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I have been going here for years for pastilitos and haven't tried anything else besides that and the papa rellenas (fried potato ball with meat). Pastilitos (beef with cheese are solid) but I didn't really care for the potato ball. They are around $2.75/$3 each which is pretty standard. If you are in the area and have a taste for some. I recommend
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.
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.
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!
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
The food was delicious. The pernil was great, the tostones were light and crispy. The pastelitos were also really good
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!!
Thought I'd bring my son here for celebratory, dinner, but they only had takeout. I wasn't very impressed with the way it looked inside & I didn't get a good vibe. The menus were just sitting on the counter where u have to order. They didn't have very much that I understood what it was. My son wanted pastelillos ,so he got 2 beef & cheese & I've never had them before, so I just got 1 chicken & cheese to go. Mine was pretty empty, which seems to be an ongoing thing with all my food lately, but his were packed. It tasted ok, but I'd never get another one. He liked his though. Maybe I'd go in there just to get him some more sometime. read more
6 years ago
I've lived in North Buffalo for six years and I had no idea this hidden gem was just a couple blocks away from me! Whenever I'm in the mood for some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, this will be my go-to spot! I ordered a chicken and cheese pastelito, marinated chicken and rice. My pastelito was filled with amazing flavors and it was perfectly fried. It was also super inexpensive! Only $2 per pastelito. The rice was well seasoned and as you can see in the photo, they give you a really healthy serving! The flavor of the marinated chicken was just okay, but the consistency of the cook was perfect. I could slice the chicken so easily and it wasn't over cooked. I would definitely recommend trying this spot out because I am so happy that I did! read more
I have been going here for years for pastilitos and haven't tried anything else besides that and the papa rellenas (fried potato ball with meat). Pastilitos (beef with cheese are solid) but I didn't really care for the potato ball. They are around $2.75/$3 each which is pretty standard. If you are in the area and have a taste for some. I recommend read more
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. read more
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. read more
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! read more
4 years ago
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 read more
8 years ago
7 years ago
The food was delicious. The pernil was great, the tostones were light and crispy. The pastelitos were also really good read more
5 years ago
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. read more
8 years ago
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. read more
11 years ago
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! read more
4 years ago
6 years ago
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! read more
5 years ago
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!! read more
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 read more
6 years ago
9 years ago
Upset that I didn't discover this place earlier! I've never had a bad experience with Puerto Rican food, so I was pretty excited to try La Kueva. The wife and I ended up ordering half the menu to chip away at throughout the weekend. Suffice it to say we did more than chip away. We ordered roasted pork (pernil) with sweet plantains, shrimp mofongo, roasted pork sandwich, a pastelillo, an alcapurria, and flan. This insane amount of food came to only about $40. Just incredible value! The pernil and sweet plantains dish was amazing. The plantains tasted like candy and the pork had just the right amount of crisp. The sandwich was also a total home run. We were blown away by how huge it was (and for $6.00!). We easily could have split one sandwich for lunch and been full. I was also very impressed with the pastelillo. We got the beef with cheese, and there was no shortage of either. The pepper was a really nice addition. Not much to say about the flan. It was good but unremarkable. I think we'll try the tres leches cake next time. The mofongo was the only item I really regretted ordering. It wasn't terrible, but it was way too bland to justify the price, which was 1.5x as expensive as anything else on the menu. To be fair, I had mofongo for the first time while in Puerto Rico and I just haven't found anything comparable anywhere in the U.S. The alcapurria was also subpar. It was greasy as hell but didn't have the flavor to match. It was very well stuffed with meat, but it just had no life. I had to douse it in sauce to enjoy it, which is unacceptable for something that is already crazy unhealthy. Switching to tostones next time. Overall we were very pleased! We ordered 6 items, so of course there were some misses, but we found a couple dishes that we will definitely come back for. Better than Niagara Cafe IMHO. read more
Since I have passed through Buffalo many times simply for the purposes of crossing the border to enter Canada, I have only experienced the view of the city from the highways. This time was different. I had some business to conduct during the morning hours on a weekday and would be completely free beginning at lunch time. I could spend an afternoon taking in the sites of Buffalo, take in some of the history or I could grab lunch and get back on the road. Clearly, I ate lunch. Perusing Yelp to decide where to eat so that I would not have to go on a blind search once I was in Buffalo was very helpful. My short list was produced and had about 6 different places identified. Several commonalities were that all were casual, non- touristy, ethnic (Greek, Latin, Vietnamese, etc...) and absolutely NO fricking Buffalo wings. Puerto Rican cuisine won and I am happy with this choice. One reason I chose La Kueva is because it is located on Hertel Avenue which has quite a few casual restaurants, delis and other eating establishments in a compact area. La Kueva (probably a play on the word "cueva" or cave) looks like a hole in the wall joint on the outside. Once inside, it was surprisingly pleasant, clean and comfortable with non-intrusive background music filling the air. With only about 10 tables, I grabbed an available seat. A pleasant waitress greeted me, brought me a menu and answered the few questions I had. I am quite familiar with this cuisine and I ordered the roast pork ( pernil ) with mofongo: a dish made from fried cooked plantains crushed and mixed with fried pork bits and garlic. Of course, rice and beans were an option as were tostones, maduros, yuca etc.... I asked for an appetizer of an alcapurria which is a meat filled type of fritter. After taking my order, the waitress unexpectedly returned with a small cup of chicken and rice soup as an amuse bouche ! I never expected this. What a great touch and it was excellent soup !! The alcapurria arrived and was too hot to immediately eat. It was large as I am accustomed to smaller ones (think Chinese dumpling size). It had a wonderful exterior crust and a meaty flavorful filling. Soon, the main meal arrived: a very generous portion of roast pork presented as large, but still bite sized, pieces of pulled pork with a large portion of mofongo and a basic yet very fresh green salad. I started with the pork and found it to be very tender, firm not overcooked and not "mushy". Small bits of fat and crisp skin were interspersed :) The mofongo was dense, as it usually is, fresh and mixed perfectly with the pork. A bit of meat broth was served for the purpose of moistening the mofongo. I even ate the salad which came with a basic homemade Russian style dressing. I savored each bite even as I felt myself getting full. The flavors lingered with me, in only the best manner, to make me still enjoy this meal. I'll have to shuffle off to Buffalo again for my La Kueva fix!!! read more
Hey there, Hertel strip. Give your fondest welcome to your newest restaurant, the first Puerto Rican joint to tempt your sidewalk traffic. Opening in the vacant space once occupied by Billamy BBQ, La Kueva boasts an absolutely charming, if simple interior. Tables and chairs are generic, faux-wood, the like of which you might find at a local church's bingo night, but the wood motif throughout, the delightfully muted wall tones, and hanging lamps offer an airy quality I rarely find. However austere my pictures on Yelp may look, the affect is calm and intimate. As the restaurant is just starting to stand up, many items on its menu were not yet available, unfortunately including the entirety of the dessert menu, which sounds delicious. The rest of their offerings are simple but traditional. Stews and Puerto Rican-style fried meats, sandwiches, and a selection of one-off items like meat pies, kabobs, and plantains. For lunch, I ordered myself a Cuban. The meal was satisfactory if not quite extraordinary. While earning points for the freshness of the sandwich bread, the cheese and ham were "meh" deli-grade quality, the pickles bite-less, and the mayo sauce flavorless. On the other hand, the pork had obviously been prepared with great care, making me wish that I had ordered nothing but a plate of it. Though already quite full from the sandwich, I opted to stuff myself full with plantains and a stuffed beef patty while I was there. Oh, gluttony. The plantains had great texture and weren't oily at all (a fault far too many establishments commit), but very little was done to flesh out that special inner sweetness. The beefy patty had absolutely delicious pastry crust, frankly dwarfing those of Manakeesh and More and Kalypso, which I have eaten so many of. Unfortunately, the meat, though plentiful, was unseasoned. Big chunks of onion poked their heads out, but even those had been cooked down to the point of tastelessness. Customer service here was absolutely delightful, and everyone at the restaurant seemed very eager for feedback from each customer there. I briefly spoke with all three of the staff members, including the owner, and each impressed upon me that the menu will be undergoing an overhaul over the ensuing months so that they can bring more extensive specialties online. I am very interested in seeing how they do and look forward to returning and updating my review soon. read more
9 years ago
Let me start by saying that when I try a new restaurant, I like to give them a fair chance. I regretted that tonight. I was debating between this place and Niagara Café, but Kueva was closer to my home so I decided to try them out. I bought 2 chicken empanadas, marinated chicken, and a side of plantains. What a mistake. The marinated chicken tasted like straight vinegar. I took one bite and threw out the rest. It's a good thing I did, because I couldn't even eat one emapanada. The chicken smelled foul/tasted spoiled and the dough tasted like stale frying oil, replete with a bitter aftertaste. The rice was hard and lacked flavor, and they definitely skimped on the pigeon peas. Like, one pea for every three forkfuls. Smh. The sweet plantains and the red beans were the only positive things about this entire meal. Which sucks when you get home from a long day, want to treat yourself to something other than wings and pizza (apparently the go-to for native buffalonians), and get home to find the whole meal was pretty much gross. On top of all this, the customer service was severely lacking. No greeting, curt service, and to make matters worse the cashier greeted the man who came in after me/had a whole conversation in Spanish. It's annoying that because I didn't bust out in Spanish like I normally do, I didn't receive the same greeting. Overall a shoddy experience. Next time I'll save my money and spare myself the frustration. Do better people, you clearly need the business to keep this hole in the wall operating. read more
This is my favorite Puerto Rican spot in the city. Cheap lunch Specials before 2PM for $6. Dinner portions are about $9.50 and double the size. Very affordable, fast and on Door Dash. The owner works there everyday and has tons of stories about Puerto Rico and her food. Daily specials keep it interesting. There's flan and other desserts to end the meal right. read more
4 years ago
Can't say enough about La Kueva- nice people, amazing food. Had dinner with friends and we started with plantanos and and tostones- both were amazing with the delicious sauces!! For dinner, I had garlic shrimp and onions with monfogo- plantains a third way!! Delicious, with a little salad. My friends got a Cuban sandwich and a chicken stew-the chicken fell right off the bone and they only serve it on Tuesday so check it out. My husband got pork and brand and loved. We left so full-but I am still dreaming of the food and can't wait to go back! read more
8 years ago
Small Place on Hertal my buddy said we should check out. The lady was super nice, they were closing up soon but she made sure we left happy haha. We both ordered chicken and beef pastellos which were extravagant, especially with the hot sauce they had with it! Along with that we both had a fresh pulled pork with rice plate. She was even nice enough to throw in a couple stews for us to enjoy. It was excellent I would go back for sure! read more
Solid 4.5 for this place. The hubby got me take out from here after I had a pretty traumatic day. Ladies get you a man that knows how to cure your blues lol! Annnyways back to the food! He got a nice sampling of the menu; an alpacuria, a pastellio, mofongo with shrimp, pernil with Maduros , a roast pork sandwich and a piece of flan. Needless to say we are set for the weekend with all this food!! The pastellio was gone within seconds of us opening the bag. Didn't even let him get his insta pics lolz. It had really good flavor spice wise but was a tad dry. Would still get it again tho. The next thing we were both obsessed with was the freaking huge roast pork sandwich for $6 it could easily have been the only thing he got us and we would have both been totally full. We decided that sandwich is def going on our regular rotation of quick things to grab. The pernil and madoros were amazing exactly what I look for in my savory sweet perfection bites! The surprise was the mofongo which I really liked cuz it was super garlicky... the shrimp version wasn't necessarily worth it as the shrimp were tasteless and pretty much a throw away. Lastly the two things I wouldn't get again were the alpacuria and the flan. Iv never been the hugest fan of flan and while this wasn't bad it didn't change my inherent opinion of flan. The alpacuria was disappointing, very oily and lacking in flavor compared to ones Iv had before and been thrilled with in other places. Overall tho, great little addition to buffalos many Puerto Rican places and we will def be back. Next time will sub the flan for the tres leeches and the tostones for the alpacuria. ** finally had a chance to return here today! :) delighted to say they are still just as good. We got the pernil dinner again and the pork sandwhich again. Both were exactly as amazing (if not more so) as last time. Also got a side of tostones, which were good (lacking a little salt) but the garlicky sauce it comes with was amazing and made the missing salt a non issue. ALso we got the tres leches cake, i would say this was the most disappointing part of the order. Dry!!! That was definitely disappointing, so i guess my hunt of good tres leches cake continues. read more
4 years ago
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13 years ago
13 years ago
11 years ago
Loved it here! The food was great! I had the fried pork chops with yellow rice and beans. I also tried the Cuban sandwich and most of the appetizers (we pretty much tried one of everything...you cannot go wrong!!). Everything that I had was delicious and the prices were reasonable! The woman working there took the time to answer all of our questions about the menu and was very efficient. I will definitely be returning sometime in the near future. read more
12 years ago
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