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    La Isla Cuchifritos

    3.8 (97 reviews)
    Wed 9:30 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
    Thu 9:30 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    LA ISLA CUCHIFRITOS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Loud
    Good for kids

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    Menu 2
    Michelle T.

    I spy through the corner of my eyes, the fried delicious steaming hot food that is through the window..perhaps that was what made my stomach growl. Decided to take a step in and had a great diner feeling. Ordered some fried delicious food in which they call of cuchifritos. The favorite was the empanada in which they call pastellios. Had some potato balls and plantains. Then decided to order their fried chicken and rice and beans to go. Boy was my bag heavy and to realize that it was insanely stuffed when I unwrapped it at home. The boyfriend completely approves of this place as he stuffed himself with food. The next week he asked to go to this place again and we ordered a pernil sandwich. Again, they did not disappoint!

    Steak and peppers
    John T.

    Super cheap for a plate full of food! Excellent place to fill up after a long day of work or to prep for a long day of work. I ordered the steak and peppers with rice and beans all for only $9.75. It was enough for myself and my girlfriend, and we had leftovers(of rice...) The crowd and neighborhood is a bit sketchy but that's the enjoyment of it, you never know who is going to walk in the restaurant.

    My late night spot!
    Aleyah L.

    Delicious food. It's like a mix of Puerto Rican food and Cuban food. This is my late night spot. I love the mofongo, pasteles & the Cuchifritos. I Definitely recommend this as a place to add to your list of food spots.

    Alea O.

    The Bushwick gem, Las Isla Cuchifritos, (The Island of little fried things) ~ has been around for awhile as I found reviews online going back to 2003, but nothing on Yelp yet. The locals like to think of it as a "best kept secret" and I don't blame them as there is always a line of hungry personas at any time of day, (which tells me I can eat there and not worry about anything at all as millions of people can't be wrong). This is your typical NYC hole in the wall "ethnic" diner. There are no menus anywhere to be found, on the wall or otherwise, just a row of stainless steel containers filled with steaming rice dishes, pig soup, blood soup and different sauces, and innard type dishes (offal): things like pig ears in tomato gravy (orejas) and pork liver. The window is filled with fried codfrish fritters (bacalaitos) fried meat pies (pastellitos), fried potato ball stuffed with ground meat (papa relleno, fried stuffed casava cylinders (alcaparados), sweet plantains stuffed with chopped meat, blood sausages, and plantain mash and empanadas. My favorite thing to get is the rotisserie bbq chicken or pork. I like that they hack and piece it in front of you on a butcher block, I mean I don't know how else they would do it, but I just think it adds to the overall atmosphere of this place. I also have to get rice and beans on the side, they're nothing special but they go great with the tender, well-seasoned meat. This place has a lot of locals who frequent it. The main language is Spanish, and everyone is speaking some version of it in here, not English. If you don't know Spanish and you don't know Puerto Rican food and you are a vegetarian and/or afraid of getting meat in your mouth that doesn't come from the muscle of the animal do not go here because you will hate it. A sense of adventure must prevail upon you and you must be willing to just point and be happy with what you get, unless you go with the chicken or pork and rice and beans. At this place, like a lot of places I go, I don't always know what I am eating, but I usually don't care b/c it tastes good, (hello! island of *fried* things!). I like to be "transported" to another land and NYC is full of these places that are little islands of a culture and it's one of the things that makes this city so amazing to eat in. Please have a sense of adventure when dining here. Realize that if you go to Puerto Rico this is the kind of place you would go and have a quick lunch all the time, so this is the place to go when you are up for a little immersion in a culture. Then after or before you eat, be sure to walk down Graham for some shopping to just to bask in the atmosphere of this little cultural area in Brooklyn, The shops are your typical Payless and VM and department stores galore and Spanish bakeries so it's not like you're going to find anything you can't live without but the sidewalks are always packed with shoppers and it only takes ten minutes to walk up and down so it makes your trip over here for lunch or dinner a little more meaningful.

    All this food for $11. Super cheap. Open 24/7. Cash only.
    Keisha G.

    I have walked past this place a million time without going in. I finally went in a few weeks ago since there was nothing else open. I have since fallen in love. I usually get the yellow rice and beans with either chicken or pork and I can't get enough. It is just soooooo good. The portion side is pretty big so I usually take my left overs to work the next day. I have also had the chicken soup and beef soup which are amazing. Tip: This place is cash only so make sure you have your cash ready. I have never been greeted and usually have to wait around 5 minutes before someone acknowledges my presence. Other than that the food is good for take out. They are also open 24/7 which is awesome!

    Burnt pork chops

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    3 years ago

    Good food. Love the Alcaparras and the stuff potato balls. Heck every time I stop by on my way back home to Virginia.

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    2 years ago

    The food was ok in general. The service was not bad and I found the prices to be reasonable as well.

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    9 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Not bad not great either but very fairly priced would come back for a budget meal 6.7/10

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    Casa Adela - Flan

    Casa Adela

    4.2(690 reviews)
    2.5 miAlphabet City, East Village
    $$

    A must go. I've been wanting to check it out since I saw a YouTube video on it, and in my first NYC…read moretrip I decided to trek all the way to it to try it myself. First time having Puerto Rican food. Would go again. Food was amazing. The mofongo con pernil was perfect. The service was great. I had a small conversation with the waiter and I felt right at home talking to a family member. The restaurant is small and well kept and it felt like I was at grandma's house eating something personally made by her. Go check it out.

    It's a four. It's a solid four…read more I arrived a little after 4pm with the intent on getting a 1/2 rotisserie chicken. I'm guessing they sold a lot already that day as the chicken still had to cook for approximately 2 more hours at that point. With that, I opted for the pernil. It was flavorful but some pieces were slightly dry. I may have gotten the end of a batch, because the guy next to me also ordered pernil and all of the pieces looked juicy and were hot. The vibe inside is authentic Puerto Rican. They've got the checkered tablecloth along with the condiments on all tables. The place is small - wait to be seated if you're eating there or order at the counter if you placing an order to go. I also got arroz con gandules, black beans, tostones & a salad. Yes, I brought home leftovers. At the moment, they're selling bottles of coquito for the holidays. It's a little steep in my opinion, at $45 per bottle. Cash only. But, they will also accept Venmo & Zelle. I think there was a third option to electronically send money. A very affordable meal for sure. Without tip, my total came to just under $27. A neighborhood spot and a NYC institution... Casa Adela.

    Photos
    Casa Adela - Seating area

    Seating area

    Casa Adela - Fries, Yuca con Cebolla

    Fries, Yuca con Cebolla

    Casa Adela - Please believe the hype, this is your abuelas cooking. Arroz con gandules, pernil and sorullo with cheese and gauyaba was fire.

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    Please believe the hype, this is your abuelas cooking. Arroz con gandules, pernil and sorullo with cheese and gauyaba was fire.

    Kiosko 787 - Shredded Sofrito Chicken Empanadilla

    Kiosko 787

    4.0(172 reviews)
    2.8 miGowanus
    $$

    The food was good and brought me back to when I last took a trip to PR. Very traditional flavors…read moreand on point. The place had a traditional PR vibe. Service was good. I would def go back.

    On Friday, 2/13, while visiting NY, we were looking for Puerto Rican cuisine after another…read moreManhattan restaurant we planned to visit turned out to be permanently closed with no online update. We found Kiosko 787 while searching nearby options. We tried calling three times, but the phone would ring, play a greeting, and disconnect. Despite that, we decided to give it a try and arrived around 2:30 pm. The exterior was colorful and inviting, reminiscent of Old San Juan. Inside was smaller than expected but vibrant and cozy. The restaurant was empty except for one hostess on her phone. When we asked to dine in (party of five), she immediately asked if we had a reservation and told us reservations had to be made online. She explained they do not answer the phone as it's only for online orders and business information. After waiting a few minutes, she was able to seat us. Three people in our group had never tried Puerto Rican food, so we were excited to introduce them. We ordered drinks and the Picadera Sampler, which was excellent -- flavorful fried chicken chunks and delicious fried cheese. We finished the entire platter. For entrées, two of us ordered the Chuleta Kan Kan to share, and the other three also shared one, adding a mofongo as an extra side. The menu describes it as a "mega thick cut pork chop" and shows a large cut including belly and rib, which is why we chose to share. When the dishes arrived, the pork chops were normal-sized, thin, and nothing like the description or photo. We jokingly renamed them "Chuleta Can't Can't." The server dropped off the plates without knives or checking in and remained distracted on her phone. When we asked about the size, we were told the butcher sends different cuts. We asked about adding extra meat, but were told we would need to purchase another full entrée as they could not sell us a portion of meat, even when we asked if carne frita/pork chunks or a pork chop would be an option. The pork was thin, overcooked, and dry. The rice and pigeon peas were bland and heavy on tomato paste or sauce flavor. The mofongo, however, was moist and delicious with a garlicky butter sauce. Shortly after, another staff member brought out an additional pork chop that they "found in the kitchen," which was appreciated but also very dry. Given we were the only table (aside from one later customer), more proactive service and a heads-up about portion sizes would have helped manage expectations and given us the chance to order differently. The restaurant was also extremely warm. When we mentioned the heat, the response was dismissive. We really wanted this to be a great introduction to Puerto Rican cuisine for our friends. Unfortunately, the service and misleading entrée presentation fell short. The Picadera Sampler and mofongo were the only highlights and the reason for the 2-star rating.

    Photos
    Kiosko 787 - Inside

    Inside

    Kiosko 787 - Come n Get Em' Best Cuban Sandwich, Tripleta amazing!

    Come n Get Em' Best Cuban Sandwich, Tripleta amazing!

    Kiosko 787 - Outside of the restaurant looks just like viejo San Juan

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    Outside of the restaurant looks just like viejo San Juan

    Mia’s Cocina - Chicken empanadas

    Mia’s Cocina

    5.0(2 reviews)
    2.7 miLower East Side

    These are some of the tastiest, homestyle, boricua empanadas ive had in ages. Think cuchifritos of…read morethe 90s or the Tia outside serving them up from the silver foil pan after cooking them up fresh on the block. The array of sauces deliver nods to other hand held treats from across Latin America, so evervone can snag something they like. Theres arroz con gandules, white rice and tempting main dishes to round out a meal after an alcapurria or two. Check them out, im sure you'll enjoy.

    The Puerto Rican comfort food served at Mia's Cocina are simply delicious. They feel lighter than…read morethe typical American comfort food due to its vibrant use of fresh herbs, sofrito base and amazing seasoning. I had tried their Carne Guisada ( beef stew) over rice and beans. The beef was tender and flavorful. The Chicharrones de Pollo (fried 'Chicken chunks' ) were bite size delightful pieces of fried chicken that I had with rice and beans and a side of plantain chips. The Mac n Cheese surprised me with the different layers of flavor and it had a hint of sweetness. The young woman at Mia's Cocina patiently explained what the daily specials were and what they are called in Spanish. The price is very reasonable. I can't wait to try their other specials and of course, their pasteles, alcapurrias, and empanadas!

    Photos
    Mia’s Cocina - Order counter

    Order counter

    Mia’s Cocina - Large order of Chicharrones de Pollo ( 'Chicken Chunks') over rice and beans.

    Large order of Chicharrones de Pollo ( 'Chicken Chunks') over rice and beans.

    Mia’s Cocina - Menu

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    Menu

    La Isla Cuchifritos - spanish - Updated May 2026

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