Maria’s BBQ — Restaurant in Orange

This restaurant had such great reviews I decided to try it with my gf while we were in the area. Unfortunately now I am suspicious of these reviews. We did not have a great customer experience as the wait staff prioritized spanish speaking patrons. For a sit down restaurant where a tip was expected, we found basic customer service lacking (not being offered water upon being seated, being delivered food with no utensils, waitress skipped us repeatedly when doing her rounds).

The food was also a miss. We separately ordered different empanadas with different fillings and they were delivered on the same plate, and the waitress was unable to differentiate which order was which (chicken vs cheese), forcing us to awkwardly bite into one so we could determine which was which. The meat for the entree was cooked in an overly salty sauce that was difficult to swallow. Really...

Today, I went in to order a combo. The young lady at the front was very nice. Toward the back, you can see the counter where food is being prepared. I noticed a lady stirring food in a large pot. She pulled out what looked like a dumpling and touched it with her bare hands, I assume to check the softness. As I was speaking with the cashier (who was very polite), I saw the same lady put the food back in the pot take the same spoon she was cooking with and taste the juice directly from the pot, to her lips. That’s unsanitary and unacceptable. I said, “Nah, that’s nasty. You can’t do that,” and walked away without ordering. Please be careful, this really happened. I wouldn’t recommend...

Omg what a fantastic place. Yeah, it may look like a small place but let me tell you that the food has gigantic flavor. We shared the mixed Picanho with yellow rice and beans. The meat was juicy, the potatoes were text and I've never had better rice and beans.

Fabulous place and if you live in the Orange, NJ area, they deliver. Check em out. I promise you'll have a fabulous...