I tend to avoid places that offer a triad such as pizza, Mexican food, and barbecue all under one roof. I usually think to myself, “How can one restaurant prepare such diverse foods equally well?” Another question, “Why?”, also comes to mind. And while the food I ordered at Tre Colore in Middletown the other day only covered one of those categories, it was good enough to get me to come back for more, and to see what else they have to offer.

My coworkers and I decided to try something new after growing tired of the same places we normally order from while at work in Atlantic Highlands. It was lunchtime, and someone had suggested Tre Colore, hoping they would be able to deliver to us. They did. Not in the mood for pizza and not having the time to look over their extensive menu, when another coworker said they had burrito bowls, I was sold. There would be seven of us in total, making this one of my most expansive reviews ever— usually it is just two people involved, or three at the most. All in all, there would be four burrito bowls, one actual burrito, an Eggplant Parmesan entree, and an order of chicken fingers with fries.

Everyone I was with was happy to give feedback on their food, and even let me snap some pictures in order to make a complete review possible. They also gave me permission to use their names in the review: Dayna had a burrito bowl with chicken and loved it, just wishing there was more cheese; Melissa had a burrito bowl with shrimp, and while she thought the flavor was good, they were overcooked; Nanette ordered also ordered a chicken burrito bowl and thought the shell itself tasted like old oil, but the contents inside were delicious; Nidia had a carne asada burrito, which she thought was great and noted how large the portion was; Janice gave her Eggplant Parmesan a thumbs up and said the sauce was very flavorful; Ariel had chicken fingers and fries—she liked the fries but thought the chicken itself was flavorless and overly processed, like the kind you would get at a fast food place (after seeing the picture below, you may agree). While no one is expecting a pizzeria or a Mexican restaurant to make their own chicken fingers from scratch, a higher quality should still be anticipated.

As for me, I went with the vegetarian burrito bowl, which consisted of rice, black beans, cheese, and corn. All bowls were topped with a mildly spicy red sauce and cilantro, and served with a container of sour cream. I did not have any complaints about my food. There were plenty of all contents, the salsa had a slight spice and really brought everything together, and unlike Nanette’s bowl, mine appeared to be fresh—it was light, fluffy, and crispy at the same time. I finished the entire portion and was absolutely stuffed as a result. There was some good flavor happening here.

If I was giving them a score based entirely on my own meal, I would probably go with a 4. However, since this was all-encompassing, I am going to give Tre Colore a still very solid 3.5 out of 5 stars, which is up there for both a pizzeria-style restaurant and a first-time visit. The Mexican food was a nice change of pace for takeout, and since I am still in an eternal hunt for standout pizza near where I live, they have earned a second visit from me where I would like to try more. Their score may climb even higher.

Tre Colore is located at 1207 NJ-35 in Middletown, NJ.