El Machetico Colombiano — Restaurant in Lodi

It's sad to say, but this place has taken a hard nose dive in the past year. I had been a customer of this place for many years. The food used to be great. Always fresh and authentic. I had a number of bad experiences this year, but I kept going back hoping that quality would be as it used to be. Tamales are now sold in a vacuum sealed bag which makes them taste like glue and plastic. Empanadas taste like they've been stuffed with leftovers. On my last visit (only a couple of weeks ago), I ordered a chicharron (fried pork skin) and an empanada. For some reason they felt the need to re-fry the chicharron. By the time I got it, it was a scolding hot strap of leather with grease pouches attached to it. Absolutely inedible. Chicharron is greasy by nature but this was so bad that fat was pooling at the bottom of the bag. As if that weren't enough, I ended up having to pay an extra dollar after I had already been charged $4.50 because the cashier "forgot" what it actually costs. Next time I want good Colombian food, I will be taking a one mile trip in the other direction to Noches de Colombia or Arepa express in Passaic where prices and quality are...

I’m reading the reviews and I am in complete shock. I started coming here about a month ago and the owner told me she started around the same time I was coming. I thought I had found my nirvana because I enjoy the fact they don’t put gluten in most of their foods. I have trouble eating my Spanish food because Caribbeans use noodles/ gluten in their food especially soups. It’s a given so when I found out Colombians generally don’t put gluten in what they cook I am very happy. Other than, what one of the gentleman’s said (more potato hardly no beef in empanadas) I have to disagree this is going on… unless they are pulling my leg there’s a new owner as of a month ago and they are very...

Have gone to this place 3 times with today being my 3rd, first time was good everything was the usual as any Colombian spot would be with their basic stuff an empanada and pan de bono, as for the next 2 times , the food was horrible, seemed like the food was heated up again from the night before, I should say the last 2 times I went at 8 in the morning the first time was in the afternoon so I don't know if that contributes to the 3 completely different experiences, but never going back, no Colombian place should mess up the easiest things to make as a Colombian restaurant .last time going to buy breakfast for...