Fernando’s Grille

This would have been 4 stars but for the fact that the waiter abandoned us for 10 — 15 minutes after giving us the dessert menu. It almost seemed as if he gave all of his attention to a large group, perhaps regular patrons. Disappointing.
Our food was very good. We started with shared appetizers of Tomato & Mozzarella and PEI Mussels and they were both terrific — the mussels were very good with plenty of bread to soak up the broth.
All of our entrees were served quickly, and hot, with the exception of the Pork Tenderloin. I really wish that all the entrees were served at the same time. In addition to the Pork Tenderloin we enjoyed the Ahi Tuna & Shrimp, Sesame Tilapia & Shrimp and the NY Strip Steak.
The aforementioned desserts consisted of Fresh Berries & Cream and Tiramisu. The berries looked a little beaten up and the cream was over whipped. The Tiramisu was way too sweet and didn’t seem to contain any ladyfingers.
The space is large but ambiance is lacking and the 4 high tops just inside the door seem really out of place. This place might warrant a follow on visit.
BYOB is a plus.

Driving by local area looking for new restaurant to eat dinner & found this 4star rated on Unilocal.Clean, nice décor, tablecloths. Fresh warm bread but would have preferred olive oil with dash of seasoning for dipping vs. tiny scoop of butter. Nice surprise, house salad consisted of spinach vs. no nutrition iceberg. Two pieces of chicken marsala entrée were hard & dry but thank goodness for the great wine & mushroom sauce. Great presentation of Yukon potatoes but they along with string beans/​carrots were room temperature which would have preferred hot. Overall not disappointed, will return.

Just had great dinner at this place. Cozy, comfortable, friendly service & great food. Lunches here are terrific too! Bring your own wine. Off street parking too!

Went last night with our cousins again we had another great meal. Always good food, good service, they can’t do enough to make you comfortable. Even when they are extremely busy. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area. If you go early you have a lot of options on the menus. Regular menu, Early bird menu and specials. BYOB Aa plus.

Nice BYOB restaurant in the East Windsor/​Hightstown area. We had the house salad which was nice and crisp, the mussels appetizer which was super flavorful (I love garlic), and then I went for the pork medallion entrée because I rarely eat pork and it was delicious. Definitely worth trying this place out. There’s a liquor store down the block headed towards Home Depot if you forget your booze!

Great filet, pretty good service. Worth a stop for a meal!
I did return an hour and a half another day and the hostess told me they closed the kitchen because it was a slow night, so beware!

Fernando’s is a nice, quiet place to eat. Tonight I had the seared scallops with the tomato chicken orzo soup as a starter. Both meals were flawlessly executed by Fernando himself. The scallops were perfectly cooked. I’d strongly recommend this establishment for a first date with a lovely bottle of wine.

Excellent food. Loved the salmon. Lost a star for slower than average service. Wait staff was friendly no knock there at all, just on the slower side for a half full place. BYOB was a plus. Definitely returning.

I read a number of negative reviews about this place but decided to come nonetheless since my fiancé and I are new to Hightstown. The service was great– the staff was very friendly and accommodating. We both enjoyed our meals very much. My fiancé was practically licking his plate by the end of the meal– he ordered the pork medallions which came in a chipotle BBQ sauce. I ordered the chicken pesto rigatoni which was absolutely delicious. The broccoli soaked up the pesto broth and I requested sundried tomatoes in lieu of regular tomatoes. Great choice! Each entrée came with your choice of soup or salad. I had the mushroom bisque and it was very good. The bill was very reasonable and we thoroughly enjoyed our first time here. We will definitely be returning!

The most important aspect of any restaurant is its food and Fernando’s definitely didn’t disappoint! Everyone at my table was extremely pleased with all courses. The chilled red pepper soup was both unique and delicious. The mushroom bisque was excellent. The salads were good, including the tomato and mozzarella salade, which didn’t benefit from the mountain of arugula atop the entire thing. Entrees were the strongest category. Seared scallops over spinach and rice with a grilled tomato on the side were perfect; the Panko crusted salmon (a special) was a winner; the blackened Mahi Mahi with Yukon mashed potatoes was outstanding despite the inclusion of a whopping handful of arugula that was a poor substitute for a vegetable side. The limoncello cake for dessert was awesome.
The building appears very old and its interior design is reasonably appealing. Service was attentive with water refills and plate clearings at the right time, and Marcello, the hospitable operator checking on us once or twice. There were a few random hiccups that keep it from me giving it a perfect score. My reservation made the night before wasn’t in order upon arriving, though they accommodated us just fine. The soup and salad courses came lightening fast, setting the meal off on a pace that is far too fast for such a fine dining establishment Fortunately, things were less rushed from the entrée onward. I ordered soup first, then a salad, and a before I ordered the entrée, our server asked if I wanted the salad as an appetizer — I replied affirmatively, since a similar salad was on there as an entrée salad with chicken, and I thought she was asking if I wanted it as an appetizer as opposed to an entrée — I was surprised to get the salad before the soup, and yet another person at my table properly got the soup first.
My biggest peeve is that I was unaware that the restaurant is BYOB. I greatly enjoy BYOB restaurants, but considering that I was visiting from out of town, I had no idea. I did explore the restaurant’s website beforehand, and if the fact that it’s BYOB is mentioned on it, it’s well-​hidden. Typically when I make a reservation for a BYOB establishment, the person taking the reservation advises me accordingly, or at least asks if I’ve dined there before to know if they should advise. I realize that this small town restaurant surely attracts many locals and regulars who know the ropes, but my out-​of-​area telephone area code that was given when making the reservation should have tipped them off. Imagine our surprise when we were asked if we brought wine and when we replied «no,» the wine glasses were quickly cleared. Fortunately, there was a store that sold wine a short drive up the same street, so I was able to duck out and get some.
In advance of visiting the area and staying at one of the several hotels in nearby East Windsor, most who I sought advice from suggested that I’d have to drive 20 – 30 minutes to other towns for a good meal, when in fact, Hightstown was a mere 1 mile away and has both Fernando’s and another appealing fine dining restaurant.

I came in on a weekday and it wasn’t busy. The service is great but the food is very mediocre. I ordered from the fix menu. The salad was not very fresh, entrée and dessert were ok. Nothing particular is memorable

Exceptional Food — My wife and I have been here twice as we are new to the area and plan on comming back many more times. This time we both had Strip Steaks and both were cooked to perfection. My wife loved her Crab Appetizer and the soups are out of this world. The staff are all very friendly and will go above and beyond to make your visit a great one.

They get one star because the food was good, over salted but good. The service was horrible. The maitre d was rude to our party as was the hostess. The waitress after taking 30 minutes to take our order said «did you have a chance to look at the menu?» Uh yes we have it memorized. Our glasses were dirty and they turned the lights on and started stacking chairs while we were still there! It was a 7:30 reservation for which they didn’t seat us until 8 and then started stacking chairs and turning the lights on at 10 pm on a Saturday night. Bizarre place I do not recommend. You can go to so many other places that will give you excellent service and «good» food. To me that’s the fun of going out to dinner.

We love this place! Have been here a number of times and were never disappointed. Tonight we had chicken piccata as well as a shrimp pesto over penne with asparagus, sundried tomatoes, etc. we also had their yummy mushroom soup and had Apple pie for dessert. Good service, good food, nice dining area, what more could you want?

This place is a great restaurant hidden in plain site on the outskirts of Hightstown. The mussel appetizer is a large portion and so good! Hubby had the chicken francaise and he really enjoyed it. One in our group ordered the ahi tuna and was very pleased. Everyone had nothing but praise for this place. Love that it’s a BYOB.

We’ve been here quite a few times over the last couple of years and always look forward to our visit. Mainly because it’s so darned consistent. The food and service is always good. We often go with a large group and you can get a large round table if you reserve it early enough. My only critique is that the menu rarely varies. That may be a plus, because the food is consistently good. But I’d like to see something new and inventive on the specials menu for a change. BTW, it’s BYOB, which is a big plus in my book.

Although the main entrees are very good, we head here for more casual food, ie– mussels for an appetizer and burgers. The other reviews are spot on– service is decent… the décor/​inside is simple, clean, with minimal décor… food is excellent. Crowd leans on the more «mature» side.

Mediocre at best. Food is inconsistent, but edible. The salmon comes highly recommended. The crab cakes, ribs, and chicken franches Is also recommended. The best thing on the menu, however, is the brownie sundae. It’s a warm rich brownie with cold vaniella ice cream. The reason this place is a 3 star rather a 4 star is because of cleanliness. When we arrived, 2 out of the 6 glasses on the table were dirty. Then, when we got our water glasses, it was also dirty. Not sure if I’d come back. Maybe if I was in the area…

Food is consistently good. They would get five stars if service was better. Our waitress, Jessica, rushed us through apps and entrees then disappeared (she’s waited in us before, and always does this). Our water glasses were not refilled. Rushed dinner service and inattentive bus boys are the two things that stop this restaurant from being great. I’ll continue to dine here though as the food really is fantastic. Mushroom bisque is a must!

(Huge note: it is BYOB!)
The food is always delicious here, and the service is always amazing! They are very accommodating.
There are great choices on the regular menu, and their specials aren’t limited to just a couple dishes, they’ll have at least 5 – 7 entrees for specials in addition to the regular menu – which is already plentiful and diverse.
The food itself arrives on time with the rest of your table’s dishes – and always tastes great. I’ve been here 5+ times.
PS. The Mushroom Bisque is delicious :]