Some of the best tacos are found in the places that focus on flavor instead of hype, and Carlitos…read moreabsolutely delivers. The tacos were packed with tender, flavorful meat, topped with fresh cilantro, onions, and just the right amount of salsa. Every bite tasted authentic, balanced, and made with care. The house sauces added an extra layer of flavor, and the fresh juice was the perfect pairing. Simple food done exceptionally well. If you're craving great tacos, Carlitos is worth the stop and definitely worth a return visit. -- Jeffrey Umaña IG: @jeffrey.umana

Whenever my husband and I come to Garden State mall, our brains are so conditioned to expect a food…read morecourt meal that it took us some time before we realized this lively taqueria existed. It's on the top floor (or the ground level if you're coming from an outdoor parking lot) and one of several mall eateries that aren't in the food court. The ordering decision tree proceeds as follows: 1) Decide whether you want tacos, cheesy tacos (called, quesatacos) or a platter, 2) Pick your proteins (vegetarian options available), and 3) Determine which toppings and accoutrements you want on top of your tacos. The best part of ordering was seeing the fresh masa and tortilla press right behind the counter, a reassurance that these tortillas would be as fresh as one can get. And they were. Not only that, the meats inside them were incredible. We tried the birria, carne asada, crispy fish, and smoked chicken, all of which were conversation-silencing delicious. I'm also not a bit embarrassed to admit I sipped straight from the small cup of that rich consommé that's meant as a dipping broth for the birria tacos. If I had to pick a least favorite from the bunch, it would be the smoked chicken, but that's not to say they were bad; the other ones just blew me away far more. The chicken tacos were packed with tender meat and redolent of smoked wood, a flavor I wouldn't have expected to encounter in the middle of a shopping mall. Most of the restaurant space seems to be reserved for the ordering and food prep area, but there's a decently sized seating area right outside the restaurant and even more places to sit a little further away from Carlito's if the tables are full.

I've never visited the physical location, but I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago by…read moreplacing a delivery order through Uber Eats. There were a lot of pluses to be had here. The serving size of my husband's pad thai, for instance, was pretty generous, and topped with a good amount of peanuts (a personal pleasure since I'm such a texture-chaser when it comes to food). I ordered the massaman curry with beef and was pleasantly surprised that the chunks of beef were fairly tender. The curry itself was either watery or bland or both, and the amount of unseasoned potato chunks didn't help to that end. The chicken curry puffs came highly recommended, and with a flavorful filling and a tender, flaky crust on the outside, these were just as tasty as promised. They come four per order, which, considering how filling just one was, turned out to be a well portioned serving. I had two small disappointments with these - I had to search a little to find the chicken, and the crusts were much mushier than I would've expected. My guess is these went straight into their container after cooking and whatever crisp was on these disappeared during delivery. I bet these would be wonderful straight out of the kitchen. My guess is that some or all of the pinch points of our meal resulted from degradation during delivery. Would love to give them another try on site!

This is a food stall inside the 99Ranch Grocery store- next to Home Depot. I just order Pad Thai…read moreand it was excellent. A bit expensive, but worth it when I get my Pad Thai craving. Better than the others I've tried in this area. I interviewed those folks sitting next to me. They love the peppered chicken and curry puffs. I will certainly make this my Bergen county go to for Thai in the future.

Newly open snack store Bao Babies in Garden state plaza. Very cute concept for small bites…read more They have 6 different baos, floats/drinks with toppings and a beef sandwich. We tried 4 different baos, I like red beans and passion fruit custard. Strawberry is on sweeter side, not my thing. Taro is ok. I wish the dough is thinner. But overall not bad and it's cute. The staff is friendly and helpful. Service is quick. The baos come out steamy hot and ready to eat.

It's a very cute kiosk and I love the character buns. I wish they had more, but I get why there are…read moreonly a few characters. The penguin was not really good. Super dry and not a lot of filling in it, but super cute looking.

Visiting the city and asked a local on the street what is the best lunch around. He immediately…read morepointed us to Tony Dragon's food truck just block away. There was a line and we maybe waited 10 minutes, they have order ahead available as well. It moved quickly, service was friendly, food was served quickly. Their efficiency was impressive.

Food is great, but it sad to see they increase price three times in less than three yearsread more

I have been coming to this location I guess since the beginning. I always get the same order, gyro…read moreover rice with an extra pita. The portions a very generous. The white sauce is the best around. Never an issue when ordering in person. The staff is always friendly and efficient. Now that I'm older I drive less so I use delivery apps a lot. My only complaint is their app. It never allows me to order delivery. And the Uber Eats app doesn't allow you to order extra sautéed onions. The onions are the best. Juicy platters is a great Halal spot! Second to none.

Sooo good you can't go wrong with anything here it's all fresh made to order. The bowls are my fav…read morebut also the pita hits the spot!!! Their white sauce is famous and I loved dipping the delish hot wings

Have been ordering lunch here for years and have never had a problem. They recently changed…read moremanagement and my orders keep getting messed up AND they changed their Lamb to a cheaper Lamb that doesn't taste nearly as good as the old Lamb. Very upset my favorite lunch spot has been ruined.

This place slaps harder than your mom…read more Nice guy -- hard working. Makes good food at an honest price.