Don Pepe Restaurant in Clifton

Don Pepe in Newark is one of the best spots there is in Newark. If youre visiting for a game, a concert, or just passing through, it is definitely a spot worth checking out. The food is top notch with very experienced servers and wait staff. Sometimes the servers can be a little "cold" but it all seems to come from years of experience and trying to get people served as quickly as possible in a busy environment.

So many portugese and spanish restaurants in Newark and every single one of them is better than here. I’ve been to 12 of them personally and Don Pepe is the worst. Overpriced inauthentic garbage. Americanized.

They refused to serve me because I was wearing my religious hat. It was their loss. I canceled all the future plans. For business events and business parties.I couldn’t believe the manager is telling me the hat is not religious dress code.

We love Don Pepe and visit, any time were in Newark. Our last trip was, as always..delicious. Our waiter was a little smug as he forgot two of our appetizers and seemed upset that we asked him to make sure we werent charged for them. Other than that...amazing!

Our concierge at the Double Tree Hilton at Newark Penn Station made our reservation the day prior. Seating was immediate, service was spot on and the food delicious. Being a Friday during Lent, we shared the Stuffed Scallop appy and the Seafood Paella. Both incredible.

It used to be more professional than the last time I was there ,I got my order wrong and he kept telling me this is what I order !!! It end up the three of us got two order because when I ordered the appetisers (shrimp in garlic sauce he made an order of shrimp in garlic sauce platter! 3 of them then three order ! And when I asked him why would we order 2 for each person he kept arguing this is what we ordered!!! Unpleasant experience 😢😢😢

Attended a retirement party there on 10-18-22. The food and everything else was great. Really enjoyed it

Sorry to say, food we ordered was not good. Tasteless. Used to be a good place to eat.

Ehhh was ok… food was average nothing special.. I think people get hyped up over the place because of the price.. it’s expensive so you think your meal is better than it really was…. our server had no personality, put in minimum effort.. snooty old guy.. I wanted the red snapper, which they were out of…I think the place is overrated. have no interest in returning… we were told to park on the street, kinda odd granted there were two practically empty parking lots?

We stopped here for lunch yesterday and what a great meal. We ordered the chicken with sauce and vegetables, garlic shrimp and pasta with garlic. Meals were delicious!! The service was meticulous, timely and personable! The killer was the fresh bread with oil! Out of this world!! I had been here years ago and still love this place! Prices are reasonable and good portions to fill you up!!

20 years as a patron and not going back again. Why would you tell your patrons to take their hats off? Going to Don Pepes after a long week in a suit and excited to dine before a Devils game. I shouldnt be lectured on wearing a hat when Im going to spend hundreds! You guys need to chill out. Maybe tell your "proper" hostess to practice what she preaches in manners. Rude. Ill be going to Iberia the next time. Where I can wear a freaking life jacket if I want. Guys. Get out of the 19th century. Unreal

Love the seafood paella. It is fresh and delicious. I also have ordered the shrimp and garlic sauce which my family loves. Complimentary bread served warm with butter. Pure yummy…… I call ahead and then pick it up.

Came here twice during the last six months for a birthday dinner and a family gathering. Their shrimp and garlic was delicious the first time, but the calamari was very bland. The second visit the shrimp didn’t taste too fresh and everything else was only OK.

good food. good service. unacceptable hand written bill.ironically this restaurant lives in middle ages when it comes to the check. go figure if you can understand a thing.please get a POS and a printer and get yourselves up to date. we are in 2022

OMG my favorite restaurant!! Love love love the shrimp in garlic sauce and every single entree with lobster 🦞 yummy!! Run dont walk to Don Pepes!! Thank me later 💋

maybe i expected too much from a Newark restaurant but the food there was ridiculously expensive compared to other seafood restaurants Ive been to. there was also hair in the mussels appetizer which were NOT FRESH AT ALL and one of the waiter was just watching us as if we were going to dine and dash. bill came to $83 for just 2 entrées and an appetizer which seemed ridiculous. the only nice thing I have to say is that the service was pretty alright compared to the food they served

Great food and location, also for a group. Speedy and friendly service

Walked in last minute with 20 people and they didnt bat an eye. Quickly set up a table, took our orders and food came out quickly. Everyone raved about it. Sides were family style. The portions are so big that no one should leave hungry. Nice wine selection as well

My lobster and stuff crabmeat were awful. The waiters personality was welcoming and pleasant; however, the food was atrocious.I will never dine here again!

This is good food and I am probably comparing it unfavourable against restaurants not from this area. The food is good the portions are large my problem would be the value for money. But if money is no issue then you can up the star.Starter portions are nearly mains by what I am used too. Spanish sausage was very large but tasty. Mushroom starter was very nice. Oysters again very large but tasty.Mains t bone. 70 bucks nice but expensive.

Outstanding meal. Renovation of the restaurant has resulted in a nice open interior area for dining. Approach access tp parking needs to be determined before you reach the restaurant.

As far as I’m concerned, the only things I care about with a restaurant is the food, service and atmosphere.5 Stars on all three. I’ve had dinner here 4 times with the latest on 8/2/2022. The servings from appetizers to dinner are plentiful, tasty and awesome. The waiters are attentive but not trying to refill your glass after one sip. And while I have always been too full for dessert, I did see some examples and they look tasty.If your in town, stop in. You will not be disappointed.

The food was not as fresh as you expect for the price! My pasta was good but the chicken wasn’t seasoned the rice had hard dried rice grain showing it was old and reheated you can just see it before I even tasted it. They served me Rock hard bread until I requested fresh bread. With a 18% gratuity! Felt a little insulted!

My siblings and I took my mother to Don Pepe restaurant for her 84th birthday... The atmosphere there was great the waiters were very friendly helpful, helping us in making our decision what we should eat...The food was great drinks were excellent.Thank you Don Pepe and the staff for making my mother birthday a memorable day...

Everything was amazing. From wait staff to the greeters. Food was excellent. The portion size was large. We both ate off our food for three days. We enjoyed our date night!

I heard they have good table bread but it’s just normal. Foods are at average honestly… Waiters shouldn’t rush their customers if it’s a restaurant that requires dressing code.

I have been coming to this restaurant for 20 plus years and my family has been coming here longer and the food/staff is usually amazing. Last night though was the absolute worst - our stuffed scallops went bad, the waiter didnt want to "argue with cook" to make a new one, he didnt want to listen to what we had to say and then walked away, no apology or anything and the alternative order was not what I asked for and the dessert was stale. The cook and waiter (Antonioshould both be fired. What a terrible birthday. I would rated no stars but my previous experiences were wonderful and the rating would of been 5 stars.. Lets see if this is the new beginning of a Don Pepe for the worst...

so I wanted to try here.Well. Way Over priced!Service wasnt great.Stake was Market price. So it was around $70??? And that yellow rice was awful. Shrimp with tomato sauce was more like soup than sauce!.Food was served cold. Not hot/warm enough so it got cold no time!They should make a smaller portion and lower the price!Bathroom was not clean!!!and not maintained at all.I dont know what so great about here.Now I know never come back here!Waist of money!

My mom had lunch at Don Pepe today with other family members. She did say the restaurant was beautiful but she could not get over the fact that she had to pay an extra $9 for an empty plate because she had a lot of food and wanted to share it with another family member at the table.FYI.

This place was one of the worst places I have ever eaten in my life. Not only was the parking attendant extremely rude and racist, but the food was DISGUSTING. We told the waiter, and he refused to take it off our check. We did not even have a second bite, so the plate was full. The rude old Spanish waiter proceeded to yell at us and refused to take it off our check... So we ordered the bill, and to my surprise, the tip was included for a table of 4, and we had only ordered drinks and one app?? I asked the waiter why is the gratuity included, and he said, “I don’t work for free.” We asked to speak to the manager, and his exact words were, “I dont have time for you” it was the most impolite and unpleasant experience I have ever had. This place needs to be shut down immediately. The food is disgusting, the people are rude, and they try and take your money.

Racist restaurant. I was told to park on the street but when a white customer pulled up they allowed her to park in the parking lot with no problem. I actually sat in my car for 15 minutes waiting on my party to show up and watched multiple people who were not black allowed to park in the parking lot.

Celebrated my moms birthday here and they were very accommodating. Everyone loved the food and the service was great!

Just a superb restaurant. I hadnt been in many years and it still holds up. The food is delicious. We had steaks and some seafood, and it was all delicious. The portion sizes were good as well. The service was also excellent. Would highly recommend.

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE from MANAGER.Manager that day chose to be extremely rude/pushy with my table. One of my family members wanted a rare Rib Eye steak, 1/2 of it was burnt/charred on the outside. The center of it was rare, but the outside of more than half of the steak was burnt. Waiter took it back. Waiter brought the steak back and argued that it was made properly. For the cost of that steak (+$50half of it was not edible for being a rare steak. Waiter took it back again, but then the manager brought it BACK TO THE TABLE! For the third time just to argue that it was done properly, and gave my cousin a choice of choosing another entree, but also had accept the fact that the steak was done correctly. The manager was extremely pushy about it, raised his voice and at that point it was not worth staying another minute. My cousin didn’t even eat their meal because of it. It was horrible customer service and we’ll sadly never be back here because of it.A manager should never be so argumentative with a customer who wants their steak a certain way, especially when it’s very understandable. It was like bringing out a completely red/pink steak for someone who wants their steak well done.There were 4 other steaks on the table, 3 of them were cooked incorrectly. The waiter and everyone else was fine, but this manager was very rude. Won’t be back.

One of our favorite places in the world. My mom started taking me here since I was 12 and I now love sharing this experience with my husband. Food is consistently spectacular. Servers are kind and so friendly. Best meal ever!!! Easy parking is a super plus in this area.

Today the food was not od his best. I had one of the special starter for today and my arugula was not fresh. Also, another party in the group her meat was a bit stuff.😫

I ordered two entrees myself, one was the 4.5 pound lobster, and it came with not only a damaged claw, but the male claw was from a different lobster the size you would expect from a paella dish. I was so appalled, and immediately pointed it out to our waiter who told me a line of BS about how lobsters lose a claw and the one that regrows is smaller. Look at the pictures, you tell me. Does that look like its from the same lobster?I am a foodie. I dine as a hobby and it is an insult to my intelligence to say that to me, and further, for the money that i am paying you dont try to push off a deformed lobster to me,Most other places show you the lobster you are ordering before they cook it I trusted that i was going to get a decent lobster.The wait staff was a bit too attentive, it was annoying every five minutes have someone reaching across me while I was trying to enjoy a $200 meal "(The restaurants response, or lack thereof will determine if I ever return. The lamb shank and garlic shrimp were good.

We went to Don Pepe on weekday lunch, because they have their own parking lot, that saves us from hunting for street parking. Even then, we were the 3rd last spot in the lot.At the entrance its a huge hallway with lots of sitting arrangements. Further inside they have another whole floor for restaurant diners. We got welcomed with some nice warm breads and pepe olive oil. Our server was pretty cut through, read us the long list of specials right away. The food takes a while to arrive, due to the lunch hour rush.My bronzini was really well cooked, was lots of moisture in it. Despite being bone-in, I enjoyed making my way through the entire fish, it was a lot to eat!! Sadly the sides are boring, a boiled/baked potato, and some broccoli carrots. I did like the broccoli a lot, it had a hint of saltiness, but other were meh! I was surprised to see the fish was such decently priced at $23, was expecting to around $30+.Overall we had a good meal. We might visit here again, but won’t be that often for quick lunch, since its more of a proper seat and dine place.

Staple in ironbound for steaks and paella. Celebrated my sons birthday here with a mom and son dinner. We had the octopus, escargot, gazpacho for apps. I had the ox tails and my son had the prime off menu fillet.

Oh def my favorite restaurant!!!! Loved the Sangria. Still fabulous after all these yrs

Finally made time to visit this restaurant and was very disappointed. It seems that the rice wasnt seasoned or fresh. The lobster did not smell fresh and also was not tasty. We actually did not bather to finish our meals.

Been going to don pepe for 20 years, but last time I thought they really deserve a good review,Food is good , portion is big, nice and simple verity of fish and meat, highly recommended

This is the second time Ive eaten here. The service was excellent, and amazing size portions of superb food. Definitely would highly recommend.

Awesome food and dining environment. The portion is humongous and the price is amazing. My favorites were the paella and seafood platter. The staffs are very professional, friendly, and attentive. The friendly owner/manager also checked on every table and made sure everyone got what they needed. I will definitely come back.

This place is classy. Service is superb from the moment you walk in. Wonderful atmosphere perfect for that special dining experience.

Excellent Spanish food, the paella is one of the best Ive eaten in my life. Good and cozy spaces and rooms for corporate and family gatherings. The attention of the staff is careful and as if that were not enough, it is attended by its own owner: Don Pepe!

This is a Spanish restaurant that’s a bit on the pricey side, so be forewarned. It’s one of those nice linen tablecloth and napkin places and is very classy.According to the menu, it appears that everything comes a la carte, but we were served a bowl of rice, two bowls of brussel sprouts and carrots, and a couple of plates of homemade sliced potato chips for no extra charge. There were nine of us, and the sides were plenty to share.I had the Norwegian salmon for $26.50. It included a small boiled potato on the side, but as I mentioned, somehow, we got a couple of additional sides to share.The slab of salmon I was served was HUGE! I could barely eat all of it. Three others at our table ordered it also, and the serving size was the same for them. It was cooked perfectly (not dried out at all), and had a wonderful flavor to it.The server wasn’t the friendliest person in the world, but he did ok. No orders were screwed up, and there were two runners keeping an eye on our table and even bringing more drinks as we ordered them.The paella was also ordered by one person - it was enough for two or three people to fill up on.The other dish I remember from that night was the American Red Snapper pastelera style ($29.95). It sounded good, and I almost ordered it, but the server warned us it was served “whole fish” style. Translated roughly, this means, it still has the head, tail, etc. I just can’t eat fish that way. However, the person in our party who ordered it was very pleased with it.After dinner, Pepe (the ownerstopped by to chit chat with our eclectic group of nine. He even posed for a group photo with us. Shortly thereafter, the waiter stopped by to tell us that Pepe wanted to buy us a round of drinks. What??? Where else does this happen? Viva la Pepe!!!In summary, I would definitely stop by for a good Spanish style meal - be it seafood, or steak.

Food was next level. The specials were very good but don’t listen to the waiter when he tells you the paella is for one person - the two of us ate it over 3 meals!! Beautiful interior and delicious plates all around. Good for large parties and groups as well

Just OKStopped in for lunch and was promptly greeted and immediately seated in a mostly-empty restaurant. Service was a bit slower than Id like, but the wait staff was pleasant. Appetizer was a scrumptious, cold antipasti Id get any time Im in the area. The lunch entree of sauteed veal with mushrooms had a strange taste I didnt love.Overall, it was a pleasant enough experience, but wouldnt categorize it as a must-go place.

The paella is good for 2 people even though our waiter said it was for 1 person. The appetizers and paella were amazing dishes but the pork was a bit dry.