Tropical Grill & Restaurant

Being that I am a resident of the Harlem area, stopping by this restaurant to pick something to eat was a pretty normal thing to do because the food is affordable and delicious. However, when I stopped into this restaurant on 01/​07/​2016 around their usual lunch time. There was not ONE customer in the restaurant at the time. When I shouted out «Hello!» two of the staff members turned around and look at me and then proceeded to go back to way they were doing. The entire staff did not make any attempt to acknowledge me. Nor did they seem to want to serve me. I would say 7 minutes after I’d stood at the counter and hollered «Hello!» a male customer walked in and immediately the two men and woman turned around and immediately acknowledged him and asked «¿Qué te gustaría?» The male then looked at me and said did you order I said «No! I’ve been standing here longer than you and the refused to even look at me and give me attention but the minute you walk in, they ask you for your order, that’s just disrespectful!» Then one of the older male staff members says to me «You need to wait!» The male customer says «no she was here before, so take her order.» The man says «NO SHE NEEDS TO WAIT!» So I stormed out of this restaurant without getting what I came for and they lost a very loyal customer, I wished I would have stayed to ask for the manager due the disrespect I received but instead I decided to remove myself from the situation and NEVER COME HERE AGAIN! This place would receive a higher rating if it weren’t for its HORRIBLE customer service.

I give this restaurant 2 stars because it’s affordable and their food is pretty good.
However, always expect long lines and inaccurate order. My first experience ordering at the store, after being in line for 7 – 10 minutes, I had asked for the roast pork with white rice. I had ordered it to go. When I got home, I got someone else’s order, shrimp with yellow rice and beans. I think they might have switched my order with someone else’s.
Then I tried ordering for delivery for the first time, I had asked for an orange soda and I got ginger ale instead. My food took an hour and 15 minutes to be delivered.
A week later, I thought I’d give them another chance since my first delivery experience didn’t go smoothly. This time I didn’t wait for an hour and 15 minutes. I waited an hour and 30 minutes for my food. They also got my apartment number incorrectly (even after correcting the delivery boy to press the correct number) so I had to go down and get my food.
If you are looking for something affordable and decent food but do not care about the service then this is the spot. Other than that, I would recommend another Spanish/​Dominican Restaurant.

Ay dios mio! The lines are always out of control here, and that’s because they do chicken right.
Been coming to this spot for fourteen years (srsly, since I was just a beb) for the rotisserie chicken, yellow rice and beans. Not to say that they don’t have a massive menu with a variety of fishies, oxtails, pork, mofongos, platanos, maduros, many kinds of rices and beans. Everything homemade and from scratch. YUM.
I honestly haven’t tried a ton of things on the menu, which is sad considering how long I’ve been coming here, but I find myself only coming here when I get the yellow rice itch.
Now this rice is something very special, and in all likelihood laced with an addictive fairy dust. I could eat ten pounds of it, and that’s no lie. The chicken is tender and juicy, but maintains a nice crisp skin.
The beans! I sometimes grab an order of these to go and eat by themselves. It sounds crazy, but if you don’t believe me, GO GET IN LINE! You can always expect at least 15-​minute wait before you get up front to order, and today’s was about 24, but a girl’s got needs. Now I’m so full I could die happily (or take a nap and do it all over again).
Try this now. At the very least order yourself a massive plate for $ 7:
½ chicken
yellow or white rice (but like… the yellow is off the chain)
frijoles rojos o negros.
You won’t regret it. And one meal is enough to feed a small family.

Tried calling for delivery was placed on hold for TEN MINUTES before the word hello even came out my mouth.
This place encourages me to cook & I am constantly disappointed when I (having no other option as this is the only Spanish rest in the are) have to get food from them.
Negative zero stars

Why does this place ever have a line? The chicken I got was more fat than meat and totally flavorless. The rice and beans were dry and terrible. I guess the price is right, but I just can’t recommend this place to anyone. I couldn’t finish my plate. I’ll be happy if I don’t spend the rest of my evening on the toilet from eating this mess.

Tropical is by far the best spanish restaurant in central harlem.
Not only are they affordable (6 bucks for a half chicken with rice and beans) but they cater to both the sit down and take out crowds by having a generous amount of seating in the back area as well as a walk up desk in the front.
Everything about this place is authentic from the people cooking the food to the ingredients therein and you can taste it in every bite. I’ve never really tried anything other than the chicken but everything looks good.
P. S. get there before 9 as they tend to run out of food about an hour before they close at 10.

THAT LINE. It’s always a hassle. But even without a line, it will take a while to get your food. But it will be worth it.
Bring cash. I cannot stress this enough. The credit card minimum is a reasonable $ 10, but you will have a problem actually getting to $ 10 unless you buy quite the feast.
The chicken is outstanding. The red beans are meh, black beans are better.
Tostones are inconsistent — sometimes great, sometimes so-​so. But you will have to wait even longer for these since they make them when you order them.

Excellent Lunch Specials!
You know its going to be good because there is always a long wait in line to make an order.
I had the Goat Rice and Beans for $ 6. Everything had good flavor and texture. The goat was surprisingly tender and juicy. This place is now my favorite place to get an affordable lunch in my neighborhood.
Another reason to love Harlem!

I was looking forward to trying out this Dominican place, but I came out of it very disappointed.
The pork chops were very dry and bland, without flavor. Another major issue is that you get plastic knives and forks, so cutting the thick meat is really hard.
All in all, a disappointing experience.

The lines are insane and no one bothers to help customers until the customers start shouting at them. Delivery take an hour and a half and only if you call back to check in on them. When it arrives, it’s ice cold. These people just don’t care.

Got the ribs n rice. Ehh. didn’t really enjoy too much. Flavor department was absent.

Gritty Latin spot in a black neighborhood. The food is very salty, the ingredients aren’t the best quality, but the taste is not bad.

This food is NOT good. Is one of the very few Spanish restaurants in Harlem and I can tell you that as a Hispanic, this is NOT what our food is supposed to taste like! I can taste the cheap ingredients in their meals. I got sick the first time I had it but gave a second chance thinking I could’ve been me… it wasn’t. The same awful taste of the beans was NOT pleasant. People who love on that area do not know any better so they think it’s good I guess. It’s ALWAYS packed but I think it’s because it’s across the street from the projects and the prices aren’t bad. But here’s a tip, if you do not see any Hispanics eating in a Hispanic restaurant, then there’s a problem…

Every time I pass Tropical the line is long. Too long for me to endure after a long day of work. But last week I was craving some comfort food and having exhausted all other options between the train and my home, I decided to dive in.
The line doesn’t move briskly. Maybe if my Spanish was better we would have moved along faster. But the roast chicken – which falls off the bone – and the milky and delicious dulce de leche cake (guilty pleasure!) are both worth waiting for!

Another star for consistency — always fantastic! I am not sure why I have to rewrite a whole review, but suffice to say that you get great venue for your money here, and even though you’ll wait a while most times, it’s worth it. The rotisserie chicken and chicken patties are my fave.

I can only speak for the roast chicken. It’s good! Solid comfort food.
As for the cleanliness or customer service… it’s shotty. But for the value, you can get an entire chicken w/​rice + beans and a soda for only $ 15, I’ll come again.

Comfort food that hits the spot on any day of the week.
It is very affordable with very generous portions. Delicious caribbean food! I usually can make one lunch meal into 2 meals for me. For $ 6 a plate that includes your choice of rice, beans, or salad and any type of protein: salmon, oxtail, chicken, and bbq beef, it’s a STEAL!
I normally always get the salmon combo with rice and salad, which is delicious. The oxtail is very flavorful but not enough meat and as for the chicken, you can get fried or rotisserie. YUM. Make sure you come in knowing what you want already or read the menu and be fully prepared on what you want at the time of ordering. They can rush the crap out of you which stresses me out at times but that’s just how they work. Staff is efficient and quick to get you out of there. Lines can be long but don’t sweat it, you will be out of there in no time.
If you are in the Harlem area and want something affordable other than chicken and waffles, stop by here!

This place would receive a higher rating if it weren’t for its HORRIBLE customer and delivery service. Not only do I have to call multiple times (13 times at one point) to have my order taken, they’ve screwed up my order on several occasions but most annoyingly it ALWAYS takes at least an hour and a half to receive my food. I am only but 3 blocks and an avenue away, there is NO excuse for receiving my food that late.
Although the food is delicious and the price attached is economical, your best bet is to go there yourself and order, if not make sure to make yourself a snack while you wait.

This place is the best!
Three of us came here one day after work and got one of the combos which included chicken, rice, caesar salad, black beans and a 2 Liter drink.
My eyes almost popped out of my head when I saw how much food it was! The three of us ate until we were full and still had some to take home! The chicken was moist and seasoned to perfection and was the perfect combo with the rice.
As far as the dining here… It’s not fancy by any means but it gets the job done. The tables were clean and besides… with food like this, no one cares about the décor!
This place is SO affordable and SO worth it. Will definitely be returning and soon!

Unfair !!
Many times I noticed that they would give me smaller portion than they give everyone else. I guess they don’t think a petite girl needs very much food??? I would give them an extra star if they were fair. I might just resort to asking a male friend to call in and order for me…
They are still a decent go-​to spot for take-​outs because $ 6 is not bad for slow-​cooked food and they’re conveniently located (for me at least).
UPDATE: After tolerating how unfair they are, today I went and they insisted my lunch costs $ 8. I go for lunch and check-​in there enough to earn the title of Duchess. So, I know better than that! What a rip off! Now I know better than to keep tolerating them. I’m never going back!