Tete Bistronomie Metuchen

Prices keep going up and the ambiance is still dismal. The food is very good but you will feel like you are sitting at a McDonald’s. Yep, $ 8 for 2 empanadas! What are they thinking!!! My favorite dish is the Pescado a Lo Macho ($ 18). You get a flaky fish filet covered with a creamy sauce and other seafoods and fragrant jasmine rice. If the place had better ambiance and more reasonable prices, I probably would go more often. Waitstaff is just acceptable… nothing exceptional.

The chicken empanada with the green sauce is worth the visit to Tete’s. (don’t forget that green sauce)

If I could give 0 starts I would. The food is way over priced. Presentation is awful. My husband order roasted chicken, it smelled and tasted as if it was at least a 3 days old… I ordered lomo saltado, the steak was as chewy as gum, homemade fries were old, burned but slightly raw inside. The rice was undercooked. We had to throw the food way. We paid over 40 dollars for food we couldn’t eat. Stay AWAY!!! For your own good and safety STAY AWAY!!!

quite happy with the food and service, prices as well. The place seems empty every time I go, and the waiter seems lonely. My only concern then is that either the food may be sitting out or that they may be warming up old food, and that’s because frankly it doesn’t taste freshly made, it seems that it’s reheated and that is my only gripe with this place. Oh and the place is always cold which the lonely waiter says is due to something not working right, you think?
Notice I still give them 4 stars, generally I’m a fan.

Not worth the price for the entrées. Got the empanada app., most definitely was frozen because it wasn’t even fully cooked in the middle. Drinks served from a soda can with a straw? This isn’t a deli! Not sure how this place is still in business.

I went back again, and again the place was dead inside. It was sunday night before the Giants game, but still– no one is sight. I think they redid the menu, because the options did not sound familiar and it seems the price point was a little lower, but the guy working there said it was the same menu Highland Park has been using.
That said, my wife did the ceviche and I had the skirt steak tacu tacu. Both excellent. Hers had a bit of spice, but a nice citrus juice. My steak was perfectly cooked and tender. The fried egg was overdone, but I wasn’t really interested in that anyway. The rice and beans were really nice.
We also tried the empanada, which I thought was WAY too expensive at $ 8 until we picked it up and realized we got 2 large empanada. The thing is, I didn’t want that much. I would be much happier if they had a $ 4 single empanada option.

Ordered take out from here after hearing wonderful things about Peruvian cuisine and wanted to give it a try. I ordered the whole chicken with yucca and rice and beans on the side. When I came to pick up my order the inside was completely dead with no one in the restaurant besides the guy picking up his order in front of me in line. There was a young guy working the register that seemed completely overwhelmed and kept running back and forth from the kitchen to the register without acknowledging me or the guy in front of me at all. I waited about half an hour for him to ring the other guy up and get my food out to me. The chicken and rice and beans were pretty good but the yucca and green sauce were amazing. Due to the horrible service and price for a rotisserie chicken I’ve had better elsewhere, I will not be returning.

$ 7 for one empanada!!!
Apart from that, they are short staffed, and were all out of rotisserie chicken! Imagine going to a steakhouse that’s all out of steak???
The chaufa was decent.
BYOB is cool. I would NEVER order an empanada there again! I cannot justify paying $ 7 for an empanada!

Food’s fine. A bit on the salty side but flavorful. I’d have given this a 4 based on the food.
The service has never failed to annoy me and it’s because of the teenage shabby looking guy who answers the phone and mans the place. We have been turned back once 20 min before closing — «we are closing in 20 min. U can take pick up but no dine in pls», Cribbed to once when we made it in at 7:30 and quoted a really long time for pickup when there were just 3 orders in… All of these on the premise of «we are or were really swamped.» That guy really does not want to work. What a put off!!!

Their Rotisserie chicken and their salads is delicious.
Empanadas were very tasty and fresh.
I have been here twice for take out, and I have yet to have the pork empanadas.
The pork must be so good that they never have enough on hand. lol
Sandwiches are very tasty.
I can’t wait to visit again.

It was the first and last time I’ve ordered from this place. My husband is Peruvian so I’m very familiar with Peruvian cuisine. If you want to have an amazing Peruvian cuisine you’re better off trying La Caravana in Elizabeth. Tete’s chicken was dry, so dry my cats wouldn’t eat it. It was also overcooked. Both green and yellow sauce were a disaster. Green sauce is supposed to be creamy and spicy but it tasted like pure lemon juice and so did the yellow mayo. Will never order from them again.

I live close by to Metuchen and was surprised to see a Peruvian restaurant here. It looked really empty but I decided to try it. The rotisserie chicken is very good, I highly recommend it, it’s very moist and juicy and you get two sides with it. Also the green sauce that comes with it is delicious with the chicken. I ordered the yellow rice and plantains, the yellow rice is very good and moist but the plantains were very dry. I would skip getting them and order something else.
I also had a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and avocados that came with a lime cilantro dressing. It is very basic but very fresh and refreshing, the dressing was really good. The fried corn that comes complimentary when you sit down is delicious and addicting. I am definitely coming back again and a whole chicken with two sides is $ 15 and it feeds two people, very good price for good food!

Peruvian-​Costa Rican fusion, now that’s a combination I had not seen before. Turns out 2 of the owners are Peruvian, and one Costa Rican, they have 3 restaurant locations. Food is excellent, environment borders on elegant but with a modern feel, and service is efficient and friendly. Tiradito appetizer consisting of very lightly grilled fish strips in a lemon based sauce with hominy like corn was delicious! So was the vegetable soup, which had quite the variety of vegetables. Tico Wrap is their own invention, kind of a Costa Rican burrito as it has a costa rican style rice and beans preparation inside in addition to veggies and grilled chicken or beef, I had chicken version it was quite tasty. Served with texas sized fries (Peru sized) served with a very tasty yellow Peruvian style sauce, yhe fries were just lightly fried and not greasy, they taste of potato not of fat. Costa Rica is not known for its cuisine and Peruvian cuisine is one of the World’s gastrobomical greats, so most of the menu is basically Peruvian, but the Costa Rican touches are interesting. conveniently a short walk from
the NJ Transit trAin station in downtown Metuchen. the lunch specials are reasonable and generously portioned.

In our short search for parking, we passed Tete’s front window. The chicken empanadas sign seemed to call out to me, but it took a little convincing to get my wife to agree. We were both glad she did!
We started off with two cans of soda — which is a distinct no no for me. For the most part I avoid places that serve canned soda at $ 2 or more a pop. My wife knows this. «I guess the food better be pretty good, huh,» she smirked.
Things turned around rapidly once the chicken empanadas hit the table: they were delicious — possibly the best we’ve had at a restaurant. After they disappeared, I tried to get my wife to order some beef empanadas too, you know — just as a test. No such luck.
They were out of the pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken), so I ordered the mariscada with a side of plantains. My wife had pescado a lo macho with a side salad. Mine was surprisingly good — but hers was even better! The plantains were fantastic as well.
Canned soda aside — this was a great meal for under $ 50 — tough to beat that. Unfortunately I was too stuffed to try the homemade flan… maybe next time!

Stopped in because I was craving a little snack, and I had yet to visit Tete’s. The restaurant front always seemed so strange to me, but after taking a look at the menu, I threw my hands up.
I ordered the mussels a la chalaca and I must say I’m quite delighted. The mussels were big, juicy, and the sauce and vegetable mix on top was on point. Tangy, spicy and mouthwateringly lipsmacking. Of course, I wish there were more than five mussels, but it is an appetizer, and it was only seven dollars.
Wish I had ordered two.
Ambiance wise, it was okay. Regular tables with wine glasses set up, minimal décor and salsa music playing. Doesn’t look romantic enough for a serious date, but a casual get together? Yes.

Walking around town last night we ended up here and thought to order something different. To start we had the Beef hearts, I have had better but still good, in the top 80%. Had the steak, it was perfectly seasoned, not oversized but still enough for a meal. It also came with beans and rice and a fried egg. My bride had the chicken and it was moist, good size. It would have come with fries but my Bride asked for beans and rice. Went great with our BYOB of red and white. Overall it was a great meal and great time. Right now it is a walk in kind of place. I hope it does not become a reservation can get in place.
Remember to always drink responsibly
Crazy Cubano Out.

This is our second time ordering in from Tete’s. The first, under the old look and the old menu was something to be desired so when I heard they revamped — I wanted to give it another shot.
I didn’t go in (my husband picked up the food) but he said it looks similar but the tables are «darker» so it looks less like a Chucky Cheese/​fast food place. I ordered the Arroz con Marisco which was a little disappointing. It was a WHOLE lot of rice and no so much seafood. The scallops and calamari were itty bitty that I ended up eating half the rice and then digging around for what seafood morsels I could find.
Dear Tete, PLEASE ADD MORE SHRIMP, MUSSELS, and SEAFOOD!
My husband got the Skirt Steak Tacu Tacu. It looked very good and he said the same. His meat portion was much more significant and the sides were delicious (I was able to steal a taste).
We also ordered the beef empanadas as per a friend’s recommendation. He said the beef were 100 times better than the chicken or veg. I am not an expert, but I thought they were pretty good.
I just don’t want another store from in Metuchen to be empty so I hope they do well!

This place is still new. They just renovated again I believe.
Friendly staff. This place is my number one spot for ceviche!
Ive been to plenty of Peruvian restaurants, but their ceviche is #1!
Also Try the Blackened chicken sandwich!
Definitely make a lunch trip here :)

We go to this place every now and again with our kids. The menu is great — there are plenty of choices for adventurous eaters, people who like simpler flavors, and vegetarians. The prices are completely reasonable and the portions are good. We have sampled a few different dishes and everything we have had has been flavorful, nicely prepared, and satisfying. Our kids LOVE the salchipapas, which is a dish of hot dogs and fries with some different dipping sauces and the roast chicken is also always a hit. The empanadas are super-​flavorful. The fries are awesome — they are fresh and homemade.
The server we have had there is exceptionally friendly and intuitive — understanding of tables with kids and has anticipated needs that have kept the kids well behaved.
It is very casual, and, I think, a great part of Metuchen’s downtown.

I get a first review on my trip back to NJ. Woo hoo!
Met up with some friends for lunch and after trying to go to one place that was closed we ended up back in the town I grew up in and wandered around (not very far from where we parked) and stumbled upon Tete Empanadas. I love Empanadas (didn’t get any here) and my friends seemed interested as well. I believe this place was a chicken place before this opened. Being that there aren’t any reviews I imagine Tete is still fairly new here.
Brightly colored walls hit you as soon as you walk in the door (see picture). The staff is young and I imagine pretty inexperienced, but they were very friendly and it definitely showed that they were trying. We were the first people in at this time, but shortly thereafter more people joined us on this rainy Saturday afternoon.
The menu is quite big. Here is a link if you are interested in seeing what they offer (
). One friend and I started out with the Chicha Morada ($ 2.50) which is a purple corn drink with pineapple and cinnamon. Very refreshing and quite wonderful. Seems like the perfect drink for a hot day. Pretty good on a cool and rainy one too.
My friend ordered a few appetizers to start out with. I munched a bit on the Chicharroncitos ($ 7) which are deep fried chicken breasts (or fish strips if you prefer) served with yucca and «salsa criolla». Greasy, yes. Good, yes.
For my meal I had the Lomo Al Jugo ($ 8.50) as a wrap. You can also order it as a sandwich. This had sauteed beef strips, red onions, tomatoes and roasted oregano. It came with fries, but now I see the menu said I could have had a salad. I wasn’t given this option. The steak had a nice brown sauce and was very flavorful. It also wasn’t overcooked which seems to happen more often than not with beef strips.
It seems like there has been some turnover in this space just off of Main Street in Metuchen. Not sure if this town will get behind Peruvian food, but I guess we will find out. I’ll be back in NJ in April. Curious to see if Tete will still be around.