This was our third visit to El Familiar. Today was Father's Day 2026. First, my daughter had made reservations for 15. They didn't hesitate. We showed up at 12:30 pm. We were seated almost immediately. The restaurant had just a few tables occupied. The restaurant was clean, quiet and our seating was spacious. We were promptly attended to. Second, we were given a Father's Day menu which was a very abbreviated version of their usual menu. Our server was quick to point out that if there was anything we wanted that was on the normal menu that we remembered, all we had to do was ask. We were delighted. We placed our drink orders. We were given plenty of time to review the menu and discuss what else we might want from the regular menu. We placed our orders. The wait for our meals was commensurate with the number of people. The food arrived piping hot. Everyone was served within minutes. The food was absolutely delicious and the portions enormous. I ordered 2 appetizers thinking they were going to be reasonable. I fed most of the table while still having enough for myself. Needless to say, to-go containers were necessary. Last, I want to say again that this was my and my wife's third visit. Each time we were served and attended to by Danna (?). I can't say enough positive things about her. She was attentive, friendly, warm, patient and very happy and helpful. She was very accepting even though I was doing my best with my high school Spanish. For my wife and me, I will ask for Danna to be our server and will be as much of a regular patron as possible. I would highly recommend El Familiar. You can't beat the ambiance, food quality and service. read more

As soon as you come in they receive you with a friendly welcoming, there is a lot of choice to pick from since the restaurant is Colombian and Mexican food, so they have lots of great options. I ordered the chicken fajitas which come with rice and beans. And also tortillas they do give you the option if you want corn or the other tortillas which is great. I would definitely recommend coming here with family and friends the place is very spacious and clean. The rice was delicious and the spicy sauce is spicy which I love. Also the food came out in the blink of an eye. The waiter is also very nice and friendly and well presented. read more

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Good was ok. Had the burrito.it was good not a fan of the sauce. Wife had the chicken Fajitas it was good. Good service and nice restaurant

Visited this restaurant with my family and we all loved the food. There were so many options on the menu and all were delicious. They even have a drink menu with fruit juices that are a must try. The service was great, waitress was very kind and patient especially with my newborn being there. The ambiance was nice, families were present. I'd definitely come back. read more

El Familiar - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

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Our family did takeout and the food was really good. Everything is packed really nice. All of the food came with all the condiments and everything you needed to enjoy a complete meal at home. I feel like the servings were definitely fair and they tasted amazing. The flavors were remarkable and reflected all of the beautiful elements that goes into Latin cuisine, our family order tacos are Repas and two other platters as well as a soup dish. We have been here two times so far and we really enjoyed picking up our food. We've also had it delivered to the house. Both experiences were five stars. I highly recommend going here and next time I will dine in. I also really like the hot sauce that they make in house. It's amazing. It's like a salsa. read more

Never dissapoints! Same owners since I was a kid going here with my family once a week and the food still tastes amazing! Great lunch portions, very clean inside and great friendly service. read more

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A go to location for my daughter's family (They have a picky child and neither eat meat.), which is an endorsement since they are choosy! You will never leave hungry and more than likely your leftovers will be a take home a meal for the next day. An array of delicious options but I am disappointed with the small portion of chips especially for their takeout (We recently bought four meals and I could count the number of chips using my two hands.). I really like their mole but everything is good plus friendly service!! read more

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Took my daughter, her girlfriend and my ex here on Saturday night the 30th, and after our original experience, I couldn't be more disappointed. It took almost an hour to get our food and when it came out, my wife's order was wrong and my food was cold. I mean, like the cheese was dried and hard. Our waiter was a very young man probably a teenager. He was trying to be friendly, but overly friendly and insinuating himself into our conversation. It seems he needs training and when I complained about my food, he didn't apologize or offer to comp my meal, or even offer have my food fixed. He just made sure to let me know that he didn't do anything wrong. My daughter and her friend mocked him mercilessly after we left the place. I felt bad and paid full price and still tipped, but I'm afraid this experience has left me not wanting to go back. Sorry, if I was the owner I would make sure that this young man gets training. read more

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Ok so never say never, I went back after 6 years, I heard that the food has gotten better.. the onions and peppers in the fajita were good. Once the food was home a little garlic and Adobe were added. The empanadas were much too oily. I tried it. The pinto beans and yellow rice were good. The refried beans with the cheese were tasty as well. It's Colombian and Mexican cuisine. The menu has mostly Mexican items. Try it to opine. Service was friendly. Place is pretty nice size for groups. read more

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El Familiar is like family,it's one of our favorite go to places. I've never had a bad meal and the prices and portions are great. The owner makes us feel so welcomed always. We've celebrated birthdays and more moments at this,it's not fancy but familiar and cozy. read more

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Our family's favorite place to eat and celebrate! Fresh amazing food with warm wonderful service! Kind clean and delicious!

Great Mexican atmosphere, servers are very good, but the food is fantastic, not just toco's. It is our favorite Mexican Restaurant in the area, and we have tried them all. read more

We eat here often and always enjoy our choices, I order chicken panino which is excellent grilled chicken breast with cheesy sauce and panino peppers. My husband loves the grilled grouper with tequila lime sauce, the salsa is fantastic With warm crispy chips to dip We highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys flavorful meals. read more

We visited this place because I am Colombian and was very unhappy with the Soup, too expensive The Platanos was so nasty, the rice must of been from yesterday and somebody should teach them how to make Arepa's read more

No ox tail dinner which is a favorite meal I need a family dish of oxtails not individual portions

Delicious. Consistent. Large portions. The family has been eating here for quite some time.

I Have notHing bUt aMazIng ThInGs tO sAy AbOuT EL FaMiLiar ! It's my all time classic favorite go to Hispanic Food in the area. La bandeja Paisa is the ONLY platter for me and I never go wrong with that and I shall never change it up ANd then I get DESSERT! Between la bomba or crème brûlée it's game OVER for me. They gotta roll me out of this place every time ! I always have extra food , the service is always excellent , the vibe is always fun and easy going AND you still get chips and salsa !!!!! Not many places you go to where you still get something free and this is one of them and I still get my orange tamarindo drink They used to have music on the weekends - which was fun ! I don't know if they still do that but it would be great if they did - more of these spots are needed in OceaN CoUnTy NJ ~ they are SO worth it !! read more

Had dinner here last week or so. We got right in and started with some chips and salsa with also some guacamole. Very good. Then I got my entree, it was very good and filling. I'd definitely come back, the place was busy too read more

El Familiar - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

I found this restaurant looking through Yelp and it was only 15 min away. It has a nice family vibe. They have Taco Tuesday specials. I ordered the Enchiladas de Mole, my friend ordered the ground beef taco special. Both came with Rice and Beans. The Enchiladas were smothered by one of the best Mole sauces I've had with the perfect chocolate flavor coming through, packed with a lot of grilled chicken. Their rice was also very good, nicely flavored and Not with the overwhelming tomato sauce flavor found at other places. My friend liked his 3 ground beef (others meats were available) tacos. He's overly sensitive to capsicum so he was very happy with the spice level. Our waitress was friendly and didn't seem to mind my atrocious pronunciation of jugo de tamarindo. This place serves a great selection of fresh fruit juices, which the menu provides a quick summary of their health benefits. read more

The seafood soup is amazing!!! And chips salsa and guacamole are . The whole plaza is chefs kiss.

we have been going there since they opened, always has a great meal. we took our family there yesterday for dinner, it was awful! the steak fajitas were horrible! I sent my meal back my daughter could not eat her dinner it was awful! NEVER AGAIN! read more

I highly recommend this place !!!! We started off with the house salad, it was heavy in the cabbage and flavor. Really liked it, we also got the empanadas and chorizo. Both were awesome !!! My daughter got the chicken tacos and loved them. I got the garlic shrimp and it was delicious. The free chips and salsa were really good. We finished with the ice cream nachos and those are a must try !!! read more

El Familiar - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

I'm going to give El Familiar five stars for a few reasons. The service was well above par. We received valuable recommendations, that turned out to be spot on. The portions were very generous and every ingredient was fresh. Speaking of fresh, the lemonade was served in a large glass and was very refreshing. It's definitely not Minute Maid lemonade. The Chicken Tortilla Soup was nice and cheesy and came in a large bowl. The Fiesta Chicken Breast entree was so good. The way they infused the lime & tequila throughout the chicken was delectable. The accompanying refried beans, rice, and salad complemented the dish and was filling. The grilled chicken salad was thoroughly enjoyable and large. I also ordered a side of maduros(sweet plantains). Each one was soft and flavorful. Now, here's the kicker....... as I was scrolling through the drink photos, I noticed that Andra B. highly recommended the cappuccino. Well, I ordered it and mannnnnnn, she was right! So, I will do the same. Before you leave the restaurant, do yourself a favor and enjoy this very good drink, that'll cap off the meal nicely. El Familiar will definitely treat you well, will deliver a fresh meal, and should earn them a well deserved great review. read more

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The menu has both Mexican and Colombian dishes. Outstanding food, large portions, nice presentation, and very tasty. Like someone's abuela was cooking in the back. Service was very quick and attentive. Generally a laid back ambiance, at least one TV on with a soccer game playing, but Colombian music playing overhead. Prices are reasonable, and even a bargain when you consider how much food you're getting. Would absolutely return, and looking forward to it. read more

El Familiar - Steak tacos. Came with refried beans and rice. - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

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Grilled trout, cabbage salad, and tostone, yum lucky to have found this restaurant. Loved them, Mexican foods read more

El Familiar - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

Delicious food!! It was my first time here, everything came out nice and fresh as well as hot and they gave us a lot of food on our plate for the price we were paying.. Excellent service and very homey inside. I love this place , will definitely be returning !! read more

El Familiar - 14. Enchiladas Rancheras - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

Get the homemade fresh lemonade. Love having brunch there. Usually the Mountain platter. Grilled steak and fried pork ring. Served with rice, salad, beans, cornmeal, egg and sweet plantain. read more

Having lived in North Jersey for many years, we were used to all the great Churrasco style Brazilian, Portuguese and Columbian restaurants that were at our disposal, especially in Essex and Hudson counties. Well when we moved to South Jersey we of course had to immediately find some good ones close to home. Well we found a "great" one in El Familiar ! Serving authentic Columbian and Mexican food, this unassuming spot located in a strip mall off Route 166 is serving some delicious food. When you walk in it's not much to look at, very simple decor with simple tables, you might not have huge expectations, but boy would you be wrong. As soon as we sat down we felt welcome here as the service is so friendly and you are treated right away to some homemade tortilla chips with two different delicious salsas. It's a BYOB so after our waitress opened our bottle of wine, my wife and I both proceeded to order one of their Columbian dishes, the Mountain Platter. Flame grilled steak (we upgraded to the ribeye steak) and fried pork ring, served with rice, salad, beans, cornmeal, egg and sweet plantains. We both can't say enough about this amazing dish, not only does the presentation blow you away, everything is just so well made and delicious. The steak was tender and juicy and I guarantee will be one of the better ones you'll ever eat. What a great find this place is, now one of our go to spots. Looking forward to trying some of their great Mexican dishes as well. read more

El Familiar - Mountain Platter with a ribeye steak and fried pork ring - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

This place is a unique gem! Service was excellent! Food was amazing! My girl and o weren't sure where to eat and decided to try this place. Great decision. We will definitely be back! read more

Great place - good portion sizes, good food and excellent quality to value ratio. Highly recommend.

Best Spanish around! I'm from North Jersey and whether we're in a mood for good Spanish food this is literally the only good place around! Bandeja Paisa is the BEST!!! read more

I haven't been home in Lakewood in a while but we really wanted to have some Mexican food and seeing the 4.5 stars from 960 reviews we wanted to give it a try. This is an abomination of representation of Mexican food. I am shocked. My cousins said their enchiladas were salty, the tostones were so flat and hard it cut my lip. I was really excited to eat my flautas but when I saw them open their take out boxes I was nervous to open mine. The cheese they put on the beans and the flautas was not cojita cheese, it looked like mozzarella or a parmesan? I'm not sure but it wasn't doing it for me. The rice was alright, but everything in the box looked like it was one color super bland. I personally do not like to throw out or waste food so I ate what I could and threw the rest out. My cousin only ate half of her food and threw the rest out. I had high hopes especially because it took us an hour total for travel time to pick up and drive back home. I would not recommend going here based on this experience! read more

Great columbian and Mexican food! Great selection on the menu and great mix of both countries food.

I have been coming here for years and the food is always great. The burritos are different than most as they have a delicious tomato sauce and cheese on top. The salsa that they bring out with the chips is Amazing. read more

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I have to preface this with the fact that I'm from Texas and have lived in California, so that's what I think of when I think of Mexican food. 1st trip I got the Mexican Chicken (3 star) which ended up being far from what I expected. 1, it was a HUGE portion; 2. It was a lot more tomato-y and garlicky than I was expecting; 3. It was more spicy than I was expecting. It was good but reminded me that the restaurant was Colombian/Mexican, not just Mexican. Again, not what I was mentally prepared for. 2nd trip I got the enchiladas mole (1 star) to go with more traditional Mexican. The mole was much more sweet than I expected - kind of like a BBQ sauce, but it definitely wasn't - and the rice was too garlicky for my taste. Overall, good portions and atmosphere, but the food was disappointing. I think Ive just been disappointed with food in the Tom's River, NJ area in general. read more

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Pick up order Waitress was so nice , she packed all my order nicely & organized. She added chips & salsa which was delicious Definitely I'll be going back Thanks for the nice waitress who took my order I forgot her name but she was very professional & nice. read more

A very authentic option in this area! Everything here is so much better than any texmex option I have had. The dining room is clean and the service is very friendly and helpful. The chips and salsa were fantastic. They bring you a mild red salsa as well as a spicier green salsa. The lunch specials are very large portions for a great competitive price. The quesadilla was great but huge. You basically have to eat it with a fork unlike a traditional quesadilla. The only thing I didn't like was when you pick it up, lots of grease drips out. Overall, this is a great option and I'd love to come back and try a Colombian option. read more

El Familiar - Quesadilla lunch special - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

The food here is authentic Columbian. I loved my grouper and my husband had the mountain platter. Both were delicious. I will keeping coming back to El Familiar! They have Jamaica! read more

El Familiar - The restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

Solid Tex-Mex food with large portions at reasonable prices. Very friendly staff with the owner walking about and talking with customers. My wife and I shared an order of chicken fajitas and the Mexican chicken dish- see pics. The fajitas came with a generous portion of chicken, sides and flavors typical for this dish. The Mexican chicken was topped with a chunky tomato sauce, peppers, onions and jalapeño peppers. This dish really impressed us with a nice spice level and delicious combination of flavors. The sides or rice and refried beans were very good as well. read more

El Familiar - Chicken fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Toms River Township, New Jersey

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Been looking for some Latin food in the area for some time happen to be in Toms River for a Drs Appt and saw El Familiar. A BYOB with a Great Menu full of Mexican and Colombian dishes they also have Puerto Rican pasteles which I was surprised to see. My husband had the mountain platter, order if hungry it's big comes with steak(carne asada) pork ring (chicharon) rice, beans, plantain ,arepa and topped with a fried egg. I ordered some tostones, a pastel and a piece of chicharon (pork ring) best chicharon I had in a long time. Their hot sauce is soooo good . Good night take a while don't know if it's because of the usual staff shortage going on or what but it was worth it. read more

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