Margon

Took us forever to find this place. Finally had to call them and realized we had walked by it like 5 times. Tip… it is basically across from TGIfridays. Ordered the Cuban no mayo. Pretty unheard of I guess to order no mayo because it took them a while. Sandwich was good. Just heavy mustard. Ordered pernil and platanos marduros. They gave a surprise fries chicken chunk, delicious. Food was all good. More of a local joint and prices were fair. All our food with drinks was $ 25. Not 5 stars because of the heat. So hot!

Margon is off the chart. Local spot, delicious food and very affordable. Can you ask for more? If you’re in Times Sq and looking for a quick bite this is the place to go. Service is great too and the women at the counter are a proper laugh.
Just be aware that the Cuban sandwich (10 $) comes with a considerable side order of rice/​beans/​fried banana and one piece of chicken! Worth sharing. CLOSES AT 5PM!

As tourists wandering the streets of NYC, we found this little gem. Holy smokes, everything looked and smelled great. I ordered the special (roasted chicken). A ton of food and every bite was a party in my mouth. We sat inside and watched the lunch crowd come in– it says something when someone in a chef’s coat comes in for lunch. Everyone was ordering this little chicken ditty, so I asked what it was. The birthday gal behind the counter said it was fried chicken and she offered up a free morsel. Yup, that was good too! Great flavors, great hole in the wall. Don’t blink or you’ll miss this treasure!

I came here while in the city to see Hamilton, and chose this place to grab breakfast nearby after camping out overnight. It’s just a few minutes’ walk away from the Richard Rodgers and other nearby theatres and shops in Times Square. I ordered the cheese omelette, which comes with home fries, and a Cuban coffee, for just over $ 7. The food was delicious and filling and the staff is extremely friendly. I liked it so much that I had to come back the next day. I don’t know if I’d eat lunch here, as there are few vegetarian options, but I’d definitely come back here for breakfast next time I’m in town! Great food and great guys.

REAL TIME LUNCH REVIEW, Y’ALL!
Ordered up lunches for two days: pepper steak w/​yellow rice and black beans… and palomilla steak with white rice and red beans.
Order confirmed at 3pm. They’re about two aves and six blocks from me. Arrived by 3:45 via a very friendly and patient delivery guy!
I like that they pack the protein separate from the rice/beans/sides…and REALLY awesome that they top the rice/​beans with some bonus plantains (which were SUPER good!). Don’t like that everything is squished and leaning… but for food this good? Really don’t care!
That Palomilla Steak is what’s ON! Marinated in garlic and lime. Just lovely way to do skirt steak! A bit chewy/grizzly…but nothing to really complain about at this price point.
I’LL BE BACK!!!

This place is so dirty, and the food looked so dry sitting out that I walked out without ordering.

Good stuff. I’m not sure why I had this for lunch since I live in a neighborhood with a lot of Cuban restaurants but I decided to eat some Cuban food anyway. I had the roast pork, yellow rice, black beans and maduros which was good.
I had the Cuban sandwich in the past and I think I’m gonna do that again the next time I go there. I kinda like this place better than Sophie’s which has multiple locations in NYC.

Really good and really cheap food in the heart of Manhattan! We went as a group for lunch from the training class we are taking close by.

Outstanding Cuban food. I had the roasted chicken and it was perfect. Be sure to check the menu before going. The specials change daily and if you have a favorite, like roast pork, it might only be offered once a week.
The place is small and the staff keeps customers moving to allow everyone to get service. The seating area is small so most take their food to go.
Very worth the experience

I love this place. Puts the cuban sandwich at Havana Central, which is across the street to shame. The line can get super long for lunch time so you may want to order ahead and pick it up. They do offer delivery. I have not had anything else there but it all looks good and by the smiles on people’s faces it says it all.

My recommendation: Make time to go there.
Ok, so if you are not looking you will miss it. Literally looks like a hole in the wall, but we all know they usually have the best food and Margon is on that list. I went look for Café Con Leche and found and amazing lamb special and came back for the fantastic Cubano sandwich. My next tript to NYC I will make sure to go back for the oxtail. So good!!!

Another restaurant checked off from my girlfriend’s must try near my office lunch spots. First off, I’ve not the type to go out of my way and order Spanish food, so this was one of my first experiences.
As recommended, I went with the Cubano sandwich. While the sandwich was a bit smaller than expected, it was still delicious. The highlight of the sandwich though was the bread. It was so crispy that I can only imagine my girlfriend squealing with each bite if she had eaten this sandwich with me (she’s a huge bread lover and absolutely would have bread as her last meal). Luckily for me, my sandwich was literally fresh off the grill as they tend to grill /​toast several sandwiches at a time.
Don’t be intimidated by the lines — the service here is very streamlined as there’s separate lines for sandwiches (sandwiches are at the front) and the hot plated food (rice platters). The hot plated food line was longer than the sandwich line, but given how great my Cuban sandwich was, I’ll be back to try their hot food. There’s daily specials everyday, so you can eat a different dish here everyday if you wish.

Umm. YUM.
I was a faithful 2 times a week customer at Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine until I went on their Unilocal page and saw people recommending Margon instead. I thought, «hmm why not? It’s closer to my job» … welp, I just want to say THANKS, random Sophies-​bashing-​yelpers, I love Margon!
The food is delicious and more authentic-​tasting. Prices and portions are pretty similar.
This definitely isn’t a place to take a first date/​someone you’re trying to impress but if you’re with someone that’s down for good food and doesn’t care for all the fancy shmancy stuff then this is it! It’s extremely cramped & small, personally I wouldn’t eat there, it’s more of a to-​go place.
Also, they have mangu for breakfast (traditional Dominican breakfast meal)! Oh my God. Mangu, smack in the middle of Times Square. Thank you baby Jesus.

If you don’t like Margon, then I don’t think I can respect your opinion on food. This place is fantastic. I haven’t gotten anything here that I don’t like. The place is cramped as hell, and the line is obnoxiously long, but whatever they need to stay in business.
I love the pork, but everything here is fantastic.

This place brings me back to my childhood.
It’s very hard to find Puerto Rican cuisine in the city but I think that Cuban comes close. Not a beautiful place in the sense of décor but definitely a beautiful place for your stomach. Affordable delicious food half buffet style half made to order. Cuban sandwich is a must try. Not the beast I’ve ever had but comes pretty damn close. Service is fast and friendly.

At $ 8, the cuban sandwich here hits the spot but is barely just enough for a lunch portion. Although very well executed, Margon puts just one thin slice of each type of meat… There were also only 2 pickles in the whole sandwich. Don’t know who you’re trying to fool (probably tourists in Times Square) but come on Margon — you can do better.
I think there’s much better lunch deals at other spots in midtown. But if you must have Cuban, perhaps the specials (see menu uploaded below) will bring better value.

Day 3, Californian’s in New York. During a conference lunch break. I wanted to venture out for lunch not stay in the hotel. We had Japanese food for the past few days and I wanted something different. Hench, Margon!
At first entrance, the place is narrow. Cafeteria style with only a few tables. It’s not pretty, not chic but boy was Margon inviting. She walked us through the menu and served us. Ham hocks, baked chicken, beef steak, orange rice, black beans and rice, plantains… yum. The chicken was very moist, tender and tasty. My orange rice was also flavorful. Margon also put small taste size item on our plates. She was great, as was her food. My husband also liked the oxtail, his words melt in your mouth. My coworker ate his whole entire plate. which is a lot! Margon was impressed!
If ever Im back in New York, I will definitely be back.

Hole in the wall– better than Sophies? Man oh man I love how hidden this place was and what I love more is how authentic it can be! The staff was super helpful as it was my first time dining there. There were so many choices, I was torn as to what I should order. I ended up with the chicken and I did not regret it. I cannot wait to come back and try the cuban sandwich as for now the best one I’ve had.

It was love at first bite with Margon. I always come here for the heavenly cubano sandwich. It’s meaty, messy, and moist in all the right ways. Needless to say, I fantasize about this sandwich often. I keep meaning to try the other food offerings, as their rotating daily special menu always seem to be so promising.
The one downside of Margon is the small restaurant space and their raise in prices. I went during peak lunch hours (around 1pm) and it was packed with people, which can be quite intimidating. The line moves pretty quickly though, and if you’re ordering a sandwich you can apparently just skip to the front of the line to the register to place your order, as they prepare the sandwiches separately from where the rest of the food is.

The very favorable Unilocal reviews made us think that this was a ‘destination’ restaurant. We did not find this to be the case: it wasn’t worth a special trip.
this is the kind of place that is good for lunch if you just happen to be in the neighborhood.
We found the food good and hearty but nothing really special. We had the Cubano sandwich and roast chicken with rice and beans.
Margon is definitely not a comfortable place to eat-​in. The seating is cramped, the temperature is way too hot, and the tables ae not cleaned off after customers have left. The dishes are cleared but lots of grease stains and small bits of food remain so it feels a little dirty– like a harried fast food joint.
I’ll come again but only if I happen to be passing by.

LIKEEEEEEE!
Margon serves really yummy foods and the delivery was fast and delivery man was very friendly! I love their oxtail stew so much that I wish I could shower in it (nuh.I am just joking, that would be so gross …), the oxtail was super tender and the mix of red wine and herb just make the the stew so flavorful, it’s so good to eat with their yellow rice， this is the ultimate comfort food to me ! I also love their octopus salad, $ 8 for small one is enough for 1 people. I wish they could consider to extend their hour to serve the dinner, it’s very sad they only open till 5PM.

This place is amazing and such a freaking deal for the area.
Decided to go here after reading such great things about this place. I followed other Unilocaler advice and got there before the lunch crowd, like around 11:30 or so. Even at that time it was a little crowded but not as crazy as my second visit when I stupidly arrived close to 12:30. But no worries, the line moves fast. Staff at Margon know what they are doing.
They normally have a fish and 2 – 3 meat options with rice, beans, etc. Fish has always been friend snapper everytime I’ve gone. Meat is normally the baked chicken, some kind of pork (peril, pork chops), and beef. I always get the chicken, rice and beans. Really good. It comes with plantains but I’m not a fan. The chicken is always tender and juicy and very flavorful. And of course it’s huge. This is the kind of meal you get if you venture from the resort (and we all know we shouldn’t, but live a little) and found the street vendors. Like what the hell do they put in their food to make it so good?
It’s a lot of food so I’d advise against finishing it off in one sitting. Trust me on this folks. Food comas are real. Ok… a bit dramatic but this is enough food for 2 meals. I won’t judge (much) those who can polish off the the whole dish.
The Cuban sandwich here is also the ish. I’m not huge on these but I heard Margon was probably the best in town so I gave it a try. My advice, don’t look while they’re making it. Your heart and arteries may balk.
I don’t work too close to this place and I HATE Times Square, but for Margon, I travel. It’s like a once every other month treat though. Any more and I’d need a new wardrobe.

After seeing a fellow Unilocaler Victoria S. posting a picture of her Cubano Sandwich and it looks pretty legit. Thank you again sweetie! Finally crossed Margon off my list to try =) Its a small, long narrowed restaurant and pretty packed by the time that I arrived. The front of the restaurant is the sandwich station then register but you line up towards back of the house to order your food. When it was my turn, «mama» only wanted the Cubano Sandwich in my belly. I ordered and get a post-​it from the lady then I paid $ 8.70 and was handed a brown bag indicating 1P (coding for take-​out). The sandwich station guy put my Cubano in the bag then I speed walk back to my office to devour this baby! Estimate time going there and heading back is 30 mins which I can’t do all the time probably once in a blue moon: wink:
Cubano oh baby, you are a carnivores’ perfect sandwich! The bread was toasted to perfection and stack of meat *drools* «mama effing love you»!

Got the Monday Special Roast chicken with rice and brown beans and platanos for $ 11 not incl. tax. The chicken is moist and every piece is just darn pullable!!! This is beter than Sophies a block away! Margon packs the take out container to the top and if you wanted to sample something, they would give you a piece to try! I read that the staff are very nice there and it was definetely true!
Dont bother getting the empanadas. The chicken one I had was dry and flavorless and Ive had a lot of different empanadas. They give you packaged red hot sauce and no green sauce and that was upsetting.
Would go again to try the oxtail!

Lunch madness!!! This place is packed to the rim during lunch hour.
How the line works: go straight to the back, stand in line, order (1 meat, choice of rice and beans) and pay as you head to the front.
Sandwich line: order at the front of the store, pay, and stand to the side. Get everything on the sandwich cuz it’s soooo good.
Super narrow space. Super fast service. Super hot inside (better to carry out).

Lo único que puede echarte para atrás de este sitio es su aspecto, que es un poco oscuro y avejentado, pero cuando ves que está hasta arriba y que incluso los policías de la zona comen en él es buena señal.
¿Y qué sé yo de comida cubana como para hablar de este sitio? Pues nada, excepto que si no te gustan las mezclas de sabores que tienen en algunos platos, te permiten pedírtelos por módulos y así no pagas lo que no te gusta. Nosotros, como tenemos buen paladar, pedimos el pollo asado con arroz amarillo, judías negras y plátano, y estaba para chuparse los dedos varias veces, especialmente el pollo, que estaba hecho con alguna especia que no sabría mencionar pero me pareció soberbio.
De verdad, sé que desde fuera nunca lo elegiríamos la mayor parte de nosotros, pero merece la pena darle una oportunidad.