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    El Viejo Yayo

    3.3 (224 reviews)
    ModerateLatin American, Bars
    Open • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago
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    EL VIEJO YAYO ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - El Viejo Yayo

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    1/2 Tostone 1/2 maduro, rice and beans, the seafood sampler, toasted bread with the garlic sauce
    TJ J.

    We ate the pernil, the stew chicken and shared a seafood sampler and left so satisfied. Our waitress (I believe her name was Arlene) was great. She treated us so kindly and I had mentioned that my sister was visiting from out of town and she made everything very special. Took care of us as well as 3 other tables, but made us feel like we were the only ones there. Go here!

    Yellow rice and black beans
    Duane H.

    Stop in for a quick lunch. Food was good for quick lunch standards. I had breaded chicken with yellow rice and red beans. I asked for onions, and I received deliciously seasoned onion. I don't know if they were pickled or what but they were delicious. The rice was a little too clumpy for me, i tend to like my grains more individualized. However, it did taste ok. The breaded chicken and beans were ok, not great. Service was great, very attentive. Ambiance was lacking, but I mean for it isn't that type of party. It's serves its purpose for a great meal for lunch or dinner. The prices are great, I want to add. This isn't a 4/5 star restaurant by any means but it's super solid 3 and does the job.

    Front
    Tiffany H.

    I had another craving for Dominican food. II'll try to do justice and describe how good the meal is. The mofongo comes w this amazing sauce. I call it MAGIC sauce. It makes everything I dip in it sooo good. I had my favorite bistec empanizado, this time it was thinly pounded and breaded n fried to perfection. Add garlic in oil on top. Crispy, crunchy, beefy & juicy. I got i w tostones. Omg My mouth is watering just thinking about how good it was. The chicken chicharones perfectly cooked as well. We had it w side of red rice n beans. So we had a feast. There's enough let overs for tomorrow. I can't wait. I didnt even know there are 2 locations. I usually order by phone n go pick up. Good thing they asked me to come to 9th street location. The food was still hot when I got hone ~10 min walk. The only thing is the upcharge %fee for paying by credit card, "check out charge" is this the new norm? It's not written in the menu but I'm starting to see in the restaurants now.

    Chicken and Rice with Chicken Side of Sweet Fried Plantains
    Marquavis B.

    Came to NY to visit my grandpops we stopped by Yayo, had the ceviche, i got the arrow con pollo and we got a side of sweet plantains. All of the food was great, environment was good wish i stayed longer so i could go again. My grandfather does the upholstery here, he's very proud of his work and he comes often to eat there in return. The ceviche was a lil bit on the spicy side but very good nonetheless

    "Dominican cake" in a Chinese take out box. Hmm

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    1 year ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The food and ambiance is good. My go to when feeling sick is ordering the sopa de pollo

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The food was delicious. Drinks were yummy. Servers were very courteous. Beautiful decore. Really liked the place.

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    5 years ago

    The 9th street location Zero stars!!! Undone chicken, undone and undone sweet plaintains. Never again

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - El Viejo Yayo

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    Yes! It's a family style restaurant

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    Sunken Harbor Club - Shallows drinks

    Sunken Harbor Club

    4.5(120 reviews)
    1.5 mi•Cadman Plaza, Downtown Brooklyn
    •$$$

    One of my favorite bars ever! What a cool place tucked away on the second floor of Gage & Tollner…read more Their menu is so fun with levels of intensity to them. We went on a Friday night with a party of 3 and did a walk in. That was a risky move and to our luck, the hostess was so sweet and squeezed us in as the last party of the night! This is a must visit when in downtown Brooklyn. We couldn't try the food since the kitchen closed and we were the last to enter but we were able to try 3 drinks and I recommend them all! 1. Donkey Conga ($22) Bourbon and aged cachaça centrifuged with Banana. Followed by Cynar & sweet vermouth. 2. Manta Ray ($22) Coconut cocktail of apricot, ginger, and mint. London dry gin & Haitian Rhum. 3. Star cycle ($18) Shakened milk washed gin, Jasmine, and grapefruit

    I've been trying to go to Sunken Harbor for over a year now. I don't know how it's possible but…read moredespite being local it always seems to have a private event whenever we have plans to go. The stars finally aligned this winter and I had the opportunity to try it out. The vibes are perfect. Fog and bubbles, sea noises and all of the art go together seemlessly. Drinks were great. We had three and left suitably sloshed for the night with no aftereffects. We didn't have too many bites but the food was very good for a bar. I'm excited to go back and I hope we have just as much luck getting in next time.

    Photos
    Sunken Harbor Club - View of the bar

    View of the bar

    Sunken Harbor Club - Mary Pickford - IG @bougiefoodieboi

    Mary Pickford - IG @bougiefoodieboi

    Sunken Harbor Club - Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

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    Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

    Elsa - Seating

    Elsa

    4.5(166 reviews)
    1.5 mi•Cobble Hill
    •$$

    I came here on a Friday around 6PM and got their happy hour that ends at 7PM. It wasn't super…read morecrowded which was nice! I ordered the gin gimlet with light simple syrup and it was great! I tried the wine punch too and it was also really refreshing and lighter than I expected! I'd definitely come back to try some other drinks, the back patio, and the pb+J!

    I've been to this cocktail bar regrettably only twice even though I live (or rather lived upcoming…read moresoon) around the corner. It's classy but not too fancy and has enough space but doesn't get too loud. They have a nice happy hour menu from Tuesday-Friday from 5 to 7 as well as all day on Sundays which has very decent prices such as an $8 old fashioned among other things (see the photo.) the bartenders I've had before have been friendly with some good recommendations. Outside of their wide selection of cocktails which run the gamut of liquors, they have a nice wine selection, a handful of craft beers, and a very small food selection. The first time I was here, I had one drink which was the excellent Star of The Ice Snow for $17 with Iwai 45 whiskey, brie-washed Carpano Antica, Fernet Branca, barrel-aged orange bitters, and sassafras bitters. It had a a bit of bitterness, some sweetness, some spice, and some light mint from the fernet and was a pleasant complex drink and was certainly worth it from the price. The second time I was here was just this evening where I had two drinks. I first went with something that I was thinking of getting the first time which is their outstanding Vivian Darkbloom for $15 with Union mezcal, lime, pineapple, charcoal, Velvet Falernum, and lime bitters. The drink has mild citrusy sweetness as well a bit of smoke from the mezcal and is probably my favorite drink I've had here though the other drink I had the first time gives it stiff competition. I asked the bartender what he recommends and after a small discussion, he said either The Bell Witch (which is a gin and chartreuse cocktail with a strong herbal flavor) or what I went with. Said drink was the Under a Cosmic Cloak for $16 with rhubarb infused rum, Trois Rivieres rum, Smith & Cross rum, yerba mate, lime, grapefruit, and whey. The bartender said that it wouldn't be overly sweet as the rum was milk washed and this was indeed the case with just a mild sweetness and some fruitiness. There was a light herbal flavor otherwise presumably from the mate as well as a light citrus note and overall, it was good though definitely the least complex of the drinks I've tried and probably my least favorite but was definitely not a bad drink. The drinks here are reasonably priced for the quality, the bartenders are friendly, and it is classy but not overbearingly so. I can see why it's popular and I wish I stopped in more.

    Photos
    Elsa - Vivian Darkbloom- Union mezcal, lime, pineapple, charcoal, Velvet Falernum, and lime bitters. $15. Outstanding drink. Nice balance

    Vivian Darkbloom- Union mezcal, lime, pineapple, charcoal, Velvet Falernum, and lime bitters. $15. Outstanding drink. Nice balance

    Elsa - Bar

    Bar

    Elsa - Vivian Darkbloom- Union mezcal, lime, pineapple, charcoal, Velvet Falernum, and lime bitters. $15. Outstanding drink. Nice balance

    See all

    Vivian Darkbloom- Union mezcal, lime, pineapple, charcoal, Velvet Falernum, and lime bitters. $15. Outstanding drink. Nice balance

    Brooklyn Social - Bar area

    Brooklyn Social

    3.8(198 reviews)
    0.9 mi•Gowanus
    •$$

    Pretty elusive and mysterious vintage bar located across from Carroll Park. It's dim-lit with…read morecandles and simple decor, which makes for a perfect date night spot. The service was also great as the bartender was quick and got us our next drinks as soon as he saw we finished our first one. During our visit, we tried the Matt's Ginger Old Fashioned, Brooklyn, Vulcano, and Palermo Fix. All cocktails were $14 each, which were all nicely made. The Brooklyn was very strong and the Old Fashioned is a nice classic with a hint of ginger flavor. The other two were lighter with twists of sour. They also offer some paninis, plus a toasted lard bread ($5) that we ordered. The lard bread is from Mazzola, which is absolutely delicious, but kind of sad that they only offer 4 pieces. Cool bar in the neighborhood with tasty drinks. It's such a simple, yet sophisticated bar. There's also a pool table in the back to enjoy.

    A terrific old school social club turned bar. The space is dark and intimate with not a ton of…read moreseating. Their drink menu isn't very large but it's good especially the cocktails. The Neapolitan is my favorite. The only food items they have are a few panini's so don't come here expecting a full food menu. They have a pool table in the back and outdoor seating. The service is always quick and the bartenders know how to make a cocktail. Love coming here whenever I'm out and about in Caroll Gardens.

    Photos
    Brooklyn Social - Antique draft

    Antique draft

    Brooklyn Social - Matt's Ginger Old Fashioned.

    Matt's Ginger Old Fashioned.

    Brooklyn Social - Brooklyn.

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    Brooklyn.

    El Viejo Yayo - latin - Updated October 2026

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