Sofrito

Had to wait almost an hour to be sited. Was hanging out at the bar, it was crowded. The food was worth waiting for. Next time I'll have to call to reserve the place. more

Went there with a large party of 10 people, had reservations set up 2 weeks in advance. Unfortunately, our table was not ready for a little more than hour. It seems smaller parties were easier to sit though. The restaurant gave us a free round of drinks, which was a lot more you'll get in most places in NYC. The place was also very nicely decorated, with a great bar area. We sat down and enjoyed a pre-fixe menu that had been created for our group. And the minute the food came out, any issues with waiting immediately disappeared. The food was absolutely unbelievable. Growing with a Puerto Rican mother cooking these dishes almost everyday, makes you kind of weary of eating it at restaurants and I must say that I wasn't sure if a Sofrito, on 57th and 1st, looking all sleek would be the place to go. But, I was proven completely wrong. The food was delicious and traditional. The portions were large and their prices were great. The staff was also very attentive. Aside from the long table wait (which I hope was an unusual occurrence), this place is must for anyone craving some home cooked Latin food in a more treated environment with prices that are just perfect. I can't wait to return! Pros: Ambience, Service, FOOD! Cons: Long wait for large party more

My overall experience at Sofrito was great. It's the food and the food alone that brings me back. Is it crowded, yes. Is it loud, yes. Are the wait staff a little too pushy, yes. Do I wish I could hear, yes! But that seafood paella and that panil, wow. The empanadas, wow. I will continue to go back and hopefully the management will heed all of the comments and continue to improve. more

Friday was the night I was there with my husband. We met by the dining bar area and had cocktails (mojitos which was amazing). I had the paella which was absolutely delicious, the dish was so flavorful, it was a delight. The atmosphere was filled with energy, we were excited to be there. This is definitely a hot spot! more

I have been coming to Sofritos for the past 5 years. Never in my life had this experience. more

I heard such great things about this place. I went for the first time with a friend to celebrate her Bday and had to wait 2 hours (not exaggerating) to be seated. Once seated, my chair was bumped constantly by the running staff. Our server never checked in on us and when he did he never returned with what we'd requested. The music is too loud and the place is freezing. While eating we were rushed by staff and our plates snatched from under us because they needed the table. And honestly I've had better food. The Tilapia and spinach were both extremely bland. more

The first time I went to this place I loved it. I was impressed with the food, service, decor, and music. However this was when they first opened. I went back with a friend super excited about going from previous experience. I walked in sat down and was turned off. I told my friend this is not the place I came to. The music was super loud!! We could not talk or hear what the waiter was saying. This is a resturant not a club so I think guests would want to talk during dinner. Food was not good, the waiter was not attentive and seemed like he did not want to be bothered with us. The only thing I enjoyed from my second visit was my mojito. I would not go back Sofrito lost its touch. more

This is not the place for you if you want to have a nice dining experience with a friend. We waited nearly an hour and were never seated and finally left. We had one drink while waiting and getting the attention of the bartender was an adventure -- no one wanted to step aside. It was much too crowded, overcapacity and a hazard. Overall spend your hardearned money someplace else where your patronage is appreciated the moment you walk through the door. more

good food,great ambient(little bit cold!) very busy,good service!mofongo is great! more

I would never recommend this place not even to my enemy. Everything at this place is horrible. Every type of food is salty, the place is very noisy and can't not say anything without yelling, the waitress are so low class that not even deserve the tips that they are making for every table. About USD 100 for table in one hour, like an engineer which Im sure they don't even have any college degree. They rush you to leave so they can't keep making more money and not let you enjoy your food. The sangria was made out of the cheapest red wine of the world. The ambiance was terrible plus nobody should dress for this place. I wore a very expensive and elegant dress and I step out smelling like onions and garlic. I had to wash my hair at midnight. I hope this review helps a lot of people because it is not fair to spend money In this non sense way. S more

My friends and I (six of us in total) arrived without reservations on a Saturday evening at 6:00 PM. I think because we came early, there was no wait and we were seated right away. The decor and the music was festive, and the menu itself had many authentic and delicious-sounding dishes. It was tough to make a choice! I ended up choosing the crispy whole red snapper with coconut rice. The presentation was awesome - the entire fish (including head and tail, like it should) came wrapped around a bed of delicious rice. The fish was delicate and flaky, and the sauce that accompanied the dish added the perfect amount of flavor. I also tried my girlfriend's filet mignon and sauteed spinach with garlic. The steak was tender and succulent, and the spinach was also delicious. The loud birthday celebrations at this place were like nothing I've ever seen before. I highly recommend coming here with a group for someone's birthday. Pros: Festive atmosphere, group setting, tasty entrees Cons: May be too noisy for a romantic night out more

Great music @ the Lounge, waiting was not too long even though we were told to be there by 10, didn't get seated until 15-20 minutes later. In the restaurant the music can still be heard-no one heard each other talk-had to yell. Food was OK-only resemblance to a real Puerto Rican dish was the empanadas from the appetizer trays (too excessive) otherwise the entree was extremely salty, luckily i don't suffer from any type of condition that would kill me-food was untouched after a couple of bites. Wait staff didn't even wait until the plates were cleared and they were already taking everything (felt so rushed) when was eating my desert, the waiter whispers in my ear about how long i was going to take since there were other people waiting (the desert was still in my mouth)-this was such a horrible experience that the group we were in decided on never coming back-for the price we paid it's just not worth it-we wanted to enjoy the live band and we felt like we were being rushed out :-( NOT A HAPPY PERSON-DO NOT RECOMMEND Pros: Great Music (but too loud) Cons: BADDDD Service more

I traveled up to New York from South Jersey last night to take my wife to what I believed to be a Latin Restaurant with class but was not impressed and disappointed when I entered doors. I found myself in the middle of a night club. I don't know if anyone dining realized that they were have dinner on a dance floor. This place was a mess. There was no order and the location looked like it was over its occupancy which is a fire hazard. The website makes the location look and sound great but this place is a night club transformed into a restaurant. My wife and I had a drink and left the restaurant and decided to go to Carmines in Times Square and have a nice bottle of wine with a delicious dinner. I would not recommend this whole in the wall to anybody. They need Chef Ramsey from Hell's Kitchen to give this place a makeover. My wife and I are 100% percent Latino and can't give this location a thumbs up. Whoever owns this club should go to Cuba Libre in Atlantic City or Philadelphia and get some Ideas about . This place will eventually will close down. I don't like to go to restaurants where I have to stand and wait for a table while being bumped and pushed around by patrons and workers. I like to waist my money at restaurants that appreciate my business. I am hoping they revamp this place and represent the Latin people. Pros: Area has potential Cons: Its not what I expected more

The crowd is mixed. It is a good restuarant and I will definitley go back. It can be alittle loud, so it depends on your mood. Its great for after work drinks and apps. Pros: The food is very good and the prices on the food are Great Cons: It was alittle loud in there for a Sunday Night more

My friend and I get to Sofritos and they hostess insisted that we buy drinks because we were sitting at the lounge. She recommended one of the house specials and it tasted like water. I informed our wait staff and she insisted there was alcohol. The waitress made us pay at the bar. I wanted the bar tab to be together with the meals. She had the nerve to get into a fight with me, a customer. My friends and I got to our table and the place was LOUD!!! I could barely hear my friends speak. Our waiter recommended a very expensive dish and since one of our friends was Puerto Rican, we ordered it. The food was tasty and the portions were more than adequate but I did not appreciate the waiters and busboys banging my chair every time they walked by. It seemed like everyone was having a birthday that day and the waitstaff kept singing happy birthday. I DO NOT RECOMMEND this place. The prices are too expensive and they need to re-train their waiters and waitresses or fire and hire better ones. They have no customer service experience and need to leave their attitudes at home. Pros: food was decent Cons: expensive, drinks were horrible more

Read some pretty good reviews about this place and went to celebrate with a group of friends. Arrived and the person at the front didn't even look up but just directed us to the back to where the rest of our group was. There were no more tables available so a waiter graciously set up another table for us to sit. After we sat down, a manager approached us and asked us why we were sitting there. He said that he had too many parties and we had to just wait until he could find a place for us to sit. He was very rude. Needless to say, we said goodbye to the rest of our group and went to eat at another restaurant where they know how to treat their customers. Will never go there again or recommend the place to anyone. Pros: Nothing Cons: Rude Service more

Zero class at this place and food is about street vendor quality. I am Puerto Rican and I can tell you that this place is run by people that give us all a bad name. First my wife was harassed by the door man for no reason. The staff was not accommodating at all...asked for a dish to be made without meat; they flatly refused. To add insult to injury, I was escorted to back office by a bouncer and waitress to count money and ""settle our bill"" ($1100 for party of 15)...unreal. Will never go back and neither should you. Pros: Marginally decent Mojitos...nice decor... Cons: Pretty much everything else... more

My friend made reservations for her birthday for 10 of us. We were seated at a table for six!!! Needless to say we were on top of each other. During dinner my friend accidentally knocked over her wine glass and it shattered all over the table. The waiters came over and took the food away to ""check for glass"". They brought back the same plates with glass still all over the food! When we went to complain to the manager, Domenic Kozeli, he said ""how do we know you didn't break the glass on purpose!"" He is a disgrace to the restaurant business. And to top the night off - the food wasn't even good. Don't go!!! Cons: Horrible service!! more

My boo brought me here for my birthday - (which landed on a Saturday) we got there like at 8pm first the wait was 45 minutes but at least the bar wait area was cool. I felt like it was a club slash restaurant. People were hanging out and drinking while waiting for their table. So you know those in big groups stood out. I'm a Latina so I loved that they played all the top new and classic salsa, and some old school R&B joints too. I think it's a cool spot for a first date or special occassion. Not to go on a regular night that your hungry. Seems like I wasnt the only person in there whose birthday it was cause everytime my salsa came on it got interrupted by a 'Feliz Cumpleanos' theme. The food was good, fullfilling for those that dont want to feel to full afterwards. The food was good but I kinda felt rushed. Although it was only me and my boyfriend. I saw the big groups get literally pushed out. I think the food came too fast after ordering which is good but in the back of my head I wondered if it was pre-prepared. Pros: atmosphere more

Sofrito was very disappointing as a restaurant. When a restaurant owner dedicates 2/3rds of space to a bar and has no accommodations for restaurant patrons to wait for tables that pretty much tells the whole story. It is freezing up front where there is approximately a 7ft square of space where they expect you to wait. My brother was wearing a sports jacket, shoes and a Biltmore gentlemens hat, he was immediately approached by 2 rude bouncers and told to remove his hat ( He wasn't wearing a baseball hat backwards) He advised them he just walked in and didn't appreciate being accosted in such a manner. To the right of the restaurant are benches with narrow tables in center. But dont dare sit there if you are not going to order drinks and appetizers. We sat there and were told of this rule, so we were forced to order drinks just to have somewhere to sit and wait that was not freezing. No sooner had we received our drinks from the waitress, not even taken a sip, and she was asking us if we were going to order more drinks, otherwise we would have to move,( where to I dont know since there was no space ) To make matters worse my vodka and cranberry was so watered down that it tasted like water and ice.There is literally a 2 foot walkway if your lucky from the beginning of the restaurant to the dinning area. They are constantly walking around asking if you want another drink, and obviously when you are made to wait 2 hours for a table their intent is to sell you as many drinks as possible. The music is blaring and they DJ doesnt even have the skill to mix 1 song into another. When we finally got our table we were sat directly under the speakers and could not hear each other speak. The food came fairly quickly and the waitress was very nice. Its too bad that by the time you sit down to eat you are so exhausted and annoyed at all you have to put up with to get there that you have lost your appetite. This is why they go around rushing you asking if you want to take it to go, and the reason why everybody walks out with a doggie bag. Maybe in a couple of years when the wanna-be-club phase ends, as they all do in NY, the restaurant will actually function as it is advertised and you might have a nice dinning experience.Until then only go there if you want to have a few drinks and hang out with friends, I recommend sitting on the benches and ordering appetizers ( which you have to eat as people are hovering over you and bumping into your table) and dont go there hungry. If you are looking for a nice dinning experience maybe it might be different on a weekday. Pros: Food was fairly good Cons: 2 and a half hour wait forced to purchase weak drinks more