The person who attends has terrible attention and service. They shouldn't have employees with such poor attention. He was a Hispanic man who seemed to have an Argentinian accent.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
carlos mejia
excellent service
therealmeltam
I like to keep a list of bookmarks on the ready. That way, if I ever happen to be in a certain neighborhood/have a specific craving, I can pull out that list. This was one of those times. I was running some errands nearby and I also had a craving for a Cuban sammie. My list showed me that El Artesano was one of the restaurants I wanted to try. Hubby and I stopped in on the Sunday of President’s Day Weekend at around 11 am. The restaurant is set up kind of like a diner. They have diner-style counter seating, and they also have two dining rooms. It was packed at that time but luckily, we only waited 5 minutes for a table. They have different specials each day of the week and one of the offerings on Sundays are Ajiaco Criollo, which is a Cuban-style stew. This one had potatoes, sweet potato (or maybe some kind of squash?), plantains, and super tender pieces of pork bone meat. It tasted more like a soup than it did a stew, but it was still delicious nonetheless. I ended up dipping my Cuban sammie in the stew, which sounds weird but don’t knock until you’ve tried it. The Cuban was good but I felt like it could have been a bit toastier/hotter. It seems they pre make the sandwiches in the morning and have them ready to be heated up once ordered. Hubby had his go-to, the masitas (fried pork chunks). It comes with two sides. I don’t really love this dish because the pork tends to be too dry, but he enjoyed it. For drinks, I had a cortadito and he had a fresh orange/carrot juice and both were a great addition to the meal. Tip - parking is a nightmare in that area. I’m not sure if it’s a Sunday thing or an all the time thing. I would recommend parking a bit further and walking over. The time it’ll take you to walk over will be shorter than the time you’ll spend circling looking for a spot.
Trek54479730153
Sister just moved to NJ. My sister and I decided to cater New Years Eve and our birthday. We wanted Cuban because it’s our heritage. What better place than Union city to find a Cuban restaurant. We decided to try this restaurant before we ordered. Thanks goodness we decided to try it first. We ordered the croquetas. Normally, croquetas are fried. These were probably heated in the air fryer but they forgot to brush it with oil to at least get them crispy. Undercooked. I ordered the pernil, morro and yuca con mojo. The food was cold; it was taken back to the kitchen to be reheated. I guess in a convection oven. The pernil and morro were tasteless. I ate the yuca after adding a little salt and left the rest of the meal. Sister had arroz con pollo which was just yellow rice and 1/2 chicken. We weren’t charged for the pernil. Meal was reasonably priced. I know it hard to find good people to work but there needs to be better management of what comes out of the kitchen. Cuban cuisine uses onions, garlic, oregano etc. Definitely not what I expected. We decided to cook for our birthday.
Katherine Accardi
These empanadas are absolutely delicious and they have a wide variety of flavors! There’s also great customer service. I’ve ordered from here multiple times and plan to go back.
Conor O'Rourke
Wonderful delicious food! Staff is very friendly and helpful. I would go again in a heartbeat!
Emily Virden
Some of the best empanadas I’ve ever had - crispy, light and totally delicious!!
Samuel Virden
Empanadas are delicious and the staff is friendly.
Leonardo De Candia
First time visit. The best and freshest empanadas. Still warm out of the fryer. A wide selection of fillings to choose from. Pleasant and courteous counter person.
JADEDTRAVELR
Welcome back to Havana, Cuba. This is El Artesano. It is the restaurant that is as close to Cuba as you can imagine. Look at the menu and decide. There are appetizers, soups, sandwiches, and entrees. There are special meals depending on the day you are there. There is also a selection of side dishes to choose from along with the meal you select. It is all there. It does not matter. And when you are finished with your meal there are the desserts. This alone is worth the trip. Especially if you select a special coffee to go with it. The variety is extensive. The choice is yours. Have a little to start and keep on picking something new to eat. It is here for you. Just like it would be if you had the ability to travel in Cuba and enjoy a meal while sitting out there. Where can you begin. For us, we started with the appetizers. And it was a classic. First up was the Tamal de Maiz. It is a corn tamale stuffed with pork and cooked just the right way. It is moist, fresh, and not over spiced. It is one large leaf that you can enjoy as a meal or share with someone else to start your meals. It is created in such a way to enjoy each bite you take. We also started with Empanadas. This is a classic even here. We ordered the Carne Empanadas, which are beef stuffed and fresh. There is just enough flavor with each bite you take at the time. You can eat it as a sandwich, or slice it in two and share the bite with each other. Add a little spice sauce and you have an extra flavor of spice that goes well with it. This is also moist and filled with the beef or any other stuffing you prefer such as chicken, pork, cheese, or a combination of other items to go inside it. The Empanada is also grilled to just the right consistency that you will enjoy. Next on the list we had different meals to share. In this case you have a large selection to choose from. We decided to go traditional since this is the way you would eat if you went home or to a friends house. It is the way to eat. Nothing over cooked, over spiced, or over flavored. This is the way we would eat every day. We started with Chuletas de Cerdo a la Plancha. It is a grilled order of two pork chops with onions. It is simple and flavored. There is no spice. It is on the side. It has just the right amount of flavor you need to enjoy. You also have a selection of side dishes to choose from. We ordered Arroz Moro, which is dark rice mixed with black beans. This was also combined with a side of Tostones, the green plantains which can be a sweet meal all to themselves. This combination was filled and large. There was a meal you can enjoy with each taste you take. It is sweet, it is spicy, it is moist and fresh. You have a great deal to choose from. But there is more. Next we had Arroz Frito Chino, which is normally called Cuban Style Chinese Fried Rice. And it is to start. But it is also filled with shrimp and chicken and pork. There is also pepper and onions and some extra spice if that is what you are looking for. It is all here as you take a bite. It too is moist and prepared in a way that makes this a large meal you can enjoy by itself. Finally, we did go very traditional with an order of Mofongo con Masitas de Cerdo. This is a unique meal unto itself. It is a combination of mashed green plantains mixed with crispy pork rinds and served with fixed pork chunks and a bowl of chicken broth and noodles. It is one healthy meal you can have for lunch or dinner. There is everything here. Spice. Onions. Sweetness. Herbs. Flavors. It is crispy, it is crunchy, it is something to cut into slices or eat with a spoon. And having a bowl of chicken soup along with it is ideal. This is why it is classic. These were meals you can enjoy by yourself, or share with each other to taste and try. It was fresh and flavorful. Best of all it did remind us when we were in Cuba and ate at local restaurants like this. That is what we had missed, but now we had it here. For dessert we also went the traditional way. We had Flan, Tres Leches, and Churros. Everything was freshly made, tasty and just sweet enough. It was ric
My co-workers turned me on to this spot, and I was not disappointed. Also not far from my home which is a plus. Good selection of Empanadas, and they have a good amount of meat in them. Best Empanadas in Union City to date!
Rob Dante
My co-workers turned me on to this spot, and I was not disappointed. Also not far from my home which is a plus. Good selection of Empanadas, and they have a good amount of meat in them. Best Empanadas in Union City to date!
wadecordts
The Empanadas are awesome. I had the Ham & cheese stuffed chicken breast and it was great. I highly recommend it.
The person who attends has terrible attention and service. They shouldn't have employees with such poor attention. He was a Hispanic man who seemed to have an Argentinian accent.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
excellent service
I like to keep a list of bookmarks on the ready. That way, if I ever happen to be in a certain neighborhood/have a specific craving, I can pull out that list. This was one of those times. I was running some errands nearby and I also had a craving for a Cuban sammie. My list showed me that El Artesano was one of the restaurants I wanted to try. Hubby and I stopped in on the Sunday of President’s Day Weekend at around 11 am. The restaurant is set up kind of like a diner. They have diner-style counter seating, and they also have two dining rooms. It was packed at that time but luckily, we only waited 5 minutes for a table. They have different specials each day of the week and one of the offerings on Sundays are Ajiaco Criollo, which is a Cuban-style stew. This one had potatoes, sweet potato (or maybe some kind of squash?), plantains, and super tender pieces of pork bone meat. It tasted more like a soup than it did a stew, but it was still delicious nonetheless. I ended up dipping my Cuban sammie in the stew, which sounds weird but don’t knock until you’ve tried it. The Cuban was good but I felt like it could have been a bit toastier/hotter. It seems they pre make the sandwiches in the morning and have them ready to be heated up once ordered. Hubby had his go-to, the masitas (fried pork chunks). It comes with two sides. I don’t really love this dish because the pork tends to be too dry, but he enjoyed it. For drinks, I had a cortadito and he had a fresh orange/carrot juice and both were a great addition to the meal. Tip - parking is a nightmare in that area. I’m not sure if it’s a Sunday thing or an all the time thing. I would recommend parking a bit further and walking over. The time it’ll take you to walk over will be shorter than the time you’ll spend circling looking for a spot.
Sister just moved to NJ. My sister and I decided to cater New Years Eve and our birthday. We wanted Cuban because it’s our heritage. What better place than Union city to find a Cuban restaurant. We decided to try this restaurant before we ordered. Thanks goodness we decided to try it first. We ordered the croquetas. Normally, croquetas are fried. These were probably heated in the air fryer but they forgot to brush it with oil to at least get them crispy. Undercooked. I ordered the pernil, morro and yuca con mojo. The food was cold; it was taken back to the kitchen to be reheated. I guess in a convection oven. The pernil and morro were tasteless. I ate the yuca after adding a little salt and left the rest of the meal. Sister had arroz con pollo which was just yellow rice and 1/2 chicken. We weren’t charged for the pernil. Meal was reasonably priced. I know it hard to find good people to work but there needs to be better management of what comes out of the kitchen. Cuban cuisine uses onions, garlic, oregano etc. Definitely not what I expected. We decided to cook for our birthday.
These empanadas are absolutely delicious and they have a wide variety of flavors! There’s also great customer service. I’ve ordered from here multiple times and plan to go back.
Wonderful delicious food! Staff is very friendly and helpful. I would go again in a heartbeat!
Some of the best empanadas I’ve ever had - crispy, light and totally delicious!!
Empanadas are delicious and the staff is friendly.
First time visit. The best and freshest empanadas. Still warm out of the fryer. A wide selection of fillings to choose from. Pleasant and courteous counter person.
Welcome back to Havana, Cuba. This is El Artesano. It is the restaurant that is as close to Cuba as you can imagine. Look at the menu and decide. There are appetizers, soups, sandwiches, and entrees. There are special meals depending on the day you are there. There is also a selection of side dishes to choose from along with the meal you select. It is all there. It does not matter. And when you are finished with your meal there are the desserts. This alone is worth the trip. Especially if you select a special coffee to go with it. The variety is extensive. The choice is yours. Have a little to start and keep on picking something new to eat. It is here for you. Just like it would be if you had the ability to travel in Cuba and enjoy a meal while sitting out there. Where can you begin. For us, we started with the appetizers. And it was a classic. First up was the Tamal de Maiz. It is a corn tamale stuffed with pork and cooked just the right way. It is moist, fresh, and not over spiced. It is one large leaf that you can enjoy as a meal or share with someone else to start your meals. It is created in such a way to enjoy each bite you take. We also started with Empanadas. This is a classic even here. We ordered the Carne Empanadas, which are beef stuffed and fresh. There is just enough flavor with each bite you take at the time. You can eat it as a sandwich, or slice it in two and share the bite with each other. Add a little spice sauce and you have an extra flavor of spice that goes well with it. This is also moist and filled with the beef or any other stuffing you prefer such as chicken, pork, cheese, or a combination of other items to go inside it. The Empanada is also grilled to just the right consistency that you will enjoy. Next on the list we had different meals to share. In this case you have a large selection to choose from. We decided to go traditional since this is the way you would eat if you went home or to a friends house. It is the way to eat. Nothing over cooked, over spiced, or over flavored. This is the way we would eat every day. We started with Chuletas de Cerdo a la Plancha. It is a grilled order of two pork chops with onions. It is simple and flavored. There is no spice. It is on the side. It has just the right amount of flavor you need to enjoy. You also have a selection of side dishes to choose from. We ordered Arroz Moro, which is dark rice mixed with black beans. This was also combined with a side of Tostones, the green plantains which can be a sweet meal all to themselves. This combination was filled and large. There was a meal you can enjoy with each taste you take. It is sweet, it is spicy, it is moist and fresh. You have a great deal to choose from. But there is more. Next we had Arroz Frito Chino, which is normally called Cuban Style Chinese Fried Rice. And it is to start. But it is also filled with shrimp and chicken and pork. There is also pepper and onions and some extra spice if that is what you are looking for. It is all here as you take a bite. It too is moist and prepared in a way that makes this a large meal you can enjoy by itself. Finally, we did go very traditional with an order of Mofongo con Masitas de Cerdo. This is a unique meal unto itself. It is a combination of mashed green plantains mixed with crispy pork rinds and served with fixed pork chunks and a bowl of chicken broth and noodles. It is one healthy meal you can have for lunch or dinner. There is everything here. Spice. Onions. Sweetness. Herbs. Flavors. It is crispy, it is crunchy, it is something to cut into slices or eat with a spoon. And having a bowl of chicken soup along with it is ideal. This is why it is classic. These were meals you can enjoy by yourself, or share with each other to taste and try. It was fresh and flavorful. Best of all it did remind us when we were in Cuba and ate at local restaurants like this. That is what we had missed, but now we had it here. For dessert we also went the traditional way. We had Flan, Tres Leches, and Churros. Everything was freshly made, tasty and just sweet enough. It was ric
Restaurantji Recommends
My co-workers turned me on to this spot, and I was not disappointed. Also not far from my home which is a plus. Good selection of Empanadas, and they have a good amount of meat in them. Best Empanadas in Union City to date!
My co-workers turned me on to this spot, and I was not disappointed. Also not far from my home which is a plus. Good selection of Empanadas, and they have a good amount of meat in them. Best Empanadas in Union City to date!
The Empanadas are awesome. I had the Ham & cheese stuffed chicken breast and it was great. I highly recommend it.