La Esperanza Restaurant & Bar

This bar restraunt is by far one of my favorites. I travel all the way from ac for their gauc n tequila. I have never bet had a bad meal! The staff is amazing! ALWAYS A GOOD Time! A great stop on your way to philly before a concert!

I teach locally and La is the best place to go for a quick margarita and guacamole with a co-​worker at the end of a long day. The bar generally has open seats, the bartenders are friendly, drinks are made quick, tasty and the price is on point. There are not enough good things to say about the amazing guacamole. I could literally eat it everyday forever! As someone who cannot eat spicy food it is refreshing to see a guacamole served without extreme heat.
Highly recommended and worth a trip out of the way!

I’ve yet to find a better Mexican restaurant in NJ. The best thing by far is the steak nachos. The steak is super tender and flavorful, each chip has the perfect amount of topping and they aren’t all stacked up which makes nachos soggy. The drinks are large and strong, but good. Everything on the menu is done well. My only regret is that I do not live closer.

Without question the best Mexican food in the area. I’ve tried at least half the menu and everything is amazing. Enchiladas and Chile Relleno are personal favorites.

Good authentic Mexican food. The salsa you get with chips is superb. Adding a bowl of homemade Guacamole is highly recommended. They offer huge, filling burritos that are quite delicious. The atmosphere is cozy and you definitely feel like you’re in a Mexican place. They play Mexican music over the radio which adds to the experience. A great place to check out if you’re in the mood for some Mexican!

Reasonable prices, fresh food, quick service. We went to celebrate for daughter’s birthday and enjoyed everything that we ordered. Now we just have to go back.

Another bad experience. The waitress «Norma» placed our check on the table and returned 5 minutes later. When we told her we hadn’t looked at the bill yet, she told us «we need your table»
Sooooo rude. Never going back.

Been here a few times. Food is of good quality and the portions are big. Had a co worker stop here once and said the burrito that he had was the best he’s ever had. No complaints here.

Great food. TheFat Alex steak burrito was great. The salas was good. The staff was veey friend and nice. I would come back to come to this place again.

I’ve been eating at La Esp for somewhere in the area of a decade at this point and most of my experiences here have been positive. We have celebrated birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and even got catering for our engagement party. I have seen their reputation, and restaurant grow over the years and can say for sure that they are much busier than they used to be and do their best to keep up. While they may have been tucked away and lesser known in the past, they are by no means a secret any longer and this is evidenced by wait times especially on weekend nights. Recently, service has been their low point but I believe it is due to them trying to keep up with demand.
I don’t like recommending La Esp to people because for some reason it is totally polarizing. The only reason I am really taking the time to write this review is because I noticed so many people commenting on the «bland» food and then noting that they ordered fajitas, a burrito, or tacos. Are you guys serious? There are so many other items on the menu that show off unique, creative, and interesting flavors. Full disclosure, I have never ordered the fajitas and the only tacos I order are Al Pastor with onions and cilantro so I can’t really say for sure, but why don’t you try ordering something a little less safe before making your judgment? If you haven’t gotten the hint yet, fajitas are amateur hour. Try something new that you can’t get a white-​washed version of at Chili’s. My recommendations are, in no particular order, enchiladas verdes, bistec ranchero, tacos al pastor w/​onions and cilantro, and camarones ajillo (sp?). Also, ask for the pinto beans with your meal as they are healthier and more tasty than the black beans. I love their guacamole and have no problem taking the 7 seconds to salt it myself.
If you really want to see the best they have to offer, go for brunch on the weekend and ruin your life with an El Infarto, or Fat Alex mananero.

Not a fan overall. I am not sure how this restaurant is consistently rated in the magazines as the best Mexican in the area. It is just average.
The service was extremely slow; I wasn’t wowed by the food. I enjoy La Forgata in Berlin much better. The portion sizes are large, but where’s the flavor? Many of my dishes needed salt. I shouldn’t have to salt my food so much to get it to the flavor where I want it.
Overall, I would drive here again to eat. It’s not the worse I’ve had, but there is Mexican closer to me that is 10x better.

Hello Darlings! Time for a review of La Esperanza! (Yo Jonathan… what’s shakin’?)
Come hungry, because you will go home (or wherever) full. Portion sizes are substantial. Food quality is awesome: fresh and delicious. Though I’m not an «expert» on all things Mexican, you can tell that it’s authentic. We had the combination fajitas (chicken, steak, shrimp). Served with rice and beans. Very good. Heads up: they don’t perform the tail-​ectomy which means that you will have to it with your own two little hands. But don’t let that put you off, it’s worth the effort. You can do it!
Umm…what else… oh yeah, the service: no complaints here. They were attentive without being annoying. For a Saturday night, we were seated very quickly. They text you when your table is ready. The wait for the food seemed to take a bit, but that’s not an issue since the food is great, and therefore worth the wait.
Check it out… we definitely plan to come back!

Any diners who enjoy huge portions, great food, reasonable prices and prefer to patronize family owned businesses will be a fan of this restaurant.
I liked the casual south of the border décor upon entering. And the lunch menu offered a wide range of choices, most under $ 10. The dinner menu is more varied and will be my goal for the next visit here. They have a cute bar and daily drink specials, $ 5 for a top shelf margarita was too good of a deal for me to pass up. On this visit it was the Liquorita which showcases 2 tequilas and a generous amount of triple sec, strong but delicious.
My gf is a veteran here and always gets the fat Alex burrito. The name is an understatement, obese Alex would be a better fit. This can easily feed 2 or more if apps are ordered. I tasted it and I liked, I would request extra sour cream and salsa on the side if it was my entrée. My choice of enchiladas in a mole sauce was good, but the mole was a bit too sweet for my taste. I will try something else on our next trip. Most dishes come with ample servings of rice and black beans. Both were good, and I was grateful that the beans were not over salted as is sometimes the case. We started with an app of guacamole that was very good, again a huge serving, probably better for more than 2 diners, but we killed it none the less.
For anyone reading this before October 2, la Esperanza is one of several spots participating in a restaurant week. $ 25 gets you 4 very interesting courses. I am so tempted to go back to try it, alas I still have leftovers from my lunch, as does the gf. 3.75 Jelps

Went on a busy night. Couldn’t get a table and had to eat at the bar. Got the 3 taco meal with chicken. Was really good. The margarita was great. We ordered the guacamole and the waiter told us it was good but never brought it to us. If we had been at a table I think the service would have been better, but at the bar the two guys were overwhelmed.
Over all I really liked it, would like to try it again on a slow night and get table service.

The guac. It’s the must of musts. If you don’t get, and love, this guac every time, and come here just for this guac, then I have no words for you. My sexy girl makes this pic better tho. Don’t be distracted

I don’t think I have ever had a bad experience here. This is hands down our most favorite authentic Mexican restaurant. The food is always cooked to perfection, but the best part is the GUACAMOLE! Literally the best I’ve ever had. Always fresh and they give you a TON, which we usually have to take home. Margaritas are on point, made right, nice & strong. Staff is always friendly and willing to explain if you need to visualize a dish. Sometimes it is a little tight and you feel close to who you’re sitting around depending on where your table is, but everyone is so friendly and having a good time that you don’t really notice.
We also love coming here on Cinco de Mayo for the huge party and outside bars under the tent for the night. Always a great party & a good time. I recommend anyone who asks about Mexican to go here and everyone has loved it!

My husband and I love going here. It’s our favorite restaurant for authentic Mexican. Some of our favorites include the steak fajitas, Fat Alex burrito and steak tacos. Their plantains are delicious as well. They typically have different drink specials each night. I really enjoy the atmosphere. It can get crowded so the best time to go is for a late lunch/​early dinner. You get a ton of food for your money. Staff is always pleasant and accommodating. Great place to go if you’re really hungry and craving some yummy Mexican food.

I have lived near this place twice in the past 5 years and have no clue why I never tried it! This place is by far the best mexican restaurant in the area. I recently had a bad experience at another place near by and almost gave up finding a Mexican restaurant in the area.
The tamales are incredible, guacamole came out in a huge lava bowl, and the mole sauce on the enchiladas was perfect. I have gone to some high end places in philly where I typically stick to mole dishes and this was the best for ½ the price. Very traditional with the corn tortillas and I am looking forward to trying the tacos carnitas next time I go.
The staff was also very nice and friendly. Prices were good for the quality and amount of food.

Disappointing. Place was packed so expectations were high. Salsa was watered down and guac was very flat. Not much more than avocado purée. A pet peeve of mine bc it’s so easy to do right.
Pipian sauce was more heat than anything else. Carne asada was cooked perfectly and flavorful, but was very tough. I know it’s not supposed to be the most tender cut, but a large part of it was inedible.
Beans had a very strange «menthol» taste to them. It was unpleasant.
Staff was nice and décor was what you would expect.

What a wonderful place to eat. I’ve been many times. It’s always pretty busy on the weekends but you can have a drink at the bar and wait. They have drink specials even on Saturdays so always ask. The place is family owned and everyone is very friendly. Food is great.