Pollo a la brasa, or roasted chicken, is the dinnertime savior of many families. And with so many delicious spots to choose from in New York’s Washington Heights to Inwood, it would be easy to feast on a different chicken every night. Restaurants flaunt their glistening brown chickens on spits in windows and grills behind counters, their enticing smell wafting out onto the street and tempting passersby.
Photo credit: Trip advisor (Cafe El Presidente)
The lure of the uptown chicken is hard to deny. Prepared solo or with a host of sides, it’s easy to feed a family of four with one chicken — with smaller families being left with piles of leftovers.
If chickens are the stars of these restaurants, the salads, plantain dishes and beans and rice are the trusty sidekicks. Most restaurants sell tostones [fried plantains] or maduros, a sweet soft plantain dish, along with moro, the hearty beans and rice, and sometimes a vegetable dish.
A small salad often comes for free in various combo deals. For a little extra, the staff will throw in some ripe and creamy aguacate (avocado) on top.
Moro, or rice and beans, come in a variety of styles and flavors and typically come included in a combination package. If you’re lucky, your server will give you some “concón” or “pegao,” the crispy unburned crust of rice formed at the bottom of the pot, which many in the neighborhood call a delicacy. Concón is the Dominican word for this treat. In Puerto Rico it’s called pegao, for “pegado,” or stuck to the bottom of the pot.
“My sister and I actually argue over concón,” said Washington Heights resident JoAna Swan, adding that she “stalks her mother until the rice is done” when she makes it in her hometown Santiago in the Dominican Republic.
Here are some Washington Heights and Inwood spots where locals say the chicken is cooked just right.
El Nuevo Ambiente
4986 Broadway, between Isham and 212th street, 212.544.8080
This decade-old restaurant on Broadway is frequented by Inwood old-timers and newcomers alike. Drawn in by the delicious smelling kitchen and friendly wait staff, the place is a local favorite for many.
“I came for the chicken, I stayed for the company,” said Inwood resident Carmen Velasquez, 41, while ordering a chicken for her family.
Deal: Whole chicken $6, with rice and beans on the side $10.
La Nueva España
606 W 207th Street, between Broadway and Vermilyea, 212.567.0500
1263 St. Nicholas Avenue at West 173rd Street, 212.927.7373
The popular restaurant churns out the chickens by the dozens and demand for their perfectly browned products can mean a wait of up to an hour at dinnertime. But devoted fans say nothing beats the chicken once it’s on their plates.
Inwood business owner Dennis Xenos says their $6 quarter chicken with salad and beets combo for lunch can’t be beat.
Cole Thompson, a local historian, author and real estate agent, calls it a “top notch rotisserie chicken” at a “no nonsense Latin American eatery.”
Deal: Whole chicken $8, with rice and beans on the side $11.
John’s Chicken
512 West 207th Street, at the corner of Post Avenue, 212.567.6489
What John’s Chicken lacks in ambience, it makes up for in deliciously golden rotisserie chicken. Servers dole out chicken with heaping spoonfuls of assorted sides in Styrofoam containers.
“When I go to the bank and they see I’m from John’s they scream, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been eating at John’s since I was a kid,” said Maria Medina, whose family owns the restaurant, which has two additional locations in New Jersey.
Deal: Whole chicken $8, with two side orders $14. For those who prefer fried over rotisserie chicken, John’s is also worth a taste.
El Malecon
4141 Broadway, between West 175th and 176th streets, 212.927.3812
Called one of the most authentic Dominican restaurant chains in the city, El Malecon has been a favorite in the Height for years.
“It feels like home,” Arelis Rivera, 37, said of the lively and sometimes downright loud establishment. Rivera, who grew up in the Dominican Republic, said she often orders the chicken for her family and never leaves without ordering at least one slice of tres leches, a cake made with “three milks,” for dessert.
Deal: Whole chicken $9, or with one side order $12.
El Conde Steakhouse
4139 Broadway, between West 174th and 175th streets, 212.781.3231
Despite the word steak in the name El Conde Steakhouse, locals rave about the roasted chicken on the grill. With moist meat and crisped brown skin, the dish is a favorite for residents looking for a delicious and easy to serve meal at home.
Washington Heights resident Enrique Flores, 33, said he visits El Conde often for the birds.
“I think it’s the best,” he said. “Good prices too.”
Deal: Whole chicken $13.
El Presidente Restaurant
3938 Broadway, 212.927.7011
The citrusy roasted chicken at El Presidente is a local favorite at this outpost in lower Washington Heights where doctors from New York-Presbyterian Hospital mix with local families for lunch and dinner deals. Fans say the chicken is moist and the skin is just right, but sometimes the small extras go a long way in making a place a favorite.
Everyone who raves about El Presidente’s chicken equally lauds the buttered bread served on the side, proving that there is more to uptown than just chicken.
Deal: Whole chicken $5.99, with rice and beans on the side $11. Sides are extra. Lunchtime special serves up a quarter chicken with yellow rice and beans and buttered bread. $6.
Reposted/published from dnainfo – more here: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111003/washington-heights-inwood/locals-offer-up-their-favorite-uptown-roasted-chicken-joints#ixzz1ZseZjiaw
Former USA Today reporter Doug Levy lives in New York City and spends a lot of his free time searching for great food and wine. As a PR pro, he specializes in healthcare and life sciences. Doug enjoys sharing his culinary observations which you can also read on his personal blog at Food and Wine World.
