El Castillo De Jagua
“You really do need the sauce, since the mofongo is a bit dry and mealy without it, but the combined flavors are excellent.”
“We ordered:
Cuban cubano $5.00
Pernil roast pork $9.50
Tostones O Maduros fried green or yellow plantains $3.50
I can never finish the sandwich it's very good and meaty.”
“I always get the meat dishes: Bistec Sobrelomo steak and onions/Especial De Bistec Salteado special pepper steak steak in one plate with rice and fried plaintains…”
El Castillo De Jagua
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Why was my take-out order of chicken and rice tasted dry and bland? Though I'm never going to get answer, I'm taking a star away…
A fairly solid place for Dominican food. I wanted to try their special ox tail stew but it was sold out cause it's so popular.
The dishes had tons of flavor. The beef short rib and pepper steak were very tender. The chicken soup on the other hand had tons of flavor, loaded with pieces of chicken and veggies but it was a bit to salty for my taste.
I would come back again and get my hands on their ox tail stew if it's not sold out that is.
TL;DR Good food for great prices
A good family run, won't make it big, neighborhood hispanic/chicano joint. Nothing fancy or anything to rave about. This is one of those places where you're glad it exists in near where you live cause you don't want to pay too much…sort of like having a Pathmark near you (if you don't know what a Pathmark is, you're definitely an import…or one of those people who live in a vanity address) .
All their rice comes with beans with sauce. Their rice has a ton of flavor, and by flavor I mean I think they use just the right amount of salt where you can literally eat the rice by itself with nothing to mix it with. Keep in mind, after eating their rice you're going to be waterboarding yourself cause you're going to be I just crossed the Gobi Desert (one "s", not two, I chekced) thirsty. Seriously, have a gallon of water ready.
Rice with chorizo: Not really sure you need much more of a description than its name.
Fried chunks of chicken: again…it is very literal. A lot of the pieces (not a majority, just a lot) actually are over fried and become really hard. Make sure you don't chip a tooth while eating these.
I've been coming here for years with friends for authentic homemade Dominican food. I believe this is a family run business that's been serving up Spanish food in the Lower East Side for years. I usually settle for the arroz con pollo with an order or plantains and that gets me full. Usually the service here isn't bad, but I've noticed that it has continued to deteriorated every time I come here.
I'm in the restaurant right now and we weren't even greeted. My friend and I just chose a spot to sit and a waitress gave us a menu 8 minutes later (she didn't even notice we were here). When we were ready to order, she told us "1 second" and she came back 10 minutes later. When she finally came, my friend ordered a side of black beans with his order, only to be informed that they didn't have black beans. Funny, because the menu specifically stated : "we have black beans". The bread that came with the order was also cold and stale. A beggar later came in and asked for change while we were waiting for our food (I wonder how'd he get in??)
My friend had the chicken stew with yellow rice and beans, while I had the beef stew. The beef stew was extremely salty, but succulent and tender. I think the rice and beans were better tasting than the beef stew. I also had an order of yellow plantains which weren't bad.
Would I come back? I'll take my chances. I don't really want to give this place 2 stars because this place used to be better (food and service wise) and the people that work here are really nice. But the service has just been horrible.
I specifically asked them if they had beef stew over the phone. I could not hear what the lady said, she mumbled. But when delivery arrived,they gave me chicken instead. This happened twice already. I decided to order again this time for an avocado salad and Cuban sandwich. It took an entire 1 hour for the delivery. When it came the brown bag was all wet from the salad. It was the poorest looking salad ever. It was so watery, it looked like a salad was dumped into a bowl of soup.
Ugh, this place!! I thought it looked sketchy from the outside but my friends were like 'nah, come on, let's go.' So, we did. When I saw they had healthier options like grilled salmon, mixed veggies, salads and plantains, I thought it couldn't be that bad. Oh, was I ever wrong.
When we all ordered, they were out of what half of us wanted (no oxtail, no avocado…). Strike 1. When I tried to tell the waitress I didn't want rice with my grilled salmon, she seemed to not understand what I was trying to say and kept asking if I wanted white rice instead of yellow. I asked if I could substitute with mixed vegetables, and she said 'green plantains?'. *sigh* Sure, that's fine. I thought this meant I would get the grilled salmon, beans, and plantains. No, I got grilled salmon, plantains, and mixed vegetables. I don't really care, but the communication at this table was a big problem so this annoyed me further. Strike 2. My boyfriend ordered a mixed salad and they gave him the saddest excuse for a salad I've ever seen. Basically, it was a bed of iceberg lettuce with canned vegetables dumped on top with NO dressing. It looked like elementary school cafeteria food. And it wasn't even mixed!! Just awful. Strike 3. And then my friend ordered a side of fried plantains and never got them. No strikes left, so they're out.
The only reason why I'm giving 2 stars is because the food (aside from the "mixed" salad) is pretty decent. That being said, there are just too many communication problems, they're out of half the stuff people want to order, and they get the orders wrong (or just don't bring what you want at all). I definitely won't be back here unless it's the absolute last restaurant left in post-apocalyptic NYC and, somehow, I and the wait staff survived.
This is one restaurant that has passed the test of time, despite the massive changes in the neighborhood. Among all the trendy eateries, bars and clubs of the Lower East Side, El Castillo is still going strong. I don't know why it took me so long to return, but the last time we set foot in here was over 20 years ago and the white painted walls, the rotating stools at the counter and the clear vinyl table cloths are still here. And the food has not changed a bit either, though the prices have gone up, but is still an affordable delicious meal.
The steak and seafood dishes are exactly as I remembered them, tasty, hearty and extremely filling. My favorites are the bisteca with onions and the shrimp in garlic sauce. The shrimp are literally swimming in garlic. Each entree is accompanied by a huge plate of Spanish rice and an equally large bowl of beans to go with the rice, but pour the garlic sauce over the rice and you'll be in carbo overload. Get some maduros and tostones to go with your meal and you won't have room for dessert. There are daily specials, so check them out if you don't see anything to your liking on the regular menu.
Currently in the restaurant. This steak and onions that my girlfriend got is salty and chewy as hell and is swimming in its pool of oil . It's literally like eating a salt ball . The bread they gave me after ten minutes of sitting and waiting didn't taste fresh either. Best part of the meal so far is the avocado salad unfortunately .My meal was the grilled chicken with vegetables(3 big pieces of uncooked and rice and beans. The rice is fresh but combined with the habichuelas is just not working for me. The grilled chicken which was suggested isn't flavorful and kinda dry. Waitress is kinda nice. Can't wait to leave and get desert to take this taste out of my mouth. You would think that waiting 20+ minutes for the food that it would taste better but this is a very forgettable experience .