don pepe restaurant & caterers

so sad and disappointed have been coming for years for new years dinner with a large crowd. 10-15 people typically. this year 2019 was a complete train wreck. waited over an hour and half post our reservation time. unfortunately we were not alone in this circumstance the lack of organization was apparent that they were out of control of the evening. the hostess who was stuck in the firing line of an onslaught of unhappy patrons. i felt bad for her, but her and the old man who is the house manager needs to be put out to pasture. we must of heard half a dozen times " just 5 more minutes" was beyond ridiculous. so we remained patient and were finally seated. as we were being led to our table the old man manager says have a round of drinks for the table on the house. well that turned out to be bs as when the bill came they were charging us for them. i addressed this issue only to find that he was not honoring this. asgoodas the food may be. the hassle, old staff and disorganization isn't worth the trip. it's an extremely pricey place to have to endure this at any time. after 20+ years of going. we will never be back and i would forewarn anybody going there be prepared or better yet redirect and find another place that will appreciate your business.

bad service, bad owner. the waiter got our order wrong. we asked him to fix it. we asked to speak to the owner after he was rude about it. the manager came over and said "we'll take care of you next time"
we came back a few weeks later, regrettably, and the owner did nothing. he did not makegoodon his word. dont trust this place. you can do better elsewhere

dated, bland and disappointing. pretty much that's it on this place. from the overcooked little shrimp to the bathroom that had dryers that didn't work, this place needs an overhaul.

the paella had zero flavor. zero. oversized portions (heaps of rice) but low quality. the onlygoodthings: free parking and dessert brought in from an italian place (i asked). not worth the time or money. gordon ramsey needs to see this place.

going downhill. the food is not asgoodas it used to be. apparently, their policy has changed also. i was there with my wife and mother. i ordered a 3 pound lobster and my wife ordered a steak for us to share (our own surf & turf). my mother, who is older, ordered a large appetizer as her entree. the waiter informed us there would be a $5.00 charge for sharing as all three people had to order entree's..i found this objectionable and when i voiced my objection, i was told sorry, this is our policy. i replied, cancel our order, we are leaving, sorry this is a matter of principle. there are too many othergoodiberian restaurants in newark for don pepe to have this policy.