Sophie's Cuban Cuisine - NYC (Various Locations)

- February 12, 2020

Hell's Kitchen has no shortage of places to find a quick lunch, the trick is finding one with good food that breaks the typical mold of catering to the hot-table zombies. Luckily, Sophie's Cuban is here to break the monotony of the everyday routine with time-tested, delicious Cuban classics.

The Grub:

Sophie's is a great grab-and-go eatery obviously specializing in Cuban cuisine. Their offerings include some of the well-known classics like roast pork, fried chicken cutlets, baked chicken, and pork-chops with onions which are also their most popular dishes. I would also suggest giving their spicy grilled chicken and shredded beef stew a try, though quite honestly - you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu here. When you order, you are asked to pick an entree and 3 sides - which, in and of themselves could make a meal for most. Again, no wrong choices with the side dishes, but I would suggest some Moro rice, black beans (unless you are gluten-free like me), and their friend plantains (it almost goes without saying that you should pair this with the roast pork). Sophie's also offers a number of Cuban-styled sandwich who's foundations are based in a number of the entrees they serve, again like the roast pork. A few options include the traditional Cuban sandwich, steak sandwich, and my suggestion - pernil with a twist! No matter what you order, the best and my favorite part of the whole experience are the little cups of house-made spicy green chili garlic sauce distributed with every meal - try some and see for yourself.

My Order:

Roast pork
white rice
mixed grilled veggies

The Digs:

Sophie's Cuban Cuisine operates out of a number of locations in NYC, but the one I frequent most often (due to work) is the Hell's Kitchen location. They all are mainly take-out style restaurants, but usually have a small dining space if it is too cold or too crappy to dine al-fresco (Central park is only a few blocks north, so it is quite worth hoofing your lunch up there and enjoying the scenery). Not much in the way of design or decor, but that isn't why you're here. Service is always prompt and polite. Nothing in the way of parking at the Hell's Kitchen location, and expect the same for most of them so be ready to take public transit.

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