Mamajuana Cafe – Paterson
“The jack punch and mojito are so good, the bartenders do not skimp on the amount of liquor they put into it.”
“I've ordered the Puerquito twice and had portions so huge I brought home enough for two more hefty lunches.”
“Also tried the surf and turf and passion fruit tres leche cake.”
Mamajuana Cafe – Paterson
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Good For Dancing: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
3 reviews
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Well first of all I should note that I was using a groupon deal here or I might not have tried it since the prices are quite high for the entrees.
Anyways, we went on a weeknight around 7pm and it was not busy at all. The service could have definitely been a bit better due to the lack of customers. I did like the style and atmosphere of the restaurant even though it's right off the highway it has a nice outside seating area and big windows.
For the appetizer I had the chicharones. It was decent and the sauces were not bad, especially the aioli. The chicken could have been a bit crispier or less chewy maybe?
For the drink I had a delicious mamajuana mojito. I loved the tamarind flavor and it wasn't too sweet. Then for the entree I had the salmon dish. It was very good! The plantains were sweet but went with the salmon well. I would have liked more brussels sprouts as there were only 3 but the portion was still big, I had to take half home. I would definitely be interested in trying some of their other dishes.
It does take a long time to get the food so it's probably not a good idea to go if you don't have a lot of time or if it's a busy night.
Some of the reviews are a bit harsh however this was not a perfect visit either. The surrounding area doesn't match the restaurant especially when you are inside. Very spacious with bar and outdoor seating which makes for a great setting. The waitstaff are all very nice too. The appetizer we got was chicharones De pollo. Chicken with a lemon flavoring and 2 sauces. One of the sauces was great the other was just ok but the best part was it was plentiful in the amount we got, not too frequent with appetizers.
The food took a bit long to come out. I got the Puerquito which I now know is meant for 2 people on its own. It was a roast pork entree which was very tasty but a bit dry and no kind of sauce to go with it was just a hunk of pork with some seasoning on top. So that's passable but boring. Why not ask for sauce you ask? Well it appeared our waiter was the only one serving maybe 4 or more other tables so we pretty much never saw him again. The salmon I tasted was ok and the drinks were not bad but nothing made me leap from my chair either. I'd say this place is definitely ok not terrible but not great so a visit should get you something in between.
Pleasantly surprised by this place. While it's nothing to rave about, I was shocked by the clean and inviting interior, despite the fact that it's right in the heart in one of the worst towns in NJ. Still, they had great drinks, a nice staff, decent prices and an overall comfortable ambiance.
My only complaint is that we had an awfully long wait time to sit down at a table despite our reservations! They were nice enough to let us sit on any empty table chairs that weren't being used, but still! We had a big party that was waiting on that table.
Other than that, everything was fine. The music was great in the beginning of the night, but then transitioned to ONLY Spanish music. Even though I'm Puerto Rican myself, I still found this irritating and repetitive. Nice weekend hangout spot overall!