Spanish Tavern of Mountainside — Restaurant in Mountainside

I’ve driven by this place several times and always wanted to stop in and try the food. I finally got the chance last night as part of a celebration with my significant other’s family and we were all disappointed with the food.

I will describe what my significant other and I ate, what her mother ate and all of our experience.

We ordered the crab stuffed avocado appetizer to start; however, prior to our appetizer we were served soup. The soup had a very pork/miso flavor which was subtle, yet not really flavorful. Additionally, they should call this a consume and not a soup as you get more liquid than actual food items that would make this a soup.

As for our crab stuffed avocado, the crab was bland as was the avocado; I am talking no taste at all. We could’ve added a little flavor had there been salt and/or pepper on the table; yet, neither was to be found.

My significant other and her mother ordered the Paella Marinera and I ordered the Paella Valencia. Each of us thought the seafood was overcooked, the lobster tail was rubbery, my pork, chorizo, and chicken were all over cooked and dry. Additionally, the rice and entire dish was dry and very, very bland; however, they do give you a generous portion. This paella had to be one of the worst I have ever had in my life.

All-in-all it tasted like this meal, from soup to entree, was premade and kept under warmers. Nothing tasted freshly made.

The only highlight is the meal was the pistachio cheesecake. It was light, flavorful, and not too sweet. This leads me to believe that the cheesecake was not made at the restaurant; but, rather from an outside location.

The atmosphere was okay, nothing special, although they do sing loudly if it is your birthday. And the restaurant is clean. The waitstaff is friendly, and the service and food preparation is fairly quick.

I really wanted to like this restaurant and am being generous with my two star rating.

I did take pictures; however, what is the point of posting pictures of food that looks good but tastes bad.

As my father would say, “the food was bad, but at least it was expensive.”

As a table of six (6) we spent over $390 for bland, overcooked, less than palette pleasing, and dry meals. There are better places to...

I visited Spanish Tavern in Mountainside on Tuesday, March 19th, with my family to celebrate my mother's birthday, and it was an utterly disappointing experience from start to finish. We arrived around 7:15 pm, hopeful for a pleasant evening, but it quickly became a nightmare.

To begin with, my daughter ordered the stuffed lobster, but after just one bite, she found it inedible and returned it to the kitchen. Despite this, her uneaten meal was still included when we received the check. It was only after we pointed out the error that the waiter attempted to rectify it, but by then, it was too late. We had already been waiting for over an hour, enduring poor service and growing frustration.

Adding insult to injury, the waiter had the audacity to offer us the same stuffed lobster my daughter had rejected as if we would suddenly change our minds. It clearly showed disregard for our dining experience and a lack of basic customer service.

Things took a turn for the worse when the female manager intervened. Instead of addressing the situation with empathy and professionalism, she adamantly refused to remove the charge from our bill. Her justification? "We don't just throw food away." This callous remark left us stunned and deeply disappointed.

After insisting that we would not pay for an unsatisfactory meal, the manager reluctantly agreed to remove it from the bill. However, her demeanor remained hostile and unwelcoming throughout the interaction. It was abundantly clear that customer satisfaction was not a priority for her.

Ultimately, we left Spanish Tavern feeling disrespected, undervalued, and utterly disillusioned. The manager's rude and unprofessional behavior tainted what was meant to be a special occasion for my family. Needless to say, we will never set foot in that establishment again.

In conclusion, I strongly advise against dining at Spanish Tavern, Mountainside. The poor service, lack of accountability, and disrespectful treatment of customers make it an establishment that should be avoided at all costs. Save yourself the disappointment and seek out dining...

We booked a Funeral Luncheon for my mother in November with a $200.00 deposit. Sadly the Friday night before the burial, I received a call from my relative informing me that 3 of her family members had covid. We had all been together during the week at the hospital visiting my mother. With this we decided to cancel the luncheon to prevent a spread, which ended happening. Eleven additional members of the family were positive through the entire weekend after burial, including myself, one in the hospital. I called the restaurant right away that Friday night to cancel the luncheon. I was told the $200.00 was not refundable and we could not use it another day. So I asked for the manager or owner. I was given Monica. After she listen to the fact that all I was asking for was that under the circumstances COVID SPREAD, could I use the money for a future dinner? She agreed but it had to be done before 12/31/2021 and I had to come up with the same amount of people we expected at the original luncheon. Our November and December 2021 was nothing but recuperating from this terrible virus. Monica and Spanish Tavern, I have dine so many times at your restaurant and have attended various special occasion invitations. NEVER did I expect that of your restaurant. And again under this difficult unprecedented times we are still experiencing with this VIRUS. My situation was uncontrollable and nothing I did wrong. If I would have continue with that luncheon all I can think is how many additional people would have come out infected including your own staff members and you did not take that in consideration nor did you care. I could have brought my immediate family for dinner there any other time in the next 6 months at least and would have spend easily $1,000.00. Now I can only say that I will never visit your restaurant even for lunch. I believe you could have done much better under the circumstances of my situation. More understandable and more compassionate. And I would not even give you a Star, but it will not let me post...