La Gran Uruguaya Bakery
“We came here by accident when we were trying to go back to La Nueva.”
“A minute in the microwave gives you a fragrant, highly edible hand-warmer.”
“They also serve a Colombian soup called "ajiaco", which is a potato and chicken soup, one of Colombia's few claims to culinary fame.”
La Gran Uruguaya Bakery
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Inexpensive
5 reviews
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For the restaurant side.
I still can't tell the difference between Uruguayan and Argentinian food. The food here is good, but not the best among Uruguayan/Argentinian restaurants in the city.
Things I had:
Bread: not heated thoroughly.
Gnocchi: I asked for red sauce with meat. The portion is huge. The sauce is decent but the pasta is cooked a little long.
Chaja: good but too sweet.
I like their ambience but the service is very slow.
The bakery looks very attractive but I'm too full to try it.
This is easily one of my favorite bakeries in Jackson Heights. Their pastries and baked goods are all pretty authentic, freshly made and quality things made using actual South American recipes and ingredients.
Most of the stuff here is Colombian and Uruguayan. They used to be a separate restaurant and bakery, but they have since come together and thus brough their respective spaces together, this contributes to a series of pros and cons…
Pros:
* Delicious foods – sweet AND savory.
* Great beverages.
* Ample seating room if you're alone, with a significant other or a group of friends.
* Not too loud and an amazing smelling atmosphere.
* Friendly employees.
* Open pretty late.
* Really great coffee.
* Amazing bread selection, no seriously, BREAD is life.
Cons:
* Although employees are friendly it is sometimes super hard to get their attention, even if the place is empty. I speak fluent Spanish and sometimes I get exasperated after waiting 10 minutes for a cookie or a piece of cheese bread…but I wait it out and return repeatedly because the stuff they make IS THAT GOOD.
* Let's talk empanadas. I'm Colombian, grew up with them ever since I was old enough to correctly process solid foods and I can make em' myself – does this make me an authority on empanadas? Yeah, well…sorta. The empanadas here are pretty flipping awful.
* Empanadas here are cheap, that's great, but their fillings are just NOT good – who mixes beef with raisins? Why is the beef weirdly mushy?! Go to Mama's Empanadas nearby to get your empanada fix – they totally know what they're doing and they have trigo (wheat), maiz (corn) and baked varieties with 50+ different flavors/combinations/fillings and they're made FRESH TO ORDER, unlike the ones here where they will ask you if you want them warmed up and if you say 'yes' they will nuke em' in a microwave for a bit – microwaving them makes them SOGGY and weird after they've been sitting there under a heating lamp. Blech.
Now, notice that although I elaborated more on the "Cons" section, I named more "Pros" – let that guide you. This place IS great because of the variety of stuff they sell and the quality and care they put into things like ingredients, recipe, presentation, etc. Just avoid the empanadas here and be nice, yes PERSISTENT, when trying to order and you'll be fine.
This place is always hopping. They have a huge selection of pastries and breads and cakes, and a tray of tasty empanadas on the counter, and even a deli station. Cash only, and the most adorable yummy ladybug cake can be had for $28.
One thing I love about getting coffee at the different Hispanic bakeries in JH is that they usually give you drip coffee with frothed milk…it just makes your boring coffee that much nicer.
The coffee here was pretty good and the swirly buttery cookie that looks like a heart was pretty good although I like the ones from the bakery near Roosevelt Station better.
It's a big space with lots of tables…this will be a place I definitely stop into while I am doing laundry down the street.
We came here by accident when we were trying to go back to La Nueva. Turned out to be a good thing coz their bakery is equally great. Empanadas are great as well as various pastries. Their small cakes and sweet confections filled with dulce de leche are awesome! And like a lot of places in this neighborhood everything is cheap!