Amazing food from a tiny hole in the wall in the east village. Service was impeccable. This is my new go to place for Dominican food The Señoras behind the counter and in the kitchen are ADOREABLE, welcoming, friendly, and attentive to making your tummy very happy Can't wait to return read more

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Dropped by on a Saturday afternoon to get some lunch. Very small and cozy, brick-and-mortar mom-and-pop vibe. Order at the counter and find a seat anywhere, though it probably only seats like 6-10 people max. I got the stewed beef with yellow rice and beans. The rice and beans were great - can never go wrong with that at a Dominican spot. The stewed beef was a bit on the dry end, but I find that to be pretty common. Still, a good amount of food. Recommend if you're looking for a small authentic Dominican joint in the East Village! read more

Gena's Grill - Stewed Beef Special - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

We did take out. The food there was very bland, with no flavor. We ordered a large portion of beef stew, paid close to $20, and only got 5 small pieces of meat in a small container, a very small portion of rice that sucked, two small pieces of carrot, and crumbled up potatoes. Who does that? The lady who spoke very little English hung up on me when I voiced my concern. While I do understand that prices and our economy are faced with challenges, I have never experienced such poor customer service and ridiculous prices for what was on their menu, as large portions are not true at all. You should be ashamed. I guess others who go there do not understand the true value of Hispanic cuisine, generous portions, not skimpy portions, and being polite and accommodating to their customers. More to add, she did not even try to accommodate, but simply hung up the phone. NEVER AGAIN, stay away, there are other true, authentic Spanish restaurants in the LES, too bad, I thought we could contribute to the momma and pop stores that are much needed in our community, but this place requires much more than that if they treat their customers the way she did last night. read more

I got the beef stew, it was not tender and received manly rice. At least the rice was good.

I think about this place even when I'm eating somewhere else. We got enough different options for group sampling. The quality here is undeniable. The people here include friendliness in their service. I wish this place continued success. read more

I was excited to try Gena's Grill, which I had read as offering some of the best Latin food in the area. Focusing on Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban cuisine, Gena's Grill is a local neighborhood favorite. Unpretentious in its interior and ambience, it focuses on delivering reliably good food. I'd walked past the restaurant numerous times, and then finally opted to order delivery from there over the weekend. We ordered beans (habichuelas), the Latin daily soup (sancocho), a stewed goat dish (chivo guisado), mofongo with chicken, and a Dominican cake (bizcocho dominicano). Everything was flavorful and delicious. I especially loved the sancocho, mofongo, and goat dish. The rich, warming beans accompanied the mofongo wonderfully. Portion sizes were also generous; there were plentiful leftovers from our meal for two. Although others have complained about price increases, given the current inflationary environment, I thought the prices were reasonable. read more

Gena's Grill - Mofongo with Chicken - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

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I love Gena's! This is one of my favorite local fast Spanish food in East Village. Anytime I crave for a plate of $10 (it may be couple of dollars higher now due to inflation) affordable rice and beans with stewed chicken, I come here. I have been coming to this restaurant for years (and I am super thankful it survived the pandemic). I love a good, convenient, local, and economic meal. I especially love seeing the locals, the delivery and construction workers alike going there during lunch hours. Inside Gena, you can hear people and the staff speak Spanish all the time. Gena's inside is not the biggest but the food quality is there. The service is quick and the staff are friendly. If you are there next time, make sure to also give their empanadas a try!! read more

A small shop I found while wandering through the area, this place had food packed with all the flavor I could ask for. The oxtail was nice and juicy and the rice was seasoned perfectly. Food served in a timely manner. read more

Gena's Grill - Stewed Oxtail Special - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

Family run, authentic plates and platters. Oxtails to chicken and seasoned rice, this spot is a great stop. read more

Food is always good and priced reasonably. Not fancy and very few tables, but delicious Caribbean food.

I loved this place sooooooooo much. Felt like being at a family member's house. The lady serving us reminded me of my late grandmother which was a comfort along with the food. Turns out the woman serving us was Gena herself!!! Made the place that much more special. Will definitely come back when I'm feeling homesick! read more

Sent us burnt plantains and used burnt plantains in the mofongo, with no garlic and no flavor. Pork ribs were good but large order is still small. read more

One of the worst dinners I have ever had. The food tasted like it was sitting out for hours and they warmed up in a microwave. Sat inside and saw a mouse running through the kitchen. I threw away the rest of my food. Do not eat here it is gross. read more

This is definitely not Authentic Dominican or Puerto Rican food. The Flavor of my and my coworkers food was completely off. The oxtails she ordered were tough red and oily. The Sancocho I ordered was flavorless. The soup had a tip of a drumstick and a small piece of beef mostly bone, and the broth was Cilantro Flavored but also salty. The saving grace was the bread as I used it to dip into the broth to get full. read more

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Gena has been a staple in the community for years and for this I commend her for always being available in the community during hurricane Sandy and COVID 19 pandemic. The food is made fresh everyday it's just bland missing the Dominican spices that the Latin community is use to definitely lacking. I read complaints about the true price increase. However, every business has to find a way to adjust to inflation to survive the Manhattan rent increases. Definitely not the worst place since the food is always fresh. read more

I am Dominican and I was in the area waiting to pick up someone from the eye hospital nearby and decided to get lunch from here, since it is advertised as a Dominican/puerto rican spot. What a disappointment. This has got to be the saddest Dominican lunch I've ever had. The portion of pernil was sooo small. They took one small piece of pernil and shredded it and spread it on top of the rice.Plus, I paid almost $10 for it. Seriously, what a joke. Food didn't taste Dominican at all. Perhaps because there was no one Dominican there. I feel I have to apologize for the people who've eaten here and think that's what Dominican food tastes like. Please do yourself a favor and skip this one, if looking for a bite in the area. There's plenty of pizza spots around. Gave 2 stars because the service was fast and the lady in the counter was pleasant. read more

Gena's Grill - Saddest arroz con pernil - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

Heard from the owner that the building was bought recently and now they are raising rents. She may be going out of business beginning of next year when her lease is up. Come and support while they are still open. read more

This place is amazing! I ordered a sancocho and it was tasty and well done. It was well stewed as the meat was well seasoned, tasty, and good consistency. I also had a beef stew with maduros. The beef was very good. The sauce was also good. The maduros were well made. The whole beef stew with maduros went really well with sancocho. I would definitely recommend this combo for you. The place is small but it gives you a very good feeling of mom and pop shop. It also offers you the traditional Dominican dine in experience. read more

Gena's Grill - Latin / Sancocho - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

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The food is always season well. The rice and beans has a lot of flavor. The roast pork is off the chart. The Cubano are excellent.

I ordered from GrubHub and have eaten for years at Gena's Grill and it was superb....However, unfortunately I was so disappointed in my delivery order not because of GrubHub but was so disappointed in the food- I go in person to eat to see if the food has changed that much read more

I'm a 23 year old man I don't write reviews and i never understood why people do , But after trying the Pastales from this restaurant I realized I just have to tell everyone. THESE PASTAELES ARE AMAZING Amazing 10/10 whoever made them knows exactly what they are doing god bless ur soul read more

This place is phenomenal. Usually the hole in the wall type spots do not live up to the hype, but this one does. Highly recommend the rice and beans with roasted pork. It's only $12 and you get it almost immediately. The people working there do not speak very good English so ordering may be a bit of a process. read more

This is more of a takeout place than a dine in restaurant. There are only two tables for 4 ppl each, and a counter for single diners. Four of us went on a Monday night @ 6pm and were lucky enough to get a table. The food is fabulous and well worth the trip! Delicious food at very reasonable prices. We each paid just $12 for the below shared dinner: Mofongo w.pork rind - mashed green plantains (pretty good but more garlic, please!) Pernil - roasted leg of pork (The BEST!!) Chicharon de pollo - fried chicken chunks (good) Mondongo - Tripe soup (tasty) Maduros - sweet plantains (sweet goodness) Rice & Beans My fav dish of the night: Pernil...a MUST have! read more

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Food was terrible and didn't get exactly what I've ordered. I called the restaurant and the lady called me a liar because I said the food was no good and that I didn't get what I've ordered, she also gave me such a bad attitude and didn't want me for to send the food's pics to her. Terrible service and food. Don't waste your money. read more

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These type of light night places are an endangered species. It's always tempting to come in and grab a plate of stewed oxtail. The meat could be a little more tender but it get's the job done after a night of drinking in the East Village. The place is super small but you can get in and out pretty quickly. read more

Gena's Grill - Oxtail over rice with beans - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

This is what you serve your first responders? I brought my coworkers with me and this is what I get. You should of just said you didn't have cassava. read more

Gena's Grill - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

I LOVE THIS PLACE. The pernil is amazing and never dry! Pernil with yellow rice and red beans is my staple. Tostones are amazing as well. Their garlic sauce is homemade and legit. I've never tried the morir soñando anywhere else so I can't compare it to anything but I think it was well made. Tip: you get more food when you order take out since the container is bigger than their plate ;) read more

Gena's Grill - Pernil with white rice and red beans - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

One of worst dining experiences I've ever had and this is considering the fact that I'm a island born Puerto Rican Let me tell you the yellow rice wasn't exactly yellow rice but orange in color. I ordered an extra order of red kidney beans but what what I recieved was a liquid bean broth that wasn't appetizing to me at all considering that there were any beans at all. What an embarrassment that I ordered food from a Latino resturant and I get this poor quality food from this hole in the wall dive. Bargain basement food at its best. Never again ever again. I gave this food to my dogs and I say that because my dogs aren't picky. I'm so friggen glad that I Puerto Rican. We know how to cook comida con sabor sin esta mierda read more

Great neighborhood spot! I've been coming for 5 years. As a vegetarian I get beans, rice and maduros . My roommates love the chicken dishes. Very affordable take out. The woman who takes orders is lovely. Go here over chipotle! read more

Food was delicious, been coming here for long time now,had the pork chops with rice and beans and avocado salad, yummy, yummy

Before heading to happy hours in the East Village we stopped by this little hole in the wall place for food. It is small and can be easily missed. Just look for the painted Puerto Rican flag on the store windows. The inside is extremely tight and not a lot of elbow room. A group of 3 will fill the tables. The counter has about 6 seats. I tried the Pollo Guisado (stewed chicken) with maduros (sweet plantains)- It was delicious! Rate 4/5. My GF had the Rabo Guisado (oxtail stew). which was even better then my dish! Rate 5/5. The food came fast and the food disappeared into my mouth fast! I will definitely head straight here the next time I'm in the neighborhood. read more

Gena's Grill - Store front. - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

Time to update my 5-star review because we ordered take-out yesterday and the food is as good as ever. The pernil was lean, well-seasoned, and supremely flavorful; the maduros sweet and delightful; and the sancocho as hearty and tasty as you could ask for. I recommend the black beans, as they come with a delicious broth that makes even white rice a treat. This was my first take out order from Gena's, and the food was as terrific as it was during our dine-in experiences. read more

The food is OUTSTANDING. Limited seating, limited ambiance but if you are after incredible taste with no pretentiousness then this is your spot. Reasonable prices as well. DO IT. read more

I'm from Miami Florida, city, which should have the best, Hispanic Latin food in the world, or at least in America. Wrong wrong the best food from a Hispanic country in the United States is this restaurant is this restaurant this restaurant. Not too expensive very reasonably priced, and extraordinarily delicious with a fantastic sense of hospitality and a welcoming energy. Gina's grill is 100%. I must have in the East Village and I will be back here more times than I probably should. read more

Read reviews about how good the food was, but sadly, the food didn't live up to any expectations. Ordered the Pernil Asado (most popular) -- both the pork & pigeon pea rice were dry & lacked any savory taste you'd expect from such a staple dish. Super sad it couldn't be deemed a hole-in-the-wall for Puerto Rican/Dominican food by any standards. Food: 2/5 Service/Speed: 4/5 Price (college student budget): $ Atmosphere: Casual, minimal seating space. More of a takeout place. Would return & recommend? 2/5 www.instagram.com/grubgalz *follow @grubgalz on Instagram for more reviews & content!* read more

Gena's Grill - Pernil Asado w/ pigeon pea rice - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

The best mangu I ever had in my life. The stew chicken is also on point as well. The most delicious savory chicken stew I've had in a while. The prices are out of this world and the next one too. If you looking for that good ole fashioned cooking to compensate for the back home cooking you might be missing, then imma advise all of you to head down to Gena's Grill on first ave. You'll be glad you did I guarantee it like that man's warehouse slogan lol read more

The season is changing and a cold is coming on but I blasted it away with a ton of garlic in gena's chicken soup which could've been better stocked but was still yum. read more

This is a tiny Dominican spot ran by Mexican staff. The food is pretty good but can be pricey if you don't know how to order it. They won't let you know that if you don't specify that you want a lunch they will give you everything separate. I paid $16 for rice beans and chicken . Most places charge $10-$15. I would have asked them to give me an order all together but I didn't know until after my friend advised me. The rice and beans taste authentic and very Dominican and you can't go wrong eating here. read more

Gena's Grill - Dominican Near Me - New York, New York

The cheese and sausage are good, but there is no reason why two slices of cheese and two slices of sausage is $10. The food is very fresh, just never seasoned. Food is always bland over the years. They need flavor and to lower breakfast prices. read more

Had to run in to get plain roasted chicken for dinner. Asked for half a chicken and got charged $12. That was plain chicken no sides. I will not be ever going back. It saddens me that one of few left Spanish eateries in the neighborhood is robbing people left and right. read more