El Carretero — Restaurant in North Bergen

I came here for the Restaurant Week dinner that was offered. Made reservations for 6:30pm and there were no problems being seated. Walking in, you are greeted by a woman that takes your coats and/or bags.

Walking further in, you are immediately struck by the breathtaking design. You could really feel the history of the place. Its been around since the late 20's and I almost felt like I traveled back in time to dine with Russian expatriates after a show at Carnegie Hall. I met a lovely woman in the gift shop downstairs who used to go to the Russian Tea Room in the 40's when she was young. I had to ask how it has changed and whether it was for the better. According to her, its even better now despite losing its 40's appeal. Well, that would come with the 21st century territory I'd think.

For $35 for Restaurant Week, you are offered a choice of an appetizer, main course, and dessert. I ordered the borsht, chicken, and cheesecake for dessert. Honestly, the food was missing something. I don't know if this was due to the fact I was there for the price-fixed menu, perhaps it was just because my mothers borsht has the homemade quality you can't beat, either way I wasn't quite as impressed with the food as I was with the atmosphere itself. The portions are quite minuscule. I am used to such heavy portions but it was just the right amount of food after having all 3 courses. The cheesecake was delicious though, I guess you can't really go wrong...

STAY AWAY POOR SERVICE

I have to give this place 1 star because I have no other choice, the reality is that it does not deserve any stars.

The customer service is by far POOR. I've had better service in third world countries with far less resources than this place.

The waitresses behind the counter think they are doing you a favor by being there. They lack customer service. They cant take an order without making many mistakes. My review is not based on one experience but a combination of consistent lack of service an empathy when they fail in general.

For many years I gave business to this place but no more.

This place needs employees that care, owenership needs to look at the entire operation from the most basic task such as taking an order to delivery and presentation.

POOR

VERY POOR

GET NEW STAFF PEOPLE THAT CARE FOR THEIR JOBS...

About a year ago I started to come to this restaurant for their soups which for the most part were delicious. Once in a while I would ask them to change the beef for me because it was too tough & they were very pleasant & would oblige. Recently I placed an order for delivery & the food was horrific!!! My beef soup was in a large container & had 2 huge pieces of potatoes (looked like they were whole potatoes) with another large piece of yuca. When I removed those large vegetable & 3 small pieces of beef I was left with about an 1.5” of broth. I had also ordered an avocado salad & the avocado was terrible parts were overripe & not edible!! I also ordered a grilled chicken sandwich which tasted like burned charcoal. It was like a piece of charred leather no seasoning or taste whatsoever!!! Stay away this place is...