I stumbled upon this establishment when I was searching for a Latin restaurant in Grubhub. Last…read morenight we decided against delivery and opted to drive out and dine in. This place has a parking lot next door but it seems that this lot belongs to an auto repair shop not the restaurant, it has tow-away signs but we parked in the lot because it was after hours. The restaurant is spacious, with plenty of tables, the music is low, the decor is low-key with some Winter motiffs. I told my wife that I was expecting more of an Island/Caribbean decoration. My wife ordered the Asopaó de Camarones (Shrimp Soupy Rice) & got Spaghetti with Dominican Salami, Tostones & Avocado. Hot tea to drink. I expected the Spaghetti to come with Dominican Salami as an option (this is how Dominican Spaghetti is prepared and served) but unfortunately it does not, the Spaghetti is plain & adding the Dominican Salami is extra. My wife's Asopaó was full of shrimps, very tasty she loved it as did i. My Spaghetti with Dominican Salami was pretty good. The Spaghetti were al dente enough (not too soft nor too hard), flavorful, Dominican Salami chunks were hearty (I was hoping that the Salami would be stewed but it was fried instead), the avocado was fresh & unblemished, & the tostones were perfectly golden fried & crispy. Ashley & Stacey were our servers and they were very friendly, full of smiles, on-point & honest. I said honest, because after paying the bill we asked for a pen to add a tip and she explained to us thar the tip (which is an automatic 15%) is already included. Which surprised us, usually tip is included with a party of 6 or more, we are only a couple. My wife and I always tip between 10% & 20% depending on the service of course. But no matter how bad, horrible was the service we tip at least the 10%. We detest restaurants that force us to tip. We believe we have the right to give a certain amount of our hard earned money ourselves, without forcing our hand. Because of this practice of including the automatic 15% tip, no matter the size of the dining party, I give a rating of 3 stars. If it wasn't for this forceful tipping, I would have given this place an easy 5 stars. So beware when dining in at La Cocina de Cristina, while the food is amazing, their tipping policy will force you to shell out 15% of your bill, whether the service was good or not. We will NOT dine in at this place ever again. If anything, I will order via Grubhub (which allows me to tip accordingly) or order take-out.

I happened to be in hackensack this past weekend and had a hankering for chicharron and tostones…read more I wound up getting their picadera (sampler) plate and it was off the chain. The chicharron, longaniza, and chicken were fried to perfection and the tostones were good too. I prefer my tostones a little crisper which is the only reason for the 4 stars and not 5 but that's just my preference. The place is beautifully decorated with dominican and it is very clean and well put together. Very nice vibe inside.

We stopped by on Saturday afternoon, we were a table of 6. Although they were friendly, they were…read moreextremely slow. We were the only customers there so assumed we would get served quickly, however, it took over an hour before we started to get our food. My dad didn't get his food until we were all done. Also, it took about 15 minutes to get water and they did not offer to refill our cups after that. The food was good but unfortunately service was not.

Admittedly, we were super hungry when we arrived- the waiter was kind enough to tell us what was…read moreready (stew that had been simmering, etc), so we just jumped on that, plus some fried Plantains. I barely got bites in-between my kids inhaling the food. The chicken (Pollo Guisado) was so tender and delicious, we could have ordered 3 plates. The peppered steak was equally delicious, with a complex broth/sauce that we kept dipping our Fried plantains into. Fried plantains, always good, were especially great here (opted for ripe). The service was exactly as you'd expect, a more family approach than formal, which we love. If we pass through this part of NJ again, we will be back. Additionally, the Tamarindo drink was top notch.

Pleasantly designed interior that teaches you subtly about the Dominican Republic where this…read moreexcellent cuisine hails from. The people behind the counter could not be more gracious and friendly. I've been with a group (and today by myself to get another taste) and we all enjoyed our plates - and each others'. The goat is perfectly moist and seasoned; everything else I've tried so far is, if I may quote Goldilocks enthusiastically, '' JUUUUST RIGHT!!'' and worthy of repeat visits. Very reasonable pricing. Anticipating many more satisfying experiences here! PS I ate an arepita de yuca here today and found it memorable! Looks like a potato latke, but its taste is distinct and it was perfectly prepared. Thanks, ladies!

El sazón de Doña Ramona es especial, great Dominican Food and the service is great. Welcoming…read moreambiance and delicious food.

The food was amazing and savory! Polite service! We found this on a walk and it was the perfect…read moreamount of food and they have a nice Dominican ambiance inside.

Food was amazing, exactly what I wanted and ordered. Service was amazing and fast. Employees were…read morevery respectful and kind. Inside the restaurant, you will hear spanish music played and customers talking amongst each other. Definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a Dominican restaurant.

Ordered takeout, if you're starving and don't want to break the bank, come to this unassuming spot…read more Homey ambiance and friendly service.

The restaurant has a shiny and precious food, their dishes are perfect and taste really good, I…read morepersonally recommend the bandeja paisa or a lunch with pernil, the prices aren't crazy at all, people argue about it sometimes but now everything is going more expensive. I ordered there 2 times, the first time a young kid name Juan took my order, he was very kind and helpful, the second time I ordered there this kid was just arriving and who looks like her boss was yelling and arguing with him, this lady had also a really bad service and looks like a really bad boss The tables are confortable and they also have and space to go and eat outside, they are good.