Tina’s Cuban Cuisine

Love me some Tina’s. Their salsa verde is on. POINT. Ugh fantastic. I am a huge fan of their pulled pork with rice and beans. It also has such an authentic feel to it, especially considering its location. The delivery however was eh, the delivery guy was banging on someone else’s door for 20 minutes only to realize he wasn’t in my building…

It’s almost got a home cooked feel which makes it stand out from the other stuff I usually get. fuck yeah

Least good Cuban experience thus far. Based on all the good reviews, perhaps I should try eating AT the restaurant rather than delivery as I was left disappointed.
Ordered lunch special of Oxtail w/​rice and beans, tostones, beef empanada, & extra garlic sauce.
Dry rice, dry oxtail with barely any meat or gravy. Worst tostones as they were chewy and large. What?!? Garlic sauce got overwhelming eventually with it’s pungent smell.
Expanada was missing. Called the restaurant while the man kept asking me, «Are you sure it’s not in the bag under something?» Under the invisible shield, I felt like saying. He said he’d have the driver bring come back with it. Did he? No. It was two bucks only but when a girl craves an empanada, she needs an empanada!!!

I just had by far one of the best Cuban foods ever. I just love New York it never fails, the food here is outstanding.
Unfortunately I cannot get food like this in San Francisco so I take advantage every time I visit the east coast. My plate was chuletas con Aroz blanco and platanitos at first I thought there is no way I’m going to finish this. After one bite. I couldn’t breath of how fast I ate!

Stopped by this place while in NYC. I have to say the Cuban sandwich I had was one of the tastiest sandwiches I’ve ever had. It’s all about the green sauce! The sandwiches are very filling, prices are decent too. The steak sandwich looked even more delicious and I can’t wait to go back next time I’m in New York.

Date of service: June 3, 2015
Meal: Lunch, dine in
All Ratings out of 10:
Quality of food: 8
Food to Spend Value: 8
Quality of Service: 7
Overall Rating: 8
The beauty of NYC is that you can have just about any cuisine you want. The challenge is that it can sometimes be hard to figure out what and where to eat. I was in the Times Square area and was looking for something different, and a flurry of good ratings and an interest in Cuban food led me to Tina’s for lunch.
As a starter we got Chicken Empanadas. The filling had a nice flavor, and the pastry part was crispy and light. I have had better empanadas to be sure, but these were quite good and a nice way to start the meal. Tina’s also does shakes, and I could not resist a mango shake, which really felt more like a really creamy smoothie than it did a milkshake. Needless to say it was delicious.
In addition to every day specials, Tina’s has a set of specials for each day of the week. It was Wednesday, and one of the daily specials was the Ox Tail (Rabo encendido). It came highly recommended, so I ordered it and chose black beans and rice as my 2 sides. I also ordered a side of Fried Sweet Plantains. The ox tail was very tender and was served in a mouth watering gravy. The seasoning and flavor was outstanding, and the rice and beans were also quite good and were above average. I did find I had to pick up pieces to eat them adequately, much like ribs, but this made it more fun to eat. The portion size was also huge, and I was quite full when done. This proved somewhat problematic when trying to finish the plantains, as they had just the right level of sweetness and a perfect texture. I had to finish them, too, since, simply put, they were delicious.
Tina’s does a lot of takeout, but they have a sit down area in the back. It is extremely casual and quite busy at lunch time, typically a good sign. The service was pretty good considering how busy it was, and the food came out super fast. The food is very reasonably priced, especially considering how massive the portions are. I would definitely love to go back and try some of the other things on the menu, though if I were there on a Wednesday it would be difficult not to get the ox tail again.

I used to go here all the time when my office was in the empire state building. When my office moved to 53^rd street I was so sad that to as was so far. One day I was Unilocaling and found this location and was ecstatic!
My Co worker and I decided to go try it out. To my surprise, this location was even better than the one near the empire state building.
I give five stars for customer service and taste. The prices are average, I got the baked chicken with sweet plantains, beans and rice and of course EXTRA green sauce and all for under $ 10. The food was AMAZING!
If you go during the lunch hours 12 – 2 you’re going to be waiting a while because the place is usually packed out. You can get an order to go or you can sit down. I’ve never gotten take out I usually just sit down and eat there because it’s easier than eating a whole chicken in the office.
Everyone that I know goes here for the e empanadas and say it’s the best they’ve ever had. So definitely a must try!

Great prices, usually great food, terrible delivery.
I eat at Tina’s once a week and have probably eaten there 100 times. Usually I order delivery (I live .2 miles away) and delivery is a terrible experience that has gotten worse in the last year. Frankly, even though I love the food, and I DO love the food, I am considering stopping eating at Tina’s.
In the last two months, about ¹⁄₃ of my meals have shown up cold. One didn’t show up at all, and when I asked for a refund they told me they would give it, but never did.
Delivery typically takes 100% longer than they say, and if you call in to ask about your deliver, they tell you they will ‘check and call you right back’ but they don’t NEVER once have called me back. If you call back in again they tell you you’re food is almost there, and then it takes another 30 minutes.
I love all the specials (baked chicken, steak & onions etc), but the food quality is variable even in person. If you get delivery, you have to accept that many deliveries will be cold.

Right adjacent to the bombastic air of Fifth Avenue shopping is this understated and simple Cuban restaurant. If you didn’t know about it, you would probably walk right past it without checking it out. I think it would be your loss.
First of all, the prices are very good for this part of NY. The dishes are all around $ 11, offering an entrée and two sides.
1. Pork: I had this shredded concoction of both lean and fatty parts, which was delicious! It was quite juicy, and the portions were decent.
2. Sweet plantains: Came as a side. This was among the best plantains I’ve ever had. These bananas were plump. Seriously. You get a lot, even more than the pork.
3. Potato salad: Not really a true Cuban dish, but I was craving this. Also really enjoyed it, although I can’t say that it was made in-​house.
There is a seating are in the back, so just walk toward there. Otherwise the front is for take out only. They take credit card.

Get the empanadas.
I’ve been going to this place for years. Stumbled in here to get coffee but the real winners are the empanadas.

This place is a favorite of both myself and my coworkers. The beef empanadas are easily the best I’ve had its good food for a fair price. The green sauce on the table has a great flavor with a little spice to compliment any food. I think it serves as a great dipping sauce for the fried yuca. Beware of a heavy lunch rush, but if you aren’t in a rush to be anywhere too fast, I highly recommend Tina’s.

Ordered with
. Food came within 30 mins and it was hot. I ordered the beef and rice and beans, fried yucca. They provided an ample portion and enough extra sauce. Way better than Sophie’s. I’m giving them ⁴⁄₅ because I ordered white rice And beans and got black rice And beans. The food is delicious so I can’t complain too much.

Came here for lunch the other day with some work colleagues. The restaurant does both take-​out and dine-​in service, and we decided to sit inside. We were seated pretty quickly, but it took a while for someone to come over and take our order. Granted it was busy, but during the lunch rush, most people don’t have a lot of time to sit.
They had some daily specials that came with two sides of your choosing. I ordered the special chicken with french fries and sweet plantains. The others in my group had beef stew, shrimp, and grilled chicken with rice, beans, and yuca combinations. Food was pretty good and the green sauce on top is always a plus.
They don’t do separate checks, but they can split the bill among multiple credit cards. We all totaled to about $ 14 (tip was included in the entire bill), which was totally reasonable for the amount and quality of food we got.
Overall, OK. My qualms are with the service and the fact that you’ll smell like Cuban food due to the proximity and openness of their kitchen area. There are a lot of delicious Cuban takeout places in the area, and Tina’s isn’t in the same caliber.

Go to Cuban spot if you’re above 50^th street. Added bonus is that it moves quick.
Favorite items: Cuban sandwich. Off the hot table, oxtail, chicken leg. Dont forget to get an empanada and extra green crack sauce.

I give this place a 3.5 rounded up. It’s definitely one of my go to spots for the Cuban sandwiches and fried pork sandwich but I think the fried pork would be amazing if it was more tender and the maduros are a hit or miss. No big deal.
For the price point I don’t really have much complaints. It’s a fast food place so I need to give them some leeway because they need to mass produce everything in a timely manner. Plus, if you douse your meats in the green sauce it’ll soften it up.
For add-​ons
I always get fried pork sandwich with avocado and everything else it comes with.
Cuban with cheese and potato sticks and everything else it comes with.

Heard we were having Cuban food for a catered lunch at work, and wasn’t sure what to expect. I was surprised how delicious I found this meal (maybe I was hungry). The steak & onions was tasty (HUGE pieces of steak) and the guacamole sauce complimented it nicely. The steak was a flat steak, like the thin kind you’d expect when you order steak tacos. I enjoyed the orange rice, it was seasoned well, but again, nothing too spectacular.
My only qualm was the sad, fried plantains. oh dear. If you did not know they were plantains, you might not know what you were biting into. They were extremely soggy and gross. Not to mention, room temperature.
For some reason, I’d still order this a second time. I’ve had better, I’ve had worse, but the food pairings complimented each other nicely.

Really really good food. Tiny Tina place. Front is for take out but table service in the back. We had a cheese empanada – it was super with a flaky pastry. The papa relleno was good. The pork dinner was great – lots of tasty meat, terrific rice and beans and some well-​sauteed onions. Fried yucca is good – like light french fries. All for about $ 30.00.
Careful, they added the tip on the bill – don’t double-​tip :)

Hey,
I Ordered a $ 12 plate for lunch. I started eating my food and realized there was a bug in my plate. I am totally disgusted with Tina’s (56^th street)…I have no idea if there was any additional bugs in my food. I called up Tina and informed them that this has happened.
They sent me another plate and refunded my money! Supposedly!!! Unfortunately I feel that this was not enough! So I am warning ALL… DONT ORDER FROM TINA’S EVER!!!
Order# 1 192 878 572 (seamless)

FOOD: we ordered:
— spicy chicken plate with rice and plantains (comes with two sides). spicy chicken plate was good. the chicken could have been moister but still delicious with green sauce. the chicken is topped with onions and tomatoes. mmm. the plantains were good (not the best) but great choice with our meal.
— beef empanada — definitely the winner. super flavorful meat inside the empanada.
tip: make sure you eat it with the spicy green sauce. actually, make sure you drench anything you get here with the green sauce. we will warn you, the green sauce bottle that innocently sits on each table is indeed spicy… but oh so good. i actually felt the burn an hour after our meal.
i’m sure the other sides are bomb.
bomb. next time, i want to try all the empanadas.
AMBIENCE: casual cuban restaurant. you can either get hot food to go in the front of the restaurant (laid out cafeteria style) or go to the back where they have table service. keep in mind that the space in the back is pretty small. a little weird thing about the back room: there is a weird constant vibration on the floors… no idea why. but you really aren’t there for that long. so i guess it’s ok?
SERVICE: nice. since food is already made out front, food comes out quick. so you are in and out within 20 minutes.
OVERALL: if you love spicy, flavorful food, come here. if you love sauce like me, try the green sauce. delicious. do yourself one and get an empanada!

Cuban food delivered fast and fresh.
They have daily as well as everyday specials. Just remembered to ask for extra green crack sauce. I put it on everything.
Cuban sandwiches are yummy.
My favorite is the roasted pork that is super juicy and tender shredded.
This is a perfect lunch spot if you need to dine in or take out.
They have Tina’s all over the city, and Sophie’s on the other half.
They are 99% the same thing, only difference I have found is Tina’s has yuca and Sophie’s does not. Not sure the reason, but that’s basically the difference. Both are worth the trip.
If you get here after the Noon hour then you’ll probably see a bit of a line. Don’t be afraid, if you are going to take it to go — the line moves very quickly and you can be in and out in under 5 minutes. They are super quick!
Tip: The sandwich line is at the very end and splits off from the hot food platter line.
Don’t sit in one line just to have to jump on another if you want a sandwich. Move your way all the way to the back and get on the sandwich line. This is the slowest line since each sandwich is made to order. No difference, everyone knows what they are doing so they bang these things out pretty quick. When your done jump the line and walk up to the register.

Good service, line for lunch, consistent and good food. The decoration is cheap and looks like a fast food plus but the goal is to eat well and for a cheap price: mission accomplished!