pepe - Peruvian Near Me - Jamesburg, New Jersey

Came in with the girlfriend and sat at the bar for dinner. Like the previous few posters stated, the service was excruciatingly slow. Sat down and were greeted fairly quickly, made to sanitize the hands, and gave our drink orders, just a domestic draft and a red Sangria. Girlfriend said the Sangria was OK, but nothing special. A server came over and handed us menu's. Apparently the bartender does not take food orders. The menu is very extensive, and really almost took 10-15 minutes just to go through it. After about 15 minutes the server came over to take our order. We ordered a Chorizo appetizers that came with French fries, a seafood dish, and a sliced ribeye with onions and tomatoes. At this point I had finished my beer, and was waiting for the bartender to notice, so he could pour me another. So I waited, and waited, and after about ten minutes, I flagged him down as he was walking by, and requested one. Then waited, and waited, and ten minutes later the appetizer came out, and I flagged him down again about the beer I have been without. Now, this being said, at $6 for a domestic pint, one would think they wouldn't want to leave an empty glass for more than 30 seconds! Their profit margin is pretty great! The Chorizo appetizer was OK, certainly not the best I have had. There was a large portion of fries that accompanied the sausage, and I will say, the fries were hand cut and were very good. After about another 20-25 minutes, the main dishes came out. My better half said her fish dish was pretty good. As for mine, the steak was very well done and chewy. The fried rice was OK (And it is supposed to be a specialty), and again, came with a large portion of fries (Seems that fries come with a number of their dishes). Half way through my dinner, I was ready for another $6 domestic beer. Needless to say, I finished my meal, we waited about 20 minutes to get somebody to bring us the bill, as we had to flag them down, and of course, never even got asked if I wanted another drink! All in all, the service was very much lacking (And they actually had a good number of employees working), the food was just OK, and the prices a bit on the high side. This is not somewhere I will be in a rush to return to. read more

This was our first visit to their new location, complete with liquor license. The decor is nice and a huge step up from the old location but unfortunately not matched by the food and service. It took us nearly 40 minutes to get our drinks after being told they were out of the ingredients to make one of them. Service was disjointed with multiple people asking us what we wanted but not communicating with the others. Once we started dealing only with our primary waiter this improved. We had the tostones & guac appetizer which was good. We also had the Peruvian corn and cheese. It wasn't what we expected as the cheese was served in chunks separate from the corn and the corn was Peruvian corn which is a totally different breed (not sweet). I can't fault them on this since it probably is a traditional Peruvian presentation. I wasn't a fan but that's personal taste. I had skirt steak as an entree. The menu said it came cooked in onions and tomatoes but it came out with onions and POTATOES. They were fine and the steak was tender and perfectly cooked. It did seem like there was a bit much salt in the marinade but overall I would say the steak was good. My wife had the whole fried snapper. She requested it with the head off and when it came to the table it had the head which the waiter said he would personally take back and remove which he did end up doing. Usually a whole fried fish is served intact but in this case the meat was separated and fried into what looked like fish sticks. It was not even close to being good and she barely ate it. Desert was "rice pudding". I put this in quotes because it was served hot and seemed to be made up about 50% of raisins. Maybe that's the way they serve it in Peru but we didn't like it. Many of the dishes we saw coming out looked really nice and maybe we would have done better if we were more familiar with Peruvian cuisine. read more

It's a small restaurant with minimum staff that seemed overwhelmed. Forgot half our order , had to ask multiple times for items we already ordered, condiments and literally just glasses for our drinks , enforces tips above 18% even with not good service. Kinda ridiculous. Menu items double in price but still aren't updated, won't be coming back here. Freehold is better :( read more

In Monroe Don Pepe is the best move if you want authentic cooking...delicious..excellent portions and that green sauce I have no idea what it is lol but mmmmmmm so good! The marinated whole Chicken is my fav along with their rice...any style rice they offer simply delicious read more

I love this place is good real good very different from of regular restaurants from Peruvian of customers are nice and friendly im feel that I'm home good food real good read more

What a great time I had here, Great food and just the atmosphere is so calm and cozy. Got here at 5:45and didn't leave till 8:30.

Menu, Service & Ambience are Consistently Improving for over 25 years. Where does Don Pepe go from being #1? They find the answer by moving #1 Higher Great Impression for our Business Meetings Private, Quiet and Personable for 2 or 22 BTW The Food, Selections & Portions Are Simply Awesome Make Your Reservation "Prove Me Wrong; If You Can" No Worries read more

I spent a lot of money here i called to change a side they couldn't and asked me to add another when they never have an issue with this after asking to speak to the manager they hung up after i called again okay with them not being able to full fill my request after spending a-lot of money just asking for their name they did not want to give me their name and hung up again im disgusted and feeling regretful from this place my wife's pregnant and just wanted to change a side read more

First time trying this place. I love peruvian food and OH MY GOD this place is underrated!! Massive servings with fresh ingredients. Great service, we ordered takeout and it was still hot when we brought it home. read more

Don Pepe - Peruvian Near Me - Jamesburg, New Jersey

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Service is slow as molasses, 15 mins before I get menu, 15 mins wait for ordering then another 20 mins wait for food, food is 3 out of 5, once in a lifetime is more than enough. read more

Mondays orders are very salty and not tasty like in other days. I ordered pollo lomo saltado and grill chicken over rice and salad. Chicken was burn and rubber texture I had to throw it out. I order papa ala huancaina horrible sauce was watery and not as good like on other days. read more

Good food, nice atmosphere. Lots of fun Tia eat here. Service is excellent. Of course the chicken is so delicious.

Really enjoyed their food. I got the spaghetti with chicken and beef and it was very good. Ok, not too adventurous but I will try other dishes next time. The serving was huge and great for leftovers. Also ordered the purple drink which is derived from purple corn. That was excellent. The service was very friendly in a very basic setting. Will definitely return. read more

Don Pepe - Spaghetti with chicken and beef. Great and you gets lots! - Peruvian Near Me - Jamesburg, New Jersey

HORRIBLE!!!! WORST place ever!! Very unfortunate that I have to leave such bad review, but really UNFAIRLY and POORLY treated by everyone and would hate for others to waste their time and money at this place!! Where to start?? 1. Waited over 30 minutes, even with a reservation done 1 week in advance, our table was NOT ready!!(Totally IGNORED by all staff, my husband had to actually walk up to one that was just standing towards the back looking at us since we had arrived.) 2. Again, IGNORED by multiple waitstaff, very RUDE!! (REFUSED to accommodate us to a reserved corner spot for 6 people.) 3. Hot and stuffy, A/C not working!(Tons of flies everywhere being nuances!!) 4. HORRIBLE drinks!! (Cheap liquor and overpriced!!) 5. Food was either overcooked or undercooked!! 6. OVERPRICED on all items!! (Seriously! This isn't a Michelin Star restaurant!) Sad to say it was a HORRIBLE experience all around!! Would NEVER step foot in this restaurant again!! STAY AWAY!! Find another Peruvian restaurant!! read more

Bad service but good food! Worth it tbh. Prob will come back at some point. Well priced too

Food is amazing and the service is very good too. A bit pricey for chicken and rice but worth every Penny.

We live in Philly and I am Peruvian so whenever we venture north (NY) or south (DC), gotta have at least one Peruvian meal at the many restaurants in both these (lucky!) areas. We were driving through Jersey and looked up (thanks ? Yelpers) Don Pepe's. I was SO hungry and looking forward to a meal (I didn't have the pastrami my son ate earlier - to save calories!). I was so disappointed. Nice place and large but, although we saw at least 8 waitresses, service was slow. Customers appreciate notice of how much longer their food will take or maybe when they bring out something to munch on while you wait. Maybe, we thought, it was because it's all freshly made to order and it will be amazing. Sadly, no. Yuca fríes - warm to room temp. Papa rellena - proportion of potatoes to filling was good but the meat filling was not well seasoned. Ceviche Norteño - bland although spicy as requested but the flavors of an authentic ceviche did not come through. I stopped eating these dishes and had my eyes on some hot Picarones (dessert to save the day) but sadly they were undercooked so only ate one. What Peruvian doesn't eat all their Picarones and lick their fingers? I'm giving them 3 stars because the Parihuela my family ate was very good and tasty as was the Tallarin Saltado de Pollo (and they took off the charge for the Picarones). read more

Really delicious food. Huge portions.. the lomo saltado and their fried rice is off the charts delicious!! The green sauce can be put on anything and I mean anything!!! Lol.. very good place to have locally read more

Excellent addition of a restaurant moving to nicer space. I've gone twice in a week-the food is that good. Wide selection and everyone raved about every dish. Service was superb this evening/just ok last Sunday afternoon. read more

An unfortunate experience with both our food and service. Guided by Yelp reviews and a taste for new cuisine, we came here on a Saturday night. We seated ourselves, and we're given menus and aerated popcorn kernels with two types of sauces. The red sauce was extremely spicy, kicking the back of my throat immediately. The yellow sauce, in comparison, was creamy and sweet. The 1/2 combo with salad and fries was average- the chicken skin was extremely flavorful and oily, but the chicken itself was incredibly dry. The fries were generally unsalted and slightly soggy. The lamb with beans and rice had an interesting flavor profile, with the lemony onions enhancing the gaminess of the lamb. However, the dry rice and grainy refried beans muddled these bright flavors when eaten together. The service, in my opinion, was sub par. Throughout the whole meal, we were waiting- waiting for the waitress to resurface, waiting for all of our food to come out, and waiting for the bill. We were given bottles of water instead of regular tap, and had to pay for them at the end of the meal. Although there were some good parts of our meal, the bad far outweighed any pleasant parts of our experience. Unfortunately, I will not be back to dine here. read more

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Another hole in the wall place with amazing flavors and food!!! Small place, so get there early. My GF and I really enjoyed the seafood fry, lomo saltado and the 1/4 chicken.. prices are very low considering the amount of food you get! Will for sure be back.. FYI, their hot sauce is HOTTTTT!! read more

Don Pepe - So food!! Fried seafood.. - Peruvian Near Me - Jamesburg, New Jersey

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A real find if you're seeking home cooked Peruvian . The chicken, pork chops and Chinese rice is not to be missed. Portions are large so bring a friend. This"Hole in the wall" Peruvian restaurant is just the family friendly,great food for the price,BYOB joint every neighborhood should have. An extensive menu features such favorites as the succulent and well seasoned rotisserie chicken, a excellent value at $13.99 for a whole chicken with rice and Beans. The Chinese rice,where seemingly every thing in the kitchen finds itself and is a meal for two. The savory and tender pork chop with yellow rice and salad which has me scouring the internet to find the secrets of the marinade is also a great value at $11.00. I really like this place. The service can be a little slow at times because it does such a bustling take out business but relax, get into the telenovelas on the TV and anticipate an excellent meal. Go now,you won't be sorry. read more

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My cousin decided to treat me to a belated birthday lunch and on a scorching Saturday, I suggested Don Pepe. Located in an innocuous strip mall most recognizable by a Dunkin Donuts, and adjacent to a hair salon, Don Pepe can be really easy to miss but you'd be missing out on some quality Peruvian food. Inside is quite pedestrian but looks aside we were quickly seated and ordered the following: house salad as a starter, one whole roast chicken to share, Chicharron de Pollo (fried chicken) with black beans for my entree, and my cousin ordered one of the special menu items in the Steak with Green Pasta. House salad starter was nice and refreshing, especially on this near 100 degree day, with crisp iceberg lettuce, firm yet juicy tomatoes, and crunchy carrot slices. Dressed with a nice creamy dressing, we finished it rather quickly. The large whole roast chicken was excellent in vibrant peppery flavor, moist dark and white meat, and a nice slightly crisp skin. Not to be forgotten was the equally excellent Peruvian green sauce for the chicken which was smooth, rich, with just enough heat. My Chicharron de Pollo was very tasty. The large plate of panko crusted fried chicken chunks was fried beautifully with nary a hint of greasiness. The use of panko led to a nice crispy grainy texture nesting the moist chicken inside. My cousin's dish was the grilled steak (looked like a nice 14 - 16oz. sirloin steak) with unique Green pasta (spaghetti). Green spaghetti was something I've see but never tasted (same for my cousin) and it was quite delicious. First off thanks to my cousin for giving me a nice portion of both the steak and spaghetti to sample. The sirloin was nicely cooked to a somewhat below medium temperature, and seasoned flavorfully with what i could taste as just salt and pepper. Green spaghetti was yummy as (after researching it on my smartphone while waiting for the food) I saw the flavor for this spaghetti comes from a pesto sauce comprised mainly of spinach and basil. It was cooked al dente and the pesto flavor was excellent. Really quite surprised by the food here, as admittedly I wasn't expecting much, but thankfully it exceeded my expectations! read more

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Just like many of the other reviews on here the service makes this place look so bad. My family and I have been going here since they opened we like to come grab a couple drinks and know we will always get good food. The problem is the way they attend the customers. They start off sweet then it takes what feels like an hour just to even get a glass of water. I always leave there saying to myself I will never come back because I leave pissed off with the way it ends there. Just the other day I was there celebrating my grandmas birthday and it took over an hour for two pieces of cake like seriously?? The entire time we were waiting you can see and hear the bartender laughing it up with the waitresses when it was only my table and one other so it wasn't super busy but come on at that point we just wanted the check and leave. Once we said something to a worker about at least even picking up the plates that we ate an hour ago they were embarrassed and tried to play it off like nothing not even a sorry or anything. I really feel like it went downhill when all the employees have changed since when they first opened. Im not one to ever write reviews but with this place I NEEDED to! read more