I'm genuinely excited to write this review. I've known about this spot for a long time but never felt compelled to walk in... it's pretty unassuming from the outside, and I'll admit I can be swayed by aesthetics. One day I had an intense craving for oxtail and had no idea where to find it in Bay Ridge, so I decided to give this place a try. I ordered the oxtail with white rice and salad, plus a pork pastele. Everything was absolutely delicious, and the oxtail actually had generous, tender meat on the bones (which is not always the case!). What surprised me most was how much food I had left over for the next day. Great portions, great flavor. I'll definitely be ordering again! And it was a good reminder that sometimes the real gems aren't the ones with all the decorative bells and whistles. The food is where it's at. read more

Friends and I walked into this establishment on a random Wednesday night. This is one of the few Dominican restaurants in Brooklyn. It's not very often that I go out of my way to seek out Dominican food but this place did not disappoint. The insides are pretty rustic, and I would call this a typical Brooklyn hole in the wall. As someone who does not eat pork, I obviously cannot comment on a lot of of the menu offerings, but the few things I did have here were absolutely delicious. This is one of the best rotisserie chickens I've had, the spices on the outside were phenomenal, and the chicken inside was absolutely juicy and succulent without being dried out. I rarely ever eat white meat in a rotisserie chicken, but the chicken breast was cooked so well here. I also love the fresh tostones, they are my absolute favorite island snack. These were served with a side of the garlic sauce - which in my opinion could use a lot more garlic and a little bit of salt to contrast the fried plantains. Spanish rice was delicious as always, and the maduro's were Fried perfectly without compromising the integrity of the plantain. Overall, this was a solid meal, our server was super friendly and accommodating as well. I do think they could maybe spruce up the insides a little bit to make it look less dreary, and offer more chicken options for those of us that don't eat pork. read more

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No nonsense, straight to the point , authentic Spanish food.... Right in bay ridge , which is odd because there are hardly any Spanish restaurants Buen provecho ! read more

Always 5 stars!! A go to in my household at least once a week. The portions are large and the food is always fresh and delicious.

Excellent in all aspects. The kitchen delivers quality and the staff never disappoints. Restaurant staff showed real friendliness while working promptly. This restaurant balances hanging out with quality dining. The place provides superior quality. read more

Hello,writing this review to let people know how terrible the service at El malecon restaurant is Like about a year ago,I used to buy food there all the time for many years There's a Puerto Rican American woman with dyed blonde hair (forgot her name!!!) is super rude! The many times that I ordered food there I was always respectful and very nice towards the staff Anyways,so like about a year ago,I went to buy food after work and she seemed extremely irritated Rubbing her temples like I was annoying her!!! All I did was ask her (she was serving me that day) Which rice was more ardente,the white one or yellow one All of a sudden , she said to me that she's embarrassed that I am Hispanic like her because that I am a mayor pain in the ass, mind you I am paying $20 for a plate And she looked at me and said that people like me get their food spat at when no one is looking I got so angry and upset when she said that , that I addressed her and said that I don't appreciate her talking to me like that, and she started mocking me ,saying that I was a sensitive boy and then laughing at me I brought it up to the cook inside the kitchen at back of restaurant and he said that I should talk to owner named David I also brought it up before I did with David to his wife and she totally dismissed me like it was ok for an employee to talk like that to a costumer David took me a little more serious but last time I checked, woman was still working there Also, my cousin Aida said to me several month ago that she bought food from them and that there was a long hair in it,that she's not going to buy food there no more Also, floors are sticky and greasy and in my opinion overpriced!!! Their food is not that good Well ,this is my review on that restaurant sincerely Obviously I stoped buying food there because I got paranoid that they would spit in it :( Give it cero stars Thank you so much for your attention! read more

The kitchen creates dishes with perfect seasoning. Their dishes show culinary expertise. The ambiance works perfectly, the place is clean, and service is welcoming. The service was perfectly executed! This restaurant should be visited soon. read more

Since my last review, they got rid of the drunken delivery guy. I order probably once a month. In my opinion, they're as good as La Isla in Sunset. I usually get 2 family combos (either chicken, pernil, or pork chops), a mofongo, yuca with onions, and pastellillos. However, I've tried pretty much everything they offer. Everything is fresh and juicy ALWAYS and the ladies behind the counter are always sweet and smiling! For $100 I can feed 10 people so the value is there. I was in there yesterday picking up food for my uncle. My husband inhaled a flan while we waited. I wonder if they make the desserts in-house but I'm guessing they don't. They were pretty busy packing to gos at 6pm on a Sunday, glad to see it! I noticed they offer lunch special Monday thru Friday until 4pm for dine in, too. Its a cute little spot. There's an area that was once upon a time going to be a small bar but I'm guessing the pandemic dashed that dream. They're always playing bachata or old school Spanish Jazz. My husband and I were talking about if the neighborhood was a little busier and they were doing a little more business they could apply for their liquor license and make it like a little club or a spot to watch soccer or boxing. It has potential. Overall, solid food, great value, wonderful service, and cozy! read more

Small restaurant with seating available. Accepts walk-ins and smells delicious inside. They are pretty quick to serve you here. One of my favorite dishes is the fried chicken chunks, with a side of tostones and the garlic sauce on the side. I recommend stopping by when in the area. read more

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More like Arroz NO Pollo. This is arroz con pollo.a pound of rice and MAYBE an ounce of chicken!!!! I am serious. Maybe they cut up a couple of wings and threw it in' This place is a joke read more

El Malecon - two bowls of food on a table - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Every time I want a taste of home, El Malecon always delivers it. The portions are generous for the price. Staff is sweet. Delivery is always fast or on time and their delivery guys are so humble and courteous. Love this place. My Go-To for a taste of home. I had the pollo guisado with rice and beans. So good, I can eat the containers too. read more

This was one of my favorite places until I got spoiled food delivered. Sadly won't come here again.

El Malecon fell short of my expectations on multiple levels . Level 1 : Their portioning is terrible . 15 habichuelas , paired pound of rice is ridiculous . To compound the issue , I Foolishly tipped for a carry out ! Level 2: Serving Old empanadas . My molars and canines were overworked trying to tear into these $1.50 empanadas . The meat inside was good I'll admit but the shell is all wrong . Level 3 : So the meal doesn't come with a side salad nor plantains which is about 50-50 when it comes to Dominican restaurants .Ok not a problem ,however, $3 for a couple plantains to accompany a meal is absurd . This place has a lot of potential nice large area , clean , extensive menu and the little bit of chicken and rice and beans meal was not bad . read more

El Malecon - About 15 habichuelas to go with the pound of rice . - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Used to be good and delivery used to be quick, but the last couple times, delivery has taken over an hour. Once the order was wrong and the restaurant wanted to check the cameras and argue about what we actually received, the second time the delivery person called to say he would be an additional 5 minutes after we'd already called the restaurant twice and waited an hour and a half. Sadly we'll have to find another spot. read more

I dont understand this place is a hit or miss sometimes and it seems like there a food shortage especially with the meat. I ordered the chicken chunks family meal and was amazed of the small portion. It had enough to feed two small kids highly disappointed. If you really want some good dominican spots sunset park is only a hop skip and jump away to get all your latin cravings handled. read more

Fast quality food at your fingertips. If you live in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, you guys are in for a treat. Nothing fancy just good food First time trying this place and I ordered their sancocho, small order of white rice and $5 worth of chicharron. Flavors on point. Will definitely come back to try other dishes again. read more

El Malecon - Sancocho - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Decided to try this restaurant out on Sunday. We stopped by for some dinner since I was too lazy to cook.. Which we realized was a horrible mistake since we left hungry and dissatisfied. I'm very familiar with good Spanish food and this was NOT it. The food didn't taste authentic. The sancocho didn't even look like sancocho. The pernil was dry as ever, and the tostones were sweet and not smashed as flat as they normally would be.. Only thing that tasted authentic was the bottled beer. Really sad, El Malecons grand opening should be a grand closing instead. PS: Don't let the picture I posted fool you. Because "Salt looks like Sugar" read more

El Malecon - Looks better than it tastes. Trust. - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I'm so happy this Spanish place came to my neighborhood. You don't understand , it reminds me of my homeland . This Dominican food spot is so good , fresh and a good price for the amount of food they offer. They just opened and i hope they're here to stay! The venue is opened space good for eating in with big family, with a bar on the side. It just your typical Dominican dinner that is but it's so unique around his neighborhood because they're is hardly one in bayridge because of the type of demographic there is over here. The best part about this place is not only the food but the amount they give with with that good price. I always get a plate of rice and pernil and a side included for only $8!! This SH** Cray ! This truly became my favorite spot read more

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My god! Finally. Authentic Spanish food in bay ridge. Listen Don't get me wrong there are a few other spots that tout Spanish food. However we all know they cater to a certain clientele (tame Spanish food seekers!!) The spots around here for Spanish food have been tamed down for your average non-thrill seeker. This place finally does it right. The food they serve it is authentic and it's made with love. you can tell that it's all original family recipes. Prices are very reasonable for the area and the service is fantastic. Today I got to sample the Pernil, pigs feet (yes you need to try this if you want to be adventurous) some tripe soup, pink beans made with pork, as well as rotisserie chicken which is legit rotisserie chicken. Not baked chicken. The rice with beans is damn good and they have Mexican coke. Seriously the best food in the area. Come try them out and you'll leave wanting more. read more

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This is one of my go-tos for a delicious and affordable meal. They have big family meals and their pernil is always moist. They have delicious empanadas and relleno de papa. read more

El Malecon - Pernil Daily Special Pastelillo de Carne Relleno de Papa - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Ordered breakfast from this restaurant on a Sunday morning and delivery was pretty fast. Prices are great for the portions, Bill came to $20 for two of these. Flavors are perfect and eggs cooked just right. Will definitely be coming back! read more

El Malecon - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The server was very rude and more concerned with an takeout order then taking care of me. I watched her for 5 minutes preparing a take out order as she completely ignored me. 20 bucks for gizzards and rice ?? Prices are ridiculous and unsanitary read more

I've eaten here before and wasn't too happy with the food but I couldn't remember what I didn't like about it so I ordered some simple items off the menu: Cuban Sandwich with no pickles, Avocado Salad and a piece of Trés Leches. My food got there really quick which should have alerted me as a bad sign but I was happy for the quick delivery. First thing I grabbed was the Cuban Sandwich which is supposed to be pressed on a griddle so when I held it, I was surprised to feel no heat. The sandwich was cold which is odd because the bread had grill marks on it. What also surprised me was that there was lettuce and tomato in the sandwich so it seems they grill the bread and just leave it there waiting for someone to order a Cuban Sandwich , then they just put it together, don't grill it, add lettuce and tomato and ship it out. I also asked for no pickles so you'll guess how disgusted my face was when I bit into a thick slice of pickle in my cold Cuban Sandwich. Couldn't see it because it was buried under lettuce and tomato. Next was the Avocado Salad. It's lettuce, tomato and avocado and there's nothing wrong with that but it seemed like all the lettuce was the hard, white part of lettuce that you usually cut out before you cut up the leafy parts. The dressing they included tasted like nothing. Last, I went for the Trés Leches cake. I thought it would be the good part of the meal but the milk only went up 1/4 of the cake. The rest was dry, possibly stale. Next time I'll have to order earlier from Campo Bello before they close. read more

Just ordered takeout from here (second time) and it was great! Thank god we finally have a Spanish restaurant like this in bay ridge- and a good one at that! They have really good family combos and lunch specials on the menu. I've tried the roasted chicken with rice and beans- YUM! I've also tried the octopus seafood salad and the chicharrón, both delicious. I will definitely be back, specifically to try the mangu and salami breakfast. read more

El Malecon - Octopus salad- super fresh! $10 for a small container - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I used to love this place but not so much anymore. I used to get a plate for less than $10 and now they separate the meat and rice so you're paying pretty much double the price. In a way i don't mind cause it'll last me a few days t i feel there should be a choice with wanting the meat separate and paying more. I also paid $17 today asking for no fat or skin with my meat then when i opened it i got all fat, oil and hardly and meat. I miss what it used to be. It makes me not want to come here as often. read more

When in Bay Ridge; you never know what to eat because you have so many choices. If I could; I would want a little of every cuisine. I walked by this place last time and was like what!?! They finally opened a spanish food restaurant that is walking distance. I have been wanting to try it but then never got to it. I am glad my friend said okay to trying this place out today. Once you walk in; you see a station of all these food options; seating area and a bar in the back! You can order to go from the lady or stay and enjoy. It wasn't crowded and the waitress was nice. She explained the lunch special to us and what they had for today. Lunch special for $7 (extra charge depending on what meat you pick). You pick a meat/fish and it comes with rice (3 different choices) and red/black beans. Oh and a soda. Our portions were just right and my friend enjoyed this beef stew with rice white (he ate it all!) I had the chicken stew, arroz con gandules with red beans; which was good because even though it has sauce; the meat was not dry. Overall, the food is good, plenty of options and price is reasonable. I can't wait to go back to try oxtail stew and their sopa. read more

Having moved to Bayridge from the Bronx I am very familiar with Dominican food. Ate here for breakfast and the food was great. Ordered takeout and it was a big mistake! We had beef stew with yellow rice and beans and my daughter had chicken with rice and beans, both were lunch specials. My beef chunks were not cut up....they were very large and soooooooo Tough. My rice was not fresh and tasted like they heated it up in the microwave. Beans needed more sofrito and cilantro. My daughter said her chicken was very dry......same old rice and the beans were not flavorful. Malecon what happened? You started off on such a high note and now food is off key. One star for speedy delivery! read more

Ordered through Yelp/grub hub for delivery. Doesn't seem like the place updated their status of the delivery but the food did come in on time! The portions are actually enough for 2-3 people, and the food was pretty good. Rice and beans were great, so were the tostones. I have to say I got the chicken stew- a little too oily for my liking but it was pretty good nonetheless. I also got a beef pastelito, which was good too but the meat was also a little too oily. They gave me the correct drink and my order was correct. For the price ~$25 (without tip/delivery fee) it's not a bad price for the amount of food they give you. It can definitely be split between 2 people or be 2 meals which would be around $13 each. I would order again if I was craving Spanish food. There's not too many options around the Brooklyn area from what I could see on google maps. read more

Had a good Spanish dinner at this restaurant. The food was so tastey and the server was very pleasant. Definitely a place to eat when shopping on 86 street read more

El Malecon - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Rico Rico !! the best Spanish food in bay Ridge Recomendable 100 % Everything is good and fresh Best paella ever!! read more

El Malecon's food is still pretty good. Their chicken, rice and beans combo is so delicious, but their prices are pretty steep. Previously, this combo was $17 or $18, now it is $23 or $24. Other than their prices, I can't complain. Their food is pretty tasty. read more

The best new restaurant in bay ridge! Their food is ALWAYS delicious and fresh and have so many wonderful options and they're super affordable! I love ordering from here at least 3 times a week! So happy to have them in the neighborhood !! read more

El Malecon - Hot food bar / Daily specials - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I'm so happy I stumbled across this place! We had the pernil (VERY well seasoned) and rice and peas (also good). The sancocho was really good and the serving size is very much worth the money. Service was good and the other food we didn't try looked amazing. Definitely will be coming back. read more

El Malecon - Plantains, pernil and rice and sancocho. - Spanish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

delivery took over an hour, beans came extremely watery, rice was mushy, and chicken was dry. When we called them back to complain about other order not only did they act like i didn't order from them, they passed the phone around to 3 different workers and still no one was able to help. Fuck this place, do not eat here. read more

This place is OK for Spanish food. The food is good but really nothing spectacular. The good news is they are getting busier so chances of you getting yesterdays leftovers are getting slimmer and slimmer as the days progress. The staff is another ball of wax. They seem to not like their job and when they serve you, it does seem like the only chore for them. The impression is that you "the customer" are a necessary evil to be put up with. They need to understand that this is a hospitality business that is still new in Bayridge. the rent is not cheap I am sure, so sadly they will need to try harder. A lot of potential with this place because it is certainly not bad. The food is flavorful the prices are reasonable. My advice to management please train or retrain your people. Have them smile and show that they are glad that you have walked through the door. Again the location is excellent, food is good and the prices are reasonable. Work on ATTITUDE. "Your attitude will determine your altitude. Good luck! read more

El Malecon is definitely rather wonderful. They have great selection of items with fair prices for what u get. I was advised to try their Pernil, which was outstanding, but all other menu items were very good too. Crew is extremely pleasant and will certainly help you with anything. Can't wait to go back. read more

Food was good but I specified Any Diet soda but got regular ginger ale I don't drink regular Soda so I ended up giving it away.

TERRIBLE!!! I was a regular when they first opened and really enjoyed the food but it has been terrible for past year. The rice keeps giving me heart burn and sometimes the stew is not fresh. The service is also terrible. The servers are nice but they often serve me the wrong food. I have gotten wrong empanadas, wrong kind of rice, wrong size of soup, wrong protien and probably more that I can't remember. Additionally, the cashier (probably owner) is miserable. Once I forgot to take a soda, which is included in the lunch special and went back as soon as I walked out the door and reentered to get it but, she wouldnt let me get one because I "should have checked my bag"... What kind of service is that? Why didnt she offer when shes packing the bag? Another time I picked up lunch for a coworker and she put 2 sauces (without my coworker ordering them) and charged $2 extra... So disgusting. I have since then stopped going but ocassionally pick up for friends or coworkers who can't get there and I always regret entering the restaurant. read more

One tasteless mofongo with chicharron size of a small soup bowl with no sides, $9. Felt the crunch of 2 tiny slivers of chicharron, no lie. Bottle of Pepsi served without glass or ice. Cuban sandwich on 1/2 of small baguette, no sides, $8. Sent it back to be grilled. Came back wrapped in paper and aluminum foil which stuck to sandwich and couldn't be removed, even though it was swimming in oil. Sent it back. Went to retrieve bill which included returned sandwich. When I explained this to waitress, for some reason she became extremely irate, arguing that there was no paper stuck to it. Also tried to charge $9 for sandwich instead of $8. Bye Felicia. Also, madam, no need for me to teach my son Spanish, as you suggested, so he can communicate with you, especially after I told you we're Italian. Just nasty. read more

This place is pretty legit. Not super expensive, and the food is consistently good. The women working there are very friendly and they bring the food out to your table once you've selected what you want from the buffet line behind the glass. I went with carne asada, pechuga de pollo, and rice and beans. Overall I'd say for this type of restaurant Campo Bello is better and has more variety (guacamole/pico de Gallo), but El Malecon is open on Sundays whereas Campo Bello isn't. Make sure you request some of their homemade salsa verde. I'll definitely be back. read more