La China Poblana — Restaurant in East Brunswick Township

The two stars are for their complimentary homemade salsa and chips. Both the green and red salsas were flavorful.

For appetizer, we ordered Nacho cheese (Queso) that came with chips. The cheese had tiny pieces of jalapenos and onions and tasted good.

For Main course, we ordered:

Cheese Empanadas - These empanadas comes with a side of rice, beans and salad but they were stuffed with just 'cheese' and were bland. One bite in and we couldn't eat anymore.

Veg. Quesadilla - Ordered a Veg. Quesadilla with black beans and fresh jalapenos. The veggies were again bland and 'not' sauteed well. Quesadilla was not even grilled properly. Picture shows it all. Disappointed !!

Cheese Enchiladas Verde: Since their verde salsa was really flavorful, we decided to order the cheese quesadilla in verde sauce and once again we were disappointed. The sauce was way too much making the enchiladas really sour.

The portions are good for the price as most dishes came with a side of rice and beans but that doesn't count if the food is not flavorful or cooked well.

Maybe this restaurant is good for meat eaters, but for vegetarians, I do NOT...

La China Poblana is my FAVORITE restaurant for a Mexican meal in NJ, by far! The decor is festive with tributes to Mexico from the floor to (literally) the ceiling. I loved the chairs representing the rich heritage of Mexico (going all the way back to the Aztec civilization). The music goes well, too (classic songs). Menu is diverse - there were some harder to get items like Chalupas and Chimichangas on there.

Complementary chips came with an amazing black bean sauce (and verde); loved it as other restaurants only give verde and rojas salsa. Arroz y Frijoles with the perfect fluffy texture and deep yellow-orange color. Tacos with beef and pork sausage were packed and generous with the avocado. Chalupas pollo - an order came with half a dozen - was light but extra flavorful. Fried tortillas held up without breaking apart and losing its shape. Staff is super attentive - even when the restaurant was closing. I found it comforting, as well, seeing the staff eat the same food that was being served. I'm definitely coming back here to try other items...

Today, I had a very disappointing experience at this establishment. I ordered Birria tacos and a piece of flan. After paying for my order at the restaurant upon picking up my order, the server placed it on top of a fridge not identifying my order contained two separate packages. When I got home, I realized my flan was missing. I called the restaurant and spoke with the owner, Maria. Unfortunately, as I tried to explain my concern, she repeatedly spoke over me and did not allow me to fully explain the issue. Instead of listening and trying to resolve the problem, she insisted the mistake was not her fault or her staff’s. I left the conversation feeling extremely disappointed and dissatisfied with the level of service, especially from the owner. This will be my last time ordering from this restaurant, as I expected to be treated with respect as a customer. For anyone considering visiting, be aware of the unprofessional behavior from both the staff...