La Casa De La Abuela

Breaking this review down into three categories:

SERVICE
Kicking off with the bad. I don't know what the deal is with this place, but the service is noticeably bad. Actually, hold on, let me clarify: the waitress is phenomenal. She tended to us as best she could considering she was the only waitress tending to all the tables. She was apologetic, held fun and short conversation, and provided samples of their sauces. So why was the service bad? The host. The entire time, the host had a "I don't care" expression, from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. Not one smile. You're the face of the restaurant and you can't even give me a half-attempt at a smile? Come on, now. At least wear a nice ball cap if you're going to wear one, not the one you've worn for the past decade. Heck, McDonald's has better headwear standards than this. Also, if the waitress is hustling and there's nobody waiting to be seated, it'd be nice to see the host tending to the customers and helping out. Instead, I had to walk over to a different table to grab silverware and napkins because the host couldn't be bothered with that. I'd expect this kind of poor service from a corner taco shop, not a nice venue like this. It's the third time we've visited and all three times it's been the same clueless host not lending a helping hand. Here's to hoping the Trenton location doesn't suffer from this.

FOOD
Incredible. No doubt about it. I've had the queso and chorizo appetizer, the enchiladas mexicanas, and the concha preparada, and all three things have been nothing short of incredible. The queso and chorizo tasted fresh and were perfectly toasted on top. The sauce in the enchiladas mexicanas tasted nothing short of old-fashioned, homemade guajillo sauce (believe me, I know, I help my wife make the concentrate for her menudo). The rice is perfectly cooked, has absolutely no industrial flavors, and I love that it's made with carrots and peas. At first glance, the rice looks a bit pale but once you taste it, you know the quality is there. The black beans the dish is served with are also on point - no canned or preservative flavors at all, perfectly seasoned, and perfectly compliment the dish. As for the concha preparada, one thing's for sure: you cannot visit this place without trying it. It is by far one of my favorite desserts of all time. They offer three different drizzles (cajeta, Nutella, and chocolate). I recommend getting all three. You won't be disappointed. Quite honestly, if it wasn't for the concha preparada, we wouldn't visit again and suffer the bad service. Oh, I almost forgot the lemonade. Opt for the cucumber lemonade. Refreshing, authentic, and large.

ATMOSPHERE
We love, love, love the atmosphere here. The music is a perfect blend of romantic/classical and modern. I don't know what soundtrack or streaming service they use, but it's perfect. The lighting and the decor, it all comes together to form a perfectly casual dining area that's also fit for a cute date night. The restroom could use some work, though. All three visits I've found the restroom without paper towels and sometimes smelling of used mop water. Not that big of a deal, but as I mentioned before, if the restaurant wants us to consider it as a fine (or better than average) dining place, then the restaurant needs to step it up.

Overall, this place would be an easy 4 or maybe even nearing the 5 star mark, but that host negatively affected our three visits. Maybe consider hiring a second waitress so one single waitress isn't juggling over 40 customers at once if all the host wants to do is stand outside and count stars. Or - bear with me here - or maybe work as a team and help your crew out. In any case, we won't be visiting this location a fourth time. Instead, we're going to patiently wait for the Trenton location to open. We'll see what happens there.

I got the poblano pasta with chicken and it was really good. A Caesar salad and guacamole was also ordered. I also got their jarrito drink which was good tasted more like juice though. Giving them 4 stars because the restroom smelled dirty and we didn’t know the gratuity was included in our check since they don’t show you the receipt before paying so double tipped.

Loved everything about this place. 5star cleanliness, 5 star friendliness, service and food was Delicious and well presented. I celebrated my birthday here and really had the best brunch ever. Staff sung my birthday song beautifully.

Mr. Enrique was an excellent server, very attentive. The music is very beautiful. The food was a great portion and very delicious. Prices are a little above average but the display and amount of food makes it worth it. The strawberry mimosas are delicious. Recommend getting the pitcher. Did not get to taste the pan dulce but it looked amazing!!! Very aesthetic and pretty. Cute place to brunch with some friends or family!