Ebenezer Restaurant Meriden CT

Awesome family owned restaurant! Food is really good, especially brown rice. Homemade taste. Always big plates.

Have you ever opened a bank statement to find a $ 35 fee charged for an overdraft. Do you know that feeling — that feeling of knowing the you know better but that you screwed up? Well that is the feeling I had after dining at Ebenezer’s.
I went to lunch today because if happened to be walking by. It was around noon, and I should have scented the signs of failure due to the fact that I was the only one in the restaurant at NOON.
I told the host that I wanted to eat in and he led me to a table and brought me the menu. The menu had pictures and a brief description but very unclear pricing. To make a long story short on the pricing, I will just say that my quick lunch turned out to have a hefty $ 22 price tag.
Now, I am not opposed to treating myself to an occasional $ 20+ lunch, but for $ 20 I want to have a pleasant and at least, decent, experience.
This was not the case. I ordered onion-​ed steak, rice and beans, friend plantains and water.
The steak, was a clear cheap cut (no problem if you are going to charge a cheap price), it was overcooked and had been clearly sitting around for at least a few days as it was closer to beef jerkey than a cheap cut of steak– had no onions (those familiar with bistec ensebollado) will know what I am talking about) and worst of all it was loaded with so much salt that the very salty rice and beans could not cut it.
I walked out of the restaurant in pain thinking about the effort and time necessary to earn a net $ 22. As I drove away, I saw a nearby sub-​shop advertising a grinder, chips and drink for $ 6 to add to my pain.
Never again! Stay away from this «establishment!!!»

Wow– first review? I am not sure how long this place has been here, but I had some business to attend to in the area… and… now I am trying to get everyone hooked on these sandwiches. I am unqualified to comment on something as esoteric as «authenticity” — but I can say the sandwiches are incredibly messy and incredibly worth the mess. They eschew bread and pack sandwiches between various types of fried patties. I have had the fish bacalaito (an excellent fishwich) and a roast pork sandwich on what was described as a vegetable mix. Make sure you have plenty of napkins available.
I do not know what would happen if this place faced a rush, as it appears to be one person in the kitchen (guessing it is family run), and I cannot comment on service (as I have only had take-​out for lunch), but this place REALLY NEEDS TO BE TRIED. It would be inexcusable to pass on Eben-​Ezer when in the area looking for a lunch spot (unless you have an aversion to outstanding, but sloppy, sandwiches). It won’t look like much from the outside– but, obviously, that should be ignored. Head on in, have someone guide you through the sandwich options, and enjoy.
I will be back to try some of the more traditional Puerto Rican menu options when I have time for more than just lunch.