I've eaten twice here recently. The first meal was good - good food, decent portions, good service. The second visit was a real disappointment. My friend and I wanted some Portuguese "green wine" - vinho verde - and the waiter didn't know what we were talking about. He disappeared and came back with two glasses that could have been anything. We ordered garlic shrimp as an appetizer - that was good. I asked the waiter for a meat recommendation and ordered the lamb osso bucco at his suggestion. It turned out to be a lamb shank, not osso bucco, and it was more like mutton than lamb. I took leftovers home but wound up throwing them out. The bread, however, was great. read more

I do not recommend this restaurant, the food is terrible and we all got sick (food poisoning). The worse restaurant in New Jersey

The restaurant is beautiful in and out but that's all you get. Our waiter treated us as if we were ignorant from the very start. He even included the tip on the bill which was less than what we would normally give any way. The food was just awful. My French martini had a long black hair in it and I have had better! The stuffed scallops really turned me off. When I say fishy and flavorless that is understatement. This place is one of the worst Spanish restaurants I've every been to. The garlic shrimp that they are known for made me sick, the crepe brûlée tasted like a lot of egg and the fish and shrimp fish was just not edible. The fish was flavorless and the only thing on that plate were the lemon potatoes. Pretty much if you do not have blonde hair and blue eyes you are not treated as a guest. Being a Hispanic young woman and feeling discriminated against in a restaurant of Spanish decent is just disgusting. We weren't greeted when we walked in and it took a while for them to seat us. I will never be back and will never recommend this place. Not quite sure how they exist. read more

HUGELY disappointed. So, couldn't book the place we initially wanted to go, due to Mother's Day but decided to return here after years. The dish my wife wanted was unavailable because they had run out of it, according to the waiter. So, she asked for the paella, but was told the policy is that you have to place two orders (each is like $30). I asked our waiter if they could please reconsider since it's Mother's Day, but to no avail. We decided on the 2 Salmons and a breaded chicken that my two sons would split. We also got 2 sodas and 2 apple juice. The salmon was just that ... salmon, and bland. It wasn't flavorful. It was accompanied by a single small boiled potato and a side of broccoli. We needed to add salt and used the sauce from our kid's dish. We also ate their rice since they didn't want it. We were shocked to find the bill was $114!!! I think good food is worth its value, but this was far from good and way overpriced. I won't be returning and can not recommend this restaurant. read more

I have been here a few times before and I never had to order 2 paellas because they won't make just one. WTF. Not coming back.

The food is great here, has been for a long, long, time! The service is not the best. Reason is they act like their doing you a favor serving you. Arrogant behavior I feel, and not very friendly. Pricing is a bit high, but I still drive from Allentown, PA now and then to eat their Portuguese food. You never leave hungry and always take food home. Paella, Shrimp in Garlic Sauce, Mussels, Clams, Garlic Chicken, Chorizo, and many, many more delicious entrees and appetizers. Just ignore the servers like they ignore you and you will be alright! Order Tartufo for dessert! read more

Came here for my mother's 50th birthday. Food was on point. The part I did not enjoy was the service. The server wasn't very welcoming or friendly which is fine because we were more focused on celebrating my mother's birthday. At the end my grandmother asked to box her own food because of covid purposes and the waiter nastily said that "this isn't a diner we have to box it for you". He completely offended everyone at the table. We will not be returning. read more

If I could give it zero stars I would. Service was awful, waited for awhile before my water was refilled each time. Waiter never asked if I wanted anything other than water but I overheard him asking a table beside me. Ordered the filet medium well. It looked burnt and the inside was very dry but almost rare on the inside. It tasted more like pot roast than a filet. Extremely disappointed in the food and service. The waiter never came back to see if I needed anything and then I had to ask for my check. They were not busy either. Save your money and go elsewhere read more

Don Pepe - Filet, medium well but was really charred on the outside and rare on the inside. - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Absolutely delicious food and great service. Don Pepe never disappoints. The cheese appetizer is amazing. The sangria is on point. Our entrees were perfect the porter house steak special and the MARISCADA Don Pepe yum the portions are big so we took half home! It's a great dining experience can't wait to come back read more

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Had family dinner celebration there last night. With the challenge of a party over 20 people the two waiters were nothing less than amazing. All the food was delicious and the service was perfect. Thank you Don Pepe's for such an enjoyable evening. read more

Food was delicious, and worth the price. The service was good and drinks were potent lol. I had the lobster platter which included the whole lobster, clams, scallops, shrimp, and mussels for $35 .. My mother had the garlic butter shrimp with yellow rice, which was very flavorful. As an appetizer we had stuffed mushrooms and the mushrooms were stuffed with crab meat, yummmmmm. Definitely not a place you go "just because", unless of course you have It like that but i would definitely come back when visiting NJ. PS- We had the large red sangria and LORD was It good and strong haha! read more

Don Pepe - Lobster platter $35 - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Went to this restaurant yesterday. I'm so glad that I wasn't paying the bill (my friend did) because I was thoroughly disappointed. I ordered a platter of lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels which was an expensive meal. It didn't come with any rice or pasta or vegetables. The part that I'm REALLY upset about was that the lobster was totally inedible. It was like trying to chew leather. I have never had a lobster tail that was so tough in all of my years. They did offer to bring me a whole DIFFERENT meal but all I really wanted was the lobster to be cooked correctly. If I had wanted another meal I would've chosen something different from the menu. I'll never go back again. read more

Don Pepe - a plate of lobster and clams - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Kind of what you'd expect from a place like this. The service was great and everyone was very nice however, the food was par at best and I wouldn't say it comes out piping hot. It is a great option for some fun family meals and get togethers but if you're looking for more elevated dishes and flavors there are better options. read more

Went here on 11/30/19 after a Devils game with my fiancee and her father. It's a decent spot to go after the game. I had the stuffed seafood scallops as an appetizer which was good but nothing great. My biggest complaint was my entree that was the grilled seafood special. Everything - literally the clams, mussels, crab and lobster was overcooked. Seafood shouldn't be tough to chew. Not good at all. I'd give this place another shot because the steak and paella looked really good. Also both white and red sangrias were awesome and the service was good too. read more

I have been to Don Pepe's quite a number of times over the years. This is one of my husband's favorite restaurants to visit in NJ. He has been coming with his family since a child so I presume there is a nostalgic feel to it. Don Pepe's is located on the corner right before you get to Newark Penn Station so it does get a little crowded at that intersection and you can miss it if you are not paying attention. They have on-site parking so that is not a concern when visiting this establishment unlike some of the other places in downtown Newark. Immediately when you enter the restaurant there is an old world charm. You pass by a grand foyer and then a bar before you get to the main dining rooms. This particular visit we opted to sit in one of dining rooms that were not as crowded. Immediately a server came and took our drink orders. Our waiter came and recited the daily menu specials off the top of his head. I make note of that because he listed about 15 items and had it memorized. We ordered pretty quickly. The crab cake which was phenomenal came out pretty quick. It was 2 large ones that we split around the table. There was absolutely no binder/filling in the crab cake. It was just fresh crab meat. I'm not a fan of crab cakes but I would order that again without hesitation. The entrees came out quickly. I opted for the seafood combination of shrimp, scallops and lobster meat on top of penne with vodka sauce. This was one the best seafood dishes I have ever had. The amount of seafood was abundant and the sauce on the pasta sauce was sooo tasty. As normal the portion could have been split between 2 people. There was a garlic shrimp on the table as well as salmon. The salmon appeared a bit underwhelming compared to my dish but I didn't taste that so I can't confirm that. The garlic shrimp which is what I have ordered in the past is just as good as I remembered. That can absolutely be split between 2 to 3 people if you choose to go with a family style theme and want to try a couple other dishes. Don Pepe's is a great choice for seafood and a great place for a night out. read more

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Great food at a reasonable price. Make sure you hear the daily specials menu.. Always amazing Today was the stuffed seafood avocado on a bed of arugula and a huge Jersey tomato cut in 4 sections. Delicious! Main course was seafood (lobster, scampi, scallops) penne in a red vodka sauce. Again, delicious... read more

Great food and service reasonable prices and beautiful atmosphere and they have free parking

Excellent food and service. Have been going there for years. The potion are large. The sangrias the best

So came here on my lunch hour.....they instantly provide you bread and butter and have an option to use Olive oil (it's on the table). Bread came warm. Service was fine....we ordered clams casino...looked burnt but it was pretty tasty. Then my friend and I shared a Paella Valenciana.....we got the Paella Marinara by mistake and they changed it right away which was cool. Now......when we were done eating...asked for the check like normal people right???? OMG, it took forever. I saw our waiter just chatting away with his co-worker, trying to wave him down. So when the check was finally getting settled, why is it I look down to find the paella missing - YES we had so much paella leftover and I wanted to take it home for dinner. THEY DIDN'T ASK IF WE WANTED IT TO-GO/DOGGIE BAG! Oh man, that got me so upset! I'm all about service, but when the waiter doesn't ask if we would like to pack the rest to go, that's a "no-no". Would I come back, after that incident, I doubt it. The 2 stars were mainly for the food, definitely not for the service. read more

I hadn't been here for several years but I can't stop talking about how good it was to go back. I had shrimp in garlic sauce and chorizo a la plancha but it probably doesn't matter what you get. Everything that walked past our table on a tray looked and smelled better than the next tray. read more

I loved this wooden/brick decor..could have done with out those funky painting mural of imaginary wooded area and forest Really classy- excellent staff. & menu.. read more

Don Pepe - Had the sweetest first date there, that also hosted my engagement celebration dinner.. - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I came here with a buddy before the Devils game. Sat at the bar it was fairly busy. I ordered a Solomillo A La Sevillanna medium well, and soup of the day. The outside of the steak looked chard, the inside was still very raw. So I didn't really have a good experience, and they never brought out the soup and still charged me for it. Questionable if will go back again. read more

A++!! Superb in everything: quality, quantity, price, class, staff, & atmosphere. All staff is very attentive; anytime your glass becomes low, a server refills your drink. Even to how the dessert, Tartufo was presented. Shell was not frozen hard, yet was sliced w/ whipped cream & cherry drizzle in between slices. Instead of presenting a rock, solid frozen ball, care & detail was provided to a frozen dessert. read more

"If a restaurant has a bug up their $#@!! about a minimum order, they'll state it right there on the menu. However, that being said, virtually all 'fancy restaurants' have too much class to do something so tasteless (pun intended)". I patronized this restaurant 3 times in the last six weeks. The first two times, both times party of two, we ordered high-priced entrees from the menu. Third visit, this past Saturday, my friend and I ordered TWO APPETIZERS and COCKTAILS. We didn't have an appetite for full entrees. After taking our orders the waiter returned to the table to inform us that we had to order at least one entree or pay an $8 extra plate fee. I was ready to leave. however my friend insisted he would pay the $8 extra plate fee. SHAME ON YOU DON PEPE! This was insulting and wrong on many levels. First, as I said, it was my THIRD TIME DINING here in the LAST SIX WEEKS. More important you should be thankful to have patrons since many people are still afraid to dine out. You should count your blessings that you are able to maintain your business because many other restaurants don't have the means and some have suffered and/ or will lose their business. There was something else I noticed the same night. I asked for a particular table and was told that I should sit at another table. 10 minutes later two women were seated at the table. I was told they reserved that table. Next time put a reserved sign on the table. Otherwise I have to question if racism had a part in it read more

Rude staff! This post is not about the food. I came in, granted it was after closing time, the staff was so rude that I had to make a remark, "this is probably the unfriedliest establishment I have ever been." Then, who looked like the manager said something in a foreign language to the bartender." I walked in, the first employee asked how he could help me, I said only one person. He looked at another employee and this other employee with no good manners told me they were closed. And then gestured to the bar. As i went to the bar the bartender what I would like. I told him any food. He asked me chicken or shrimp. I went with the former. I mentioned that if I can have it naked with the sauce on the side. He also was rude in saying I cannot have it naked and even gestured that it was closing time. I concurred right away and said yes have it however as long as I get some food. He left and put the order in. He came back after a few minutes and gestured no more food. I was very disappointed that he got my hopes up only to say there was none. I asked if there are any restaurants nearby as I was starving. The rudeness continued with, "no I do not know, no I do not know." Treating people with respect goes beyond the food that you serve. What a shame that those whom I interacted with lacked simple courtesies and mannerism. read more

Came to Don Pepe's with a friend for some dinner after they picked me up from Newark Penn. Decided to come here since neither of us ate dinner. The place is pretty nice, the staff is fairly friendly although some people gave us a few looks. I found the prices to be a little high for what I thought it would be, were talking over 45 a head with a drink app and entree. Although the paella I ordered, was enough for 2 meals. Would I come here again? Maybe if the star's aligned, but I don't think I would go out of my way to come here. read more

Don Pepe is located not too fair from the Newark International airport near the NJPac center. Parking is not bad, we came here a little after 7pm on a weekday. We got here and looked at the menu and noticed not much was appealing. We decided to open order some wine and appetizers. The waiter requested what we would like to order we stated salad, mussels in marinara sauce with a side order or calamari. He immediately stated we would need to move to the bar area due to our order. I was a little stunned considering they were only a total of 3 parties in the entire restaurant. ( I believe this restaurant can sit over 100.) I was very appalled by the sheer rudeness of the waiter. After our move, it was refreshing to have a great bar tender. Mussels in marinara sauce- very decent. The marinara sauce is a little watery but flavour is on point. I think they should add an additional spoon for the marinara sauce Calamari- could be a little more crisper, however the sauce this was soaked in was flavored well with basil. The food here is decent, but probably waiter could work on some customer service training. read more

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What a massive meal I had here. The portion sizes are enormous; for $53 my wife and I had enough food to eat for a week. My wife order pork chops with string beans and I had the paella valenciana, which is topped with half a lobster! Now you could imagine that huge portions means subpar food, but not here! Everything was delicious, but I did wish that more of the green lobster goop was scooped out. We came by the early afternoon. The restaurant is very quiet in the off-peak hours - we did not even hear music in the background! We also found it very easy to park at this time in their parking lot. The waitstaff is very professional. The decor is very classic with wine stored along the walls. Last tidbit, you start off with warm bread and two olive oils - one with and one without rosemary. If you enjoy Spanish food, I highly recommend dining at Don Pepe's if you have not already. read more

Ya'll let me tell you,,, the garlic shrimp is the best in the game i be eaten a lot of garlic shrimp and I ain't never tasted anything so good in my life. read more

Ate here on a Friday night. Combination of things happened that made me give Don Pepe a 2 star review. 1. Reservations don't matter. We had a reservation for 6:30. Got there and was told there were no tables and that we had to wait at least an hour. No bueno. 2. Well, in the meantime, I guess I'll have a drink. Tried a sangria. Minimal effort was put into that sangria (I'm guessing only wine and apples and maybe one other fruit). Tried to order a mojito; didn't have correct ingredients. Got a pineapple/vodka. It was ok. No bueno x2. 3. Finally sat down and ordered food. 3a. Appetizers: Were ok. The mushrooms were slightly salty. The calimari was ok. The salad was meh. I don't even remember anything else since it was meg. 3b Main course: Took upwards of 45min to come out. Paella that came out was moist? This might be a preference thing but I like mine a little drier with some nice crust where it meets the pan. The pan they used seems to be aluminum and not cast iron which would make it very hard to get that crust. There was pork chop that was ok. To Don Pepe's benefit, we had pretty good service. Water was always topped up. If you asked for anything, they got it for you quickly. read more

Been coming here with my family for over 20 years. The service is always great for us. Since we've moved away from NJ, we make it a point to come here yearly. Sangria, Mussels with garlic sauce, *paella marinera, camarones provenzal, sirloin, and the lava cake. This is our go to order. It is always worth the trip from DC to NJ just for this meal. *On saturdays, a minimum order of two paellas is required. read more

Sat night and Attended a wonderful concert at NJ PAC and wanted to eat after. Googled nearby restaurants and came up with Don Pepe's because it said it closed at 11:00. Arrived and was seated an immediately rushed to order because the kitchen closed at 1030. It was 10:00 we were told they were already cleaning up in the back. Annoyed we ordered quickly -2 paellas and sangria. Service seemed to relax for a bit until 1045 when everything was rushed and just awful. Servers hovered to clear the tables and really made us uncomfortable. Did they need to get a bus? Very very rude with no class. Also, after the fact, the maitre'd told us next time only one paella because of the size-- he couldn't have told us that when we ordered?? Fortunately the food was excellent. It could very well be a great experience if the wait staff had some class. read more

Love, Love, LOVE this place!!! Delicious food + great service + large portions = money well spent Met my girlfriends and my sister for dinner and I left there one happy camper. I was the first to arrived so I sat at the bar and ordered a glass of Sangria. The first thing I noticed was that the bartender came right over to me to take my order - I liked that. For $8.50 I got a large glass of great tasting Sangria that had a good kick to it. When my party arrived we were promptly seated. The waiter immediately came over to take our drink orders - we ended up ordering a pitcher of Sangria - so glad that we did and bread was brought over to the table. All you smell throughout the restaurant was absolute deliciousness - I couldn't wait to eat. For appetizers I ordered one of the specials of the day.....seafood salad in avocado. I was surprised that you received an whole avocado sliced in half and stuffed with seafood mixed with avocado - it was simply delicious. My sister ordered the chorizo sausage appetizer, which again, was delicous (although it could have had some greens on the plate to offset all that meat). For entree again I ordered from the daily special......the seafood platter. Out comes this enormous plate with lobster, mussels, clams, scallops and shrimp all broiled with drawn butter. My sister ordered the pork chops which were four nice size chops, my other girlfriend ordered the shrimp with garlic sauce. Now let me say that I've ordered shrimp with garlic sauce plenty of times in the past, but I have never seen such a large portion of shrimp - the shrimp covered the entire plate - and they weren't the little baby shrimp either - they were a pretty good size. The waiter also brought a plate of yellow rice, green beans and homemade chips for the table to share. Of course my plate was way too much food to eat in one serving so I took most of it home so I could make room for dessert. My sister and I shared a slice of carrot cake, one girlfriend had the tiramisu and the other had a chocolate molten cake with ice cream. Again, everything was absolutely delicious. I do need to also give a huge shout out regarding the service. The waiters made sure our water glasses were filled, the bowls with our seafood shells were replaced constantly, and we didn't have to wait long for any of our courses. I was very impressed with Don Pepe and have been telling everyone that I talk to about it. Go see for yourself - you won't be disappointed. read more

They have to learn phone manners, they are definitely not customer service friendly. I hope that management is looking at these reviews and brings education to the staff. We the customer choose to spend our money in your business and we are treated with rudeness. I placed an order over the phone and the guy who took the order was rushing me for my info, no introduction was done and no friendly thank you, it rather asked me in a hurry way for my number and I was providing the number he kept says next, this was rude and therefore. I will choose to give my hard earned money to a business that treats hire customers with respect. What a shame, because your food is very good- but your staff are RUDE! read more

We went to Don Pepe on a Saturday afternoon around 3:00. The restaurant was only about 1/3 full at this time. I have heard it can be very busy later on a Saturday night. I have been to some of the other Iron bound District restaurants and they can be unpleasantly busy on a Saturday night, so keep that in mind. Don Pepe has a pleasant decor and the service is very good. They also have their own parking lot, and added plus. As others have written, the portions are HUGE. My wife and i shared the $24.00 Paella Valencia and we still has enough for two to take home. The Paella was great with lots of seafood (lobster, clams, mussels & shrimp) and chorizo. The rice was not dry, like with some paellas. The menu is very big with a lot of options. The Iron bound section of Newark is a unique urban error. The choices of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin restaurants is quite diverse. Don Pepe is worth a visit when in Newark. read more

Why do I continue to go to restaurants in Newark and expect to find vegetarian options? It's not Don Pepe's fault that I choose not to eat meat and that their menu doesn't have many veg options. It IS Don Pepe's fault that they can't even discern which items on their menu are meat-free and which are not. When my boyfriend requested that they just make a vegetable plate with no meat, the waiter responded that they could. Upon further questioning it became evident that they are incapable of making anything without chicken broth for some reason. I mean, I get it. You're a Spanish restaurant, your menu is meat/seafood focused - but come on! I am not the first vegetarian patron you have had. I ended up eating the bread (not as good as Forno's) and ordering a gazpacho, which smelled funky so I didn't eat it. Fail. Obviously I was still hungry at the end of our meal, so I ordered a tiramisu, which was... a tiramisu. Two stars. read more

Don Pepe - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

We come here every year with my Spanish family. Spectacular food. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Even the pickiest eaters in our family have their go-to tapas. read more

Don Pepe - Poached pears with vanilla ice cream - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Stuffed crab appetizer-AMAZING!!! Bread - freaking fresh as it gets!!!! Seafood was steamed to perfection very tasty 2 gripes - WAY to much food portions are good for 2-3 people 2nd gripe - to much rice literally about 1lb with my dinner read more

Don Pepe - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Outstanding! The food was delicious and service impeccable! We had Chilean sea bass, salmon, chicken parmigiana and a chicken special, all outstanding. Apps were clams casino and chorizo, both amazing. In a climate of labor shortages everywhere else, they were fully staffed and nailed service. Highly recommend! read more

Don Pepe what an amazing sea food! Fresh, delicious, tender! Simply the best! I have been tasting this seafood since my childhood when my father used to bring our family here. I highly recommend this place for its tradition of taste and quality. The owner and my dear friend always delivers the best! Lastly, the service, attentive and kind. Please enjoy the best seafood! read more

Don Pepe - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey