Malecon Restaurant

Friendly staff, busy place, lots of customers. Sangria was tasty and seafood salad was good (fresh/​plentiful) but the Paella ($ 38) was a disappointment. The seafood was over cooked and dry. Flavor was dull and a bit salty. Didn’t want to eat it. Quantity was good but for the quality, it’s way too expensive. Not sure I would go again.

When you enter a restaurant on a Friday evening and it is dead while the neighboring bars/​restaurants are bumping music and crowded, it’s a sign. Ignoring that my friend and I went in.
Thought we’d start off with drinks so my friend ordered a Pina Colada and I ordered a Cosmo. At first the waitress/​bartender (they didn’t even have an actual bartender) did not understand what a cosmo was. I then said «cosmopolitan» and it took a few tries before she understood what the drink was. Drinks came out and mine tasted like sour juice but luckily my friend’s Pina Colada tasted as should. Discouraged I did not order an additional drink. Btw, all mixed drinks/​cocktails have a flat price of $ 10 no matter what you order and there isn’t a happy hour or any specials.
On to food. The bread they gave us was quite delicious and filling. Tasted like it was pan fried in butter, giving a toasty warm perfection. I then ordered the shrimp quesadilla and my friend ordered the chicken quesadilla. It was definitely large and filling; however the only ingredients were unseasoned shrimp and a jack load of cheese. Sure, I love cheese but no salsa, peppers, onions, or ANYTHING else? Quite odd. Also ordered a side of tostones which were not up to par, either. For the money this place charges, it’s outrageous that their quality of food and service does not match.
I’ve had amazing authentic Dominican food from small places for an amazing price, for example even in the suburbs of Belleville, NJ. Disappointed and will not be coming here again.

Wow, the food here is unbelievably great. Altogether I have been here three times, had food to-​go twice and sat down once to eat with my co-​workers. I have tried the garlic shrimp, garlic grouper with yellow rice, and the mofongo (forgot which kind I ordered) here, on separate occasions, of course. The food was superb each time. I love the garlic flavor so tend to order those dishes more. Definitely huge portions each time!!! I ordered the garlic grouper for $ 18 which could have lasted me four to five days! Awesome deal!

Came here for a good Sunday breakfast and I wasn’t disappointed. The service was fast and the food was good!
Also, stopped by a few hours later and bought a roasted chicken, rice and beans and empanadas to go… dinner was just as good. It was even better since I didn’t have to cook!

All hype.
Happened to stop by to pick up some food to go. Noticed the wall of rotisserie chicken. ½ chicken for $ 6.50 and full chicken for $ 12. The size of the chicken is not that big. I can probably finish a full by myself. Thought about trying some, but perhaps next time. Probably a long long time from now…
Their setup seems extremely fast and efficient. The cashier take the order and food comes out of the kitchen constantly.
Onto the food… Huge disappointment…
The chicharron de pollo was extremely chewy and dry. The breading is a too salty/​heavy. How can a place mess up on fried chicken? Isn’t there some kind of law against that???
The empanadas were also completely nasty. Yes. Nasty. They tasted like they were fried in old/​repeatedly used oil. It’s a very strong taste and it’s impossible to ignore. There was no other flavor. Just old/​unchanged oil… Took one bite. Spat it back out…
Just thinking about it again pisses me off. Nasty.

Found myself in Bronx during work… stopped by to take home some lunch.
Service, for take out was pretty good. The cashier was very approachable. Prices were… OK.
I ended up getting the oxtail lunch special. The yellow rice was really good. The oxtail was decent but I think could have been simmered a bit longer.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had food here. From what I remember, the roast chicken and sides (beans, rice, tostones and maduros) were delicious.
Make sure you ask for extra green sauce; I think they called it mojito? This sauce is one of the best I’ve had; garlic and lime along with other spices makes it a great condiment on anything. Hey I’ll even have it on rice and make it a meal!
You can get a whole chicken, two sides, rice for $ 20.00! They’re consistent with their roast chicken. You can see big rotisserie cranking by the window as you enter.

I decided to visit for the time thanks to other Unilocal reviewers. I often times pass by and seems like their business is always booming. They have an A rating posted for NYC sanitation. Their service was outstanding. Our food arrived in a timely fashion. I give it 3 stars because I wasn’t too impress with our food in terms of flavor. My dish was a mixed mofongo pernil/​cheese sadly it was a bit dry even though they gave me a gravy, the slice of pernil was way overcooked. Their Morir Soñando didn’t meet my expectations since it was watery.

I’ve been eating here for years. I usually go with their Malecon style chicken or pepper steak (w/​yellow rice and red beans ofcourse) but as of lately I’ve been trying the pescatarian thing so I decided to go with the Fried Grouper and my oh my am I happy I made that decision. Not only was it battered flavorful and fried to perfection it came with an orange sauce that should be bottled and sold. I’m so ready to try everything on the menu now!
Ps. The Maduros are a MUST and the Tres Leches for dessert!
The only reason I didn’t rate 5 stars is because they do have their off days. But maybe I just eat here too much lol

Really food chuletas fritas and they have lunch specials that pretty much last all day. I went there with my sister in law at about 4 or 5 pm and they still let us order the lunch special. She ordered the beef stew. The beef in the beef stew was more flank steak than chuck but yummy none the less. I would definitely recommend this place.

Makes you throw your diet to the wind. Harty Latin soul food that brings me back to my childhood. There is just something ‘old school’ endearing, no frill and good deliciousness about this place.
UWS is loosing good Latin food. This is a culinary stick to your ribs time ravel do your senses kind of place. Thumbs up!

Friday night and needed something quick for takeout. Malecon is not only open late, but has fast service for speedy to-​go meals.
Lots of options at this spot, like any good Dominican restaurant. settled on the half chicken ($ 6.50), maduros ($ 5), and a tres leche cake ($ 5.50). Got all the food within 8 minutes of ordering, though all was piping hot (can even see the little chicken turning on the window display). Chicken is super moist, and the skin is delicious. Maduros are blackened well and seasoned with just the right amount of sweetness that soaks all the way through. The best part is the tres leche cake, submerged in condensed milk — a perfect finish to the meal.
With the amount of food that was given, had leftovers for the next day. Still amazing (the true test of quality food). I would say I want to go back to try other things, but it’d be hard not to have the same exact meal again.

Went on a Friday afternoon. Was seated right away which was expected since I was a party of 1. The pan with butter brought happy memories. Ordered a Morir soñando and mofongo con camarones. While I was waiting on my plate I got up to use the bathroom and the busboy cleared my table but once they noticed they brought me a new drink so I was happy. The plate was so beautiful. Smells and aesthetic all there. Took a bite of the shrimp and something was off. My waiter never came back until I asked for the check. I only ate the platano with the sauce. Even after not really eating my meal he said he’d still have to charge me but wouldn’t charge my drink because his boss wasn’t there. Overall lackluster experience.

Cuando estás lejos de casa y necesita que el hogar Tipo de cocinado de comida. Este es el lugar para ir. El pollo asado es para morirse, caliente, húmedo y siempre a punto. El mojito lleva las cosas al siguiente nivel. Es tan muy bueno, lo pongo en todo. Los Mofongos también hay amazingingly buena. Mucha gente va allí por la fuerte buen café, también degustación. Las especialidades de pollo y arroz son también muy popular. El desayuno también es su increíble. Me da la Mangu, longaniza, huevos fritos y, a veces, el queso frito (también conocido como Los Tres Golpes). Este plato es tan bueno que se le elimina, a llenar para arriba y usted será bueno para el resto del día. A veces, hago el sándwich de pollo y el sándwich de carne (que es mi sándwich favorito allí). Siempre tengo que pagar extra por parte de ese mojito, toma todo al siguiente nivel. Todos los días, tienen una comida especial, y si usted no se siente como tener el pollo o un sándwich. Usted puede obtener todo de la sopa, a las costillas, lasaña, espagueti, pescado, etc No se puede equivocar con nada en el menú!

Came here on a Sunday evening, around 630. Right after we were seated the place started to fill up and soon enough there was a long line waiting to be seated.
Let’s get to the food part of this review.
Mofongo de churrasco: delicious! The meat was fresh and the mofongo had good flavor. If you’ve never had mofongo, it is typically very dry, so they give you a red sauce to help that out. And make sure you have a drink to pass it down. But nonetheless delicious!
Chivo (lunch special I believe?): I thought it had a very good seasoning to it. But goat meat has a distinct flavor to it that you may or may not like. You could slightly taste that in this dish. Came with a side of rice and beans. Not sure how I felt about this
We also ordered a side of maduro (sweet plantains).
The waiter was quick and although he was not talkative he was on top of us. We had a lot of left over food and when I saw him pass by to ask if we could take it to go, he already had the take out dish and plastic bag in his hands. So, thumbs up for service!
Many of the pics on Unilocal looks like they have some tasty dishes. And I enjoyed what I ordered!
I would definitely come back to try other dishes if I’m ever in the area.

I looooove this place, the rotisserie chicken is the best i have ever, ever had. the steak with onions is perfect… order the maduras and yellow rice to go with it, you wont be disappointed.
Prices are incredibly reasonable, you cant go wrong

Came here today with my fiancéé expecting a heck of a meal, because of the great reviews I read here. But, instead the Mofongo con Mariscos were definately not fresh, the mofongo was dry with no flavor.
For $ 38 a plate, they could have made a fresh Meal. I ended up bringing it home to see if the day after taste any better.
My Fiancéé ordered the Mofonco con pernil y pollo another disappointment, dry and meat was old.
Difinately, do not recommend this place.
Although the service was really nice, clean atmosphere and the back of the restaurant is cozy.
Also, I’m only speaking for these 2 dishes we ordered, maybe other dishes taste better but I won’t take any chances going back all the way fron Astoria NY.

Sure, the service is awful, as many others have noted: lazy, inattentive when not rude, sloppy, and gosh-​forfend if you don’t speak Spanish — because no one here speaks English.
Yes, the bathrooms are dirty. Yes, the tables are dirty. (Make sure your table is wiped down thoroughly before you sit.) Yes, the crowd is obnoxious and loud. Yes, you’ll be put off.
So why go, and why 3 stars?
Simple.
Malecon is cheap. More important, it’s across the street from the United House etc, a major concert venue. It’s open late. And because you can eat, a lot, of respectable chicken.
This is fast food. This is not a restaurant. This is a diner. I haven’t tried 90% of the ridiculously long menu. Nor should you, just as you shouldn’t order anything other than a couple of items on the menus at Greek delis (if anything is even available).
But the rotisserie chicken is tasty, and cheap. Get the black beans, not the red. Yellow rice, not white. And avoid the yucca, which is super dry.
But chicken is tasty, and cheap. Ask the unhelpful help for crispy skin.
Man, though. If you’re not Dominican, or Puerto Rican, or something, expect awful, awful service. But it is cheap.

Daytime service is shamefully racist, more than one occasion: completely ignores white person, literally teased with bread as new Spanish costumes sit and are served immediately. Nobody comes to take order after 10 minutes of sitting patiently. Waitresses stare directly at you obviously noticing you waiting for them, and then stand in the corner with their arms crossed doing nothing but waiting for you to notice them disrespecting you.
I usually like this restaurant because the food is good and it’s extremely close to where I live. Unfortunately, like many Latin restaurants in this area, their daytime servers take the opportunity to act superior.

Im more than sure this place ruined my whole weekend in NYC. The waitress was so rude for no reason, just nasty. She didn’t even speak english which whatever not a big deal. I ordered the beef pastelito. Disgusting. It was so dry and felt like it was old. Then I got an order of tostones. I asked for Mojo or whatever dipping sauce they had, the waitress said they don’t have any. Ok who eats dry ass tostones? I really wish it would have been better but after i def got sick the whole weekend.

Delicous PepperSteak, large portion! Their rotisserie chicken is THE BEST. One of my fave spots up in the heights.

Great food. We ordered a variety of dishes including Mofungo with shrimp, Baked Snapper, Salads, Red Beans & Rice and of course their famous Chicken. Everything was delicious. Service was attentive even during the rush when we were dining there. Plan on taking a portion of your meal home due to the size of the dishes they serve at your table. A great Washington Heights restaurant!

Big fan of Malecon take out. It’s like a once-​a-​week routine for my GF and I. The rotisserie chicken is excellent and the price is unbeatable. Throw in some mashed potatos, beans and maduros and you’re all set!

Deliciousness! Malecon has perfected all of their dishes. I absolutely love coming here. It’s inexpensive and portions are just right. This unassuming place sits on the corner of Broadway and quite spacious. Every time I’ve gone they are busy so you might have to wait a bit.
I recommend the steak dishes, chicken dishes or mofongo. However, you can’t go wrong here! I wouldn’t consider any other Spanish restaurant in the area. This is #1.
FYI, I came in on a holiday around noon to order six roasted chickens to-​go for a family gathering. They had a chicken line! I waited about 45 minutes for my turn. Goes to show how awesome the food is here. Must try!

I just moved to the Neighborhood… Malecon no doubt is one of my TOP foodie faves in NYC.
Best Rotisserie chicken I have ever had! Tastey!!! Succulent on the inside and skin browned to perfection on outside!!!
The Pork Monfongo is to die for!
The Avocado salad was a simple no frills salad, but lovely presentation with super duper fresh veg ingredient, avocado was perfectly ripe and colorful and their homemade vinaigrette — yum!
Now lets talk Sangria… Sangria it to me baby! No skimping on the Brandy! Pretty traditional if you ask me! Probably my favorite Sangria in the city.
The service– very attentive and our waiter was well versed and super knowledgeable on the restaurant cuisine.
People, there is a reason they opened a second Malecon, soooooooo good!
Can’t wait to try the rest of menu!

I was invited by my girlfriend to have the best chicken in the Heights according to her. Growing up in the heights myself I know what type of chicken is «brewed» there …
We arrive and were told the wait time was 5 – 10 well turned out to be 36 minutes but who’s counting … In the midst of all this I decide to go to the ladies room. A custom habit I have formed due to past experiences. «A clean bathroom speaks volume of the care the staff at a restaurant portray» _​~ by ME
ATROCIOUS!
I immediately exited the premises and informed those waiting in line to the restroom to wait til it was cleaned up (see pics below) I wanted to leave but I was so hungry goodness! The bathroom attendant heard what I had to say! And so did the manager. Needless to say not only we got a clean bathroom but a Comp meal.
Food was excellent I must say! I ordered a Paella (forgot all about the delicious chicken) yum yum to the Paella!

Really good chicken, the beans and rice were also good, plantains were just OK. Casual place a couple of blocks from me, seems like they do a lot of take out, will be back for more pollo.

Had high expectations.
The food was lacking visually.
Pernil was super dry.
Chicken was ok.
Pork chop stew had no flavor at all.
Moro de guandules was ok.
Red beans lacked flavor.
Beef empanadas were ok.
Super let down, thought this place would be on point.
On to the next Washington heights location !

Since moving to NYC, I’ve grown to love places like this, with food from the Spanish-​speaking Caribbean. The people who work there are often Dominican, but the food may be Cuban or Puerto Rican, as well. Two things you can count on: huge portions, and great coffee. Malecon is more of a sit-​down restaurant than a diner, though they seem to have a thriving take-​out business.
I’ve only been here for lunch, but for $ 8.50 you can one of the daily specials, rice & beans. They have an extra-​large size, but I found the regular lunch just about as much food as I could eat. Got a lovely melt-​in-​your-​mouth «pernil» roast pork, which was great. Just wish they had a hotter hot sauce. Will definitely come back next time I’m in the Heights.

Malecon! Malecon! If you are ever on 167^th and Broadway, then you NEED to visit this place, especially if you are in the mood for Dominican cuisine.
The food has grandma (figuretively speaking) cooking in the kitchen. I mean, it’s just so damn good and fresh. The pricing is affordable, you can order in or to go, never a long wait.
*Note: During the summers, you might even catch the piragua man outside the store. His piraguas are off-​the-​chain, just syain’.

This is a great place to get your Mofongo fix, they have the best Mofongo I’ve ever had. I had the salad, steam veggies, and fried beef with red onions. The food was fresh, taste great, and the drinks were pretty good.
Enjoyed the outdoor seating, very close-​fitting seating inside. Friendly staff, very busy on weekends, overall great food and good experience.

This place was awesome. I came here with friends after class and had a great time. We got sangria, chicharrón, and amazing different versions of mofongo. I got the mofongo with chicharrón and cheese! OMG.
The service was really nice and it probably helped that we had a majority of our group could speak Spanish. Our servers were expedient and kind. Our waitress was awesome and really helpful. This place was the best.

This place could be so much better, if they took a class on how to be attentive to customers, but when you are constantly being ignored, no matter how delicious the food is, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth!!!
Went all the way uptown from Brooklyn for some delicious Dominican food. As soon as I walked in I spotted the chicken hanging, looking oh so delicious, right there and then I knew that I was ordering. As we stood there waiting for someone who worked there to sit us… plenty of people walked by, no one paid us any mind. After a while of looking ridiculous, my husband asked someone if we seat ourselves, they said someone will be right with you, meanwhile I’m looking at six/​many seven open tables.
Finally we get seated all the way in the back next to the bathroom… oh GREAT! So while we are looking over the menu, SOMEONE decided to take a shit, and yes the smell comes out of the bathroom! Now I know this isn’t the restaurants fault, just wanted to give you my full experience!
The waiter who speaks NO ENGLISH comes over to take our order, we felt rushed, thankfully we knew what we wanted…
We ordered the meat platter for appetizer, which was really good, and more like a meal
Once that came out, I swear five minutes later comes our chicken, rice, totones, they forgot the beans, they forgot my order of rice, they forgot the garlic sauce for the totones, and they forgot to clean the table of appetizers so we would have room for our entrée.
It was nearly impossible to get the waiters attention, many times I had to ask the man mopping for help, and yes mopping with fabuloso which is a strong smell! I guess it’s better than smelling the bathroom… UGH
patience patience patience… but the chicken was delicious, too bad everything else just sucks!

I’ve been coming here for over 10 years and it’s always such a great meal. Probably the best Dominican food in the city that I’ve had. They serve big portions for reasonable prices which is a plus.
Their chicken is so flavorful and juicy it never fails.
I usually always get chicken, white rice with red beans and a side of maduros.
Came here for breakfast a few times and had the «tres golpes» which consists of eggs, salami, yuca, fried cheese and mangu smothered in onions. Simply delicious!
They only have street parking which I’ve never found to be a problem when I come here.
Finally, their service is always friendly and attentive. They are always super busy, but their service has always been on point every time.
Overall, great Dominican food. Must try if you’re in the neighborhood.

Probably one of the best restaurants in the Heights!!!
Dominican food at its best, I do miss the days where this place was 24 hours but understand that changes had to be made. On that note, come visit them when you are either in the heights or craving Dominican food.
The chicken is sooo delicious snd juicy. I’ve also order their mofongo which is one of my favorite Dominican dishes. You can get it in many various ways and prices are reasonable.
Staff is friendly and pretty fast. I wanna say they speak English too but not 100% sure on that. Either way you will get your point across.
Highly recommend this place!

El Malecon Restaurant is a neighborhood place in Washington Heights. It is a solid Dominican restaurant with tasty food. Nothing fancy, but loud and crazy busy.
On a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago; the place was packed. Lines to get in the door. We were fortunate to score a table in between rushes. Yay.
Service is attentive and friendly, but be patient. Servers are busy, very busy. They have large sections and have their hands full.
Some may say that the food is blah and average. They are probably right. I say it is good comfort food. Lots of rice, beans, meat with «SABOR». Try their Lunch Special at $ 8.50; fish, beef. pork, pasta with a rice or moro rice.
On this date we had pernil with moro rice. Not the best pernil or rice I had, but very tasty. A huge pile of rice with some nice pernil pork smothered in peppers and onions. Pernil moist with flavor. Rice with gandules hit the spot; good. Only opportunity with food was it warm not hot. I like my rice steaming hot and pork hot.
El Malecon is not a destination restaurant, but if in the area, definitely go for it. At $ 8.50 for Lunch you can’t go wrong. You will be happy and enjoy your meal. Price includes tax. So, for $ 11 with tip, your hunger pains will be satisfied. Like I said; not bad, not great, just solid Dominican food.

Amazing roasted chicken! Simple and juicy as it should be! The place, though, could be a little less noisy.

It’s been a while since I stopped by this place so I’d figured it was time for an update.
I was here during the week, we came in & were seated right away.
Since they do give u a lot of food no need for appetizers although I did have a Kipe they are good hard to stay away.
Drinks we had some Presidente beer, always great nice & cold.
Main meal this time I tried the Shrimp in Garlic sauce with some Tostones, nice amount of shrimp dipped in garlic sauce this was really good great tasting sauce & good size shrimp.
The tostones were really good as well, dip it in the garlic sauce even better.
My company had Shrimp as well expect in a spicy sauce also w tostones, this was good as well.
Good service & decent prices you can’t go wrong.
This place is good so chances are if visiting the area again I’d come back.