I've had many birthdays, celebrations, and overall great times at Escondido! It's a reliable local Mexican restaurant where you can't really go wrong. Food - The food is pretty good. If you're craving Mexican food, this place will hit the spot. There's plenty of vegetarian options as well. Drinks - The drink menu is extensive, and there's a full bar inside. Atmosphere - I LOVE the vibe and atmosphere. It's laid back and fun, and I always have a great time when I come here. Covid - They did a great job with the outdoor seating area. The tables are spread out under tents with string lights, and there is plenty of space. The staff was wearing masks and we felt very safe. read more

Escondido - Entrance - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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We tried this place out on a Friday night. To our surprise it was empty. The drinks were great and the food was awesome. They offer a great happy hour for food and drinks. We enjoyed everything. Our server was attentive and very friendly. We will definitely be coming back! read more

Ari our waitress was outstanding! She was very attentive with all of her tables. The coconut shrimp appetizer was my favorite dish. Very flavorful and cooked perfectly. Ordered steak fajita and chicken fajita as our main meals and felt like we were eating mystery meat. I had to ask the waitress what type of steak it was and she wasn't sure but came back with an answer that it was flank steak. Personally the steak fajitas were absolutely terrible and tasted like it would be something that you would get through a Mexican drive-through. Would not recommend and probably wouldn't be going back anytime soon because of this experience. read more

Escondido - Marinated Steak Fajita - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Visited Escondido's for a weekday lunch. On Monday's they have happy hour priced select appetizers all day. We decided to order a bunch and share. Coconut shrimp was really crispy and delicious. Empanadas weren't my favorite and probably would not order again. Chicken flautas were tasty. I think they should offer the chicken flautas and empanadas with sour cream though instead of the cream cheese they offer. House margarita on the rocks was good. They have different specials during different days of the week. You also get chips and salsa when you are seated and the green salsa was really good. I didn't like the red one personally so I'm glad they give 2 options. read more

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The place is great. But who made us have the best time ever was Chris!!!!! If you can request a server, we highly recommend that you are stuck with him for dinner :) Enjoy! read more

I came here for the first time and was surprised that the happy hour deals were so good! $3 for a frozen margarita is unheard of near where I live so this is great! I would say though that the food is not as good as the drinks, but if I were to choose, I'd say the calamari and house guacamole were my favorites from the happy hour menu. From the normal menu I got the steak tacos; they were under seasoned and cold. I would come back another time to give the food one more chance though. read more

Escondido - Happy Hour Menu - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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Service was non existent. Silverware was dirty with old food stuck to the fork. Asked for replacement and they dropped a new set leaving the dirty stuff on the table. Zero alcohol in the margaritas. They were neon green in color and had such a fake taste. It was comparable to On the border. Its sorta like a Mexican TGIF's. Steak fajitas and cheese quesadilla were mediocre. Its edible, but I wouldn't go back. read more

My family and I came here for lunch on Black Friday. We were seated promptly as the place was half empty. I hate to give this place such a low rating because I love Mexican restaurants, but I have to be completely honest here. The food just didn't measure up to traditional Mexican dishes that you would expect to find even at your average chain restaurant. For example, the chimichanga shell was a tad soggy on the outside and the filling was a bit dry and flavorless on the inside. The fajitas were ok but again the flavor was off. The rice and beans weren't anything special either. Which is ashamed because I love rice and beans. Not only was the food meh, but the service wasn't that great as either. I think our waiter was either overwhelmed or severely lacked experience. At one point we had so many plates and cups on our table we started stacking them on the empty table next to us. There wasn't one remarkable thing about this place that I could tell you. I'm certainly one and done on this place! read more

The first time I went here it was great, the second time was nothing like the first. The staff was chit chatting at the bar and ignoring customers, while the bar was covered in dirty dishes and neglected. Everything I was served looked and tasted like microwaved leftovers. The $3 margaritas are nothing but sour mix. I hope things improve, this place used to be awesome. read more

Stopped for a beer, ended up eating super. Hot schredded crab soup was WOW! Service was super good. But that was all. The rest of the food was somewhat tasteless. Traditional chicken burito. No. Tacos... no Looked like re-heated frozen stuff and tasted the same. read more

Escondido - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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the prices here were crazy and the food wasn't good this place is no good and none of my family likes it read more

Escondido - bad Traditional Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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Food was ehhh. House margarita was amazing. It was a pit stop on the way to another town. I wouldn't go back. read more

We've been coming for years. My daughter has just developed a finer taste for mexican and southwestern foods. The food is good. The service is usually fine. This past visit, it was lacking. The bartender's focus was on her bar patrons, as it should be I suppose. There is no star for Value. If I could rate Value, after this last visit I would give it a 1. One of the items we ordered was a Baja Bowl. The cost of the bowl is $13.00. We added steak which was not listed under options with a price. When the bill came I saw that this establishment tacked on an additional $10.00 for the add on steak which almost DOUBLED the cost of the dish bringing it from $10.00 to $23.00. Ridiculous and greedy. I was shocked and completely turned off by this. We will return to El Meson, also in Freehold, which is fabulous all around. It's a bit further but because of this recent experience, I am totally turned off and will not be returning to Escondido's. They have lost our business. read more

Updated review - Stopped into Escondido with a couple of friends for fajita night on Wednesday, 11/4/15. The three of them ended up getting fajitas while I went with a burrito. Everything seems to be going well (like usual) until one of my friends says "what is that???" and points at her fajita plate. There was some kind of red plastic/rubber piece on her plate - and the best part was that it was all charred and cooked so it looked like a red pepper. She had actually been about to put it in a tortilla and eat it. I immediately went up to the desk and asked that a manager stop by ASAP. The manager (Paul, I believe his name was) stopped by and after we explained what happened, he went and got the kitchen manager out to apologize as well. Paul returned and said "we figured it out - it was a piece from the fire suppression system that fell into the food!". Great, Paul. It's awesome that my friend now knows exactly what piece of your equipment was literally cooked into her fajitas. Glad we cleared that up. After that, everyone who ordered fajitas was done eating (I guiltily continued shoving burrito into my face though). Paul removed the fajitas from our bill, but I really feel that wasn't enough. I am at Escondido frequently - I'm actually the Duke on Yelp - I know, VIP coming through LOL (sarcasm much) and Paul has certainly seen me there several times before. I really would have appreciated a little more on the part of the restaurant. I'm not looking for freebies, I just feel more could have been done.The best part is that Paul conveniently disappeared around the time we got ready to leave - it really seemed like he was hiding out somewhere. We did manage to talk to the kitchen manager again before we left, and asked for the owners contact information. The kitchen manager was hesitant to even give us Paul's name. How shady can you get at this point? At this point, I'm pretty damn sure I won't be back to Escondido, which is a shame. To lose an established and long-time customer who's given thousands of dollars to a restaurant, all due to a bad business decision by the management? Surprising AND disappointing. If the owners read this, I'd highly recommend reconsidering your staffing choices. Unfortunately, I won't be recommending Escondido to anyone else. read more

Margarita night is Thursday, you catch me there a lot! It's an excellent restaurant for vegetarians, I love their veggie quesadilla which comes with rice and beans... And they have excellent nachos with lots of flavor, and guacamole on top! My boyfriend loves the shrimp Quesadilla .And the salsa's that they provide for you at the table are amazing, I love the green one it's spicy and sweet... You can't get it anywhere else! read more

Escondido's is kind of a place you go to when you don't have anywhere else to go. Moore's next door always seems to be busy, but walking in to Escondido's on a Saturday night, you wouldn't know it. They were having a trivia night, to attract more of a crowd, but by 11 pm, it was emptying out. I got the tequila flight, because of the novelty of it, and it was decently priced for three shots. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. read more

Escondido - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Dined inside finally and this place did not disappoint. The food was even better when it comes to your table straight from the kitchen. The service could be a little better, and I can see how on a busy night it could get really bad. But for us, even on a random Friday it was acceptable. Love their Chipotle Aioli and the green salsa seemingly made with (I'm guessing) green apples. read more

Don't enjoy writing 2 star reviews but unfortunately Escondido comes up short on flavor. I enjoyed their chips and they're are served with 2 salsas, red which I liked but the green looked and tasted like hot dog relish I ordered a chicken burrito with sauce on the side which they did but the filling was void of any seasoning and I could barely discern anything besides shards of poultry. Won't be back. read more

We had a great time! Our server Jamie did an amazing job. She made sure we were taken care of and was just a sweetheart. Would totally go back for food and to get served by her again. read more

This is my boyfriend and I's GO TO spot. Sometimes there is a long wait and sometimes there is no wait at all! It is definitely a popular spot on weekends in the evenings, but is worth it in my opinion. If you can make it for Happy Hour, $3 margs & $6 guac (plus delicious other dishes) are the things to grab! Personal favorites on the menu include the Veggie Fajita Bowl (the portion can last me two days!), Chicken Street Tacos, and the Mahi Tacos. My boyfriend rarely eats the rice & beans, but it always tastes so good that I pick at his if my meal doesn't come with a side dish. I don't believe that I have ever received anything less than great service when dining at Escondido's and I would recommend this for anybody, including families! read more

tl;dr: Flavorless food, tasty drinks, okay-ish service.... but at least the decor is cool! Basically, On the Border and Chevy's wannabe that doesn't quite meet the mark. Have been meaning to come as I've passed it many times over the last 6 years. Unfortunately, I wish I would've stuck with driving by it instead. Went around 2pm on a Sunday, was seated quickly. Young hostess wore her mask under her nose rather than over... which made me iffy from the start. Phone signal wasn't great so had trouble with QR code menu. Paper menu doesn't include the specials listed on the online menu, FYI. Waitress was nice enough, patient as we took a bit to figure out what we wanted. Menu is relatively simple. Happy hour house margs are not bad for $3. The drinks are probably the best tasting thing you'll get here. We ordered house guac, empanadas, steak fajitas, tacos, and the rib eye special. Frankly, everything kinda really sucked. Seasoning was beyond sparse on all ends, salting was a necessity. Fajita steak flavor was reminiscent of k-bbq flavor, but like the dollar store version. The chimichurri sauce on the ribeye is actually offensive to every culture that makes it. Absolutely awful flavor, puréed too much out of laziness instead of properly mincing, 0 flavor of anything but cilantro and vinegar-y oil. And it looks like someone's dog had the runs on your steak. Yuck. I make my own at home. Not that hard to get it right. Presentation of that dish overall was mediocre for paying $25. The yucca it came with was probably the most tasty thing I had there. Realized after the food arrived that waitress had never asked me how I wanted the rib eye cooked, so someone decided well-done should suffice. She kind of apologized and offered to have it remade. Having worked in a restaurant with steaks on the menu, I knew it would take at least 10 min, so I declined. She offered tacos as they would be quicker so I opted for those. Someone who I presume may be a manager brought me the tacos and that was about it. Not much of an attempt to reconcile for the mistake, just a quick nearly drop and run sort of thing. Sigh. It looks grand and cool, but I'd rather find a divey hole in the wall Mexican BYOB and get good food than sit in some fancy looking place with sticky tables. Onto the next, I guess. read more

I have been going here for many many year's. I love everything about Escondido's. The food has always been amazing, at atmosphere is wonderful and the service is always great! read more

I enjoy eating at Escondido's the food is extremely good,, and just feels like the best place to hang out as a group,,family,,or friends...and the drinks are amazing as always.Mahi Mahi Tacos read more

Escondido - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Sadly, this was the worst place I ever ate. I couldn't even finish my food cuz everything I ate was over cooked or you could tell it's been out for days. I came home and now have food poisoning. I'm sorry. But would never go back read more

This was a desperate attempt to have Mexican in the middle of no where after six flags. Bad idea. The frozen and house margaritas were super tart. Even though it was on the happy hour that didn't make it any better. My group ordered tacos,nachos and empanadas to share. There wasn't much flavor to anything. I'm torn between 2-3 stars because the bartender woman was very nice and she was serving making drinks and keeping up with everything. I know I certainly won't be back here. But give it a try for yourself read more

Really nice place. The big details have been taken care of but small details are out the window. Example great guacamole but the serve it in a white soup bowl?? If they put this in some Mexican wood or stone bowl it would come off so much better.. The menu is printed on paper that so boring as to not excite you about anything... the designer was asleep. The gold AC/heat pipes are nice but sections look like there's mold it needs a splash of paint. It's all small stuff. It would take this from 3 stars to 4 maybe 5 read more

You would think by the atmosphere of this place it would taste really good since it's so cool inside , but it was horrible the food & nothing looked like the pics on yelp. My flautas were soggy & the queso tasted like butter / flavorless .. weirdest tasting weirdo I've tried honestly.. the empanadas were not flavorful or anything special honestly ... and for the price just go somewhere else . read more

Upon arrival I specifically called to ask if there was a wait for an outdoor dining because I have a two month granddaughter that my daughter did not want to take inside the restaurant, they specifically said there was no wait. As soon as we pulled up we approached the outdoor seating and they said 35 to 40 minute wait I asked to speak with a manager which he was no help, he stated I had the young hostess in tears and said he would not service us at this point. It really bothers me that I am a local reside in this area and I can't even go to a place to have lunch.. they are too corporate and don't give a s--t about the patrons whom supported them over the years. There will definitely be no reply from them as this is the absolute truth... they lost mine and my families business for good!!! Do not go here, they serve frozen food anyway read more

The waitress was attentive. The drinks were great, however the food wasn't good. I ordered a steak quesadilla and my wife had a steak burrito. They were both extremely dry and just overall nasty. I'm so disappointed because the establishment was really nice and today was such a good day, to have a good day read more

Escondido - Mexican Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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My wife offered to take me out to dinner and I jumped at the chance. I wasn't thrilled when she pulled into Escondidos. Bad experiences are tough to overcome. Don't tell her I said so but the food was pretty good. I had a burrito and cimichanga combo that came with rice and beans on the side. It was hot, well made, and pretty tasty. It was also 14 bucks which, as Ive said before, is a lot of money for shredded chicken, ground beef, and cheese. For that I could have had an awesome steak over at Longhorn... Just saying. I don't find the food here to be authentic Mexican. Its just meat wrapped in tortillas. They don't even play Mexican music on the radio. We listened to early 80s rock tunes. Even the waitress seemed bored. And when did it become a tequila bar? And being a tequila bar still doesn't make it an authentic Mexican restaurant. BUT...as long as you understand that the food here is just ok, bland, and overpriced, you're good. Oh, they have $2 margaritas on Thursdays....still doesn't make it an authentic Mexican restaurant. In all, the burrito and cimichanga thing were pretty good....just don't tell my wife I liked it! read more

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Honestly, one of the worst Mexican meals I've ever eaten. Black beans were stale, possibly day or more old. Chips were stale. Tortillas were dry. Tacos were an odd combination of spices. read more

Food was very mediocre here. I was more excited and it really is a solid okay. The portions are pretty small and the chips have absolutely zero taste. My only positive was that the Chicken Enchiladas tasted pretty good and our side guacamole tasted homemade and not processed. Discounting Jose Tejas, which would be a really unfair comparison, this place doesn't compare to Rosalita's. I think they have better appetizers and overall bigger portion sizes. Plus their chips and salsa and guacamole taste way better. I'd sooner go back there than here. read more

Horrible food. Everything looked very stale and unappetizing. Pretty sure they have the plates pre-made and they just put it in the oven to warm them. I couldn't even touch my food. Chips and salsa was also horrible. Chips was stale and salsa was tasteless and freezing cold. Also horrible table service. Had to ask for everything twice. Would not come back. read more

My fav Mexican spot. The food is always good, especially the Fuego shrimp, beef enchiladas and guac. Also a very nice selection of tequila at fair prices for a bar. read more

I dropped my teens off at Six Flags and ventured out on a date around Freehold and Jackson with my husband. For dinner time we spotted a large outdoor seating area as we were driving down Main st. We were reluctant about this place being that most Mexican cuisine's do not have an authentic Mexican taste, also, we are Mexican so we know what's real ;) But I have to say this place surprised us, from the moment we were seated to the service and the food was amazing. Very tasty rice and beans, the steak fajitas were flavorful! Not that fake Chevy's taste. Waitress trainee was very nice & on point with her service. My husband had items from the "build your own menu", which was also delicious! We will return. Plus they had some very spicy salsa not just bottled Tabasco. That's when you know the chefs are the real deal Mexican cooks! read more

The watermelon Margarita was awful! It was $12 for a pale pink icy drink with no flavor whatsoever. We did complain and were told that there wasn't much watermelon left and that's why it barely tasted like watermelon, only a small amount of watermelon was used. It wasn't taken off the bill but they did give us strawberry Margaritas on the house to make up for the mishap. Might be a good idea to take off the watermelon Margaritas from the menu. read more

Always good! Staff is friendly and attentive. Food is tasty, especially the complementary chips and salsa. I had the chimichanga with beef. It comes with rice and beans. Good selection of Mexican beer and different options of margaritas. Get there! read more

I am a native Freeholder, and loved this place for a long time. The food was geared towards the family and children demographic for years. The food was plentiful and moderately priced. I went to the place 3 years ago and they changed their menu. Unfortunately, it was now catering towards the upper class. I ordered a beef enchilada, I believe, and the thing was the size of my finger. Of course, the meal was ridiculously over priced. I have been back there since. Avoid it. If you are hungry, go somewhere else that will satisfy your appetite. read more

There are different tiers when it comes to Mexican food. There is Tier 1: Authentic, Tier 2: Trying to be Authentic, and Tier 3: Zero Fs Given to Authenticity. This place is a tier 2 spot and it does a damn good job at being just that. The atmosphere is pleasant with friendly staff and good Mexican music. The food won't make you feel like you've crossed the border, but you don't go for tier 2 spots for that feeling. You go for good eats and good, affordable margaritas. This place has a happy hour on SATURDAYS for El Chapo's sake! So ignore all these haughty reviews penalizing the place for not being authentic. Know why you're going and enjoy it! read more

First time trying this restaurant, friendly service , food is ok , I was expecting to see more starter dishes and fish options , a little disappointed with lack of the food options. Check their menu before you go . read more