Ajo y Orégano

Real, honest review from a first-time customer. I stay in NJ but was in the area and decided to try this place on a friend’s recommendation. We ordered takeout — 4 items — and with tip the total came to about $100. What we ordered: • Shrimp Mofongo – $24 (10/10) • Shrimp in Garlic Sauce w/ Tostones – $26 (5/10) • Chicharrón de Pollo w/ Rice & Beans – $24 (5/10) • Tres Leches – $9 (?/10… more on that below) We waited about 45 minutes for the food. The bag was stapled shut, so we left assuming everything was inside. My gut actually told me to check before leaving… I should’ve listened. When we got home, the Tres Leches cake was missing. On top of that, the Chicharrón de Pollo looked exactly like chicken tenders. I immediately called the restaurant to let them know they forgot the cake and that the chicken didn’t look like traditional chicharrón. I was told that’s “how they make it” and that I could come back anytime to pick up the Tres Leches. Here’s the issue… I stay in NJ. Going back means paying another $16 toll to cross the George Washington Bridge just to pick up a $9 cake that was forgotten. That part was frustrating. Food breakdown: • The Mofongo was amazing. Honestly 10/10. Perfect flavor, perfectly cooked. If they only served mofongo and called themselves “Mofongo House,” they’d probably crush it. • The Shrimp in Garlic Sauce lacked flavor. I had to add quite a bit of salt to bring it to life. • The Chicharrón de Pollo — while it tasted flavorful — was essentially a chicken tender. So yes, it was seasoned well for what it was, but it wasn’t what I expected when ordering chicharrón de pollo. • The Rice & Beans were delicious and very flavorful. • The Tostones were fine. • The Tres Leches… well, I can’t rate it because I never got it. Overall, this place is Overpriced but the mofongo is worth trying. The missing item and the response to it, along with the chicken tenders pretending to be Chicharron de Pollo left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ll probably only come back if I’m already in the area — for the Tres Leches I paid for… and maybe for a mofongo. Pro tip: skip the Chicken Tenders .. I mean Chicharrón de Pollo. And check your take out order before leaving.

I really love this spot. The staff is pleasant and easy to deal with. They also have very large portions. They are just a bit slow depending on the time a day!

The atmosphere was okay nothing bad, nothing that really stood out. The food was also just okay. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t memorable either. Where the experience really fell apart was the service. Our waiter barely checked on us. We weren’t asked how the food was, if we needed water refills, another drink, or even if we wanted dessert. After finishing our meal, we waited an unreasonably long time just to get the check, which was frustrating and unnecessary. Overall, it’s a place with potential, but the lack of attentive service seriously hurts the experience. Service matters, and unfortunately, it missed the mark here.

Had a great time! The servers were very welcoming and attentive. The food was absolutely delicious, and the presentation of the mofongo was beautiful. We’ll definitely be coming back!

I quite enjoyed eating here. Especially the mofongo de chicharron de cerdo. Also got the churrasco and the chimi tostones. Wish the meat on the chimi tostones was a little bit thinner but still good. The atmosphere was great, I felt like family members were asking me how everything was etc.

Me and my Church came here and had an amazing meal! We all had different orders and all enjoyed. Their juices are also great. I will be coming back! On my own time! Thank you all!

Excellent Dominican food, and its name, " Ajo y Oregano," lives up to its dishes. The place is a little small but very cozy. Mr. Pedro is always friendly and cordial. His mofongos are delicious with four cheeses, everything typical Dominican style, which will make you feel in home. I recommend it 👍

I stumbled upon this gem with my family. The moment we walked in the hostess Jazmine greeted us and was very welcoming. Service was amazing! The food was great everything we ate was so delicious. We will definitely return when we’re back in town.

The food was good. Part of the order was a shrimp mofongo and a cheese mofongo. I made the mistake of assuming it came with only shrimp and cheese, not pork. They both came with pork. I called and explained that we didn't eat pork and that the menu didn't specify that all of their mofongos automatically have pork in them. They rectified the issues for us- even though it was also on us! Thanks! Please try their mofongoes, but make sure you eat pork or ask first.

If you are looking for authentic Dominican food in the Bronx, then Ajo y Oregano is your spot. The food was flavorful and delicious, the ambiance brought me back to the island and the service was top notch, the servers were on top of everything. The space is tiny and can feel crowded but it's totally worth it. I left full and thoroughly satisfied!

The surf and turf was good. The stew chicken in the gravy was really tasty. I liked how the the sea bass was fried perfectly it pairs perfectly with the coconut sauce. I had leftover so I am happy the waiter told me most people put it on the side. The bartender and waiter were awesome in which they were very helpful and nice to me.

Loved the ambience, decor & service. The food was delicious !!! I will definitely be returning.

This is a restaurant that I've been coming here a lot and eaten a variety of their dishes. And I can express that this is somewhere you want to eat at while in Little Italy in the Bronx. My two favorite dishes are the Tostones Sliders because it is a take on the classic cheeseburger sliders but with a Dominican twist. You have the option to have it with tostones (green plantain) or maduro (sweet/yellow plantain) as your buns. And the Mofongo de Churrasco is a very filling dish with their sauce and your choice of meat, chicken, pork, shrimp, or cheese. The servers are very kind and welcoming to new and returning customers. Do keep in mind that this restaurant gets pretty loud with music blasting no matter what time it is and people having lively conversations. If the restaurant gets packed with a long wait period for the next available table, try sitting at the bar since they offer the same menu to order from. I recommend coming with a group of friends who love coming to Little Italy in the Bronx and trying some Dominican Food with some music blasting.

The Food Is Here Is amazing. Cant really go wrong with whatever u choose. If u live Spanish food then this is a perfect place for you

So so so yummy! Totally recommend this place, food is amazing staff is also very nice.. very clean and well organize place.

An authentic Dominican place with a very creative decor. The vibrant colors and design will remind you of the shacks in the Dominican countryside. The food is even served to you in these mini calderos for the traditional look. Apparently, this place is popular on social media and I can see why. The food is not bad either! Their menu is mostly made of traditional stuff - rice and beans, stewed meat, mofongo, etc. For a change of pace, I'd recommend their tostones sliders and mofonguitos. The sliders are little chimi burgers but with tostones as the bread - very tasty and juicy. And the mofonguitos are small cups of mofongo and the perfect appetizer for sharing. They serve alcohol as well. I'd recommend the passion fruit margarita, which appears to be their most popular drink. Another recommendation I'd make is to avoid going here on the weekends, as it can be a long wait.

The food never disappoints but be prepared to wait if it's busy. Most recently, I had the chicharrón de pollo sin hueso and my friend had the pescado frito... we were both pleased. My favorite part of my meal were the beans. They tasted homemade!

I'm always down for some good Latin food and I heard about this spot from a friend who raved about it so I figured why not check it out and see what it's all about, right? The food is super delicious and packed with flavor. And the Garlic sauce they use is so delicious to me. It's a great combination with the food. I had the grilled chicken, white rice and Tostones with some avocado and it all did not disappoint. The chicken was tender and well seasoned. The tostones were perfectly cooked, double fried so it has the perfect crispness. And the white rice.. You can't mess that up. The rice was perfect. I like to add a little garlic sauce to it. Avocado slices were soft and tasty especially with a little salt and lemon! The Mofongo was good but you'll need some sauce to add to it to flavor it up. The avocado salad was ok. We weren't too crazy about that. The service is always great, very nice, kind and accommodating. This is a Dominican restaurant so it's definitely lively with great vibes that reminds you of the islands and family. They play all types of Latin music at a comfortable level. Only gets loud for one song.. The 30 second birthday song when it's someone's birthday and the staff sings for them. Overall this is a great place to get some delicious Latin/Dominican food and have a great time while enjoying your meal. Now go up to Ajo y Oregano and you can thank me later.. have a great one y'all!

Food was amazing as a person that is from the Dominican Republic this food taste as if I was in Dominican Republic. The presentation of the food is amazing again brings me back to how food is eaten in Dominican Republic. The ambiance was good good music it was a lot of people but I enjoyed the food the service looking at the wonderful decorations Food:5/5 Service:5/5 Ambiance:5/5

Amazing Dominican food in the Bronx. This is a casual restaurant but the friendly service brings the experience to another level. Can be very loud and tables are small, but would go again in a heart beat.

I've wanted to try this place for a while, and it did not disappoint. We came in on a very rainy Sunday evening, and I was immediately impressed with the decor. It felt like I was in a Dominican house in el campo, down to the bright colors, wall murrals, and I love the pan that was repurposed as a bathroom sink and the plants growing in the motorcycle and pilon. The service was friendly but a bit slow, so you really felt like you're in DR, lol. Besides the cute and nostalgic decorations, I was truly impressed by the food. The chef lived up to the name of ajo y oregano, which are staples in Dominican cooking. We had the chicharron and yuca fries to start, and the chicharron was so good! I had the pepper steak with tostones. My cousin had the fried snapper made just like in Boca Chica, and it came with a Johnny cake. All of the food was seasoned perfectly and tasted just like it would taste in DR. My favorite was el jugo de guanabana. This was the best one I've tried outside of my grandparents' house. The guanabana juice alone made this place worth the drive and wait

Hi..the churrasco and tostones were very good.My brother ordered some fish he found to be good also but his fries were cold and when he complained about them it seems they returned the same fries reheated.My daughter ordered bistec encebollao and they served her what looked like chunks of beef covered in onions.Maybe it was bad day but went there and would not go back.

Amazing! I like the food and service and the fact that the interior was clean and they had 2 bathrooms and a full size table and chairs nice and comfortable ambiance was nice I got this 5 star review cool music!

Made a quick stop in the Bronx and decided to eat here. It did not disappoint! The food was delicious! The entire experience was positive. When we arrived, everyone was welcoming and attentive to my dad who has a disability and is unable to walk without a walker. They accommodated us with me asking. The wait staff were kind and quick. The food service timing was just right. The presentation- el final! My favorite was the mofonguito appetizers. I only wish we had a place like this closer to home.

Came back! The food was AMAZING, as always!! Felt like we had bigger portions than last time, the Service was AMAZING, although we had to wait like 35 mins to get seated on a Sunday night, but was definitely WORTHY!!!! The ambiance, music was ON POINT! We were some of the last customers, and by the end the night the whole crew took some instruments and started going around the tables that were left and started singing and dancing! Made us feel like we were really in the DR, el Patio!! so nice, so gooooood!! Definitely BEST NIGHT in a long time! Went with 2 friends that are Dominican/American (More American lol) but they LOVED THE EXPERIENCE! Really recommend this restaurant, and will be coming back! - Just wish they would hold Reservations! (hint hint)

Ok this a popular spots! Great ambience! The food not there con mofongo con chicharrón de pollo great! Mofongo con skirt steak recanlendo not so great! Waiting 45 minutes to skirt steak reheated! I don't even think it was skirt steak! I don't even know what wax that!! I have to say it! Dirty bathroom with no paper toilet ! Waiting to sit waiting to eat ! Tres leche deserts like the one i get at the grocery store! Nothing especial! Want to waste your time and money go for it!

Food is always so good here. Like I've almost had everything on the menu and their specials be on point. Depending on the time of day it can be a a wait for a table but service is fast once you sit down. Love the decor just brings you back to the island. You must have the passion fruit juice but at the same time time the passion fruit Margarita from the bar is delicious .

Food is amazing as always, As a person that demands good service, my waitress Genesis's attention was even better. Amazing! Beautiful person with a beautiful smile and great service. Very helpful. Makes you feel very comfortable and welcoming. Her service and attention was A+. Thank you!

I had a gentleman a cab driver that highly recommended this RESTAURANT I asked him what kind of food they had. He said Dominican but being Hispanic I prefer my culture & the Ecuadorian CUISINE Many restaurants that are deemed Dominican cuisine often have food that is way too salty and or oily no one wants food like that and then you're paying $30-$40 for a plate of food that will only make you sick in the long run ! So I say buyer beware because too many restaurants that have a great reputation from this type of cuisine are overpriced again food that is full of too much fat and too much salt and /or MSG....

I've been planning on visiting for months now and finally got some time from my busy schedule to stop by and enjoy some dinner. I'm lactose intolerant and noticed that they put cheese on everything but I ate it anyway. The skirt steak was flavorful and the French fry potatoes that came with it was yummy. It was topped with cheese which I could have done without but overall it was still good. The chicherone de cerdo was visually appealing, cheesy, crunchy, and tasty. It was lukewarm and wasn't as hot as I would have liked when it came out but it is what it is. It was very filing and I would order it again. I washed it down with a passion fruit margarita that was soooo good, I had to order another one. The location is small yet colorful and the music was a little too loud but I had a good time nonetheless. Ig:@soooomuchfun

Finally had time for a date night, I mean, I can't believe I had down time. My friend recommended "Ajo Y Oregano" because she comes a lot with her friends. She raved about the food for months. Finally, she got her wish and off we went. The area in the Bronx where it's located seems very vibrant. If you're driving, heads up, parking may be an issue, so give yourself time if that how you're getting there. The place looks incredible on the outside. A throwback to Dominican culture. It's got all the makings of home away from home (if you are in fact Dominican). My friend explained that the displays are actually from her country. Inside, it's smaller than I expected. But the bright colors and energy, make up for the grandeur. The waitress came over right away and took our order. However, I feel it took longer to get me my water than it did my friend's margarita, maybe alcohol is priority; but that's a small hiccup. My friend did ask them to take her drink back because they added too much salt. They quickly made her another and joked about the salt. That was a great way to keep things positive. When the food came out I was impressed. The portions were large and the meal looked great. They forgot my cheese sauce, but quickly went to retrieve it. But all was forgiven when I tried the sweet plantains, they were great. Then the mangú, It had a sauce on top and flavor that worked perfectly. I am not normally a fan of rice and beans, but she made me true it (when do you ever have a choice?) and I liked it a lot. Also not a fan of steak, but you guessed it, she made me try and it was good. After my meal, I couldn't move. I had to unbutton my pants and sit. After when you're ready to pay they bring a portable credit card machine to your table and you can use Apple Pay, it's extremely convenient. Than your off. Now, I have to go and lay down, the food coma is kicking in.

The food here at the White Plains Road location is always amazing, however the service needs a lot of improvement . They don't bring you water or a napkin and it's disappointing that they don't serve bread or coffee or hot chocolate. We still go there about once or twice a month because the food is excellent and everything is served in cute little Calderos. The bright Green walls also make it feel as if you're in the Dominican Republic.

Cute hole in the wall (literally) in the rougher side of the Bronx... We went for lunch and the portions were tiny and a bit on the pricey side for lunch. Lunch was $11 for a tiny portion of moro and pernil and my daughter had chicken straps (3 tiny pieces of chicken) and a small fries.. cute how they setup the food into little mini pots... Food was okay, water is only bottled and $1.50 while a can of soda will run you $2.75. Service is subpar. Glad I stopped in as I've been wanting to visit but there are other places that you get alot more bang for your buck with better tasting food. Not horrible just won't be revisiting.

As a Dominican, it's a pretty disappointing restaurant. The service is ridiculously slow, our waitress constantly ignored us, wouldn't give us any reassurance of when the food was coming and struggled with the playlist, making us hear the same Raulin song at least 10x. Not sure I'd even come back and the food hasn't even arrived, mind you we've been waiting for over an hour. You gotta do better, guys

The first time I went to the Little Italy location the food was delicious. The second time the food was cold. The wait staff were very attentive and the place is always packed. Not sure why the food was cold, we arrived a bit after they opened. Maybe it was food from the night prior? Not sure.

The service was amazing, they accommodate my part of 20 without any issues and the food was just so delicious and fresh. The area is very hard to park but they even have valet parking as well and the ambiance was so cultural and friendly.

Frank O was our server and he was the best!!! The vibes in the restaurant were so fun and cute-- I loved all the pink and green decor! Food was of course a 10/10!!

This Dominican restaurant is authentic as it gets at least in my opinion I'm sure there's other restaurants which might be as good or better but I've definitely really enjoyed this one. To start off we got the chimi tostones sliders which was amazingly full of flavor and looked so appetizing! All the ingredients were paired so well. Whenever I come here I will always order this as my appetizer! As for the main dish I got the Churrasco Mofongo with the skirt steak on the side instead of being mixed in. By far the most flavorful and juiciest skirt steak I ever had, it was made to perfection !!!! The actual mofongo with the melted cheese was amazing as well, I would definitely recommend this dish for anyone who likes skirt steak. Our server was very nice and attentive. The inside decor is fabulous especially with the ceiling metal roof like in some houses back in the DR. Everything inside is very colorful and has cultural meaning to it. Overall this place is very nice and has warm cultural welcome to it!

I really wanted to try this place for over a year, but I'm rarely in the Bronx. I'm so happy I actually tried it. This place made my little Dominican heart happy. I kind of felt at home. Definitely a place I would bring my family. The decor brought so many memories. The restaurant is built to look like a typical Dominican home, my great grandmother had a house like it, with a tin roof. The music and the warmth make it feel homey. The food is truly delicious. I don't know who there chef is but props to them, he is definitely one of the best Dominican chefs out there. This is definitely a place you want to bring a person who has not experienced Dominican food as I'm sure they'll love it. Back to the food and drinks. I started with el mañanero. It's a drink served in a stove top expresso into a cup. It's a great presentation. The glass has a lightly smoked cinnamon stick causing the drink to smoke as you pour it from the expresso maker into the cup. It's a coffee mix with added alcohol. 10/10 recommend. For the appetizer we had chimi tostones sliders with beef and they did not disappoint For food I had the shrimp in salsa criolla. Probably one of the best shrimp I have had. Everything was perfectly cooked from the sauce to the shrimp. My fiancé had mofongo de churrasco, it was super good, I definitely sneaked a bite or two. I cannot explain how everything was so good I'll definitely be back.

The ambiance is beautiful!! The service was better!! The place was packed like always. The drinks were delicious got the Mojito coconuts and Mojito Tamarindo. The beers was icy cold just like back home. We order mofongulitos de Plantano delicious. I love that sauce. The churrasco a la palla was tasty. The side rice and red beans with maduros and yuca fries. If you're looking for an authentic Dominican spot, definitely should try out.

Appetizer (tostones with guac and chicharron) was amazing ! I got the boca chica fish ... whole red snapper fried with rice and beans IT WAS SO GOOD. My friend got churrasco and mofongo. It was great as well. It was happy hour, we got a spicy margarita and a passion fruit margarita with a half a passion fruit in it. I loved it. However it says two $$ i would say $$$. Half off margaritas for happy hours, one app, 2 meals, bill was about $160. Would definitely go again

This place is amazing one of my fave places to go when in ny. I live the vibe I love the lil Dominican pots they serve the food in make me feel right at home and the decor is lovely and people are friendly and funny absolutely recommend this place. Everything was spot on so good

Wanted to try Ajo y Oregano because I heard great things about it. The wait is really long which I understand especially on the weekends. We sat down and placed our orders. The only thing that came to our table was our juices because the waiter forgot to submit our entree orders approximately an hour passes and still no food. We asked and he said it's almost coming out. This was a really bad first experience. We told him to pack it to go because it was already 10pm and they were already closing.

The moment you pull up to this place, I immediately thought of the shacks back in DR. Even the decor took me back. Now I ordered the white rice with guandules con coco and Carne guisada, which amazingly was great. My lady had the pollo guisado with locrio de Carne de cerdo. His dish was also amazing. We've been following this place for about a year, but we finally made it.

To impress my mom it takes a lot! We all know how Dominican moms are lol We loved this place from the moment we stepped in! It felt like home away from home! From the decor, to waiters, to the serving plates they use, and the food!!! Everything tasted exactly like our seasoning! Thank you to Francisco and Pedro for making all of us feel at our home country! We'll be back to try more food! We came from East Harlem to The Bronx!

Is overly hyped but honestly the food was delicious and I love the presentation. The place is small and the wait is long. The tables are bit small and the plates very big so it felt cramped. The portions are big great for leftovers. The bathroom is really cool with a cooking pot as a sink. I definately recommend this quirky place but be prepared to wait.

I went there today with my daughter's mother and boy what a disappointment! The mixologist/bartender needs help. I ordered 3 different cocktails and they all tasted like the same drink. Weird! Now once did order food we weren't offered water, napkins, or even bread. Disappointing. I order 2 appetizers and the tostones were either wrongly fried in an air fryer or they were fried hours before I got there and refried again, completely dry, not crunchy, and the breaded chicken was straight from the Costco freezer. When you know you know! I made sure to tell the waitress that I wasn't ordering anything noteworthy since the appetizers weren't good. I cook way better than these people! What a waste of $98 on an appetizers and 3 drinks!

Food Was Very Good. Was seated quickly...but I feel the waiter could've been more attentive! Overall not a bad experience. In this photo I added We ordered The Longaniza Mofongo. Tasty.

I had seen this place on tik tok before and my friend wanted to check it out so we decided to go for brunch. The place itself is really nice inside with vibrant colors and loud music. Not too difficult to find outside parking and they have valet if you prefer. I ordered a passion fruit margarita which tasted good but barely had any tequila which was disappointing. As an appetizer, I ordered chimi sliders with chicken which were delicious, it had cured red onions, a pink sauce, tostones, fried cheese and pieces of fried chicken. Perfect way to start. I ordered a shrimp mofongo as my entree which looked very appetizing. However, the mofongo itself was very dry, the shrimp were not as warm as I had hoped. The garlic sauce itself was very tasty. I have had better mofongo in other places. Another thing I did not like or appreciate was the automatic 20% tip applied to the bill for a table of 3. I think that was pretty absurd. Despite the tasty sliders, I believe this place is a bit overhyped on tik tok. Will most likely not be returning.

Good place for a group meal. Pretty spot on if you're Dominican and looking for a tasty meal that you don't have to make yourself. The space is lively and fun. The servers are very friendly and generous. My food came with meat even though I said I don't eat meat and they confirmed it was safe. Not a great experience... Otherwise it would've been a 5 stars.

Nice place and delicious food I like the fish in coconut and guandues we coconut too

The food is good. The pollo al caldero and shrimp mofongo were good. My only complaint is that the portions are smaller than most latin american/ Dominican restaurants.

I arrived at 1230. Got sat within five minutes ordered my food and my toddlers cause we knew what we wanted. Say there for an hour and no food arrived. I finally just asked for the check and told them to just forget about it. Worse service I've ever experienced and this is New York so that says something. I've had bad service but this was top off the line bottom of the barrel. worse service I've ever had.

The food was disgusting. I ordered through GrubHub. I ordered pork chops, white rice, and gondolas. I got ham instead of a pork chop. It was very salty. That's how I know. It wasn't a pork chop, and the cut was too thick and the bean and the gondolas didn't look like regular gondolas they were yellow lime, green looking, it was nasty $23 worth a disgusting amount of food never again don't do it

The location on Crescent Avenue is in the heart of landmark Arthur Avenue. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and we only waited 10 minutes... From what I heard is usually a two hour wait so we really lucked out. Food, drinks and service were awesome. I will be back. I LOVED my shrimp Mofongo, and passionfruit margarita!

My order was incorrect. I ordered pepper steak and Moro negro. They completely bypassed my request. Upon opening my order I noticed I got a lunch serving of pepper steak & excessive amount of pepper and onions - when I paid a order price. The serving was only enough for myself and this was suppose to be dinner for my partner and I. 29$ later the portion was insufficient and we are both incredibly hungry. I am completely disappointed. Will not order from this place again unless I am able to stop in to get it personally.

I've visited this location twice so far in late June and mid-July. I've only been to the location on Crescent Avenue. Each time l've visited they have not let me down. Both times they have been consistent with the service, hospitality, and especially the food. The last two times I went to the restaurant I didn't have a long wait. The atmosphere is beautiful especially the bright colors and decorations. Warning the menu is so appealing you won't know what to order. I've had the beef stew and the steak with white rice they were both delicious. I'm usually not one to finish my food at a restaurant but I ate every single bite. There was someone walking around taking pictures as well as another person walking around selling flowers. I can't wait to go back to try more of their delicious meals. Try it I'm sure you'll love it as much as I did. They accept cash or card. Everyone else also loved their food. This location is accessible via public transportation. The restaurant offers valet parking. |