The Star-Ledger/nj.com on Friday had a review of Beana’s Para Siempre restaurant on St. Georges Avenue. (Para siempre, by the way, means “forever” in Spanish; I had to look it up).
Of course, one of the first things mentioned is the decor (which really is one of a kind):
“You’d shriek if you stumbled onto this restaurant along a dusty stretch of Route 66, pulling out your camera to document your touristy luck to your disbelieving friends. The place is thoroughly fun and kitschy, its walls crammed with 70-year-old license plates, sombreros, commemorative dishware, velvet paintings of bullfights and countless crosses, lizards and chili pepper lights.”
Not sure what it says about a review that spends so much time waxing about Census figures and decor though. In the end, Bean’s got two stars through the appetizers (chorizo, flaky empanadas) seemed to be a bigger hit than the entrees (standbys that you’d expect), and there were some drawbacks: “The kitchen is too cozy with salt, even for those who consider salt a friend. The salsa disappoints, and service is inconsistent. And no, you can’t order a margarita.” (Always good to have BYO options though.)
“Beana’s is fun, and perhaps offers a taste of what’s to come: an ever-evolving mashup of Mexican and American, even if that means the quite unexpected…”
At last count, there were more than 50 reviews aggregated on the restaurant’s Google listing, coming through Yelp, Urban Spoon, Yahoo! and others. What do you think?
Sorry, but Beanas is the last Mexican place I'd think about going to. I was there once and it was terrible. Yes, the salsa was lackluster, the chips were stale, service not so great and the food bland and over-salted. It just had this feeling overall of being past it's prime and of being in the hands of staff who didn't care.There are far better places to go. Who cares if it's nearby? I have a car.
I always find Beana's to be solid. Not spectacular, but solid.
I agree with Sivyaleah… I tried Beanas and was not pleased with the quality. My meal was oversalted and overcooked as if they scraped the dredges from the bottom of the pot. Yucky! Has anyone tried the two small restaurants on Irving Street, one is a door or two over from Ginos Pizza and the other is next to the pocket park across from the UCAC.
Yes I have tried the one "next to the pocket park", very good food, very reasonable prices, very nice, but very hard to order if you don't speak Spanish. Overall much better than beanna's.
Thanks, Odie… Luckily my neighbors speak Spanish and I will ask someone to order for me.