Authentic Mexican cuisine at its finest! Since discovering this gem over the last summer, I've been in practically every week! I've had flautas, burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and more and I have never been let down. I absolutely love the chicken tinga and salsa verde here. The chicken tinga burrito is my go-to order and I always request extra salsa verde because it is the best salsa to ever touch my lips! I could literally drink it...Everything is so fresh and tasty! The inside has beautiful cultural decor and plenty of tables. It is a BYOB restaurant so feel free to bring your favorite adult beverage. They can be quite busy at times, but service and quality have never fallen during rush hour. If you dine in, you'll start off with fresh chips and salsa verde, which if you haven't caught on yet, you will love. I've attached some pictures from this visit and from previous visits and yes...the burritos are *always* that big and bursting at the seams. If I had to choose my last meal, it would be La China Poblana, hands down. read more

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I'm so glad that we stumbled across La China Poblana about a year ago. After 10+ successful visits and many great to-go orders, this has to be one of the most authentic and consistent Mexican restaurants in New Jersey. The burritos are always packed, the presentation of the molcajete for two was amazing, and the quality of their chicken, steak and pork is always great. The salsa verde is 100/10 - I could drink it! You absolutely cannot go wrong with the staples - tacos, quesadillas, burritos, tostadas, fajitas, tamales... they do it all, and they do it WELL. The service is also great when dining in. The decor of the place feels like you're somewhere in the southwest - beautiful colors and imagery on every table, chair, and wall. read more

La China Poblana - Molcajete For Two - Mexican Near Me - East Brunswick, New Jersey

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Such a beautiful and authentic spot for Mexican food! The atmosphere inside is lovely with cultural decorations on the walls and vibrant artwork on the tables and seats which all seemed to have unique designs. The service was nice, welcoming. The staff were kind and attentive, checking in to make sure everything was going well and refilled any cups of water on the table each time they checked in. The complimentary nachos were delicious as well with freshly made tortilla chips & a bean dip. I had the beef chimichanga platter and it was great! Mixed with the salsa verde, it was easily a 10/10! The chimichanga was well filled with meat and authentic Mexican cheese, and it wasn't greasy. The rice and beans were cooked perfectly as well and was overall a very nice filling portion of food that was especially great for the price! I enjoyed my meal so much that I came back the next day to share the experience either another friend. I ordered a steak burrito, which was great on its own, but once again, the Salsa Verde took it to another level. This sauce was so good it made both meals a 10/10. For dessert, I tried the tres leches cake which had peaches and tasted different than what I had expected. It wasn't my favorite but everything else was great! I'll definitely be coming back! read more

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Came to order a carnitas en salsa verde platter for dinner with rice and black beans. While it was not carnitas, as the pork should be shredded, insyead of cut into strips. The green sauce was very tasty but unfortunately salty. I always say, less salst is best. Let t your customers add the salt if its really necessary because when its too salty, you cannot remove the salt. For $19, is ok, there is definitely better out there. read more

La China Poblana - Supposed to be carnitas, is chopped pork in green sauce. Bit sallty. - Mexican Near Me - East Brunswick, New Jersey

With all the Mexican restaurants around. I was pleasantly surprised by this place. The cheese enchiladas, carnitas tacos, tamales were all good. We will be ordering from here again read more

Stopping by for lunch on a Thursday, I had a steak burrito. The steak was cooked and seasoned to perfection. The Mexican rice was subtle and tasty. The portion was on the generous side, but not ridiculously large. I could've easily brought half of it home, but I was hungry! The service was efficient and no-nonsense. The server brought out homemade tortilla chips and what appeared to be refried beans, which was a perfect appetizer. The decor had an air of authenticity and complimented the straightforward and delicious food. I'll be sure to return next time I'm in the area. read more

Want to hear something embarrassing? For years I drove past this restaurant as I commuted along Route 18, and the only word that registered as I sped by was "China," so I assumed this was a Chinese Restaurant. Then one day I searched Yelp for Mexican Food nearby, and this place was the top result. Since then, I have gotten takeout food from here a few times and mostly enjoyed it. The tamales are outstanding. The cheese flautas taste like Polly O string cheese with tasteless fried dough wrapped around it. I would not order the flautas again. The birria tacos were good but I have had better in another area restaurant. The inside decorations are very busy and visually stressful, and I personally don't like the aesthetic (which is why I don't dine in here). To each their own though and I am sure many diners would find the bright murals fun and festive. Take a look at the photos on Yelp and decide for yourself if you can enjoy eating in such a chaotic environment. The parking lot is small and parking is free. Sometimes when I went inside to order, there was communication difficulty since I don't speak Spanish. Today I ordered online and that was easier, although I did have a question at check out and the language barrier was a problem again. It worked out ok though after some awkwardness. I intend to pick up tamales from here in the future and try some of the other dishes that I have not tried yet. My rating is 3.5 stars and I always round up. read more

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I always get the tostadas, either with chorizo or al pastor. It's absolutely delicious and tastes fresh. I also like the tamales with jalapeños and cheese. The only issue is that I feel like many of the dishes can taste the same since all of them share similar ingredients, so what's best is to find the one method of preparation you prefer the most and stick with it. You can't go wrong with anything. Staff is friendly and they've been kind when I've ordered out or ate in. The beans and salsa you get for eating in is delicious. The restaurant is also decorated nicely. I hope this place stays open for many years to come. read more

You wouldn't expect a place with a large "Mexican Restaurant" banner outside to be authentic, but La China Poblana is exactly that. Come here, and get lost in the deliciousness. I'm a little spoiled after having recently been to Mexico City, but I'll tell you that the chilaquiles I had here were very, very good. The complimentary chips and beans with a salsa verde were really tasty and light, and the chorizo huaraches were equally good. It's not often that you leave a Mexican joint feeling full but not heavy, and this was that. It's affordable with huge potions and I wish I could have tried more dishes. I'll be back, pronto. read more

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The food is authentic and affordable. The ambiance is nice with all the Mexican decorations

Food was ok, prices are a bit high. My daughter and I got the shrimp tacos and I didn't realize they were $8/each, which I think is a lot. BF had the carne asade which he said was bland. We got the flan and choco flan, which was just flan on top of chocolate cake. That was disappointing. Flan was good. Service was slow and ppl who were there before us got food after us and the ppl who came after us got food before us, so that I don't understand. Place is small and there was a mariachi band which was loud. I don't think I would go back read more

An Authentic Mexican restaurant on Route 18 in East Brunswick? Say what? It's true! lol I came here with a group of Friends on a Sunday. East Brunswick happens to be a nice central location, since we were all coming from different directions. Based on Yelp reviews, I decided to give La China Poblana a try. It has a nice vibe with authentic Mexican decor as well as Mexican themed tables and chairs. The servers were very friendly and helpful in choosing items to order. They also gladly allowed 3 separate checks. I enjoyed the complimentary sauce and beans that were served with fresh tortilla chips. Our group ordered a variety of items from the Tortas, Enchiladas, to Burritos and Fajitas. The serving size was very generous and the food was fresh and tasty. I would take a small independent restaurant such as La China Poblana over the other larger chain Mexican restaurants in the area. read more

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Service is exceptionally slow! Upon entering the restaurant, I waited to just flag down the staff to put my name down on the waitlist. Then waited a while for a table. Probably 30 minutes plus. Eventually was seated, and waited longer than an hour for the food! Most tables did because the staff paid more attention to larger tables than tables of 2 and takeout orders. They don't bring utensils and water, you have to keep reminding them. It was also way too smoky in the place that kept me coughing. Honestly, it was not good food. The enchiladas with mole sauce was inedible; specifically the sauce was bad. Also the complimentary chips and bean dip is only free the first time. If you want more, they do charge you, which you'll notice on the bill. read more

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We went approx an 1.5 hr.s before closing..service while froendly? Was otherwise pretty bad,I had to get up 3x during our stay..1x to get service to put an order in..1x to ask for more sour cream and 1x to get them to take our credit card to pay..But food was very good! Chicken enchilada and chicken burrito..rice was outstanding and portions were generous enough. My hot chocolate was barely warm though...decorum is cute but our table could've been a bit cleaner. We'd go back maybe earlier... Giving this a 3 because of food quality..coulda easily made it to 5 with the appropriate corrections. read more

This is authentic Mexican cuisine. There's some parking spaces in front of the restaurant. Inside is not huge but it's so nicely decorated and homey feeling. The staff was sweet, attentive and efficient. You're bought complimentary chips with this yummy green sauce. No alcohol but there is an extensive food menu. I opted for the quesabirria which was AMAZING and a chicken and steak empenada. The empanadas were huge and filling. All in all, I would definitely eat here again. read more

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Sad because this is my favorite taco place! I travel for these tacos. This location is not close to me. They are typically great with all of my to go orders and when I get home, my tacos are still in tact. Unfortunately, this time was different. They were pretty busy this night. I called for a to go order at 8:25pm. They said it'd be ready in 25 minutes. So, I got to Walmart and gave them more time to prepare my order. I arrive at the location at 9:15 and my to go order of 3 steak tacos are not prepared. In fact, they were not prepared until 9:35pm. When I got home to enjoy my meal finally, I find my taco shells are crumbling and there is chicken in my order. I did not order chicken. read more

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I've been coming here for the past couple of years, and unfortunately, I just had the worst experience I've ever had. I ordered a steak burrito and asked for extra cheese and sour cream. Not only did they charge me an absurd amount for those add-ons, but they also completely left out the sour cream. On top of that, I decided to order the flan without checking the menu--big mistake. It ended up being $10 for a tiny portion of what was honestly some of the worst flan I've ever tasted. To make matters worse, they've recently raised their prices significantly across the menu. It's gotten to the point where it's hard to justify coming back. Sad to say, but this place is no longer what it used to be read more

Omg go here. If you haven't gone here yet, drop everything and go. They're THAT good. Blink and you miss it small strip mall on 18 in East Brunswick next to a fish market. Very colorful fun decor inside. The tables are spaced nicely apart. Homemade tortilla chips with black bean dip and a green cilantro salsa. Personally I don't like cilantro but the salsa was still very good. The al pastor tostadas are unique but incredible. Messy but fun. Fresh avocado on top yum! I had the chicken fajitas. Possibly the best fajitas I've ever had. A few weeks ago I tried a different Mexican place that I won't name that was okay but it pales in comparison. Relatively reasonably priced. The chicken fajitas were $16.95. They came with five corn tortillas, rice and beans. We also asked for red hot salsa and it was tasty. Be warned it's spicy. I appreciate the bottles of soda available. Husband had the carne asada plate. Super thin steak. Delicious. Minor language barrier - had to repeat things a few times and ask for one thing that was missing but no big deal. Not an issue. Can't wait to come back. read more

La China Poblana - FAJITAS - Mexican Near Me - East Brunswick, New Jersey

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I would say this place is a 4.5 but I can't do half stars! The location is poor but the people, the decor, and the food is amazing! I had the Al Pastor Burrito which was just about the best tasting thing I have ever had at a Mexican restaurant! My wife had the Shrimp taco's which were also very very good although 2 taco's for $19.00 should have come with something on the side like rice or something. That being said we will 100% go here again! This place is a hidden gem!!! Hidden in plain sight :0) read more

I came to La China Poblano for the first time and it was GREAT! We got the beef nachos, chicken and pork tomales and they were all delicious. We also got an order of the tacos lengua and the Al pastor and no surprise that they were delicious too! We will be back for sure. The service was also friendly and attentive. I'm a big fan of La China Poblano now. read more

Authentic Mexican restaurant conveniently located in East Brunswick on Route 18. We saw a unique dishes served to the table next to us and we had to try it. Molcajete is not on the menu, it's a special that's served every day. The Molcajete is the serving bowl made out of volcanic rock! Keeps the food hot throughout the meal. Even after we finished, the bowl was still steaming. This dish for 2 is a huge amount of food, and unless you have a huge appetite, you will go home with a large doggie bag. read more

La China Poblana - Molcajete special - Mexican Near Me - East Brunswick, New Jersey

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This place is awesome! Just moved to the area and this is my new go to. Tres Leche cake is out of this world read more

First time visiting this place. Loved it! Coming back again with some chilled Modelo (It is BYOB)! Interior is colorful and cozy without being presumptuous. Loved the decor with colorful chairs and bright painted walls. Food is fresh, tasty, well priced and well proportioned.....exactly what one would expect for a good dine out experience. Wait staff was nice. We tried four dishes and loved them all. The green salsa with complimentary chips was tasty and i HAD to ask for more :) definitely coming back & definitely recommending to friends and family. read more

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Not impressed at all... slow service, meh food (some of it is rather bland), and the whole experience made me want to walk out before my enchiladas were even served. Seven chips with a salsa verde and a black bean dip? Nope. Not for me. The chips are fresh and dense, but it feels more like a cheap appetizer than a complementary chips and dip. I am used to the basket overflowing with chips served with a fresh salsa, hot enough to satisfy, but not destroy your tastebuds. When my enchiladas did arrive, they even messed up by putting onions on my dish, despite me specifically saying (in Spanish) not to. Worst part about it, they knew this! But they still did it anyway. Talk about not listening, or just preparing meals on autopilot, you tell me. I understand New Jersey is not known for its Mexican (outside Jose Tejas), but this is absurd in every way. I feared that this would end in disaster and it did. I ended up driving further up the road to Jersey Mike's and getting a better lunch for 1/3 of the price. Stick to your guns and find somewhere else for that Mexican fix. read more

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The place is so popular. Take-out meals every few minutes, and waiting to enter. I recommend you look at the menu before you come in so you can order your meals alongside your drinks. The meat.. is so delicious, marinated perfectly. Had the tostadas de carne, beef fajitas and beef chimichangas. The chimichangas were scrumptious with the cheese, and ordered their hottest sauce spicy which I ate it all. Served with rice and refried beans. BYOB-- so next time I'll bring my own margaritas read more

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The food here is as authentic as you can get. Believe me, I'm from L.A. and unless you go to Mexico, this is as close to the real deal as possible. Even the ambience is realistic-complete with music. Great fish tacos and rice. The negative: if you don't get there by 6:00pm on a Saturday night, you would probably have to wait a half hour to get a seat. Then another half hour to be served. This is due to the limited seating. I would recommend ordering out. Eventually the business will have to expand. Excellent food! read more

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant. The food is excellent and the service is fast and friendly. The best corn tortillas! read more

La China Poblana - Mexican Near Me - East Brunswick, New Jersey

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One of my family's favorite authentic Mexican restaurants. Atmosphere is bright and colorful and the food is delicious and in large quantities. They get packed pretty quick on weekends so might be hard to find a table and service can be a bit slow, but definitely worth the wait read more

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I was craving Mexican food for a late lunch, and stumbled upon this restaurant after looking for recommendations online. Food: I got a Carne Asada Burrito with Chips w/ Beans. The burrito was pretty filling, and there were plenty of chips for the dip. The rice, melted cheese, and carne asada had rich flavors and complemented each other very well. (It usually comes w sour cream but I asked for them to take it off) The only thing I would change is that they include the lettuce and tomatoes in the burrito instead of on the side, since it was kind of hard to scoop the lettuce into the burrito when I was in the middle of eating it. Service/Environment: I got take out, so I didn't really get to interact with the service, though the fact that I didn't have to wait more than 30 seconds for my online order was a big plus. The restaurant isn't too big, with decorations adorned throughout. Seems like a pretty laid back and chill environment to enjoy your food. Price: The burrito was $10, with the chips/beans coming out to $3.50. For the amount of food that they give you, I think it was pretty worth it. Based off a quick glance at the rest of the menu, it seemed that most of the other entrees were around the $9-11 range. Overall: Great Mexican place with a menu that has a wide variety of entrees. I will definitely be coming back here if I ever have a craving for a taco or burrito. read more

La China Poblana - Chips with Beans and Carne Asada burrito - Mexican Near Me - East Brunswick, New Jersey

Outstanding food, no-frills setting, it was similar to the authentic Mexican food I've had at hole-in-the-wall places in Arizona. Service was prompt, but the wait for a table was over 30 mins. The food was well worth the wait. read more

The wait staff was super helpful considering this was my first time in an authentic Mexican restaurant! Hubby got a beef and chicken empanadas which were delicious. They were light and flaky on the outside and cheesy inside. I ordered chicken sopes (pictured below) were 3 for $10. Not gonna lie, I'm a big eater and couldn't finish them they were so full! If you want the real deal (I assume as I've never been to Mexico), this is it! Not just burritos, enchiladas, and tacos. read more

La China Poblana - Mexican Near Me - East Brunswick, New Jersey

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After 30 years in California and 14 long months in Arizona, I know Mexican food and this place is wonderful. Great food.

Excellent Mexican food. Nice staff. Good place but we prefer take out. The have good Mexican sodas as well read more

After driving by many times on route 18, we finally made a stop to try it out. It is located in a small strip mall next to a Vape shop. Upon walking in, the kitchen is located to the left behind the counter. To the right are about 9 tables. We were quietly seated against the wall. It was pretty quiet on a Saturday afternoon. We ordered 3 beef tacos, the beef empanada platter, and the chicken enchilada platter. While we waited for our order, we were served with chips and black bean dip. The chips weren't your normal chips, they were a lot thicker than the typical nachos at other Mexican restaurants. The black bean dip was topped with some cheese, which was quite tasty. The empanadas were filled with little beef chunks and lots of cheese. They were quite good. The platter came with 2 empanadas, black bean, rice, and salad. Their rice and black bean were excellent. The chicken enchiladas were just ok. I didn't find anything special about them. The same with the beef tacos. They had a few slices of radish and parsley in it as well. It was a bit dry but I added some of my salad into it which made it a lot better. The ambience was very traditional Mexican decor with music playing. The chairs were each unique, each with their own depiction on their culture. Mexican colors were all around and the staff were very friendly. If you want something quick, this is a decent place to go. Although we found the food to be just ok... it's worth checking out just for the ambience. read more

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Want authentic Mexican food in a quaint little location? Look no further. I can just come here and have the nachos, every time, they are amazing. I always have to take home some of their homemade, corn-husk-wrapped tamales. They have a green tomatillo sauce that I would buy bottles of. They have this mango smoothie with spicy cinnamon straw, you need to try that also. I don't know his name, but the main host/server works very hard and I can tell he is giving 110% for this place. Definitely come here and support this local restaurant, you won't be disappointed. read more

Tacos here are authentic and big I couldn't even finish. I got fish taco, steak and chicken. Loved it,will definitely come back.

how did i never know of this place until now? honestly i think this has the most affordable and delicious mexican food in the rutgers area! i got the carnitas tostadas which were so good!! i loved all the toppings and the meat was flavorful. it was only about $13! and the portions are pretty big. you get free chips which seemed freshly made when it was brought out. they have free water but u can also buy ur own drinks at the counter. the inside is very homey and reminds me of the movie Coco :) there's also a cute dancing Santa haha the waitress was very attentive and food came out quickly! definitely recommend going here ! read more

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Top Notch Tacos ! I am amazed that La China Poblana is not packed every day ! Courteous staff, helpful on the phone about menu questions and attentive to special orders and requests. Our most recent order was El pastor Burritos, we all asked to have fajita vegetables added inside and that combo makes a delicious meal We also had an order of flautas and empanadas - The empanadas were not the best we have ever had, but not bad by any means at all. The Flautas were crispy and tasty - nice textural difference to have the crunchy flauta and burritos They had a special Birria tacos, and we had never had them before so decided to give them a shot, also very nice and tasty. There was a little more grease inside than expected but not enough that I would not order them again (definite tums time but worth it) - This is a very rich and decadent meal, slow roasted pulled meat, cheese, and dipping them into liquid gold for extra flavor - Something to try for sure, as the tacos are very different from any normal taco out there. The regular tacos are great here as well, I highly recommend trying them with el pastor, its a delicious marinated pork with hints of pineapple - Its my go-to suggestion for everyone that I tell about this restaurant - Topped off with a little quac or avocado slice and these are just perfection inside a corn taco shell ! read more

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Food was delicious - wife was in Hospital in old bridge and was looking for authentic Mexican soup. Loved the food and was most excited about getting home to eat the left overs. read more

La China Poblana is my FAVORITE restaurant for a Mexican meal in NJ, by far! The decor is festive with tributes to Mexico from the floor to (literally) the ceiling. I loved the chairs representing the rich heritage of Mexico (going all the way back to the Aztec civilization). The music goes well, too (classic songs). Menu is diverse - there were some harder to get items like Chalupas and Chimichangas on there. Complementary chips came with an amazing black bean sauce (and verde); loved it as other restaurants only give verde and rojas salsa. Arroz y Frijoles with the perfect fluffy texture and deep yellow-orange color. Tacos with beef and pork sausage were packed and generous with the avocado. Chalupas pollo - an order came with half a dozen - was light but extra flavorful. Fried tortillas held up without breaking apart and losing its shape. Staff is super attentive - even when the restaurant was closing. I found it comforting, as well, seeing the staff eat the same food that was being served. I'm definitely coming back here to try other items on the menu! read more

La China Poblana - Chalupas Pollo, Tamales, Arroz y Frijoles, Tacos - Mexican Near Me - East Brunswick, New Jersey