What a shame for Cubans, really badly done and I also asked for the Cuban and when they go to make it he comes with the meat in his hand from the kitchen read more

I had a great experience coming to Cello Cafe in Orland park tonight! Great service! Crepes made fresh to order and the turkish bakalava with icecream was super delicious. I enjoyed this w my herbal chamomile tea! My new favorite place read more

Ducked in here as a final desperate attempt to get me some decaf coffee (I don't know why but several places had been out), so I poked my head around the door and asked on the off chance. They said yes! So, no experience of the restaurant but I can say they do a great take out decaf coffee for $2 a cup (March 2022). Highly recommended! read more

quick, fast, cheap and delicious spanish food in Midtown for lunch. The maduros are on point. the rice and beans are delicious, real caribbean flavor. The pernil (pulled pork) is pulled in front of you before serving, the pollo horneado very good taste. read more

I have chronologed the "qubano" sandwich here in picture form. The meat is very tender and juicy as you can clearly see him pulling it with much ease. They put in thick slices of pickles that will pack a crunch. For some reason the swiss cheese was very powerful on this sandwich.. The flavors seemed to keep to there own and stay very distinguished through out. I suggest you put some cilantro sauce on your sandwich as well as hot sauce. yum I was pleased with the nice big chunks of pork i found in my sandwich. seriously big chunks. This place is run by asians?! weird. read more

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The name of this place will make you pass by and assume its a mom and pop deli but they have a ton of Latin food steamtables. The roast pork is tender and they give you a HUGE amount, pork skin and fat to boot. It's fast, cleaner than Margon, but I can't vouch for the other food. The rice and beans is a little dry. It's basically two lunches for 8 bucks. So you can have a nice heart attack two days in a row... note, sometimes the pork is a little dry so i knocked off a star. still worth a try if you're in the area though! read more

Cafe Cello you are really outstanding, I had a wonderful experience here yesterday. It's kind of the place to go in this neighborhood. Best tasting Cuban Sandwich, every thing was great. Staff are super lovely and service is really fast. I really enjoyed it. read more

Ordered their 3 taco plus a soda combo for around 11 dollars. You're unable to get different tacos, you need to get all of the same kind. They have chorizo, pork or chicken if I remember correctly. I went with pork tacos because al pastor has never let me down but they came out with regular pork that wasn't that flavorful and just wasn't that good. Maybe I would've liked the other flavors! The servings were decent though. read more

Cafe Cello - Pork Tacos - Buffets Near Me - New York, New York

Quick service. The roast pork (pernil) was good, even the white rice was tasty. For $7.95 + tax, it was a good deal. read more

Cafe Cello - the entrance to the restaurant - Buffets Near Me - New York, New York

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Decent fried chicken, but not really something to write home about Went here from the recommendation of www.midtownlunch.com. I ordered the fried chicken dish for $7.95 (including tax). The fried chicken is nice and crispy, but not amazing. Would get a better score if it was cheaper. read more

If you're pissed at work and need something to drown your sorrows in... Try this Midtown lunch spot for roast pork and yellow rice that's is good. Sometimes they serve it with sweet plaintains at no charge other times they try and charge you. So ask. Still a good price @ $7.95. They deliver too! read more

This joint is slipping, Beware when ordering from the grill,the chain of custody from the grill to the register is faulty, either you get someone else's order or yours sits there getting cold for 10 minutes while people zip in and out past you. Why is it necessary for my damn bacon egg and cheese to pass through 3 people's hands before I pay for it....then SHAZAM when I open it to eat ,its mysteriously morphed into a bagel with cream cheese. The food is decent but I can do without the magic tricks. when food is concerned, DONT PLAY! read more

Having a roast pork pulled apart in front of you to put on your plate with some of the fried skin, sweet plantains and rice & beans is awesome. They recently went up on their prices so what once cost $7...then $7.95...is now $8.95. the servings are plentiful and the service is very quick. I'm talking in and out in 2 minutes. Everything I have eaten here is tasty (Steak and onions, chicken tenders, beef stew, Cuban sandwich, Fried chicken). It is kinda sad that this small deli makes better pernil than the Sophies spanish restaurant around the corner. Really good flavor but $10 for lunch adds up quickly. read more

Great lunch spot! I stopped by here for lunch by a recommendation of a coworker. The food was good and it did not disappoint. I went a little later in the day, but there was still a good selection of items. I got the pernil and the pepper steak with rice and beans. With a can of soda it came up to $14, which is not a bad price for lunch. Definitely recommend checking it out for breakfast or lunch. read more

This place used to make good tacos. The pork and fish is the best tacos here. But lately the food is slacking off and taste not consistent. Lack of flavors and chef/cook getting lazy. The guy who makes the tacos doesn't like to listen and take orders well. read more

This place is pretty great. I've been coming here for nearly 13 years and (speaking as a Cuban) the roast pork has been consistently good. They even have the crunchy chicharron skin - all for an affordable price! ProTip: The dude that runs the music here (whom I call 'El Musico') is pretty hilarious. I've seen his stereo set slowly grow over the years and take over the back part of the cafe but honestly I don't mind. Dude is clearly very knowledgeable about music and plays everything from tejano jams to Creedence (and everything in between). El Musico rocks! read more

I worked in the area and what I miss most is Cafe Cello. I have gone to this spot for so many lunch breaks, even three times a week sometimes. I go for their delicious tacos made fresh to order. You get three tacos for $9.95 and a free can of soda. I like to get the chorizo and steak mmm SOOO yummy! I'm someone who is obsessed with tacos and these never disappoint. The pernil platter is also very tasty and it's a lot of food for under $10. I would highly, highly recommend. They also make this green sauce which just compliments their food. The staff is a team and they're all so nice and welcoming! read more

Cafe Cello - Toasted taco shells, chorizo to die for, amazing steak, limes, radishes, different varieties of green sauce what more can you ask for? - Buffets Near Me - New York, New York

Roast Pork? Roast Pork! When I feel like having roast pork piled on rice and beans, I come here. When I feel like having roast pork in sandwich form, aka, a Cubano, I come here. Basically that's what I come here for. The roast pork. Always juicy, and always with a healthy serving of pork skin. There's a bunch of other stuff too, but if it doesn't contain ingredients starting with "roast" and ending with "pork", I'm can't bring myself to order it. There was that one time when I had a super-late lunch and they had RUN OUT OF ROAST PORK [lightning flashes, thunder booms, woman screams] and I had to make a last-second substitution, which resulted in tripe, which was merely OK. Rest assured, I'll never make that mistake again, the roast pork sings a siren song, and I am helpless to resist. I guess what I'm trying to say is, go to Cafe Cello, get some roast pork in you. read more

From outside it looks like they only serve breakfast. Me and my friend went inside because they have a picture of roast pork on the outside. Inside they actually have a variety of food. We ordered the roast pork. The skin is not crispy on some parts but the are parts that are really crispy. The meat with a little fat is very tasty. You can choose sides but I chose rice which is parboiled white rice which they put a little salt. This roast pork taste the same as they do in the Philippines. The pice is good since I only paid around $10... Not bad for food price in NYC! read more

Great food. Nice seating. They give large portions. Nice variety of meats.large seating room

The roast pork at Cafe Cello is easily the best in Midtown. The staff behind the counter always hooks it up with extra pork skin and gravy from the meat. I'd recommend going with the Cuban sandwich, the roast pork platter with maduros or on Thursdays, their weekly special of tripe. Prices are extremely reasonable for the quality and quantity of food that they provide. read more

Great little place near Times Square. Guy at the front was very welcoming as soon as I came in and immediately suggested a couple of options. There are menu boards behind the counter with different sandwich options, and there's also a "steam table" section with rice, chicken, and other hot items. It all looked and smelled delicious. Being originally from Miami and feeling just a teeny bit homesick I went for the Cuban sandwich which the employee recommended. It was a pretty big sandwich (and only came out to about $10 with a bottled water), and tasted very good. While it wasn't a traditional Cuban it was still tasty. The roast pork was juicy, and the bread was nicely toasted. There are four tables and some additional bar stools inside. The music is what you'd expect at any Latin deli or cafe in the States. Felt like home. read more

I love this place, I really do. I go here every morning for my coffee and breakfast fix, and I go there enough that they know exactly what I want (I love being a regular). When I decided I had to try their non-breakfast food items, I instantly wondered why I hadn't before. Popcorn Chicken? Amazing. Roast Pork? Even better. They're also incredibly efficient and get me in and out quickly. I'm so glad I found this gem close to work. Highly recommended for breakfast or lunch. read more

This place is the best kept secret in midtown. I usually order delivery from this place and even at the busiest hour their delivery doesn't take more than 45 minutes.Their roast pork is hugely popular.I usually order the fish with rice and beans and it's to die for especially with the green sauce.Their plantains is the only one that is not at par.Overall a great place to get some proteins and rice read more

Cafe Cello - Fish and rice delivered - Buffets Near Me - New York, New York

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First time ever entering, and never going back. While searching for a drink and a snack, I was accused by the cashier of having been in the store yesterday and stealing. This was my first time ever in the store and thus I had never stolen from it previously. The cashier claimed he was an ex-cop with an impeccable memory, so impeccable that he apparently has no idea who is stealing from his store. Never going back read more

Great lunch time menu. I love Hispanic food and this place does not disappoint. The main dish is Arroz con Pernil; try it, you won't regret, well maybe not until you realize you gained a pound. :) read more

Great place to get a quick bite. Food is very tasty and portions are generous. Can't go wrong with price super affordable. Try their pork. It is awesome. read more

This is my second time there at Café Cello. They give you so much food it is packed in for $9.95... I got the pernil platter with rice and beans, it was amazing..... read more

Dry, flavorless pernil with skin as hard as a rock which almost caused me to choke LOL. Pernil looked so bad, it reminded me of a dog chew. Whoever said this was the pernil needs a slap in the face . Staff is just as dry, which is a shame. There are places which serve way better pernil, even for a more premium price. Food was subpar at best... and even that is a stretch. BEWARE of this place !!! read more

Once again those mofos at midtownlunch.com did not disappoint. I love not having to think about where to eat for a change. Why didn't I discover this place earlier?http://midtownlunch.com/blog/2006/07/10/cafe-cello/ Ahem! Correction on someone's earlier review. Tax IS included people. Sorry I digress. $7.95 gets you a delicious meal with lots of fresh meat. No not jailbait, but pork. - Roast Pig ($7.95) [aka lechon aka heart clogger aka the 2nd best way to die (you guess the first)] - I found the kidney beans and yellow rice a bit bland albeit plentiful but the hot sauce and lemon countered that, sadly enough. The pork however was the main attraction and did not disappoint at all. I felt like I was back in the back streets of San Juan. First the amigo scoops the rice. Amigo then carefully puts 3 pieces of plantains on top of your rice. Lastly amigo masterfully pulls pork with his hand (using a glove, thankfully) and grabs a handful of cosmic pork slop and puts it in your found tin takeout container. After, he goes out of his way to make sure you get a piece of cicharon, or pork rind aka crispy goodness. Let me tell you, the fat was almost cartilaginous. The pork? Heaven sent. It tasted like someone fed this pig beer and massaged it for 3 months before stabbing it in the jugular. I was looking forward to the oxtail but to no avail (Wed only). More reason to go back now. The other dishes looked delish as well. Until I taste the oxtail, the jury is still out on whether or not I want to smack my mama just yet. Until then, MMMM..MMMM...BITCH! read more

Me and a few friends were walking around NYC for the day and we needed a place to eat. We were going to go to a nearby ramen place but decided not to. This is were we ending up and it was terrific. We all got the tacos de pollo. They were delicious. It was 2 corn tortillas topped with shredded chicken, freshly diced onions, and parsley. The three tacos also came with a spicy salsa, a delicious cup of guacamole and even a free can of soda (Dr. Browns cream soda is the best!). We got all this food for only $10 which is really cheap for New York. Although the atmosphere was a little loud from a soccer game projected onto a near by wall, we were all able to talk comfortable and didn't not feel unwanted. If you're looking for somewhere that isn't crowded and has great food this is the place to go. read more

What a great lunch spot. Not crowded, so I got the food in under 5 minutes and @ 12:30, when most mid-town lunch spots are a mob scene. I read about it on Midtown Lunch, which raved about the fried chicken & roast pork. The pork was good, though the skin was pretty leathery. The fried chicken was OK, crispy but not well seasoned. The ribs though, wow! Great sauce & fall of the bones meat. Lunch was under $10 pp came w. rice and plantains (which weren't so impressive). read more

Looks unassuming but this is hands down the BEST roast pork/pernil platter in NYC!! It is so freaking good. Juicy, flavorful, amazing pernil and awesome green sauce. They also cut a piece of the fatty skin and put it on top like an amazing porky cherry. Plus they're super nice! Thank god they're open on saturdays, since I don't work in the area anymore :( I literally make the trip down from Harlem to get pernil from here. so so good. Will have to try the other things some time! read more

I can't order my roasted pork, cause deliver over 3 portions. It's so sad! But cafe is good!

Cafe Cello, it sure does look a bit dark and intimidating from the outside. I have to say that the first time I walked by this place, I kept on walking because shady places usually are not so trustworthy on the stomach. But I finally had the courage and curiosity to go with a friend for lunch. As soon as I walked in, I felt a lot better that it was not as dark and dingy as it appeared from the city street. Along to the right in the narrow corridor is the steam table serving 7-9 daily specials. I've heard a lot of good things about the Roast Pig and Fried Chicken. I looked at the Fried Chicken which looked decent but the Roast Pig was glistening and looked so tender and juicy. I decided to order the Roast Pig with yellow rice & beans, and some maduros (sweet plantains) were thrown on top. The guy behind the counter asked if I wanted some skin, which I gladly nodded. He took a pair of shears and cut off a 2"x2" piece of skin. I brought it to the Korean cashier, and she rung me up, $7.95 (tax already included). She also threw in a small plastic container of hot sauce and a lemon wedge wrapped in a plastic sandwich bag. After we paid, we took a walk to the back to see if there were any seating. The place was pretty dirty, with about 5-7 tables, and a bar-like metal table running along two sides of the wall. We decided to take our meal to the Rockefeller Concourse. As soon as we found a seat, I opened the aluminum container. The food was still pretty warm by the time we found seating at the Rockefeller Concourse. The portions were more generous than expected, with a heaping handful of roast pig, 2-3 large scoops of rice & beans, and about 5-7 pieces of maduros. I took a couple bites of the roast pig, and indeed it was tender and juicy. The skin was not as fatty and juicy as I had imagined, rather it was more of an effort to chew this rock-hard skin. Somewhat good, but definitely not the best I've had. I threw the hot sauce on, which tasted more like Red Devil hot sauce, but nevertheless, complemented the roast pig and brought out the flavors more. The yellow rice & beans were not that flavorful and ever so slightly bland, though cooked perfectly. The maduros tasted a day old, it was a bit firm and far from moist on the inside. I like for my maduros to be crisp on the outside and slightly moist on the inside. These maduros were more dried out on the inside. My friend also ordered some sort of chicken cubes that were fried/grilled with seasonings. The chicken was overly dry and almost unbearable. After taking a couple bites into it, my mouth was looking for something juicy, mmmm, roast pig!! In all, the roast pig was pretty delicious though not out-of-this-world. The rice & beans, and maduros are nothing to rave about. Would I pay $7.95 again for this? Most likely not, but it was a good meal that did not leave my stomach hungry. read more

The Cuban sandwich was very good. You see them tear apart the meat for every sandwich and plate. Very juicy and delicious.

I tried the pulled pork today with plantains and rice and I thought it was really flavorful. While Cafe Cello doesn't stand out on it's own, it serves pretty decent food at affordable prices (for Midtown). I'll head back again and try the pulled pork. The crispy skin was a bit over cooked for me (rock hard instead of crunchy). I also felt as though they didn't give me enough plantains. read more

Great selections of grilled chicken Caesar salad and Spanish food. Small place very fast service in a convenient area.

Got chicken stew with plantains. Tasted really good and lots of food for under $10. The green sauce is nice and spicy. Service is fast so I would recommend this place for lunch. read more

A nice, cheap place for breakfast and lunch during the work day. I had a very good BLT that was fresh and reasonably priced for mid-town. Seems to be low key, so it wasn't crowded during lunch hours. If you don't like crowds or spending too much then this is your place. read more