El Jacalito

A Hidden Gem Worth the Detour – Authentic Mexican Flavors in NJ Coming back from a weekend in Atlantic City, we stumbled upon a Mexican restaurant that turned out to be the perfect ending to our trip. From the moment we walked in, the service was nothing short of exceptional—warm, welcoming, and genuinely friendly staff who made us feel right at home. But the real star of the show was the food. Everything was incredibly fresh and flavorful. Even our picky eater was impressed—devouring the “real” chicken tenders, which were clearly homemade and cooked to perfection. As for me, I couldn’t stop raving about the Lengua Tacos—tender, juicy, and seasoned just right. Each bite reminded me of the kind of authentic street food you only hope to find when you’re far from home. This place isn’t just a great stop—it’s a reason to come back to New Jersey. If you’re anywhere near the area, do yourself a favor and check it out. You won’t be disappointed. Gracias por una experencia deliciosa.

Woody (me) & Jessie (my lovely partner) greatly approve of El Jacalito! I enjoy their Al Pastor tacos and dine-in atmosphere. The naturally sunlit room makes it a lovely place to sit down for lunch. I highly recommend going!

Happy Cinco de Mayo !!! I had an amazing experience at El Jacalito in south Jersey. (Around the corner from Gloucester Outlets) 309 S. Black Horse Pike Blackwood NJ, 08072 Chicken Birria Tacos Chicken Empanadas Street Corn Melon Aguas Frescas Everything 1000/10 Staff was amazing, food was outstanding!!

i got the carne asada burrito and it is easily one of the best i’ve ever had!! the horchata was just as amazing, you’ll definitely need the get the large. will be returning very soon!!

I went here for lunch with my friend while we were in the area. The staff was very friendly. Our tacos were delicious. We went to a restaurant today, and they had a special: we got chips and salsa for free. I will be back with some other friends soon.

Don’t let first impressions fool you. This was a funny experience for my wife and me. First off, It is a true hole in the wall in a so-so section of Blackwood. But we like those types of restaurants. The first thing the waitress says to us is, “we don’t have any menus, we’re all out.” 😂 Haha wait what?? A restaurant is all out of menus?? I’m so confused right now. There was one menu left and it was hanging up above the front counter. So we took picture of it and sat down to view it. It was taco Tuesday so that was a no brainer. We ordered one plate of carnitas and the other chicken, with a side of chips and guacamole. All of it was very good. We were truly impressed. And the waitress was very attentive and friendly. So we’re big fans of this quirky, yet tasty dining spot. 👍😂

Dined in randomly on our way to another destination and we were so pleasantly surprised by the food and the service! The guy working was very nice and attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed and more. The food was superb, I would dine here again in a heartbeat. The sopes were so tastey and the birria tacos were delightful.

(I'm not mexican) I been trying Mexican food for about 2 years and they have the best tinga tostadas I ever have in that time , really well seasoned and so fluffy so perfect, can't for get the red sauce is perfect if you love spicy this is the one

I second another Yelper's review on their birria tacos. Truly the best I've had and I've had many! They are juicy and meaty. I will be back for those alone. The other food is great too. I really liked how well seasoned the rice was. The quesadilla was also perfect. Surprisingly, even the salad was good! We usually order salad just to have more veggies. The avocado cilantro salsa was perfection- not too heavy, very flavorful. The chicken was also tender. Service was also very friendly.

The food was delicious from the quesadillas to the empanadas and the burrito the meat was marinated to perfection what really sold it was the red sauce .. hands down deserved the five star for me they have a dedicated customer great job!!!

Great Service. Food was really good except for the Torta I got. Here's a run down of what we got: 1. I got the Torta De Milanesa De Pollo - not as good as I anticipated. Avocado tasted like they were going back. Bread could have been more toasted. Chicken was tasted great but pretty thin 2. White got wife Pambazo De Tinga - really good. Loved that the bread was marinated in a red sauce yet. Hands were messy when picking up but sandwich stayed together to problem. Pulled chicken was seasoned and yummy. Def a good pick 3. Kids the the Chicken Quesadillas - the way they season the chicken IS AMAZING. It was so good I ended up finishing there leftovers Would really come back but would get something other than the Torta

Food was amazing got the Empanadas they were a little small but packedd Birria Tacos the ones that are recommended and Quesadillas everything was delicioso Family owned local business why not support 10/10

The Froy's Birria Tacos are so worth the trip here. While pricey for those particular tacos, it is well worth it. Took about 20 minutes from the time we ordered as they make most of the items to order and everything was nice and hot when we received it.

Tacos are amazing. Green sauce super fresh and nice kick to it. Will be back soon. Love the small atmosphere.

Small family owned authentic restaurant. The food was flavorful and reasonable. The waitress was a bit abrupt and the tables needed to be wiped down. I will definitely be back but probably for take out next time.

Food is delicious the Froys Birria tacos is my favorite. Also really enjoy the quesadillas and empanadas all Really delicious and juicy and super flavorful. Service family run restaurant Ambiance is colorful and family friendly

Went there for lunch before hitting the outlets, and the service was wonderful!! We got the enchiladas and carnitas quesadilla (both delicious), loved the refried beans they gave us while we waited for our food. Portions were huge. The server was so friendly and kind! Will be back.

This is a great small family owned spot. Authentic Mexican food that is all freshly prepared . Each item we ordered tasted fresh. We started the meal with Aqua Fresca flavored with pineapple it was very very good. We also had the tamales ... they offer a red and green sauce and chicken and / or pork. I had the taco with pork al pastor. The pork was fresh and flavored so well. It was served with onions and cilantro each taco had 2 tortillas. I think the salsa could have had some more heat . The green salsa was good but the red lacked spice . The rice and beans were very good. We were going to also order the tacos dorados (taquitos), now We haven't something more to look forward to going back. We were the only people in the store on Sunday. I hope it catches on food was good . 45.00 for two.

Amazing food i came a year ago n came back today im in love with there food best food place in nj for birria tacos n more this place is so good and there so nice and fun all the food is made with love and i love this place i will forever come get my birria tacos from here

The birria tacos and the consomé were good. They don't come with cilantro and onion but the consomé does have some in it so it was fine. I personally like my quesa birrias to have a little crunch but overall the flavor was good. The pambaso my husband said was decent but the orchata was good. The salsas were also flavorful too. The inside appeared clean. They had a golf tournament playing on the tv instead of Spanish music which was a little strange. The service could have been better, our waitress wasn't the friendliest but also not the worst we experienced. She didn't introduce herself or anything, just walked over and said "que quieren para tomar" meaning what do you want to drink. However, a man walked out from the kitchen to drop off a plate and he was very friendly. Food: 7.5/10 Service: 5.5 Ambiance: 6/10 We probably wouldn't go again but I do suggest going and trying the Birria tacos and some other stuff on the menu. #SupportSmallBusiness

Oh COVID-19 ... up yours! ;) Im still eating well anyway!!! I was warmly welcomed into this clean and nicely decorated tiny gem on the BHP (Black Horse Pike). I had a chicken quesadilla and guacamole with chips. The quesadilla (flour ... you could choose corn) was very good - tender and plentiful chicken; ample (cldve been more) cheese. A cute lil salad on the side. The guacamole was super fresh and had a little kick to it. Not too much cilantro - yay! The chips were REALLY good - I "accidentally" ate the whole bag! Ive never been privy to having an authentic Mexican restaurant so close by to me! I plan on many more visits!

These tacos and horchata are spot on! The wait time for 2 orders of tacos (3) took about 20 minutes. That is because everything is made fresh. The food is authentic and so delicious at this establishment. I will be a returning customer! The customer service is also amazing here, it's unfortunate that business isn't booming.

food is pretty authentic , flavor is always there but a bit pricey for the portion sizes

Was here yesterday for dinner. The salsa werde with the chips was super flavorful. We ordered froy birria tacos, Chile rellenos with chicken, and a chicken burrito. Tacos and rellenos were great. The chicken burrito eater said could have used more flavor. We suggested in hind sight she ordered the white people burrito and not the tinga . We will definitely go back. Looks like a repurposed pizza shop inside nothing stunning but food was worth the lack of ambience.

Food is always delicious. It's our go to Mexican spot! Our favorite is their chicken empanadas, steak burrito. And I always get their bistec a la mexicana!

I'll be thinking about this torta for a long time. Best Mexican food I've had in recent memory.

First and foremost this place has the worst customer service I have ever experienced. I attempted to order a steak tortas and they informed me that they don't have it. I told them I don't mind paying for the steak fajita as a subsititue. This lady tried to create every barrier in the world while receiving our order. "I'm just gonna have to charge you 15 dollars." I was fine with that. My friend attempted to order a chicken salad, "NO we only have beef salad." Can we get extra red and green sauce on the side? "It's going to be 5 dollars for extra sauce." This whole exchange left us feeling unwanted and unwelcome. We decided that her demeaner and her tone were just so distasteful we walked out. I can see from other reviews that the waitress is rude, arrogant, and short with people so our experience is not unique. There are way better Mexican restaurants out there with better customer service. Good luck on your food journey.

Ordered takeout and everything was delicious with friendly service. Was so excited to be able to have corn quesadillas. Not many places offer that and I need to eat gluten free and it was awesome! I ordered with Al Pastor. Guacamole was amazing too! The others ordered chicken burrito, carne asada burrito and churros and were very happy with their food as well.

Had amazing pork Verde tamales. Delicious and exactly what I wanted. Also had chicken enchiladas which were incredible

Le doy 1 estrella por la comida que estaba bien. Eramos un grupo de 8 personas incluyendo niños, El servicio fue pésimo desde que entramos al restaurante nos preguntaron cuántos éramos le dijimos la cantidad y en eso le decimos que si podríamos juntar la mesas para así estar todos juntos en ningún momento se ofrecieron arreglar las mesas ellos mismos lo tuvimos que hacer nosotros. En lo que haciamos eso un pote de salsa Valentina se callo y se rompió y mi esposo lo comenzó a limpiar, buscaron un mapo para limpiar y mi esposo limpio con servilletas.. Bueno nos sentamos el mesero no fue atento con la mesa tuvimos que pedirle todo porque no ofrecía las cosas como por ejemplo las servilletas los cubiertos y no estaba pendiente a la mesa por si necesitábamos algo, llegó la comida y todo normal al final cuando nos dieron la cuenta nos pusieron $13 dólares por la salsa Valentina, el problema es que como tú vas a cobrar esa cantidad por eso. No estuvimos de acuerdo y se reclamó eso fue un accidente y si teníamos que pagar por eso estabien no hay problema pero no así. La realidad no volvería la atención no es la misma desde que ya la dueña ya no está . Es mi opinión No volvería

Only giving two stars because the food was good. The service was TERRIBLE. they only had one person serve the entire restaurant which was at capacity. I waited over 30 minutes for the check and a box. I felt bad for the server because it was busy but he never checked on us just kept walking by knowing we wanted to leave. First and last time going.

Since this just opened near our neighborhood we decided to try it out. We got Gorditas, Chicken Quesadilla and Enchiladas in red sauce for take out. The place is newly renovated, very clean and the staff is friendly. The gorditas (chorizo and steak) were very good and I loved the chicken quesadilla. It was the best one I have had in a long time. The enchiladas were good also, but a little bland for me. All the orders came with spicy sauces that taste homemade. In fact everything tasted fresh and homemade. We will definitely be ordering again. Having a good Mexican restaurant so close is very nice!

Authentic Mexican food. Family run. Reasonable prices. Atmosphere is casual with nice Latin music. The waiter was very nice and helpful explaining the menu to us. We loved the shredded chicken burritos and enchiladas roja. Finished with rice pudding. We will come back regularly

Delicious meal. Excellent service. Don't miss the opportunity for authentic Mexican cuisine.

Husband had a craving for Mexican food and our go to place was closed so decided to check this place out....so glad we did! The food was amazing; we got the red enchiladas, carne asada tacos, chicken tinga tostada and was surprised by a traditional Mexican chicken dish! The portions are hefty so I'll have leftover lunch this week and can't wait to go back and try everything!

We ate indoor food was awesome service the same. This is a very surprisingly great place to have a meal.

The Empanadas were very good but I should have gone with one of the specials!! I was still hungry after eating them. They're definitely an appetizer!! Staff was very nice and accommodating. Restaurant was clean, and bathroom very clean too. Would be nice to eat in but I chose to take it with me.

Went to the outlet malls and found this hidden gem of a restaurant. The best Mexican food I've had in years. So freaking good. Made us some special spicy salsa. The guac was phenomenal. The avocado sauce that was brought out with the chips was fantastic. Our server was so sweet and kind. Definitely the experience you expect when you go to a truly legitimate Mexican restaurant. Wish I lived here, I'd be a regular. If you're spending the day shopping, stop by! You won't regret it.

My family and I eat here often. The tacos dorados are my favorite. I always get 2 orders. The tacos and the empanadas are also very good.

I had steak tacos, good portion and very tasty. In addition the staff was very friendly. I will def come back I think it may be BOYB but I didn't really ask... also, I am Mexican!

From the fabulous presentation and deliciousness of the food to the friendly atmosphere.. El Jacalito is my new spot for local, authentic Mexican food! My mom is obsessed with the flauta's & I personally enjoyed the gordita's and tostada's. We will be back :)

It's by my daughters house and we always ride past and decided to have lunch there yesterday!! Best decision!!!! Omg the food was amazing and great price!!! I love a homey feeling place to eat! Employee was super sweet and very attentive! We will def be returning!

Really wanted to love this place. Have been so excited to try it but it was disappointing. My tacos were very bland and my wife's cheese enchiladas had no cheese at all. They call it a platter but it only comes with enchiladas. And you cant call them enchiladas. They were rolled up tortillas covered in red sauce and topped with lettuce. See picture attached to see the very middle of the enchilada. It wasn't just one. They all lacked cheese. It was also cold when we got home. We arrived early to pick it up and had to wait for it to be finished. It was a 3 minute drive and it was cold. The reason we didn't go lower in rating is because the staff was nice and the place was clean. We want them to succeed so we didn't want to hurt their star rating but we won't be back.

Super underrated. Very clean and friendly. Food was pretty good, highly recommend. Will be returning frequently.

Absolutely delicious, staff was helpful and friendly. I would absolutely recommend El Jacalito.

We ordered for the first time today and all was amazing! From the moment we first walked in, we were greeted with great service to the moment we got home, the food was 10/10, cheers to the chef! We will definitely be back again.

Excellent authentic Mexican food, great service everyone is friendly the food is amazing!

Absolutely amazing!!! I knew it was going to be good the moment I walked in because it smelled amazing!! The chips and homemade salsa were so good, (the chips and salsa are a pretty good indicator of how the food is going to be). I had the tamales, my boyfriend had the bistec, and my daughter had a vegetarian burrito. The tamales were delicious. The bistec melted in your mouth, cooked to perfection, the Mexican rice and beans were on point. I'm really picky about Mexican rice, I have when it's bitter and unseasoned. My daughter who completes about all food in general LOVED her burrito with fresh avocado. AND She drank my whole cup of Horchata!! The service was quick, the staff was friendly and helpful. Being from the west coast, not many Mexican restaurants impress me in NJ, but I will definitely be back at El Jacalito very soon!