Lechonera La Piraña
Puerto Rican restaurant · Longwood ·
Authentic Puerto Rican eatery dishing up slow-roasted pork, octopus salad
Authentic Puerto Rican eatery dishing up slow-roasted pork, octopus salad
"Though technically closer to the 2/5 trains, this trailer (currently a tent) isn’t much of a walk from the 6 either. It’s the only weekend destination on this guide, but the one-man lechón-carving operation is the best show in the South Bronx, even if you have toget in lineto see it. When you arrive at the front, stand back as Angel Jimenez uses his machete to hack off a piece of pork. Then lean in as he hands it to you, like a sacrament, while simultaneously engaging you in chaotic but enthusiastic conversation. Savor the mouthful of crystal-like skin, melted fat, and salty meat before receiving a blessing in the form of a plastic container full of meat, rice, and whatever else Jimenez has left in his pots." - Sonal Shah
"Lines are the worst, and no matter how good that sandwich, donut, or croissant spin-off is, we’ll hardly ever tell you to wait in one. Lechonera La Piraña is the exception. Inside this South Bronx trailer propped up on cinderblocks, a single chef hacks at the city’s finest roast pork with an arm-length machete. The skin shatters like peanut brittle, and the fat coats your lips. To get your own takeout container full of the stuff, you’re going to have to wait—at least an hour, and probably more. The chef takes his time, chatting up customers, handing out samples, and posing for photos in his apron sporting the Puerto Rican flag. It’s a lengthy process, but once you come face to face with that tray of lechón, all grievances melt away." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"Weekend afternoons, Angel Jimenez holds court in a cluttered Mott Haven trailer, hacking at roast pig while posing for photos and handing out samples. Moist on the inside, with thick skin that shatters like peanut brittle, that roast pig is, without a doubt, the best lechón in the city. It’s worth a wait, and you’re going to face one. Don’t be surprised if it takes you two hours (or more) to get through a line that’s 30-people deep, and don’t be alarmed if you see a guy in a tank top jogging down the block with an arm-sized machete. That’s just Angel fetching more lechón. photo credit: Bryan Kim Food Rundown Lechón Once you make it to the front of the line, inhale your free sample, then ask for an order of lechón with everything. You’ll get a mound of pork, a big pile of rice, a scoop of pleasantly gummy octopus salad, and a few stewed shrimp, in addition to a whole, al dente plantain. At $30, the meal isn’t cheap, but it’s enough to feed at least two people. photo credit: Bryan Kim" - Bryan Kim
"We once waited nearly six hours in the blazing sun for lechón from this Mott Haven trailer. Though people come from all over the Tri-state area for Angel Jimenez’s outstanding roast pork, the line never seems too long. But Jimenez likes to hold people hostage at the point of his machete for endless minutes before bestowing clamshells of delicious food upon them. At times he disappears to reload on pig. Still, it's a top way to spend a summer weekend afternoon in NYC—just take folding chairs and stock up on frosty beverages from a nearby bodega, like everyone else at this impromptu block party." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"Weekend afternoons, Angel Jimenez holds court in a cluttered Mott Haven trailer, hacking at roast pig while posing for photos and handing out samples. With thick skin that shatters like peanut brittle, that roast pig is, without a doubt, the best lechón in the city. Don’t be surprised if it takes you two hours (or more) to get through a line that’s 30-people deep, and don’t be alarmed if you see a guy in a tank top jogging down the block with an arm-sized machete. That’s just Angel fetching more lechón." - marisel salazar, bryan kim
