Manuelito Restaurant

A delicious and delightful Ecuadorean restaurant near Flushing Meadows Park. We enjoyed the catfish soup and seco de chivo (goat stew). Excellent coffee and tomate de arbol shake too.

Looking for a place to eat after coming from a wake right in Corona was easy. On our way to the car I’ve spotted this tiny corner Ecuadorian restaurant teeming with people… coming in & out… Hmmm, it’s worth the try… I said to myself. With a Grade A posted on the front door, how can it go wrong! Although I’ve lived in the neighborhood for quite sometime, never really ventured farther than the walking proximity of my condo.
The place was really tiny but neat, around 8 tables max. The wrap around clear glass establishment gives a clear view of the street & the people walking by. The 2 waitresses were very nice but hardly spoke a word of English., Their menu offers so many specialties, we settled for the Platter called Bandeja al Estilo“Manualito’ apparently their special created by the owner himself which offers A huge Platter of generous portions of charcoal broiled meats of Steaks, Chicharon, Chicken, Ecuadorian Chorizo, Sweet Ripe Plantain, Rice & Beans, Fried Egg& Salad. It was delicious!!! I’d like to go back and try their Ceviche… and probably their Seafood dishes.
I find the owner to be a very hardworking man doing the deliveries himself, with the wife in the kitchen & relatives as their help. A family owned place. I saw a lot of take-​outs and their regulars who came in for their daily Lunch Special of a bowl of soup, Beef or Chicken with a plate of either meats with rice for $ 7.00.\
Another dish that i wanted to try is their version of Tripe Stew called «Guatita» Beef tripe cooked in peanut sauce & their Lengua. Very accessible to commuters, The # 58 Bus can take you there if you don’t want to drive or walk…

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I’m not an expert on Ecuadorian food, but this restaurant is my boy’s favorite Ecuadorian spot and he’s Ecuadorian. So far I’ve had two stellar meals and definitely will be back.
The restaurant is small and is like a family spot. The waitresses are nice and very patient if you’re indecisive about ordering. They remembered me my 2^nd time there and noticed I blazed again and recommended me getting more food after I ordered 2 entrees haha (no one man should have all that power.) And they were right I did need more food. lol
Now on to the food, I love their ceviches, especially with tostados poured in. Their guatita (my favorite dish) is beef tripe cooked in a peanut cream sauce really really flavorful. For those of you that try this place out and are indecisive about the menu their bandera dish contains 3 different entrees (goat stew, guatita, and shrimp ceviche) in smaler portions which allows you to sample. Their mora and guanabana shakes are good but their mango shake is not as good. Unless you can eat like a horse or just lit up I would not waste appetite on these shakes especially since their food portions are big so you should save up.
If you really want dessert I highly recommend walking to the corner diagonal Manuelito (the restaurant is on a corner), to Timmy O’s for some sick milkshakes, custard slushies, and frozen custards! I prefer the former two because they are less dense. I think this is noteworthy, when going to Timmy O’s have your «that’s what she said radar on.» «Frozen custard? mm… yeah I think I had it before. It’s very thick and hard.» «Kinda hard to swallow.»