Cancel

Open app

Search

La Isla Cuchifritos

3.8 (98 reviews)
Open 9:30 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
Updated over 3 months ago

Order La Isla Cuchifritos Takeout or Delivery

La Isla Cuchifritos Photos

Business Info

LA ISLA CUCHIFRITOS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Divey
Loud
Good for kids

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - La Isla Cuchifritos

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

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.

See all

13 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Absolutely delicious!! Service was pleasant..... Loved it.. This is our spot for home cooked food

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Angela E.
100
59
3

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Ronnel L.
195
30
2

14 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

13 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Ryan C.
49
49
1

11 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

13 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 years ago

I love this place! I've been eating here all my life. My mom used to take me as a kid. The food always tasted the same

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of J R.
113
523
20

11 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

14 years ago

1/2 a chicken with rice and beans for $5.50. Cant beat it. The food and prices are awesome!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 3 of 3

La Isla Cuchifritos Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - La Isla Cuchifritos

You might also consider

Verify this business for free

People searched for Spanish 10,098 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

Verify this business

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

See all

Outside of the restaurant looks just like viejo San Juan

Empanada City - One of the better ones I've had. 9/10

Empanada City

4.2(45 reviews)
1.2 mi

OMG!! These…read moreempanadas are seriously the best tasting empanadas I ever had. Immediately I was going to rate them lower due to size and no labeling but the taste was truly made with lots of love. I ordered 4 via Ubereats, totaling roughly $24 with 3 sauces. I ordered the Chicken macaroni and cheese, Ropa Vieja, Americano and a Pastelon. Every single one of them were on point, warm and crispy. My only true complaint is that they're super small. Better for my calorie intake I guess lol. The meat was extremely well seasoned, cheese was melted, plantain was sweet. The edges were crispy and the flavors together were delicious. The avocado sauce is way too thick. It's more like a thick heavy cream. The pink sauce is your typical mayo ketchup. There is absolutely no way of knowing which empanadas are which. They need a better concept so that customers know especially if they're ordering as a group to share. I've never seen an empanada place not label their empanada. I read a google review from the owners saying they put it on the package on the bottom corner but that is a lie. It's not on the empanada itself or on the packaging. Overall I'm still ordering from here again : )

Starr Street location.. Well seasoned & cooked to order, overstuffed goodness so it will take a…read morefew minutes. Cozy seating area if you want to enjoy, hot and fresh. The cons... they charge for sauce, you get none if you don't order it... $.30 each. I got the avocado and hot sauce, decent but nothing fancy. They have plastic cutlery, no knife, just forks. They have rice and bean dishes with your choice of protein, but if you're traveling, and you like your beans separate, they will not pack it separately. So I didn't order it. They're not very accommodating, but they were still good. I'll be back, rates 7.5/10 This shrimp empanada is my #1 favorites.

Photos
Empanada City - Inside

Inside

Empanada City - A bit dry but flavor is good.

A bit dry but flavor is good.

Empanada City

See all

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

See all

Menu

La Isla Cuchifritos - spanish - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...