cocotazo is a small restaurant located in Manhattan East Harlem.cocotazo food ok if you're willing…read moreto spend $40 a plate. the owner was not friendly at all this person felt kind of entitled some staff members were nice others not so much. What I could say is try it for yourself and come to your own conclusion. once is enough for me being a small business owner myself I believe that being personable, humble and friendly overtakes all of the things.

If you want authentic, homemade Puerto Rican food - this is the place to be! I felt like I was at…read moremy tia's house, waiting for food to be prepared. Some of the dishes are named after family members, which I thought was lovely, and there are family portraits all over the restaurant. It really felt like we were transported to someone's living room! I was chatting with a fellow diner at the table next to me, and we were raving about how comfortable and at home we felt. The chef Frances Roman also took the time to check in on each table and the people waiting outside the restaurant to see how they were enjoying the food and if they had any questions. The hospitality here is top tier! I ordered the bacalitos to start, which are cod fish fritters. They were nice and crispy. The sauce it came with really enhanced the flavor! I also ordered the guava and cheese pastelillos. Both pastelillos were also crisped to perfection. For my main dish, I had The Rican sandwich, which is a nice twist on the Cuban sandwich. The sandwich is made with pernil, Swiss, pickled onions, and the chef's own special garlic mayo sauce. It was absolutely delicious!! Cocotazo also has freshly, homemade juices. I recommend the Chi Chi Rodriguez, which is a mix of tamarind and passion fruit. It's not overly sweet. If you'd like to try the main dishes, I do recommend arriving hungry! The portions are super generous, and you will leave with happy and full bellies.

So so good. A top choice for East Harlem. Tiny, family owned and run. Delicious food. So…read morethoughtfully decorated. I just wish they had a bit more space.

Cascalote is one of my trusted go-to places that will not let me down when it comes to delectable…read morefood and drinks. Literally everything is 10/10. The salmon was delicious. It was paired with a kale+corn+sweet plantain concoction that was like a big O in your mouth. The sweet/savory combo was everything. Their chicken nachos are my go to. Every single nacho had the works on it. The drinks (sangria x spicy margarita) were perfect. They tasted great and were just the right amount of strong. The waiter and bartender were attentive and our water was always refilled (which is really important to me. we love a hydrated girly). The brunch vibes music mix was on point. My fav family owned business!

I was standing on the street, minding my own business, when the smell of roasted chicken came my…read moreway. I looked around and didn't even see a restaurant at first. When I finally saw where that smell was coming from, I was drawn inside and found some delicious looking food. To my surprise, they have oxtail today! The woman serving me behind the counter was really nice, didn't rush me, and I'll bet she was an owner. The oxtail was really, really good, and they have really good red beans. If you're on a strict diet, this place might not be the very best choice for you, but a for me, I'm looking to return next time I'm in this hood! The ambience here is great, with love plants galore, a patio... even a clean and functional bathroom! That lunch special was only like $16. Incredible.

El Patio de Fela is, at first glance, unassuming from the outside, but definitely not unremarkable…read morein the sense that trying to find the inside confused me so much I started to feel anxious and want to bail. When I entered and saw the tiny space inside resemble a chinese american takeout place with a small hot food bar, I had already resigned to having the lowest expectations possible. However, after ordering the $11 lunch special I was motioned to an inconspicuous doorway bringing me to a connected greenhouse which I now can see is El Patio de Fela. I sat down to enjoy my plate of pernil and arroz con gandules and right when I took my first bite the staff turned on the christmas lights for me and it was magical. The pernil, rice, beans, and green sauce worked wonderfully together and was so filling for $11. There was beautiful latin american music playing and the best part of the meal was having crispy bits of fried pork skin stuck to my teeth that I can snack on throughout the rest of the day. For 3 whole years my allegiance towards Lechonera La Isla for puerto rican food has been pure and unblemished. Today, for the first time, the innocuous thought appeared: 'Would it hurt to have a taste elsewhere?' Well, I did, and El Patio de Fela has me regretting what I've been missing out on for so long.

BLAST-FROM-THY-PAST GANGSTER PARADISE*KITCHEN*CUCHIFRITOS…read moreTruth be told this flagship SAVOURY EATERY dating back into greater than fifty years will forever be pricelessly MISSED eternally! On many memorable cuisine days of the freshly specially CUCHIFRITOS menu dishes (using: Achiote Oil, Sofrito, Adobo, Aceite Oliva, Lard, Butter) truly having that unique Cuchifritos aroma fragrance, delicacy taste, unbelievable texture of Puerto Rican & Cuban hints of grandmas aboriginal TAINO secret recipe covert ingredients! Between the Mofongo marisco o puerco, Pollo or Steak with Rice and Cubano & Chicken-Steak Sandwiches, and warmth of Pollo stew, Sancocho, Sopon de Patidas de Cerdo, Fricassee de Pollo, Asopao de Camarones, Sopa Pollo de fideos, Chuleta de Jardinera, and the bizarre saucy marinated favorites of PIG'S ears, tongue, stomach, morsillas (blood pudding), Chicharrones, pasteles, yucca-plátanos con pescado! Yet didn't serve another two favorite El Jibarito o Tripleta? FRITURAS: Tostones, Alcapurria, Bacalaitos, Empanadillas, Pastelillos, Croqueta, relleno Papá, Pastellon, Pernil, Arepas de Coco, Ensalada de Bacalao & Pulpo o Ceviche, Bistec "beefsteak" encebollado and también los lo Potres de Flan, Tembleque, Flancocho, Queso, Arroz Dulce, Mallorca, pebidas de Coco, Guava con crema, tamarindo. People often came to this business regardless of the community deterioration of police statistics because of the reminiscent 1970-1970s blends of "comida" preparations hard to literally find that older no frills mixed combinations of methodology to "cosinando" dexterity not prevelant anymore as past Chefs either AGED or DIED with their extraordinary TAINO style Caribbean Island RITUALS like Caldo Santo (Holy Good Friday FISH Stew)! The older Misses working at this establishment had no choice but to be sarcastic strong Spanish women given the recidivism of Rift-Raft in this neighborhood of mix populace, especially a zip code of delinquents, criminals, and dastardly venomous attitudes of gypsy homeless, gang bangers, anger management loud-mouths entering the restaurant to cause arguments, disturbances, beggars pleading for tasty Latino Spanish's food of mamma's familiar morsels. These were the cheap eats of tasty MEALS of separated or divorce, and broken family authentic tasting home cuisine missed from mamma, wifey, side-Biscuit girlfriend,and death of homestyle cooker, and missed Holidays foods of those gone & remembered!

It was a busy Thursday afternoon visiting an old favorite. We sat at the counter space and…read morepatiently waited for 1 of the women to serve us. It was very busy, but they can keep up well. Very pleasant we ordered from the variety of pre made food and one order from the kitchen only menu. We tried the roasted chicken with rice and red beans, 2 chicken Empanadas, and 1 order of fried pork chops with green plaintain (chuleta frita con tostones). Took about 10 minutes to come out, and it was very fresh and delicious. The chops were well seasoned and crispy. The tostones were freshly made and crispy. I put a ton of their homemade mojito (garlic) sauce all over everything, and my son proceeded to follow me with his meal. Their chicken was roasted perfectly. Moist and tender with flavors. They have a huge rotisserie pit behind the wall and out the way to save space. Genius. The Rice and beans were standard yet authentic. The Empanadas were a little dry, but I had to show my eldest about ketchu-mayo lol iykyk, then he liked it. He's a bit inexperienced in the cuchifrito area and almost got a brand drink. I had to cut him off and direct him to the fountain drinks because ,uh-uh, we drink from the house in a great cuchifrito spot son! I got him the passion fruit, and I got my usual sesame seed. He looked at me crazy y'all lmao I let him try my sesame drink, and he was somewhat impressed with it. But he loved his passion fruit already. The service was attentive, and I honestly don't know how the ladies balance it all. He was pleasantly surprised at the bill $32. 2 full large meals, 2 drinks, 2 Empanadas, and 1 alcapurria because I had to grab one when I saw the cook dump a fresh batch. I went home thinking damn I should have grabbed 3 more. They were loading fresh cuchifritos and I shouldn't have held back. Later always comes and left overs are always welcomed. Overall, we both loved it. Even taught him a few things in there. For the culture and the price point he loved it even more. I know for sure we will be back.

Love love this restaurant! Our food was delicious. Our waitress was very attentive…read more Highly recommend.

I had the Bistec al Porbe. It was absolutely delicious. I would definately come back. We sat…read moreinside and it was great. Thank you.

So sorry to hear that you're closed. Tried to support you during and after Covid. Good music and…read moredelicious food in the neighborhood. This place was an oasis in a sea of fast food spots.

It was a long, eventful rollercoaster of day... desperately in need of some sustenance, we looked…read morefor a spot in route to our final destination. With one of my favs, we decided to visit Amor Cubano, based on a found memory of their champagne mojitos. It was a cold Saturday night in January and all the stars aligned. We pulled and found parking right outside the door. We entered and was seated immediately without reservation even though it was crowded and the first week of NY restaurant week. We perused both the regular and restaurant week menu. In an attempt to keep it simple we went the regular menu and ordered everything at once. Of course two champagne mojitos and empanadas to start. For entrées, we went with Arroz Con Pollo (for me) and Churrasco- grilled skirt steak (for my partner in crime). Customer service was good, food came quick and hit the spot. We enjoyed it all while listing to the live band. This was a nice ending to an eventful day. Just A Note: A tag on IG... gets you a spin of the bonus wheel. I snagged a gift card for my next visit.

Alright. So this is my official review for La Fonda -- the restaurant I told y'all is connected to…read moreAbuelita's Desserts. Same location, same love, same culture. First of all, sometimes I don't even realize how Puerto Rican I am until it's time to eat. And then it hits me. Heavy. If you know, you know. My mom and I had been low-key grieving this old Chinito Spanish spot on 116th that we grew up on. That place was a staple. Birthdays, celebrations, random Sundays -- we were there. And the chuletas? Elite. The Spanish food was honestly better than the Chinese food, and it was that beautiful cultural fusion that only East Harlem really understands. Asian families who lived in Puerto Rico, speaking Spanish, cooking with that blend of spices -- it was magic. When it closed, it felt like we lost a piece of home. So ever since, we've been like... where are we getting our chuletas now? And let me explain something very clearly: when it comes to a Rican and her chuletas, we do not play games. Don't tell me you make a good pork chop and then serve me something dry or bland. No ma'am. I'm looking for: * That crisp but tender edge. * The smell that hits you before the plate even lands. * The cebolla on top. * The juices already doing what they need to do so I don't have to add a single thing. * That perfect bite when the rice and chuleta meet on the fork. So when we saw La Fonda attached to Abuelita's, we were curious. A guy inside was recommending dishes, saying he comes all the time for lunch. My mom spots "chuletas" on the menu and immediately says, "Let's try it." And I'm nervous. Because what if it's not right? What if it's breaded? I didn't want breaded. I just wanted it fried. Simple. Classic. Done correctly. Baby. When I tell you I was NOT disappointed? I have found my new chuleta spot. Perfectly fried. Flavorful. Juicy. That bite with the rice? Exactly what I've been missing. You can choose your rice. My mom got yellow rice with red beans. I asked for the rice of the day -- and listen, that rice of the day was a moment. Yellow rice mixed with little pieces of chicharrón, some plátano in there, beans -- just layered with flavor. That's the kind of rice you don't leave behind. My mom also ordered the corn fritters. Did I taste them? No. Because she tore them down before I could blink. And when my mom goes quiet and just wolfs her plate? I already know it's good. The ambiance? Beautiful. The bar area feels very Puerto Rican -- colorful, warm, nostalgic. On the other side, there's spacious seating if you want to dine in properly. It's quaint but roomy. Comfortable. It feels like somewhere you can celebrate something or just come in on a random Tuesday because you need good food. And the food? Delicious. Period. If you're looking for authentic Puerto Rican food in East Harlem that actually hits the way it's supposed to hit, go to La Fonda. Try it. Get the chuletas (trust me). And then come back and tell me what you think. Because these spots? They have my heart.

If I could give zero stars I would…read more Now granted, me and my group spontaneously patroned here after the Puerto Rican Day Parade, so of course we were mindful of how busy and overwhelmed the restaurant may be that day. We had no problem waiting patiently for our table to be ready. However, upon being seated, there were so many things wrong that foreshadowed how poor our experience was going to be. Firstly, we needed to remind the waiter to bring our drinks about 4 times. The first time, we received two cans of soda (there were 7 of us). The second time, they brought 2 more cans. The third time, they brought the remaining Sprite we ordered. They failed to give two of us the cups of water we asked for. The waiter disappeared and returned with a Single Red Solo cup filled with water and then rushed back with one more for me. In the thousands of restaurants i've dined at in my lifetime, I've never received water in a plastic solo cup. Would have expected such at a frat party LOL, but at a formal restaurant? Now it was abundantly clear that the deviation from glassware to plastic cups was likely due to the large amount of customers attending due to the PR Day Parade, so despite this initial disappointment, we were still optimistic and gave the benefit of the doubt in light of this. Then came the wait for our food. Our appetizers came quick. However, they arrived on paper plates. Again, we wanted to be mindful that this was just due to the day so we brushed that off. But somehow they forgot one order of Alcapurrias and never brought them when we reminded our waiter about it twice. (We later got charged for 7 orders of Alcapurrias on our tab when we ordered 2 LOL). Mind you, we were seated at 6PM. An hour goes by and it is now roughly 7:15. Suddenly, who I assume to be the owner/manager goes on the microphone by the DJ booth and announces "they ran out of rice". At this point, all we could do is laugh because it was clear this place bit off more than they could chew by attempting to serve so many people. It was clear their priority was Quantity over Quality. Rather than serving quality meals (especially given the pretty penny they were charging), they were serving tiny portions on paper plates to cut corners and serve as many people as possible. At this point, we were baffled that they "ran out of white rice and beans" because what PR dish is served without it? Well anyways, they announced they will subsititute rice and beans with gandules. Fine. Another 35 minutes or so and we receive 2 orders of Mofongo. Have you ever gotten the paper bowls that you use for ice cream at Costco? Yeah those are what we got. We got a little scoop of Mofongo the size of my palm (for $25) and topped with not even a full serving of the protein that came with it. At this point we assumed they were going back to the kitchen to retrieve the 3 order of Pernil w Arroz Gandules that they ordered.....Nope. At around 8PM, we flagged to our waiter that we didn't get the rest of our food. Of course, they forgot. Eventually we get our SALTY pernil on a paper plate and MUSHY arroz gandules that literally seemed like they forgot to bring the pot of rice to a boil on the stove. At this point, we accepted that today was just a terrible dining experience. We weren't going to make a scene, speak to a manager, or disrespect the staff that were clearly overwhelmed. HOWEVER, we then received a bill that 1) incorrectly charged us for 5 additional Alcapurrias appetizers and 2) charged their own 20% gratuity - was just absolutely laughable and pathetic at this point. Again, we had so much compassion and grace initially as any PR spot in NYC on this day would be hectic and overwhelmed. But like I said before, La Fonda cares more about getting their money rather than ensuring their customers are satisfied. We have no issue paying good money for our food, but can the food at least be edible? Can the food be presentable and appear palatable? La Fonda couldn't even deliver that. Bad service is one thing, but poor tasting food is another. Not to mention that myself and my partner experienced nausea and indigestion shortly after our meal, likely due to the excessive greasiness and saltiness present in every dish. In viewing previous reviews to see if this was just a bad day versus just a terrible restaurant, it's evident that La Fonda just sucks. Given that my group obviously was there in celebration of PR day parade, we would never want to bring down a local Boricua establishment. But this was just truly a joke of a culinary experience. Nevermind the disposable dining ware, but to run out of food and still try to serve people nonsense is sad. Rather than resorting to any means necessary to remain open and serve as many as they could, they rather should have not overwhelmed themselves by turning people away when they realized there was no more food. I would have respected that rather than paying for food I couldn't eat. Beware and stay away.

I genuinely enjoy eating from here ! The flavor is there !…read more I only tried chicken & rice with Maduros and some sauce from the steak but it was great made me swing my feet from my seat

Do not bother with this place. Really EXPENSIVE; Yellow rice, Black beans, Tail with 3 BBQ ribs =…read more$25 "Lunch special" according to the hostess. So it's not even a FULL SERVING. Not worth it. I think as a Dominican since they cater to other people they charge whatever they want and expect no complaints. For one person it's too much MOVE ALONG, GO FURTHER UPTOWN AND SAVE SOME MONEY.