In reading this more, I have to agree that the portion sizes are very small for the cost. I would also like to see a combo taco plate at a reasonable price - maybe 3 tacos for $12,or something like that.

Ate here for the first time the other night. I really enjoyed it. Great service, great food. However, the prices are a bit too steep for Jersey City. I won't be able to go very often at all.

Had dinner there tonight--outstanding addition to downtown. Great food, great service and no wait at 7:30 for two.

Also, to MarkCore: COYS!

I went to Orale tonight with my sister, her husband, and their 11 month old baby. We all really liked it there.

For a new place I was quite surprised at how well it was run. It was, dare I say, like a normal restaurant. Hostesses were friendly, as was our waiter, who explained the menu since we'd never been there before.

The baby isn't of any real consequence to the story since he was well-behaved. I did call ahead to ask whether it was okay to bring a baby, and the response was, "Yeah, that's perfect!". With that I was more comfortable bringing them and my nephew there.

My sister and I split a small carafe of red sangria, and though it tasted nice, it was just too small for what you pay, so I switched to beer.

We all had a carnitas taco on the recommendation of our waiter and it was really damn good. I'll be craving it later this week I'm sure. They had a chicken taco after and weren't as impressed. They said it was "okay" but I think it just couldn't compare to the previous taco.

We had a chorizo and potato cheese dip that I found to be decent enough, but my sister really loved it.

I had the Dinosaurio (sp) which were short ribs. It was cooked really nicely, moist and soft. It had a nice little chipotle salsa that accompanied it, and found that it just wasn't as good without the salsa. The meat could probably use a more fluid sauce to accompany it, but that's just my own preference. There were hot sauces on the table to use, BTW, so I could have tried those.

The pricing was really fair and I will definitely be back again. If not by my own doing, then I know when my sister visits again she will demand we return there.

The place had a nice atmosphere, friendly staff, really nice food, very good drinks selection, and am very happy that we have this in JC.

Oh, and we didn't get Doritos but the table next to us did. We got normal salted tortillas. Maybe it depends on what you order. I wasn't fussed, the tortillas did the job.

We were wondering why the couple next to us had Doritos on the table. Mystery solved!

I ate here last night for the second time. Food was equally delicious and the restaurant was equally crowded, which made me happy. This is such a great addition to the neighborhood. My sole critiques are as follows: the service is definitely spotty. Perhaps it's because it is crowded and, given they have only been open just over two weeks, they may still be ironing out kinks. I'll forego that since the food is so good, and original. The second critique is minor, as well. We ordered the mexican fondue as an appetizer (forget the spanish term used on the menu). Quite tasty. However, when they serve the fondue, accompanying it in its own basket is an unopened bag of DORITOS! Come on! Maybe it's for kitsch impact? It doesn't work! Simply use the other (tasty) tortilla chips that you serve with all the other appetizers, please.

That said, you must go!

Get reservations. Tried to go and the wait was over an hour and 15.

Went there for the first time last night. Food is fantastic, not super expensive, but the openness of the space not to mention the tequila conspire to get you to order more food than you would on a typical trip to Taqueria.

I ate there over the weekend and it was fantastic! Such a great addition to Downtown.

Tried to go there yesterday but it was closed. No hours are posted right now. Are they doing the closed-on-Mondays thing like Park & 6th and Taqueria?

This place is awesome, excellent service, great food and great vibe. Between them and the place on Morris I've got all my Mexican needs covered.
I put up with Taqueria's rudeness because we had no other choices in downtown JC but now that we do Id rather spend my money where people actually know what Hospitality means.

I think the prices are fine. They are reasonable considering that they spent a lot of money in decorating and renovations creating a fun, hip vibe. I don't mind paying for the ambience which i find fantastic. Food is good- especially the tacos and the guac. The chicken mole dish i had was OK but not superb- maybe tasted overcooked to me? Other than that, friendly management, wait staff, superb drinks and great atmosphere. Would not be so quick on passing judgement on quality of food as things are still new there. I still find it a great and welcome addition to the neighborhood and hope that it thrives.

Wife and I ate here over the weekend. Got in early (6pm) so there was no wait. My honest feeling is that I'm happy this place is here, but I don't think I'll be going back. It's a nice touch to the area - a real hipster quasi-upscale restaurant going in right where it's supposed to. Ambiance is very nice for JC. Contributes to the feeling that DTJC is really turning a corner on development.

But the food was trying too hard to be posh, without being delicious. Combine that with very small portions and high prices and you have some sort of Mexican fusion tapas bistro. For the record, we ate the guacamole sampler, several tacos and an enchilada. Also lots of Sangria, which was very good.

What I really want from a Mexican place is something like Charritos in Hoboken or Taco Chulo in Williamsburg - which both serve up great portions while still being incredibly delicious. For now, I'll stick with Viva Mexican Kitchen.

Walked in last night around 845. Was packed and the wait for a table was 1hr 15min. Good sign, people looked like they were having a blast. Just couldn't wit til 10pm to have dinner so had to go elsewhere

We ate there last night. Three of us. We had a guacamole trio, all chunky and flavorful. So dense you had to spoon it on the chips - which were light, not oily. The halibut ceviche was excellent. The fish and sweetbreads tacos were also fine. My son had the mole which he devoured and couldn't resist the flan and our waiter threw in some brownies for the table. The menu really does have some unexpected twists -- sweetbread tacos?

We will definitely go back. Next time I'll have the ceviche with a side of brussels sprouts which looked so good from the table next door.

Service was very friendly (the waiter was actually a friend of my other son), water was replenished quickly. My only negative was I found the cocktails a bit too sweet for my taste. I'm not a tequila afficionado so I may stick to wine or beer next time...but there will definitely be a next time.

One final note -- I used to shop in this space when it was the old fabric store. I actually knew how cavernous this place was and was quite impressed with the design and use of space.

http://www.oralemk.com/#

looks like they are not open for lunch.

This place well exceeded my expectations. For one, the space is much deeper and more cavernous than the street view suggests. The decor was funkier than I expected, with a graffiti mural, dia de los muertos art, etc. The bar is a nice size, looks like it seats at least 12-15. The menu is a lot more diverse than any Mexican place I've been to, using ingredients like foie gras, bone marrow, Mexican chocolate in meat dishes, etc.

My only complaint is that like all tapas restaurants the bill can very quickly add up. I would love it if they had specials, maybe on groupon or during the week.

Had dinner there tonight. Wow it was good. And if this is what it is like only on their second day of operations, I can only guess it will only get better and better. Really folks, if this place fails, it's only because something is wrong with the people of Jersey City.

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Had three of those tonight. Excellent. Tasty, savory, and with a little crunch and hot chipotle sauce.

Not the greatest Mojito, but that cucumber drink... forgot the name of it... was awesome. I think that I had one too many.

Just ate there. Opening night. Wow! Food, service, and the look of the place is fantastic! I see Orale here for a very long time, and my family and I, frequent patrons.

I was fortunate to be invited to their "friends and family" pre-opening last night. (I had recently poked my head in to see how construction was going and met the owners. So I'm not an insider.) Without going into detail (I'll leave that to the Yelpers), we were delighted by the food we tried. It ranged from classic to innovative. It was fresh and beautifully presented. It's a fantastic addition to the downtown restaurant scene.

The place is such a great addition to the block - a real restaurant with carefully considered decor, signage, and printed materials. The menu looks wonderful too. Here's hoping the food and service are on par with the latter. They took their time getting things ready for opening, so my expectations are high!

Ha ha ha! OK, in that case, I *was* missing something.
The site and the menu look pretty slick, in a good way, so I am definitely looking forward to trying out this place. And, pork belly tacos? I am SO there for that.

"Taco Machin: Roasted Bone Marrow topped with Crispy Pork Belly and shredded cabbage"

Holy Crap, are you kidding me? I'm There! This one is reason enough.

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chill out dude, for some reason the Tequila menu isn't on the website (it's a separate menu from food and drinks). I was there for the soft opening last night and there had to be about 60 tequila's on the menu and behind the bar. The food was really good, especially the pork belly taco's and blue cheese guacamole.

mwa7368 said:
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JackieCruise said:
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What am I missing!? Tequila menu? Quality tequila "go to" place? When did Herradura become quality stuff??? I must be a snob, or something.

You want "go to" tequila place with a TRUE, QUALITY tequila menu? Go here: La Biblioteca and here is a direct link to their tequila menu (with HUNDREDS of options): Tequila (and, mezcal) Menu.

Looks very promising! Will they be offering a lunch menu?

Whoa, the menu looks awesome! Had no idea what to expect. This place is looking like the real deal. Very excited.

Thanks for posting website. Little pricey but looks like it should be worth it. Can even make a reservation online. Looks like a quality tequila "go to" place. Look forward to going soon and often!

They open tomorrow, Friday the 5th. Check out their website:

http://www.oralemk.com