Don Coqui

First time at Don Coqui Astoria. Came here with my husband. Celebrating our 30^th wedding anniversary. The food reminded my husband of dinner back home in Fajardo Puerto Rico. The service was great and our server Omar was excellent. The sangria and paella was delicious.

Went here for dinner for my boyfriends birthday with a bunch of people and the food and dancing was great. Based off that, we decided to go for Valentine’s Day dinner for some fun and Spanish food.
DO NOT GO IF YOU HAVE TO ORDER OFF THE PREFIX MENU. For occasions like Valentine’s Day (like most restaurants) they shoot up the price and ration the portions. $ 55 a person for a tiny appetizer tray to share (the guacamole was in the tiniest bowl I’ve ever seen) and the entrees are super basic. It advertised «assortment of desserts» and they came out with a dinky flan and sponge cake. Not impressed at all. Wouldn’t go again.

Victor was very attentive. Very helpful in explaining the menu! & the drinks, to die for!!!

Arthur was a great hostttt. Don conqui is amazing the service is great. He was kind funny and knew the menu. The henny cooldadas was great. Im comming again for my birthday

The beef they used for the pinchos was dry and tasteless. The steak was awesome but they barely give you any beans. I definitely recommend the drinks… Tropical Punch and Sexy Island! Overall I was satisfied, not wowed, but satisfied.

Manager Keisha is the reason that a birthday party for 17 people was completely ruined and she is the reason none of us would ever spend money in this establishment again. We were treated like garbage by this tiny woman who has no business managing a restaurant. The owners should reconsider her employment. Details below–
I planned a surprise birthday party for my mother and we had a party of 17 with an 8 pm reservation. They made us wait until about 8:30 to be seated. I called ahead and spoke with the manager Keisha who said we could put very small flower arrangements on the tables. When we went to do this she started screaming that we couldn’t because of the «very big platters» that would come out. We did it anyway after I explained that we had ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS. (Platters ended up being normal sized and this was not even close to an issue). Then, they split us between 2 tables and did not even try to put them together. Keisha, very rudely told me it was in the contract that was emailed to me and she could print it out if I wanted. No Keisha, i don’t need your contract or your extremely rude and unprofessional attitude, perhaps a little customer courtesy. Keisha was the reason our dinner was as bad as it was. The dinner and food was just ok, wait staff was ok but the whole time they were forcing us to eat and move forward with our meal much faster then any normal dinner. At one point my fiancé and I spoke to another manager named Carlos– he was very nice and apologized for the rushing and the waiters backed off. I asked Carlos if we could take a group picture and he said it was not a problem and we could pick any spot where we all fit. When we finally got up to do this the bussers and waiters stormed in and ripped the table apart even taking drinks that were not finished. Then little Keisha showed up again and proceeded to yell and tell me we could not take a picture and we had to go into the lounge. When I explained we were already told we could do this she GOT SECURITY. After making a very stern point that we just paid $ 1500 for a sub par dinner they backed off. This was a party celebrating my mothers 65^th birthday. The party was a classy mix of professionals, we weren’t young rowdy kids. As a result of her poor behavior no one in our party of 17 would ever step foot in that place again. Any restaurant that books large parties should allow for a minimum of 2 hours for dinner and never should rush you through the way we were rushed. It was pathetic and a very poor representation of what a Puerto Rican restaurant should be.
The lounge saved the night. Alicia who handled the tables was very professional and the security guards in the lounge were very normal. DJ was good and luckily we were able to dance and had a good time there. Skip the restaurant, head to the lounge.

Had a wonderful meal with family. I hear there is a lounge area next door that belongs to the restaurant … Will be sure to visit the next time around. The experience at the restaurant was fabulous — home cooked and flavorful, devote in good clean taste. Be sure to make reservations first they do very well in crowd control.

Currently inside waiting over in hour and a half for a party of 8. We had reservations at 9 which clearly don’t mean anything here. The staff here could care less. It’s 2016, stuff like this shouldn’t be happening for such a big establishment. Where’s management? I can’t speak to anyone besides a security guard and hostess who is being over worked. Go to Blend On The Water or other up and coming businesses that still care about customer service. Bad business.

Very nice venue. Polite people working the door. Very beautiful looking people inside. Seems to be a more mature crowd. Bartenders are generous with the alcohol too. I would have had more fun if I danced salsa. Soon hopefully :)

Horrible, rude, and very standoffish staff!
We booked a bridesmaid dinner for 11 girls. Our reservation was for 9pm. We scheduled a pre-​fixed menu.
I know from past experience at this place that if you are late or if your whole party has not arrived, you will not be seated and your table will be given away and have to wait an estimated 2 hours for a table. Knowing this information, our party of 11 girls all arrived ten minutes before 9pm. We were guided to the lounge area to await our for our table to be ready. Half hour later, table was still not ready, so we had to hunt the hostess down and ask for an update. When we asked for an estimated time our table would be ready, the hostess was very rude and had an attitude, told us we arrived late and now have to wait for a table. We processed to speak very nicely and calm, tried to explain that we were not late, even arrived early so we didn’t understand why our table would have been given away. The hostess did not want to listen to us. Finally after we decided to yell at the lady back, she proceeded to say that even if we have an reservation, the wait time for a table can be up to two hours on a Saturday night!!! Well that bite of information could have been explained to us over the phone when the reservation was made and menu was chosen.
Since we had some time to kill before we ate we all walked over to the bar and bought a few drinks. FYI, drinks are very expensive but very good. The bartenders do know what they are doing. At this point the place is getting packed with people that come to dance and drink at the bar. The bouncers wanted a clear path to the bar and started yelling at us very nasty to clear the way. Never in my life have I been spoken to like an animal before. These bouncers need to take anger management or something. We moved right away as he continued to give us dirty looks.
Finally, an hour and a half later, our table was ready. Food came out right away, thank god because we were all ready to pass out from hunger. Waiter was the only nice person in this place. Food was very good, tasty, and large portions. Still I am disappointed by the way we were treated. I understand place was busy but there is no need to be so nasty and have an attitude. Even as we were leaving, we had to wait in line for the coat check. Another bouncer approached us again very nasty and started yelling at us to clear a path and stay in line behind each other, as if in school. There was a 15 minute wait for get your coat. I will not be going back and I’m sure owner doesn’t even care.

Extremely Saddened by a Horrible dining experience.
Very unprofessional, rookie staff. Owner should seriously reconsider his hiring procedures.
Made a 9 p.m. Resevation for a party of 15. It would have been very nice if they were just honest with us and let us know the table was not ready. But we were lied to repeatedly, and made to wait. At 9:45 when I went back up to the hostess to see what was going on. (Wish I hade gotten her name) Rude and could careless. When she had no answers for me (just excuses and eye rolling.) The doorman decided to step in. Maybe try to be authoritative, intimidating and lie some more.(laughable) But he was worse at it than she was. I walked over to the main dining area and saw there was absolutely no space for a party of 15 anywhere. While waiting, got to talking with another party of 11 who had also been waiting for an hour and their night was being ruined as well. Finally seated at 10:20. Food was good but I was already sick from the experience. Drinks were served with old brown limes. Waiter was excellent and handled a party of 15 smoothly. I hope the owner reads these reviews and makes the necessary changes.

This place is over priced over rated
Bought a coors light for 10 dollars
Beer was warm.
Had to ask bartender for cup with ice
She looked at me with an attitude
Be careful with bartenders. They will overcharge you and pocket the difference.
Never will return again.

3.7 stars! Well I liked Don Coqui when I went. It was very nice and trendy looking. We were seated while waiting for the rest of the party to arrive, once that happened we were seated at our round dinner table. My cocktail was awesome, forgot what it was… Appetizers were served family style and they were all great! Main dish had many options of which I got the snapper with mofongo. I had seen mofongo on Instagram when someone I knew went to PR and I had to try it! The mofongo had a great sauce that it came with and I surely enjoyed it. The snapper was fried and it was the whole fish! It was pretty bland but the sauce made up for the lack of seasoning in the fish. After that we had assorted desserts which were served family style and a shot of coquito (one of my faves).
Once the bill was paid, it was time to hit the dance floor! This IS a Latin restaurant so there was no shortage of Latin music. No problem, I still moved along with my dance partner. The music was cool but the DJ switched the songs entirely too fast, hence why they didn’t get a solid 4! Either way I can’t wait for the next time I go to Don Coqui. By the way, they have valet parking for a reasonable fee.

Food was delicious and portion size are HUGE! I orderd the pernil and my wife had the paella we both had enough food to eat and be satisfied the next day too.
The service is great, the waiters there are nice and the bus staff is very helpful.
I highly recommend for groups, the décor is very lounge feeling. white with lots of colored lights. They have live music playing sometimes and the atmosphere is very upbeat. A+++

Came here for fight night (Cotto fight), I know, I know, this review is super tardy. First time here. We enjoyed ourselves. Not sure if it was crazy packed because they were showing the fight or if every Saturday night is like that.
They have valet parking but at 10 pm when we arrived they weren’t taking anymore cars. We got lucky a block away as someone just pulled out. Though parking will definitely be a factor in deciding to come back again.
The wait for a table was an hour and a half. Crazy! We hung out by the bar (well as close as we could get to it) and busted a few moves on the dance floor. I wasn’t crazy about the DJ but we made the best of it.
The hostesses were great. Gave us an amazing table so we could eat while watching the main event. The food is delicious. All in all a good place. I gave it 4 stars due to the wait time and parking situation.

Hoy es un dia muy esoecil para mi
Invite a 10 de mis amigos para ir a Don Coqui
Alla estsbamos todos pero despues de ordenar
Ell puerco estaba crudo y yo me senti myy mal
Cuando yo le pedi que empacaran mi comida
Tuve que buscar la langosta y descubrimos que era se encontraba perdida
Cuando reporto la langosta perdida
Loa meseros la van a buscar
Y determinarion que una nueva paella es lo que hay que ordenar
Cuando me traen la torta
El hombre se volvio un ocho
Por poco me arruinan
El lustre de mi bizcocho
Esto parece un restaurante cualquiera
Me traen leche para el café pero no la lechera
Es una historia mas de mi cumpleanos feliz
El año que viene no regresamos a Don Coqui
No es que yo quiera quejarme
Pero quisiera me explicaran
Porque me traen el café y no la cuchara

Came in a few times, I do enjoy this place very much the music is great there is a lounge area after you have dinner to dance an hangout, with a nice full bar.
Let’s start off from beginning you check in your jacket, an wait to be seated.
There’s different areas where you can be seated if you don’t want to much loud music there’s a different room they will put you in which is cool as well, you still hear the music but not as loud where you are able to enjoy a decent conversation.
Appetizers are all very good,
My husband always eats the seafood paella which he does enjoy. Their portions are huge so don’t over order or you will probably be leaving with a doggie bag.
I usually get chicken or steak which is decent both come with rice beans an a small scoop of potato salad which is Delish…
There Hennessy coquito is soooo good they even give a free little shot after you eat.
So this is my opinion on my prior visit here, now this portion of my review pertains to my last visit here.
I ordered as usual I’m enjoying my drink an the Music an the hot date that I’m on with my husband he was looking so damn fine lol
Anyway I’m enjoying my drink an now my food comes I’m having a great time I’m enjoying my company an my time out an as I’m a few bites in I noticed a strand of hair hanging off my rice «oh mah gawd» I’m so disappointed an turned off but I didn’t let it get to me an my good mood. So I called my server over an made him aware of the extra-​ness that I didn’t order.
He than calls over his manager which I call «mr big shot» he comes an is automatically defensive made me feel like I’m crazy an it didn’t come out the kitchen like that. He than claims he doesn’t cook with hair an blah blah that it must of fell in while it was being brought to my table.
Wtf OK
well that’s not my problem nor my fault I shouldn’t feel like I did something wrong or feel like it’s my fault. I’m out in your restaurant on a date ordering a nice bill worth of food and drinks an now I’m being treated as if I’m the wrong one bc you brought me my dinner with hair inside of it.
OK!!! now I’m pissed off, like super annoyed face beat red from the embarrassment he made me feel an how uncomfortable I was becoming.
I don’t come out for this shit, I come out to enjoy my hard earned money in a nice Spanish environment eating authentic food with great service. Which wasn’t the case here.
I put that man in his place so fast he brought me another drink in regards to how he reacted which I should of sent back an not accepted. Clearly he knew he was wrong. I asked for my check which my meal was taken off.
Thanks but it wasn’t about the hair the check nor the complimentary drink it was the way he handle the situation. I’m not here for free hand outs like I said before I’m out enjoying my time my hard earned money an great food in a nice atmosphere while still paying for a sitter to come to their restaurant.
I get up to use the rest room an guess who was near the bar which is near the rest rooms. Good old manager who now smiles an comes to me an hands me his business card which then he says if you ever need anything give me a call” like this is hilarious right now!!! I can’t even deal with this man, now I’m taken it as he’s hitting on me.
Wth LOL
I don’t need anything from you sir you see that fellow I’m with over there anything I need he got me, I’m his lady that doesn’t need any other man to secretly get handed a business card an a smooth «if you need anything give me a call» idk but I’m guessing I put him in his place so good he liked it.
Hey what can I say it was a comical night where I didn’t get to take my doggie bag home or enjoy my dinner. Sure made it a memorable night.
I’ll defiantly come back it wasn’t that horrible just a little bumpy that night. There food is good a bit over priced but like I said your paying for the atmosphere usually there’s a live DJ playing music as well.
I hope to return again soon an not encounter unnecessary hairs or flirty defensive managers. Lol
Check it out yourself definitely a spot to try an check off your list.
Enjoy :)

You know the top main spots where everyone has attended (or will attend) a birthday dinner at least once? In NYC, Don Coqui is one of them.
So, yes it’s great for large groups. However, when I went for my friend’s birthday there was a $ 55 prix fixe menu. If you have cheap friends they’re not gonna be happy about that $ 55.
Food: We had two large mixed appetizer platters with all the apps they had on the menu for a group of ten and they were all very tasty but honestly I don’t like sharing plates with that large amount of people.
As an entrée I ordered pernil and the portion was massive. Taste-​wise I’ve had better pernil at a hole in the wall restaurant for less.
The dessert was delicious but again a shared plate. I really wanted the flan to myself! Especially the coconut!
Drinks: They have great drinks. I have no complaints.
Service: It was ok. The waitstaff are amazing though.
The point is:
It’s a nice place to go out dancing but I’m not dying to go back for the food.

Last night was my first time at Don Coqui after years of seeing my friends post pics on Instagram of partying it up on the weekends. I can see why they are there almost every weekend.
I’ll start with the food. Food was really good and the portion was enough to feed two. If you can finish an entire plate by yourself, you have issues! I got the churrasco steak asked for it medium, and got it medium. It wasn’t dry and not over season, not under seasoned either. Just right!
We had a party of 13 which meant we had to order off the pre-​fixed menu. I didn’t mind consider they weren’t cheap with the options. All the items on the appetizers came out (family size) to give everyone a chance to try everything, which I loved.
After dinner and paying a pretty fair bill he walked over to the lounge area where the DJ had us dancing and sweating the entire night. Place gets really packed! Like line around the corner packed so I recommend getting there early. The only complaint I have about Don Coqui was the temperature in the lounge area, but then again we were dancing our asses off! Who wouldn’t be hot lol

Hot stuff! The music is fantastic. Excellent service. Happy hour is from 6 – 8, buy one get one free. The Hennessy coquitos were the best. But beware they will sneak up on you.
The appetizers were served family style. All of the meals were Huge portions and the meat was seasoned to perfection. The place filled up quickly, and they also have price fixed selections with yummy desserts.

I have been here a few times since they have open. For the last 2 years my friends and I have had our holiday dinners here. Location is pretty good but parking, unless you valet is not so great. Don’t worry, the train is right up the block.
We order from a pre fix menu that has a lot of options to choose from. We start with our family style appetizers, main course and finally our dessert. I remember the appetizers being so much bigger!!! What happened to the family style plates??? :/​I was disappointed. Main course was good, I had the usual skirt steak with rice and potato salad. Mmm
If you want some Pernil, order the baby pig. Plenty of food to share, and bring home for tmrws lunch.
Our waiter was great. Attentive and brought us over some complimentary coquito shots on the house.
It usually gets packed on weekends so if you want a quiet dinner, go during the week.

I finally conquered Don Coqui, which I have been waiting to do for a while! Don Coqui is a restaurant but definitely has a big club/​lounge scene. It’s décor is very modern with white chairs, white tables and and curtained white fabric hanging on the walls with pinkish type of lighting throughout.
We made reservations for a Monday night at 730pm, we arrived on time and were seated right away, the restaurant had a decent amount of people in there, but by 8pm large parties had come in. They have Spanish music playing and a lot of people hanging out by the bar and on the dance floor. People don’t get dressed up to come, but the dress code seems to be a little more than casual.
We both got a drink, I got the white sangria and my boyfriend got a glass of Malbec. The white sangria tasted different than what I was used to, but it was okay, the Malbec was disgusting. As an appetizer we order the the chicken quesadillas. They tasted good, but it was a really small size which was disappointing. As entrees I got the grilled chicken with mashed potatoes & grilled mixed vegetables and my boyfriend got the pernil with rice and beans and potato salad. My chicken was good and the mashed potatoes were really good too, the vegetables tasted like they were reheated. My boyfriends entrée was good as well, the pernil they give you is giganticccc. The rice and beans the pernil came with were delicious, and the presentation was great, but the pernil was very dry. The server brought over a side of sauce for the pernil and that made it taste much better. As dessert we got the chocolate lava cake that came with two scoops of ice cream, to split. The dessert was good as well, but nothing to try again, it much more cake and a lot less lava lol
The service here was really good, our server was knowledgable and attentive. The atmosphere is really fun and current. I live in Brooklyn, so coming here is a by of a trip, but if I were to be in the area again, I would come back and try other menu options.

I have to an update!
A few months ago I contacted this place for a baby shower I was planning for close family. I was immediately assisted and decided to book my event.
Fast forward three months later… Baby Shower was yesterday and it was AMAZING! we had a total of 60 guests and all were amazed by the food, décor, service and Sangria!
We booked the prívate room on the corner and it waS perfect! Loved having our own space, entrance, waitstaff, bar and even restrooms.
The drinks were absolutely delicious and strong. The staff was awesome! They attended to every single guest!
The appetizers were very well presented and the most delish food of the night. The buffet was OK (pernil-​OK, roasted garlic chicken-​delish! grilled veggies-​OK, pigeon pea rice-​good, seafood paella-​very tasty and moist but lacked seafood for the amount of people… would have really liked more seafood considering that the staff was serving the guests directly).
All in all it was a fabulous experience! The sangrias were delish!!! I mean white and red and boy were they generous! The beers were served in bottles! They also offered a cash bar which I thought was a great touch!
I am truly pleased with the event. The wait staff was absolutely wonderful! Kind, respectful, quick and patient at the same time, attentive to each and every guest and they really went above and beyond! I cannot say enough about them!
Kerri, the event coordinator was an absolute pleasure to deal with! She communicated via email and phone at all times. She responded to EVERY SINGLE request! Our party would not have been the success it was without her! She was a doll! Don Coqui is very lucky to have such an amaZing staff! They all were truly remarkable! The chef even came out to make sure things were well. The bartenders were great! kerri, the event coordinator even assisted with coat check to make sure our guests were comfortable. I noticed her going to each and every seat and putting guests coats away which I thought was very very cool!
They all really did go out of their way to make our event a success and I cannot say enough about them!
Thank you Don Coqui for a truly memorable experience. Every single guest raved about the appetizers, the space and the drinks! Again… Those Sangrias are tasty but lethal!
Oh and thank you for the help with cleanup at the end of the party! We were able to take everything down, and in the cars in 30 minutes! We even got to take food home… A lot of it! Thank you again!
We cannot wait to hold another event there!
Price was totally reasonable as well! Please try them if you have not. Close to the city driving and/​or train. We came from NJ — only a 30 minute drive
Oh a bit of advice-​parking is cheap ($ 1 an hr at the meters) but parking attendants watch cars like hawks! We got a ticket for being 3 min over.
Thanks again for the Valet Kerri!!!

Don’t let them touch your birthday cake !
I celebrated my 30^th birthday here. My friends surprised me with a mac lipstick cake. This cake was 3 layers. The waiter brought out my cake on a plate and the whole bottom layer was missing, Happy 30^th Birthday Shana was gone, they took the bow from the bottom layer and stuck it on the middle layer. The red part of the cake was dirty. I couldn’t even tell it was a lipstick. He then had the nerve to say he took the cake out of the box that way. Little did he know we tapped the box of the cake before handing it over so we knew for a fact everything was in tact .
I called the manager (Joe) to file a complaint and he told me there is nothing he could do without a receipt or the name of the server. Talk about horrible customer service ! If he indeed is the GM he should of done more, instead of brushing me off. This was a dinner where 14 people attended and the bill was 1,000. I am very disappointed on how they handled this matter and would never return again ! I have no pictures with my cake and I am not even sure I should eat it. God knows what they did behind the scene.