El Coquí Café — Restaurant in Clifton

This place is hands down my new favorite spot!!! It started going viral on tik tok so we checked it out. Be aware if you go on a Saturday as there might be a wait. For reference, we got on the line around 12:30pm and with waiting, ordering, and then waiting again for the food took a total of about 2hrs and 10 mins. HOWEVER it was well worth the wait. The staff was SO incredibly friendly and patient. The food was great. The coffee was SOOOO good I could see why people were ordering seconds during this wait for their food; i almost did the same. We got tripleta sandwhiches, a smoothie, a hot cafe con leche, and an iced coquito latte. My mom who absolutely despises iced coffees in any form tried my iced coquito latte and fell in LOVEEE with it; that's saying a lot! We also ordered a relleno de papa, empanada de carne, and a couple quesitos. This cafe did not disappoint. Every bite and sip was pure bliss.

Parking: there is street parking along the road where the cafe is located but spots were filling up quite quickly.

Seating: there are some spots for sitting (there's even a dominoes table). One of the workers did let us know that you can buy your food there and sit next door at the empanada cafe if there's no seating left.

Ambiance: The cafe itself is also beautifully decorated and felt like we were back home. The music was at a perfect level and it was classic salsa for the most part.

I will definitely make my way back again soon. Give them a try, you'll...

I recently revisited this café after first trying their delicious alcapurrias in 2023, and today, I went back to explore more of their menu. I ordered the San Sebastián sandwich and a coffee, while we also got three sandwiches in total — a San Sebastián and two Cuban sandwiches — along with a Coquito coffee and a Tres Leches coffee.

The sandwiches were incredible — fresh, flavorful, and well-prepared. While I would have preferred the bread to be a bit crispier, they were still some of the best I’ve had. The coffees were just as impressive, packed with rich, bold flavors. The Coquito coffee stood out as my favorite — every sip perfectly balanced the coconut, cinnamon, and fresh espresso flavors. Honestly, it’s more than a 10/10 — the best coffee I’ve ever had.

The Tres Leches coffee was also enjoyable, though once the coffee settled, it tasted more like a classic café con leche.

The staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful with their recommendations, adding to the positive experience. Although the café was packed, causing a longer wait time for the food, the staff kept us updated throughout. They even went the extra mile by making our sandwiches bigger to compensate for the wait, which I truly appreciated.

Overall, my experience was fantastic, and I’m already looking forward to returning to try even more...

I'm so happy to have a Puerto Rican spot near me. The food is really good - especially the alcapurrias and sorullitos. However, the place is small and a bit disorganized, which can be frustrating. It's a popular spot and gets crowded, so be prepared to wait. I wish they would be a bit more organized so that you can grab and go. For example, I ordered some prepared food which didn't warrant having to wait. Just drop into a box and go. But they take your order, and you have to wait for a server to grab your receipt and then fulfill your order. If your order is for the prepared food, they should just hand it off to someone so that they can wrap it for you and just keep it moving. I saw people walk out due to the wait. I hope they get a better system in order so that they don't lose business and stay around for a while. Everyone is very nice and the place is...