Arre Sinaloa — Restaurant in Union City

Labor of Love!!!...My favorite type of restaurant, where the owner chef was either classically trained at a fine culinary school or maybe not but definitely apprenticed under genius chefs for many years in fine dining establishments in Manhattan, France, Italy and then comes back to their hometown or "adopted" hometown and opens a little restaurant using every penny they have and borrowing from family and close friends. You know this type of restaurant will be successful and gain a cult following. Gonzalo the chef and owner along with his wife have created a warm and inviting place that evokes a feeling of Sinaloa Mexico. I first came about the restaurant travelling down Park ave. when the signage caught my attention...Sinaloan Northern Mexican Cuisine. I pulled over and got out to check out the menu. Instead I got to talk with Gonzalo and the next thing I knew we spent 20 minutes talking about famous chefs he worked with and learned from as well as I knowing these men. The instant comraderie fielded a desire to eat there and tell people about this place. Oddly enough the restaurant is BYO, so Gonzalo said,"Bring fabulous tequilla and I will make you margaritas that will make your eyes roll back in your head. I am a HUGE lover of Mexican food. Being a former editor for a famous restaurant guide in NYC I had the opportunity to dine at some of the City's greatest Mexican restaurants. But living in Northern NJ the Mexican food scene was bleak. In fact it was a downright insult to the sophistication and glory that Mexican cuisine offers. That is until I got to eat at Arre. The menu choices were sublime, mouthwatering and thought provoking. Wow was this going to be a great meal. With the instant friendship we developed, my wife and I were treated like his family. We started with Guacamole a crowd pleaser but with one distinct difference. These choices were way off the beaten path of typical Guac. We chose the Arre Pues which had Queso fresco cheese, black garlic paste and radishes, the individual ingredient tastes came together and created a guac to be catalogued in your mind. We also ordered the Octopus which was prehistoric sized, I mean with restaurants serving tentacles the size of #2 pencils this was endearing and truthfully THE ONLY WAY. Octopus is one of God's greatest creations and probably my favorite food medium....well maybe LOL. But the presentation and the taste which once again is EVERYTHING, made me eat this slow so the dish would seem to last forever. Entrees proved to also invoke one of my favorite conundrums having to choose from sumptuous choices versus having to settle for something you do not really love. Gonzalo knows how to create flavors whether it is Pork(Cochinita de Pibil), Steak, or mouth pleasing Ceviches. I can't wait until I have tried everything on the menu. I have been here twice and wish it was in the town where I live in Northern NJ about 45 minute drive sometimes an hour but it is worth it. We did not have room for dessert but Gonzalo sent us home with warm Churros that sweet fried doughy treat that resembles long ridged fingers.that eradicates any spicy glory....which we want to linger until...

I recently visited Arre Sinaloa and unfortunately had a disappointing experience overall. Regarding the food itself, I'd give it about a 3.5 out of 5. The aguachile was decent but lacked the complexity and depth of flavor I've experienced in Mexico. The guacamole was solid, and the pork dish was satisfactory but not particularly memorable.

My primary issue, however, revolves around their questionable service practices. After waiting approximately 10 minutes without receiving drinks or food, I requested water for our table. Without any clarification or explanation, the server brought out a bottle of Voss water. Given that in nearly every dining experience I've had—especially in Manhattan—servers always explicitly ask if guests prefer bottled or complimentary tap water, I naturally assumed this was standard complimentary water provided by the restaurant.

To my surprise, upon receiving our bill, I noticed a $10 charge for the bottled water. When I politely questioned this unexpected charge, the staff insisted that because we had accepted the bottle, we were obligated to pay for it. I explained clearly that we were not given a choice or informed that this was an additional charge. Rather than doing the right thing and removing the $10 charge from our bill—especially considering our total was already $145—the restaurant chose instead to argue their position and defend the practice. While I understand that the server’s English was somewhat limited (and that's common in Union City), there's still no excuse for not clearly distinguishing complimentary water from a $10 bottle placed on the table.

This approach was genuinely surprising and unprofessional, differing significantly from the attentive and transparent service I've consistently received at restaurants throughout Manhattan. Mistakes or misunderstandings can happen, but how a restaurant handles these situations speaks volumes. Unfortunately, in this case, Arre Sinaloa prioritized charging me $10 over ensuring customer satisfaction and goodwill. Due to this, I cannot recommend...

we’ve come here a couple of times as a rare occasion treat because it is very, very expensive, especially for the area, and also compared to the taco place down the block, flaming burrito. The first two times we came it was tasty, but the food was very small in portions. The service was OK, I would rate it pretty low on the attentive scale. Every time I pass by, it’s usually pretty empty.

When we came in on a particular day, it was completely empty, not a single person inside, we were turned away because we didn’t have a reservation. There was not a single person in the restaurant, so I’m perplexed as to how they couldn’t service us at the time being that it was 100% empty. it was a bit offputting, and we felt kind of dismissed and basically kicked out. We went down the block to flaming burrito and had a wonderful meal, it’s cozier, and the food is less expensive there, and honestly, the portions are significantly larger and more filling. The quality and the quantity is good there, the quantity is not good here though.

as terrible if this might sound, we miss the restaurant they used to be there, it was just a cute little American bistro. Although they failed because of Covid, I really do wish something like that would come back to the neighborhood. There’s already a high volume of Hispanic restaurants, we really don’t...