ASU MARE — Restaurant in Freehold Township

Having dined at 5 or so Peruvian restaurants in New Jersey over the last several years, I have finally found the one that satisfies my needs. While other restaurants feature a decent variety of Peruvian dishes, key items are most often missing from their menus. Not so with Asu Mare ... They have them all.

Their Pollo a Brasa is excellent, but it's their huge, and delicious, fried seafood dishes that really stand out for me. Ditto for their ceviches, but be forewarned -- they are very spicy. So order mild or medium if you can't take the heat.

As for the service, it's friendly and efficient. They're genuine people who are eager to please.

While Asu Mare is conveniently located on Route 9 South in Freehold, it's easy to miss this relatively nondescript, small building. So Just trust your GPS and you'll be led right there.

If there are any negatives at Asu Mare, they're small. They tend to bring multiple courses out at once, or in too quick succession. So make sure to ask that your courses be spread out. As for dessert, I was under-impressed with the flan, and disappointed that they did not have tres leches for dessert.

But these are minor quibbles. Go for the down-home and delicious Peruvian specialties, and come with a big appetite because the...

Quaint little place with proper Peruvian food. Chaufa De Pollo, roasted chicken with FRESH CUT FRENCH FRIES!!! Finally fresh cut. The fried rice was delicious and they give you a mountain of it. The 1/2 chicken was the size of a whole chicken and was seasoned perfectly. Tender and juicy The green sauce had a magical taste and enhanced everything we put it on. Had the homemade passion fruit juice And it was delicious and refreshing. Compared to most of the Peruvian places we eat at (which is a lot) this was definitely in our top picks. Cute little place and the gentleman that took our order was very pleasant and served us in a timely manner and got us everything we needed. If your in the area and love Peruvian food it’s a must have. And if you’re wondering what Peruvian food is all about. I suggest a road trip here! Great representation of this...

Very disappointed, mostly because of my expectations after reading reviews, considering I am a big fan of Peruvian food. We were the only table at dinner time on a Thursday. Stuffed potato was reheated, not fresh. Ordered Chaufa (fried rice), which, when done right, oustands the Chinese and Peruvian flavors influence. Rice was not fresh and tamed in flavor. Pale, guess cook forgot to add esencial soy sauce. The chicken milanesa was fine but with a salad drenched in some mayonnaise base unflavored concoction. The French fries were not fried at right temperature, thus absorbed and soaked in frying oil. Overall, hate to write this harsh review, but the intent is only to push them to become better... If you manage to get people in the door, do and try your best to get them...