Downtown Jersey City Bars & Restaurants>>Spanish, Cuban>>Spanish
Ria's Café Rias Cafe
Description - "Family owned and operated serving Spanish Caribbean cuisine (Dominican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican) in the heart of down town Jersey City." Casual dining. Small dining area. Zagat rated. Entrée price range $9-$18.
Menu From AllMenus.com Services - Sandwich, Salad, Entrée, Breakfast, weekend Brunch. Delivery, Catering, BYOB Payment - MasterCard, Visa Hours - (Please confirm) Tue-serving lunch unil 2:30pm, Wed-Sat 11:00am-10:00 pm, Brunch Sat-Sun 10-4:30 Address - 24 Mercer St, Jersey City, New Jersey ( NJ ) 07302 Google Map Mapquest Map Telephone - (201) 915-0045 Updated on 2006-12-12 Correct, change or remove this listing
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not necessarily that of the Kannekt company or its editors. Please read with discretion. Be aware that the editor at his discretion may choose not to publish certain reviews submitted. If this is your listing, to remove or disable reviews, Please contact us
Editor's rating of this review - 5/5
Review - This place is basically a cute version of the various Dominican restaurants found throughout Jersey City. Cozy, looks clean, and has a nice assortment of fashion mags to peruse if you're dining alone. Service was a bit slow b/c there was only waitress. The food is great - actually a bit better than some of the mom & pop joints - but the portions are small for the price. The pernil appetizer was very flavorful but there were only 3 small pieces. The oxtail entree was also good but really overpriced. But, overall, it was all delicious.
Food - 30/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 40/50 (2006-11-15 )
Editor's rating of this review - 4/5
Review - I do a lot of traveling, especially to Puerto Rico and Caribbean destinations. Even though my wife's family makes a wonderful Pork Pernil, Ria's has become my absolute favorite. The meat is delicate and wonderfully seasoned. She cares so much about the preparation that she takes it from just Latin cooking to Latin Cuisine.
Her empanadas are made with the finest Argentinean style chorizo I've ever had. Period. Fresh made dough, meaty chorizo, flash fried to perfection.
You are not going to find coarse, overpowering spices which kill the flavor of the food. This is not Jamaican highly seasoned cooking. Your taste buds will be pleasantly surprised.
As for myself, I visit her restaurant about once every two weeks. We bring our friends and enjoy a good meal in a wonderful environment without breaking the bank. I bring my own wine and enjoy not having to pay the markup. I love it. You will, too.
Food - 50/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 50/50 Reviewed by - www.nextcarrier.com (Adam) (2006-03-22 )
Editor's rating of this review - 4/5
Review - I visited Ria's upon the opening and have since had a department party, rehearsal dinner and birthday celebration there. I can't say enough about the service and food preparation. I am very alert to how the food is presented the cleanliness of the establishment and the consistency of food taste. I am pleased to say that this establishment also holds the qualities I value in dining as key principles to the success of their business. This is a delightful place to dine for Sunday brunch, lunch and dinner.
Food - 45/50 Decor - 50/50 Customer Service - 50/50 Reviewed by - Erika99 (2005-05-26 )
Review - Hello again all. I am a tech consultant here on an assignment in JC. After reading the previous reviews on Ria's I had to go try this place. What a waste of my time!! I mean if you are looking for non-authentic tasting latin food, maybe this is the place for you. On the plus side, it is very nicely decorated, and the staff are very pleasant, so a very nice place to do a Business type lunch.
However, the food was very bland to my taste. I had the Ropa Vieja(shredded beef) white rice black beans. My friend had the Chivo(goat) Yellow rice, red beans. In both cases I found the food to be too bland tasting, not enough sazon to be authentic. On the plus side the serving was of a pretty good size, but too much rice and not as much meat as I am used to at any decent carribean restaurant. Both types of beans were way too watery, and again I hate to say but the flavor was off. For desert, I tried the Pastel Tres Leche, and honestly it was kinda dried out, and sorta tasted like an entemanns cake base. What a shame, because with the decor and atmosphere that they have here, as well as the prices that are charged, the food should really be better.
TIP: If you want to bring a friend who wants to try latin food (Dominican) and tends to enjoy food towards the bland tasting this might be a good Light introduction to the cuisine. When and if their tastes mature, they will leave this place behind except for the memory.
For everybodys benefit I will try this place one more time (everybody and place does deserve a second chance) sometime next week, and I will repost. Maybe today was just an off day.
Food - 20/50 Decor - 45/50 Customer Service - 40/50 Reviewed by - www.nyctechsupport.com (steve) (2004-07-14 )
Review - Went for brunch. Only 1 server working - she tried her best but just was a little too stretched to give great service. Food was delicious! I loved the stuffed french toast and the fritatta was excellent. I can't wait to go back and try their lunch and dinner menu.
Food - 50/50 Decor - 45/50 Customer Service - 25/50 Reviewed by - m. (2004-04-24 )
