There are many food trucks in the area. Once you go up Broadway towards 23rd St from Union Square you will see one on each block. This is one of the "lesser" food trucks out there... I was determined to try all the food trucks nearby so I know where to go and what not to eat. I decided to give Bongo Brothers a try. The guy welcomed me in a really friendly manner. He was real cool... I saw the menu online so I knew what I wanted. I decided to get the Mojo Chicken A la Plancha. The Mojo Chicken A la Plancha consists of citrus and garlic marinated grilled chicken and white onions with your choice of Bongo Sauce (spicy) or mojo aioli sauce. The guy suggested the Bongo Sauce. So I went with it. They do offer sides as well such as empanadas, black beans, plantains and tostones. The tostones were only a $1 so I decided to try them. They were crispy with loads of flavor from the Lime Salt. That was the only good thing from my meal... The Mojo Chicken was good, but dry. You can really taste the citrus flavor, but you tend to lose it cause of the dry meat. The rice and beans really lacked some flavor and the portions were not really that ideal for the price of $9. Verdict: Pass on grabbing a bite here, but do try the Tostones. read more

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Saw them yesterday (Wednesday) along Water St near the corner of Maiden Lane. Had a Cuban sandwich and chicken soup. They took down my name and a short time afterwards I had my order. I really appreciated that as it was freezing! I used to work in Chelsea so have tried the (disappointing) Cuban sandwiches from a couple restaurants there so I didn't have high hopes for Bongo B. One taste of the chicken soup however made me realize these guys are pros, the real deal. The cuban sandwich was the best I've had. 5* read more

Bongo Brothers - Chicken soup and Cuban sandwich - Street Vendors Near Me - New York, New York

Tried it today at Water and John instead of my usual Korilla. I don't understand all the negative reviews. The Cuban here was the ridiculously good and filling! Hard to believe it was from a food truck. I'm not sure about the other sandwiches and platters, but I fully support the Cuban and it providing you $7 of utter mouthwatering delight! Will definitely eat here again. read more

If you have money to throw away, this is the place. I've been wanting to try this place out for a while now and finally came across the chance. I had the flank steak platter and was expecting lots of yummy foods. Instead, I got a styrofoam container full of dried, flavorless rice, a small slab of some kind of meat, 3 pieces of lettuce and 2 small plantains. Seriously, I'd rather spend my $9 at Sophies. This place is a joke. I definitely will not be going back... EVER. read more

Food - 3.5/5 Value - 3.5/5 Service - 4/5 Atmosphere - NA/5 Bongo Brothers was one of the trucks down at World Financial today and a few of us decided to give it a try to compare it to our go-to Cuban place, Sophie's. I got the steak platter and bonzo sauce (none included with the platter) and my coworkers got the steak sandwich. The platter comes with white rice and beans, two sweet plantains, and a small side salad. The plantains were good but everything else was just eh. The sauce had a nice kick to it but I'm definitely a bigger fan of Sophie's green sauce. Everyone else had the same reaction to the food, "It was o.k. but if I want Cuban, I'll just order from Sophie's." I don't recommend waiting on line if it's too long unless you are craving Cuban and there are absolutely no better options near you. read more

I was on temporary assignment in midtown and stumbled upon it. They have platters (chicken pork steak), sandwiches (chicken, pork/cubans sandwiches, steak etc.) and sides (plantains, arroz with black beans and other Cuban Cuisine). I had the cubano. It was great for 7 bucks. . I would have prefer less mustard but it was delicious.My friends complemented me in suggesting the Cuban Sandwich, world famous! If you are in midtown you don't know what you are missing! I recommend it highly. I grew up on Cuban food and this is good! read more

My experience with Cuban food has been limited to Sophie's and Tina's, two NYC based restaurant chains, that are essentially the same (Tina's locations used to be Sophie's...some sort of family disagreement I believe). Trying Bongo Brothers reminded me that even when you've found a reliable go-to for a type of cuisine, there's still more food out there to try. I had the Pan con lechon sandwich, which is marinated pork & onions. Anyone who loved the sandwiches from Latin Thing? This is your new joint. First off, the bread is good, and it's fresh. If the bread's no good, the rest of the sandwich suffers. The pork is ridiculously juicy, almost on the verge of greasy, but a good greasy if that makes any sense. And the onions are cooked just to the point of translucency, so theres just a little bit of crunch left in them. The rest of the menu looks great, but I've found a sandwich I could easily order every time I come here, and quite possibly, if I had the funds and exercised more, every day for lunch. read more

I loved the ropa vieja platter i had from this truck. The platter includes a little salad, sweet plantains, and rice and beans. They give you a lot of meat, more than you will usually get with an entree at a cuban restaurant. The rice and beans were great and the sweet plantains were perfect. The ropa vieja was more moist than i'm used to and had a lot of lemon flavor. For $9 it was a great deal. I just wish this truck didn't always park so far downtown, try a spot around midtown sometime. read more

Bongo Brothers - Ropa Vieja Platter - Street Vendors Near Me - New York, New York

I will describe in four words... flavorless, slow, friendly, disorganized... Why? The food lacked the Latin flavor. The service was really slow for the small amount of people waiting. The guy who took my order was very friendly But the system is not very organized! read more

I had a hankering for Cuban food but I was too lazy to go to Sophie's on 23rd and Madison, so I popped over to this truck and I ordered a Cubano Sandwich (guiltily). Because ya'll know Cuban food, as delicious as it is, is not that healthy...And my Cubano had a healthy helping of lechon (pork) and ham, with yummy melted cheese, mustard and pickle. Did it hit the spot? Definitely! Was it the best cuban sandwich I've had? Nope. But its a food truck, expectations are supposed to be moderate anyways. $8 was worth it, but next time, they should add more salt. read more

Pretty great cuban food, the cubano was delicious and the tostones were just right. They add a hint of lime to their tostones which i really liked and was surprised by. The guys who run this are also super friendly. Our order took a little longer to make and they totally made up for it with a free soda. Small things like this make your business go a LONG way. Not the best cubano i have ever had, but then again the best one i have ever had was a tossup between a spot in jackson heights (Thats now closed) and a spot i had while in miami. Still pretty amazing. read more

This Cuban Food truck is fantastic!!!!!!! I had the Cuban Sandwich and ordered the Ropa Vieja platter for my coworker, we also added empanadas and tostones and can't wait to try more. The Cuban sandwich was superb, everything blended perfectly. I've had Cuban food when I visit Miami and growing up around Cuban friends and this surpassed my expectations, it was authentic Cuban food. My coworkers were delighted with their meals as well and we will continue to order anytime they are in the area. The staff was fast, friendly and courteous, you can not go wrong and they are actually two true Cuban brothers who started this business. The empanadas, tostones as well as just about everything had that great homestyle taste, like a Cuban grandmother was cooking it for you. I would advise anyone to try their food, you will love it. read more

Caught the truck at Water and John and was glad I did. I usually go to Sophies and feel guilty afterward because it's just very greasy ( tastes great though). The Cuban here was very good and it seemed a lot healthier. read more

I had high hopes for this one, as I love cuban food and food trucks, but I won't be returning. I got the Ropa Vieja platter and aside from being incredibly bland (even the rice and beans, which had no salt, I assume), the steak too closely resembles old rope in texture. The 3 pieces of friend plantain were good, though. read more

Had this today in DUMBO. Won't be back. Lechon asado platter: utterly tasteless pork (how do they make it taste like absolutely nothing?) and only about 4 ounces of it. Mountain of plain white rice (zzzz) and black beans with two slices of undercooked maduro. Salad greens wilted and unseasoned. Save your money. read more

Caught them down on Water St. Great portions, pretty inexpensive and the food is great. The guys in the truck were really friendly, too. Recommend the ropa vieja or Cuban sandwich. Both are really good. The fried plantains are great, too. My coworkers are really impressed with the place, too. read more

Horrible service experience there. I honestly wish I could at least rate the food, but both times I ventured there they were completely out of whatever I wanted to try (like half the menu). Of course, they're a food truck and I won't knock them for that, but I WILL knock them for their rudeness. The girl who took orders had an incredibly nasty attitude. Didn't greet or even speak me, just glared at me like I had said something bad about her mama and waited for me to speak before telling me they were out of whatever I wanted to order. Not even going to bother going back there because of this girl. Get rid of the sister, Bongo Brothers. read more

i have had some AMAZING cuban food in my day.... but bongo brothers saves me the $300 airfare to miami to have it. MUST...MUST....MUST!!!!! read more

Although they had no idea what a Medianoche was...their Cuban Sandwich was pretty tasty. They used generous amounts of ham and juicy pork. I'll reiterate juicy since this is usually the point of failure for most Cuban Sandwiches. Oh and the meduros were great! read more

I ran into Bongo Brothers the other day. I haven't eaten food like that in awhile. I tried the cuban sandwich and my friend had the ropa vieja. My cuban was delicious. And my friend said her ropa vieja tasted very fresh and like she was eating from home. I highly recommend Bongo Brothers. Great Cuban Food! read more