Be prepared! When you walk through the door you enter a store that you might find along the alleyways of Mexico City but follow the music down the hall past the leather boots stall (Yes, they sell leather boots.) and enter the colorfully welcoming dining area where the music wants to keep you on your feet!! Staff provided a warm welcome handing out a classic menu of those traditional Mex-American dishes with a real "Mexican" feel to the taco choices. The basket of rainbow colored corn chips was accompanied by a really tasty salsa verde. Was disappointed to learn that the "weekend only" tamales were not available because today is a weekend day on my calendar. Anyhow back to the awesome dance music that has my body swaying as my eyes search the walls enjoying each new discovery. Someone clearly thought out the decor to ensure diners were happy. The Tortilla Soup was a nice start although it could have been a bit warmer. Full of goodies including cheese (That had not melted but I think I liked the cheese pieces.) and pieces of avocado floating throughout with a subtle comforting flavored broth This is a soup everyone will enjoy! Ah the music ...tapping my toes and smiling ... music enhanced dining experience! Ok, so I wimped out on the main course ...no tripe nor tongue just a solid enchilada pairing with both their red and green sauces. Side dish of beans was appreciatively good. The sliced radishes a nice touch but would have loved them pickled and more plentiful. My only disappointment was the 99 cent upcharge for the "salsa/"hot sauce. Overall a good meal with a caring server even though there was a slight language barrier. Leaving full and happy dancing to the music. Glad to know that there's this great little restaurant behind the store! This is associated with another area Mexican restaurant. read more

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The food is always reliably delicious! The "make your own nachos" cannot be beat! Order them as an appetizer, and you won't be able to finish what you ordered for your main! So I only order the nachos and no tacos! But then the tinga tacos are just soooo good. So I order them to have the next day. I could eat this food every day and never get tired of it. read more

The place is just wayyyy over priced for the amount of food you receive. The food isn't any different than any other Mexican restaurant and in fact there's better around like Taco Bell. Also there was communication barrier with the waitress. So I would not recommend this place for a family or a group of 2 read more

Found this place while on Facebook searching for any local Mexican restaurants that would have a live Mariachi band (places I know that would usually have them weren't going to have any live music the night I wanted to go out). I messaged El Manantial and they told me Fridays & Saturdays a Karaoke Nights and they weren't going to have Mariachi. A group of us decided to go anyway, give them a try as I love to try new places, local places, etc. Upon entering, you are welcomed with a Mexican "grocery" store and a beautiful chandelier. You have to walk towards the back to get to the restaurant part. We were greeted and seated right away. We ordered our drinks and received our nachos right away and while we were deciding what we we were going to eat as our entree, there was a LIVE MARIACHI band playing! We couldn't have been more exctied - they asked us if we wanted them to play any specific songs and we requested a couple. We ended up singing as well. Before I forget, this place is BYOB so I brought margarita's (that's what helped us sing LOL) Food was great and our waitress was great too. We had a great time there and will definitely be going back. read more

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My bf and I stepped in to this place completely by mistake. We were in search of aguas frescas, and when we entered, the place had a weird, musty odor. They have a shop at the front, so if you keep walking down, the restaurant is in the back which is a bit of an odd set up. The restaurant was empty, and the waitress that greeted us was still in training, and once we sat down, she asked us if we wanted to move to another table (?). My bf and I felt very weirded out with the musty ambiance, and left instead. Later, my bf and I decided to search up this place since we couldn't shake the weirdness of it all, and looking at the photos of the food, I am so glad we did not dine there, and that we left instead! read more

I came in early, and the owner and all of the staff went out of their way to make me a feast. I had Mexican, breakfast and Hetta to drink. Fantastic people serving fantastic food !! read more

I used to love this restaurant. But clearly changed management or chef. The food is not the same, the portions are different. Beside taste it's super generic. The beans taste like caned beans. It's like their flavors just turn bland. It's really sad how the restaurant just became bland noting special. Sadly I have to find a New Mexican restaurant. I hope they get their shit together and realized that the new chef or management is not the best for the business. It feels just bland and generic. read more

I've been here 3x. The place has an authentic atmosphere. Food is fresh and well seasoned. There's plenty of variety in the menu and many ways to mix and match food items for tasty and savory combinations. The servings are well portioned. read more

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Great little Mexican place that sits in back of a little "bodega" store. Clean, festive, fiesta party decor, great food with many, many choices of authentic Mexican food - fajitas, tacos, chimichangas, burritos, empanadas, dorados, and lots more. Great prices, BYOB, great service, and Friday night Mariachi Karaoke and dancing! There's not another place like it anywhere near here. Our group of 8 had a blast! read more

El Manantial - Mexican Near Me - Woodbury, New Jersey

I'm on the fence with this place... I'll skip the grocery side of this business since I've never bought anything there. The back of the business where the restaurant is has a bright and festive atmosphere. Considering how far back it goes, it's pretty large. The food they will make to your liking. Mexican or Americana... Personally, I don't think Americana should be an option. It just confuses people like myself who are expecting authentic. The food is fairly decent, and the portions are pretty large. I've only ordered takeout, and these folks package their meals better than most places. karaoke on the weekends is advertised. Their location is a larger and more of a restaurant upgrade from their previous location in town, and it's a nice addition to the lacking dining options we have here locally... , and no dirt kicked on this establishment.... -Tim Ebert read more

Absolutely amazing! The food here is very fresh and flavorful. Portions are very generous and our server was a pleasure to deal with. Super authentic Mexican cuisine! read more

Small town Mexican grocery store with a restaurant in the back. Delicious authentic Mexican food served in a warm family atmosphere! The shrimp cocktail makes a yummy appetizer to share. My chicken chimichanga was loaded with tender, seasoned chicken. Our server Ro was awesome, and the karaoke was a blast! read more

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I enjoy my visits El Manantial I go Alamo bi-weekly on Fridays for a dinner on my way home from my grueling week. It is totally worth a try, I enjoy their grilled chicken tacos on a hard shell ..I KNOW it's a plain choice but I think the simplicity of it makes it super good! read more

What a complete and utter disappointment. We really enjoy trying local establishments and supporting small businesses. If I could post a negative star, I would. We arrived at 6pm and there was only one other couple at a table. We ordered nachos with steak as an appetizer and placed the order for our meals at the same time. About 45 minutes later, the server brought the plate of nachos out and warned that the plate was hot. At least the plate was hot because the nachos were not. Less than 3 minutes later the server brought out our meals. The plated presentation looked very good and that's about where anything close to good ended with this experience. My meal (the Enchiladas Bandera) was cold. The other meal (the Bistec con Enchiladas - Steak & Enchiladas) was served on a hot skillet which kept it hot. The steak was mostly fat and gristle and had no flavor. The enchilada sauce barely had a hint of flavor. I sent my meal back (the Enchiladas Bandera). I was offered a replacement and declined because didn't want to wait another 45 minutes. As we sat at the table we could hear the server apologizing for the delay to another table that came in after us. Apparently the slow, disorganized service was normal for this night. I truly feel bad for any other customers who visit this restaurant tonight. The check arrived and the meal that I sent back was still on the bill. It seemed as though there wasn't any experienced front of house staff. After the staff deliberated about how to fix it we were presented with an adjusted check. read more

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Food was alright until we saw a roach crawling down the wall. Paid and left will not return. read more

El Manantial - Mexican Near Me - Woodbury, New Jersey

I was really eager to try this place but wasn't too impressed. I ordered take out and was a little confused when I walked into the store. There was a store in the front and the restaurant was all the way in the back. My coworker and I ordered mostly vegetarian options including the papa dorados in potato, veggie burrito, and cheese chimichanga. The papa dorados were okay and came with an interesting sauce. The veggie burrito consisted of mostly beans and rice but the vegetables were a little bit of lettuce and corn... I was expecting peppers or something of that sort. It did not taste good, I couldn't even choke it down. This will not be my first choice for Mexican food. read more

I'm vegan - can't go wrong with the black bean Mexican taco for $2.99 with a bag of plaintain chips. They also have a grapefruit soda. I had my son's small birthday party (BYOB) and a good time (and food) was had by all. read more

My wife and I love authentic Mexican street food--especially tacos. We ordered a bunch of various tacos last week and found them to be delicious and authentic. I'm sure they would have been even better if we could have dined in. We also tried the chicken enchiladas with salsa verde. I like my enchiladas very wet but by the time I got home, the enchiladas had soaked up all the delicious green sauce. We will definitely try El Manantial again. read more

roach infestation and poor service. i had a drunk waiter serve me highly unprofessional.

This place is so amazingly delicious!! Come here whenever I'm in the mood for Mexican food, the horchata is delicious & i usually get the handmade quesadillas, definitely worth checking out!!!! So good!!!!!! read more

Stopped in 5pm . Restaurant empty. Just me and son. Not one patron but us. Bunch of teenagers on their cell phones work there. Took 15 minutes for water, ordered our food, another 15 minutes LATER, the waitress tells they are out of rice. And it would be 40 minutes more til it's done...GTHOOH! Drank our water and left. What kind of Mexican restaurant doesn't have white rice ready?? The ones who get 1 . Go to San Lucas in Camden or La Esparnza in Lindenwold for great service and food. read more

I came in from out of town (south Louisiana to be exact) and was working nights at the local refinery seen the place was open so took an uber only to be treated poorly once i arrived and told it wouldnt be open for another hour dont post your open for service on yelp unless you're actually open food may be amazing but i could care less after how i was treated. read more

Like the food. Very up and down though. Tonight, new rule in place... we don't deliver after 8. We called at 8.11 pm. They close at 9. We are less than six minutes away. Yet another strike against this place with good food yet low expectations. read more

I had a lovely lunch. Chicken enchiladas verdes were seasoned well, hot and tasty! The rice and beans were good. The burrito caliente was stuffed full to perfection. Great menu selection and great friendly fast service. The starting chips were tasty, however the salsa was plain lacking flavor. I would go back again! read more

This was my THIRD VISIT. @El Manantial Don't bother. They are NOT AUTHENTIC AT ALL! My First visit, I got takeout. The day before they had their big Grand Opening! I got a container Filled with Gristle for the Beef Sope! The Salsa was like eating canned tomatoes with tomato paste, onions and cilantro added to it. Sorry! They use a cheese blend that you can get at the local supermarket!!! The menu Says HAND-MADE QUEASDILLAS !!! They are NOT! The Tortillas are store bought!! Our Server told us. Just because they SAY it's a Mexican Restaurant, doesn't Mean That It Is AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD! We waited 40 Minutes for ONE ORDER of Enchiladas! We asked for them to be made with ONLY BEANS & "The Mexican Cheese Blend" waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Finally..... OOPS! Not what we ordered!! Our Server told us she gave us the "Enchilada Verde". I told her that we ordered Enchiladas with Refried Beans and Cheese. She picked up our plate, said nothing. We waited Another 5 Minutes!!! NOTHING! We were 2 Feet away from the Kitchen!! No one came out of the kitchen to speak with us. I REALLY Wish This Place was GENUINELY MEXICAN!! Skip This Place----GO TO AGAVE!! HOMEMADE TORTILLAS!!!!!! read more

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They have only been open in this location for a few weeks. But they have the absolute best mexican food ever! I l especially love their nachos and burritos! It's a family owned business. The owner floats around from table to table checking and chatting with everyone. The front of the resturant is actually a Mexican food store in case you need anything while you're there! Very excited that such a delicious resturant opened in Woodbury! I recommend 110%! read more

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This is the third time I've tried this establishment because it is close to my house and authentic Mexican and Spanish food is my favorite and it was convenient The first two times I've come here my food either came out cool what I say or it was the wrong order or ingredients were missing from the item weather is with cheese is missing from a sandwich or whether I was missing a side this time I get to go tacos I specifically asked for a hardshell tacos had a craving didn't feel like driving to Belmar or down Blackhorse Pike what get home ready to eat with family and what do you know not hardshell tacos and ingredients missing Upset because of my Sunday dinner not fancy what tacos so I go back and the lady who took my order says I did not tell her hardshell tacos which is the story I told her twice in fact she had multiple customers and I believe the owner was talking to them you think they care that I drove back in my order was wrong no I even had to ask for a glass of water while I sit waiting I'm done with this Place and if you can go to Philly there's lots of other great places you can eat there definitely authentic that get it right read more

El Manantial - Salsa tasted like can crushed tomatoes no flavor. the guac was just avacado cream maybe w cilantro dont know it wasnt good - Mexican Near Me - Woodbury, New Jersey

Dinner for two on taco Tuesday. Sadly no such specials here for that day. I didn't mind walking through the store to get to the restaurant at the back. It gave me a moment to check out all the Mexican goodies for sale. There was already a table with a big group of people from the nearby hospital waiting to order and another table near us finishing their entrees. It was only a young man who was doing his best and what seems to be an unexperienced young lady trying to do her best as well but kept on falling short. I do wish them well and hope their hard work pays off and succeed. We made a point to order before the big group and our meals came out in a timely manner. The young man was our waiter and he was a bit too attentive and sort of made us feel a bit uncomfortable by asking us how our meal was at least 3 times or so. I do give him credit for reiterating numerous times that their hot salsa was definitely on the HOT side hence why they charge 50 cents extra, i did not see this charge on our bill. The mango shake was fresh and very inexpensive, however they add tons of ice cubes as fillers. The salsa tasted like it came from a jar as well as the salsa verde. Note, they charge you for pico de gallo, so unfortunate. The steak and shrimp taco was the highlight of my dining experience here. I would come back here for that. The fish taco (tilapia) fell short. All my tacos were mexicano (double corn tortilla, cilantro, radish, onion, salsa, and lemon wedge). The husband had a decent chicken chimichanga topped with what tasted like whiz cheese. Our meals was fairly cheap. It was nice that they served mexicano style tacos. I would most likely just get take out rather than dine in. It seems as though they have live music on certain days as there is a stage at the back. read more

El Manantial - tacos Mexicanos: fish (tilapia), steak, and shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Woodbury, New Jersey

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First time here. Delicious food and great atmosphere! We got fajitas and enchiladas. Everything was fresh. Our waiter was attentive and owners were awesome. We Will be back. read more

If I could give then 2 and 1/2 stars I would. So, I went here last night around 7pm as we were craving some Mexican. Unless you know this place is a restaurant you might walk right on by. It's a store/ restaurant with the store being in front while the restaurant sits in back. Anyway, we arrive and both store and restaurant are empty. We make our way back to see a server on her phone, who then tells her caller to "hold on." She then says to sit wherever we'd like. Okay. We find a table, then the same server comes over still talking on her phone and gives us menus. A few moments pass and she comes and takes our drink order. I asked for an unsweetened tea, which apparently they don't have? Odd. I got something else. After dropping the drinks she brings over some chips and salsa. I must say that the salsa was pretty bland. It tasted more of a marinara/ pasta sauce than salsa. Had literally not spice to it at all, and didn't really taste of anything. Disappointing. We ordered Chalupas for an app, and I had some tacos for my meal, while my fiance ordered one of their mexican combos. I cant remember the name right now. Overall the food was good. However what wasn't good was the array of fruit flies flying around and landing in our food the entire time. The meal was basically ruined by us having to wave our hands constantly. We couldn't even hold a conversation because of this. When we were finished and our server dropped the check, I put my Credit Card in. She then, for some reason, asked if I wanted to leave my tip on said card. Well, yes, but it's a bit rude to just assume you're getting a tip, 1, and ask about it, 2. But whatever. She then runs my card and brings over a slip to leave a tip on, and stands there looking at me... while I put a tip in. Then goes back to the register and then comes back with another slip to sign? Why?! A date night basically ruined by this server/ establishment. I feel we may of had a better experience if they were busier, ironically enough. Our server appeared to just want to leave. Probably won't be back. There are plenty of other Mexican Restaurants in the area that do it better. read more

This was the worst Mexican food I have ever had. Soup had no flavor, I asked extra rice and no beans and they wanted a up-charge! The amount of rice they gave me was just about enough for the meal. It all tasted like it had been frozen and reheated! This was from the Woodbury NJ store. read more

My wife wrote the first review. She loved this place and it reminded her of home- the Hispanic SW. We are saddened because we had nasty meat today... |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ***1AM I am assuming my wife is recovering. She did not have to go to the bathroom again. We ate there at between 4-5pm and by 7pm her stomach was cramping and she had hot flashes. By 9pm she was trapped in the bathroom for over an hour. At 10pm she was finally able to lie down, but was still dealing with a very upset cramping stomach. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| We had been here before a few times and the food was amazing. Today however at 4pm the "steak" meat was like rubber. (FYI I know and expect the beef not to actually be steak by a low tough cut of meat, but this was garbage. Wish I had ordered just beans instead of meat, but not remembering that as an option. I would prefer edible meat rather than beans. I only ate it because I had had nothing to eat all day and it was 4pm.) ...chimichanga was disgusting. Cheeze wiz smothered on top of a smallish burrito - I do not it was deep fried, and therefor just a burrito- cook must have not been in the mood. (I KNOW cheez wiz on food out here is acceptable to some LOCALS; however in some regions of the country it is NOT ACCEPTABLE AT ALL- IT IS CONSIDERED F***ING GROSS. In grocery stores it is illegal to call it cheese. I hate that snotty fake neon colored chemical crap- it is not dairy it cannot legally be called dairy. Again I know that to some people in PA & NJ like putting that artificial chemical yellow dyed slime on their food. To me it is revolting. To the vast majority of people in the US it is unthinkable to have a restaurant put it on food. Please do not call it cheese, if it is illegal to call the crap cheese in a grocery store a la "cheese like product". Please warn customers. At 4pm we were the only people there. We believe the "steak" was the culprit specifically the spicy taco. My wife liked the taco- more of a ground or chopped meat. We were planning on taking friends and family here when they visit over the holidays- now we will have to think twice. We may go back one day when we have courage. We may never order the "beef" or "steak" again, By 7pm my wife was having to take stomach medicine and go to the bathroom. No food has made either of us ill in years. We had very high hopes, and are disappointed. We were at first so happy this place was here. FYI My wife is from the Southwest and I practically lived off of Mexican American owned restaurants, and love traditional Hispanic food. I cannot remember having a bad experience in several years anywhere with Hispanic restaurants and carts. I met the owner before and he was a very nice guy. We wanted to support him. I have no idea why the food was so bad today. We were so impressed the times before. ***NOW IT IS 10PM We had dinner at 4pm. My wife's stomach is cramping, but at least she is out of the bathroom in bed. She says her stomach hurts less lying down than trying to sit up. We do not know if she is getting better or worse as it is still pretty bad right now. We are hoping she does not miss work tomorrow*** FYI Not exaggerating. I am looking online to see if I can contact the owner because something is wrong with the food there right now. We believe the spicy taco made her ill. We did not have a meal having skipped both breakfast and lunch, and had nonthreatening food the day before for dinner. read more

Wonderful customer service. Great flavor in their foods and drinks. I recommend the Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea). I did not dine inside, but the atmosphere inside was very comforting. read more

This place is literally the worst "Mexican resturant" I've ever been to in my entire life. For starters the chips and salsa were stale and the salsa tasted like it came right out of a can from shoprite. Second, the queso omg ew. It was literally luke warm and more like cheese wiz then anything. None of the food was cooked properly or even hot at that. We got a appetizer sampler and the fries were still freezing cold and barely cooked. To top things off, my brother order a spicy steak burrito and the steak literally tasted like old cat food!!! It was horrible. I got a taco with the steak and couldn't even eat it. Because I'm a waitress and my boyfriends family owns a Mexican restaurant we didn't want to complain or start anything but my Brother asked very nicely to have a different burrito because he didn't like the meat and instead of being understanding the manager insulated my brother by saying it was only because he didn't order beans in it made the burrito taste different. I honestly don't understand how this place gets 4.7 stars it must be because there is no actual GOOD Mexican restaurants out here but if you guys really want REAL AUTHENTIC delicious and well cooked Mexican food I strongly suggest going to La Ezperanza in lindenwold. This place isn't shit to even Taco Bell lol pathetic. read more

Had dinner here on September 9, 2018 for the first time ever. Started off with the complimentary chips and salsa. Chips were good, salsa was canned restaurant supply quality. Not bad, but not good. Tried the queso, which was probably a a poor choice to start, and it was weak. We won't do that again. Based on the starters, I was concerned this was not going to be a place to return. BUT, they came back strong on the entrees. I had the chilaquiles verde con pollo which was fantastic. Very spicy green salsa, sunny side egg, chicken. Well executed, with great flavor. This alone is worth coming back. Wife had the enchiladas verde con pollo and again it was a very solid effort. Exactly what you are going for. Traditional enchiladas, not just a cheesy mess. Overall, I give them a B. I think the traditional entrees are where to go for this place. Definitely skip the queso! read more

The singer was spot on. The food is tasty and I can bring my own wine woohoo!!!! Hope this little gem in Woodbury stays a secret so I don't have to wait for a table to get some tasty authentic Mexican food read more

Not a fan of the food. I wanted to like it because its such a cute place. My aunt wanted Mexican and it was close by... chips were stale, salsa tasted like it came from a jar, rice was mushy, the corn was definitely from a can, I thought my pork came out the can because it was mushy and no real authentic flavor, we were stopped by the manager and he was irritated about what we said but didn't offer any real resolution he just kept saying everything is cooked fresh and I said you asked what we thought and we told you. read more

All was great...until I received my guacamole order. Nearly tasteless. Then I ordered enchiladas verdes. It was good, but not great. I requested a side order of flour tortillas however they were not homemade! The same kind I could've bought myself at shop rite. To end my meal, I ordered tres leches cake only to find that it was more like regular layered yellow cake. Leches means milk no????? Overall the service was great, food OK, not authentic. read more

Literally the worst service. Ruined our order and then gave us problems about making the right thing in its place. I will never ever recommend this place to anyone EVER. The service at Taco Bell is better than this place. read more

Good food, clean restaurant. The staff is not very welcoming but they seem young and are probably still learning the industry. Overall good experience, have been there before and would go back again read more