Villalobos

Reviews 6

AN

Andrew Myszkowski

WARNING! Poor Service - Yuck Factor - Subpar Food - Annoying Ambiance ...but this is just our opinion, we could be wrong... POOR SERVICE Drink options? No mention of drink options by waiter, "B"; when I asked, he said, "oh we do it verbally because we used to offer a drink menu but no one looked at it" --yet, he failed to mention drinks until we finally asked after appetizers! Insult to injury, our only drinks, water glasses, were left empty for over 10 minutes, prompting the drink question. YUCK FACTOR! Um, this waiter kept pinch-rubbing his nose, and that was before he brought our plates, GROSS! SUBPAR FOODS: The tortilla chips were forgotten when our guac was delivered, and the ones that came were (getting?) stale; or simply we do not like dense, hard yet chewy chips; conversely, we always appreciate light, crispy, and fresh tortilla chips... to no avail here at VillaLobos. The guac was yummy, yet small for $, and my wife wanted the bacon in it - no longer avail said waiter. The waiters suggestion of Fried Chicken over the Scallop Tacos was dead wrong -- the chicken pieces were overly fatty and gristly --poor quality meat. Oh yeah, and my 9 year old epicurean child who loves rice and beans poo-pood those here, stating dry and tasteless. Sorry VillaLobos, its true. ANNOYING AMBIANCE Like Raymonds around the corner, VillaLobos gets really loud. Yet, i excuse Raymonds, after all, its Raymonds! (a diner is a diner) Yet, I am sorry to say, conversation was extremely difficult, hence annoying. At least the place looked clean. NOTE: i do not write reviews often, but dinner on Friday September 4, 2015 at 8pm was simply lousy. I warned my wife that we panned VillaLobos before, but i forgot why. So we tried it again, and again we were left wanting and disappointed.

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JI

Jill Raleigh

There was a response from the owner that I saw a month after posting the original review below...I was impressed and emailed him via the email address listed on their website stating that I would be happy to give the restaurant another try. Alas, I heard nothing. So my review of this place at one star stands. Im disappointed to not be reached, but not surprised either. Still. Boo. The food was fine. The wait staff was fine, until it wasnt. I just ate there with 3 other people and sat down at 5:30PM on a Sunday. Had a perfectly serviceable time, including a dessert initiated by the waiter at 7:30PM. At 8PM, however, the same waiter came over to us to tell us that we were being "kicked out" as the restaurant was closed and they could no longer accommodate us. NO ONE ever approached us prior, to tell us the restaurant was closing at such an early hour and they resolutely didnt care that we were not aware of this fact. Ive had other, less than savory experiences at this restaurant, but this took the level of bad service to the nth degree. I dont fault the hapless waiter, but the mismanagement. Shame on you. Quite frankly. We would have gladly left and coursed our meal accordingly, if made aware of the closing time. But to be dismissed, unceremoniously...=bad. form. Boo to Villalobos. Boo.

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MI

Michele Cerami

Dont waste your time. Its an insult to authentic Mexican food and anyone with a palate. Missteps all the way. The service was nothing short of lackadaisical. The food came out slow. Ok fine. All good things come to those who wait, right? Yeah....not necessarily in this case. Ala carte prices for small, one noted tacos. The brisket taco was super dry no flavor and missing the balance of fat, and acid, (This was a theme throughout). It was like eating a cow- cottonball! The chicken taco was also dry, and tasted ammonitated!!! **side note to the owners** Thyme and oregano are there to enhance a dish, guys... not to kill someone! The crab guacamole was edible but the crab was past its "freshness" date. Had it been fresh, I would also tell you that it was just placed on top of the guacamole and not incorporated through like it shouldve been. (Thank God it wasnt). The restaurant gets points for food presentation (dont be fooled its like putting lipstick on a cow) and for the breading on the cod and shrimp tacos remaining crispy when served. They didnt screw up the queso fundido, thankfully. I had to eat something! (simple enough for even the novice cooks to maneuver) Overall, its overpriced and disappointingly sub par ALA CARTE food and service, lacking quality and balance. Unimpressive!

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AS

Ashley Allenfort

My boyfriend and I have been coming to Villalobos since they opened. We originally wrote them off at the beginning because the tacos seriously lacked any flavor at all. We gave them another chance and boy are we happy we did. They must have worked out the kinks because they have rose to become the #1 taco spot in NJ. I recommend the Camarones (shrimp) taco which is lightly breaded and fried little shrimps on a bed of avocado with some delicious sauce along with a light topping of shredded romaine lettuce and a tomato salsa. I also recommend the scallop taco whenever they have it on the menu. It comes with crispy fried Brussel sprouts and a delicious creamy sauce. Its a very savory taco but so delicious. You honestly cant go wrong with anything on the menu. Please note though that the Carnitas taco is not shredded pork but actually cubes of pork belly. That was a surprise to me. The service is amazing and they make it a point to remember their customers. We have become regulars now because we come for dinner at least once a week. And they just started doing weekend brunch too!

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CH

christa back

I will start by saying that the service was great.. BUT this was totally not what we expected. Probably our own fault for not checking the menu online or something first, however we actually went to Cuban Petes first and there was an hour wait so we just walked over there with our bottle of wine since we had heard it was also a byob. Assumed we could get like a burrito or fajita or something but everything on the menu was just soo different. Very small selection on top of it and a little pricey too. We just couldnt find really anything we liked and kind of wanted to leave but we just felt like that would be a little rude. (We also had already poured a glass of wine lol) So we each got a really small but very yummy $6 chicken taco, ate and paid, and were still able to catch our reservation at Cuban Petes. Moral of the story is CHECK THE MENU FIRST! I think its cool that they offer such unique things but it would be great to see some typical Mexican dishes on there also.

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SA

sam Stymest

As close to perfect as you can get!! Ive been working in food service industry for some time now and have worked for some of the biggest names in the business including tom ccollicio (craft), Jean George (Jean George nyc), and currently the knowles family (the manor) and I have to say this restaurant met all the criteria all the best restaurants strive to meet. Amazing friendly precise service, Insane attention to detail, cleanliness, and most importantly Innovative and flavorful food that gave a new identity to what Mexican street food can be. If I had to be overly critical the guacamole could of used half a pinch more salt and a bit more acid but thats it. Seriously guys amazing job. A real gem in a highly competitive restaurant town. You guys are the real deal. Dont change a thing. Thanks for an amazing evening. , Cheers Samuel Stymest

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