Matriarch Café

Gena’s Grill Serves a Meaty Latin Lunch in East Village — and Other Cheap Eats | Eater NY

"Flying the flags of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, this matriarchal café has been around since at least the late 1970s, when it was called the National Café. The space looks pretty much the same, with three tables and a row of padded stools along a lunch counter; behind the counter are steam-table tubs containing the café’s daily dishes. There’s no printed menu, so check the chalkboard outside before you walk in—the offerings have included stewed pig’s feet, paprika roast chickens, and a codfish casserole, and available every day is the roast pork leg or shoulder called pernil. I chowed down on the braised pork ribs, the meaty bones cooked with onion, green pepper, and garlic; it came with a mountain of yellow rice and black beans (you can opt for white rice and red beans). The full plate was $8.70—indeed, all the luncheon-size plates cost less than $10—and I couldn’t resist a small cup of sancocho, an oregano-laced soup here that contains both chicken and pork." - Robert Sietsema