Costa Chica Mexican Restaurant & Pizzeria

A nice little local restaurant. Lots to choose from and much to pic. Make sure you decide what you need and talk to the team about what you want and how you like it. When there is a crowd, as our group was the entire place for lunch, then make sure you talk slowly so they can hear and understand what you are requesting. Things can get mixed up. The team in the back needs to prepare and that does take time. The food does taste good. It is typical of the type of establishment. But it is good to know it is here, and at a price you can afford, that is the best. The funny thing is that they do carry pizza and can make that for you. Think of it as the Mexican way for a good slice. The team works hard to help. The chef and the team do make everything fresh and tastes good. If you need a bit more spice, or something specia, then the manager will come over and take the information to make sure you receive it. It is worth the try, and at least it is here. Gracias...

An so-so Mexican restaurant. Depends on what you get. Ordered a $8 chicken burrito and it was okay. Size a bit small and was expecting more meat. It was served on a warm tortilla and the cheese nicely melted on the inside. Tried to order the shrimp but they were out. FYI : They charge a 4% credit / debit card fee so bring cash if you wanna avoid that charge. One of the perks of this place is its open late. Wouldn't go out of my way to come here but for late nite eats with limited options it's viable in the NB area.

We decided to give this place a try for dinner . Service wasn't that great but you could see they were under staffed for the amount of people inside . It has very colorful decor and it didn't take too long to get our food after we ordered. We ordered the chicken flautas, beef soup , tacos and a platter that had chicken , pork, enchilada lobe with rice and beans. My daughter love her flautas super crunchy topped with crema ,cheese and lettuce. My other daughter enjoyed her chicken tacos which was topped with onions and cilantro. I had the beef soup and high reminded me of a Filipino dish Nilaga I enjoyed it . My husband had ordered a platter that was supposed to be enchiladas but I guess he pointed at the wrong pic. The platter had good flavors but my husband didn't care for the Mole sauce. Food was reasonably priced and portions were a good size .

Decent authentic Mexican food. Mole on a good day is 10/10 therefore the tamales can also be great. Unfortunately not always consistent and they cancel big orders with little to no heads up..

As soon as you walk through those doors it's like you left New Brunswick and travelled to a different country. I have no complaints. This was my first time having a chimichanga and I'm glad I broke my chimichanga "virginity" here. They also have fresh juices, I tried the watermelon one and it was super refreshing. Can't wait to come back.

A much anticipated lunch date with my coworker, who suggested this place. It was my first time here after hearing her rave about it so many times. The guacamole was delicious, with plenty of cilantro and tomatoes and onions. My co-worker ordered the pork tortas, which she loved the first few times she was here. They were bigger than I imagined and quite tasty. They are pretty much pork, beans, lettuce, and parmesan cheese on a large flat nacho. I ordered a player which came with a mini burrito and 2 chicken tacos. I loved everything but the burrito. I thought it had no flavor, despite being filled with beef. It was lunchtime and the place was quite empty, which is good considering we needed to get back to work. Everything was neat and clean. It looked a little shady from the outside as it was in the heart of new brunswick, but I felt safe inside. Waitresses were all really nice. Would definitely go back to try other things.

There is a lot of Mexican food in New Brunswick, but Costa Chica is better than most. The interior and furniture are colorful, and service is friendly. I had the potato and chorizo flautas, which were crispy and tasty. It came with cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce on top. I had a satisfying meal and will probably be back! Also, they are BYOB and they have a lot for parking. Taste | 4 Atmosphere | 3.5 Presentation | 3 Service | 4 OVERALL | 4

Had an enjoyable meal with the family there. Kid friendly, love that there are good options on the kids menu and they cut up the meat for the kid. We had the chicken with rice and beef with rice for the kids. Tortas was clean and flavorful. Lengua and tripa tacos were also delicious. Love the juice selection!!!! Horchata and jamaica were refreshing. Parking lot was a bonus. Would return for the kids menu and jugo.

I love the portions here. There's always leftovers which is great for a working woman lol. So big for such an affordable price and so delicious. The flavor is on point. If you want some authentic Mexican food, this is the place. It's my go to in this city and there's free parking. The staff is attentive and friendly. I ordered tacos and tamales to go and they were just as good the next day.

Honestly before the pandemic this was the it restaurant they sell good food staff Super nice but I guess it's not the same anymore and honestly I just don't like the service the food is terrible the food has no flavor I don't know maybe they change management I don't know but it was just bad if I could give this place zero I would but there's my 1 star was not satisfied at all

Great authentic Mexican food in the area. I really do enjoy this place although I'm not a fan of the location the food does make up for that. The restaurant itself is very colorful and definitely adds that Mexican touch. The food -- amazing! Today, I went with the Huevos Rancheros although a bit spicy they were still really really good. I always had the tostadas and boy were those good. This place does a really great job with making sure everything is perfectly seasoned and tons of flavor is put into every single item. And what's better than really good food!? UH, really good prices! I don't know too many places where you're able to enjoy quality food and not hurt your pockets but this place definitely makes that possible. I would continue coming here again and again and again.

I enjoy the ambiance here, the decor is just so interesting. Each chair has a different scene. It's all so colorful and cheerful. The food here is very authentic (as best that I can tell!), so much more interesting than one of those fast food Mexican chains. We had the chicken soup, which was good and had a very home-cooked look - although it lacked variety and flavor of ingredients you would see in colombian soup. We had a platter that included thinly sliced Mexicans style steak and enchiladas. Overall food was very good!

Excellent food. My Chile Relleno de Queso was awesome, one of the best I've ever had. My husband ordered 2 vegetarian tacos - full of vegetables, cactus, guac and crema - and was very happy with them. We split an order of mini sopes and have leftover sopes for later. How wonderful to find a Mexican restaurant with a vegetarian section on their Menu. All the food was hot and fresh and very carefully packed for delivery so it looked as good as it tasted. We will definitely order from Costa Chica again!

My first time here and this is amazingly good! Authentic Mexican food. I ordered tacos al pastor so yummy, pork tamale so tasty, enchiladas Rojas the sauce was different, a bit spicy but delicious and flan really good. Coming back for sure. The place looks clean, great Mexican decor.

AMAZING!!! Ordered so much to split with a friend. It was all sooo good!!! How anyone is giving four star is beyond me!! Takes a person who is not willing to experience the bliss. This place is homey and your mom couldn't make the dishes better. It is my number one place to take friends! I'm taking home a tray of tamal de maizena and tamal asado to share. Divine.

3 for slow service 5 for bang for buck food Wouldn't stop here for a quick bite but absolutely would for a GIANT plate that is completely filled with a delicious $4.50 burrito -- like how!?

The food is still great as usual, but I'm adding a star since I found a cool drink that I thought I would never find in the east coast, here in the heart of New Brunswick! Mangolina (or Mangonada in the West Coast) is a mixture of mango and strawberry puree, with cubes of mangos on top, peppered with Mexican sweet and sour powder, and topped with a tamarind straw. The sugar bomb costs $7 but it's one of the best dessert anyone can get on a hot summer day! Slurpeeee!

Really cute, colorful mom and pop restaurant with great atmosphere. Been here a couple times and have always ordered the vegetarian burrito. While not the most amazing burrito I've had, it was still pretty good, filling, and only $4.50 so I cant complain! If you are looking for authentic Mexican food, definitely check this place out! Knowing a little bit of Spanish will help! But if you don't, no worries, they do speak some English and are really nice! There is a private parking lot. This place also caters for events! I placed an order for about 40 people and was pleased with the service and food.

A authentic Mexican restaurant that will have you wanting more. I had to stop myself from eating too much of the chips and salsa in the beginning, that was great. I decided to get the chicken flautas and my friends and I got some guac and pico for the table. The chicken was only a bit dry but bursting with great flavors! The flautas came with crema and topped with cotija cheese which helped the dryness and the guac and pico also complimented the dish. Very tasty and food is very authentic. The staff at the restaurant are very nice and welcoming. There were some decorations along the walls and the booths were nice. The servers speak mostly Spanish; as a native speaker I didn't have a problem ordering for my friends and I but if you're not comfortable/don't know Spanish my suggestion would be to just point to highlight what you want off the menu. There is parking next to the restaurant which is perfect if you're driving here and FREE. Great food and great service

This is a legit Mexican restaurant. Be prepared to brush up on your Español, but don't worry, they do speak English. Just be patient. We went on a Sunday evening and it was packed! We didn't have to wait long to be seated. They have lots of items on the menu, from tacos, to flautas, to fried fish. The restaurant is clean and can accommodate big groups. I might have to have celebrate my birthday here! The food was amazing. I ordered a Vegetarian Burrito and it was delicious. Shredded lettuce, fresh veggie, cheese, and made with love. My friends and I devoured our food. It can get pretty loud, so not a good place for a first date, but maybe a second one. Later in the evening, the Mariachi came in and offered us some canciones, but we turned them down. This is definitely my favorite spot for real Mexican food. It's cheap and worth a visit! ¡Viva México!

Returned for dinner a few days later and brought along the wife and two other couples. Food was great and very inexpensive. First time I ever had a whole fish before and once I got used to separating the bones from the food, it was game on. After eating the top of my snapper, I turned it over and ate the bottom which had been soaking in the sauce. What a great taste sensation! The snapper was surrounded by a lot of seafood (shrimp, prawns, mussels, etc) and all for $20; probably the most expensive dish on the menu. Nancy also had a whole fish while the rest of the gang had various combo platters. All enjoyed. Our original server did not speak English but there was someone there who was able to take our orders for her. Our server wasn't real attentive but I chalked that up to the possibility she was afraid she wouldn't understand us anyway. Hey, at $37 per couple I can accept that. 5 stars for food and price.

This place is my favorite. It's a very hidden restaurant with authentic Mexican food. The prices are amazing and they give very generous portions. Their food never disappoints and you always feel more than satisfied after. They have so many options on their menu, and make fresh drinks too. My favorite is the agua fresca de sandia or Jugo de Naranja. Their tacos de asada, cecina ranchera, and enchiladas rojas con pollo are always my go to with my bf.

This place is money. Haven't had anything bad here. Love the atmosphere. The burritos are awesome. tres leches is bomb.

Costa chica is one of those locations that's hidden in a very busy town. Really great Mexican food and very authentic. You can never go wrong with the churrasco and sopes with Cecina. They set up a small food stand that sells all different types of natural drinks and snacks. Highly recommend this restaurant. Service is kind and friendly!

Wife and I read reviews before going on a rainy Sunday around dinner time an decided to try it based on the 4/5 star reviews. Perhaps it was the Sunday crew, but the food and service was just OK and our experience was more like the 1/2 star reviews. Example: with only 4-5 tables with customers, one would expect relatively quick turnaround- did not happen. Based on other Tex mex places we've been, burrito was OK, little on the salty/soggy side. steak fajitas were a little tough and expected more peppers/onions.

Good Mexican food and a decent price. Always friendly and welcoming. Food is always a big portion and worth the price. Lots of different dipping sauce for mild to hot. They even have pizza! Been here a few times and will definitely come back again!

A truly authentic Mexican restaurant! There is parking right next to the building which is very convenient. I ordered the chicken flautas which were delicious. The staff speaks mostly Spanish so be prepared for that. Overall, loved it and will be back!

This place is beyond words AMAZING. Its 10000% real Mexican. I would not try to alter anything on the menu...trust me...take it as is. The El Patron a 10! The Barbacoda burrito a 10 to. BYOB!!!

I got chicken taco and rice and beans. The chicken was dry and the food had little to no flavor. The places smell good. I wAs expecting a delicious meal.

We went here after reading reviews online. The place was pretty crowded and we were hopeful! We started with the guacamole-only $4.00 for a huge portion! My sister ordered a shrimp dish and I had enchiladas. Both were delicious and the portions were huge. We were both surprised yet very satisfied with the experience!.... Until now. I opened my leftover enchiladas(I had 3 left), put them in the microwave and began to dig in. About 3 bites in I found not one, not two, not 3 but 4 disgusting hairs hidden in my enchiladas. DISGUSTING! At first I hoped they were mine because I do have long blonde hair, but nope, they were clearly not mine and could never have been mine as I found them in a tightly rolled enchilada. I am so horrified I cannot believe we ate here. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

One of the best authentic Mexican places I've been to, ever. I usually order chicken flautas (my fave!) and chicken tacos. They serve free chips and salsa while you wait for your order. The flautas ($5.75?) are served with shredded cabbage, not lettuce. I'm sure you can substitute cabbage for lettuce but I think you have you specifically ask for it. The chicken tacos ($1.95/each) are generous - they are on the larger size. My friends usually order burritos, which always end up coming out to be massive for what it costs ($3.50-4.50). The atmosphere is quite alright. The immediate neighborhood leaves some to be desired, but the restaurant itself is colorful and welcoming. The staff speak more English than staff in most Mexican restaurants in New Brunswick, and have always gotten our order right. Of course, it helps to clarify and confirm your order before they send it over to the kitchen.

Use to be our go to place for Mexican food, it is pretty good and authentic. But it tends to be inconsistent each visit, sometimes its great others not so much. I guess I depends on the chef that night. Vegetarian burrito is good as well as mini sopes.

What a huge disappointment. I dropped in today, a Thursday night around 8pm. I ordered breaded steak, steak and onions, and a steak burrito (with specific directions stating just steak, rice and beans inside the burrito). This was after the cashier told me I couldn't order what I wanted originally: the Botana Oaxaqueña (sp?) and the shrimp in garlic sauce, because their chef stepped out. Ok... 40 long minutes later, my food is finally ready to go. The total came out to $32, very reasonable, but I guess it's true that you get what you pay for. I'm home now and completely disappointed with this entire order. The onions on my steak are extremely salty, and the steak is dry and hard. There was a handful of rice for each steak dinner and a tiny cup of beans. I guess that's ok since each steak dinner was $8-$10. The breaded steak was also salty, overcooked, and DRY. To make matters worse, the burrito came with cabbage and tomatoes, when I specifically asked for just steak, rice and beans inside. Today just so happens to be A Day Without Immigrants. Not sure if this has anything to do with my experience today, but if it was a factor, they shouldn't have opened to begin with.

SO. FREAKING. DELICIOUS. guacamole- delicious burritos- DEVINE drinks-dreamy portions- double what you expect prices- DESTINED FOR GREATNESS maybe i fail at alliteration, but costa chica certainly doesnt fail at being a great spot for fabulous Mexican food. also, they have free parking and friendly service.

The only good thing about this restaurant was the drink - Orchata- the waitress was really rude. Never again

Good vegetarian burrito but they missing out on some ingredients no veggies wtf ??? But everything else is a go they got good and fast service in here and the burrito are good quality with a good price

I'd give the food from this place a million out of 5. I have yet to dine in but my company ordered from this place for lunch and I was very very pleased. Delicious!

If you are looking for some great Mexican food, this is your place. Informal, friendly atmosphere, big portions, delicious food, all at a very reasonable price.

very authentic, reasonably priced Mexican food in a beautiful , clean restaurant. Many dishes with a Oaxacan twist, the Enchiladas Doña Estela with molé are great.. quite large menu with lots of seafood, beef, chicken options. tacos, burritos, huaraches, flautas, they have it all. get a licuado (freshly made fruit shake). the cream filled empanada fpr desert is awesome with coffee, i think they put cinnamon in my coffee cafe de olla style. located in a neighborhood with a lot of Mexican immigrants , the restaurant has it's own parking lot. there is breakfast on the menu, although they do not open very early.

The food is here is not amazing, but it is good. If you consider the price you pay for, you are getting an amazing deal. I've gone here a couple times because I'm able to get good food that is really cheap.

Come for authentic Mexican food! I came for lunch with my friend on a random weekday. The place is disappointingly empty. If more people knew about it I'm sure it would be more popular! They seem to be a small mom and pop establishment that is more interested in serving authentic food as opposed to selling out and appeasing the crowd. Food: I had a trio of tacos. It is seriously SO MUCH FOOD. They serve their tacos in the authentic Mexican way (double soft corn tortillas) and there is definitely enough meat to split it into 6 single layer tacos. Brisket - The BEST taco of the three. Brisket was SUPER tender and delicious. The pièce de résistance was that they crisped it up on the flat top before shoveling it into the taco. Cabeza (Head) - As far as I can tell, they stew a cow/pig head and peel off all the meat from it. This results in a smattering of meaty/fatty/delicious bits. It is somewhat heavy so I recommend slathering it with their delicious green salsa. Lengua (Tongue) - Meaty and delicious. It could have benefited from some of the crispy crust the brisket had, but I'm not complaining. Bottom Line: Relatively quiet establishment in New Brunswick that definitely delivers on food.

Excellent food and service, very authentic Mexican! They always make you feel right at home. I highly recommend this place!

Edit: So I got really excited about the atmosphere and realized I post about 3/4 page before actually talking about the food. You can skip straight down if you want to see my review for the actual food. Wow. If this isn't Mexican, then I don't know what is. Well... I actually don't know what Mexican is, but I know what good food is! All this began with a craving for nachos in the New Brunswick area. I wasn't ready to make the short trip to Edison diner for my favorite plate of good ol' American nachos. Seeing 4 stars and a few rave reviews, I gave this restaurant the good ol' "Why the hell not?" and headed over. Located on the quieter side of the Walgreens parking lot, there was still not much to be afraid of since the parking lot was packed with families leaving the restaurant laughing and having fun. This was definitely a good sign. Upon entering the obvious stand out was the mariachi band playing some sort of Happy Birthday / Feliz Cumpleaños. I also noticed they were not the typical showmen you see at more mainstream establishments. They were unpolished, a bit off musically and wearing leather with Texas and New York adornments. PERFECT! Looking around, we noticed ALL the families were of Mexican descent. While this can go either way (I've seen Italian descent eat at some really horrible "Italian" places, etc), for some reason, you can tell they appreciated the authenticity and felt at home with the food... and the multiple TVs showing a Mexican soccer game. We were seated at the last booth available and greeted by the waitress. She was really patient and kind the whole night. You can see the look of horror for just a split second as her two brown guests told her that they only spoke English. I have an excuse in that 'soy Filipino'. My girlfriend attempted to accommodate the waitress any way she can by pointing at pictures and applying her limited Spanish (in other words, she said "Sí" a lot). Let it be known, however, the waitress spoke perfectly capable English. Food I decided on some melon water. It was definitely more like a watermelon juice and not simply some flavored water. We were also served water in a pitcher with two slices of lime. BONUS! I didn't even ask for lime. For the past 5 years, I've been asking for lime at many restaurants only to be offered lemon as a substitute. While acceptable, I was beginning to think there was some lime shortage and restaurants weren't able to get limes. We started out with Botana Oaxaca para dos (Oaxacan Snack for 2). While this is definitely for 2, it's certainly not a snack. 2 large pieces of sausage, half a quesadilla, 4 flautas, 2 fried shrimp, 2 wings, guacamole, pico de gallo and probably some other things I forgot to mention. For $7.95, I definitely wasn't expecting that much. So much so, that I barely got to try... Plato Norteño. Ribeye steak with mushrooms and cheese, guacamole, beans and Mexican rice. I literally sliced a piece off and that was it. It did taste a bit salty, was cut a bit too thin and was tougher than a quality grilled ribeye. However, the plate as a whole was definitely delicious. I took home most of it, cut the steak up and made fried rice in my iron skillet. I broke an egg into it and served it with avocado on the side. My goodness that was probably the most delicious fried rice I've ever tasted. Overall, this place, while not gourmet, is certainly a place for good eats, good service and a good atmosphere. An added bonus is the value. For college people, this place is certainly rewarding for those willing to get off their butts. For people in the area otherwise, it should be comforting knowing that a great down-home Mexican food place is just around the corner.

Dont let the outside place fool you, This place actually looks sweet inside. Im pretty sure they just the place. Anyways, I had a hard time finding this place, but im also bad with directions and my Nav stinks. The place is pretty authentic. Its a nice little mexican place. Its so authentic, most if not all the staff is actually mexican. They have other food here other than mexican but I tried a mexican dish. I had a couple of chicken tacos, with a side of chips and guacamole. Im impressed. My girl got some type of fajitas, i wasnt sure if it was shrimp of chicken, but I remember her saying that it was flavorful! Plus, from what ive seen from other customers eating there, the meal is like double maybe even triple the size of what you pay for. So its perfect for College Students! I would go back here again for the 4th time and try maybe their steaks. Skirt steak that is! Did not try any of their drinks because I brought my own bottled water. Staff is nice enough, but I felt like some didnt really understand what I was trying to order, I had to repeat it twice.

I am a fan of this place because of their friendly and welcoming service and for its value. You will not leave hungry and most likely without a doggy bag. This may not be the best or most authentic in Mexican cuisine but it sure is tasty and affordable. The atmosphere is also very fun and depicts typical Mexican-American colors and images of people donning sombreros and riding off into the desert. You can take your pick of a table with high-back wooden chairs or booths. This is a great place to simply relax or meet people for a laid-back experience. Pros: Tasty food with good variety Big portion size Great and friendly service Great value for your money Fun atmosphere Great parking Cons: At times some dishes can be a bit on the saltier side Not a large selection of health/diet friendly food

First time here and wanted flautas! Reasonable prices!!Best flautas and green sauce ever! Coming back

-Summary- Note: 4.5 overall Pros: Really tasty, cheap, wonderful Cons: Kind of hard to find As soon as I was introduced to this place by one of my roommates, I had my go to Mexican place. The burritos are wonderful, the best in the area by far. When you walk in, there is Mexican music playing, and you just hope that your waitress speaks English (or else you have to resort to pointing at what you want on the menu and making a fool out of yourself trying to say it in Spanish.) For any current RU students, do yourself a favor and take the walk here and grab a steak burrito.

The pizza is amazing!!! Chips are great and the Salsa is too just wish they had cheaper food they are kinda pricy

Great Mexican food in New Brunswick isn't hard to find, but Costa Chica is definitely my favorite. Having lived in that area for a long time I've tried many Mexican places but I keep coming back to Costa Chica again and again. Great good and really good prices. Some of my favorites are the flautas, tacos and enchiladas. They start the meal with a basket of chips and two of the best salsas I've ever had. The staff is really friendly and service was pretty quick for the good quality food that they serve. The only reason I didn't give them five stars is the location which leaves a bit to be desired. There is parking though and you'll be so happy with your meal you might be able to overlook this one slight flaw.

Food is worst, ordered appetizer and it came along with entree's . Don't even try this place. Waitress don't understand English, bad service