Stellar food for a fantastic price. If your looking for best bang for buck, look no further. Definitely not the place for a lunch date though. read more

El Sabroso - Where else can you get oxtail for $7.50? - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

I have to admit, El Sabroso was certainly cool. I only had very high expectations only because I've heard so much about El Sabroso. OMG, their Pernil was absolutely yummy, such a splendid dish with excellent flavors. Crew is really courteous and definitely will help you with everything. I liked it. read more

As promised, I came back at an earlier hour (this time around 1:15 on a Thursday). It was empty and it looked like the owner was still prepping food for the lunch crowd. I ordered the chivo (goat) to go. I thought that last time I didn't get too much food because it was the end of the day and I was dining in. However, even in a styrofoam container, the meal only took up about 3/4 of it. About the food itself- the meat was tender and I loved the sauce. However, there were only about 3-4 pieces and 2 others that were just bone. Now, I'm no zoologist, but I think goats should have a better meat-to-bone ratio. The meal left me disappointed and hungry. The rice and beans were as good as they were last time though. read more

El Sabroso - Chivo (goat) - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

CASH ONLY! I heard about this place through yelp so thought I'd check it out. It was kind of hard to find but actually fairly spacious once you do go in. The whole "restaurant" is in an old loading dock. I ordered Pernil which came with rice, beans and some "salad" AKA lettuce. The food wasn't bad. It was a lot more rice than roast pork and their hot sauce is a little weak but it was OK and a solid amount of food. For the price, it was a great amount of food. I'd definitely go back and try a few more dishes that I hope would have more flavor in it. read more

This "Hole in the Wall" Lunch place is pretty unique and awesome!. for $6.00 you get a FALL-OFF-THE-BONES chicken leg stew (POLLO GUISADO) with Yellow rice and Beans and light lettuce salad. Portion is pretty good, it filled me up and it was delicious!. food is pretty fast since it's been stew for a while so picked it up in minutes!. They also offer different meats and will DEFINITELY go back for the FRIED fish!. **********************CASH ONLY****************************** read more

Hole in the wall. Agujero en la pared. This place is dodgy, but puts out a mean amount of succulent chicken and is consistently amazing for the price. This isn't where you bring a girl to get laid, but it is a good option if you want sustenance. I saw someone give this place a 1* review, and that's unfair. She claimed that the presentation was horrible of her ox tail. Gotta be kidding me. Go in person, and you'll realize that you're eating in a garage off of dodgy 8th Avenue and borderline fashion district. I'm a big fan of this sort of food once in a while, and people that can't appreciate the little guys trying to make it happen are only giving way to more chain fast food restaurants that don't have soul. Thank you El Sabroso for your spirited meals and back-alley charm. read more

This is my second time coming here for lunch. The first time my friend said he'd never go back to eat there. This time wasn't an exceptional experience either. Cash only. // Food I got the roast pork (pernil) $6. It came with rice and shredded lettuce. The portions weren't huge, but decent for the price. I was given a big, soft lump of fat with my pork. I was a bit disappointed the skin of it was also soft and not crispy at all. The food tasted fine but nothing to write home about. // Space I came on a Friday at 1:15pm. Luckily as my friend and I walked into the loading dock, two people were leaving from their seats at the bar so we were able to snag them. Otherwise all the other seats were taken, but it was emptying out by the time we left. read more

Appearance-wise, this place is very bare-bones and industrial-looking. When my coworker led us to El Sabroso for lunch, it felt like we were going through the service entrance of some building. There isn't a ton of space to eat; all the spots were filled up with the lunch crowd. I ordered the chicken dish which was insanely cheap ($6!!!), and it came out really quickly. In terms of the actual taste, I thought it was nothing special. The rice and the sauce were really tasty, but the lettuce didn't really add to it. I didn't like the chicken. I'm not a fan of eating meat that still has bones in it (I probably would've ordered something else if I had known that it wouldn't be chicken breast) so I may just not be familiar with how other chicken body parts should taste, but the chicken was uncomfortably greasy. I felt really gross eating it, and ended up eating around the chicken. Although the food here is super cheap, I would rather spend a bit more money elsewhere. However, I am not opposed to giving this place another shot, but I will skip the chicken soup dish next time. read more

OMFG!...5*s for the utter perplexity of this HOLE IN THE WALL!!! Literally! So walking along W. 37th...one of the most uncultivated crass streets of midtown, my friend and I looked into this hallway leading to this place serving Ecuadorian food!! WTF was this place doing in this dump? I wouldn't even call this a place, maybe an outpost and it was precisely next to this freight elevator with commercial sized trash cans lined up to the far left! I wasn't sure if we should go further, but curiousity dragged us both in and we were greeted by this middle-aged gentleman, Tony. He manned the place alone with a stove, a fridge and ~6-7 stools facing him at the bar. Tony turned out to be this AWESOME guy who's been running El Sabroso for ~15 years!....he managed to put his 2 kids through college and 1 of them through medical school. We chatted for a bit and he showed us what he was cooking. There was a special each day and he recommended either the pork chops or the chicken stew. El Pollo please! The meat, which came with rice and beans (of course), was falling of the bone. I could tell good seasonings and spices were used. I thought we were literally eating in Ecuador for a little bit there. His hot sauce looked homemade and let me tell you! It was HOT! $5 for a plate in NYC? CAN"T BEAT THAT! The food wasn't the best Latin food around, but you must meet Tony and he'll show you how it's done! Seldomly food would not matter in my reviews, but this was the most peculiar lunch experiences I've had in Manhattan yet, just because I wasn't expecting it! I LOVE surprises! My friend just went to see Tony again and he asked her to go dancing with him :) ...haha. -Closed Domingo- read more

You will definitely feel like you're "in the know" when you arrive at El Sabroso. Tucked away in a loading dock, this is a dominican equivalent of a halal cart. "Stewed" meats with rice, beans, and lettuce come topped with hot sauce. Everything is about $6. That said, I thought the food itself was just ok. It was good, higher quality than what you would expect from a loading dock, but it didn't blow my mind. Just good solid comfort food. I got the "stewed" chicken, which was basically just a quarter of a chicken. I'm not really sure how it's cooked, but it was cooked really well. Not fried, not greasy, just very tender chicken. read more

Know how initial interest grows into love grows into fidelity grows into mortal commitment? I'm on stage 3 with this business where the flirtation of the fast and cheap grew with respect to become a real heartfelt feeling. I again can't believe I've yet to review my long not-so-lost faithful friend here, the much talk about midtown elevator chicken. This is a Latin American (I don't know the precise origins) food booth inside a freight elevator lobby albeit it's a particularly spacious one with multiple segments separated by doors thus not as dirty, smelly, or dank as the typical. It must be well over half and nearing a full decade old with the same husband-wife couple powering it with 1 assistant who's regularly there. Their 11a opening and going until they run out is truly NYC style which is quality as they handmake so much right there 2 ft afront of the customers at their open window booth which has bar seating. The menu is largely the same as ever, chicken combinations over rice and the sauce, but the quality of the baking, the sauce, the wonderful recipes, and the clearly fresh ingredients (likely 1 of those live poultry places that mean the freshest often organic chicken) all come through to make this place so popular. I've yet to post the menu photo but I believe a few non-chicken items also appear. Traffic is brisk with just 5 bar seating positions and a large table which can seat about 8 albeit communal style. Most come to take-and-go with only about as many staying as seats are available. Tableware's included as with all take-out and no more permanent items are present as everything gets stored away behind the bar and roll-down barriers after they exhaust their daily wares. I'm back regularly, about each few months over the past few years. read more

After an interesting conversation with Renee C about this place. I decided to give it a try since it's few blocks away from my work place. As Renee C described below this place is A REAL HOLE IN THE WALL!! I have never been to a place like this in the heart of mid-town, If you lucky to find this place, your first reaction might be (IS THIS A JOKE??) it looked like its in the back entrance of an office building. Now we are moving on to the food, with a place quiet small like this. they have fairly large menu and the owner is the the chief. TONY IS THE MAN, he runs this place and super friendly. I'm going to be honest with the food that it's not the best Mexican food I've ever taste but it's cheap.. with the price I paid.. it considered decent food. I'm speechless with this place in many ways!!! read more

Most places in Midtown have their ups and downs, as in lack of consistency, but every time I order at El Sabroso my food is exactly the same as the last time-- as in home cooking-- as in the same guy cooks it. He makes "Spanish food," and I am no expert-- all I know is that it's the most delicious food I've found in the Greater Times Square Black Hole. The only ups and downs here are that it's in a freight elevator! Well, not literally IN the freight elevator-- you don't need Dramamine to eat here-- you don't have to share with the UPS guy-- but it's in a freight entrance, on West 37th Street just east of Eighth Avenue. It's even harder to find since scaffolding madness has come to this part of the block. Make sure you look for the sign-- it's small, but visible. Don't go into the wrong entrance or you might end up in chains in dim light behind a sewing machine. For me, this is the PERFECT spot for a first date. You can really find out a lot about the person-- like if they have true grit. It's the dining equivalent of talking about sexual positions on a first date. It could be disastrous, but it could also save you a lot of time. This is what a "diner" is all about, not what "diner" has become. It's someone finding a way to make and serve food in an unlikely and tight spot, but convenient to all the people who have the otherwise misfortune of working in the area. You can sit at the counter (preferred... watch the action!) or you can sit at the picnic table (which might bring back bad memories of being institutionalized, for some) or you can take it to go. Or you can get an extra lunch to go (it's cheap enough) and take it to the guy running the freight elevator in YOUR building and use it to bribe him to let you eat in the freight elevator while he works. Just an idea. read more

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Don't always judge a book by its cover. El Sabroso is the definition of hole in the wall. It is the truest form of no frills. If you can overlook the fact that it just sits in the corner of a shabby, perhaps mildly suspicious appearing, dingy commercial loading dock, then you will come to find that this little spot is not so terrible. It is approachable, the food is good, and best of all, it's inexpensive. The A sanitation grade is reassuring. If you're on a budget and enjoy Spanish food, consider it a valid spot, especially for some wallet-friendly, but sufficient, tasty lunch. Would you bring a date here? Don't be silly. Don't care about wait service? Check. Don't care about atmosphere? Check. Cheap? Check. Authentic? Check. Spanish food? Check. Hungry, but have less than $10? Perfect. First visit here, I went with the Chicken Stew, advised by the server as well as by many of those who've already tried El Sabroso. For $6, you get yellow rice and beans plus chicken. It's a decent amount, or just the right amount for a meal. The chicken was super tender, and the skin was still intact. The elements just slip off the bone with lots of ease. The stew was surprisingly tasty. I didn't care so much for the rice or the beans, but they were necessary sides. I had no complaints about the meal overall. I ended up actually eating in rather than taking out. But, it is honestly not the best place to be enjoying a meal, per say. This is about a fast in and out sort of meal. They have about 5 run-down stools, a counter, no tables. That is as good as it gets. El Sabroso is a great, affordable option for lunch. I see it moreso as take-out, but, if you're comfortable sitting in small spaces with very little to look at, then it's fine. They aren't open past business hours, only until 5PM. Also, cash only. Overall, not a bad little hidden cheap eats spot in midtown. read more

I have no words. It's amazing. Spoke with the owner's son who was very nice and recommended me the stew chicken. Cheap and delicious, I am waiting for them to open up again... read more

I've seen many things in this city, but a "restaurant" inside a service entrance of a midtown west office building - a really cheap and tasty one as well! - that's a redefinition of "hole in the wall". I realize most of the 5-stars this place gets, mine included, are partly due to the perverse "coolness" of its location, which strikes a chord with the majority of Yelpers. "Serious" and moneyed folk that doesn't waste time reviewing on Yelp won't go looking for food in a freight elevator (and garbage dumpsters) building entrance. Yet the food is good enough not to offset the five-star ratings. So - thanks Yelp. Without you we'd never find this place. Heck, even with you it wasn't easy to find, outside scaffolding compounding the difficulty (or adding to that fifth star?) even further. read more

Secret chicken place in the city! Cash only. You should try everything for lunch. Chicken stew is always delicious!

Randomly came across this on Yelp so i thought I'd give it a try since it's a 5 mins walk from my job...I've never walked so slow in fear of missing the red menu sign lol because there are a few freight entrances along the avenue, so keep an eye out for it. I arrived a little past 1 and the chef only had 3 items left; the customer ahead of me got the last of the baked chicken so I ended up getting stewed chicken. The chicken was very tender,moist, and FLAVORFUL...falls off the bone like other reviewers said. The beans were pretty good too; I didn't care for the salad and the rice needed more flavor. He gave me three big pieces of chicken and a good portion of rice and beans but I can see how its not enough for other people. Seating is limited so either get there early or get your food to go. CASH ONLY. I'll definitely be back for the peril and the breakfast specials!!! read more

Hard to divorce the experience of eating here from the novelty of eating in a loading dock, but I mean why bother?? It's real good! The homemade hot sauce is kind of the star honestly. Otherwise just really solid hot plate 'spanish' food. This place is a real bright spot in what can be a miserable neighborhood read more

Horrible food and presentation!!! Our office ordered and picked up food for lunch today. I ordered the ox tails. Nasty nasty taste! So this dish was a mix of pieces of beef meat and what tasted like goat or lamb oxtail meat. It had a strong after taste. How they mix two kinds of meat without letting the customers know? The beans were hard. The rice was over cooked. What they called salad were just shredded lettuce. My coworker had the pernil and it was soo dry , the meat looked brown. The others ordered the baked chicken, that too was not so good. Everyone just put a lot of hot sauce so the food will taste somewhat appetizing ! I don't know if there is a new cook in town for today but our over all first experience was very disappointing. No Bueno!!! We will never order from this place again!! read more

El Sabroso is a hidden gem in the Midtown West area. The first time my coworkers told me they were coming here, I was convinced that I had misheard where they were going. Lunch at a little stand next to the freight elevator of some building? That sounds so unplausible - and so New York at the same time. The rice and beans are a good portion size, on par with expectations. The stewed chicken is super tasty. Add a little hot sauce on the side and I'm all set! And the best part is that this place is cheap. In this area, lunch often runs ~$8+, so it's always nice to find a place that has good food at a better price point. There is very little seating here so you are best served getting your food to go and finding another place to eat. read more

i ate here once based on an adventerous eating blog post on a very good food blog - cheapassfood.com - and well, I was feeling pretty damn adventerous finding this make shift eatery shack RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a FRIEGHT ELEVATOR exit. it was pretty surreal eating in such a dingy place. I thought the food was going to be extra 'hole in the wall' magical but i got there kind of late for lunch (2pm) and being that whatever the dude makes he has on the menu my choices were serverly limited to like lamb or chicken due to my late arrival. and while keeping in adventerous spirits i ordered the lamb stew. bleck. tasted like rodent meat, granted i should of expected that lamby gamey taste but a whole bottle of hotsauce couldnt help that dish. it was accompanied the standered rice and beans- i finished it cuz freakin hungry after all that back building freight elevator spelunking but it left me with a strange aftertaste. i hope that meat wasnt freshly plucked from underneath the elevator shafts. read more

This place is hidden in plain sight. Passing by it you would never think that it would serve food let alone such incredible food. The decor is not what's important since there is none. What's important is the food. Most of the meals cost around 6 dollars and include a ton of food (yellow rice, beans, salad). The food is genuinely authentic. This is not factory made Latin food, this stuff is what your South American grandmother would be making after having perfected her recipes over many generations. The food was delicious and the people who work there are very friendly. I suggest adding a Colombiana as your drink to your meal since it's very complementary to the kind of cuisine. First time here but it will def not be my last! read more

Delicious and inexpensive lunch. I had the pernil and my friend had the oxtail ($8 and $8.50). This place is "unassuming" in the sense that there are not a lot of places to sit and it can get chilly with doors opening and closing. That said, this is a great place to get food in an area that is otherwise over priced and swarming with tourists. read more

No spaghetti during the day we went, and I think he misheard me as I said I wanted chicken stew. Got baked chicken instead. Looked great and loved it regardless. Only $5. Limited seating. Hole in the wall awesome home cooking. Love it and have a great place to come for lunch during work. read more

This hole-in-the-wall spot is a treasure! It is hard to find because it is a counter between freight doors! I ALWAYS get the pernil (roast pork) with hot sauce (3 scoops). The Travel Channel will be there tomorrow, so now, it won't be much of a secret. I liked it because it was a secret. Never got crowded! But after the show airs, I'm sure it will be packed! read more

This Dominican joint is somehow secreted away in what appears to be the service corridor of an office building (think where a service elevator drops you off on the ground floor) and knocks out some very solid stewed and roasted meats over rice and beans. The portion since seems to vary depending on what you order. My goat plate didn't come with a lot of goat for $7.50 by my friend's roast and stewed chicken plates both came with a thigh and leg together for only $6.00. It's all quite good and since most of the stuff is stews it all comes out quite quick. read more

3.5 -- I won't lie; El Sabroso's greatest assets are the prices and the fact that the restaurant is, as stated, in a loading dock. The food itself is pretty good, -- nothing mind-blowing, but very satisfying. I wanted the pescado frito but they were out of it, so I got the roast pork which was super delicious and tender; it came with mediocre but acceptable rice & beans and some crisp lettuce. Their hot sauce is pretty great so it makes even the most mediocre side-dish pretty delicious. Surprisingly, though full, I didn't feel that the dish was too heavy, so I'm happy to say that I can come back week to week without worrying about turning into a balloon. The seating situation is pretty limited, but my friends and I managed to take over their one and only table during peak lunch-hour so I'm guessing most of the food here is taken to go. I definitely recommend this to anyone who works in midtown and wants something cheap and a little different, but this is not what I would call a "destination restaurant" otherwise. read more

The food smells and taste like home. Technically, I didn't grow up with Latin cuisine, but the hearty simplicity of these platters evoke nostalgia. The roasted pork was tender--so much so that the rendered fatty skin melted like butter. The seasoning did not seep into the meat and the salt was highly concentrated in the skin, but the textures are so satisfying they more than compensate. The beans were arguably as good as the meat and a bit more thoroughly seasoned. I loved the hot sauce but felt it was mild, akin to Tabasco's intensity. I also tried the baked chicken and it was just as juicy and tender as the pork. Please eat the skin! read more

El Sabroso - Roast pork (pernil) $6 - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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A secret locked away in the depths of Times Square. Located on the north side of 37th between 7th and 8th, it's easy to miss because it leads you straight into the entrance of a freight elevator. Inside there is a lone man with a couple large pots and a tiny TV. I got there late (2PM) and he told me that the only thing he had left was a chicken. I told him I would take the chicken. The chicken was delicious and tender, peeling right off of the bone (you can pull it off easily with a fork). The rice was well-made and hearty, but nothing out of this world. The hot sauce on the side wasn't that spicy, but added a nice kick to the dish. read more

I am so glad i tried this place. get the pork. it was the best. And, the empanadas. use the spicy sauce. sit at the counter. enjoy a few moments of bliss. this is the epitome of the hole in the wall. read more

our first time going because we saw this place on instagram. staff were very nice and friendly. cheese empenadas were fantastic. pernil not so much. on instagram the price was 6.00 but actually 9.00 you can tell they raised the prices since, there was tape covering the old prices and new ones were written in marker. that was fine as long as the portions were as shown when they did their instagram post. they were not. small portion of pernil mostly rice. in need of salt and flavoring. staff A+++ food B- read more

If you are around herald sq and looking for something hearty and cheap: look no further. Please brave the dark narrow alley-ish corridor that leads to this counter-top Spanish "diner" and get some warm grub in your belly. Do not fear if you only see male patrons. I went in as a girl on the hunt post-spa facial. I wanted something filling and healthy (but not salad, sorry vegetarians) that wouldn't ruin the magic of a beautified complexion. Once inside, I asked the server (owner?) Tony to recommend what's good. In my case, he suggested the chicken stew. I got it to go- and the dish was still warm and chicken was falling off the bones when I reached my destination 10mins later. It really hit the spot and isn't greasy/heavy. I'm going back to try other dishes! I'd say this is more of a place to go solo or with a friend, if you guys want to eat at the counter and watch a game. Yes, there's a flat screen in there! Do takeout if there's a few of you- in which case, I suggest eating at herald sq's outdoor seating- around 37rd and broadway! read more

El Sabroso - Chicken stew dish. Be careful of chicken bones from gobbling too fast! :) - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

My favorite lunch spot. Rarely a line. Amazing Pernil and Beef Stew, for just $6 and $7 respectively. An amazing budget lunch if you're in the mood for something spicy and different. If you're a fan of "secret" lunch spots like I am, I highly recommend El Sabroso. read more

Disclaimer: I live in Spanish Harlem so Latin food is all around me. El Sabroso may be good for Midtown but wouldn't make the cut up there. Portions are too small for one thing. Instead of a jammed full jumbo Styrofoam container, you get a Weight Watchers approved helping. Scoop of rice, scoop of red beans and maybe 2 ozs of meat. The sauces are flavorful but the whole meal seems meager. Sure, it's only $6 but Chipotle offers a better price/poundage ratio. read more

This place was totally gushed about on midtownlunch.com and I was so excited to check it out. I love the idea of eating lunch in a hallway next to a freight elevator. The place serves Ecuadorian food with Peruvian specialties on Fridays. Its typical things like roast chicken with rice and beans, etc all for around $6. There is one table with chairs or you can sit at the counter. There was a steady stream of customers. I had high hopes... but I wasn't really impressed with the food. I wish I could say I was. I took a bunch of coworkers and they all liked their lunches, so maybe I ordered wrong. I had what I thought was going to be a chicken stew, but was actually stewed chicken. The rice and beans were tasty. The empanada was really bad. I am willing to give it another shot though... oh and it smelled a little like pee in there. read more

I worked across the street from this place for a summer internship, and while that was nice, the best part of my summer was my daily visits to El Sabroso. I was getting paid under minimum wage-- I don't know how that works-- but I could still afford the heaping portions of rice and chicken. There's no real fixed menu, but they always have pollo guisado (chicken stew) and it's worth every penny. I'd be a little more cautious going for the oxtail or whatever other meat is on the docket, but hey, it's pretty hard to strike out there. They speak English, but I think they enjoyed my high-school-level-Spanish order attempts every day. This place is popular with all kinds of workers in the area, so watch out for the long lines. If you're a gringo looking for a fancy lunch and Michelin service, just go somewhere else and don't complain on Yelp. read more

Cool little spot. In a grungy freight elevator entrance, but considering it's pretty clean. I ate at the lunch counter and the cook was really friendly. I've had the beef stew and the chicken stew, both were pretty simple but the spicy sauce gave it a nice kick. The chicken was on the bone but you don't need a knife it's so tender. The cheese empanada was simply fried cheesy goodness. This is one of those spots you make your local lunch spot, $6 for a platter and quick. Can't wait to try everything! read more

Oh hey, this dig really trips me out. It's a surreal experience when you're ducking in from some of city's the most crowded ave's (7th&8th) into El Sabroso. Although at street level, it feels like you're walking into a section of a basement parking garage. It doesn't dawn on you, but if someone were to ask you "what are you standing on", you would say "the ground" instead of "the floor", and it feels more like being in a unfinished structure than a building. Folksy tunes in Spanish are playing on a perfectly static-y radio, but other than that, the place is quiet though not exactly in a soothing way. Although the floor space is pretty large, the "kitchen" and eating area only occupies tightly in a small area in the back right corner. The kitchen is not that much bigger than a kitchen in a large food vehicle and it certainly doesn't look as if they make this up through space efficiency. With this setup, it feels like a really small music venue with the kitchen serving as the bar. In fact, it would most definitely fly with an art influenced fellow to capture this space and use it to open up a gallery or bar in an ironic and stylized gesture. But El Sabroso isn't trying to be stylish or ironic. Nor does it seem like they are being stubborn in trying to run an eatery in a place like that. It feels as if they just naturally do not think twice about their location. It always was, and always will be, there. Personally, I think it's great. The sole guy working the get-up was an earnestly genial dude. He seems pretty old school, calling me "sir" and making these fast, but somehow sweeping, movements in fixing up my pernil lunch special, as if to assure me that he was dedicated to making my food. The meal was not too exciting and rather anti-climatic in context to the appearance. But still it was "good". I don't use the word "good" often in describing food, but I definitely mean to here. The well seasoned beans, nicely textured rice, and moist pork were above average and totally satisfying, but still limits itself at a $6 price tag. read more

Cool place. I think half the hype is that this place is located in the Garment District rather than Corona, right? The empanadas were pretty decent, but nothing special. $1.50 each. read more