El Paraiso

Terrible. Fried rice tastes like it was reheated in a dirty oven. Fried chicken was abominable. Place looks like it’s part of the set from a 1970s Kung Fu flick. Not coming back here. Part of the trend of Latin Chinese food places that are dying out because of not keeping up with the times. Take my advice and get $ 1 pizza for lunch instead.

The food was great, fresh, and had a Spanish spin to it which I loved. Will definitely go back again.

Yesterday Night I went to eat Steak with white rice and bean with green platten. First the food has no flavor whatsoever. The steak taste like a grease steak fry with no seasoning. Than my order was wrong and incomplete. The gentleman’s gave us plain white rice with no bean when it supposed to come with bean. Next we order green planting not yellow planting. We made it crystal clear with garlic. Last the bread was hot and soggy and the butter was sold frozen. I ate all over the 5 boros As you can see in my post but damn I will never eat their again. I was wondering why the restaurant was empty on a Sat night. Now I know. Beside the food tasting awful the serving was good.

Very good food that is reasonably priced. The good food more than makes up for the run down, dated décor. The service is fine for the price you pay.

Cliff Notes: –Native New Yorker sees comedy show with mom visiting from out of town and wants to grab some quick/​cheap grub that is authentic old school New York City (like my mom) and tries place he’s seen but never been in
— Food is so good that Mom wants to order an extra order just to take back to my place to eat for lunch the next day. They are out of main ingredient but owner tells cook who happily goes to the market next door and buys some just to make the order for my mom who loved the food so much! All for less than 50 bucks (including tip!)
— Pleased my Mom and she felt very special and was really appreciative that they would go through the extra trouble just for her.
Keep in mind the five stars is based on what you are getting for the money you are spending. I’m hoping this is assumed but if not I just want people to realize how awesome it is considering how little you spend.
So I pass this place all the time and as a native New Yorker (I know: as rare as finding a unicorn these days) I’ve never been in but I wanted to throw some bucks a small business’ way and my mother happened to be in town and we were coming from a Comedy show (Shout out to Bunga’s Den a few doors down!) so I said, «Hell let’s try this old school Chinese/​Spanish place» (for those of you who don’t know, Chino-​Latino food was quite popular back in the 70’s and 80’s and was pretty much the original «fusion» in the way we know it today.)
So we go in and the place frankly is what I call a «lonely man special.» people (mostly men but some women) eating alone as it’s not a fancy place (at all) and definitely not a hip spot where one may feel intimidated or awkward sitting around «the beautiful people» while dining alone. But what I do know about «Lonely man specials» (I’ve definitely been the «lonely man» more than once LOL) is that the food is usually dynamite and this was no exception!
The gentleman who waited on us was older and I’m pretty sure was the owner if not one of the owners. He didn’t understand us too much but knew enough to get our order (this is not the type of place to be all, «Oh is there MSG in this? Oh can you have it spicy but not too spicy, not the hot spicy but the flavorful spicy.»)
I ordered a cup of the chicken and noodle soup and my mother got a cup of wonton soup (or at least that’s what we thought considering it was about 3.50) but we each got a large bowl brimming with tasty broth and wonderful ingredients. Now your usual takeout place will toss some wontons in broth and maybe some shredded pork but that’s about it. El Paraiso had nice chives, thicker pieces of shredded pork (which tasted amazing, I wish I could just order a bowl of the shredded pork with wonton broth… is that a thing? Could I do that?)
Also got an order of fried chicken wings that were crispy and super tasty.
Now on to the main dishes. I ordered the Pollo Guisada (Chicken Stew) and my mother asked for something vegetable based (since the menu did not have one single vegetable only choice except for veggie lo-​mein and the vegetables that restaurants use in those are generally what I call «punishment veggies», the vegetables that suck and are cheap and should not be in any sauteed dish… I’m Looking at you zucchini!” So I asked if they had any string beans they could make a dish from and the owner said «Yes, make you garlic string bean» and off he went after getting my mother’s happy consent.
The chicken Guisada was perfectly cooked and tasty but the real star was the garlic string bean dish. It was so tasty and flavorful. Went with the white rice that was brought to the table and so good that after we ate the first order we ordered a second to take home with us. Unfortunately the kitchen didn’t have anymore string beans. My mom was really disappointed as she loved them so much. She was gushing about how good they were to the owner and he (without being asked) got the chef (or one of the guys in the kitchen) to run out and get some stringbeans and they made it for her. Mom was thrilled!
Check came and for two huge bowls of soup (that had cup of soup prices) app chicken wings, Chicken Guisada and saffron rice and the garlic stringbeans with rice came to a budget friendly 42 dollars. After I left an 8 dollar tip it came to 50 bucks! CAN YOU BELIEVE ALL THAT FOR %) BUCkS?!!
Get to this place before NYC real estate sucks it up and it shutters its doors! (as it seems every place is succumbing to that)

The first couple times i’ve been in were not pleasant. Slow service the Tamale was terrible, cook, wait staff, sitting on a large table in the back staring at you. However the last couple times had been much better cause I ordered the chicken curry dish, which is my favorite dish any crap. A quaint little dive to meet up with friends and talk about nothing.

Tried it once… I ordered beef stew with yellow rice, beans, avacado salad…, it took about a half hr. Until my order came out of the kitchen… THE FOOD WAS HORRIBLE !

I have been here before but after this last visit, I don’t think I will ever return. I love the chicken cracklings and the beef and broccoli here. but this visit ruined it for me.
went there for lunch with my co-​workers. got seated pretty quickly. sat down and waited for the waiter to come by with the menus. so after 15 minutes of sitting there and watching other customers that came in after us got their menus, I was getting annoyed. so finally the waiter comes over and took our order. 5 mins, 10 mins, 20 mins go by and no food or our drinks. the other tables that came in after us was already being served. now i am getting to my boiling point. I asked the lady and the waiter where is our food, their reply was «it coming»
So after another 5 mins of waiting, the waiter came with our drinks. I asked again where is our food, he then asked us what we ordered. we told him and he then said «it’s coming». he runs into the kitchen and told the chefs our order in chinese. one thing they didn’t know was i speak and understand chinese and told my party to leave. they asked why and I told them what the waiter just told the chefs. when the waiter and the lady came out of the kitchen, I told them in chinese that was are leaving. they looked like deers in headlights. they said the food was coming and i said i just heard him tell the chefs our order. she then ran into the kitchen to rush our food but it was too late. we dropped a few bucks for the drinks on the table and left.
It sucks cause i like the food here and never had such bad service. Gotta look for a new chinese lunch place. What sucks even more is that there is no chinese food anywhere around Union Square.

Scroll down and read what Tameeka wrote about the coffee mug and dishes being dirty. Go here and watch the woman in front wash the glasses. They are put into a sink with soap, then go into the adjacent sink with water and laid down on a towel still full of soap and NOT scrubbed with a sponge or anything else. This has been going on for years, even when they had another name. I have gotten fried rice to take out but wonder how filthy they are in the kitchen. I would never in a million years sit down and use their dishes or glasses. I am through with this place, sickening.

Finally! I can’t believe I have been working across the street for months and never noticed this gem. Anyway, I finally noticed it and was instantly overjoyed that such a place existed near my work. I love these places for their simple food, as well as the mix of my two favorite foods — Asian and Latino.
Anyway, I ordered the steak with onion (house special) since it’s one of my favorite dishes. Sure enough, the dish turned out as good as I expected. Seriously, these mom-​and-​pop places don’t get enough credit. Their food is always consistently great. My friend had the fried chicken and bragged about how good it was.
The ambiance is very simple. Again, it’s a mom-​and-​pop-​style establishment. Very clean and good for large groups. I highly recommend this place.

I’m a regular white rice (what I thought was safe) orderer. One day I was 8 cents short and had to run back up stairs to bring down a $ 20 in which they didn’t have chance for… I realized that if they are concerned with saving 8cents on me … Imagine the corners they’re cutting in the kitchen… No wonder this place has always has a B or C … I don’t even believe the new grade on the window… I think this place should be for sale soon & I’m gonna start looking for buyers! El Parisio done!

I’m a fan, especially for lunch, as it’s great, and so reasonable. My fave fried rice in all of Manhattan, especially because it’s so well seasoned, I never even have to add soy sauce. Very Latin indeed! Steamed yucca w/​olive oil & garlic is delicious. The best Chino latino I’ve had in a long time.

No stars should be given. Do not eat here. The food made me sick. The service was horrible and the food was mediocre. The coffee mug was dirty, the dishes were not clean. Do not eat here.

Since my workplace moved to a different area, looking for good food to a new place is hard.
I came across this place yesterday and decided to give it a try today. I am impressed with the food.
If you read my other reviews with chinese restaurants, i test them out to know if they are good by ordering the Hot n Sour soup. This place makes it really good!!!
Out came my ¼ chicken with egg fried rice. The chicken was juicy with a little bit of the cuban/​mexican style. Good Eats. Fried Rice? Good stuff.
It’s run by chinese, but no worries they speak decent english to get your order through :)
Definitely found my new spot for Chinese Take-​out.
The price is higher than most take-​outs so that’s a downer, but can’t be too picky I guess.

I’ve walked by this place everyday for 4 years during high school and never thought of coming in! The madness!!!
Ordered takeout midweek at around 1pm — lunch special: ¼ roast chicken and yellow rice, with extra side orders of maduros and tostones — altogether $ 15 including tax. I was starving, but was stuffed after eating only a third! Looking forward to the next 2 – 3 meals!
*I was even able to choose which part of the chicken I wanted! I don’t remember the last time being asked for my preference. So I am willing to give it an extra star for that, along with the friendly service and a wait time of only 5 minutes after placing my order in person. The bread was a little stale, but I appreciate that I still got some bread and butter thrown in there.
Chicken was cooked perfectly, but days after eating at Sophie’s, I find that the rice and chicken could have had more flavor and moisture– particularly the yellow rice. It’s impossible for me to find a place that makes good maduros that aren’t drowning in oil, and these fit the bill! The maduros were the perfect texture, with that perfect crispiness on the edges.

Several months ago, I walked by and discovered that this new «El Paraiso» restaurant had opened in the spot where my long closed fav «Nueva Rampa» had been. I couldn’t believe my eyes and even though I wasn’t hungry, I stared in the window, recognized a few faces and the recent renovations, and then walked in to sit down and order.
Eating in this familiar location with slightly updated and much brighter décor made my heart sing. As usual, a basket of warmed, slice bread came to the table with some pats of butter. The Cuban dishes I ordered (black beans and rice, fried pork chops) were the same huge portions. The new ‘young’ (under 40, at least!) waitress was friendly and solicitious though did not seem Spanish-​fluent. And I finished it with a hot café con leche.

I love this restaurant. They’re Chinese is not the greatest in town, but their Cuban is excellent and I order from here all the time. They deliver all the way to Union Square, Gotta love that!
But this is categorized as a Mexican restaurant and it’s not. I understand that as Americans, we are stupid and ignorant about the difference between Latin American countries and their cousin, but Mexican and Cuban are way too different. Learn it well, people. Latin food or countries are not all the same. We’re New Yorkers for crying out laud, not southerners.

Just ordered lunch and it was awesome. Giving the order over the phone proved to be a little difficult but we smoothed out the order with some repetitive answers.
I ordered the Pollo Guisado (chicken stew) with pork fried rice. The chicken was juicy and flavorful and covered in a stew of peppers and onions. The rice was delicious, not greasy and full of veggies.
The delivery was fast for a 11:30AM order.

Ah, yes, this space was the late, lamented La Rampa. El Paraiso is a cleaner and brighter version of La Rampa. Big screen TV, Nicer lighting fixtures make the olé gal a bit younger. There are several of the original servers there whom we have come to know over the years and I was glad to see them.
The food is practically the same, so no complaints here. This is one opf the few places in Manhattan where you can get Chow Mein. Yes yes, I know, Chow Mein isn’t a genuine Chinese dish. Gimme a break, I was raised in Brooklyn in the pre-​Sichuan days and I still get the craving.
The Spanish dishes are still the same. Thank goodness. Just a couple of things I can’t understand: 1) Why is Won Ton soup $ 3.50 and, 2) Where is the hot and sour soup? Wassup wit dat?
Anyhoo, it is still nice having La Rampa back, even though it’s now called El Paraiso.
Oh, and now they accept MC and Visa
The best f**kin’ Chinese duck in the city.

El Paraiso I passed you every morning and your windows were always shuttered with a metal pull down grate. The only way I found out you were finally open was walking on the street, I spied a copy of the menu on the floor. Ooooh… I wanted so much to pick up the menu, but germaphobia took hold of me so I had to wait. But not for long, as I found myself there the next night at this new Spanish/​Chinese restaurant. The days of the Cuban/​Chinese restaurants are far and few so I was surprised and happy to find El Paraiso opened just this March. La Nueva Rampa used to be in this space. It was indeed another Cuban/​Chinese restaurant and it must have been there for a good long time, and once again every time I passed it, it was closed. For many months now, I waited and then I saw new signage go up… El Paraiso was born.
They have Chinese and Spanish food here. The waitress brings out a small serving of bread in a basket. The bread is warm and comes with a small pat of butter. All the other Cuban/​Chinese places I’ve ever tried in the City, did the same thing and even the bread tasted the same. I found myself thinking back to places like La Dinastia and how much I miss the place. It wasn’t long before my meal came out. I had the pollo guisado (chicken stew) for $ 7.25. It comes with either salad & tostones or rice and beans. I misread the menu and thought I would get the tostones too, so when my dish came out I only had the red beans and yellow rice with my pollo guisado. I was disappointed and wanted tostones, but when I saw the heaping portion of yellow rice, I used better judgment and just kept to my dish which was more than enough food. The chicken stew has large pices of onions, bell peppers, chunks of potatoes and tomato. It was a good, decent stew. The veggies were crispy, so I knew they were not cooked inot the stew. I liked this style of adding the veggies in last, so they don’t become soggy and limp. The red beans are large in size and comes in a bowl with its own sauce. I didn’t find the big flavors in both the stew or the beans, but it was definitely solid. There are lunch specials from Monday-​Friday and you can get either the Spanish lunch specials for $ 6.95 or the Chinese side lunch specials for $ 7.50. They make milkshakes (Batidos) for $ 4.25 and even two dessert choices.
The place is populated with locals and some newcombers like me. It’s clean, service is friendly and the place has good space. The place is light in color with shades of pink and pink cushion chairs. There are 2 waiters here that used to work at La Nueva Rampa, and the rest of the crew are new. I hear the waiters and waitress speaking in Cantonese and I’m sure some can speak Spanish as well. I will be back to sample more of their menu.