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    La Kueva Restaurant

    3.8 (87 reviews)
    ModeratePuerto Rican

    Order La Kueva Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

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    LA KUEVA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - La Kueva Restaurant

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    Sweet plantains
    Susan N.

    This is a decent Puerto Rican restaurant located on Hertel. I've eaten here once but never had the chance to review this place. Ordered the baked chicken plate with yellow rice and beans, roast pork plate with yellow rice and beans, as well as a side order of sweet plantains. What I loved: The chicken was sooo juicy, tender and flavorful. The rice wasn't as salty as I expected to be which was great because it brought out the flavor of the chicken even more. What I didn't like: The roast pork was SO salty that it was almost inedible. Maybe extra salt was tossed on that day because I've had their roast pork before and I don't remember it being that salty. The sweet plantains were too dry and bland for my liking. Overall, I feel like I just came on a bad day. I give this place an extra star for a total of 4 because the woman was really nice.

    Frans D.

    La Kueva is a very small restaurant with only 6 tables. We were welcomed right away with a very friendly smile from the woman working there; she might be the owner. We were waiting for our friends to arrived and she served us a nice little cup of soup. Being not really familiar with the Puerto Rican kitchen, we asked her what she would advice us. Roasted pork with yellow rice (lots of it) and a cup of beans. What an excellent choice! Really a wonderful dish. She also brought us a plate with little side dishes, just to try. I had to take some of the rice home and had a little Puerto Rican taste again the next day. La Kueva (the Cave) is a nice little gem on Hertel, worth visiting.

    Interior
    Josiah K.

    A delightful, easy to miss, hole-in-the-wall locates right on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo! La Kueva dishes up incredibly affordable take-out Puerto Rican delicacies that are satisfying every time. You can't go wrong with their pastelitos - so good. Their portion sizes are very generous. The large rice and beans is enough for a family of four - no joke! Always quick and friendly service inside. You can call ahead or just come in and order, and food will likely be ready within 10 minutes. Yum!

    Tajmara I.

    Very disappointing. I will never go back. But I absolutely do not recommend this place. The lady that gave me my order was the only thing good about here. The food is garbage though. I ordered beans, yellow rice, marinated chicken, plátanos. Well the beans May have had 8-10 beans because it was basically soup, the chicken was horrible, rice was dry. I poured the bean soup over the rice to even tolerate it. Well I wasted my money going here because I'm throwing it out

    Pernil dinner tostones and pastelitos
    Josef R.

    The food was delicious. The pernil was great, the tostones were light and crispy. The pastelitos were also really good

    Beef with Cheese Pastelillo, Pernil lunch special (yellow rice & beans)
    Callie C.

    Had a craving and was glad that Kueva was close by since I don't live in the city. The Pernil was tougher and drier than I would have liked but other than that for a first-time visit it was okay. I received my food quickly after I walked in and placed my order. The staff was pleasant and the establishment was clean.

    Erika S.

    There was a BUG in my plate of rice and beans with antennas and legs. A BUG . It looked like a roach. Bugs are a delicacy in the Middle East, but not in Puerto Rico lol Immediately disgusted post finding the crunchy bug in my food I let my waitress know. She then told me "oh that's normal they grow with the beans" ... sorry, but bugs in your plate are NOT normal. She was very nice but this is a huge red flag. Your plates should NEVER contain crawling BUGs.

    Rice, Beans and Pork
    Margarita C.

    My first visit here was last summer and since then, I've only visited about 3 times but I was definitely happy to discover a Puerto Rican resturant close to home in North Buffalo. It's nice to walk to grab some food instead of driving to the lower West Side. Most recently, I ordered the pork chop and roast pork dinners with yellow rice and beans, beef and cheese pastillos, potato balls, sweet plantains, and tostones for my family. The yellow rice was bland, roast pork and pork chops were okay, the potato balls were bland, also too mushy and the ground beef inside appeared undercooked but the rest of the meal was delicious. Loved the sweet plantains, tostones with sauce and pastillos! Wanted more! I felt the portion size of the roast pork meal was small, more like for one person, not to share for two. The pork chops came with two large pork chops though, they were a little over seasoned but I didn't mind too much. I expected more rice and more of the roast pork. I'm accustomed to sharing a dinner for two people when I order from Niagara Cafe don't expect that here. If you're Puerto Rican then you'll understand my expectation. If not, this portion size may seem just right to you. I feel bad because I didn't want it to sound like I'm giving this place a bad review. I grew up on the West Side of Buffalo and for many years I've been hoping I would see more Puerto Rican restaurants opening up in the West Side and the surrounding areas in Buffalo. It doesn't seem like many of them do so well, definitely not pulling in crowds of people regularly and they don't stay open long but I'm really pulling for this place and that's why I will visit from time to time but I have to keep it real here too. In my personal opinion, if you've never tried Puerto Rican food drive to the West Side of Buffalo over to Niagara and Pennsylvania Streets to Niagara Cafe and eat there as a first time experience to it. Order anything, it's all delicious, the food is better overall. If you need a quick fix or want to try a pastillo, then stop in at La Kueva and check it out. The staff is great, the place is small but quaint, seating is available and you never have to wait long for the food! I wish them much success on Hertel Avenue!

    Pastelillos
    Nicole L.

    I ordered one of the dinner specials with pernil and a couple sides as well. What is better than meat, rice and beans?!? The pork was tender and flavorful. The rice could have had a little more flavor but was good when combined with everything else (and a dash of hot sauce). There could have been more beans though, the container was mostly juice. The plantains were subtly sweet and cooked perfectly and the pastelillo was delicious! The meat was seasoned well and the pastry was fried golden and crispy. Portion size was good and of course with all the carbs VERY filling. My plantains and pastelillo became lunch the following day. Overall i really enjoyed and look forward to trying more on their menu!

    a bowl of chili and a plate of rice
    Rebecca V.

    This is the first time I got food from this restaurant & omg it is delicious!! I got the Pernil with rice & beans! The Pernil was so juicy the yellow rice & beans were on point!! When I say the box was over flowing with food & it was only $11 for the dinner! So I took the pic after I made a plate but the empty side was full of Pernil too!!! I would highly recommend this place! I will definitely order again, now if only they had tuna Mac salad too!!

    Cuban sando...delish..photo by @phil_eatsfood
    Phil V.

    Best cuban sandwich around these parts, the portions are huge and prices are cheap for some great Puerto rican comfort food, dont forget about the pastelillos..especially the beef and cheese..delicious, another favorite of mine is the yellow rice and beans and the slow roasted pork

    Pernil and Sweet Plantain

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    Ask the Community - La Kueva Restaurant

    La Kueva Restaurant - puertorican - Updated May 2026

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