Just left so the review is fresh in my head. I'm full. So we nicknamed the place Don Pepper The apps stuffed avocado with seafood special and the garlic shrimp was delicious. We all enjoyed it. My hubby got pork chops and I got grilled cod special, delicious. My son and his girlfriend had sirloin and New York steak. The steak was cooked as ordered but seasoning was not really happening and it took a while to cut up the NY steak. So when my son was about halfway done, he went to add more salt and pepper. The pepper shaker top fell off and spilled all over his steak. We told one of the bus boys and he put the cap on like we asked, "How do we put this back on?" And walked away. I asked for a manager and they cooked him another steak so they made up for it. The reason for the 4 stars is the taste of the steak. Expensive but not tasty. Place was nice and again they did make the pepper incident up. Nice experience but not good enough to want to go back. I'll try another one in the area if we are ever there again. But would recommend to try it maybe your experience will be different. read more

Great Iberian restaurant to visit before and evening at the NJ PAC. You enter through a back door of the restaurant from the parking area and are in a party room. You then walk up the stairs to get to the host. It is a little bit confusing the first time you visit. There is also an option to go downstairs to another party area. There is a very small ladies room by the host. But, if there is a long wait. There is a larger ladies room downstairs. This is important to know if you are in a rush to get to your show. You will be seated when your entire party has arrived. Another good thing to know for planning. There were four of us and both couples decided to split a picture of Red sangria, the chorizo, appetizer, 2 pork chops and garlic sauce entrees and 2 vegetarian paellas. The chorizo was fine. The complementary bread could have been better (not warm, and not what I am used to at this kind of restaurant), but was ok. The pork chops were excellent! The vegetarian paella was good. They actually worked very well together. We were also served fried thin slices of potatoes and broccoli and carrots. The coffee was fabulous as was the limoncello mascarpone cake. Service was excellent and the ambiance in the dining room was busy but nice. If you are going to a show, you can park in the lot on the left and pay $16 for the night. It's a quick 5-10 minute walk to the NJ PAC. read more

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We each had the menu del dia. The food wasn't bad (especially for the price) but not great either. There are better quality choices along the Avenida. Ambiance of the Avenida on a beautiful day in Alicante is always fabulous. The service started well but the finish was disappointing... we waited 20 minutes for dessert to appear. read more

Don Pepe - The flan was bland... - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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It was the hot, espresso cup that sealed the deal! The salad with Balsamic vinegar was delicious with little leaves of endive. And then, the appetiser side of octopus in olive oil with paprika, OMG , incredibly delicious. It has the tenderness and flavor of lobster tail .. I couldn't have imagined that. The Cabernet Sauvignon complimented the entire experience. Antonio was delightful... Warm, friendly and knowledgeable.... He made sure all my food sensitivities were acknowledged. Overall, an experience that you CANNOT miss! read more

This is a favorite of mine. It is near my former Newark Office and I entertained here all the time. Now that I live in North Carolina, I try to come here whenever I return. Had my daughters graduation celebration here when she graduated from Kean. It is a classy Iberian restaurant specializing in seafood including Palleas, lobster, other shell fish. A must try. Service is great. They usually have Octopus as a special--out of this world and my favorite. read more

Don Pepe - Fisherman's Platter on the lunch special today: lobster, sea scallops, shrimp and muscles. - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Went here for lunch as you can't surpass the pricing for the exact quality and close to the abundance you get at dinner! I am very particular about paella as Newark is filled with the best choices IMO, but nothing beats theirs here! I always wait for someone in my party to order paella so I can grab a few bites. It's too much for me to eat at once and I'm low carb. I went with today's lunch special of grilled seafood and was blown away! The sweetest mussels and tastiest grilled seafood I have ever had. I eat seafood everywhere and I was in shock! I expected the normal chargrilled shellfish taste but this was different - exceptionally! Came with a side order of fried potato chips as most Portuguese dishes do, I just wasn't expecting it. Half a lobster, about 5 X-Large shrimp, 4 whole scallops, 3 clams and about 6 Mussels- with chips - 29.95! Whaaaaat?! Only thing missing was the calamari but honestly I didn't miss it at all. This was the most flavorful grilled fish I've ever tasted with lemon wedges and a small cup of clarified butter. Couldn't even finish it because it was easily a shareable portion! Tried paella and chicken with wine sauce from other guests. Sangria is wonderful here as well! I highly recommend coming here for lunch or dinner as I have enjoyed both. I found my new favorite dish, but the paella is always my fave amongst competition locally! Service is impeccable day or night! Oh and don't forget dessert if you can fit it! Yummy! This must be on your date night list or even a perfect place for a business meeting with the client you want to impress! 10 stars always! read more

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Delicious!!!! & excellent service that went above and beyond, would definitely return and recommend to a friend

Invited here for a banquet, was able to try a ton of the food from paella, calamari, chorizo, mussels, and more. Was delicious and service was good. Cozy environment and would come again if I've got have the opportunity. read more

Don Pepe - Paella - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I have been to many of these style restaurants in Newark area and this one just did not impress. The layout and decor was nice servers were very pleasant but the food was just ok. Had a grilled octopus special. Was a bit odd in texture and lacked much flavor. Table bread was ok. Appetizer garlic shrimp is generally and easy safe one but these just tased like butter. Sausage app also generally a safe go to was just tough in texture. Sorry for the less than flattering review. I will def try again to be sure. Side note. Got a paella to go and that looked and tasted good. Which is a must in this style restaurant so that's good. read more

Don Pepe - Paella - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Late post. Heard good things about this place and finally a group of 6 of us made it there for dinner a month ago. Food was decent especially the Garlic Shrimp and Oxtails. But we were not impressed on the Paella as we had better at other places. Overall not bad, but think it's a little over-hyped. read more

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We dined in tonight and ordered the Chilean sea bass and the seafood paella, problem is the seafood paella seemed to be missing half the seafood, had only about 3 clams, 4 mussels and the small half lobster. Ami mistaken? Shouldn't it have also shrimp, scallops and squid? Maybe I am wrong but felt a bit underwhelmed as in the past it was not like that. read more

Well, I was definitely underwhelmed during my first visit to DP. I have had a lot about this place for years, so I went in with high expectations, and unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype. I LOVE that there is a parking lot.. huge plus for such a crazy busy area. Nice atmosphere.. yet a little dated. Service was friendly and timely. But, the food... it just fell short. We ordered some apps, salad, and a couple of entrees to share. They all just seemed under seasoned.. even though they give you a ton of food, I'd rather tastier food with less portion. Stuffed scallops, shrimp in a butter garlic sauce, house salad, Porterhouse (which was perfectly cooked with a ton of juice and flavor)... Ordered a pitcher of white sangria, which was very sour and very watered down from so much ice. I'm sad about this experience. Too many options to return. read more

The food is absolutely amazing. I had a fish casserole that each piece of fish was cooked to perfection. The service was amazing. Never had to ask for anything. Great place and you must go! read more

We've been going to Don Pepe's for at least 30 years. Luisa and Don are always very accommodating to us when we dine at their restaurant. Their food is outstanding and delicious. We were there for their New Year's Eve celebration. They are so organized and efficient. We started off with a cocktail hour, all you can eat: lobster, shrimp, clams, oysters, salads, pasta and so much more. We had a dj and plenty of dancing. An open bar with top liquor. Dinner was served with filet mignon and then at 11:00 we had a Viennese table of a large assortment of desserts. The restaurant had noise makers, hats, champagne at 12:00 pm and continued music and dancing till 3:00 am. read more

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We had a very enjoyable dinner here tonight. First they bring you a hearty bread with olive oil. We had the shrimp with garlic sauce and chorizo appetizers. They were both excellent. Then we ordered the lobster tail and pork chop entree. Absolutely delicious! Then for dessert we ordered flan and limoncello cake with cappuccino. Again, throughly enjoyed the desserts also! Excellent experience! The restaurant is very nice, yet comfortable. Traditional Spanish style service. Parking lot with attendant too! read more

Don Pepe - Lobster Tail Entree and Pork chops in garlic. - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

The restaurant is a little dated but still pretty on the inside. I was pretty concerned about the fact that there were only a few other tables in the restaurant when we got there at prime dinner time on a weekday. But I was definitely won over by the service. The restaurant staff served our table as a team and every single one of them was really nice! One of our waiters was particularly happy and impressed when I ordered the Bacalao, which is a salt packed cured fish that needs to be soaked for several hours before cooking. Though I know they didn't soak it quite long enough or maybe didn't switch out the water in the process, it was still good. I really liked the caramelized onions with it and it's also served with boiled salted potatoes. If I could make a request it would be to offer a full selection of teas for tea service when guests order hot tea, which I usually do. All they had was Lipton black tea. read more

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Don Pepe is obviously a staple in Newark, NJ. Ever since I was a little girl in Newark, Don Pepe's has served delicious food with excellence. I was back home in Newark visiting and my family and we decided to go to Don Pepe as I wanted some delicious seafood paella. The paella was loaded with fresh seafood in every bite and bursting with flavor! The server was very attentive as well! read more

Don Pepe - Seafood Paella Marinera - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I made reservations for a late lunch/ early dinner for my hubby's birthday on a Saturday and was surprised to see so many people dining at that time. There were also 2 parties going on downstairs. Thank goodness for all the parking they have on site. The restaurant was lively - not too loud at all. The service was great, the servers did not skip a beat. The food was served quickly and it was all delicious. My hubby enjoyed a huge t bone steak and my favorite was the warm chocolate pecan pie - I had the ice cream on the side. They even sang happy birthday for my husband. Needless to say, we can't wait to return. read more

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So 3 stars isn't technically a bad review but really means a-ok experience at Don Pepe in Newark. So the service is really good and very fast (5 stars). The drinks are pretty solid (4 stars). I had a margarita that was made with a mix but still decent. The bread is delicious (5stars). The entrees were pretty bland. Everything needed way more seasoning including salt. Parking was easy in the attached lot. Would be a better experience when a little more flavor in the food! read more

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As a non-seafood eater, I was nervous about eating at Don Pepe. However, I was dining with a big group and was "out voted" for our dining location. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the non-seafood items were. First, the egg-breaded boneless chicken in tomato and wine was divine. I wanted to soak up the tomato and wine sauce with the delicious bread that was also served. I also enjoyed the side of broccoli rabe. Next, the space was beautiful and the staff super attentive and friendly. Overall, a solid place for a large party to enjoy dinner together. read more

If you visit the "down neck" section of Newark, you'll come across several restaurants like Don Pepe! What makes DP stand out from the rest, is they have a private parking lot and it's free! I've been to this restaurant a few times over the years and my views are still the same! The service is impeccable but the food is just okay. I've had their salmon, garlic shrimp, and garlic chicken and I would give them all 3 out of 5 stars. They're served with a side of rice (lacks flavor) and veggies and boiled white potatoes (also bland and flavorless.) The complimentary warm bread & olive oil is my favorite part! The sangria here is amazing and saves the day each time! I opted for a Malibu Bay breeze during my last and I highly recommend it! This place can get really busy so making a reservation is your best bet. read more

Don Pepe - Malibu Bay-breeze - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Love Don Pepe's , my to go place when in the mood for Spanish/Portuguese food ! The service is always on point And the food is as always delicious especially the stuffed lobster ! You can't go wrong , try the place !! read more

This place has been around for years. I have never been inside. The back room is very pretty at night and modern. The food was ok. Nothing special. Typical Spanish food. The garlic shrimp lacked flavor. It was not bad but could use more garlic. The meat they served us was the best tasting part of the meal. The sangria was well made. I would skip their dessert. The crème brûlée wasn't as creamy as I usually get. The flan had no flavor, the other members of my party commented. The servers were quick at responding at our requests. read more

Don Pepe is truly the best restaurant to go to with a group or on a date. The prices are fantastic and the food is always phenomenal quality. The portions are also huge! The servers are so attentive, your water will never go empty. If only it was closer to us! They are also handicap accessible, with no entryway stairs and there's a ramp from the first to second floor. read more

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Food was very good and plentiful. Shared Paella with my wife. Stocked with a lot of shell fish, grilled sausages, chicken, and saffron rice. Very very good. And enough to take home dinner for two. Apps also very good. Service was very attentive but not disturbing. Water glasses were always kept full. Ambiance was perfect. Almost a full restaurant...but not noisy. Several families celebrating birthdays. I gave 5 stars...I see it only had 3 stars. Not sure why. Lastly, we did not feel it was overpriced for the amount of food and drink we had. All good. read more

This is an old school Spanish steakhouse. We had the stuffed mushrooms and chorizo as appetizers. I was disappointed with the size of the mushrooms. We had the filet and prime porterhouse house steak as our entrees. The order automatically comes with rice, greenbeans w/ carrots, and fried potatoes. We also ordered the sauteed spinach as a side. I didn't think the prime was really prime and if it was, it wasn't worth it. We had mentioned when we sat down, we were celebrating a birthday, when deciding on drinks. It was not remembered when we ordered desserts and had to remind them after the dessert had been presented, they remade it and sung. We had a cheesecake and frita flan. For the amount of money I spent, I would have expected better all the way around. read more

Don Pepe - Our steaks and sides - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

dined here for lunch on my break with some colleagues and it was good service. i had the garlic chicken but have mixed feelings about it, so much so, i might have to come back and try it again to confirm. the chicken didn't taste as seasoned as i expected to be, & the sauce was a bit bland, BUT the portion was huge. i could've shared this entree with three people realistically. i'm going to give it one more try just in case it was an off day for them. read more

Don Pepe - garlic chicken - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

The food still is very good along with the service. But at Christmas time, the dining room has no holiday decorations or charm. The outside is nicely lit in lights. The party rooms are nicely lit as well as the entry. Still, in the dining room it's depressing. The room is boring and is showing its age. Thank goodness the food is generous and flavorful. Order anything and you'll be happy. A recommendation to Don Pepe's management, how about a Holiday cocktail list. How about a Holiday special menu? They seem stuck in the past and there's plenty of other more interesting places to eat in Newark with good food with generous portions! read more

Nice restaurant in downtown Newark. Large capacity, can almost always get a table without waiting. They also host private events for big groups. Very solid service. They have many staff members who check on you frequently. The food is tasty and comes in generous portions. They are particularly good at seafood and paella. The steak I got could easily feed a family of four, but was rarer than I asked for and under seasoned. read more

Don Pepe - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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We stopped in here to eat since we were going to a concert at the Prudential Center. This place is huge and looks to be a place that is used as a venue for events. When we entered, there was no one at the door, so we wandered around looking for a host to seat us and saw that there was a large Halloween party in the downstairs area. This place specializes in seafood, and although I love seafood, the smell of seafood was a bit overwhelming throughout the main dining area. We were short on time, so we ordered various appetizers. We got the mussels, salad, chorizo, and the Antipasto Español. The food was good and the portions were very generous we were unable to finish most of the food. The service was attentive. read more

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I loved the mushrooms! The place is really nice, i've been here a few times and always loved it.. The place never let me down. The waiters here are very nice, and I feel the place is quite classy. I feel the food they have here is outstanding. It stands out from many of the other places I've been to. I came in on 1/5 and had a good time. read more

service is terrible here these people think they're so important when in fact they are not Your check will be scribble scrabble and you're probably being overcharged Just skip this place entirely read more

Great food, great service, reasonable pricing and you are getting your money's worth in overall ambiance and hospitality. Delicious, fresh seafood, wonderful and I mean WONDERFUL dessert options. This is truly a wonderful experience each and every time my partner and I come here. read more

Don Pepe was the site of a large group dinner recently, so I can only comment on the dishes that were served to us. Which I'm pretty sure is all of them. So, okay. Ambiance: Not so good. Cluttered and partitioned. First off, we walked in the back door, which really has nothing greeting it except stairs up and down. No one mans that door. We eventually found someone and they told us to wait in the bar while they were preparing food, and so we found that there are a couple of different bars. There's a bar in the restaurant and a separate tiny bar room that doesn't quite make sense to exist, but the bartender was happy to make money off bar sales! While we were in there, my friend came in and noted that they accidentally came in through the kitchen and there was nothing to stop or reroute them, only confusion until they found someone to help. I don't think I've ever written this much on ambiance. It's undoubtedly the reason for only 4 stars. I can't comment on service for a group buffet, so let me just jump into the food. All. The. Sea. Food. Mussels. Clams. Squid. Shrimp. Fish. Toward the end I discovered scallops. This is your place for Western European seafood! The dishes were perfectly prepared, excellently seasoned, numerous to the point of ecstasy, truly a gorgeous presentation. I went up for way more than I should have, plus a few of the desserts, because of course dessert follows dinner. There were some non-seafood dishes, a couple of veg ones, but that was undoubtedly the star of the show and that is where I focused my appetite. That said, even the random fried appetizer (corn?) was delicious, soft inside and crunchy outside. Rarely do I go to a buffet where the food is done precisely as needed. That was the highlight of my night, erasing the lowlight of the dark and oddly red-tinted projector. I don't know who brought the projector, so I'm not blaming Don Pepe for that, but even so, the food is king here and that erases everything. ... if you can find the dining room. read more

Don Pepe - just a couple of foods. just a couple of amazing seafood scents - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

We went to Don Pepe on weekday lunch, because they have their own parking lot, that saves us from hunting for street parking. Even then, we were the 3rd last spot in the lot. At the entrance its a huge hallway with lots of sitting arrangements. Further inside they have another whole floor for restaurant diners. We got welcomed with some nice warm breads and pepe olive oil. Our server was pretty cut through, read us the long list of specials right away. The food takes a while to arrive, due to the lunch hour rush. My bronzini was really well cooked, was lots of moisture in it. Despite being bone-in, I enjoyed making my way through the entire fish, it was a lot to eat!! Sadly the sides are boring, a boiled/baked potato, and some broccoli carrots. I did like the broccoli a lot, it had a hint of saltiness, but other were meh! I was surprised to see the fish was such decently priced at $23, was expecting to around $30+. Overall we had a good meal. We might visit here again, but won't be that often for quick lunch, since its more of a proper seat and dine place. read more

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The food was fantastic. Had the Chilean Sea Bass. It was a huge piece and I was somewhat expecting it to be like warm. I was amazed how hot it was and stayed hot the entire meal and it was so moist. By far the best I ever had. Hubby had the lamb Osso Bucco and just as delicious. The service was great too...very attentive. The ambience was nice, open and comfortable as well. The tables were spaced just right as well, not cramped. read more

Don Pepe - Lamb Osso Bucco - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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We've been going to this restaurant since we lived in New York/New Jersey, some 20 years ago, and we have never been disappointed. We recently visited the New Jersey area for Thanksgiving and could not leave without having dinner here. Nothing has changed and that's a good thing, as I remembered the Paella and drinks, we ordered a pitcher of Sangria, tasted wonderful, definitely enough for our party of 3, we ordered the garlic shrimp, Paella Marinara and Paella Valencia, the portions were large and each of us got two meals from our dinner. The seafood Paella was brimming with shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops and half a lobster. Same for the chicken, sausage and seafood Paella. Very authentic and just as delicious as ever. We had the tiramisu for dessert, moist and flavorful. Service was great and we all enjoyed the experience. read more

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We stopped for dinner on the way home from MetLife Stadium for steaks. The service was excellent and steaks were massive, though flavor was a little underwhelming. Food was overall good, but not great however, a good value for the price. The front area seemed much newer and more formal than the back area where we sat. If you're looking to have more elegant dinner, I would ask for that area would have probably up to four stars if we were eating in that area and didn't see where we were sitting for the nicer ambiance. read more

Authentic first rate food. Sometimes too much for one chef in the tiny kitchen and things come out dry or overcooked but if done right the food is the best in Monmouth county. Sorry 1 restaurant in Montclair has the best Mexican in the State. read more

Love this place! Amazing service and friendly staff! I e been coming here many times and they have never disappointed me! The food is amazing here! I've had the parrillada, shrimp ajillo, pulpo gallego, halibut, the sea bass, and the paella. Definitely recommend coming here! read more