La Isla Restaurant

“Huge platter of rice and beans with chicken stew for only $7.”

“To complement my wonderful proteins and starch (no veggies), pina and coconut juice (I had it mixed 'cause I'm awesome).”

“The pernil is off the hook, top 3 pernil I've ever had.”

La Isla Restaurant

Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes

Price range.

$ Price range Under $10

6 reviews

  1. after a long night of hard drinking and harder music at Duff's with Phil and his girl Stacey, we had to, of course, "stay hungry" as Twisted Sister so eloquently put it. so we stumble in here, because it was open and the menu looked cheap.

    I ordered a beef empanada because the first two or three things I asked for were not available. I guess that happens at 4 AM, hahahaha.

    apparently I inhaled the goddamn thing. from what I recall it was pretty good, with flaky crust and the beef being a bit spicy. the hot sauce was REALLY good. I recall that.

    sampled some of the rice and beans from Phil while he was going to town eating a whole plate of roast chicken (I think it was an entire chicken farm's worth of meat).

    lemonade was really good too.

    oh, the whole meal came to $11.75 for all three of us. WHAAAAT.

    proceeded to get into a cab where the cabbie was singing his own words to ambient music. clearly, this man is an undiscovered musical genius, perhaps the next Mozart, Elvis, or Macho Man Randy Savage, and I am glad to have experienced that.

  2. Perfect for carnivores. True whole in the wall.

    They serve mostly meats, rice and beans. I recommend the pork chop and black sausages. Cheap and delicious.

    I started the order in English and finished in Spanish.

  3. A bit disappointed after ordering stewed chicken and white rice. The chicken was tasteless and the rice also had no flavor.  There were some carrots and potatoes but no taste at all. I normally order pernil and i was here just 1 day ago boasting about how great and reliable the pernil is.  UNMfortunate for me that my food was tasteless and at $8.25, it is even more expensive than my normal pernil, rice and beans. Go figure?  Maybe i need to find me another restaurant that has spanish food and its open this late.

  4. What the heck time was it last night when we stumbled in here after a night of hard drinking at Duff's nearby? 3:30 AM? 4AM? Got me. All I know is that it was still open, had lots of cheap food, and we were drunk and starving.

    Large-ass crispy beef empanadas, whole roasted chicken cut and quartered, terrific yellow rice and beans, house hot sauce, and a half dozen or so juice and lemonade drinks to choose from. Devoured this meal as if it were my last. Was it any good? I think so. Who knows – we were hammered!

    But it was a good meal to help soak up all the alcohol in my belly! Saw other patrons of the bar wander in here to eat as we were leaving. Thank goodness for these late night hole in the wall spots open until the wee hours. Right next to the subway stop too which is a bonus!

  5. Se Venden Cuchifritos!
    Before the gentrification of the lower east side, places like these were lined up everywhere! Its definitely not healthy. But its really really cheap.
    The show case with hot lamps feature goodies like Morcilla (Blood sausage), pastelillos (like an empanada), Relleno de Papa (fried ball of potato with ground beef), alcapurria (fried yuca and plantains stuffed with beef), bacalaitos (cod fish fritters) and SO.MUCH.MORE.
    The cuchifritos are a steal at $1.25 a piece but if fried food doesnt sound good to you, they also have rotisserie chicken and pernil (roast pork) with rice and beans.
    Its open at all hours of the day and night. In the wintery mornings, i come in here for a large steaming cup of cafe con leche for the bargain price of $1.25.
    Also, if you are a party animal, stumble in here drunk for the perfect drunk munchies.
    Its cash only so save $5 for a substantial meal.
    This is not a place for ambiance. Its kinda dumpy. But i could give two shits about the chipped tiles so long as my food is fresh and delicious.
    Best to eat the food on site. I brought back an alcapurria to the office. 20 minutes in the bag made it gummy and soggy. The pastelillo travels really well- so crispy!

  6. Let's see : a giant plate of rice and beans served with a perfectly roasted, juicy half chicken for $6. SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

    Note : only bar seating here… and the staff speaks broken english. But they're nice enough to you and you can order in english. Just be prepared for the fact that no one else in the place will speak much english, if at all. I guess that makes this place mad authentic.

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