If you are looking for some incredible Dominican food in Forte Green, Brooklyn -- you have found it! This spot will load up your plate with the tastiest rice and beans and tremendous meats. Well seasoned, tender, filling and well priced. The staff is wonderful! And the restaurant is super cute. read more

El Cofre - Latin American Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The whole experience felt special without trying too hard. The taste makes words redundant. The team members show remarkable care. What makes dining here unique is the community feel. This place demonstrates exceptional skill. read more

As a Latina, this was the most distasteful food ever. The food had no taste, the chicken felt more like boiled than baked. If you're Latino this is not the place for you. read more

Food is good! Probably one of my favorite spots growing up. But service here is awful! I've been ordering here for years & dining in here for years. But every time I do a call up order, they put me on hold for over 30 mins and then end up hanging up on me I would have to call them back again for them to say they didn't remember I called and had me on hold. On top of that they do talk in Spanish & judge you in Spanish based on how you look how you speak. There is one employee who does the bare minimum. But even then service is terrible! read more

I had the choice of going to this restaurant or Rico Pollo. I was very disappointed as the 1/4 rotisserie chicken was dry, unseasoned and didn't taste fresh. I definitely will not make such a wrong choice of restaurants again. read more

All of the above I enjoy the waitstaff, the fresh food and the quick service I appreciate that they also provide delivery service. read more

My cousin love him some Spanish food. So we stop by this spot so he could take food to work. I try some of his food and it was season well. Service was fast. read more

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Friday, September 30, 2022 around 10:15 a.m.ish. We were welcomely greeted with smiles. We had our choice of seating. We got our coffees and water promptly. The coffee was nice, hot, and comforting...made with love. We came for breakfast... I ordered the Cuatro Golpes and saw they had soups out so I got a Mondongo soup which was hot, warming and made perfectly the squeeze of lime and a couple shots of hot sauce made it better. The cuatro Golpes...mangu was seasoned, mashed and had a fresh texture( it wasn't sitting and drying out) the salami was 2 thick slices and this one was perfect not too salty and fried perfectly as was the dominican sausage. The two over easy eggs were perfect with some black pepper. The lady ordered beef sausage, bacon, and egg whites, which was done as per her request. The French toast was a little wet for her so, I ate it and they gave her mangu in it's place. We were given another round of Cafe con leche. Since, it was lunchtime...they started bringing out the lunch items. So, of course we had to get takeout... One whole fried fish, 2 baked chicken legs with thighs, and an order of Chiccharone de pollo...bone in. The service was wonderful and food was amazing, tasty, and super fresh. We are already planning to come back. read more

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I don't know what happened to El Cofre, I've eaten here for over 25 years and the last 2 times I went by in the last few months, each meal tasted like water. Where's the Sazon, the Sofrito THE FLAVOR!! I don't think I need to get got for a 3rd time, keep in mind the prices have significantly gone up as well. I think I have to move on. read more

I just placed a order two days ago For a event And they never made my order for the day of nobody call me or anything now I'm trying to call them to see what can the. Manager do they Fucking Blocked me !! Wow unprofessional!! read more

Excellent restaurant with Dominican food, rice beans and meat. Good thing this place is out of my area because their Pernil (Roasted Pork) was too good ! The pernil was well cooked and tasted deliciously spiced. The chuletas was not all that, I didn't liked it. The roasted chicken was cooked good. What is nice, they do cook black beans everyday, good to know if you need to boost the iron vitamin in your body. The red beans where also cooked to perfection. How did I tried so much food in one visit? I got to taste the food my son ordered. :) read more

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I went there with the recommendation of Jeff O. Awesome place. I have to agree with everything he said. My friend and I got the chicken with beans and rice. that chicken was so good. completely moist and not an ounce of dry meat. I just had a half chicken with rice and beans, a salad, a side of steamed veggies and a serving of rice pudding all fit for 2 people (or even 3!) for 14.25 BUCKS! (so its 7 bucks each!) i'm so full right now, I'm in cheap food heaven! read more

El Cofre - baked chicken - Latin American Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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The food is tasty, but definitely on the greasy/unhealthy side. We got a lot of food for $21 and here's what we got: 1) two large pieces of chicken that included the thigh, wing and drum stick. It was almost a half chicken each piece. The flavor was great and the chicken fell off the bone but it was soaking in grease. She asked if we wanted 'gravy' on ours, which is another word for fat/grease and we passed thankfully. Even without it there was a puddle of oil at the bottom of our tin. 2) White rice. Average nothing special! 3) Red beans --tasty!! More soupy/than beans but very good over white rice. 4) mixed veggies with broccoli, corn, onions and bell peppers. I love veggies and these were great! 5) Plaintains. YUM. Love these pan fried nuggets of heaven. The reason I am giving it 4 stars is because there were no prices listed (shady for a business) and it was clear she was making up prices on the top of her head. We weren't given a receipt so we're not sure how much each cost and wonder if we would be charged the same amount of we came in and ordered it again. read more

El Cofre - $21. It was actually a lot of food for 2 hungry people. Def had leftovers! - Latin American Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Ordered breakfast to go-somehow they forgot the eggs. They didn't forget to charge me for them though. I've gotten breakfast and lunches from here more than a few times, the food is average and the service usually less than average. This place survives solely off the fact that it's really the only place to get Dominican food in the immediate area. read more

Solid lunch special. Have only done take out so can't comment on the dine-in. I generally get the roast chicken or pork with rice and beans and some plantains. You can also choose a salad or mashed potatoes instead of rice. Pretty good portion of food for $6-7. Only odd thing I find is when you order the pork they end up going to the kitchen to get it when there's a good looking piece of pork on display. Feels like a bait and switch when they do it but it's still pretty good. You'll even get some of that tasty crispy skin with it. read more

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Tried El Cofre tonight after a long absence. Chicken partly dry. My cup of beans was actually cup of juice. Even when you insist, they still give you mostly juice. Stingy with the beans. read more

They gave me 2 cans of soda from the family meal instead of a 2 liter and the food has no flavor

I can't believe this is not reviewed. I'm actually pissed. I've been hearing for so long how good CASTRO'S is in the Clinton Hill area... blah blah blah. you suck. I went to Castro's this weekend. BFD. The food was par par par. The only thing that makes this at all above the rest is English speaking waitresses. Safety. I vacationed in Ft. Greene for 2 weeks last year. I walked down Myrtle starved for good homemade food. El Cofre saved me. I forgot what I had, but I remembered the warmth of great home cooking. It is just amazing the divide in who comes here and who goes to Castro's. I can't believe this hasn't been reviewed yet. With the population of Ft. Greene and Clinton Hill on yelp... and no one has thought to review this yet? I need to chill out. It's not their fault. It's my fault it's taken me a year and a half to review it. When we walked past El Cofre, coming from Castro's, I said to my friends "Next time I want to go there!" I do. read more

Es Dominicano? Well... Rice and Beans all the way baby! Their food is cheap for the portions they give and just good home made latin american comfort food. Every time I call they are so sweet to me, surely it helps to make the order clearer and less confusing sometimes if you speak Spanish. Their delivery are not among the fastest but it does arrive in a decent amount of time. Chicharron de pollo: Yummy yummy. If you go to a Dominican cook's place.. this is common one of the safest and tastiest dishes. It is very different from the American breaded fried chicken. Have it with Tostones (fried green plantain) or Rice and beans (they make great Habichuelas!) or with Yuca (boiled Yucca topped with vinegar and onions.. yummy.. I'm getting hungry as I type this...). Monfongo: El Cofre's only gets a passing grade on this one. Breaded Beef: Thin but big piece of breaded fried beef fillete. Not the crunchy type. Good flavor, yummy. Bistec (t-bone): Ermm.. Don't recommend. Didn't look appetizing. They can't manage to cook to the degree that you ask for. Also way too much sazon and garlic on the bistec, overpowering the meat itself. 1 entree + the side is good enough to share among 2 people (unless you are overly active and needs more food). More bang for you bucks! read more

Where do I start. Beware of what you order here. They are always trying to get one over on you. They use to be a good family owned spot but once the neighborhood changed so did they. I ordered a chicken stew last week for delivery. After receiving my order I noticed they substituted my stew chicken for a baked chicken ; which was dry. I called and spoke to the manger and he said he'd did this because they ran out. My question to him was why didn't you call me to fix the situation? He decided that since it was close to the end of the day they would give me something else. Will excuse me!! After a little arguing he decided to give me a credit. I called back for 4 days straight to get my credit, but the ladies had no clue what I was talking about. Finally, today I get through to the manager and he said I remember you will we take care of in and it will get delivered. After we hung up a young lady calls me back and she tells me I need to order something else for them too deliver. Excuse me... Did I hear you correct? I told her fine add a $5 avocado salad. She says it's not ten dollar minimum and that I only have the chicken stew for free and not the rice or bean that accompany it. I told her to cancel the order because I don't have time for the bs. She calls me back and says hey we can deliver everything to you for $5. I agree because I am starving at this point!! Delivery comes and I open the bag.. Guess what!! The avocado salad is missing. Basically I just paid for rice and beans that should've been included in the comp order. I'm so over this place and their slighted ways read more

In my Yelp profile I chose the oxtails at El Cofre as "my last meal on earth." It's that good. Sure there are a million fancy Michelin-rated restaurants in NYC, but sometimes you just want some soulful food that tastes like your grandma made it...down to earth food that's cooked with a lot of love. That's El Cofre. I also love this place because they know how hard people have to work for a dollar, and their prices reflect that. For $10 you can get an order of oxtails with white or yellow rice, black or pinto beans, and a side of tostones (fried green plaintains). The entire meal easily feeds 3 people. The oxtail is soooooo good. I mean really good! While there is seating at El Cofre, its not exactly somewhere I would take a date. Its more of a take-out or delivery type of establishment. But what it lacks in ambience it more than makes up for with delicious, dominican-style food. read more

I live near this place and there are several problems with this place. First, the food is very expensive compared to other spanish restaurants in the area. My guess is they mostly cater to non-hispanics who do not necessarily now that the food is more expensive than nearby spanish restaurants. They have a rule that you cannot order 1/4 chicken after a certain hour so your only choice is to order 1/2 chicken and it only include rice and beans if you want plantains or any side order you have to pay extra. are they serious? when asked the attendant why I could not order 1/4 chicken she rolled her eyes and told me that those were the rules and that was that. If you want good spanish food at a reasonable price go to other spanish restaurants in the area instead. read more

Nasty attitudes. Incorrect orders. Acts as if they are doing you a favor by waiting on you. Food subpar.

Pretty good service. A lot of the employees don't speak a lot of English which isn't a problem but, they don't have patience either. You can't get mad at me for you not understanding and I can't get mad at them either so, that's why I never make a fuss about it. The food is good but sometimes the chicken is dry but the pig's feet are absolutely delicious. read more

El Cofre is a serious place, by which I mean that the portions are huge, the food is really tasty, the service is very friendly, and the prices are low. First, to avoid confusion, there is a queue by the door at El Cofre- that's for folks getting to-go orders. If you want to eat in, just walk right by that queue, sit down, and wait for someone to give you what is, I think, a mindblowingly extensive menu (though, you should know, that El Cofre runs out of things -- yesterday, for example, when I asked for the stuffed chicken, the waitress just shook her head. Apparently it's a popular item!). All of the chicken dishes we sampled were tasty - breaded chicken (a huge, flat piece of chicken served with rice and beans, fries, or plantains), and the deliciously garlicky garlic chicken (also served with rice and beans, fries, or plantains). Dinner for 2 (with enough leftovers for at least two more meals) : $27. read more

Bad service. Period. Didn't even had the chance to order at all. Waited 20 plus minutes, watching six employees talking among themselves in the counter, walking past us. One acknowledge us, told the waitress to serve us, but she was busy chatting with the others. We just stood up, thank them for the service they did not even tried to provide us. And guess what, there was only one table in the whole place in a Friday night. That said it all. If you want to try that place, hopefully you have nowhere to go. Keep waiting. read more

IF you live in Clinton Hill you should know about this place. If you don't, you will drive to Clinton Hill from now on! This is Spanish Food 101! Why 101, because it is actualy Dominicans cooking typical Dominican/Spanish (Caribbean) food! The inside makes it look like a hole in the wall, but anywhere EMT, COPS, Detectives, and Traffic Agents go MUST BE GOOD, AND IT IS!! It is not a, "oh let's go on a date here" place, what it is is a "I'm ungry lets get some Spanish food" place! Try the Pechuga a la parrilla (grilled chicken breast), Mofongo De Pollo (mushed sweet plantins) and even the regular fried Plantins! In fact every Chicken dish is A+ and the rice is BANGIN! You will not be disappointed! read more

This isn't the best Dominican food place I've ever had but it is good and what's really solid is their breakfast. They have at least 3 or 4 different types of sausage and I absolutely love it for one of those days you want a good breakfast without having to shell out the cost of an NYC brunch or some fancy menu item. If you're not too familiar with this type of restaurant think diner but spanish. read more

Horrible. Came in at 4 asked if the ribs was on the lunch special was told yes by server made my whole plate and charged the full price I told the server u said it was on the lunch special or I wouldn't have gotten it and she continued to say no it isn't after saying it was plus I don't like a place that carefully puts the meat on your plate as if they are counting the pieces of meat they are giving you read more

Chicken over rice and beans or oxtail stew over rice and beans. Side of meduros. What? $9??!! Awesome. Literally up the block from my stoop and I have a go-to spot for somce consistent good food. Filling, cheap and tasty. I come here a lot... a whole lot. Also try out their fried fish and tamales. Good stuff! I usually just go there to pick it up, delivery is okay, but can run a bit long if it's busy. read more

------Attention broke college students in the area ---- This place is so inexpensive, I can't believe it sometimes. it's 3 stars for food, but at their prices you can't go wrong. Anyway, avoid the cheeseburgers, unless you are a fan of terrible supermarket frozen patties . however , if you are a looking for an amazing cuban sandwich for $4. This is the place to go . Grilled cheese sandwiches are simple and great too. also you can get dominican style juices/drinks which is hard to come by in the neighborhood. Definitely a take-out, order in type of place . Phone service is very nice, however they answer the phone in spanish, so once you get past the awkward part , you're good. read more

I've been eating here on a regular basis for years now, but somehow I haven't made a visit in about 5 months. I decided enough was enough and ended the dry spell today. I also figured it was finally time to Yelp! Sure, the baked chicken here is always unbelievably juicy & delicious, the tostones are always warm & crispy, and the prices are simply unbeatable. But, beyond the excellent food (which also includes options like burgers & grilled cheese for the less adventurous or cautious first timers) and the fact that breakfast is served all day... what really makes El Cofre stand out are the people. The staff is genuinely friendly and always willing to chat. Even if you're not one of the locals that stop in daily for the amazing lunch specials and you only pop in once a month (or even, once every six months), they'll remember you and treat you like a regular. And, that was surely the case when I stopped in today! As Clinton Hill moves on with its renaissance and trendier, sleeker establishments (both the good and the mediocre) continue to replace many of the poorly run and unkempt restaurants from decades past, its comforting to know that El Cofre is showing no signs of weakness. If this is one of those places you've heard about, read about or walked by countless times and figured "I'll check that out someday" - make that day tomorrow. read more

I went in the afternoon, so it was not busy. My food came within 10-15 minutes. The breaded steak was phenomenal because the steak and breading were cooked right. I loved the plaintain's sweetness. The rice and beans were excellent. read more

El Cofre - Breaded steak with white rice, red beans, and sweet plantains - Latin American Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The server was amazing! So kind and very attentive. Food was so good and tasty. The chicken mofongo was mashed together, and the sauce was on the side. I practically like having the sauce on the side. read more

Do not eat here! My friend got Salmonella from a Cuban Sandwich! She's been in the hospital for a week!

I come here a lot, this place used to be a gem.. but now it is not. The food is still somewhat delicious when it's fresh. The service not so much. It's like they make up their own prices. They charge 2-3$ for lettuce and tomato on a pernil sandwich ... I'm so serious ... my lunch special should have been 5.99 they charged me 7.99 .. I'm so serious. Then the pastels ? Won't even mention the up-charge on that .. I ask they lady about the 5.99 sign she goes not that's not right? I'm like then fix it? Anyway.. good is good. But they will try and pull a bait and switch.. read more

DINERS BEWARE...Lesson of the day, ALWAYS follow your instincts. The small restaurant was pretty quiet on a Friday afternoon at 4PM. We had literally just walked in minutes after the lunch special had ended. Despite our best efforts, we were told that we had to order from the dinner menu. The servers seemed nice, but looks can be deceiving (literally). The menu itself is confusing. You can't order white meat during dinner time since it's only available during lunch. What? Huh? You only have yucca available for breakfast, but can't understand why when customers have repeatedly asked for it throughout the day. The original server seemed overwhelmed by our questions about the menu and sought assistance from her colleague who picked up our table for the remainder of our dinner. Talk about the red flags that popped up during our dining experience. I thought since the second server was honest enough to tell my colleague that the plantains were not sweet then we would be okay. Boy, was I wrong. I opted for a chicken salad, which on the menu was listed for $7.99. One of my regrets was that I did not take a photo for my own records. The second regret was that I actually dined here. A little premonition would have been helpful on Friday. Anyways, there was just the chicken salad. It did not specify that I had a choice (ex. bbq, curry, grilled, baked, stew). It just said chicken salad. When my plate arrived at the table, I was given a grilled chicken salad. It was a decent plate for $7.99 and honestly I wasn't in the mood for many of the items that were on the menu but didn't want to be the only one on the table without a meal. My salad was still soaking in water too, how nice! I guess that was to reassure that the salad was rinsed before it was plated. The salad was okay, but there were some burnt pieces of chicken. I did not make much of a fuss since it was minimal and a little char is standard when it comes to grilled chicken. Everyone else in my group seemed satisfied with their meals except for one of my colleagues who provided the server with feedback. Then came the bill. Remember earlier when I mentioned my menu choice, well the first server opted to charge me $12 for a dish that was listed on the menu for $7.99. I immediately asked for a price check and she stood her ground. When I asked for the menu, she looked down and said yes it's $12. Lies! When I asked to see the menu, she hesitated before eventually handing it over knowing that she was lying about the price. Her backup and colleague came to address the discrepancy and only caused the matter to escalate. Never argue with a customer, especially when he/she is correct. The receipt said that I ordered a bistec salad, which is translated to steak. I had no steak on my dish since I rarely eat beef. They tried to claim that I ordered a salad that had avocado in it. I HATE avocado so try again. Plus, I had taken a photo of my dish which was already posted on Instagram and tagged to the restaurant hence my time stamp. She then rudely said that I should have specified which type of chicken i wanted. Wait...are you kidding me? Again, the menu only said chicken salad and did not note that there were options to choose from. She went back to the register and never returned to my table who was patiently waiting to settle the bill and start the weekend. How do you proceed to serve other customers when you clearly have unsatisfied customers waiting for you to inform them as to whether or not the bill will be adjusted? Who does that? Most of my five-member party was already outdoors so it wasn't as if we were still seated and chatting it up. Realizing that the manager was non-existent since I did ask for his/her assistance and how rude the server was, I knew that I was not going to make any headway with this situation so I paid my bill but no tip was left. No apologies were offered. No attempt was made to remedy the matter. I just wanted to get out of there already. I have NEVER in recent memory been treated so poorly. If you opt to dine in this establishment, be mindful that they are manipulative and the menu is not what it seems. Be thorough and ask as many questions as possible before you dig in. You might be surprised when it's time for the check. I will NEVER dine at this establishment...case closed. Good riddance! read more

This is probably the worse restaurant to eat from. I was eating my chicken and i found hairs inside of it. I was so disturbed , due to this i don't recommend any one to this restaurant. read more

i enjoy the food but hate the lack of transparency with pricing. my server charged me an extra dollar for a chicken leg when she had told me the chicken lunch special was $6. i wouldn't have minded paying $7 if she had told me that the leg cost extra and i had the money for it. the tip i wanted to leave went to paying for the meal that cost more than she had said. would've given 5 stars if she had just been transparent. read more

as others have mentioned, el cofre offers large portions at respectable prices. though i have only tried two of their entrees, the grilled chicken breast and the baked chicken, both were thoroughly enjoyable. grilled chicken breasts smothered in fresh garlic clock in at $9 bucks, while the less healthy baked chicken is a mere $7. both include a hearty serving of rice and side order of beans - pink or black. the beans are flavorless, but some salt and hot sauce (or gravy) can help that out. other notable menu items include the sweet platanos and banana shakes, $2.00 and $3.00 respectively. know what you're getting yourself into with the avocado salad: at $3.50, the sliced avocado atop a basic iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato combo seems a bit steep; however, the salad dressing is friggin delicioso. i always get 2 of those. also, the egg breakfast i tried once was less than compelling. i'd avoid their eggs. apart from the lazy delivery men and cash-only delivery rule, two very enthusiastic thumbs up. read more