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    Jose's Mexican Cantina

    3.0 (93 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 3:30 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order Jose's Mexican Cantina Takeout or Delivery

    Jose's Mexican Cantina Photos

    JOSE'S MEXICAN CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Jose's Mexican Cantina

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    Nasty, dry, burnt carnitas. Inedible!
    Nancy S.

    Wow! Horrible experience with take-out. It's been a long time since we've ordered from Jose's and we will never order from them again! We ordered the carnitas and the meat was literally burnt! I don't mean crispy as carnitas can be but black and charred! The pieces that weren't burnt were as dry as a bone. The nachoes rancheros were supposed to have jalapenoes but there were none to be found. The cheese was only on top amongst globs of refried beans. Check out my photos and you'll see what I mean regarding this order. Whoever on their staff was that let this meal leave the kitchen obviously didn't care one bit! Where was the quality control? We ended up throwing our entire order out! This was a first for us!

    a glass of wine
    Frank A.

    Long ago Jose's Mexican Cantina was Fabio's Mexican Cantina, but after Fabio Brid came to an untimely end in 1991 (he started the restaurant in 1981) his brother Jose stepped in and took over. In the early days there were lines out the door and hour plus waits were not unusual on weekends. There are no longer waits and the food has become somewhat mundane. Still ok, but nothing great. Good value for money for sure.

    Glass mural by entrance
    Chris L.

    Good mole sauce and tamales, free chips and salsa, friendly service and reasonable prices, I'm a fan of this little BYO Mexican place! Serves all the usuals like burritos enchiladas tacos plus many seafood plates; four-item combo dinners are $17.50. Visited on a quiet weekday evening. Chips seem house-made and needed a little salt, the salsa was mild. Checked in on yelp to get free nachos which are just chips cheese and jalapeños, very simple. I'm a huge fan of the chili chocolate sauce called mole, few places make it, happy to try theirs over pork enchiladas with rice and beans, extremely fairly priced at $15 for all that food, yummy. My dining companions got shrimp in onion pepper red sauce, and beef enchiladas, my dining companions were very happy. Vegetarian rating: four stars, in addition to the usual apps like guac they have three first-class vegetarian entrées: cactus enchiladas, veg burrito and an all-veg Mex combo plate. The inside is dark and cut up into three tiny dining areas, I'm guessing that helps keep the noise down a little bit. Admittedly the bar is low for Mexican food in northern New Jersey & peeps visiting from the left coast might well be disappointed by Jose's cantina, but I was very glad to find it.

    Ben S.

    This is the WORST Mexican food ever they gave us store bought refried crap. They where super sketchy and under cooked our burritos which we payed f**king $17 for even though the menu said it was $11! The tacos where f**king disgusting and they put cucumber, peas, tomato, and onions in our rice! The website says they are "traditional Mexican food" which is 100% false. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DONT GO HERE ITS A WASTE OF MONEY FOR REALLY BAD FOOD!

    Chicken enchiladas
    Andrea T.

    Tortilla chips are thick and crunchy, not crisp. They're tasty. The salsa is a bit watery and thin but tastes OK. When I arrived staff was watching futbol on TV and it remained on for abt 15 mins of my visit. After that music was played and the have was on mute. The service was great. The ambiance and decor is great. The food was tasty. My only negative was that the pico de Gallo had more peppers and onions than tomatoes and cilantro. It wasn't a good balance.

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

    Do not go here. Period. Its not Mexican nor Tex-Mex. Poorly made dishes lacking in flavor.

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    9 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Delicious and authentic food, fantastic service and the setting is perfect for dining in.

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    6 years ago

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    La Colina Mexican Cantina

    La Colina Mexican Cantina

    3.9
    (163 reviews)
    7.6 mi

    Love the enchiladas in either the green or mole sauce. COD is another favorite and you can't go…read morewrong with the fajitas. Tons of drink options as well. The only dish I don't like is the Mexican Paella- mussels were not good and the calamari was chewy and the overall dish was very very heavy with butter.

    I'm giving this a three to be generous- it's not as bad as a 2 but not quite a three - I rounded…read moreup. First, the good - the decor and ambiance is great. The bathroom - very clean. My chicken breast was good (everything else on the plate was bland), and my daughter's green enchiladas were ok. My husband's birria quesadilla was very good according to him and my daughter. The service was awful! The waitress handed us iPad menus and never said to order on the tablet or if she was going to come back for our order. The menu is not extensive, just fyi. You can only get taco platters with all the same taco meat, not a variety. The enchiladas are also only 1 way for all three on the plate. Whatever...I can deal with that, if the food was great. It's not. The black beans were room temp with no seasoning, the corn on the cob - no salt, no butter. The guac was also bland. We were never offered water refills and she never asked us if we wanted a drink until after our meals came. We didn't, but it was said with a huge sigh and eye-roll. As a side note, this was a grown woman waiting on us, like an abuela, not a teenager. She never came back to our table, until she saw another waitress come over and bring us boxes for leftovers - that we had to go to the bar to ask for. Oh, important point - the restaurant was not busy, so she was not in the weeds. The restaurant could be an amazing spot if the service was better and they seasoned the food. It is NOT worth the money.

    Photos
    The bar
    The bar
    Pinches tacos: carnitas
    Pinches tacos: carnitas
    Red sangria

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    Red sangria

    Jose's Mexican Cantina - mexican - Updated June 2026

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