It's been a few years since I've been there, but I used to go to physical therapy near there and often stopped after appointments. The food was very tasty with generous portions. The worst thing was deciding what to order because there are so many great options. read more

One of the only Dominican spots in the area. Good rice, other items looked good as well, fresh trays were coming out throughout the visit. No seafood items outside of whole snapper and a cold seafood salad. Service was a good and helpful. read more

See all

Hands down my favorite Spanish food spot, The small is a perfect lunch portion. There is always lots to choose from and you NEED to get the homemade hot sauce on the side. read more

So absolutely delicious. I used to get take out for lunch when I worked across the street. I retired and haven't been here in a few years. I will be going more often because....delicious. read more

One of the best spots to go to for Official Spanish food in Rochester, majority of the time their packed so you to have to get in and get out I wished they had better parking read more

I don't like boring food because, well, it's Sabor. But I found this spectacular, amazing Latin Caribbean place in an area that most rich suburban folk dare not tread. I was over the proverbial moon. I had to enjoy every bite. Sabor the moment. In my mind I said thanks to Allah, Buddha, Shiva, and to our lord and Sabor Jesus Cristo. Truly one of the best - and best value - places to eat anywhere. If anyone tells you that it's not, they're merely trying to Sabor-tage your enjoyment of the food here. What to get: Pork Chops over rice for $5, extra juicy. What else: Everything is delicious. What else: Madonna loves this place. That's why she did a song titled "El Sabor De La Isla Bone Eater." Anything else: Yeah I can't believe Madonna eats bones. What if they damage her vocal cords. It might improve her singing: You think? What if it makes it worse? Is that even possible: Oh... yes you make a good point. The defence rests. (Much apologies to Madonna fans, just kidding. Go Madge go.) While you'll have to dissect the pork chop "Like a Surgeon" since it's on the bone, I was glad it didn't taste like fish. i.e. not at all "Like A Sturgeon." The bird I fed outside looked "Like A Pigeon." A portly pigeon. Definitely not "fed for the very first time." This was one of the last Dominican & Puerto Rican places in town that I tried. I already love Pilon Criollo, El Latino, and my fave: shredded chicken at Cocina Latina (Coc in a Latina). However El Sabor tops *all* of them by a *distance* yo. If you put pix of this all over the internet like I did, then it's "El Sabor De La Instagram." Service: Well the girls are kinda moody. They close early and have attitude. The young guy on the other hand, who is maybe 15, is an angel. Not a VS Angel (unfortunately) but such a sweetheart. So helpful and friendly and gives me bigger portions than he should. I love when it's bigger than you expect, don't you? If it turns out the kid is not just siblings with his sister but also married to her - or if you read my previous review for Uncle Gussy's - then it becomes "El Sabor De La Incest." The price is *amazing*. Under $6 for a small portion of anything, which by the way - will fill you right the f*** up. The small here is pretty damn large. Sort of like p**ises in my family. Which by now you probably have photographic evidence of. Especially my Uncle's. But that's for a different review. An earlier review. (Shudders). In the summer there are a lot of flies here. I call it "El Sabor De La Insects." However insects, price, service be damned, this is about the food. Some of the best Latin meat you will ever put in your mouth. The Pernil is good. It's even great if you're in the mood. But it's not the star. Neither is the Res De Guisado which is flavourful hot filling beef stew, absolutely delicious. But not the star. If you're coming here as a way of Peruvian how fearless you are, and your next stops are Cuzco and Macchu Picchu, then it's "El Sabor De La Incas." The star of the show here is the Pork Chop. It's unlike any other pork chop you've ever had. Heavily spiced, deeply marinaded, dripping drenched juicy steaming falling-off-the-bone pork-chop-heaven with so many spices and tastes going on that Guy Fieri would give up Triple-D forever if he tried it (and on that note, let's get him in here to try it). I forgot that I was in a low income area and that I was the only white person for miles (although I am only half white, and only half of the time). You'll forget that you were offered narcotics on the street corner as you entered. You'll forget that there are bars on the windows. You'll forget everything. Including your way home, so I hope you like the nabe because you're stuck here. If you're the only person in this place that has no tats (like I was), then it's "El Sabor De La Inkless." Seriously though - get this pork chop dinner! Nom it! Devour it! Huge wet pork chop over delicious flavourful rice and it's only 5-ish dollarenos. Unbelievable. Other dishes are great too but this one rules. I have a few more to try and will report back on them when I do. If you make a baby in the alley behind this place (I wouldn't recommend it, it's pretty dirty, but then maybe you are too), it's called "El Sabor De La Insemination." They don't sell cakes, but if they did, I bet they'd have a lot of frosting on them and you'd be able to "Savor the Icing." However what they do have, is probably the best tasting pork chop dinner I've ever eaten. And the cheapest. And by the way a shout out to the young kid I mentioned earlier, because when I asked him what the best dish was, he sent me straight to the pork chop. And by Jorge, he was right. If he has a sister, then damn, I hope she's single, because like Bruno Mars once said, I think I wanna Maria. Now I'm looking for something dumb to do. Anyone wanna see my Pork Chop? I promise to make it even more drenched in sauce than El Sabor De La Isla do. read more

See all

I'm new to the area and saw this restaurant driving by and stopped in. The food is delicious!!!

Yum, I favored the stewed chicken over the pork but both were very flavorful. They ask if you want skin and of course you do cause it's full of flavor. The plantain is a solid addition, get it. The beans are separate from the rice and have mild seasoning. The folks behind the counter were friendly and happily answered any questions. It's a super quick in and out stop for a good container full of food. read more

El Sabor de la Isla - Rice, beans, stewed chicken, mashed plantain, pork $7 something - Caribbean Near Me - Rochester, New York

Oh man. I've been trying to come here for weeks but haven't had time since I usually have school and work during their hours. I walked in during lunchtime, and there was quite the line. It passed quickly though. We each ordered a large pork chop dinner and were told that it would take 20 minutes (because pork chops are made to order), but they came in about 5 minutes. When I say the sight of the food made me salivate..... I felt like one of Pavlov's dogs. The smell alone is enough to make you feel like you're in the middle of the Dominican Republic. The dinner comes with a large helping of rice and beans, some salad, and fried pork chops. The rice and beans were moist, rich, and flavorful. Salad was pretty standard--goes well with the richness of everything else. The pork chops were crispy on the outside but very soft and tender on the inside, and easy to pull apart. A tad bit heavy on the pepper, but still very flavorful and enjoyable. They were topped with picked red onions. Absolutely delectable. We got 2 large pork chop dinners, 2 empanadas, a side of plantains and drinks, all for $27. You cannot beat that. Will be coming back.... often. read more

El Sabor de la Isla - Caribbean Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

What can I say! This is my favorite spot close to home. The food is delicious, affordable, and so easy to grab and go. They are fully operating with good covid standards. Friendly customer service. My only complaint, parking. Its tough in that spot, it's little and everyone parks every where. Other than that though I love coming here. Buen Provecho! read more

El Sabor de la Isla - a plate of food - Caribbean Near Me - Rochester, New York

Friends told me this place was amazing. They were right. After pulling up to El Sabor de la Isla in a box truck(which I don't recommend do to limited parking), as I entered the building I was smacked upside the face with an aroma that guaranteed me I made a good decision. I ordered a medium meal with rice and beans and pork chops. Everything was packed full of flavor and heaping in my dish. All of that food for about 7.50. If you go to any fast food place over this hidden gem and spend as much you're crazy. I added on a pineapple soda at the recommendation of said friends and as they said it completely sealed the deal on a good life choice. If you're a hipster this place is Gucci. I've heard that's what you people say. Next time you're in the neighborhood try it out, you won't be disappointed. read more

El Sabor de la Isla - a container of rice and meat - Caribbean Near Me - Rochester, New York

A bit of a dive appearance complete with bars on the windows. Thus you know the food is good. I made mistake of ordering the large as it is large and stuffed my bottomless pit of a stomach with deliciousness. Unfortunately they used to have ox tail and can't order it anymore. I have been since ordering stewed chicken or pork medium size platter. read more

A slice of Dominicana in the ROC. Nestled in a corner plaza, El Sabor serves up traditional Dominican fare to a heavy lunchtime stream of customers who line up to the door. To call the place "no frills" would be an understatement. But that is NOT a criticism. What they have skipped in terms of decor, they more than make up for in flavor. The ambiance is total hole-in-the-wall Quesquaya (the nickname for the capital of the D.R., and the area of Northern Manhattan that many Dominican expats call home). And if you close your eyes for a minute and just soak up the aromas floating over the counter from the family's kitchen just beyond, you might forget you're in upstate NY and not in Washington Heights, or Santo Domingo itself. The owners may not be trying to put on airs, but they do want to make sure you love the food. When one of us was going a little slow on his bacalao, one of the ladies in the kitchen sent over beans, after peaking over and noticing that he obviously must have neglected to order to go with his rice. The oxtail was just like mamma used to make, and my pernil (roast pork, pulled delicately right off the roast, piece by piece for me when I ordered it) made me almost give up plans to ever leave the restaurant. When we were done, the ladies in the kitchen also sent us over a big slice of flan to share, and what a perfect way to end a simple and delicious meal that was anything but simple. In short, don't go to El Sabor expecting to be blown away by the beauty of the place, but rather by the beauty of the simply delicious flavors of the island. read more

It's a damn good thing that this place is a bit of a trek from both my house and my office; otherwise I'd be there every week, and I'd be 50lbs heavier within a few months. I made that trek a week or so ago, based on online reviews and a personal recommendation, and I'm so glad I did. Make no mistake, this place is a true hole in the wall. It's not air-conditioned, and there's hardly anywhere to sit and eat. You're going to go in, stand in line, get your food cafeteria style, and take it to go. But it will be well worth it. I'm a sucker for pernil, so that's what I got -- with yellow rice and pigeon peas. Extra, soupy beans on top of the rice. Salad with ranch dressing -- it's just iceberg with some tomatoes, nothing special, but it was frankly pretty refreshing as a foil to the rest of the meal, and at least made me feel like I was sorta kinda having a vegetable. The rice and peas here were vastly superior to other, similar places. So often it's an afterthought, and the rice is dried out, but here it was moist and flavorful and so delicious. If they hadn't had meat, I would've loved a big bowl of the rice and peas (and extra beans) with some hot sauce. But -- the meat. OMG, the meat. First, the woman behind the counter just kept piling it on. Huge chunks of what was obviously very moist, tender pork. A few crispy bits. More moist pork. MOAR PORK. I kept waiting for her to stop, but she gave me a mountain of meat. I asked for hot sauce at the counter and received a tiny plastic ramekin of great (homemade?) hot sauce. It was serviceable, not remarkable (the hot sauce at D'Mangu is definitely remarkable). Hurried back to my office, the scent torturing me the whole time, and dug in. My only qualm? The plastic fork they gave me wasn't nearly sturdy enough to shovel this food into my mouth as fast as I wanted to. I'd ordered the "medium" size for $7 and change. The container was the size of a Wegmans $6 meal container, but piled HIGH with food. I ate 3/4 of it, telling myself the whole time I should stop and leave myself leftovers, or maybe even take some home to the boyfriend. I finally exercised some self-control and pushed it away...only to go back and polish it off some 2 or 3 hours later. It was that good. Sorry, boyfriend. For a normal, non-gluttonous person, this would easily make two meals. Next time, I want to try something else -- they had a chicken dish that looked great, too, as well as some sort of meat pie/empanada thing, but I'd be hard pressed not to order the pork. You know how that is, when you order something amazing at a restaurant and can't bring yourself to branch out. In short, go here. Get the medium, split it with someone -- or don't, and anticipate a major food coma, but no regrets. read more

Really good Dominican food. Served Cafeteria style. If you are in the area, get some! My favorite is their beef stew, but the other stews are all great. My least favorite would be their roast pork, but it's still good, just not as good as the beef stew. read more

Really good, fast and cheap Dominican food. Get here early because they are more of a cafeteria style place so when they run out of something you are out of luck. Also, there is no menu and the daily selection varies. I usually go with a stewed meat over white rice. This is a no frills place but still a good choice. read more

I have stopped by here a couple of times. The food is flavorful and simple (muy sabroso!). It is a great place to stop and pickup a quick meal for lunch. The parking lot is small so you will need to get there on the early side of noon or else the line will be out the door. The plantains are an extra side, but worth it. They have different sizes; the medium is plenty enough and for most the small is adequate. read more

After continual pestering on the part of my trusty girlfriend to make a visit to the place she loved so much during her college years, I finally gave in and made a stop in to El Sabor and was very happy I did. We came in on a Saturday and ordered up a medium which easily fed the two of us. The rice and beans were fantastic and the mashed plantains reminded me of mashed potatoes more so than bananas and were a solid accompaniment to our main dish. Our duo of pork included a generous portion of roasted pork with a perfectly salty and crispy piece of pork skin and a bunch of stewed pork with some fantastic spices that really made it sing. The people were very pleasant and I definitely will make a return trip up to El Sabor for some more down home cooking! read more

$7.56 for a "medium" meal that fills up two adults... Pretty awesome! The food was good, the flavor was great, and the family that ran the place was so sweet! This is a great option for inexpensive, delicious to-go food. read more

El Sabor de la Isla - Yellow rice, beans, chicken, and salad. - Caribbean Near Me - Rochester, New York

I love eating here. I think my favorite is the beef, but I can't decide because the chicken wings are also super awesome but they don't always have them. The chicken breast chunks are good too, but my fave is definitely the beef. I really can't even tell you how much I love rice and meat. read more

You know me, I love pork!! The meals here are huge and delicious -- great rice and beans, tender roast pork with that lovely strip of crispy skin adorning the top of the mound. I usually make my Saturday a 2-for-1 and stop by this place and Istanbul Market since they're so close to each other. There's always leftovers between the two places. If you're adventurous and have a wide-ranging palate, try this double whammy. Maybe stop over at Swan Market to pick up some bacon and sausage, too! ;) read more

I work near here and eat here once a week. The prices are really inexpensive, the food is great but don't expect a fancy restaurant. It is basically cafeteria style (think chow line in the military) but the family that runs the place does a great job serving authentic Dominican food. Its across from Franklin High School so don't expect any Pittsford-ites here. read more

The food is delicious... My favorite he baked chicken.. The low rating comes from the rude service from the two young ladies serving the food, one is from woman in her 30's a bit over weight and bad hair bleach job, and a young about 20 year old. They are unfriendly and rude. No matter how good the food is, I will not patronize "El Sabor de la lsla" if they are rude and disrespectful to their customers who are waiting quite and patiently in line. PS Don't have the dirty fan blowing over the food... read more

By far, TRUE Dominican food. Their prices and portions are incredible. Even the location reminds me of the inside of a Dominican restaurant (nothing fancy; just in and out to order), but you will leave full and happy! read more

Very good food but man, this place is seriously dirty. Ran out of salad and sides and didn't replace it with anything else but still charged full price. Should you go here? Yes. But plug your nose, don't look around, and get out of there with your food ASAP! read more

Amazing food! Not a lot of seating, and it is pretty divey, so I usually get food to go. Definitely get the Mangu with one of the stews!

Who ever gives this s**t hole a good rating never had any decent Dominican food. Place is dirty, smelly, dingy, expensive and the service is horrible. Old turd at cashier needs to go into a different line of business because restaurants require service which he does not have. Hope this goes out of business, its giving us Dominicans a bad rap. But I don't think it will happen since the people that patron this place are just as nasty. read more