Dunellen BBQ — Restaurant in Dunellen

A local favorite in Dunellen. This Portuguese barbecue restaurant is a very simple establishment. A good portion of their business is takeout and they do have a single table with chairs if you like to eat your meal watching them cook your food. They do offer a back room dining area. Simple decor with music and a tv screen. Service staff was friendly and attentive. We elected the shrimp in garlic sauce, a medium salad, barbecue half chicken, pork ribs and beef short ribs. Our garlic shrimp had a darker sauce that I never seen before. Typically is yellow with a hint of red from the various ingredients. Since they do not serve bread you have to request it. You always need bread to dip in the garlic sauce. The salad and entree came halfway eating our appetizer. The salad was a hit. A medium was enough for 3 maybe 4. All very fresh with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers. Onions, olives and carrots. The main entree was huge and dressed with piri-piri. Although, I like it, best to ask if we wanted on the side. Chicken was very good. The pork ribs were not trimmed. The flap, bone, etc was still there. These were not St. Louis style. Some may like it. I prefer them neat, since the cartilage serves no purpose except for those individuals who like to bite into it. Otherwise they could have them trimmed and made into sparerib bites. Our beef was cooked to the requested medium rare. Unfortunately 2 of the 3 short ribs were very fatty. The dining area was not crowded but we and another couple were eating in this room. They do offer on site parking which helps. Also its byob. Prices were high but, competitive with similar restuarants. Give this...

Ordered food over the phone, was told 20 minutes it would be ready....I arrived 25 minutes later (w/ my 2 children). I was greeted & asked if I had already ordered. I confirmed that I placed an order over the phone & stated the name I placed the order under. I waited another 15 minutes inside the restaurant ....until the entire place was cleared of people waiting for their orders. When I re-approached the 3 people behind the counter, having to ask “How much longer for my order??” Only to find out that MY order was ready & waiting the entire time! When I asked why I was waiting for food that was already ready....I got laughed at by 1 of them, smiled at by the other & shrugged shoulders by the 3 teenagers behind the counter who stood pointing blame at one or the other - instead of simply APOLOGIZING.

I was then pointed to someone who “I could talk to” Well.....I should’ve just stayed at the counter taking the original laughs because the next person, whom I guess is a manager/owner of some sort, did nothing more than say “oh, I’m sorry that happened” then walked behind the counter.....I assume to speak with his employees??????? I really don’t know....

Offering a drink or dessert or hmm, maybe even a discount/refund on the food would’ve gone a very long way with me Sir.....

If the food that I ordered wasn’t for my two children who were hungry & waiting (with me at the restaurant!!!) I would’ve left the order behind.

Dunellen BBQ, obviously you have just lost a customer.....& I visit your restaurant AT LEAST...

Bad, bad, bad experience. This past Monday I ordered food over the phone. My order was big. I paid around $85 dollars. I ordered a tray with chicken and ribs, rice and fries. A second tray with only meat instead of the rice and the ribs I asked to add more meat. I also ordered 12 (very expensive) empanadas and a house salad. I drove about 40 minutes to pick up my food from my house. I don’t care about driving too far to get their food because I thought until Monday I was their dear customer. When I got home I opened the trays to double checked the order and to organized the food for my guests. Yes!!!! I had a party of 10 people.

I was very upset when I saw one little tray with 5 little pieces of meat. Yes. They did not replaced the rice and the fries for more meat. They just simply took out the rice and the fries and they charged me around $18 dollars for this small tiny tray. I was extremely upset because I was not going to have enough food for my party. So, I decided to call the restaurant. Basically the manager did not care about the complaint. He did not even offered me to come and at least get my rice and fries.

I am very disappointed. They over charge for their food. They are taking advantage of us customers. I will never come back to this place. I will report...