One of the best ways to tell the quality of a Mexican restaurant is to try their chips and guacamole. At Estrella Azul – a new spot in Manalapan – their signature blue corn tortilla chips are made in-house daily. (“Azul” means blue in Spanish, and “Estrella” means star, which in total translates to “Blue Star”.) In fact, everything is made fresh, from scratch.
Anthony Imperiale, along with his wife Melissa, owns the 1,500-square foot Estrella Azul. The restaurant is actually just a few doors down from Mezza Luna, an Italian restaurant Anthony also co-owns. (After working there for eight years and purchasing it from his father.) Meanwhile, Melissa has worked at Mezza Luna for 15 years. If the names sound familiar, it’s because Mezza Luna opened in Manalapan in 2000 before coming to Holmdel in 2019. Likewise, Estrella Azul first opened in Holmdel (2019) before coming to Manalapan in 2021.
More from Best of NJ
“We could consider ourselves high-end, quick service,” Anthony says about the restaurant, which is primarily for takeout. But they do have 14 seats inside, in an atmosphere he describes as “very colorful and high energy”.
Mexican Favorites & More
The Mexican menu at Estrella Azul boasts tacos, burritos, and quesadillas all made from scratch, including the salsa and sauces. At the moment, crowd-pleasers include the Camaron taco with blackened shrimp, spicy cabbage slaw, avocado, and Chile-lime mayo. They also have a variety of quesadillas, which come with a house blend of Monterey Jack and Queso Oaxaca. Protein options include chicken, carne asada, carnitas, chorizo, queso, vegetal (mushrooms, avocado, black beans, corn), and al pastor; the latter is marinated pork with pineapple. In particular, Anthony says his favorite quesadilla is the carne asada, as the flank steak is “cooked to perfection”.
However, his favorite menu item of all is the carnitas street taco. Estrella Azul slow cooks the meat for 16 hours overnight using the Sous Vide cooking style. As a result, the meat is extremely tender. “All of our meats are extremely high quality, each with its own unique recipe,” Anthony explains. This leads to dishes with unique flavor and spice combinations. Click here to see the full menu.
In addition, gluten-free goers can order their tacos with a gluten-free tortilla; of course, they can also skip the tortilla entirely and go for a burrito bowl.
Looking Ahead
As for what’s next, “We hope to open many more Estrella Azuls,” Anthony says. “People have been going nuts over our food. It’s really awesome to see people appreciate the quality and effort we have put into all our recipes. We’re growing quickly and we hope that continues.”
Visit Estrella Azul at 357 Route 9 South in Manalapan. (Click here to see them on Google Maps.) To learn more: Click here to visit the Website | Follow them in Instagram | Click here to give them a call.
Click here to find the latest restaurants open in New Jersey.
Estrella Azul FAQs
All Photos: © Estrella Azul