My husband and I came for dinner around 6pm on a Saturday. We were sat quickly on the covered patio (there may have been a wait for inside) and the staff was attentive. The food was great and we'll definitely visit again! read more

El Meson - Chicken quesadilla was very filling - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Cute decor. Friendly service and delicious food!!! We had the nachos as an appetizer. Delicious. Hubby loved the tortilla soup which is made much different than other places we have been. Different is not a bad thing. He loved it!! Spanish music playing. Spanish speaking folk. Brought me back to my honeymoon in Mexico except the food here is better. We will be back again and again. read more

El Meson has always been one of our favorite Mexican restaurants for years and still is so good. We have never had a bad meal here. Just a tip though the first bowl of salsa and chips are free then they charge $2.99. I ordered the combo meal a salad and a quesadilla. My mom ordered tacos and my dad ordered the combo enchilada and chili relleno one of my dads favorite dishes. The chili relleno was very spicy. If you come here you wouldn't be disappointed minus the chips and salsa read more

The place has a nice atmosphere... and an indoor and out door dining area. Upon arrival, we were served some chips and Salsa. Salsa was really good, and the chips were warm (always a plus). For lunch i ordered the shrimp tacos.... as did my coworker. Flavor was ok, shrimp was very over cooked... but the salsa, guac, sour cream and hot sauce made it all good. Not a bad place for a quick bite. read more

I don't claim to know Mexican food but the food that I had last night was good. Most meals were in the 15.00 range. We paid 122.00 for six adults to eat. The place was packed and we had to wait to be seated. It's seems to be a popular place. You can eat in or take out. I will go back again at some point. The friends we came with love the place. Overall we had a good time. Good atmosphere. Our server was good. read more

The food is alright. I got nothing to rave about because I've had better and CHEAPER Mexican food elsewhere. My husband loved what he ordered, the Chorizo Tacos. I ordered the Garlic Shrimp (way too much garlic) and my son ordered the kids' steak enchilada. We also got 2 sodas and a chocolate milk. All that for $62! The most expensive Mexican food I've ever had. read more

El Meson - Chorizo Tacos, Garlic Shrimp, Kids' Steak Enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Food and service are great. Nice place and always busy. Only downside is I think it's a bit overpriced foe Mexican food, but there's no where as good in the area so.... read more

My husband and I just moved to the area from San Diego, so we know a thing or two about GOOD AUTHENTIC Mexican food. I ordered a steak chimichanga and my husband ordered a blackened chicken taco salad and quesadilla. This place did not disappoint! Will definitely be coming back (: read more

This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurant great food excellent service, friendly and good prices. read more

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Best Mexican restaurant in the area! Top quality, large portions, friendly staff! Must try if you love Mexican food!

El Meson was okay. It was MUCH better than Escondido's in my opinion. The chips and salsa was fabulous. I had the steak tacos for my entree and they were just okay. The portions were huge! The service was pretty bad. They were friendly but they took 20 minutes (not kidding) to charge my debit card. I don't think I would be back but it was nice to try it out. read more

Had the steak burrito through doordash. Very fast delivery which was probably because the steak had been sitting there cooking all day. It was terrible, so old that it was crunchy. For that price? No thank you, never again. read more

El Meson is a hidden gem - tucked away in the corner of downtown Freehold, NJ. Who would think it's one of the top Mexican places in NJ? But, it is. They serve up classic Mexican fare, but focus on quality rather than a large menu. Everything is fresh, their sauces are great, and the presentation is good. The specials are particularly good - don't miss the Taco Guadalajara when it is available, or their Mole. For vegetarians, the Burrito Loco is a great choice. Their guacamole is also excellent. The place is small with limited indoor seating, and it fills up on weekends. You have a better shot during the summer when they open up their patio seating, doubling the capacity of the restaurant. Service is quick, and good. Its BYO. read more

Love love love. Service is always spot on and the food is authentic as it gets. Black bean soup is amazing! BYOB is a total plus. Been going for years and will never stop! read more

Amazing local mexican food. I wish I lived closer I'd be there every night. It is BYOB and there is almost always a wait but it is worth it. Try the burrito with salsa verde! read more

This is a great Mexican restaurant in the area says the Mexican! I come here every time I'm in New Jersey. It's so delicious. My only problem with this place is that I can never decide what to eat. There are so many good options. Their chips and salsa are delicious. The guacamole is yummy. The staff is always quick and friendly. During good weather they have patio seating. This place is BYOB. People that sit on the patio do no fool with BYOB. The coolers with wheels are out!! I highly recommend this place for lunch or dinner. It's fun people watching, as the drinks flow, people/conversations become more interesting. read more

For a top notch real mexican food experience, there are few who could beat el meson. Everything from the chicken to the pork to the beef is first rate, the portion sizes are excellent, eveb the sides are superb. The staff are friendly and always eager to please and even though it is pricier than other places, it is well worth every penny. read more

Great guacamole and the tacos were great. Slow in food for they prepare each dish individually. Steak taco salad was huge and delicious read more

I had high expectations because of the reviews and the place was busy. I had the crab quesadilla special which was decent, nothing to rave about. My wife had the lobster enchilada special which was $28.99. It came with 2 very small enchiladas and a small bowl of rice with no beans. It was ok from both of our tasting. For the price, it should have had much more lobster. The "lobster" was not claw or tail lobster meat. It was langostino which is squat lobster and not actual "lobster" meat at all. We will not be coming back and I don't recommend others bother. The service was pretty bad. We felt uncomfortable having to wave down the waiter to order food and get the check. Most of the times he just walked by while we were trying to get his attention. Just overall a bad experience. read more

The place is overpriced for Mexican food, and they say everything is made to order but the veggies, which were broccoli and cauliflower, in the quesadilla, were definitely not fresh. They handed my 9 year old a plate that was so hot I burned my hand when trying to cut her food and then simply handed me a small salad plate when I complained. I had to ask the waiter for his pot holder and he dropped it on the table and walked away. We had to ask for a bottle opener for the coronas multiple times. I ordered enchiladas, the meat was so rubbery I spit it out and was disgusted to finish my food, which no one checked on until they were ready to drop the check. Didn't even offer me anything else. So disappointed by this restaurant, but my husband made me leave a 2$ tip on a 54$ bill; which was only one adult entree and two kids. Never to return. Ever. read more

Great local restaurant in Freehold, with a at home/ authentic feeling. All of the staff there are great and strive to make your experience great. Favorite waiter of Zennon, he is awesome. If you like cheese, I highly recommend the nacho dip. It's not all that big but is phenomenal. Burritos are some of the best around and you'll always leave full. read more

I did not enjoy their food at all. The chicken was hard, and the flavor was not very good. I don't understand why they were huge chunks of vegetables in the chicken quesadilla, never seen that before. Ordered the enchiladas with meson sauce, it was like a brown gravy, very strange. read more

The best Mexican restaurant in the area. They have very large portions, especially on their burritos, chimmichongas, and the like. They also give you an amazing amount of variety in that you can order pretty much everything on the menu with your choice of about 4 different salsas (all top notch home made stuff) and your choice of chicken, steak, pork, chorizo, and LAMB! Also its BYOB, as are most places in Freehold Borough. read more

I have eaten here periodically over a number of years. I have always found the staff to be friendly and welcoming. The food has been fine. You can try the standards, but if you try some dishes you don't consider typical, you find inventive dishes at a reasonable cost. The fact that there is a grocery at the entrance is not a minus for me. It fits in with the authenticity of the cuisine and its role in serving the local latino community. I don't like waiting for a table, so I come early and have no problem. If you do wait, it won't be for nothing, as it is at so many chain restaurants that have so little to offer. read more

Favorite Mexican food. Chicken tortilla soup is fantastic. Friendly service, byob. Nice to sit outside and enjoy freehold on warm nights.

Their enchiladas are great, if you can handle spicy food get it spicy. Only downside is that it's BYOB. Great service and great location.

Best Mexican food in New Jersey, probably east coast in fact. The food is diverse, inexpensive and served in large portions. The front of the restaurant is some sort of bodega but there are plenty of seats inside. Great way to have dinner during the summer if you grab a seat outside and bring a case of Coronas. read more

My wife and I come here ALL the time when we are in the mood for some authentic Mexican food. A friend of mine brought us here a couple years ago and we have been coming back ever since. I'm one of those guys that gets stuck on 1 or 2 entrees and very rarely tries anything new. I always get the chimichangas with chicken or I get the chicken quesadillas. What I love about this place is the food is always consistent and I never had a bad meal. Great staff and food. This place is BYOB and there's a liquor store across the street. read more

El Meson - The best chicken chimichangas!! - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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Never had a bad meal. Love their Chorizo Chimichanga! Great bang for the buck!!

Went here with high hopes. It's much more pricier than all the other little Mexican restaurants in downtown Freehold so we assumed the food would be much better or at least at par with the competition. Boy, was it a disappointment. The verde sauce which, I regularly crave, was awful. It was sweet! I was very disappointed. It did not taste as fresh as you would find elsewhere either. I ordered steak enchiladas so basically my entire meal was smothered with it. But that wasn't the only issue. The steak tasted stale. It wasn't cooked through and very hard to chew through all the fat. Coupled with the smell, it was inedible. I will say that the service was wonderful. The wait staff was more than friendly and attentive. But since the food was terrible, we'll stick to the authentic little gems on the side streets. They may not look fancy and their menus aren't in English but the food is always amazing. read more

This is my favorite place in the area. Tons of great food, nice atmosphere, pretty good service and BYOB. First, the food: it's pretty delicious. From chimichangas, burritos, specialty quesadillas (including an amazing lobster with spinach occasional special) to enchiladas, tacos and guacamole, this place delivers. Go with the mild or medium hot sauce IMO. The spicy one doesn't taste as good to me -- there's something about the flavor that's kind of off, which is a bummer since I love my mexican food spicy. Whenever I'm here, I always go with the mild red sauce -- it's sweet and tangy and goes well with their stuff. Comparing this place to California -- it's different. Not the same style, but it's still real good. It's more expensive (consistent with other Mexi places in NJ); still, worth a drive and if you're in the mood for Mexican. If you're lucky enough to come on a day when this is on the menu, try the lobster quesadilla! read more

Very Good Choriqueso appetizer (Chorizo Fajita Style with Cheese and Grilled Onions and Peppers). If you want some good Chimichangas they are also good. Very good service. read more

Went to El Meson on 6/24/17 with my wife and son. We got there about 8:45 pm. We wanted to sit outside and there was about a 10 minute wait. We liked the atmosphere. They were very busy and full which was similar to its location. Main St was very busy that night with traffic and people everywhere. I thought it was great. Service was good and friendly. It took a little while to get the food but considering they were full I thought it was good amount of time. I had the burrito and taco combo, wife had the cod taco special and our son had the burrito. All of us enjoyed the meal very much. My wife kept talking about how much she liked the cod tacos. I contemplated giving a 5 star rating but just not good enough but definitely a strong 4 stars! read more

Was recommended to your restaurant by another local business. My friend and i sat out on the patio for an early lunch where there were a few male employees hanging around but as soon as this bald man came in and joined your employees for a chat which he was very loud started making derogatory insulting gay comments in Spanish which he had no idea I was understanding his remarks towards us. Then what upset me was your male employees joined in on saying "MARICA" in a chant. For those of you that don't know the meaning of it means "FAGGOT". We will never return and never recommend this business as to not say Mexican restaurant cause being Mexican myself it's shameful to acknowledge you as my people. Hope the owners make some changes in there staff in respecting your paying customers. read more

Very sparse on the serving size for the price. Veggies were not cooked. Portions were kid size There are so many better Mexicans places.

Great flavor but needs more than just meat in the enchiladas and chimichanga. Next time will jack out some other menu items. Will try again though. read more

I found the food to be mediocre at best. Ordered tacos. 3 tacos came with meal - steak, chicken, and pork. Meat was tough and lacked flavor. The only redeeming quality was that when I asked for spicy, it was actually spicy. Other than that, not great. Rice was tasteless. Pinto beans were decent. Atmosphere is akin to a chinese takeout place with tables. I am not rushing back. read more

We've been going here for over 20 years, back when they used to have the little market area at the back! Always a reliably delicious meal and great service. I always end up getting the same thing...the combo chimichanga with pork and tamale, salsa verde. Always excellent. read more

Came here with a party of 9 on a Saturday night. We were seated in the patio since the inside was packed - we didn't mind this at all as there are heaters outside! Service at El Meson is great! Our server was friendly and thorough. They have vegeterian/vegan options so there was something for everyone in our party! Their table chips & salsa are so addicting. Perfect amount of spice and great way to start the meal. All of us basically got different types of tacos - I went with the baja tacos. SO GOOD. I loved it! Fish was nicely fried and wasn't too oily. The rice and beans that accompany the tacos fill you up. I was so satisfied afterwards (which to be honest, I didn't expect, considering the varying reviews). Glad we decided on El Meson for dinner! Will definitely be back when it warms up and when I'm back in the area. read more

Poorly executed wrong dinner. No accountability. Business lost by a customer who is a local.