Joey’s Peruvian Cuisine & Grill

“The order was $16 in total to get delivery but the leftovers will be wonderful as well.”

“Salchi papa was really good, El pollo la brasa was good, over all solid food place.”

“We ordered, sat down in this stark little place, and were amazed at the traffic the place had.”

Joey’s Peruvian Cuisine & Grill

Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes

Price range.

$ Price range Under $10

1 review

  1. I don't care how good the food at any place is if they show possibly biased and racist treatment based on ethnicity and age, as it seemed to be the case when we tried to dine in.

    Based on the Yelp reviews we decided to try out this place, a hole-in-the-wall with two tables indoors and outdoor benches (no tables). When we went in both tables were filled. We were the only ones waiting for our food.

    One of the tables got up and left. My husband went to sit at the table and was told that he "can't sit there" because there is another group of people coming in and they need the table. Again, this isn't a formal restaurant – a hole in the wall that had first-come first-served seating when we first came in, but apparently became "reservations only" when we wanted a seat. There wasn't any "no reservations" sign on the table. There is no host, no wait staff. If you saw the place and I told you one needed reservations to eat there, you'd laugh, that's how far from a formal restaurant this place is.

    While we were standing around an empty table, another duo came in, also English-speaking. They were also told they could not sit inside and needed to sit outside on the bench in forty-degree weather.

    In the meantime, a nice, Spanish-speaking lady came in with her daughter and older mother. By then, the other table had cleared. The owner, instead of allowing us to sit at the other table (we are still standing, waiting for the food), told the lady she could have that table. That lady was nice enough to advocate on my behalf as I had told her our conversation with the owner (even she couldn't seem to make heads and ends of what happened), and through her the owner conceded that we could sit and eat at the original table until that party arrives. By the way, I was sure she didn't have 'reservation' because when she first came in, she asked me why I was standing instead of sitting at an empty table since she wanted a place for her mother to sit, and I told her about the mystifying instructions of the owner.

    So my husband and I are eating and a group of three Hispanic men came in. No one came to the table to tell us that this is the group of individuals that the owner was talking about. Apparently they decided that they didn't want to wait for us to clear out (again, we didn't even know they were waiting) and left.

    After they left the owner had the gall to look at us over the service counter and start blaming us for making him "lose business", and then went on to berate us for not clearing the table because the group of 3 were the ones that were supposed to sit at the table (again, NEVER TOLD US!) and basically admonished us like we were his grandchildren. In public. In his own restaurant. While he was on the phone with another customer!

    So I got up, told him calmly but clearly that I did not appreciate him taking out his anger on us in public, that I did not appreciate biased treatment based on ethnicity, and that I am not coming back. My hubby, God bless him, kept his anger in check. We cleaned up after ourselves and left.

    If you have tolerated my narrative up to this point in hopes I will mention the food, I will: it was ok and overpriced. It took half an hour for them to cut up half a rotisserie chicken and a thin piece of beef with overdone eggs. For a combo family meal (see pics), you pay $19, a price they seemed to have discreetly increased from $17 based on the abundantly clear labeling. For that price, you get much better portions and quality, as well as equal treatment regardless whether or not you're Hispanic, at Pollos Pucalor or any other Pervuian restaurants around Paterson.

    I feel badly for the rest of the staff, but if your front line/owner/manager shows such biased treatment and then actually BERATES customers for not complying with his preferential accommodations, I don't think this place deserves anyone's loyal patronage.

    I would think that equal treatment and basic politeness is a given at any restaurant. Apparently at Joey's, that's too much to ask.

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Union Boulevard 344
Totowa 07512 NJ US
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Monday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Tuesday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Wednesday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Thursday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Friday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Saturday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm