What's not to like in this unpretentious Columbian restaurant that serves food with superb quality,…read morebreads and pastries that are mouth-watering, and service was impeccable. Our lady server was so personable and always answered our questions with a big smile. We met the owner who was as friendly as his staff! Excellent service is always a plus! The food was well-cooked down to its bananas and arepas! This restaurant is highly recommended and they close at 10 pm most days, so if you're still out and about at a later time, this is definitely a good place to get some delicious food! Order the platters! It's like getting the best of the varieties. Get the ham and cheese roll or the buñuelos and the pastrSo good!

My fiancé and I came in for lunch! Nice atmosphere and friendly and welcoming staff. We had Nilse…read moreand she was so very sweet! I recommend the empanadas and the papa relleno! My fiancé had a delicious and generous portioned lunch special! Over all great experience!!!!

This spot is casual, and cool. The food is delicious and the service was really nice. Very…read morewelcoming and attentive.

Oh man I wanted to love this place so bad. But it's gonna be a hard no in the future. We had the…read morebao bun w chorizo. And while the bao was cooked perfectly there was no sauce in the bun. Just sausage and chopped cilantro. I had the ropa vieja which was nothing special. It was like a brisket fajita. I had the white rice with it and it was waterlogged. The beans were ehh. Needs a thicker base like tomato sauce. My wife had the birria platter which was yellow rice beans and chunks of beef chuck with a consomé on the side. For desert we did the churro with ice cream. They over cooked it so it was rock hard. But the ice cream was good. I will say the waitress was super attentive, the owner was so friendly and the place was clean. $100 for two people. Was definitely not worth it.

As soon as you come in they receive you with a friendly welcoming, there is a lot of choice to pick…read morefrom since the restaurant is Colombian and Mexican food, so they have lots of great options. I ordered the chicken fajitas which come with rice and beans. And also tortillas they do give you the option if you want corn or the other tortillas which is great. I would definitely recommend coming here with family and friends the place is very spacious and clean. The rice was delicious and the spicy sauce is spicy which I love. Also the food came out in the blink of an eye. The waiter is also very nice and friendly and well presented.

Visited this restaurant with my family and we all loved the food. There were so many options on the…read moremenu and all were delicious. They even have a drink menu with fruit juices that are a must try. The service was great, waitress was very kind and patient especially with my newborn being there. The ambiance was nice, families were present. I'd definitely come back.

Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, and was terrific. Glad I found this place. Will definitely go back…read morethere again.

I've visited Cantera Restaurant twice over the past week, and unfortunately my experience with…read moremanagement left me extremely disappointed. First, I want to make it clear that the waitresses were wonderful -- attentive, kind, and hardworking. My issue is not with the staff, but with the way management handled the billing and gratuity situation. Both times, my bill should have been around $66, yet I was charged about $85 because gratuity had already been added. I didn't realize this at first and was also leaving an additional 20% tip on top of it. I feel this is misleading to customers, especially for such a small bill where automatic gratuity is uncommon. When I questioned it, the owner came out and explained the gratuity policy in a very confrontational and dismissive manner instead of handling the concern professionally. I tried to explain that either the servers are not receiving enough directly, or customers are unknowingly overpaying because the gratuity is not made clear enough. At the end, I adjusted my payment by removing the extra $17 tip I had intended to leave and kept the automatic gratuity charge of $12. I also placed an additional $5 cash tip in the envelope specifically for my waitress because she truly deserved it. What upset me even more was seeing the owner immediately take that cash and place it into the general tip box. Again, the servers were excellent. My disappointment is entirely with management's handling of customers and gratuities.

As a Salvadoran, the spot opening up was a blessing! Very few spots through Monmouth/ocean county…read moreso this is a gem for sure! The service was great, went around 12 so they had a small lunch rush but nonetheless, they delivered. The servers checked on us throughout the whole time. I believe the owner also stopped by our table and was very attentive as well. The decor is nice and they have a nice set up for sitting. Overall, the food was great. The drinkers were a little on the sweeter side. Definitely would like to try more dishes in the future.

A Salvadorian restaurant in town? How did I miss this place for so long?…read more Pupusas are the name of the game here, which is no surprise since it's El Salvador's #1 favorite food. Essentially a masa (corn) flour "pancake", filled with various meats, veggies, or cheese, then griddled. The ones here are served with a side of curtido (a mildly fermented slaw) and salsa roja. I've had three varieties since first coming here, and I'd have a hard time picking a favorite - they're all delicious! Prices are incredibly fair at ~$8.50-10 for a set of 3 pupusas at the time of this review, and are more than enough food to fill an average person up for a hearty lunch or dinner. For those uninterested in pupusas, the menu also boasts a wide range of dishes, soups, tortas (sandwiches), and tamals, as well as a hot bar of what I assume are daily specials. Of these, I've had the chicken tamal, which was moist and well filled. The owners are really friendly, and the restaurant itself is kept really clean, with tons of seating for large parties. Nothing too fancy, I'd call the ambiance very 'casual', like your average Chinese takeout dining room. They do spruce things up a bit with festive wall art, flags, and a video of the streets & sights of El Salvador, which I found a nice touch. Very good, very affordable, and a real hidden gem. Absolutely worth a try, and a place I'll be back to for sure.

I believe we've ordered from here for office events, and we went for dinner one night as a group,…read moreand all of it has been great experience - the food and the service. It's a relatively unassuming space; we went during the week, so it wasn't super crowded, but we had a good time there together. I can't recall exactly what I ordered, but the shared items and drinks and food were all delicious, and I would be down to return! Hope to order again from them in the future, or to visit again!

La Casona Restaurante in Hamilton NJ…read more Angel Collazo Local Guide·21 reviews·23 photos Funny I posted a review with 5 photos and and only 3 made it. Here are the photos I posted and were deleted an hour ago New Dinner | $40-50 I just bought 2 soups. One chicken and the other Res... I have no idea how your restaurant got a 4.7 rating. Rotten food. The soups as soon as you open the containers, makes you gag. Look at the color of the chicken. (BLACK and Raw). Then they claim that their empanadas taste like Puerto Rico. Sorry to tell you, your empanadas are not even close to a puertorrican empanada. There's no seasoning on the meat. Like you just opened a bag of ground beef, put it in the pan and that's it. Here are some pictures so you can see yourselves. We are great cooks, we know how food tastes and looks. I give you a -10. $43.00 down the toilet. PS... If I was you, I'll close the restaurant. Food: 1/5 | Service: 2/5 | Atmosphere: 2/5

Margo's is fairly unassuming and simply a fantastic food experience. Margo herself makes sure your…read moreexperience is an exciting adventure into South American cuisine. If asked she will make a recommendation but my South American better half simply saw things on this menu that brought back fantastic experiences of growing up south of the equator. Generous portions and well seasoned meals are the main stay of this establishment. If you are looking for a true South American dining experience, this is the place to go.

Sorry to say that it wasn't as good as previous visits. My food wasn't hot, and the restaurant was…read morenot busy. My paella was supposed to be with shrimp, scallops, calamari & sausage but it had mostly a fish that was a terrible consistency. Avocado fries were still awesome.

Tried this for the first time last night. Shared blackened shrimp tacos and a side of sweet…read moreplantains. All was very good! Tacos were served on blue corn soft taco rounds. The jalapeño cream gave it a nice little kick. Shrimp was cooked perfectly, Plantains were delish. Sautéed so they had a little sweet catnelization on the edges. Will definitely go back to try some of the other interesting things in the menu.

This place is excellent! The food was fantastic and the owner was so lovely…read more favorite dishes: -ceviche mixto -sweet plantains -pork belly bao buns -fried flounder -spicy tuna crispy rice All really really yummy. We had two kids with us who are pretty picky, but the fried flounder was well-received. If I went again I might make other arrangements for the kids, but that's on my kids, not the restaurant. Oh, and get the tres leches cake. It's not optional. It was PHENOMENAL. Light and delicious!!

Amazing service very attentive, and the food was delicious! The food came out very quick and the…read moretamarind juice is delicious.

Incredibly delicious. Got a platter of a bunch of different foods and even the picky eaters found…read moresomething they liked. Have only even eaten takeout, but the owner is very nice.

I'm Colombian and my girl works nearby and she said they have the best Pandebonos .. and they sell…read moreout quickly Omg.. she was right.. esos pandebonos son riquísimos But dont even bother going at 12pm-- they're all gone All the warehouses nearby buy them in bulk

**NOTE: For me, Apple Maps has led me to the wrong location when I navigate. When in doubt, you can…read morenavigate to Nanami Sushi & Asian Cuisine in Jamesburg, NJ since it is to the left of Fogon Latino.** Had to provide an update because YEARS later it is still delicious and remains one of my favorite spots! I will weep if they ever close down. Their food is divine. Even their rice is somehow incredible. Their meat bursts with flavor and is tender. I don't order off of their menu; they just have a bunch of hot food buffet style and I just request what I want. I always get their rice with black beans on top. Menu items vary by day but these are common items and some of my favorites: chicken leg, beef ribs, yuka fries, and pork ribs. When I introduced this place to my boyfriend, he fell in love too. When I asked what he would do if it ever shut down, he said he would kidnap the ladies working there (joking, of course). But he did say seriously if he knew ahead of time he would be willing to pay for their recipes. The friendliness of service depends on who's serving you, but no one is rude. They're just straight to the point. The inside is always clean - I just never eat in there since I just pile a bunch of food in a takeout container and bring it home for several meals. My boyfriend can finish it in one go if he's starving though. I always get a takeout box to go, and tbh the only downside is I don't know how much it is until they check out. They don't weigh it either, but I'm sure they have some type of formula? A box is usually around $22 BUT that's with A LOT of food stashed in there that I ask for. It's worth it. Another thing is that their soups, while delicious, are overly salted like crazy! So I usually skip that. Or if you really want to try it, you can dilute it with water and reheat it. A hidden gem overall - Must try! Who would've knew a quiet strip mall can hold some of the best food I've ever had.