Sazon

“As a Boricua we like going to a place called Guavate in Puerto Rico to get some real well cooked Pernil.”

“I had multiple food-gasms, beginning the curiously strong mojitos on down the perfectly seasoned and flaky empanadas and ending with the delicate flan.”

“After frequenting Sofrito's for a few years now, I decided to let my friend book my birthday dinner at Sazon this year!”

Sazon

Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes

Price range.

$$ Price range $11-30

8 reviews

  1. Expected a lot more of this place!
    The atmosphere as well as the interior look like so much more… Unfortunately, the dishes I had (empanadas as starters, black bean rice and chicken as main dish) were only mediocre, water was only refilled on request and the prices were expensive. Not coming back… 🙁

  2. Went there for brunch and ordered the pancakes and empanadas. The brunch included unlimited mimosas which were very tasty. The empanadas were very good as well. I was underwhelmed with my pancakes though. I'm sure if I ordered something savory I'd give this a higher rating

  3. Food was delicious. Portions were massive. Everything else fell short.

    The Good:
    – I didn't leave a single bite of Ropa Vieja left on my plate. The beef, the rice and beans. the plantains—perfection.
    – Everyone else's Pernil. That thing could feed an army. Well, I exaggerate but you get the idea.

    The Bad
    – The server could not be more indifferent. Thanks for tossing my napkin onto my lap?
    – I can't speak for the men's restroom but the women's needs some work. I couldn't lock my stall door and the big step right in front of the stall is a disaster waiting to happen.

    The Ugly:
    – Whatever that happy hour mixed 151 shot was. No bueno.

    Sazon's only redeeming quality is the food (reason for the 4 stars) but they need to step up their game with everything else.

  4. Soooo delicious! I love this place. No surprise, since I was huge fan of their flagship restaurant, Sofrito. Sazon is just as wonderful in its own right, serving up Puerto Rican specialties so near and dear to mi corizon.

    My biggest criticism of Sofrito was that it was loud and fellow customers would dance, actually dance, in between tables. Sofrito learned from this and opened a bar downstairs to contain the rowdiness. Great idea! There is a bar upstairs which can get crowded and extremely loud. But that's kind of a testament to the high energy of the spot and the fun you'll have.

    This is high end, not cheap in quality or lacking in service, but the prices are very reasonable. Go with your friends and dress fly. Come hungry and be prepared for spectacular food and a great experience.

  5. Came in for a lunch with coworkers on a Thursday at around 12:30. It didn't seem too busy – just your average lunch crowd.

    There's a lunch menu available that has a good amount of options. I went with the Cuban sammie. All sammies come with your choice of French fries, yuca fries, or rice and beans. I opted for the yuca fries but wish I hadn't – it was on the dry side. Luckily, their green garlic mojo and their hot sauce helped with that issue. The sandwich itself was okay. I've definitely had better Cuban sandwiches (maybe it was my own fault for ordering this at a Puerto Rican restaurant), but it's not the worst I've ever had.

    Sazon seems more like a lounge-type place. Looks like a good spot to get some after work drinks, and they have happy hour until 7, so maybe I'll check it out one evening.

  6. This was a pretty good, but not overly impressive experience: but, there are mitigating factors that should be taken into consideration.

    This was Valentines Weekend, so any decent restaurant was jammed. This place wasn't just jammed with couples, it was bursting with birthday parties. So, many tables were set for groups of ten to twenty.

    Our original table was right on a high traffic pattern, so the manager offered to reseat us out of the runway to the kitchen. Considering how busy they were, that was uncommonly gracious.

    Our server was working his backside off. We were just a normal dinner party of four. Next to us was a table of ten, behind us was a group of twenty. So, part of their approach was a prix fixe menu. But, everyone at the table had to order from it.

    They did make an exception for me, and brought a complete printed gluten free menu. I saw trouble in the description of the salmon that the stuffing included barley (no, no, no). So, I did the usual flight to safety meal of steak. Nicely presented with a chimmichurri sauce.  I had the yucca for an appetizer. I like yucca, and was surprised to see it on the gluten free menu. To fry this, it has to be completely isolated from all gluten (wheat, rye, barley) products.

    The flourless chocolate cake was … not my favorite. Their flan was clearly superior, though.

    I was impressed at the patience of the wait staff, who were expected to group up and sing "Happy Birthday" every few minutes while bringing out something with a sparkler in it. I'll be blunt: that's tacky. It should be retired. It's a burden on the wait staff, disruptive to diners and makes a restaurant this nice into something cheap.

  7. Couldn't tell if this was a Cuban or Puerto Rican restaurant but over all the prices were great and the food was …. Good portions sizes and laid back environment. The menu was very simple and the food was delicious again. If I ever had a desire to come back to Nyc I'd test this place out for real.

  8. Oh my, where do I start…?

    So about 2 weeks prior to my job's holiday luncheon, I called to verify availability for my date and time.  I reserved a table for 20 people the Friday prior to the date (we scheduled for Wednesday).  Upon arrival, we were advised that a wedding party was seated at our reserved table.  The wedding party was also a group of 20 so they assumed it was us.  As a result, we were split up because they couldn't sit us together (remember the wedding party took our table of 20 without a reservation).  We were split into 2 tables of 10 and we were seated 15min after our reservation – the place was empty aside from the wedding party.  So I ask… why request advanced notice and credit card information if you do not even check who is who upon arrival?

    Before we ordered appetizers, my coworker approached the manager and asked for some sort of accommodation for the inconvenience they made. He offered us a free shot of coquito – it was TINY!  When we asked the waiter for the coquito (over 35min had past at this point), he did not even know that the manager offered it to us or that it was free of charge – why is there such a disconnect?

    I guess the wedding party took everything because all of our food took a while to arrive. We waited over 20 minutes for appetizers. Note, it is a pre-fixed menu so you don't choose an appetizer (it is served family-style) so I don't expect such a wait.  The portions for the "family-size" appetizers were tiny considering each table had 10 people. Then we placed our entrée order – that was another disaster. Out of the two tables, one got their food immediately. The other table waited over 20min for their meal. AND one of my coworkers did not even get his food!  By the time it was ready, everyone already ate so he asked the waiter to pack it to- go. I could not believe it!  He did not order outside of the pre-fixed menu.  No excuse.  Lastly, the assortment of desserts came without plates.  Everyone looked at each other and the waiter was gone before we could even ask for plates.  Fortunately, the food was great and served warm.  However, it was not a pleasant experience – it was literally one thing after another. The waiter appeared overwhelmed.  He did not visit the table to ask how we were doing unless we waved him over. The manager did not even pass by considering all the errors.

    I would return for the food but not for a group event. The manager and staff need to coordinate a lot better and freshen up on their customer service skills. I was beyond shocked that we had such a poor experience at such a great place.

    Happy dining!

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Reade Street 105
New York 10013 NY US
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Monday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Tuesday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Wednesday, 11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Thursday, 11:30 am - 12:00 am
Friday, 11:30 am - 1:00 am
Saturday, 4:00 pm - 1:00 am
Sunday, 11:00 am - 10:00 pm