Los Contreras Mexican Restaurant

Reviews 23

DA

David Cavuto

So I heard that this place had excellent and authentic Mexican food. In Edison, land of East Asian food. Having traveled extensively in Central America, I have much culinary experience with food of the region. And Ive often been surprised at the relative scarcity of good authentic Mexican food in the area. On the Border, Qdoba, and Chipotles represented the best Edison has to offer in terms of Mexican-esque food, and their American versions were disappointing to say the least. Entering the place, you understand why some reviewers took issue with the overall ambiance. Used deli case half-filled with ambiguous meat, festooned with advertisements, the obligatory television mounted at eye level, the cliche red-and-white checked plastic tablecloths. Yeah were not talking about fine dining here, (They did at least seem to acknowledge the heating problem. There were two space heaters deployed. At least one of which was completely cosmetic.) And yes, the female server spoke english marginally. But she was kind and sweet, and tried to make communication happen. With my poor spanish and her poor english, and a menu enhanced by photos, we got along. She told us there were two specials ready, pork ribs and chicken soup, Which didnt strike me as particularly Maxican. But I have learned to always go with the specials -- especially in the small places. We also ordered two dishes off the menu: three tacos with choice of meat (we chose chorizo, chicken, and marinated pork), and mexican steak. A few minutes after our bowl of unremarkable red tortilla chips and salsa verde, we were presented with two platters. One a typcal plate of black beans, mexican rice, queso fresco, and bits of chopped rib bones generously fringed with pork meat. And a giant bowl of clear broth, chock full of chicken on the bone and vegetables. Both were excellent. The pork ribs had obviously been stewed for hours (it was only 1pm), The meat was falling off the bone. Sauce was mildly spicy, exactly what you would expect of a true Mexican dish, and subtlly flavored. Not like the crap you get from chain restaurants. Chicken soup was not what i expected. It had large pieces of bone-in chicken, boiled in the soup. Broth was rich and hearty. No heat at all. And no absurd nod to "tex-mex with some over the top garnish of buckets of cilantro. Chopped fresh jalapenos and onions were served on the side, however. :) On the tide of positive feelings from these first two dishes, I was excited to get our second two "off the menu" dishes. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised. The three tacos was incredibly subtle and authentic. Nice heat in the chorizo, deep flavor in the pork al pastor, and extremely mild chicken. Served inside a freshly grilled CORN tortilla (!) with a finely julienned veg mix that i didnt look too closely at, I confess. And two or three leaves of cilantro. No salsa, no sour cream, no guacamole. Yay! (To be clear, I do love those lovely and tasty additions. But thats not how you get tacos in Mexico. Ever.) And the Mexican Steak. Was just awesome. Served wth the same accompaniments as the ribs, the steak was pounded thin and quickly friend on a flat top. Smothered in a salsa roho, and covered with fresh sauteed green peppers and onions. Nothing pre-cooked and sitting in a warming tray for hours here. I watched the chef cook that dish from start to finish. From scratch, whole simple ingredients. All came together for a fabulous steak youcould cut with a fork, but still had a good bite. Again, no heat in the sauce. Perfect. If you want a real taste of Mexico, cooked and served in a casual, relaxed atmosphere, by all means bring your Spanish phrasebook (or Google Translate) and head to El Gallo Giro, on Rt 1N in Edison NJ. For more reviews, and recipes from a hotheaded Italian, head over to the HiHeat tumblr blog! Happy Eating!

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ME

Meghan Hoch

The service might be better for native Spanish speakers, I havent spoken Spanish since 9th grade so it was a little bit of a struggle but not too bad. The food was fantastic, first time Ive had huevos rancheros that didnt come with rice and beans, but the sauces were delicious and it was very filling. Also pretty affordable. Ive had better horchata elsewhere, but Ive also had way worse. Id go back here again for sure.

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JU

Juan Fernandez

Esta mañana recibí un pésimo servicio en este restaurant, me sirvieron mi comida y no me pusieron los cubiertos, No pusieron agua No pusieron absolutamente atención al cliente. 2/18 /17 comida pesima,

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RU

Ruben Mendez

Muy Buena comida deshayunos y todo yo viajo mucho y este Lugar es uno de mis favoritos se los recomiendo

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JO

Jonathan Sloane

The food tastes great and is reasonably priced. We tried the tostados, nachos, burittos, and flautas. All of them were very tasty. Im not an expert on Mexican food, but have been told its quite authentic. The staff are friendly.

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AR

arlyn bravo

Its an authentic Mexican restaurant with great food. Its ideal for groups of friends to go since theres a pool table in the restaurant. You can play after eating. The people are very kind and I come here often!

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EL

elda Ronquillo

This place is awesome!!! great, cheap, clean place, and service is pretty good. if you are craving for authentic Mexican food in Edison this is the place to spend your bucks!!!!

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GA

Galxctiic Gaming

I ordered food and waited over 2 hours until they were outside. Worst delivery restaurant ever, they are funny if they think im coming outside after waiting 2 hours

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QI

qiang ma

$20 for cover when its dead. Cover is used for supply and demand to control the crowds but when there isnt one it doesnt make much sense. Vijay Gogia

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CH

Chris Distance

Have been going here since they opened. Very authentic and always tastes amazing. Im never disappointed, the service is great and food is fresh.

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RO

Roberto Contreras

Muy rica la comida y a muy buen precio se los recomiendo

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RI

Ricardo Juarez

Funny how my review was deleted.. I see they only keep the good reviews.. This place was horrible.. If youre smart you will stay away..

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RU

ruben22palmer

Great food, good/ buena comida auténtica mexicana

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DA

Dale Freebern

Food is fresh and well presentable. Friendly staff and warm atmosphere. Definitely worth returning to.

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KA

Kathy Roman

We ordered for pick up, the food was lukewarm and got food poisoning from the beef burrito. Horrible..

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VI

Victor Rangel

Buen rico pollo

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JA

Jack Frost

Excellent mexican food, always fresh and cooked perfectly.

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RI

Richard Menashe

Authentic Mexican. Reasonable prices. Sparse atmosphere.

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JA

Jayme Vinas

Best Mexican spot in town without a doubt

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WI

William Galiano

very good food good service & good price

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AL

alexis parades

Goog taste!

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JE

Jesus Garcia

Bad service

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ME

Melinda Casolite

Terrib

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