Lechonera El Sazon Criollo — Restaurant in New York

Some time last week after a 2 hour gym session with my son we set out to get a bite to eat. After looking on google maps, we decided on trying Sazón Criollo, mostly because it was close by & we were in the mood for an authentically cooked PR meal which they heavily advertise. From the décor of this small dive you’d get that impression. We walk in about 2 & a half hours before closing, & the first sign we see is cash only (red flag), then the menu displaying the lunch specials side has all the prices blacked out(red flag). There didn't seem to be much food left (red flag), but we thought 2 hours away from closing maybe they sold out. We still wanted to try it, because after all the PR decor why not, right. But we decided on only getting one order to be cautious (we were right to be). The plate consisted of a spoon & a half of white rice, a spoon of beans, & 3 small pieces of lechon (pernil, pork), the 3 pieces of plantain which come standard any place else we've been to were charged as extra (without telling us) all thrown in one plate, & when my son asked for mojito the guy seemed bothered. I will tell ya the whole vibe was off, & we instantly felt like we were a bother to give this place our patronage. Enough about that let’s get to the order. Well, to begin with the food was room temperature warm and considering it was over 90 degrees out that’s not a good thing, it did not taste fresh, & had barely any flavor other than the garlic mojito we poured on it. After a bite or 2 we both looked at each other & just decided to throw it away & not risk feeling sick later. The best part is that Sazon Criollo gave us the wonderful opportunity to pay $14 for this lousy plate of food, well $16 after the extra charges THANK YOU….

In our experience the only PR authenticity about Sazón Criollo is the decor, & all that merch was probably made in china.

I’m sure many people have had different experiences, and as they say different strokes for different folks, however the best we’d say is we F.A.A.F.O

If you ask us, we would just smile and tell you venture at...

This is not a restaurant you take your own food to the table only plastic utensils, you make a line to order it's like a small deli with 2 tiny tables and prices are like a full restaurant with a waiter coming to you, i ordered lechon,rice and beans, they forgot the beans, dried food, lechon flavor nothing special, asked for some lemon, "no lemon" young girl at the cash register completely lost with attitude and with alzhaimer early stage, only 4 persons at the place 2 people in front of me paid for their order and once served she demanded payment again which they told her they already did, with me I paid once served and as I was leaving crossing the street this girl comes out running yelling "you need to pay" just embarrassing, frantically I wanted to respond drastically but decided to tell the owners instead which they blamed it on "language barrier", money doesn't talk, it's one way only, she needs to focus, lack of good service and good food, nothing to...

Found this gem in the bronx purely by accident, but am I happy that I found it. The food is excellent, the flavor alone tells you it's all fresh, home style cooking, you can actually taste the sofrito. Love her rice with gandules. YUMMY. Large food portions. Cash only, reasonable prices. Don't be fooled by the outside appearance it looks like a hole in the wall but it's very clean and the staff are very nice. I've returned with family and friends on various occasions, and so far everyone has praised the food. If you're hungry for Puerto Rican food and in the Bronx this is the place to go. HIGHLY...