La Isla Cuchifritos

I’ve heard wonders of the Cuchifritos from 116th st so I wanted to try it for the longest time. I was feeling home sick, so why not? If you value your life, don’t even bother. My partner and I got the worst food poisoning of our lives. MIND YOU, I was born and raised in PR, so I’ve eaten Puerto Rican food all my life including Guavate in Cayey. I’ve eaten PR food before in Harlem and East Village. So, this is not about my stomach not being able to handle it, it’s about how they handle their food. This is the worst experience I’ve had with any restaurant in the whole tri-state area. I regret it with all my heart. I should’ve listen to the biggest red flag, that being that their Sanitation rating was still PENDING at the time of my visit. First of all, they’re not welcoming at all, it feels like you’re being judged the second you walk in. When I was seated, there is a SINK right under their counter where you eat, so the water just splashes onto your surroundings. The look of the kitchen was disgusting. There was barely any lighting and all the pots and pans looked nasty. The kitchen was dirty from top to bottom. It seemed as if they don’t truly even change the oil accordingly or barely scrub the kitchen top. Yeah, know some places have their charm despite their appearance, but unfortunately this place is NOT IT. Out of all the food they offer, the only thing that was worth it was their passion fruit juice. The rice tasted old, and the pernil tasted like it was left out for the longest time. The alcapurria was just a ball of grease and it didn’t looked 100% cooked. The mofongo with pernil we took home had a horrible stench and it stunk up out fridge and house. Never in my entire life will I be back to such place like this. I’m so sick I can’t barely hold even water down. I’ve thrown up all the food and more. It’s been more than 12 hours, I’m on my way to the hospital right now.

The food was ok to much bay leaves in the beans (for my taste). The ajonjolí and passion juice very good but the FRITURAS all of them very, very delicious! Nice staff! Street parking ONLY!

La Isla Cuchifritos Layout/atmosphere *Eight seat counter; wall counter (no seats); food can be seen through front window display Food/drink *Alcapurria - really good; the dough/shell was the right texture *Pernil (with Moro rice & red beans) - good; some crunch to the skin

The food is always delicious soup, ribs, potato balls rice & beans Everything is Delicious and the workers are 👍

Had actually been happy to see it was open after a event I attended ending after 12 am & Cuchifritos was open. Lol even greater than it open as late as it had but it isn't MEye first rodeo at Chuchifritos find dining cause Eye'd eaten from their plenty of times as a kid with my older sister, now being 37, lol. Let me tell u about the recipes that doesnt change & the food they cook with love. Cuchifritos is still the spot tf on with delicious meals even if it's hard to translate what it is you want from of the menu cause the workers don't speak English. Lol so if you don't speak Spanish & don't carry a translator then you would have to rely on the customers, Lol most of them regulars 2 help you to Succesfully place a order. But once u do, when u get the food it's absolutely amazing definitely an experience to what heritage & cultural filled flavors taste like brought 2 Brooklyn NYC!

If you're by Woodhull Hospital it is one of the best places to get some good Hispanic food at very affordable prices. The place itself is not much, very small. They do have some sitting by the counter. Service can be slow. Try their Pig Feet Soup it is delicious 😋 , just make sure they don't put big pieces of potato or yucca that'll take most of the plate. The Yucca or potato balls are delicious. Penil, Fried chicken is okay. Not a fan of their Empanadas. NP : THIS PLACE IS CASH ONLY!!!

Great local eatery with authentic flavors and hospitality. I’ve been going here for years and the vibe hasn’t changed.

The food was delicious, the price was great and the staff was so welcoming. I enjoyed every moment. One of my favorite cuchifritos in Brooklyn. Make sure you try their Passion Fruit Juice.

This place is a must try! Amazing Puerto Rican Food! The beef stew is so flavorful( it is served with rice) , the prices are very reasonable, and they had a homemade hot sauce that I wish I would have taken some home with me. The portions are very generous, many options to try. I can't wait to go back and try different options. I forgot to take pics though :(

Great place with real good food. 10 bucks gets you a meal you won't be able to finish alone. Service is okay it's the rude customers who make it a problem. They cut in line like it's the welfare office. The place doesn't look fancy but it doesn't you get your food and keep it moving.

Been coming here for decades - literally. Food is always on point and service is flawless Will come here a million times over and over

These people are serving olf food and no one notices because the only people buying the food is the homeless and a few locals. They served me different empanadas they were full of grease then the papas rejena smelled and were a funny color I thought it was because I hadn't had them in a long time but I was wrong they were rotten and the smell confirmed I should have believed my intuition. Well they continue to serve old food from days before and I won't be supporting their business anymore In fact I will report what happened to me getting sick and in bed for 2 days this info will go to the dept of health. Im sure their kitchen is stocking old food! Never again

I spy through the corner of my eyes, the fried delicious steaming hot food that is through the window..perhaps that was what made my stomach growl. Decided to take a step in and had a great diner feeling. Ordered some fried delicious food in which they call of cuchifritos. The favorite was the empanada in which they call pastellios. Had some potato balls and plantains. Then decided to order their fried chicken and rice and beans to go. Boy was my bag heavy and to realize that it was insanely stuffed when I unwrapped it at home. The boyfriend completely approves of this place as he stuffed himself with food. The next week he asked to go to this place again and we ordered a pernil sandwich. Again, they did not disappoint!

Little tiny spot with best service ever! Excellent food ! Had pernil con arroz y habichuelas que sabroso! Self & friend ate fir less than$25!! like they say- "some of the best places are. BPAWITW's- check it out!!

Good food. Love the Alcaparras and the stuff potato balls. Heck every time I stop by on my way back home to Virginia.

Not bad not great either but very fairly priced would come back for a budget meal 6.7/10

Always the freshest and tastiest cuchifritos !! We drive out from Long Island because there is no one who makes them like they do !! Been going for over 20 years !!!

Super cheap for a plate full of food! Excellent place to fill up after a long day of work or to prep for a long day of work. I ordered the steak and peppers with rice and beans all for only $9.75. It was enough for myself and my girlfriend, and we had leftovers(of rice...) The crowd and neighborhood is a bit sketchy but that's the enjoyment of it, you never know who is going to walk in the restaurant.

Delicious food. It's like a mix of Puerto Rican food and Cuban food. This is my late night spot. I love the mofongo, pasteles & the Cuchifritos. I Definitely recommend this as a place to add to your list of food spots.

Real talk, the cuchifritos here are out of this world good. Entering the store might be a little intimidating. Sometimes there's no real line and people are milling around. Be polite, and just wait your turn to get to the counter. My favorite is the pastelillos which are huge. The meat is seasoned so well and it's super filling. My other favorite is the alcapurria which is total perfection. Prices are great too, they're cheaper than my neighborhood spots that has smaller pastelillos!

I don't know what it is about this place but it's just not as good as the other locations. The service is always so slow for me. The last few times I've gotten bad quality food too. The last time I ordered I got fried pork chops. It wasn't busy and I think they forgot them in the deep fryer because they were literally two shades lighter than black and they were so dry and over cooked. I would've been better off getting a Slim Jim and uncle bens minute rice from the corner store. Seriously.

I've been coming here for many yrs! A tiny place, but food is delicious! I don't eat much fried food, but once in a blue, is fine! Nothing like authentic spanish food to make me feel at home!

La Isla Cuchifritos is a small spot filled with amazing food. They have the best alcapurrias I can't leave the area without picking some up. This food is sinfully delicious. Yummy!

The Bushwick gem, Las Isla Cuchifritos, (The Island of little fried things) ~ has been around for awhile as I found reviews online going back to 2003, but nothing on Yelp yet. The locals like to think of it as a "best kept secret" and I don't blame them as there is always a line of hungry personas at any time of day, (which tells me I can eat there and not worry about anything at all as millions of people can't be wrong). This is your typical NYC hole in the wall "ethnic" diner. There are no menus anywhere to be found, on the wall or otherwise, just a row of stainless steel containers filled with steaming rice dishes, pig soup, blood soup and different sauces, and innard type dishes (offal): things like pig ears in tomato gravy (orejas) and pork liver. The window is filled with fried codfrish fritters (bacalaitos) fried meat pies (pastellitos), fried potato ball stuffed with ground meat (papa relleno, fried stuffed casava cylinders (alcaparados), sweet plantains stuffed with chopped meat, blood sausages, and plantain mash and empanadas. My favorite thing to get is the rotisserie bbq chicken or pork. I like that they hack and piece it in front of you on a butcher block, I mean I don't know how else they would do it, but I just think it adds to the overall atmosphere of this place. I also have to get rice and beans on the side, they're nothing special but they go great with the tender, well-seasoned meat. This place has a lot of locals who frequent it. The main language is Spanish, and everyone is speaking some version of it in here, not English. If you don't know Spanish and you don't know Puerto Rican food and you are a vegetarian and/or afraid of getting meat in your mouth that doesn't come from the muscle of the animal do not go here because you will hate it. A sense of adventure must prevail upon you and you must be willing to just point and be happy with what you get, unless you go with the chicken or pork and rice and beans. At this place, like a lot of places I go, I don't always know what I am eating, but I usually don't care b/c it tastes good, (hello! island of *fried* things!). I like to be "transported" to another land and NYC is full of these places that are little islands of a culture and it's one of the things that makes this city so amazing to eat in. Please have a sense of adventure when dining here. Realize that if you go to Puerto Rico this is the kind of place you would go and have a quick lunch all the time, so this is the place to go when you are up for a little immersion in a culture. Then after or before you eat, be sure to walk down Graham for some shopping to just to bask in the atmosphere of this little cultural area in Brooklyn, The shops are your typical Payless and VM and department stores galore and Spanish bakeries so it's not like you're going to find anything you can't live without but the sidewalks are always packed with shoppers and it only takes ten minutes to walk up and down so it makes your trip over here for lunch or dinner a little more meaningful.

I was reluctant to try this place when I moved here but at one point my late night options were limited to fast food and delis. This place is great, I am not a fan of food lamps but the chicken and ribs are excellent, if you're willing to wait 10-15 minutes try the fried pork chops

I love eating here, it's quick delicious food! This place is always filled with locals and workers so if waiting sometimes isn't your thing then. . . But if you can put up with the crowd(sometimes) and you know what you want then you're ok. Here is a tip; if you see a bar setup for a Spanish restaurant then it's delicious food. Its most fried foods and rice plates here. The window has fried snacks/dishes you can order or you can get most Puerto Rican rice dishes. They even have mofongo!! All in all is truly an experience to eat here if you get the chance!

I have walked past this place a million time without going in. I finally went in a few weeks ago since there was nothing else open. I have since fallen in love. I usually get the yellow rice and beans with either chicken or pork and I can't get enough. It is just soooooo good. The portion side is pretty big so I usually take my left overs to work the next day. I have also had the chicken soup and beef soup which are amazing. Tip: This place is cash only so make sure you have your cash ready. I have never been greeted and usually have to wait around 5 minutes before someone acknowledges my presence. Other than that the food is good for take out. They are also open 24/7 which is awesome!

Food was not too bad. Ive been coming here for years. It use to taste better. However for spanish food at a cheap price you can't go wrong. They are open i think 24 hours so late night and you hungry get in your car and drive there. Food is always fresh. Never got nothing bad from them.

Went last night for dinner ate in me and my boyfriend had the same exact order only thing different was our drinks. I ended up vomiting and using the bathroom like no tomorrow I don't wanna day it's the food cause my bf didn't get sick but that lemonade from two sips tasted horrible like they didn't clean the container it's kept in I won't be back unfortunately.

This is the kind of place you don't go to if you don't know what to order. There are two menus in the whole place. After having procured one of them, I ordered pepper steak. Apparently nobody orders pepper steak, bc it took them a half hour to make it. I shouldve ordered the chicken, it looked delicious and ready to go. Anyways, you get a lot of food for $7 (I got three lunches out of it), but my pepper steak tasted pretty bland TIP: know Spanish when you come

I come here every time I visit my brother and the one thing I love is that they are open 24 hours. They didn't have a menu when I came the last time, but now they do which is a huge help if you don't know the usual Puerto Rican standards are. I haven't had a bad dish yet. Try the stuff in the window and order some beans and rice.

Excellent roast pork and the staff is nice and patient. Been coming here for over 10 years and the food is consistently good, especially for the price. Although I take out for my family each time, there is countertop seating.

Really cheap, quick Spanish fast food. I was pretty sure this place was going to be gross and dirty, and the food was going to taste like old oil. I was so so wrong, and my taste buds have never been so happy. We got two Yuca Rellenos (balls of yucca filled with seasoned beef), two Relleno de papa (deep fried potato with meat), two empanadas, and a huge cup of pineapple juice for 13 bucks. That is crazy right, all that food? The Yuc Rellenos, is seasoned to perfection, without being salty. It was amazing a chewy and that best thing I've ever eaten in Bushwich. Yes Bushwich, not East Williamsburg, that's not a real place Sooo good, and always packed with locals. Also this place is very clean, the windows are always steamy from the constant cooking. And its always so busy, i just assumed dirty. Not the case at all. This place is worth and try, you will love it!

I was in the mood for empanadas and saw that this place had pretty good reviews. It was my first time there. The workers were friendly and patient with me while taking my order. I ordered the fried chicken with yellow rice and beans, and a half pound of fried pork belly. I also ordered one of everything from the deep fried snacks that were in the window. Everything was good! When I saw the fried chicken pieces, I thought they were gonna be hard, but they were nice and tender. My only complaint was that the beef empanada was a little too salty. Other than that, I was satisfied with the amount of food I got for my buck. Will be returning.

I usually don't leave Yelp reviews but this place deserves 10 stars. I moved away from Puerto Rico and this place made me feel at home again. The employees were sooooo nice and helpful. The food was made on the spot!!! And it was delicious!!!!!!! I can't wait to go back. Really brought me happiness.

Blessed to have this restaurant in my hood. Everything I've tried here is delicious, especially the bomb ass RIBS, which I usually get a pound of (with yellow rice and beans) cuz I always want more after eating half a pound...it's that good!

Yeah! Love these places! You want some good authentic Puerto Rican food this is the spot around here. Cheap and no frills and their empanadas are amazing! Little pockets of joy lol.

I love their pastellitos (empanadas)! Their so crunchy and delicious!! Their potato balls are great too.

Beth, you get what you pay for, hit and miss, sometimes you get good food/service sometimes is a total mess of service/food, MAYBE ill come again but highly doubt it

I have been coming to this spot on and off thru the years. The food is not bad but the quality is not what its used to when it comes to the rellenos and alcapurias. The alcapuria I bought today was hard as a rock. It was definitely old which was a disappointment and waste of money.

Come here if you want a heart attack. Real cheap Spanish Caribbean soul food in the heart of bushwick. They are nice, serve excellent fried empanadas that are huge. I hope this place never goes out of business, as this is true to the neighborhood. For all the haters that are new to the neighborhood, eat some more soul food nearby and you will quickly realize that this place is the real deal. Go back to your place in middle america if you can't appreciate Brooklyn's local digs.

Great 24 hour spot to get your filling on your cuchifrito intake since they are now scarce in the city. Went to visit a friend in brooklyn and knew that I could definitely find a cuchifrito spot around the area. I searched on yelp and this place popped up. Great empanadas, alcapurrias and relleños de papa. I am definitely glad that I stopped by and will be returning again soon.

Horrible food. Alll of their fried food is drenched in oil.. I took a bite of my cuchifrito and nothing but oil came out. In addition, the majority is just flour and small amount of meat. I have never experienced this with any other restaurant. In fact, as soon as you come in you can smell heavy oil. I would not come here again. The cook went to the back with gloves and came out cooking again. Just horrible. Might as well buy an empanada from the carts parked outside.

Cuchifritos? I said to my friend, What the hell is cuchifritos? Well as it turns out cuchifritos is both a type of restaurant (Puerto Rican and/or Dominican mostly) and it also refers to a type of food (cuchi being derived from the Spanish word for pig and fritos for fried). In this case it's also the name of the restaurant. It's a small place, mostly just a long counter with stools and a walk-up window. They serve traditional latin food like mofongo, stews, chicken, ribs, and a few other read more » things, all at low prices. The main draw to a cuchifritos place I think is the fried stuff being kept warm in the front window and the array of fruit juices. Don't expect them to speak a word of English (that's not on the translated menu) so keep the questions mostly to yourself. The first time I was there I was patiently standing waiting for help and more than one person pushed by me to get helped first, there's no doubt that this was discrimination against the only white guy there but it was mostly the people there not the workers so I can't count that against them too much. Aside from the more unusual items like fried pigs ears I've tried most of the stuff in the window and can tell you that in my opinion the best two items are the meat stuff plantains and the "taco", a fried roll resembling a big spring roll that's been stuffed with shredded and seasoned meat. Other options include a puffy fried dough stuffed with meat, a beef/chicken/or cheese patties that are mostly crispy/greasy fried dough, and a battered and fried sweet plantain. Each item is $1.35 so you can get your belly full of fried stuff for dirt cheap. Last time I went I opted for the special of the day, chicken stew. Once I took all the meat off the bones and corn off the cob and got down to eating this hearty dish of chicken, potatoes, a little broth, and a few other ingredients it turned out to be one the best chicken dishes I've ever had. The chicken was impossibly tender and the flavor was great. For less than $6 it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time.

Good ribs but horrible rice and beans. The meat from the ribs fell right off the bone. Their rice and beans was the worse ever. Completely dry, overcooked, and hard. What I really dislike about this place are their walls. It's completely blank. There are no menus, prices or combos listed. It just feels like whatever you order, they just throw a random price at you. I ordered ribs, rice, and some other thing that came out to 15 bucks. Pretty ridiculous for a small Spanish take out restaurant in Bushwick. There's another spot that's right across the street that taste a lot better. I gave this place a shot because the spot across the street closed early on Sunday.

Yes I love it Im full ver good food prices and taste and variety. I always come back. Also the employees are very nice I recommend it

Not many places can you walk in, sit at the counter, and get a full meal with mere pocket change. I work at the hospital across the street and LOVE this place when I'm craving some greasy pastillos, boiled yucca or a hearty soup. It's as if I'm puerto rican and I've walked into my mom's kitchen. Except I'm a little white girl who sheepishly asks for what she wants in plain English. I speak a little Spanish but this isn't the place to practice it - I'm not fooling anyone. Is it fancy? hell no. you get whatever they happen to be making that day. Is it fast and cheap? hell yeah. And the radio in the background blaring god knows what just adds to the charm. This place is awesome.

The food is great, the service is the worst was there last night and waited over an hour to get my food! I ended up asking for my money back and walked out! The place was packed with only two workers? People were walking out left and right! Very unprofessional and very bad business ethics!!!!

Great late night eats never disappoints. The steak sandwich is amazing and the empanadas are to de for. So flakey and crusty

I love the papa rellenas here especially in the orange yuca shell. They're approx 2$. It's a nice greasy cheap snack. I've been eating them for over 20 years and will be eating them for at least 20 more! I haven't been able to find this particular snack by chance in NY. The plain papa rellenas are good too. Haven't tried the main dishes yet. When you walk in everyone's speaking Spanish and people will try to cut in front of you so make sure you speak up to the cashier and order what you want.

Average cuchifirtio grease spot. As a Spanish person I know I'm supposed to get more excited about these spots, but to be honest, its not really my thing. Small spot, not tables, just counter seating. They serve lots of different Spanish dishes, chicken in the oven, steak, pernil, yellow and white rice, beans, chicken soup, beef soup and all types of "frituras" like empanadas, and rellenos (fried treats stuffed with meat or potatoes). Portions are big, price is cheap. They are normally busy and you have to wait to be attended. Great quick spot kind of place. Cash only!

Delicious, authentic spanish food. My husband and I had carne guisada con arroz amarillo y habichuelas. Also, tried the queso y beef pastelillos. Can't wait to eat here again!

I live a few blocks up Graham Avenue, so occasionally pass by this place on the way to the J train. It's constantly full of residents of nearby public housing projects, retail workers on their breaks and patients, doctors and security workers from the nearby hospital. These crowds continue well into the night. After years of passing by, I waited for a stool to clear up on a recent Sunday afternoon. I fought for a menu (this is typically the kind of place where things are ordered directly, preferably in Spanish), and went with a couple of small plates. I really don't get the fuss. I'm not the right audiences as in general I find cuchifritos to be heavy and low on flavor - but these seemed particularly naff. Why take a perfectly good plantain, fry it and then stuff some dry meat inside? How does anyone eat this without copious amounts of hot sauce? I know this is the traditional method, but there's nothing appealing about some little fried thing that's been under a heat lamp for 14 hours. I'm glad some people find this place satisfying, but it's a hard pass for me.

My boyfriend is Puerto Rican so I know what good PR food tastes like and this isn't it. Really gross and inedible.

You know how whenever someone moves to New York, one of the first things they complain about is how expensive the food is? Well, I am no exception. However, after having lived here for a year and a half, I can tell you that most of these newbies just aren't looking in the right places. I would like to announce that I have found the glimmering palace that stands above the favelas of New York cheap eats. Its name is Las Isla Cuchifritos. As its name suggests, it is an island. AN ISLAND OF COST SAVINGS! *Cue crazy used car salesman in a cowboy hat* JK, actually, cuchifritos means small fried things but it might as well mean "stuff your face for pennies". I walked in tonight and ordered half of a roasted chicken. A stoic man wordlessly grabbed a chicken *already dead and cooked* from the warmer and hacked it into pieces. The practiced fluidity of his movements and the brutality with which he swung his cleaver were accentuated by the ice cold emotional abyss that is his face. The chicken was then literally *thrown* into a bag and handed to me, again, sans communication. 10 secs. The damage? $3.50. Holy Cuchifritos! I've lost more than that in change on a weekly basis! The roasted chicken was surprisingly moist and flavorful. Don't know what else I could ask for from a half order of chicken that cost less than a drink. They also have a number of other things on the menu that are supposedly delicious. As for the actual cuchifritos themselves, they are the trays of golden nuggets that sit silently beneath the window warmers. Most of them look like they've been nuked so hard that one might think lucifer himself were manning the fryers. I dare any with enough gastronomic bravado to discover what lays under their crispy yellow shells. I, myself, have not the stomach. Were it not for the language barrier between the staff here and any English speaking patron, I would probably give this place 5 stars. As for now, it easily deserves 4.

Worse service I'm Puerto Rican my self this food is not Puerto Rican it taste like water every meat is boil with little salt and everything else is fry with no Flavor I'm not the kind of person of writing reviews but I'm offended and insulted that they say this is Rican food with Dominican people cooking I highly not recommend this place reader eat at mc Donald's

When you're in the mood for cuchifritos, Las Isla is the place to go! Except today, for some reason today, they had very little cuchifritos. I was in the mood for some spanish fried treats and all they had left at 1:30 PM was relleno de yuca, fried yucca balls. There is no menu displayed above the counter. But on the left hand side in the glass case there is one small printed menu, with an assortment of Spanish/English translated dishes and prices for everything. I guess, they realized that they could make more sales with a menu, even if the lady at the counter mostly spoke Spanish. You do have to know what you want and if Spanish is not your first language, you can still order by pointing to what you want or knowing how to say the words in Spanish. They had no empanadas on the menu, but they had bacalaitos. Empanadas are shell shaped fried dough with meat and/or veggies and baccalitos, are round cod fish balls deep fried in dough. Both are delicious and staples of a cuchifrito. Especially when you are craving them!! No bacalaitos left on the shelf when I got there. No beef soup, the supposed special of the day, but they had chicken soup. It was pretty tasty and made the traditional way with corn and spanish vegetables, yucca and plantains instead of potatoes. You get a large portion for $4.00. I was also going to have rice and beans, for $3.50, but the container with the soup looked like it would be enough. The soup was very tasty and the chicken fell off the bone. I don't normally go to a cuchifrito for soup, but I was very satisfied and even though I didn't get my fried fix, I still enjoyed my meal! I went across the street to George's Spanish Restaurant and they too have very little cuchifrito left and so I left empty handed from there as well. Graham Avenue is known for its cuchifrito!!! I'll have to come back some other day!