I am secretly a latina at heart even though I don't look like it from the outside. the same can be said for el rincon de la vieja. You could possibly walk by it about a 100 times and if you didn't take a chance you would not know this little shop is here. It is a tiny storefront located on the same street as a met supermarket and a bodega.
Specializing in baked goods and fried foods/cuchifritos I love to stop in occasionally to see what they are serving that day.
I usually like to ask what the soup of the day is. I have tried a beef stew, chicken soup and the hen soup. The small should be a good serving for lunch especially since they give you a small serving of rice that goes along with it. The white rice has tons of flavor because I can tell they cook it with a dash of oil and salt. Chicken soup was a bit lackluster with just some peas and carrots but they use the whole chicken for more flavor. The beef stew was pretty good with large pieces of chunky vegetables. Last time I found half a potato in my soup and greedily ate it all.
I have also tried their different empanadas. they have cheese empanadas, tuna fish empanadas, beef empanadas. Just pick a few from behind the glass and it can be a guessing game of what is inside or you could ask which is which or if they have the one you want that day. The green hot sauce they give you with it is fantastic. Avocado based and very tasty. Sometimes if you go earlier there is more pickings and I was overjoyed to find out that they have papa rellenos which is pretty much a fried potato ball with ground meat in the middle. I grew up eating these and they remind me of my childhood. its like a handheld mashed potato treat.
they also have bandeja paisa/country platter here which I have yet to try but i have seen the chicharron behind the glass. Come here early if you plan to grab a lunch plate. They only make a limited amount of food throughout the day. It may be chicken or it may be butterfly steak. Steak was a little tough but it satisfied my carnivorous cravings.
they also have a ton of freshly baked goods that I like to have in the morning. My spanish is not great but they have the pandequeso and pan con queso. Translation: Cheese bread. My favorite is the one that looks like a donut. It tastes like a buttery breadstick. Its soft and has cheese baked into the bread.
The service is somewhat lacking sometimes when there is only one person behind the counter but it is still a nice and small cozy place to grab something to go. they only have about 3-4 seats at a counter along the wall so it is not a sit down place but if you are having breakfast alone it is okay.
Although the lady that works there is in charge and may not have a smile on her face she will definitely not skimp on the food. Living in flushing I have a lot of problems with people not giving me the regular amount of food or charge me extra for things only because I normally order in English but I have never had that type of treatment here. The guy that works here is also very nice and he is patient if you have any questions about the food. They seem to like regulars and I hope to be a familiar face at this tiny spot.
I ordered take-out one time and got Bandeja Paisa and Sancocho. Both were surprisingly good and the Bandeja Paisa was an enormous serving of meats (my first time – I didn't realize just what I was getting myself into).
Since I'm terrible with directions and addresses, it wasn't until months later when I was wandering around my local grocery store (Met Food) that I walked into a little Columbian bakery that happened to be El Rincon De La Vieja.
As I ate my chicken patty, I picked up a menu and only then did I make the association; since that moment, I volunteer to go out and pick up milk, eggs, whatever – because it's an excuse for me to go here!
The location itself is tiny – counter seating for maybe five – but if you have a chance to either pick up some hand-held foods to go or to order from them for delivery, I would definitely recommend it.
Cheesebread (panobon) is sooo delicious and mouth watering. Coffee is usually very very hot and strong too. Guy working there is very nice, but make sure there isn't anyone in front of you on line.
I am secretly a latina at heart even though I don't look like it from the outside. the same can be said for el rincon de la vieja. You could possibly walk by it about a 100 times and if you didn't take a chance you would not know this little shop is here. It is a tiny storefront located on the same street as a met supermarket and a bodega.
Specializing in baked goods and fried foods/cuchifritos I love to stop in occasionally to see what they are serving that day.
I usually like to ask what the soup of the day is. I have tried a beef stew, chicken soup and the hen soup. The small should be a good serving for lunch especially since they give you a small serving of rice that goes along with it. The white rice has tons of flavor because I can tell they cook it with a dash of oil and salt. Chicken soup was a bit lackluster with just some peas and carrots but they use the whole chicken for more flavor. The beef stew was pretty good with large pieces of chunky vegetables. Last time I found half a potato in my soup and greedily ate it all.
I have also tried their different empanadas. they have cheese empanadas, tuna fish empanadas, beef empanadas. Just pick a few from behind the glass and it can be a guessing game of what is inside or you could ask which is which or if they have the one you want that day. The green hot sauce they give you with it is fantastic. Avocado based and very tasty. Sometimes if you go earlier there is more pickings and I was overjoyed to find out that they have papa rellenos which is pretty much a fried potato ball with ground meat in the middle. I grew up eating these and they remind me of my childhood. its like a handheld mashed potato treat.
they also have bandeja paisa/country platter here which I have yet to try but i have seen the chicharron behind the glass. Come here early if you plan to grab a lunch plate. They only make a limited amount of food throughout the day. It may be chicken or it may be butterfly steak. Steak was a little tough but it satisfied my carnivorous cravings.
they also have a ton of freshly baked goods that I like to have in the morning. My spanish is not great but they have the pandequeso and pan con queso. Translation: Cheese bread. My favorite is the one that looks like a donut. It tastes like a buttery breadstick. Its soft and has cheese baked into the bread.
The service is somewhat lacking sometimes when there is only one person behind the counter but it is still a nice and small cozy place to grab something to go. they only have about 3-4 seats at a counter along the wall so it is not a sit down place but if you are having breakfast alone it is okay.
Although the lady that works there is in charge and may not have a smile on her face she will definitely not skimp on the food. Living in flushing I have a lot of problems with people not giving me the regular amount of food or charge me extra for things only because I normally order in English but I have never had that type of treatment here. The guy that works here is also very nice and he is patient if you have any questions about the food. They seem to like regulars and I hope to be a familiar face at this tiny spot.
Come early for more selection.
Yelp 100 challenge: review #13
I ordered take-out one time and got Bandeja Paisa and Sancocho. Both were surprisingly good and the Bandeja Paisa was an enormous serving of meats (my first time – I didn't realize just what I was getting myself into).
Since I'm terrible with directions and addresses, it wasn't until months later when I was wandering around my local grocery store (Met Food) that I walked into a little Columbian bakery that happened to be El Rincon De La Vieja.
As I ate my chicken patty, I picked up a menu and only then did I make the association; since that moment, I volunteer to go out and pick up milk, eggs, whatever – because it's an excuse for me to go here!
The location itself is tiny – counter seating for maybe five – but if you have a chance to either pick up some hand-held foods to go or to order from them for delivery, I would definitely recommend it.
Cheesebread (panobon) is sooo delicious and mouth watering. Coffee is usually very very hot and strong too. Guy working there is very nice, but make sure there isn't anyone in front of you on line.