I LOVE La Cocina! I usually only ate it when the housing department at Rutgers got it catered for our training; however when I went for the first time, it only won my heart more. Although it is very busy and is usually packed (so I don't recommend you eating there because the space is really crowded and limited), they have amazing service and an even better lunch deal where you can get rice, side and meat for only $8.50. I highly recommend anyone near the prudential center or the college campuses to come here! It's definitely a little hole in the wall that can get overlooked with Rob's and the Thai place right next door. read more

Really good empanadas with the exception of the Spinach. Ive been their twice and havent had the pleasure to try their heavy duty meals. The pernil, white rice and beans are calling me. Will give it a try upon my return. Very friendly staff. Always very attentive. And they have really good cheap-eats for lunch. You cant best that. Viva Cubaaaaaaaa!!!! read more

One of the better fast lunch options in the area. The owner and his staff are really friendly and the lines are usually long but go by quick. When I went to school across the street, my usual go-to was the chicken with plantains and rice, empanadas on occasion, and cortaditos when I needed to perk up. The cortaditos are strong and come sweetened, so if you don't want that extra sugar (like me), let them know! read more

SaturdY afternoon, working in downtown Newark and most everything was closed. But I found this place and got a fantastic Cubano, delivered to the office. Hot and delicious. read more

This place is delicious and the owner is super nice and very helpful if you aren't sure what to order . The Lunch specials come with an entree and two sides . My go-to meal is the grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and carrots and maduros (fried sweet plaintains). They have different specials on different days (i.e. Wednesday's they have ropa vieja [cuban style shredded beef]) There is always a line around lunch time. Always leave feeling satisfied! The food is great, service friendly, and atmosphere lively. All the dishes are fresh due to the large turn around of customers coming in. The service is professional and friendly. The owner makes the experience complete. His individualized attention to customers makes you feel special every time you walk in the door and helps if you are unsure of what to get! Great food and even better prices! read more

This place is disgusting! The food is salty the people that work there is rude! I ordered food for delivery & they ran out of what I ordered instead of saying they didn't have what I want they decided to send what they felt like. I'd never eat here again read more

Great meal at a great price, it doesn't get much better than that! I ordered online through Yelp because I just wanted to grab the food and go, but it really wasn't necessary. The line moves very quickly in an assembly line fashion and you can get your food in a matter of minutes. So don't be intimidated if you see a line out the door when you get there; the place is really small! I am seriously so surprised by the amount of food that you get for the price. The lunch special comes out to $8.51 (including tax) and it consists of a meat and two sides. I got the Pollo a la Plancha (basically marinated, grilled chicken with onions) with sweet plantains and yellow rice with pigeon peas. It was definitely more rice than anything else but there was a decent amount of chicken as well. Everything was extremely flavorful and they also included two great sauces in there for me to try. The food is definitely more on the greasy side, no doubt about that, but I kind of knew that coming into this. I think it is possible to make the meal a little healthier by getting grilled chicken with maybe steamed vegetables but you're not really getting the full experience that way. There are also salads of course. It's A LOT of food. I was only able to eat about 1/3 of it for lunch but that works out because I don't have time to go out to get food for dinner. $4.25 per meal works for me! Even if it's not the healthiest thing in the world, at least I got to try something new. read more

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Very good food, reasonable prices & they deliver! The delivery is quick as well. I had the pepper steak, rice & pigeon peas with steamed yuca & everything taste great. The steak was very tender & the rice was cooked to perfection. read more

La Cocina - Pepper steak, rice & pigeon peas, steamed yuca Bistec Con Pimiento Yucca Arroz Con Gandules - Latin American Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I don't know why I didn't come here sooner. I only got three things (yellow rice, beans, and ropa vieja) but they were all perfect. Sitting area is on the smaller side and it's served cafeteria style. I was gonna take a picture but it smelled too good to wait. Oops! read more

I was in the Newark area, around lunchtime, and I used my trusty Yelp app, to find some good lunch eats. Luckily for me this place popped up as nearby the area I was in. The lunch specials here were very reasonably priced and the food was really good. Its too bad this place isn't closer to home. The setup is cafeteria style during lunch. You order your meal and someone serves you from the already prepared dishes in the trays. I tried the pepper steak with black beans and yellow rice. The pepper steak had a stew like texture and the rice was flavorful. I also got to try a Postobon soda. I'm a fan of Mexican soda, and when I heard that Postobon soda was Columbian, I had to give it a try. It was very tasty. I liked the apple flavor. The location is very close to the Rutger's campus. read more

La Cocina - Pepper steak with yellow rice and black beans - Latin American Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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This place is right next to my usual thai spot in newark. I always see a huge line of people here for lunch, so one day i decided to see what all of the hype was about. When you enter the restaurant, you get a very authentic vibe, it definitely looks family owned. They have a lot of options, so i was a little overwhelmed, but the employees are super cool and patiently walk you through the items. My main entree was the pork, which was juicy and delicious. Its actually making me hungry thinking about it. Overall, i just love this place for its cozy, friendly vibe and great food at a very reasonable price. read more

Food has great flavor and pricing, Chipotle but 10x better. Service was great giving recommendations too.

Everything on the menu is delicious. They employees are all professional, helpful and patient while you make your selection. Generous portions. I really value having such high quality food in my community. read more

Update: Gave it another shot. As much as I want to like this place, I am just not feeling it. My food was completely over salted (as opposed to the unseasoned rice from last time) and super greasy. It ended up being pretty inedible and just not something I enjoyed at all. Perhaps the chicken is good, but the stuff I had left much to be desired. I think mainly, I am disappointed because Mi Cocina could be a lot better. They have a really delicious sounding menu. Chicken, ropa vieja, beef stew, ribs with guava BBQ sauce, and even paella. Also supposed to have lots of sides, from various rice and beans to mac and cheese. They did not really have many options when I went. the first time I decided to get the beef stew with rice (w/ beans) and plantains. I was kind of disappointed that the plantains were frozen and from a bag but they were good nonetheless. The rice w/ beans was underseasoned. Actually, it had no flavor whatsoever. I do not like a salt or heat in my food so for me to say that something has no flavor means that it is pretty bad. I was really excited about the beef stew. I expected it to be slow cooked and tender. It was actually pretty tough and chewy so I was disappointed in that. The sauce was good- some nicely cooked onions and tang from vinegar. Overall, I did enjoy the sauce of the beef and the plantains (which they did not make...) but left disappointed as far as everything else was concerned. Oh, also had an empenada. It was alright, but nothing amazing. Will be back and then decide how I feel after that read more

This is what heaven smells like. Heck, heaven might even look like this, taste like this. For the sake of my diet (and wallet) I have to resist eating here every day for lunch. So. Darn. Good. Get the pernil, get the platanos, get yucca, beef, that yummy lasagna-esque thing that I want to eat by the handful. All of it. Just eat here. Now. Delicious food, hefty portions, awesome staff and all for the right price. read more

La Cocina - Pernil, platanos, white rice. YES. - Latin American Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Best Cuban food in the tri-state area, HANDS DOWN! So authentic and so fresh. Their coffee and espresso is certainly a plus. As a college student in the area, you can find me here way more than I'd like to admit. Oh, & their empanadas should be illegal. Please come here and show this local business some well-deserved support. read more

La Cocina - Chicken Stew! - Latin American Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I've been here more times than I can count and I can honestly say that the food, service and staff is never anything less than exceptional. The empanadas and pernil are a must!!! read more

Unbelievably wonderful Cuban sandwich and Cuban empanada. I just wish I was in Newark more and could try everything on their menu. And the staff? So kind and friendly. Congratulations La Cocina! (I still have your Cuban flag toothpick in my wallet) read more

Staff is super friendly, and the place has ample seating if you want to eat-in. Although the lines are out the door during lunch, they move fairly quickly. My go-to lunch special is the pollo a la plancha with rice/pigeon peas and a side of broccoli/carrots. I used to have lunch here at least once a week, but had to stop as I noticed that the chicken has been super salty. Not sure if they are aware of this. My colleagues have noticed this too, and they usually go with the steak instead. read more

This is probably one of the better places to eat lunch in the city. The food is great, service friendly, and atmosphere lively. All the dishes are fresh due to the large turn around of customers coming in. The service is professional and friendly. The cashier is always greeting everyone with a smile. The owner / operator, "Manny", makes the experience complete. His individualized attention to customers makes you feel special every time you walk in the door. Stop in even if it's for just a robust Cuban cafe... you'll never go back to American coffee! read more

La Cocina - Healthy serving of delicious Cuban food - Latin American Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I found this excellent cafeteria/restaurant on yelp. Working in the area a coworker and I decided to try this spot, we found a hidden gem!! Good food, well prepared and fresh! Owners a great friendly guy, and he takes pride in the food served. Will return offer when in the area! read more

Amazing food. Cafeteria style. Super friendly staff. Clean. Great prices. Owner is always there and greets everyone and has a convo with you. Food tastes great and they serve a lot. Love this place!!! They take card and have desserts too. read more

La Cocina - Latin American Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Divine connection made today at this restaurant! Great selection of delectable Cuban cuisine. The heart of Manny shows true with generosity and a heart of service to his customers. You just won a new favorite Client. Btw the grilled chicken was well seasoned and complimented the generous portions of plantations and rice. I consider this money very well spent. read more

Discovered this place by accident while on lunch break. It's hidden from street level, but once you find it and step inside, you'll be glad you did. Incredibly flavorful, home cooked food. I got the pulled pork, black beans and Spanish rice my first time there. The portion lasted me for three full meals. Amazing. read more

Fabulous, seasoned food for cheap prices I purchased a chicken stew with rice and beans platter. It came out to about $8. The chicken was super tender. The black beans were fully seasoned, so flavorful. The rice also was nicely made. I'll be back, to try more of their delicious food! read more

I love La Cocina but hate that it's closed on weekends....the food is great! Never disappointed...delivery always on time with Uber Eats...

The food was great when warm! The prices were not very clear. I went in the morning to grab a coffee while I waited for a meeting to start. Had an empanada and a coffee. Great appearance and taste. I returned later that afternoon around 4 pm for dinner, it seems like they make all their food in the morning and when a dish sells out they wont have more for the remaining time the store is opened. I ordered an empanada and a meal with 2 sides and a protein. The empanada was a little hard compared to the one I had in the morning. I ate about half my meal after purchase and went to eat the second half about 2 hours later. It seemed like the food had a smell to it as if it was going bad. I put it in the microwave and was not able to finish the food. I think they may have let it sit out in the heat too long. They have a steam heating system to maintain the warm temperature of the food throughout the day. Perhaps making smaller portions in the morning a second portion midday would be helo to maintain the freshness of the food. Will be returning to try a meal in the morning when its fresh! read more

Excellent food at one of Newark's gems. I got a Cubano sandwich, 3 different empanadas and the Yuca. The Cubano was delicious, with tender moist meat and a crispy fresh bread. The empanadas were all great as well, with the spinach one really standing out. Yuca was a treat and a large quantity for a side. Everything is very affordable too--I highly recommend this spot. read more

This place has delicious food. As a student at NJIT the dining hall food can become lackluster​ but when I treat myself I come to this place. The quality and flavor of these dishes remind me of how my Hispanic​ family makes it and ​it brings nothing but joy to my tastebuds. I am a pork lover and have had their Cuban and Pork platter entree with plantains, rice, and veggies. I have also tried one of their many unique and tasteful empanadas and am a firm believer that this is one of the best food places in the area. Well done La Cocina read more

Great lunch spot! I always get the chicken, yellow rice and plantains. Ask for hot sauces!

It received 3 stars because the staff is friendly and if you want to eat something fast and cheap and fast food is not an option.. definitely this is you joint, for $9 you can get enough food for you to eat and take some home, that's what I did, but the bad part.. I have eaten better food for the same amount of money. If you compare this place to "Caridad", those who live in NYC know about this latin food chain, this place doesn't even get to Caridad toes, the selection is limited at La Cocina and I can tell it is geared to the college student who is gonna stop for a quick bite not paying too much attention to the quality but to the quantity. Rutgers is across the street. La Cocina did it's job, I got full with not amazing food but little money, but I'm not coming back, rather go somewhere else. Sorry. read more

Nothing but the best from this place. Brother Manny is an incredible guy who goes all out for his business and customers. All of the staff are friendly and the food is amazing. Highly recommend to anyone in the downtown Newark area who wants quality and quality all at the same time for a very affordable price. read more

Great place to get some Cuban food in Newark. They are located by Rutgers University. Great staff and lunch specials.

This location is super low key. Very nice people, order was ready as soon as I arrived and it helped that I received 10% off for ordering through Yelp. Unfortunately the food didn't do as well. My daughter started eating her food in the car and said her chicken was moist, good and loved her yellow rice. This made me have high hopes about my chicken and rice. Sadly my chicken was dry and over cooked. I guess they gave me an old piece. My rice and beans is also super dry but the plantains are good. I have 3 small sauces to try and I didn't like none of them. This came up as a Peruvian restaurant so I was hoping for the green sauce or something close to it. The red taste like salsa, the yellow is like a sour juice and the orange honestly I really don't know. No I will be returning to this location. read more

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The food is good but the staff and "management" seem opposed to wearing masks. For that reason, I will not frequent this establishment again. read more

Food is amazing. I was on a short visit looking for authentic Latin Food and came across this gold mine. I will definitely be back.

Do not get the Pan con Bistek sandwich. The other food is good but for the pan con bistek, in order to save time, they take the stewed steak pieces and wrap bread around it, no lettuce, no tomatoes, no fries. That is the one thing for which they do not follow even their own menu description. read more

Authentic flavors from home (Puerto Rico). Can't wait to visit again! The staff was super friendly and courteous and the atmosphere was very relaxing. The food was delicious and cooked to perfection. read more

La Cocina - Latin American Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I thoroughly enjoyed this late lunch at La Cocina. Newark has so many hidden culinary gems that I often feel like I am on a treasure hunt for an exotic eating locale. The surrounding Rutgers Campus is rivalling Ferry Street as "la capital de comida Latina" en Newark. The lunch specials range from $8.95 to $11.95. Everything from grilled chicken, strip steak, baked salmon, to roasted pork was on the serving line (see the menu in my pics). The server was helpful in explaining the different dishes. I had the spicy beef over white rice and plantains. I added broccoli. I think they kind of skimped on the extra side considering I was charged an additional $1.50 for two small spears of brocolli. The plantains (tostones) were crazy good and sweet like a dessert. I'm envisioning them warm under a scoop of melting vanilla bean ice cream. The beef was cooked nice and was spicy enough and quite tender. The dining area was lively and the workers kept the tables clean. There is a front and a hidden back eating area. Colorful Latin themed artwork adorns the walls. The bathroom was incredibly clean and everything in there was in working order. This place is off the beaten path so you really need to be paying attention when walking or driving. From Broad Street walking towards Market, you make a right onto New Street at the Whole Foods. Go two more blocks and look for the inconspicuous red awning on the right. It's very subtle. This will most definitely be a regular stop on my visits to Newark. read more

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I was pleasantly surprised by this college eatery. I had the pernil (pork), white rice, black beans and plantains. The pernil was seasoned to perfection, I was very pleased with the balance of seasonings, the absence of fat and the fact that it was NOT dried out at all! The beans were a little bland. I also tried the empanadas, chicken and ground beef, I've had better, (frankly make better ones!), they did have a dipping sauce* for them, it was a blend of garlic, onions, cilantro, olive oil, lime, salt and pepper... this was yummy! Although the menu is not large, you should give this place a visit, the staff was friendly and the establishment was clean. I will definitely visit again to sample their steak sandwich! *the ingredients for the sauce are my guess at the ingredients read more