Sorry guys, this was unfortunately disappointing. Arroz con gandules makes the meal happen. The rice and the beans lacked flavor, too bland. The pernil was ok, skin can use a little more crisp. Food quality had changed since I first came here, not sure if I will come back. The folks are really nice here but the food really needs to improve. read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Pernil with yellow rice and black beans - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Don't ever have the beef in sauce. It's rotten bad meat disguised behind the sauce. It gave me a serious indigestion.

Had the baked chicken and empanadas and they were both amazing. Service was quick and the prices were cheap. I paid $13 for a plate of hot food. Open 24/7. read more

I have been going to this location for the last 8 years and this is probably one of the best meals that you can get for very cheap in downtown Jersey City. The food is delicious, the staff is very nice, and this spot is absolutely perfect if you're looking for a lot of food for cheap! If you're going, get a plate with yellow rice, red beans and their pollo al horno, it's been my favorite for so long (they give you so much food for like 12 bucks!!) I really hope you give it a try! To all the bad reviewers, consider giving this place a second chance. Restaurants come and go very often in Jersey City, and it would be truly a shame to see El Sazon De Las Americas go. I love this place!! read more

Rude rude rude. Coffee is gross and be warned that they make their "cappuccinos" with no foam.

the food is mediocre at best and they are thieves. ordered food to go, was charged 27 dollars and the next day was charged 33.00z so they just add their own tip amount as they so choose. the servers were rude and had attitudes. definitely getting all my money. might even sue them for wire fraud, read more

Too good to go $4 Honestly this was a lot of food. Would get too good to go again from here. The food was pretty good and authentic for the price and honestly the empanada cheese with jam was super delicious. The bean soup had lots of flavor and I would consider getting more empanadas from here. read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Cheese and jam empanada Potato beef empanadas Bean soup Chicken and rice - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Just adding another review that the staff is disinterested and rude. Zero hospitality to be found here. Why even have a shop in a beautiful area if you're gonna act like you belong in the worst part of Newark? Jfc. Also need to agree that there is a lack of flavor. No disrespect to whatever recipe you think you are following, but there is absolutely no passion or love in the food either. read more

Definitely a hole in the wall, but gets busy. Ordered takeout from here on a weekday and it was okay - nothing to write home about. Service is a bit all over the place as you have to wait at the counter for one of the people to approach you, which took a while. There are also a few stools and seating inside, along with some outdoor seating. I thought it was flavorful and decent but not mind blowing. I ordered the churrasco and it came with rice and black beans. The meat itself was tender and had caramelized onions with it. Large portion and reasonably priced. They also sell fresh juices which they juice on the spot which is nice. Not sure I'd come back but worth the try! read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Interior - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Yea I tried giving them another chance and of course they suck yet again Ceviche consisted of shrimp, onions and old tomatos in water. Not even like juice . Wtf Fried Chicken chunks and rice ordered was a double thumbs down The chicken was friend and then reheated in a microwave. It appears they gave me yesterdays chicken I'm over it F this place read more

Honestly i don't like the sazon of that food I was expecting something more delicious. It doesn't taste as the real dominican food sazon. The beens taste like tomato paste, the beef is without flavor. The carrot on the potato salad is raw. Poor service, those girls treat you as if they're giving you free food. It was my first and last time there! read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - a variety of food items - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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Walked today at 1:15 place was sparse 4 servers in the front gossiping and one in the back cleaning. Sat there for 8 minutes picked up my coat and walked out. Not one person addressed me. Thank you! read more

CONS 1. Flavorful but Undercooked Arroz con Gandule (Rice and Pigeon Peas).. 2. Tender Chicken Noodle Soup but needs more Flavor. Maybe within the Last 30 Mins of Cooking ADD More Fresh Chopped Garlic, Culantro, Cilantro and White Onions? 3. Baked Chicken was Cooked Well but needs more Flavor. PROS 1. Tender and Super Flavorful Carne Guisada (Beef Stew) 2. Well Cooked Yucca and Pickled Red Onions. 3. Well Cooked and Super Flavorful Red Beans Stew. 4. Well Cooked and Fluffy White Rice. 5. Tender and Flavorful Sancocho Soup (3 Meat Caribbean Soup). 6. Super Flavorful and Tender Rabo Guisado (Oxtails Stew). 7. Flavorful and Tender Chivo Guisado (Goat Stew) 8. Friendly staff. read more

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This review is for a breakfast order I made today via DoorDash. It is my first time ordering from this restaurant so I know that I was going in blind. We ordered (2) Mangu with eggs, cheese and salami, (2) Dominican coffees, (2) empanadas and (1) alcapurria. The mangu was flavorless, the salami was not fully cooked and the sautéed onions were not included. The coffee was just disgusting- it tasted like it was made with dirty water and/or the pot was moldy. We both had one sip and threw it out. I also ordered two and only received one - the delivery guy said he was only handed one. It's unfortunate, I really wanted to like this place but I will never order from here again. Note: I am Dominican and know how things should be cooked/prepared. read more

Was treated to this restaurant food is usually alright but had to share the sweet plantains were horrible not even presentable and the pork chops (chuletas) were hard to eat. Not satisfied, I think they rushed the food. Very disappointed read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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Ordered a plate with rice and maduros. Maduros were so badly burnt black and dry as ever. Possibly the worst Dominican food I have eaten and way overpriced. read more

The staff here were comically rude and disinterested, no one paying attention or looking me in eye, talking to each other while pointing at the cash register to indicate how much I owed. I ended up paying 7 dollars for strawberry water. I take the blame for agreeing to that... read more

I think they're lowkey racist but thats just me. They were never the most hospitable (especially to people who dont speak spanish) but this particular time I was on line to order and the lady helped the spanish guy before me and then stood there while I was waiting for her to take my order. A white man walked in and she immediately asked him what he wanted. My mom and I were taken aback and the man that ordered apologized and asked me if I had ordered and I said no but its fine. The lady never looked at me or acknowledged me and it took her coworker to come to the front to take my order. It obviously might not have been racism/ micro aggression but as a black person that is my first instinct. read more

This your standard Dominican food spot, where things are not really cooked to order. Instead it gets cooked in batches in large quantities and it sits there in a warm container, kinda more like a cafeteria. There are daily specials where the special protein changes. Overall this place is just mediocre. The best thing here is the rice and beans. I've heard of people complaining of undercooked rice but it has been fine for me. I could eat those rice and beans all day. The salad is just a cold salad, nothing special. And the plantains tend to be old. The biggest disappointment is the protein. The rotisserie chicken just doesn't taste good. This should be pretty difficult to mess up. It just tastes old. The beef is also not of the best quality and not seasoned right. The Cuban sandwich is mediocre at best. The other pros here is that you get a lot of food for your money. For $20 I get a giant amount of food and a 2ltr soda. Definitely best value I guess. If you are craving some Dominican rice and beans, this is the place for you. Other than that there are much better places to eat in the area, and the average Caridad in the city is better. read more

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Very rude. I pointed to the Cuban sandwich she just told me no without any explanation. I walked right out

Aprobé el bistec empanizado ! Comida salió bien sabroso y la presentación era muy bien. La mesera era muy amable :) gracias read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Bistec Empanizado - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

This place is great for a quick pick up of food when I stay with my boyfriend but i don't want to cook; just stay away from the chicken; it looks like it's only seasoned with sazon ( it will be red) but not probably cleaned; chicken that is not properly cleaned or wash smells and taste different but go for anything else including the OXtail read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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I went in after work to pick up food. This place has been here on Grove street forever and with the increased rent costs in all of JC figured there had to be a reason. After trying the food, I'm guessing it's price and convenience. Of which, I cannot deny this place. It's quick and cheap. My husband and I ordered the pernil over yellow rice, 1/2 rotisserie chicken and a cuban sandwich. Our total bill as cash was $19. The restaurant DOES NOT ACCEPT THE YELP 20% OFF FIRST TIME CUSTOMER COUPON! In fact, the workers had no idea what it was. Food: I really wanted to love it because of the price and convenience. Hoping I found that hidden gem that was satisfying, easy to get to and cheap. Alas, my search continues. The rice was not even fully cooked and had so many hard uncooked pieces in it. Screwing up rice is a dead stop for me. I can forgive most things but not something as simple as rice. The pernil was dry in some parts and overly fatty in others. It was also crazy salty the day I had it. The rotisserie chicken was dry. The cuban sandwich was OK. There was more bread than anything else in the dish and it featured the same pernil. Service: It's a quick lunch counter type of food. The folks working were there to get the orders in and out and you better be ready when they come to take your order or you'll have to wait about 5-7 minutes until you get their attention again. The menu is only really found in their takeout menus and not on any of the displays which makes it harder for your first trip in. I asked if they had any hot sauce and they gave me a bottle of Frank's red hot. I guess that's an answer but was hoping for something more authentic. Price: It is cheap but not I'm not sure its even cheap enough for the quality that we got. Decor: This is a lunch counter type place. It was fine but I wouldn't stay in to eat, its more of a takeout or eat by yourself on a counter type place. Notable Extras: Nothing to note read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Pernil plate to go - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

So this is probably the 3rd time I have been here. This was now the last time they will ever see me and the last time I will spend any of my money there. Upon entering I sat down on one of the stools near the middle and it took 6 1/2 minutes for the waitresses to acknowledge me and place an order. Two other people were asked what they wanted before me and I got sat down before them. After my food was made the lady drop the plate in front of me and started to walk away until I stopped her and asked for a passion fruit drink. Although the sandwich looked good, it was just okay. I grew up in probably New York's most populated Dominican area, Washington Heights, and I know how this simple sandwich should taste and look. The sandwich was too gooey, making it messy and there was a piece of green pepper in my sandwich. The ingredients are simple: ham, Swiss cheese, ketchup and mayonnaise (as I requested). No pepper should show up in my sandwich. The staff (3 girls) were so busy gossiping that every customer after me was ignore just a little bit and were talked about in Spanish. They thought they were speaking very low but others can hear what they were talking about. I found that very unprofessional and based on all of this....They just made my list. Banned from my service for life read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Ham & Swiss Cheese Sandwich with a Passion Fruit Juice Drink - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

First of all, the add for 20% off with check in is false! The business does not take this offer and they told me it was for another business. The price is reasonable, and the quantity of food served is generous. The menu seems diverse but some plates you either order ahead of time or the wait is too long. The food is ok, there is some flavor missing, although it smelled delicious. Needs some salt or something. Overall is good for the pocket, misleading advertisement and average flavor read more

Hungry and on Grove so stopped in for take out Beef stew and beef empanadas Having repeated beef empanadas at least 4 times When I bit into one it was chicken - Beef stew was one of the worse I ever had No flavor -fatty tough chunks of beef Only ones to enjoy was the pigeons who got the white rice and empanada crusts Rest wound up in the trash I give them 3 Barf bags read more

We were walking around downtown JC and decided to stop into this place to bring dinner back to the house. Service was weird. I waited outside while my husband ordered. Other people came and went and he was still waiting, and it was because they "forgot" to put in his order. They told us the rice and beans came with the bbq chicken but it was extra and we didn't need them, so it was a waste of money. We also ordered maduros and we were disappointed with them. They were pretty tasteless and you don't get a lot for the price. I'm kind of sorry we didn't stop at one of the Dominican places in Bayonne since we have found that the food is better. You live and learn. This was passable but it's nothing to write home about. read more

My coworkers and I ordered from here last Thursday. To my surprise I was disappointed with my order. Chuleta friar con arroz blanco y frijoles. Will never order from here. read more

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You have to be insane to eat here. Last year, this restaurant was closed three times by the Jersey City Health Department for violations - the last time for a laundry list that had them closed for weeks - including rat infestation, cats living in the basement where food is prepped, improper refrigeration, cross contamination and more. Don't take my word for it - call the health department and ask: 201-547-6800 Most of the food is preppred in an unfinished basement filled with dripping and failing sewage and water pipes. The photo I uploaded was something I saw just walking by - and I see this all the time. Raw meat laying on the bare concrete steps being picked up and put back in the box for circulation. I've seen the cook sitting on the sidewalk with raw chicken in a bucket, hacking away at it with a cleaver on a pine board set on the sidewalk. When chicken falls on the ground, it just gets thrown back in the bucket. I live near this restaurant and the neighborhood association is constantly having to clean up after the guests who park illegally in front of a nearby hydrant, eat their food and then throw the waste onto the sidewalk. Las Americas is a vile, disgusting, filthy restaurant and you'd be well advised to eat elsewhere. (See my photo for evidence of the above!) read more

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Don't be intimidated if you see a lunch line coming out the door at this place. You won't regret you waited. It moves fast and while you're at it you can figure out what you want from the menu. There are no prices but everything is inexpensive and the daily lunch specials are $6. On a price to quantity of food ratio, this place wins out of all the other lunch spots. They have a rotating menu that serves different things each weekday so you won't get bored and a staple static menu on the side. I haven't figured out the prices of the non-daily lunch specials but I would imagine everything there is very affordable. Just remember to bring cash with you. Ordering can be tricky for first timers. Depending on timing, the place may get busy and packed with diners and a line may form out the door. Just ask if the person in front of you is in line to order or waiting for a seat to open up as it is self seating. The ladies behind the counter are pretty good about taking and preparing orders but if it gets hectic the patrons are pretty good about knowing their spot in line. I got the roast pork with rice and beans for $6 which was deliciously oily at first. But given the quantity of food, I slowly devoured it over an hour and by the time I got halfway, the pork didn't retain its moisture and started to get dry. Next time I'll eat faster. We came here as a recommendation from a Dominican coworker who told us this place is authentic. I don't disagree with him. This place would have received 4 stars immediately after consumption but as I'm writing this review the next day, the food didn't sit very well in my stomach. The same thing happened to another coworker who was trying this for the first time with me. Granted, we weren't used to this type of food given we're usually shopping at Trader Joes or Whole Foods shoppers but I would venture back after I develop a stronger stomach. read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - You get all this for only $6! - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

On Monday 12/12, I ordered my food at 12:19pm. It took the staff a long time to prepare my food. My food arrived at 1:26pm. I ordered 1 carne empanada, 1 pollo empanada, 1 limonada, and 1 order of Dominican spaghetti. I received 2 cold empanadas and no spaghetti which I was charged. I did called and asked about my missing order. Unfortunately they ran out. They had it when I ordered it when I arrived there, they finished it for the day and will it make more. I was pissed. I explain the person that I am pregnant and this is what I wanted. She seemed like she could care less what I wanted. To replace my order, they gave me 2 fresh empanadas, an order of rice and tostones which I didn't want at all. As a fellow Dominican customer I am disappointed at this restaurant. Please do better. read more

This is the biggest waste of time and scam restaurant to order anything from. Do NOT patron this business if you're expecting what you ordered or if your expecting any level of professionalism. They do not help you, they "lose" orders and act funny about processing refunds after losing your items/just straight up not delivering it all. This is a colossal waste of time and a terrible restaurant. If 0 stars was a possibility I would have given them exactly that. read more

Had a craving for some pernil and my usual place is closed on Sundays. I chose this place because of its proximity to my house. It was not terribly busy but had a constant flow of customers. Everyone spoke Spanish, which made me happy. The girls behind the counter were friendly. Several customers were placing orders to go, but there were also a handful who ate at the counter. The menu is quite extensive, and there are different specials for each day of the week. In addition, there are a variety of everyday entrees from which to choose (bistec encebollado, pollo guisado, costillas) and the usual fantastic list of fried snacks (empanadas, tostones, alcapurrias, etc). I went with the pernil and arroz blanco, as well as an order of tostones and an empanada. (Even if I can't eat it all, I can't resist.) The rice, of course, came with my choice of beans but I passed (I am not the biggest fan of beans; I know that's probably sacrilegious to some of you). I had to wait a few minutes for the tostones, which was fine, because then I knew at least they were being made to order. However, I found the tostones disappointing. They lacked flavor and seemed as if they'd either been left in the fryer too long or refried. It's a shame, too, because the portion was huge. The accompanying mojo was good though, with hints of the sour orange and garlic. The empanada was also just okay, mostly dough and very little meat, though that was well-seasoned. Fortunately, the pernil didn't disappoint, and neither did the rice (I'm just a sucker for the plain white rice; it seems so simple but it's always so good). The pernil was flavorful and not dry at all, which is always a concern when something is on the steam table. It was tender and its smell drove my two cats crazy. (They appreciated a little bite as well.) All of this, plus two sodas, was a mere $12. So despite the tostones and empanada fail, I will be back sooner than later, in particular to try the chicharron de pollo and the chivo guisado. *Another reviewer had described this place as Mexican, which it is not. It serves up homestyle comida criolla from your Spanish-speaking islands. read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Pernil - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

A quick stop as we meandered by. We had an avocado salad of iceberg lettuce, tomato, avocado, and some oil and vinegar. Good. Rice and black beans, good. Boiled yucca with vinegar and onions...good too. Service was kind and quick. read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - No meat on here. Yay! - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Generous portions ; they accept credit cards and cash If your looking for Spanish / Dominican food in downtown jersey city ,Nj ( grove street ) this is the place to come to. It's a small mom and pop shop with the power punch in the flavor. If you go over the weekend the service is pretty slow but worth the wait for a fresh cooked meal , So go with patience - What you will pay at a McDonald's for a meal you will get 2x more and much healthier in this place. They recently renovated , so it looks a little bit much nicer. However it's still a small place so you will be rubbing elbows with everyone. I order my meal to go - Carne guisada y pernil con arroz y habichuelas Rojas Healthy portion for less than 10$ The meat was both moist and fresh & the beans how mama makes it at home - very tasty and everything was perfectly seasoned - I hope they don't get pushed out by the over priced under flavored establishments that are going up in downtown jersey city. Hint : parking is now hard to find in the area read more

El Sazon De Las Americas - Generous portion , (Stew meat & pork with rice and beans ) Carne guidada y pernil con Arroz y habichuelas rojas - Dominican Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

My final visit here started to feel like performance art. How long would various employees ignore my existence? Backtracking a moment, the use of Zagat's math would indicate that this place deserves a higher rating, with the o.k. pernil, rice and beans making up for the iffy service. But pernil is not plutonium and a trip to Queens might be quicker than waiting for the unfriendly waitresses here. I don't recall exactly how many minutes were on my walkout clock, but the finale was when one of the workers found time to help her friend plug in her iPod but couldn't spare 10 seconds to take my order. read more

I'm a vegetarian so I don't really have much business rating their actual food since it's very meat-heavy and there isn't anything I could eat. However, I've been here many times for their fresh juices!! Good selection and the prices are really awesome for the amount you get and the freshness....I personally am a fan of the carrot orange and the beet orange...I request to add ginger to both of them (no extra charge for it, woo). Deducting stars for service because while they're always very well staffed it feels a bit disorganized at times and explaining any sort of modification is often an issue because of the language barrier. A couple of the girls who work there speak very little english and I've had some frustrating experiences when trying to order. Nonetheless they're always nice enough and the quality of the juices are really good. read more

Delicious food and quick just wish the ladies were nicer to you if you don't speak Spanish but otherwise it's definitely something everyone should stop by and try out if you're in the area read more

This place gave me food poisoning. IT MADE ME EXTREMELY SICK. I should have know better when I saw them use a dirty rag to wipe down the food counter and it touched the rice that they were selling. NEVER AGAIN. read more

Not a bad 8$ spent for lunch...I had pernil, yellow rice, beans, and a Sunkist ...they have outside seating, and stool counter seating, it could get pretty tight in there during lunch hours...but the food i ate was great...a good tip is to get food to go! You get more with the portions than you do dining in dining in! read more

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