Great local spot for Dominican food. The pernil here is amazing. Had the pollo al horno today and i wish i would have gotten the pernil instead. I do like that they give mojito and put onions if you want. Greta service here too and it's right next to the train station and 17 bus read more

I stopped by for breakfast at this Dominican takeout and restaurant. You can either order to go or sit in. The food was really good. I had mangú, and my friend ordered white rice and beans with chicken and plantains. The portions were generous. It's a nice, friendly spot with great service and welcoming staff. read more

El Despertar - Latin American Near Me - Bronx, New York

See all

Previous reviews are correct. The food is old. I got an Alcapurria, 2 Morcilla's, and $8 worth of chicharron. One of the two morcilla's I ordered was hard and old. The other was freshly made, it was decent. The taste of blood was more prominent and not in a good way. The chicharron was not crispy and was the cheapest pork I've ever ordered from a restaurant. Barely could pull it apart from how cheap it was. The alcapurria had little filling, cheap meat. The outside was hard and oily and made with frozen yuca instead of fresh yuca. Wouldn't come back but the staff were nice and the place was clean. read more

See all

Growing up in the South Bronx, the cuchifrito spots were everything--and El Despertar is truly a gem. The food here is just like how Mami would make it, just like how Abuela would cook it, with that soulful flavor that brings warmth and comfort. The staff have perfected the art of authentic Puerto Rican cooking, capturing all the memories and tastes of home. This spot will always be one of my favorites because it's got that real, down-home authenticity and incredible, flavorful food. The people are always welcoming, making you feel right at home in the heart of the South Bronx. If you're looking for real Puerto Rican food, El Despertar is where it's at. Bendición. ¡Wepa! Forever repping the BX! read more

El Despertar is similar to many luncheonettes that serve mofongo or cuchifritos, bustling in the front and possibly a little intimidating to the uninitiated. After heading inside from the loud train overhead, no respite is immediately found and it is a bit difficult to get a word in at the front with everyone ordering and yelling. I suggest slipping by this cacophony and grabbing a stool at the bar, where one of the friendly ladies will eventually take your order. The bar is the main seating for the place, which seems to be mainly takeout, but there is also a small area in the back that has one table and a jukebox that is almost as large as the room. Another room adjoins the space and seems to handle overflow if the place is busy. I grabbed a barstool and ordered a plate of roast pernil ($4) and sides of rice and beans ($4). The rice is a necessary evil here, rounding out the plate but not very good. The beans are top notch. The pork is the shining star of Puerto Rican food in my opinion, and the juicy chunks here do not disappoint. A closer look reveals how fatty and well spiced the pieces are, some of which have the crispy skins. If you ask nicely when placing the order (and Spanish would help), they would probably give you more of these unbelievable skins than you might normally see. As if that was not enough, I also wanted to try the tostones ($3) and was similarly pleased with this plate as well. Sometimes you can get subpar versions of this salty snack, but the pieces here are fried to perfection and they let you decide the salt quantity by putting a shaker down next to the plate when it arrives. All in all, the experience here is better than a cuchifritos restaurant with more bustle and neon out front, so grab a $3 Presidente and watch as regulars come in and scarf their food down. Three shifts of them came in and ate while I was lingering on my dish and beer. read more

El Despertar - the front of a restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Bronx, New York

I've been living in the bronx for the past 11 years and this is the only true "Spanish" place I've been loyal to. Despite the one time it was closed by the department of health about 5 years ago. I continue to love the manager Tina & staff. Working close to 45hrs a week going to school and having 3 children and getting to cook a home cooked meal everyday is by far impossible. This cuchifrito has saved me various times. I don't like rice that's not mine so I don't order rice from anywhere. My favorite plate would be the whole chicken with an avocado salad. My children's favorite would be the "empanada de queso" and my husbands the "relleno de papa" We all love the "chicharrón" I mean who doesn't ? read more

We stumbled upon this place on the way to the train one morning. This was my first introduction to a Dominican breakfast. Although apparently I did mine all wrong from what my girlfriend said. lol. I made it too American. I don't even remember everything we had, but I remember that I liked the fried cheese. I'm sure she'll write a review and tell you exactly what we had. But I should have gone with the regular breakfast instead of making changes. Her breakfast was better. Everyone was super nice. I was also able to use their restroom which was very clean. This was a good start to one of our days in New York. read more

Ive been here a couple times. Every time the place is always clean and the food is always amazing. Friendly workers and cheap prices is why I come back when ever I am in the area. read more

Old and salty chicken we were charged $9 for a quarter of old,dry salty chicken was cold too rice and beans not worth it after I saw they have a grade " B "I gave it a try and I regret it I will never come back read more

Great food. Ordered the chicken, rice and beans combo meal #23. Comes with tons of food. Enough for 3 people.

This little hole-in-the-wall restaurant may look like an eye sore, but the food inside is delicious. I didn't come up for air once through the entire meal. If you are brave enough to go into this area, check this place out. You won't be disappointed! Try the steak with peppers...a must have dish! read more

Love the food, sabor Criollo, they are so nice and helpful, can wait to go back !!! LA morcilla por LA Maseta !!!

The most disgusting, over charged Spanish restaurant in the Bronx. Everything taste old and when you go in, all the meat and even EGGS are watered down! Nothing taste fresh . The i food I've ever had. read more

THE WORST PLACE I"VE EVER HAD TO DEAL WITH. I wish they had an option to rate this place without ANY stars. the manager is unreasonable and nasty! They charge $8 for the smallest container of vegetables and it all very low quality food. mediocre service and mediocre food. WILL NEVER GO BACK and I work for the city so none of my co workers are going back either. Terrible, terrible place. read more