Salsa Latina

I went here for the first time for lunch today and it was delicious. The tostones with shrimp appetizer and the potato balls were great. The staff was also super friendly. Definitely going back.

The food here I’d delish, and the customer service is friendly. All your entrees come with rice, beans, and sweet plantains… Excluding the trifongo

There are very few places where you can have authentic criolla food… I along with family celebrated two birthdays and Mother’s Day at this establishment. The food was very good and varied selection of dishes that reminds me of my Puerto Rico. Some of the dishes reminded me of my great-​grandmother, others reminded me of my mother’s cooking, they both had different Ways of presenting their cuisine. The fried food is very good but you can’t eat this every day when it comes to good heart health, but it doesn’t hurt to celebrate now and then. They don’t have a liquor license so bring your own wine or beer, liquor is prohibited. Try the rice dishes, their fish dishes the vegetable dishes you can’t miss… visit the hallway toward the bathrooms. Decorated with fine Puerto Rican prints and posters and, highway signs with local towns– my father’s town was prominent in the front of the hallway… Made me proud. Worth more than three visits but sparingly, overall at the delight.

Had a private event here for a international nonprofit organization. All the guest were impressed with the service and quality of the food. Some of the guest even took home the bread because it was so good. The food was brought out as scheduled and the entire event when on without a hitch. Kudos to everyone at Salsa Latina. We will definitely hold an event here again!!!

Food coma. Service a little slow but our apps and entrees were on point. Casual atmosphere and a bit noisy being that seating is a bit tight and im. not Jack Lalane lol but a must try for sure and its byob so come and eat drink and be merry

Love the food however staff is unprofessional, they need to take a customer service course and learn how to speak to customers. Be friendly!!!
Should be accommodating which they are NOT.
Service is SUPER slow. And there is no waiting area.
Very disappointing.

I had a great time here after a horribly disappointing experience at Lala’s food truck a few hours earlier. The ambiance at Salsa Latina is great, its nicely decorated. We were seated quickly and in light of some other Unilocal reviews about the spotty service, we ordered our drinks and food all at once :-).
The food came quickly and it was beautifully presented, with huge portions! Everything tasted great. I especially loved the onion/​garlic sauce that came with our entrees. I will say the only drawback was there was only one bathroom but it was ok because the restaurant wasn’t too crowded. This is my new go-​to place for Puerto Rico cuisine!

Food was good but service was horrible. It was my first time here and I read mixed reviews but decided to try anyway. I was given the wrong dish and my waitress was nowhere to be found. I asked another waitress and she ignored me. I went to the front desk and the lady said she will take care of it. I waited another ten minutes and spoke to another guy who finally got my correct dish. Then when it came time to pay, I couldn’t find my waitress again. I went to the front desk to ask for the check and she told me I had to wait for my waitress to come. So I waited another ten minutes for my check. They did give me a discount on the bill without me asking. Probably because they knew I was frustrated.

Food is always on point, and the portions leave me satisfied. My want for good Spanish food is always met.

We did take out and I gotta say I can’t complain the steak was great, the rice and beans perfect, the fried chicken was delicious also. I will be going back and I recommend u do as well.

Humbug! The Christmas spirit did not bless the management of Salsa Latina. I’ve been a customer of theirs for years however this is coming to an end. Our friends who live nearby got us a gift card a year and half ago. We finally got around to going recently after many major life events in the last 18 months.
We made reservations for our party of four and were seated promptly upon arrival. Wine was opened, orders were taken, everything was on the up and up other than them being out of one menu item. We had to ask a couple of times for our sangria mix, but we eventually got it. Food came out and it was good — though not as great as we remember, but ¾ of the group cleaned their plates.
Then it comes time to pay. We have our gift card and a credit card for the remaining balance. The server informed us they no longer take their own gift cards because they no longer have that gift card system. She said they hadn’t had it for 3 or 4 years. We told her the cards were only a year and a half old. She then said she would speak to her manager and we also asked to speak to the manager. The server returned and said they wouldn’t take the gift card because they have no way of knowing what was on the gift card. We showed them the holder it came in which listed the amount. They still didn’t want to take it and blamed us for not coming to the restaurant for a year and a half (even though we live 40 minutes away!). I asked for my credit card back since I did not trust these people with it, told the server I’m giving her the cash for the balance of the meal minus the value of the gift card and also gave her a tip, despite her acting as an agent of the poor management of this place and got up and left.
Four and a half years ago we also had a poor experience with the management when I had made a reservation for a large group and even left a good faith deposit when asked. Then the day before they called me and wanted me to give a set menu for my group. I told them that wasn’t part of the initial agreement and we had people coming who had different dietary preferences and some of whom never had Puerto Rican food before. Ultimately, in both cases I got what I wanted but not without major headaches and arguments.
It pains me to leave such a negative review as we have had some excellent food there over the years and I love the island of Puerto Rico and am a Spanish speaker, but the horrible management has ruined the experience. Try Surrender Café in Woodbridge for good Puerto Rican food without the hassle.

I have been going to this restaurant for the past 5 years. it’s so sad that the service and food quality has diminished so in the past year. I went this Saturday nite. 13 tables in The entire restaurant and it took our very unhappy waiter 20 minutes to take our drink order and another 15 minutes to bring us bread. (He really wasn’t in a good mood) I ordered the Pernil which was 60% fat and the sweet plantains were hard and unsweet. my girl ordered the churasco steak. Hers was good. But all in all the experience of this restaurant has gone down immensely. I’m waiting to see what happens. Like so many Caribbean Hispanic restaurants it’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when !!

The food is not bad, they do give you a lot of it! The prices though are high for a little hole in the wall! Still thinking if I would go back!

This place is a hidden gem in Matawan. I can honestly say that i have been here ten or more times and i have never had a bad meal! I have tried a variety of menu items including Empanadas, pollo guisado, carne frita, mofogo, sancocho, pernil, the churrasco all were equally delicious! Its BYOB and theres a liquor store right next door. Beware of going late on Saturdays) i learned that the hard way) they typically have bands and musicians come in for live music and if you dont make early reservations i’d hate to say it but your beat! Other then that enjoy

It’s very, very hard to find good PR food here in NJ, but this place really gets it. Their alcapurrias de yuca are to die for, their ropa vieja is flavorful and filling and anytime we’ve gone it has been consistently good. The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars from me is because on a number of occasions (at least three times), my wife and I have tried to go and they were closing early.
If you’re not sure about it, order takeout. I think they may actually give you a little more food. It’s roughly the same as ordering form a Chinese place and everything is made fresh.

First time here with my wife. Food was great. Is BYOB!!! Service was great but for the amount of people that were there with us I think it could’ve been better
Nevertheless great restaurant. I’m definitely going back with my wife!

Came to this BYOB Friday night, and it was busy! Service was slow, and food was decent. Enough portions to bring home.
Trifongo: dry and lackluster. Maybe I just do not like trifongo.
Churrasco: OK
Ropa Vieja: OK
Carne guisada: best meal of the the three, I would order again
Nice ambiance and hearty sides (rice and beans).

A– grade: nice looking restaurant, very nice ambience with the feeling of a Caribbean atmosphere.
A –grade: very tasty food, we had the pernil as well as the empanadas and papa rellena… You must try the steak, which is nicely fitted with the side orders of rice beans and sweet plantains.
A — grade: very very nice service; waiters and waitresses were ver attentive and lovely to speak with. Only problem is the slow kitchen service but should not be taken upon their waiting services.
Recommend for a first time Puerto Rican dinner experience or nice friends and family gathering.
Also bring your own wine. They offer wine service.
Nice hidden jewel in Matawan, NJ.

I came here on a busy Saturday night. We made it in just in time to find a table for 2. This place is not for you if you’re into a quiet dinner. It’s a very loud atmosphere. It’s BYOB and the liquor store is in the same shopping plaza two stores over.
Once we made it to our table our waitress eventually made her way over. She brought us glasses for our sangria but no ice. She asked if we wanted ice and ice water with lemon. That never came at first. I made the mistake and didn’t order an appetizer because our food took forever to come out. I can appreciate fresh food, so I can deal with waiting. Our waitress never came over to see if we needed anything, my sangria got warm. The waitress was too busy worrying about her bigger tables, I guess bigger tables, bigger tip. If you have the party of 6 or more, your tip will be guaranteed. I would make sure to take care of your smaller tables better. Once the food finally came out the service got better. They finally got me the ice I need and water with lemon. I can see another table of across from me also got the same type of service.
The food was delicious and my streak was well prepared. My Mofango was great up until the point I took a spoon full of garlic. It was such a horrible feeling. I paid for it the next morning and through out the middle of the night. I don’t think they mixed it well.
Overall, not bad, service could have been better. Food was almost 100% spot on. I’ll try again but not right away.

Well, this was just a pleasant, pleasant surprise. We have great friends in Matawan who I love to visit for the mere fact that we always go to a spot in Central Jersey where I get to eat heavy and drink way too much. Fun, right?
Note: you may gain 10 lbs from the caloric intake and sodium levels while eating here, but if you don’t mind, keep reading.
Enter in Salsa Latina. We called for a reservation for a Friday night and I suggest you do too, this place is popular. The food is real good, it’s BYOB, the ambiance is festive, the service great and the price is right on the money.
They start you off with complimentary garlic bread and if you are looking to indulge, which I always am, order the quattro appetizer. You won’t regret this. You may even thank me while eating said apps: «That Stephanie Y chick from Unilocal really hooked us up.» You’re welcome. Filled with fried delicacies, this app was delicious although I wasn’t a fan of the fried meat, I was a fan of the light and perfect empanada’s as well as the giant papa relleno. I usually shy aways from those potato balls, oh but not these.
For my entrée I: ahem: split with a friend. She weighs a buck o’ five, so I literally ate both and I have to say there was a clear winner. The spicy shrimp were decent, but I mean that churrasco was seriously a delicious steak. That chimichurri sauce needs to be bottled and sold to me ASAP. The steak was huge and it came with beans and rice. I thought it to be the clear winner of the evening.
The others at the table had only wonderful things to say about their respective meals.
You can bet that this spot is staying in the Matawan rotation for many a year to come. Great food, a ton of it all at a great price? Sounds good to me!

Para empezar el mejor restaurant de comida boricua! el arroz unico, las habichuelas saben ahumadas como hechas en leña! El pollo en fricase unico! los pasteles igualiyos a los de mi mama! el pan con ajo igual del que encuentras en el corazon del seis en aguadilla! le doy cinco estrellas!