El Tenampa Mexican Restaurant

The food is great but the people that own it our little miserable and little rude but I still go there because I like their food

Craving Mexican? Stop here! Excellent menu, but pretty pricey (the taco salad is $ 16). That said you get large portions of yummy entrees with sides. It’s also BYOB. The waitstaff is friendly ad fast.

THE most freshest authentic mexican food in a good 35 plus mile radius. The restaurant, though small, and no frills, was warm and inviting. The staff (I assume the owners) were also friendly and nice. At no point was anyone there rude to us.
On to the food… which was absolutely delicious. They serve a nice size bowl of chips and homemade salsa. Both were fresh and delicious. Since this was the first time here we treaded a bit lightly and went with some basics; I had a combo chicken burrito and quesadilla plate with rice and refried beans. it was fantastic. The burrito was not over stuffed with rice or fillers but all perfectly seasoned tender chicken topped with cheese and sauce. The half a quesadilla was just as good. The rice was perfectly cooked, light and fluffy with fresh peas and carrots. Last but not least was the refried beans, again, delicious.
Also ordered was a fajita special with steak and shrimp. Absolutely fantastic.
The food is amazing, well seasoned, fresh and authentic. So glad we stopped here.

This rating is more for the staff than for the food. My husband and I have eaten there many times. The food is always good. The staff runs hot and cold. Denise is friendly and always smiling. The rest of the wait staff, not so much. We went there this past week. My husband and I walked in and there were five tables available. Four were for a seating of four and one looked as if it could sit at least six. A girl walked up to us and said that we would have to wait as no tables for two were available. I asked if we could sit at one of the tables for four. She said no as they were VERY busy. I looked around as there were five tables available. I asked how long the wait would be. She said she wasn’t sure. When I told her we were not going to wait, she looked completely shocked. We went to Tortilleria Rancho Grande instead. That is probably where we should have gone in the first place since it is always excellent and the staff is unbelievably friendly.

Poor service, unfriendly staff. Stale chips and they charge you for them??? The chicken tacos were dry. Guacamole was ok. Tortillaria Nacho Grande is a Mexican spot near by that is outstanding. I stick to them.

This is the best Mexican food in the Ocean County area. Great price, great atmosphere.
Among the best in NJ!

LOVE THIS PLACE… The food is DELICIOUS & FRESH but the SERVICE IS CRAPPY & the lady or the owner is VERY RUDE. Yes, you do feel like you’re disturbing them by walking in.
It is overpriced and everything is extra charge.
All the family n friends that we’ve taken so far loved it so Would love to make this my go to place but can’t stand the lady with her rude attitude.

Ordered many things over the years and its by far the best authentic mexican food in the area!!! The burritos are to die for!

For our first experience here, we will definitely be ordering food from here again (but from take out). The atmosphere was quite, dim lighting, and fun. The food is DELICIOUS!
When we first walked in, we were not greeted in a friendly manner. Almost like we were bothering the woman. We were brought out a basket of chips and salsa, which was delicious! We browsed the menu, which had so much to choose from! Our food came out quickly. I’m glad we drank our drinks slowly, because no one ever came back to see if we needed anything until we were done and they were ready for us to pay.

My wife and I have been coming to El Tenampa in Manahawkin, NJ once or twice a month for the past five years. We’ve also introduced family and friends to the place. We have never been disappointed and therefore, needless to say, we like it very much. Here’s why.
First, ET is clean, cheerfully decorated and efficiently run (no long waits for service or food). Second, the wait staff is attentive and helpful. Third, the menu is well constructed, covering the basics like enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, tamales, etc., but also providing a nice selection of seafood dishes (this is the Jersey Shore, after all!) and creative daily specials. Fourth — and most importantly — the food is fresh, flavorful, authentic and well prepared.
Here are a few of our favorites: sopa campesina (vegetable soup with beef and shrimp), chicken mole (made with real Mexican chocolate), carne asada, and ALL the postres (desserts).
Prices are reasonable (~$ 30 per person for an appetizer, entrée and dessert) and it is BYOB so you won’t drop a lot of mullah on drinks.
Bottom line, ET is – hands down — the best Mexican restaurant in the LBI /​Manahawkin area.

Authentic, fresh food (and we have traveled to Mexico) — definitely best in area. We have been coming every month — always great meal and service is fine. Never slow — always appropriate. I don’t expect wait staff to walk around smiling and overly gregarious — for those criticizing staff, consider cultural differences and language. Owner appears to take her job very seriously — all very hard working so cut them a break!
Plus bonus of live Spanish music! Kids enjoy, too.

Came in for lunch. Had not been here for a while. It’s very dark inside. Mom ordered the salad, seen bigger side salads at diners. The «dressing» was barely evident. The chicken on it was dry and tasteless. I ordered the burrito bene Vida something. It was a spinach wrap, sorry, no real tortillas here, filled with left over bits. It was small so that meant I had to try to saw through layers of that spinach wrap just to get a bite. The worst insult was the «sauce»! It was canned spaghetti sauce, some jalapeño juice thrown in for a bit of heat. What a waste of time and money. We left hungry.

Yes, the staff is very rude. The chips were stale, and they charge you $ 3 to get them! No way would I ever come back.

The best Mexican food around. Used to go to their location in Brick all the time, but since it closed we go here and the one in Toms River. We make it a date night occasionally and bring our own wine. Best Ceviche!

Been here 5 – 6 times. The place is a strip-​mall hole in the wall and the service sucks, but the food is good authentic Mexican eats. I can’t seem to get off the one dish. Enchiladas Tricolor. It’s 3 enchiladas. One chicken. One beef. One cheese. I get it every time I go. It’s delicious. Wifey always tries something different, so I always try some of what she orders and it’s been tasty as well. They give you complimentary fresh chips and salsa at your table, like many restaurants. The salsa tasted nice and fresh on all visits.
I give it 4 stars for the great food. It’s our go-​to when we’re craving Mexican.

I gave it two stars only because the food was pretty good but the staff here is rude and not helpful at all. I asked a question of a woman that I think was the owner and she looked at me like I was bothering her. I love Mexican food and I have been tempted to go back but why should I spend my money in a place that treats their customers with such a bad attitude. So I am still looking for a good Mexican place in the Manahawkin area.

This location in New Jersey has very few Mexican restaurants to visit while traveling to LBI. It’s personally one of my favorite spots for consistently GREAT food. It’s actually real Mexican food, not the Lex Mex stuff most places serve you. The chips and salsa are very good, which is always a great way to start off your dining experience. Mexican food is hands down our favorite, if we could eat it every day we would. I have not had a bad meal here, and have probably eaten here close to 50 times total. I feel the people that complain about the food here are better off eating at a Taco Bell. The Tri Color Enchiladas is one of my favorites on the menu. I would recommend eating here. Also very reasonable prices.
Keep in mind you can bring your own beer or wine.

Staff is very rude and not very helpful.

This place serves up some delicious and mostly-​authentic Mexican food (there are some «Americaned» menu items, but they are in the minority). The chips and salsa that you get when you first sit down are just about perfect.
I had 2 tacos which came with sides of rice and refried beans. No complaints. I preferred the pork taco over the chorizo taco, but both were good. The rice was fantastic. I’m generally not a fan of refried beans, and didn’t know the beans that came with my order were of the refried variety, but even I thought they were pretty good.
My friends had the chimichangas and they had nothing but good things to say about each of theirs.
As has been mentioned before, the service isn’t the greatest. A bit slow at times and kind of dull and un-​cheerful. Don’t ask to split up the checks or everyone will end up confused (they still just gave us 1 receipt except with 6 different totals written on it). However, the food more than makes up for the less-​than-​perfect service.

Real Mexican food no processed crap !
Endless chips n fresh homemade salsa !
Carne Asada… the best!