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El Latino Restaurant

4.0 (120 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

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EL LATINO RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Divey
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - El Latino Restaurant

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Kristen H.

Yum yum yum!! A friend from work recommended El Latino and I'm so glad We gave them a try. Super super friendly service, answered all my questions about options. My son and I each tried a different large sized meal which included meat and rice with beans and a choice between stewed cabbage or salad. I would recommend salad over the cabbage. And definitely get their homemade hot sauce absolutely fantastic. We also tried their empanadas sampling both the chicken and the beef with the beef being the clear winner. The portions are so generous this lasted us for three meals!

Medium $8.99 plus tax
Lea B.

Book marked this place months ago. Finally I made it! Stopped in at 1:15pm on a Friday. The line was out the door. Overall the whole ordering process seemed unorganized and chaotic. Certainly not as orderly and cafeteria style as D'Mangu. Signs hanging up are hard to read due to the hand writing and some half wiped off board. There were a few tables to eat, but most of the folks took their food to go. Parking is mostly in back. I ordered the medium Pernil (pork shoulder) with crispy skin, yellow rice and beans and a salad. Enough food for 4 hearty meals if you ask me! Rice and beans were on point. Pork was really good.... meat overall was moist. The skin however was Rock hard and inedible if you like your teeth and want to keep them for a long time. I had all intentions of ordering an empanada, but forget in the ordering confusion. I'll have to give that one a try next time.

Pernil lunch spesh $6 yummmm
Fox E.

So if Hispanics took over the public transport system in Chicago, would the "El Train" become known as the "El Latino"? And start charging much less per ride, to make it more affordable for the Midwestern City Folk? If so, even that would not be as affordable and awesome as this unassuming restaurant just west of Rochester. What to get: Pernil lunch special with yellow rice What else: everything on the menu If it was a Salvadoran watering hole, it'd be "Well Latino." Far and away my favourite Puerto Rican food in Rochester, this little gem has everything you'd expect from a Puerto Rican place... rotisserie chicken, Pernil, fried stuff, empanadas, and every single bite of every single thing is delicious. If it was a Colombian personal injury lawyer, it'd be "Fell Latino." What makes El Latino even more special is that the prices are bargain basement cheap, rock bottom... you'll pay next to nothing for this amazing food. The lunch specials are 5 or 6 for enough food to feed the entire island of Puerto Rico for a week. Or two. If it were a Honduran psychiatrist's office, it would be "Tell Latino." As with any Puerto Rican place, I highly recommend getting here nice and early so that the food is fresh and as juicy as it can possibly be. I had a Pernil late in the day and it wasn't the juiciest or hottest. I had one at the beginning of lunch time on a couple of occasions and it was *spectacular*. A nice touch is that they give you a bit of pork skin with your order... delicious. If it were a Mexican perfume and candle store, it'd be "Smell Latino." I haven't been too impressed by most of the Latin food I've tried in Rochester, but this is the shining, glowing exception. It's absolutely delicious. It's up there with Niagara Cafe and Sazon Criollo in Buffalo, as my fave Puerto Rican spots in the region. If it were an Argentinian "English as a foreign language" school, it'd be "Spell Latino." El Latino is one of Rochester's best eateries and also one of the best value. Plus the girl that works here is super cute, and I appreciate that. And if it were a Uruguayan sex shop designed to make you grow in your nether regions, it would be "Swell Latino." Or swollen perhaps. But I digress. Get here. Eat the Pernil. Kthxbye.

Ox tails, rice, chicken
Kari C.

I've been driving past this place for years in my 'hood. If there is ever a sign of good restaurant, its when the lot is full of cars. El Latino is a quick take out joint that has a wide variety of foods on any given day. After hearing people at work rave about the amazing meals, we decided to give it a try and we are glad that we did. Their serving sizes are, "HUGE Rochester HUGE," as they say. The plates are served by size in small, medium and large. The large is big enough for at least two meals. On the buffet, they had beans and rice, ribs, baked chicken, black & pinto beans, pulled pork, cabbage, empanadas, shrimp & crab rice and much more. All that we tried was good, but be forewarned that if you're not a meat eater then you'll probably be out of luck here unless you order a specialty item ahead of time. My hubby loved the food, but if I were going back again, I would order from the menu as opposed to the buffet simply because there wasn't a lot available for my needs. This is recommended for anyone wanting quick takeout of this variety.

This restaurant's food is always delicious.
Reen K.

This is my favorite Latin restaurant in Rochester. The oxtails are so delicious and tender, the beans and rice are delicious as well as the plantains. I've tried the pork as well off of my husband's plate and he's seasoned with perfection.

Medium plate of ox tail, cabbage topped with onions, and red beans and rice.
Jan N.

I was in Irondequoit and on the hunt looking for a Spanish restaurant open after 8 pm on a Thursday and fate brought me to El Latino in Gates. Initially, I was hesitant because I'm not familiar with the area and I was going alone, but it's in a quiet location near I-390. There is a parking lot so I didn't have to worry about parallel parking. =/ When I walked in, I joined the end of the line leading to the buffet counter. I skimmed the restaurant and it has seating available for about 20 people or so. From what I could see on my tippy toes, the buffet spread had a variety of meats - ox tail, stewed chicken, beef, pork, as well as red or black beans, and yellow or white rice. Not to mention other food on both sides of the main buffet line up. I ordered a medium plate of ox tail, red beans and yellow rice, and cabbage topped with onions. My eyes were bigger than my stomach, however, my intense craving for Spanish food was soothed and satisfied! They stacked the plate full. The red beans were soft and moist and the rice was fluffy. It was slightly salty to me, but it offset the mild, yet tasty flavor of the cabbage and onions. The ox tail was tender and full of flavor, but definitely not a lean meat. The wait was short and the server gently guided me through the options for my plate. She probably could tell I was a noob there. I walked out with take out in about 10-15 mins. So if you want something quick, flavorful, inexpensive, and filling with a splash of Caribbean spices, this is the place to go!

Spanish paella.
David S.

This place is legit. We got the Spanish paella, potato balls, fried pork chunks, beef and cheese empanadas. They forgot my fried cheese, but not a big deal - they were super busy and said they would get me on the next trip. The paella was great, the whole family loved it. I found the seafood a tad dry, I'm guessing from frozen, to be expected, and not a huge problem. All apps were fantastic. The oxtail and pork shoulder looked great from what I could see. And I'm interested in the Sancocho and stewed chicken as well so I'm definitely going back.

Counter where you order
Kelly B.

My husband is Boricua and he was in heaven! He ordered chicharrón for us to go-wow! We split the pernil and chicken with side of yellow rice and red beans. We could not finish it. They gave us 1 quarter chicken leg and then 2 large legs plus lots of pernil. Cereal bowl full of rice that was packed in, then dumped onto plate. He pernil was super juicy and tasty. Baked chicken had a light seasoning and very tender too. We talked to people who eat there several times a week. Most people got take out. They serve food very quickly as it is served cafeteria style. The homemade passion fruit juice was amazing and recommended by locals. There are security cameras all over for safety I imagine as the neighborhood was kinda shifty. Customers were all well dressed and polite. Staff was helpful as well.

El Latino store front
Rahmir C.

This is a nice spot if you want some Dominican food. The only complaint i have is the price, their a little on the pricey side to be a mom and pops spot, besides that their pastelitos are Bomb.

Black beans, white rice, and shredded pork. Awesome meal!

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8 months ago

The empanadas are amazing! Tons of flavor in both the beef or chicken with cheese. Very nice staff and can't wait to go back again

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2 years ago

Poor customer service and very nasty attitudes. Had a rude lady that worked there and had an attitude for no reason.

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4 years ago

Food is good service is not. No smile no hello is more like next next next. They ask what you want an as you speak they walk away.

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3 years ago

Good food good service they are professional and fast all around great place to eat from

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4 years ago

Great food at great price. One of the best hispanic food I had. I really their fried plantains

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Three Little Birds Jamaican Food

Three Little Birds Jamaican Food

3.6(13 reviews)
1.7 miGenesee-Jefferson

A lot better than expected reading some of the reviews here my girl can't stop talking about the…read morechicken and can't say anything bad about my meal will definetly order again

Ordered takeout from a spot located in a dive bar--which, honestly, seemed kind of cool at first…read more But when I got there, I noticed something odd: no smell of food cooking. Red flag number one. I headed to the back where the "restaurant" part was, and the vibe was off. Everyone in the kitchen was just sitting there, stone-faced, staring at me like I'd wandered into a secret society meeting. My order was the only one, yet they still made me show proof on my phone to confirm it was me. Weird. Despite the strange energy, I decided to give it a shot--mainly because it looked like someone's Jamaican grandma had made the food, and who's saying no to that? When I got home, though, the food was... fine. Not great, not terrible, just aggressively average. The chicken was okay but obviously had been sitting under heat lamps or in a warmer for hours without being stirred or loved. The rice? Mid. The cabbage? Also mid. It's the kind of place where you can tell the food's only as good as how much effort the cooks feel like putting in that day. Some days it's probably amazing; other days, it's got the potential to send you sprinting to the bathroom. So, would I go back? Maybe. But only if I'm feeling adventurous--and not wearing white pants.

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Three Little Birds Jamaican Food - Oxtail Cabbage Fried Plantains  Beans and rice and a roll

Oxtail Cabbage Fried Plantains Beans and rice and a roll

Three Little Birds Jamaican Food
Three Little Birds Jamaican Food

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El Latino Restaurant - spanish - Updated May 2026

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