Thought I'd bring my son here for celebratory, dinner, but they only had takeout. I wasn't very impressed with the way it looked inside & I didn't get a good vibe. The menus were just sitting on the counter where u have to order. They didn't have very much that I understood what it was. My son wanted pastelillos ,so he got 2 beef & cheese & I've never had them before, so I just got 1 chicken & cheese to go. Mine was pretty empty, which seems to be an ongoing thing with all my food lately, but his were packed. It tasted ok, but I'd never get another one. He liked his though. Maybe I'd go in there just to get him some more sometime. read more

See all

I've lived in North Buffalo for six years and I had no idea this hidden gem was just a couple blocks away from me! Whenever I'm in the mood for some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, this will be my go-to spot! I ordered a chicken and cheese pastelito, marinated chicken and rice. My pastelito was filled with amazing flavors and it was perfectly fried. It was also super inexpensive! Only $2 per pastelito. The rice was well seasoned and as you can see in the photo, they give you a really healthy serving! The flavor of the marinated chicken was just okay, but the consistency of the cook was perfect. I could slice the chicken so easily and it wasn't over cooked. I would definitely recommend trying this spot out because I am so happy that I did! read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Deliciousness!!! - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I have been going here for years for pastilitos and haven't tried anything else besides that and the papa rellenas (fried potato ball with meat). Pastilitos (beef with cheese are solid) but I didn't really care for the potato ball. They are around $2.75/$3 each which is pretty standard. If you are in the area and have a taste for some. I recommend read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Beef and cheese pastilito - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

See all

This is a decent Puerto Rican restaurant located on Hertel. I've eaten here once but never had the chance to review this place. Ordered the baked chicken plate with yellow rice and beans, roast pork plate with yellow rice and beans, as well as a side order of sweet plantains. What I loved: The chicken was sooo juicy, tender and flavorful. The rice wasn't as salty as I expected to be which was great because it brought out the flavor of the chicken even more. What I didn't like: The roast pork was SO salty that it was almost inedible. Maybe extra salt was tossed on that day because I've had their roast pork before and I don't remember it being that salty. The sweet plantains were too dry and bland for my liking. Overall, I feel like I just came on a bad day. I give this place an extra star for a total of 4 because the woman was really nice. read more

See all

La Kueva is a very small restaurant with only 6 tables. We were welcomed right away with a very friendly smile from the woman working there; she might be the owner. We were waiting for our friends to arrived and she served us a nice little cup of soup. Being not really familiar with the Puerto Rican kitchen, we asked her what she would advice us. Roasted pork with yellow rice (lots of it) and a cup of beans. What an excellent choice! Really a wonderful dish. She also brought us a plate with little side dishes, just to try. I had to take some of the rice home and had a little Puerto Rican taste again the next day. La Kueva (the Cave) is a nice little gem on Hertel, worth visiting. read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

First time getting take out here - I ordered a beef/cheese pastelito (delicious!) as well as a pork and chicken dinner. Currently as of September, they are operating on a takeout only front. The portions for the meals are pretty huge. The pork was not as soft as I would have liked, but was well seasoned and not too salty (which I was worried about). The chicken was delightful and tasty. The plantains (you get a choice of plantains/salad or rice/beans with the dinners) are delightful and so so good! Soft with a little bit of a crunch texture. The salad is nothing special and the yellow rice is very good as well. All in all, if you're looking for some comfort Latin food, La Keuva on Hertel fits the bill! Enjoy! read more

A delightful, easy to miss, hole-in-the-wall locates right on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo! La Kueva dishes up incredibly affordable take-out Puerto Rican delicacies that are satisfying every time. You can't go wrong with their pastelitos - so good. Their portion sizes are very generous. The large rice and beans is enough for a family of four - no joke! Always quick and friendly service inside. You can call ahead or just come in and order, and food will likely be ready within 10 minutes. Yum! read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Interior - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Very disappointing. I will never go back. But I absolutely do not recommend this place. The lady that gave me my order was the only thing good about here. The food is garbage though. I ordered beans, yellow rice, marinated chicken, plátanos. Well the beans May have had 8-10 beans because it was basically soup, the chicken was horrible, rice was dry. I poured the bean soup over the rice to even tolerate it. Well I wasted my money going here because I'm throwing it out read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

You won't leave hungry! We got there before our friends. The woman who works(owns?)there brought us a cup of soup. I would call it a better version of "chicken and stars". It was very tasty and just the right temperature. Our friends arrived and were also given a cup of soup. The menu is not large. We had to ask our waitress what a couple of things were(mofongo, e.g.). After asking our waitress for her opinion, we all choose the roasted pulled pork, served with a mountain of yellow rice and a cup of beans. Our waitress also brought put plate with a piece of plantain and another Puerto Rican side(sorry, forgot the name of it)to taste. The only food left on anyone's plate was the yellow rice and that was only because the serving was so generous. La Kueva is not open on Mondays; it is certainly worth the trip. read more

The food was delicious. The pernil was great, the tostones were light and crispy. The pastelitos were also really good read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Pernil dinner tostones and pastelitos - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Had a craving and was glad that Kueva was close by since I don't live in the city. The Pernil was tougher and drier than I would have liked but other than that for a first-time visit it was okay. I received my food quickly after I walked in and placed my order. The staff was pleasant and the establishment was clean. read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Beef with Cheese Pastelillo, Pernil lunch special (yellow rice & beans) - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

There was a BUG in my plate of rice and beans with antennas and legs. A BUG . It looked like a roach. Bugs are a delicacy in the Middle East, but not in Puerto Rico lol Immediately disgusted post finding the crunchy bug in my food I let my waitress know. She then told me "oh that's normal they grow with the beans" ... sorry, but bugs in your plate are NOT normal. She was very nice but this is a huge red flag. Your plates should NEVER contain crawling BUGs. read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

My first visit here was last summer and since then, I've only visited about 3 times but I was definitely happy to discover a Puerto Rican resturant close to home in North Buffalo. It's nice to walk to grab some food instead of driving to the lower West Side. Most recently, I ordered the pork chop and roast pork dinners with yellow rice and beans, beef and cheese pastillos, potato balls, sweet plantains, and tostones for my family. The yellow rice was bland, roast pork and pork chops were okay, the potato balls were bland, also too mushy and the ground beef inside appeared undercooked but the rest of the meal was delicious. Loved the sweet plantains, tostones with sauce and pastillos! Wanted more! I felt the portion size of the roast pork meal was small, more like for one person, not to share for two. The pork chops came with two large pork chops though, they were a little over seasoned but I didn't mind too much. I expected more rice and more of the roast pork. I'm accustomed to sharing a dinner for two people when I order from Niagara Cafe don't expect that here. If you're Puerto Rican then you'll understand my expectation. If not, this portion size may seem just right to you. I feel bad because I didn't want it to sound like I'm giving this place a bad review. I grew up on the West Side of Buffalo and for many years I've been hoping I would see more Puerto Rican restaurants opening up in the West Side and the surrounding areas in Buffalo. It doesn't seem like many of them do so well, definitely not pulling in crowds of people regularly and they don't stay open long but I'm really pulling for this place and that's why I will visit from time to time but I have to keep it real here too. In my personal opinion, if you've never tried Puerto Rican food drive to the West Side of Buffalo over to Niagara and Pennsylvania Streets to Niagara Cafe and eat there as a first time experience to it. Order anything, it's all delicious, the food is better overall. If you need a quick fix or want to try a pastillo, then stop in at La Kueva and check it out. The staff is great, the place is small but quaint, seating is available and you never have to wait long for the food! I wish them much success on Hertel Avenue! read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Rice, Beans and Pork - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Food was ok , I ordered rice , beans and fish fish the fish could've been fried a little harder but it was good and I had the beef pastels , the service was fast and efficient read more

First, make sure you have updated pricing. We were caught off guard when we got there and it became obvious the online menu and actual price was over $20 difference to our order. Pastelillos were different from the traditional with cheese and potatoes but were really full and really good. We'll definitely order those again Plantains unfortunately seemed unripe. And too bad cause we ordered a ton and they're going to go to waste. Rice and Beans were good. We'll try again and hope the plantains was a one time issue. read more

I ordered one of the dinner specials with pernil and a couple sides as well. What is better than meat, rice and beans?!? The pork was tender and flavorful. The rice could have had a little more flavor but was good when combined with everything else (and a dash of hot sauce). There could have been more beans though, the container was mostly juice. The plantains were subtly sweet and cooked perfectly and the pastelillo was delicious! The meat was seasoned well and the pastry was fried golden and crispy. Portion size was good and of course with all the carbs VERY filling. My plantains and pastelillo became lunch the following day. Overall i really enjoyed and look forward to trying more on their menu! read more

See all

This is the first time I got food from this restaurant & omg it is delicious!! I got the Pernil with rice & beans! The Pernil was so juicy the yellow rice & beans were on point!! When I say the box was over flowing with food & it was only $11 for the dinner! So I took the pic after I made a plate but the empty side was full of Pernil too!!! I would highly recommend this place! I will definitely order again, now if only they had tuna Mac salad too!! read more

La Kueva Restaurant - a bowl of chili and a plate of rice - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

See all

Literally one of the best restaurants on Hertel. There is not a bad meal, and their tres leche is such an amazing treat. And the price? So reasonable!! read more

This place is great! I'm really happy to have a good Puerto Rican restaurant on this side of the city. The pastelilos are really good & the shrimp mofongo is my favorite dish here. Everything is always super fresh. The atmosphere is chill and I like the decor. They have specials depending on the day which are always nice. This is my go-to Puerto Rican spot on this side of the city! read more

Best cuban sandwich around these parts, the portions are huge and prices are cheap for some great Puerto rican comfort food, dont forget about the pastelillos..especially the beef and cheese..delicious, another favorite of mine is the yellow rice and beans and the slow roasted pork read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Cuban sando...delish..photo by @phil_eatsfood - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

This place has some of the best Pastelillos in the whole area in my opinion. I stop in here frequently to get some and I will buy in bulk for work events or even just family dinners. The menu they have is smaller but the food they make is that much better. read more

I went to pick up my online order there at 3pm. Try to open the door and it's locked. I look at the hours of operation and their open till 8pm on Saturdays. I see someone in the back so I knock, worker puts her hand up and shrills were closed! I wave my phone to them showing them I already have a paid online order and she shrills back what part of were closed don't you get! and walks in the back room. I will never give them my business or support them again. read more

Upset that I didn't discover this place earlier! I've never had a bad experience with Puerto Rican food, so I was pretty excited to try La Kueva. The wife and I ended up ordering half the menu to chip away at throughout the weekend. Suffice it to say we did more than chip away. We ordered roasted pork (pernil) with sweet plantains, shrimp mofongo, roasted pork sandwich, a pastelillo, an alcapurria, and flan. This insane amount of food came to only about $40. Just incredible value! The pernil and sweet plantains dish was amazing. The plantains tasted like candy and the pork had just the right amount of crisp. The sandwich was also a total home run. We were blown away by how huge it was (and for $6.00!). We easily could have split one sandwich for lunch and been full. I was also very impressed with the pastelillo. We got the beef with cheese, and there was no shortage of either. The pepper was a really nice addition. Not much to say about the flan. It was good but unremarkable. I think we'll try the tres leches cake next time. The mofongo was the only item I really regretted ordering. It wasn't terrible, but it was way too bland to justify the price, which was 1.5x as expensive as anything else on the menu. To be fair, I had mofongo for the first time while in Puerto Rico and I just haven't found anything comparable anywhere in the U.S. The alcapurria was also subpar. It was greasy as hell but didn't have the flavor to match. It was very well stuffed with meat, but it just had no life. I had to douse it in sauce to enjoy it, which is unacceptable for something that is already crazy unhealthy. Switching to tostones next time. Overall we were very pleased! We ordered 6 items, so of course there were some misses, but we found a couple dishes that we will definitely come back for. Better than Niagara Cafe IMHO. read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Pernil and Sweet Plantain - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Let me start by saying that when I try a new restaurant, I like to give them a fair chance. I regretted that tonight. I was debating between this place and Niagara Café, but Kueva was closer to my home so I decided to try them out. I bought 2 chicken empanadas, marinated chicken, and a side of plantains. What a mistake. The marinated chicken tasted like straight vinegar. I took one bite and threw out the rest. It's a good thing I did, because I couldn't even eat one emapanada. The chicken smelled foul/tasted spoiled and the dough tasted like stale frying oil, replete with a bitter aftertaste. The rice was hard and lacked flavor, and they definitely skimped on the pigeon peas. Like, one pea for every three forkfuls. Smh. The sweet plantains and the red beans were the only positive things about this entire meal. Which sucks when you get home from a long day, want to treat yourself to something other than wings and pizza (apparently the go-to for native buffalonians), and get home to find the whole meal was pretty much gross. On top of all this, the customer service was severely lacking. No greeting, curt service, and to make matters worse the cashier greeted the man who came in after me/had a whole conversation in Spanish. It's annoying that because I didn't bust out in Spanish like I normally do, I didn't receive the same greeting. Overall a shoddy experience. Next time I'll save my money and spare myself the frustration. Do better people, you clearly need the business to keep this hole in the wall operating. read more

La Kueva Restaurant - red beans and a foul smelling empanada - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

See all

There is a cheesy type of potato chip in England called a "quaver". If it was sold in Puerto Rico, it would be called a "quaver". If it was as delicious as the food at La Kueva, then by jimminy cricket himself I would be snacking on those things all the time, I would be renting out that large Fed Ex jet that sits off Cayuga Road behind the 24 hour (is it still?) post office and instructing it to import large quantities of "El Kuevas" into the USA, of course trying to avoid paying duties on them where possible. So on with the review. What to get: Pernil. Really lovely Puerto Rican food on Hertel Avenue, well worth a try. Slightly more expensive than Niagara Cafe and Sazon Criollo which are downtown, but the Pernil and rice is every bit as good, and will leave you full and satisfied. They have a very odd vinegary chilli sauce that is made from some fantastic foreign unknown type of chilli, it's definitely an acquired taste but it's got a real kick and I liked it. I liked everything about this place, including the very sweet flan dessert which I had. Definitely give it a try if you are a fan of latin food. Lovely owners, lovely home style Puerto Rican cooking, a fantastic addition to the Hertel Strip. And when I say strip. I mean, strip. read more

Since I have passed through Buffalo many times simply for the purposes of crossing the border to enter Canada, I have only experienced the view of the city from the highways. This time was different. I had some business to conduct during the morning hours on a weekday and would be completely free beginning at lunch time. I could spend an afternoon taking in the sites of Buffalo, take in some of the history or I could grab lunch and get back on the road. Clearly, I ate lunch. Perusing Yelp to decide where to eat so that I would not have to go on a blind search once I was in Buffalo was very helpful. My short list was produced and had about 6 different places identified. Several commonalities were that all were casual, non- touristy, ethnic (Greek, Latin, Vietnamese, etc...) and absolutely NO fricking Buffalo wings. Puerto Rican cuisine won and I am happy with this choice. One reason I chose La Kueva is because it is located on Hertel Avenue which has quite a few casual restaurants, delis and other eating establishments in a compact area. La Kueva (probably a play on the word "cueva" or cave) looks like a hole in the wall joint on the outside. Once inside, it was surprisingly pleasant, clean and comfortable with non-intrusive background music filling the air. With only about 10 tables, I grabbed an available seat. A pleasant waitress greeted me, brought me a menu and answered the few questions I had. I am quite familiar with this cuisine and I ordered the roast pork ( pernil ) with mofongo: a dish made from fried cooked plantains crushed and mixed with fried pork bits and garlic. Of course, rice and beans were an option as were tostones, maduros, yuca etc.... I asked for an appetizer of an alcapurria which is a meat filled type of fritter. After taking my order, the waitress unexpectedly returned with a small cup of chicken and rice soup as an amuse bouche ! I never expected this. What a great touch and it was excellent soup !! The alcapurria arrived and was too hot to immediately eat. It was large as I am accustomed to smaller ones (think Chinese dumpling size). It had a wonderful exterior crust and a meaty flavorful filling. Soon, the main meal arrived: a very generous portion of roast pork presented as large, but still bite sized, pieces of pulled pork with a large portion of mofongo and a basic yet very fresh green salad. I started with the pork and found it to be very tender, firm not overcooked and not "mushy". Small bits of fat and crisp skin were interspersed :) The mofongo was dense, as it usually is, fresh and mixed perfectly with the pork. A bit of meat broth was served for the purpose of moistening the mofongo. I even ate the salad which came with a basic homemade Russian style dressing. I savored each bite even as I felt myself getting full. The flavors lingered with me, in only the best manner, to make me still enjoy this meal. I'll have to shuffle off to Buffalo again for my La Kueva fix!!! read more

See all

Hey there, Hertel strip. Give your fondest welcome to your newest restaurant, the first Puerto Rican joint to tempt your sidewalk traffic. Opening in the vacant space once occupied by Billamy BBQ, La Kueva boasts an absolutely charming, if simple interior. Tables and chairs are generic, faux-wood, the like of which you might find at a local church's bingo night, but the wood motif throughout, the delightfully muted wall tones, and hanging lamps offer an airy quality I rarely find. However austere my pictures on Yelp may look, the affect is calm and intimate. As the restaurant is just starting to stand up, many items on its menu were not yet available, unfortunately including the entirety of the dessert menu, which sounds delicious. The rest of their offerings are simple but traditional. Stews and Puerto Rican-style fried meats, sandwiches, and a selection of one-off items like meat pies, kabobs, and plantains. For lunch, I ordered myself a Cuban. The meal was satisfactory if not quite extraordinary. While earning points for the freshness of the sandwich bread, the cheese and ham were "meh" deli-grade quality, the pickles bite-less, and the mayo sauce flavorless. On the other hand, the pork had obviously been prepared with great care, making me wish that I had ordered nothing but a plate of it. Though already quite full from the sandwich, I opted to stuff myself full with plantains and a stuffed beef patty while I was there. Oh, gluttony. The plantains had great texture and weren't oily at all (a fault far too many establishments commit), but very little was done to flesh out that special inner sweetness. The beefy patty had absolutely delicious pastry crust, frankly dwarfing those of Manakeesh and More and Kalypso, which I have eaten so many of. Unfortunately, the meat, though plentiful, was unseasoned. Big chunks of onion poked their heads out, but even those had been cooked down to the point of tastelessness. Customer service here was absolutely delightful, and everyone at the restaurant seemed very eager for feedback from each customer there. I briefly spoke with all three of the staff members, including the owner, and each impressed upon me that the menu will be undergoing an overhaul over the ensuing months so that they can bring more extensive specialties online. I am very interested in seeing how they do and look forward to returning and updating my review soon. read more

See all

This is my favorite Puerto Rican spot in the city. Cheap lunch Specials before 2PM for $6. Dinner portions are about $9.50 and double the size. Very affordable, fast and on Door Dash. The owner works there everyday and has tons of stories about Puerto Rico and her food. Daily specials keep it interesting. There's flan and other desserts to end the meal right. read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Pernil Lunch Special - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

LOVE the food here. Got fried chicken takeout with platanos maduros and oh my goodness so yummy! The chicken was phenomenal and the side sauces they gave complimented it so well! The maduros were very good and I also had a side salad as part of the meal. The food came quickly, was very very well prepared, and definitely has me craving more! read more

Can't say enough about La Kueva- nice people, amazing food. Had dinner with friends and we started with plantanos and and tostones- both were amazing with the delicious sauces!! For dinner, I had garlic shrimp and onions with monfogo- plantains a third way!! Delicious, with a little salad. My friends got a Cuban sandwich and a chicken stew-the chicken fell right off the bone and they only serve it on Tuesday so check it out. My husband got pork and brand and loved. We left so full-but I am still dreaming of the food and can't wait to go back! read more

See all

Small Place on Hertal my buddy said we should check out. The lady was super nice, they were closing up soon but she made sure we left happy haha. We both ordered chicken and beef pastellos which were extravagant, especially with the hot sauce they had with it! Along with that we both had a fresh pulled pork with rice plate. She was even nice enough to throw in a couple stews for us to enjoy. It was excellent I would go back for sure! read more

See all

This is the first time I've come here and it was on pure whim as Niagara Cafe was too far for me to drive to in my hangry state. I got the pernil (pork) with yellow rice and beans and two beef pastellios. So the pastellios were good but I always seem to prefer Jamaican beef patties as pastellios just seem more dry. The pernil though did not disappoint. The pork was super moist and I have got a few crispy over skin. Very, very good. Portion size was good and flavors for pernil was very satisfying and mouth watering. Service was pretty basic especially after I mentioned I never ate there. There was no suggestions until I asked for help on the menu. The interior is small so if you're coming to eat in with a group, you may feel cramp. For a takeout the food was good, I paid under $15 for the pernil with rice and two beef pastellios. read more

If you're in the hurtle area this is a must stop! Pastelitos beef and chicken are amazing everything else there also amazing it's a must stop in! read more

Solid 4.5 for this place. The hubby got me take out from here after I had a pretty traumatic day. Ladies get you a man that knows how to cure your blues lol! Annnyways back to the food! He got a nice sampling of the menu; an alpacuria, a pastellio, mofongo with shrimp, pernil with Maduros , a roast pork sandwich and a piece of flan. Needless to say we are set for the weekend with all this food!! The pastellio was gone within seconds of us opening the bag. Didn't even let him get his insta pics lolz. It had really good flavor spice wise but was a tad dry. Would still get it again tho. The next thing we were both obsessed with was the freaking huge roast pork sandwich for $6 it could easily have been the only thing he got us and we would have both been totally full. We decided that sandwich is def going on our regular rotation of quick things to grab. The pernil and madoros were amazing exactly what I look for in my savory sweet perfection bites! The surprise was the mofongo which I really liked cuz it was super garlicky... the shrimp version wasn't necessarily worth it as the shrimp were tasteless and pretty much a throw away. Lastly the two things I wouldn't get again were the alpacuria and the flan. Iv never been the hugest fan of flan and while this wasn't bad it didn't change my inherent opinion of flan. The alpacuria was disappointing, very oily and lacking in flavor compared to ones Iv had before and been thrilled with in other places. Overall tho, great little addition to buffalos many Puerto Rican places and we will def be back. Next time will sub the flan for the tres leeches and the tostones for the alpacuria. ** finally had a chance to return here today! :) delighted to say they are still just as good. We got the pernil dinner again and the pork sandwhich again. Both were exactly as amazing (if not more so) as last time. Also got a side of tostones, which were good (lacking a little salt) but the garlicky sauce it comes with was amazing and made the missing salt a non issue. ALso we got the tres leches cake, i would say this was the most disappointing part of the order. Dry!!! That was definitely disappointing, so i guess my hunt of good tres leches cake continues. read more

See all

Poor and rude customer service, it's not the 1st I've experienced it and I give this place chance after chance and each time the quality of food and service is bad read more

Just finished with La Kueva and I must say I am still a huge fan of Montes on Swan st. more bango for your pesos. I have Dominican relatives that cook similar dishes so I would have to say I am a fair judge of this ethnic fare. Got the steak with yellow rice & beans was good but needed seasoning on the rice & beans. Small portion for the $9 price tag. Also the meat patty was a bit greasy on the inside and very little cheese, it was edible. The three milk cake I didn't like at all it was extremely sweet and the bath of milk was off putting , not sure if this cake is a tres leche cake that I have had family members make in the past. The food definitely beats Billamys BBQ that place was a complete joke. I would patronize them again to try other items but it's hard to beat Montes portions, prices and flavors. The proximity is a great motivator for me. As for the décor it's a divey quaint place to eat for lunch or dinner. I am not one for all the frills to me it's about the quality of food. Love the cool rooster in the window I have faith they will accept any minor criticism as constructive/corrective and move forward to build a better relationship with the community and they certainly have started well. But always room for improvement as we all should strive for. All in all "GOOD EATS" read more

I've been watching the reviews before heading to this restaurant, since I didn't want to walk in blind, and base everything on my experiences (which were good) at the Niagara Cafe oh so many years ago. Tonight was the night I decided to go there. The weather was perfect for some home-style like cooking, and I'm craving a plate of roasted pork with rice and pigeon peas. Well, I went in there. They didn't serve the yellow rice with pigeon peas, using pink beans instead. Quite good, I have to say. The rice might have been a tad overcooked, but rather edible, nonetheless. The roasted pork also started off a little dry, but I got further into it and found juicy and "just right" amount of greasy pork. They got this stuff right, when it comes to my tastes. And they added a thin strip of the pork skin on the top of the pork. OMG...what the hell? This stuff was AMAZING!! (note: the comment of greasy is not in any way meant to place disrespect on the place...it's such a minor amount, but there is a presence that just makes the food more home-made tasting than having liquid re-added since it was too dried out after removing all the fat. This is meant to be home-style type food...in my opinion.) The flan was also a great deal at $2.50 for a decent sized slice of goodness. Did I taste a little bit of rum flavor at the crust? TWO thumbs up! The service was exceptional, and although it was for take-out, the front desk was meticulous in making sure everything was bagged carefully with plastic cutlery, sufficient napkins and ensured that there was NO chance to have a container spill while you're pulling it out of the bag. For the amount that you get, I think it's a great deal for most other places in the neighborhood,, and being in the neighborhood, I'm glad they carved another unique mark into the choices that you'll get on the Hertel Strip. Will definitely return, read more

Loved it here! The food was great! I had the fried pork chops with yellow rice and beans. I also tried the Cuban sandwich and most of the appetizers (we pretty much tried one of everything...you cannot go wrong!!). Everything that I had was delicious and the prices were reasonable! The woman working there took the time to answer all of our questions about the menu and was very efficient. I will definitely be returning sometime in the near future. read more

La Kueva Restaurant - Porkchops - Puerto Rican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Not as good as Niagara Cafe from the meal I had. I ordered maduros, yellow beans and rice, and a beef pastellilo. Beef pastellilo was delicious! Unexpectedly delicious. Everything else was not up to par. The rice was cold in the middle, which tells me that it was probably heated from the refrigerator and not exactly fresh. Theaduros weren't as tasty as the ones at Niagara Cafe nor was the rice or the beans. So far, I'd only come back here for a pastellilo. I'd try their meat products and see what those are like next time. Overall 3/5 read more

The English translation for "La Kueva" is the Cave, and I know why... When I eat there, I feel like I want to cave myself in, stay away from the madness of the walking traffic, and dedicate myself to the excellent food they serve. I live all the way downtown, and La Kueva is up town, the two don't connect, so I wised I had the money to buy the place and bring it downtown. It is worth it! Hertel Avenue is lucky to have a unique "cave" in their neighborhood. The food is great, especially their rice & beans, but I'm always a weakness for good rice and beans. As a true Puerto Rican, I urge and recommed that "gringos" go and taste their food. You will come out having a much better understanding why the people of Puerto Rico love their fooooooood...... make it your discovery, visit the cave...... read more