Sofrito

I was initially excited to try this place because of the location. A friend and me sat by the bar which had a very small crowd. We waited for a long time to just see a menu and we had to waive over and over so we can get service.
We ordered appetizer and I ordered wine. The bartender Daniel gives me the wine in a PLASTIC cup!!! ?? I was just shocked. For such a classy looking place by the water and having more than 10 different types of wines/​champagnes on their menu getting wine in a plastic cup was beyond belief. It felt like I was in someone’s backyard at a house party in college. I called the server to give me a wine glass and he rolled his eyes like I was making a fuss. I then told him I will be switching to liquor if that’s the case. He then asked another server to bring a wine glass and poured the drink in a proper wine glass. Why didn’t he just do that initially? I had high hopes for this place but what a disappointment. No wonder it is so empty.

Came here yesterday for my niece’s graduation dinner, party of 7. Called ahead, spoke to someone who said sure, we can accomodate you. When we arrive, we are greeted to a $ 15 pretty much mandatory Valet charge. Otherwise you have to park the equivalent of 6 blocks over the bridge on the street. And NO, they don’t waive the fee after you dine here. So I walked in not too happy. The restaurant is pretty empty, yet I am asked if I have reservations and who did I speak to. No one seemed to know who I was talking about. With the restaurant being mainly empty, I didn’t see why it mattered, but yet we had to wait 25 minutes for them to join 2 tables together. We sat outside to avoid the really loud music, (good music, just loud) but were quickly ran back inside by bugs.
Our waiter Eddie was very nice and the bartender made me a great drink. Unfortunately, there was a very long waiting time for everyone else’s drinks and food. Food was bland overall. No Latin flavors. Just cooked meat. Mofungo was DRY. Like choke to death dry. Water was constantly flowing, but I now realize it was because the manager was overheard telling the staff to watch our table. Because of course the table full of black women are going to skip on the bill. Mind you, my party consisted of 2 senior citizens… my mother, sister in law, her mother and her 3 adult children.
The manager who was super dismissive, when I spoke to him regarding the parking fee. He basically said people spend way more money than we did and don’t complain. I guess those people have never been anywhere else to eat and don’t know their own worth. I sure know mine!!!
I will absolutely not be back here and don’t suggest you go either unless you are Hispanic where the red carpet is rolled out for you. Shame because the view is beautiful and the décor is stunning.

Brunch Review:
Ooh it’s bad. I had brunch once at their previous location a few years ago and it wasn’t such a wtf experience like this one. From the food, to the drinks, to the service it was a complete waste of money. I love brunch and I certainly understand that sometimes boozy brunches can be a hit or miss when it comes to the food… but all Sofrito has to offer is a view. That’s it.
Sofritos boozy brunch included bottomless mimosas or sangria, appetizer and entrée for 29.99 The mimosas were terrible. I think they used old OJ. Everyone around me made faces when they took a sip. The sangrias were decent, but the waitress always had to be called for refills. If other waiters pass by they don’t bother refilling drinks, just take care of their own tables. Even when asked, they could not be bothered and would go fetch our waitress. The lack of communication between them certainly showed.
The edges of my French Toast were burned. My friend did not like the taste of her ropa vieja and there was something odd about the flavor of everyone’s rice as well. No one finished their meal and we did not bother staying for the full 2 hours as both the food and drinks were terrible. There must be a different owner, management, & chef that took over. Not worth trekking into a park for.

Wonderful décor and service. The pernil is great but just too much too eat. Delicious calamari and plantain

I like the fact of the view of Hudson River and bridge, very nice.
I want to shared my second experience as continue described:
First visit was good, just few drinks at Sunday noon.
Second We went to celebrate Fathers Day, we were sitting in 8 mins (good), Our waitress pissed me off so bad, He ask for orders, this is ok; He recommended a Picadera for everyone, we agreed and order our drinks. He started asking for entré already and our appetizer hasn’t been served yet, I said bring the Picadera first and then we decided. Around 7 – 10 min He again started rushing us to order but our appetizer is not ready He said is coming. I started to get irritated because he start rushing for order every 5 mins. Then we get tired of he’s temperament and canceled order and asked for the bill.
We got two alcoholic drinks and 3 non alcoholic beverage, one Picadera for everyone (4 people) and our bill was extremely high going for 239 dollars unbelievable for this few things. Them I reviewed my bill and they were charging 4 times the Picadera for 180 dollars just this, I asked for manager and complained about the amount, and definitely I was overcharged. Later on the lady fixed my bill and came out for 87 dollars… Too much the difference, Don’t you think so?
Very disappointed for my experienced (thumbs down)

Came here to have dinner and decided to eat outside, big mistake the mosquito attacked me and my boyfriend. Other than that beautiful, view nice ambience can be loud at time but the music is good. Service was definitely slow but the food was great and so were the drinks. This place definitely had potential and I will return soon.

early fathers day dinner with the family and of course the First Lady. started with the sampler appetizer fried pork chunks fried shrimp, fried calamari awesome tostones
main course janei had the skirt steak fried yuca the seafood paella was very good could have used more lobster but still good 2 shrimp dinners every one enjoyed
the sangria red&white great.
nice décor great out door seating perfect view.
will return for the fried snapper.

Horrible service. We waited outside at our table. One entrée arrived. Ten minutes later another entrée arrived. Another ten minutes and the last two entrees arrived. People who were seated after us were served before our last entrees arrived.
The food was good.
The music was so loud we had to shout at each other and we were outside. The table wobbled terribly.
To be honest it looks like the management is incompetent. No commitment to excellence. It’s like 14 year old boys are running the place. The wait staff were nice and apologetic

I’m taking off two stars for the slow service and for having to pay $ 15 for parking. The location is GORGEOUS with a spectacular view and ample lounging indoor and outdoor areas. The DJ plays great music all afternoon into the evening. Drinks and bar staff are great. Food was somewhat inconsistent. While my shrimp mofongo was Delicious, my husbands steak was over cooked. Also, while our waiter was friendly and courteous he «disappeared» a few times… Leaving us waiting to order our main course for some time. Will I be back? Maybe if I can find street parking OUTSIDE the park area.

This restaurant is definitely under minded. I ve been here twice and wow. It has all the potential of being a star but somehow it s not happening. i give it 4 stars just for the view, location, décor and potential of being something that can be super awesome. The food is amazing and the river view breath taking. However it needs to find its way to the heart of the people in the area to appreciate it for what it is. There is definatly an existing cultural barrier from the stuff to non Spanish guests and this may be sometimes a problem but it can also be why its so authentic.
And people don’t go to enjoy valet parking thats really a luxury if u dont wanna pay for it. i saw someone complaining why he has to pay for it. what? About food. If you don’t wanna spend too much at this gorgeous place go to the amazing priced happy hours $ 3 beers, $ 2 yummy empignadas, gorgeous river view, comfortable chair inside and outdoor seating as well. All can be happy here :)
I love it.

If I could give this place a negative rating I would. Their service has declined DRASTICALLY since they became Sofrito’s as opposed to Riverbank Grill. Their food is way overpriced as well as their drink special. I ordered the huevos rancheros which indicated that the entrée came with beans. The plate has maybe 20 beans on it max. It looks more like a garnish than a part of the actual meal. Their mimosas are basically orange juice. If I’m paying for a mimosa I expect to see some champagne in there.
The service could be much better. It took about 10 minutes for someone to get us water and take our drink orders. And when I asked one of the wait staff if he was our waiter or if we should be expecting someone else soon, he answered with a bit of an attitude. Noël ended up being our server and was very nice throughout the meal.
The look of the place gives the impression that it’s more of a classy establishment. But if you’re going to be «classy» I would suggest keeping the place more presentable. We were able to see a table with serving trays, dirty dishes and a staff member eating at one point. That stuff should be left for behind the scenes. I understand if the staff needs to eat but maybe pick a better location. It seemed strange for me to see this «break table» while I was trying really hard to enjoy my meal.
I really wish this place would step it up. This could be a great place to have any meal or special occasion. But they really need to get their service and appearances together.

They got rid of the original manager that’s been with them. Since the beginning named. I believe Ben or Benny who cared about the place and would fire employees that gave customers a hard time and now they hired a manager that encourages bad behavior from the waiters and staff that no-​one likes so now the place sucks it’s only a matter of time that this placeust be sold or. Must be closed

Had my Birthday Brunch here and I loved it. The staff was super friendly, the waiter had the drinks flowing. The music was good and the view is amazing. Now, the pre fix menu could be a bit better. Due to the fact that they don’t have any seafood as an entrée. So you have to settle for the French toast which I wasn’t a fan of. But the appetizers were good. And my friends enjoyed the steak and eggs and braised beef.
Will be coming back here again!

The Worst Sunday Brunch Service Ever!
We had friends come in from Seattle and I had wanted them to see the beautiful view. The service was horrible. We waited for our entrée for 45 minutes. There was a DJ there who played the music so loud we could bearly hear each other speak, the line for the ladies room was ridiculous so much so that we had to use the men’s room.
Finally when the entrée arrived my eggs were had as a rock! I sent my food back and would not order anything else.
We have been here for happy hour and the service was ok, however I will never go back to this place for brunch ever again! It totally sucked!!!

A close friend of mines decided to host their birthday brunch at Sofrito’s. I’ve visited the previous location for dinner on a couple of occasions and enjoyed my experience both times so I was looking forward to trying their brunch menu at the new Harlem location. My friend had a large group of friends about ¹⁵⁄₂₀ people attended the brunch and we all needed to be in attendance in order to be seated for my friends reservations. Once everyone arrived we were seated at a large dining table right in the middle of the restaurant. The scenery was beautiful, and the ambiance of the restaurant was also very nice. Everyone seemed to have been dressed in a dressy causal fashion and seem to be there in celebration of something. So it was a happy and cheerful feel to the place.
After being seated were given menus to look over and it took a little while for our server to come back and take our orders. We were looking to take advantage of the $ 29.95 unlimited sangria/​mimosa brunch special. Once our orders were placed we waited for our drinks to arrive for maybe 15 minutes are so. It was a rather large group so when it was times for drinks to be distributed we did have additional wait staff help our server. I had the white sangria which was delicious, it was served in a small mason jar accompanied by fresh cut apples, oranges and pineapples. The drinks were pretty strong and for the most part the server was attentive in providing refills and exchanges of drinks.
The food took maybe half hour to maybe forty minutes to come out. It was a busy day and once again it was a large party, so the wait wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Except when the food finally did come out two persons within our group didn’t have their meals brought out. It kind of put a dent in the whole experience. For the most part everyone enjoyed their meals, I ordered the Churrasco with eggs and home fries. The Churrasco was cooked to perfection and home fries were seasoned and tasty. The home fries had apples cut up into the dish was a nice a touch, I would’ve liked to have had more home fries than apples though.
Don’t think I’ll return if it’s with such a large group as this birthday brunch. I think it played a role with overall just okay experience I had during this visit. I plan to pay the establishment maybe on a one on one basis next time around.

Wtf has happened to Sofrito. I used to love them when they were at their previous location, but this new location is awful. The service was really slow this evening and it seemed like there were a bunch of people but no one was really doing anything. I went with my parents and sister and we were seated, but no one came to our table until 15 minutes later. A girl showed up and said, «are you being helped?». Once my dad said no she said ‚” ok I’ll bring you a drink menu «. We didn’t need a drink menu because my parents had their drinks from the bar, but whatever. She comes back several minutes after and just stands there. My dad was like, «ook so we’re ready «. I can’t tell you her name because she never gave it to us. FF 45 minutes later and the food comes. My mother’s chuletas were luke warm and my dad’s pernil was kind of dry.
Now the big issue. THE BILL. HOW DOES THE BILL ARRIVE WITH 18% GRATUITY INCLUDED. the menu stated gratuity of 5 people are more. We were a party of 5. We asked the waitress why it was added and she said,» we add gratuity once the bill hits $ 100» That was not stated anywhere and what kinda place does that. It sounds illegal as hell and it’s a major way to make sure people don’t return. No bueno Sofritos!

Have gone to two brunches at this new location. Brunch is super reasonable and tasty. 29.99 $ for apps, entrée, desserts and drinks!
Only giving 4 stars because our party were given various answers regarding kids prices before our brunch date and when we arrived prices were not bad at all!
Valet Parking -$ 15
Live music Sunday afternoon and they were very entertaining!
Appetizers were delish! Empanadas, sangrias, pork chunks and calamari! r

Just another overpriced restaurant. I came here for Valentine’s day with my boyfriend, and I really wish we hadn’t. The staff were careless and rude. They offered a prefixe menu for $ 65 a person, this menu didn’t include (what I considered) the best items of the menu like the tres leches or steak. So we decided to just order off the regular menu.
We got the mini piononos which were tasty but only came with two small beef stuffed sweet platains. It was disappointing, for entrees my boyfriend got the paella which was a good portion with lots of seafood and I got the pernil. I asked to substitute the rice with pigeon peas with rice and beans. I was surprised when my dish came with the rice and beans and no sweet platains. When I asked the waiter she shrugged and said well you changed it and walked off. I was super annoyed that I wasn’t told before I got my meal that the switch would mean no platains, I was so annoyed that I just wanted to leave. We asked to pack up our food and took our dessert the tres leche to go.
The icing on the cake was that the waiter comes back with our check and says tip is included. We even heard couples near us arguing about the tip. We paid and we didn’t even get wipes or mints. It’s always the small details that make an experience positive or negative, and I think this restaurant doesn’t care about customer service as long as they make money. Forunately, I will not be coming back.

Shameful place. The staff working there is pathetic. Lousy employers. Disorganized. They hire people with a function and the change without warning. Training new employees bad, bad treatment, poor quality. Very low wages. They have another restaurant in Tribeca that is as bad as this. The stage manager is not encouraged to do their job. The only employee who kindly looked after us was a new manager, who were training to be provided very kindly, named Joseph and explained and resolved an issue and we were having extreme delay and without any waiter helpful to us for over 45 minutes. It was not for this employee as well disposed, new, energized and eager to work we would still be waiting for the menu. José hope you will always be as you are and never to become like that of the rest of the place. Do not pollute. Conclusion: A forgettable place. DO NOT GO!!!

Enjoying the night with my friends! Only complaining is the music is to loud! Good spot and a $ 15 for valet

Sofrito was a great atmosphere. Great food. Good service. The people treated you with awesome attention and we’re always on point. I definitely recommend this place for any occasion. Especially a Friday night out or birthday celebration. !!

Came here for restaurant week. I totally lovvveeee the view!
Heads up: park on the street then walk into the park! There’s a $ 15 velvet charge.
The menu was decent. Food was totally delicious. They do offer a prefixed menu $ 45/​person.
My sister and I enjoyed the ambiance so much we are actually considering having a birthday dinner there.
Let’s talk food:
Starter: Pepperoni & Mozzarella empanadas
Entrée: We went with the. Asian noodle chicken & broccoli and roast pork.
Dessert: tres leche (think I spell that wrong. lol)
Overall the service was great and I’ll for sure come back here.

I give it 3.5 stars. I remember going to the old location on 57^th street and 1^st ave. It was the first time i had ever been to a restaurant that enforced a dress code. That was also the first time i had ever tasted churrasco and i instantly loved it. I remember how packed it would get; once i waited 2 hours to be seated for dinner. On certain days, there would even be a live band playing salsa music. Some of the tables and chairs would be pulled of the floor, so that a few couples could be able to dance. Anytime i went, there were at least 10 people who happened to be celebrating their birthday that night. I was finally able to make it to this location. My cousin wanted to try it out, so we went after our comedy show at the Apollo. I checked online to find out exactly what was the address of this new location. Before even arriving i was already worried; worried about the fact that this new location is directly above a pollution plant. When we finally entered the park where the restaurant is, we had to wait on line for the mandatory valet parking; it was $ 15 dollars. Once inside the actual restaurant, the first thing that caught my attention was the view of the bridge; it was pretty nice and really clear, like the view at La Marina. We were told the wait was 45 minutes; not bad for a party of 5 on a late saturday night. So we sat at the bar, which was pretty long and seemed to have a huge variety of different liquors. We decided to order some appetizers while we waited at the bar. By the time we made up our minds on what to order, it was time to be seated.
For an appetizer, my cousin ordered the Sofrito Roll and i ordered the Cuban Roll. I dont know why i pictured in my head something like an egg roll when we ordered this. When it finally arrived at our table and i realized it was actually a sushi roll, i was like wtf. Anyways, even though im not a fan of cold food, the Cuban Roll wasnt bad. It had pork, plantain, cream cheese, and some other stuff in it. It reminded me of something out of Mamasushi. It was nothing out of this world. My cousin was starving and devoured her order before i could taste hers.
For entrees, my boys girlfriend ordered the Arroz Con Pollo, my boy ordered the Rabo Encendio, my cousin ordered the Mofongo Al Pilon with shrimp, and i ordered the Chuletas De Cerdo grilled with Rice and Peas. I loved my order. They gave me 3 well sized pork chops, nicely grilled, not too fatty, and perfectly seasoned. The rice and peas were also on point; not too bland, not too salty, and not too excessive like the amount of rice youre served when ordering chinese takeout. I ate all of it, despite the fact that i had just dined a few hours earlier at Penthouse 808. Unfortunately for everyone else, their experience wasnt the same. My boy is jamaican, so perhaps they cook their ox tail differently, but according to him his order was too salty. My cousin had the same complaint about her mofongo. Neither 1 of them bothered to finish their food. Everyone was waiting for me to order dessert, but i was to stuffed to eat anymore, so noone ordered anything else.
Overall, i can see why the owners moved up here from the old location in midtown. The place is definately more spacious and parking is a huge convenience to customers. Of course the view of the bridge makes a big difference, especially in the summertime when you can sit outside. The very loud noise level and lack of elegant décor prevents me from saying that this place is ideal for a date, but im sure a woman would find the view very romantic at night. Our waitress was ok; not the most attentive but she did her job. With all that said, i felt like it was missing a lot of the essence of the old location. Theres was no live band and i didnt see anyone celebrating their birthday. One of the biggest differences i noticed was the lack of diversity. At the old location you would see all races and nationalities, not just a bunch of latinos and a few blacks. Not complaining, but i just felt like i was at a restaurant completely different from how i remember Sofrito. I wouldnt mind returning.

I came here for my friends 25^th birthday. Bad idea! When we arrive we had to May $ 15 cash to valet park. That’s crazy! Then when we walked in there was a bouncer checking IDs. The music was extremely to loud we couldn’t hear each other speak.
The service was terrible. We arrived at 10:50 when our reservation was at 11. We didn’t get seated until almost 11:40.
After we ordered, the waiter never came to refill our drinks. The food came, it was slightly warm and salty. The plating of the food was average. I ordered the shredded beef switch was not spectacular. This place is nothing like the old location.
On top of all of this, my friend ordered the pork and didn’t like it. As soon as it came it was a whole chunk of pork like half the size of a brick. She asked if she can switch it to the shredded beef, the manager (David or Dave) told us we had to pay $ 10 on top the price of her meal to switch the meal. Are you serious!!! An extra $ 10 because they had to switch the meal to a cheaper meal. I have been to plenty of establishments and never heard of such a thing.
This place is definitely not even 1 star but I have to give at least one star.

I had a work holiday party here and was pretty disappointed on all counts– the service was poor and food wasn’t great. Our group was situated in the back half of the restaurant and I’m pretty sure there was only 1 person attempting to take drink orders for at least 50 people which led to us all waiting at least 30 minutes for a drink, if you ever got your drink at all. Instead of passing around the appetizers, they would just place them down on certain tables so I never even had the chance to try one as I wasn’t about to lean over people sitting down to attempt to get a bite. Next, once seated, they took our main course orders and when it came time to bringing them to the table, they messed up who ordered what and we all ended up having to help direct them. Given the confusion with the orders, many people had to wait a long time for them to bring out what they actually ordered. I went with the chicken dish– it was completely flavorless and dry! There was a side of yuca which was a disgrace as it was a flavorless, mushy mess. Service was slow, unfriendly and actually some of the worst I have ever experienced.
Despite them calling this place a taste of Puerto Rico, I guarantee you, it is NOT. My Abuela would be shaking her head had I brought her here.

The food is pretty good, but the service SUCKS! This place has so many rules. My party had a brunch with unlimited mimosas and sangrias but everything was very LIMITED. It was hard to get a waiters attention for refills And there’s like 4 choices on the brunch menu.

Went here 2016 for MLK day. My wife, sister and I. Food was okay, but the service is Terrible with a capital T. I told the manager, he told me that he was going to give me a card for me to contact the owners. Isnt that his job?!? to rectify the issue with his staff for future issues.
My wife asked the server for coffee. Server says we dont serve any fancy coffee here. Did he think we came to starbucks.
When it was time to leave, the server gave me a plastic bag for take away, that you get from a corner store. I asked him can I get a paper bag, he said we dont have that. My sister says, what is that over there on their table. Then he gets the paper bag. Terrible service.
Never came back to fill our water, never explained the menu when serving us, or never came back in a reasonable amount of time to see how we were doing. The place was not even packed.
I wish I looked at Unilocal before I came there. I will never come here again. Don’t waste your money!

The food is good. The service is horrible. The bartender at the bar was unable to tend to her patrons because her service bar was swamped. I continuously had to wave her down and then wait 15 minutes for my drink to arrive. When I called prior to arriving Jocelyn gave me incorrect information about the happy hour. She stated it ended at 8, when in fact it ends at 7. Silly me believed her and I came at 6:30 thinking I had more than enough time. In summary, if customer service is not important to you, this is the place to eat. DO NOT COME HUNGRY, YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO HAVE LONG WAIT TIMES. Empanadas are a MUST. Patience is a virtue.

Okay, I’ll save you the long read if you’re in a rush.
DO NOT COME HERE.
I don’t know why I expected any better after my horrible experience at the east side location.
My friends and I bought tickets for a 10 – 12 open bar event and 45mins later we are still on line because of management’s incompetence. The man who seems to be in charge blamed this delay on «coat check»… It’s NYE, it’s unheard of to not have planned in advance for an event of this magnitude. Then, he has the audacity to tell the line to leave the coats in the car if we want to get in right away… What? So after I pay for something that includes coat check, I’m supposed to leave my coat, wait in the cold, and get a cold because this venue can’t properly host an event?
Ridiculous.

We paid for tickets online for their NYE event to avoid a line. We’ve been waiting outside for an hour in 40 degree.
We’ve missed one hour of the two-​hour open bar. This was a scam! This is unacceptable and likely illegal. They should give us refunds and extend the open bar.
Their excuse is that the coat check is taking long. This is a lie. Do better. And it’s NYE, thanks for ruining the night Sofrito and Game Tight Entertainment NY.
I’m going to get sick from pneumonia because of you.

I enjoyed myself at this location… I haven’t been to Sofritos in years due to the poor treatment I received on 3 different occasions with this establishment. I wrote Sofritos off as bias and racist and said I would never visit them again… This was in 2013 now fast forward to last week. when I heard there was a location uptown I was hesitant however me and my friend was hungry and didn’t want to head downtown… Initially our Lyft couldn’t find the place, I think they should state that they’re located in Riverbank state park.
First off I love the location and view! being a harlemite I have vivid memories of riverbank park growing up so this restaurant next to the water was great and nostalgic for me.
The décor is chic and spacious, the night I arrived was a Sunday night so not sure how packed this place gets on a popular night.
The food… Absolutely delicious!!! Total change from my other experience. Those pork chunks smh guuurrrrllllll! Oh and that sauce finger licking good!!! For entrée my friend had the pork chops and I had the chicken monfongo. We both left happy and stuffed. Expect a flavor explosion in your mouth!
The drinks was just okay we both had the DR and both thought our drinks were really really watered down. Not something I would do on my dime again unless it’s happy hour, the drink was about 13 bucks. The mix itself would of been good if it wasn’t watered down.
The service was a Grand slam!!! as I stated previously I was nervous about this restaurant because of prior experiences, however I was treated so well this time around at the new location I was very happy about that and it made me automatically decide to visit again…
Sofritos is loud with a live Dj so it made it a little hard to hear each other but we were so engulfed in our food we cared… 0%! I would say I wish the music was a bit of a mix instead of just Spanish music however it’s a Spanish restaurant so hey…
I hope this establishment stays open through
The summer if I could just imagine me hosting a nice bday brunch for myself at sofritos…

Great vibe! Good live music… Love the ambiance! Awesome views of the GW Bridge!
Food was great, service was not what I expected.
Our server seemed somewhat confused, not sure if she was new. 3 stars because of the service. If the service would have been better, I would have given them 5 stars.

I come here often and the apps are always great. I went for Sunday brunch this time and had the Ropa Vieja –it was so-​so I had chicken empanadas (excellent) as an appetizer and tres leche cake for dessert.(also so-​so)
We sat at the bar and Chaquanna while waiting for the rest of the party to arrive and she was so amazing. the mojitos were great especially the passion fruit mojito.
I was able to dine with Raymond and he was honestly one of the best waiters I’ve ever had. He was super nice and had great suggestions as well as being really easy to talk to. The restaurant vibe is cool and it’s a nice space.
**They have parking but it’s $ 15 valet ugh.

Came here on a very rainy windy night, my cousin was in from Puerto Rico, got married at City Hall, so my husband & I wanted to take them out to dinner. The day before I called to make reservations, which wasn’t a problem considering how early we were coming in. I asked for an assortment of desserts to be brought to the table at the end of dinner, saying «Happy Birthday» & «Congratulations» they made notes of that so I wouldn’t have to ask in front of the people who I was trying to surprise
Well back to the beginning, the place was hard to find, even with my navigation, it’s in a park, across a bridge, they do have valet, which is $ 15. I believe that number is way to high considering there is absolutely no where else to park, someone in the restaurant said something about getting a ticket, going to a lower level, taking a elevator to park, I didn’t see any parking signs at all. I believe that after spending a lot of money in an establishment valet should be given not charged, especially where this restaurant is located.
The inside is beautifully decorated, they have a nice lounge area, tight dining area, outdoor space which wasn’t set up the night I went (rain & wind)
The music was fantastic, and thankfully not as loud as the original sofritos!
Service was great! Our waiter was excellent, and so was everyone else that would come by to make sure everything was ok.
My cousin didn’t like her meal, without any questions it was replaced for the salmon which she enjoyed very much.
The food overall was great, nothing changed still taste like there other location, which is good.
Will I be back? Most likely, especially since I now know how to get there, still very far from Brooklyn, but the food is worth it.

For a long time Sofrito on 57^th and 1^st ave was a staple of great latin american dining in NYC. I am so bummed out about the location change. Having Sofrito at Riverbank park definitely benefits me because it’s so much closer. However, they have seriously downgraded in neighborhoods. How do you go from Midtown East to Harlem? Lol… At a park, to say the least! I dont know… I’m just having a hard time seeing what used to be a «trendy» restaurant fit in at a mediocre park. This will definitely change Sofrito’s image.
Moving on… They have an outdoor area with great views of the George Washington bridge, which was very nice.
Our waiter was nice but looked flustered, as he appeared to be the only waiter for the outdoor area. With that being said, we were there for brunch and asked for sangria which we got 15 minutes later. I don’t understand how it takes so long to pour something that’s already made. Also, the waiters here are walking around in blue jeans. That should not be allowed… C’mon, look presentable please! I definitely didn’t feel like I was at a Sofrito establishment.
Sangria was very strong, for those who enjoy that. My boyfriend and I enjoyed the empanadas and quesadilla, which were not bad at all. I had the piña colada french toast. Let me tell you, there’s nothing «piña colada» about this toast! Yes, it’s coconut crusted and has a pineapple reduction on top, but that’s NOT piña colada! :-(I felt misled. I was hoping there was a piña colada sauce of some sort, but was wrong… And it’s too sweet for my taste. My boyfriend got steak and eggs… He said it was good but nothing to rave about.
Now for my final gripe, the brunch menu clearly says on the bottom that a 20% gratuity will be added to parties of 5 or more… Yet, the hefty 20% was tagged on our bill and we were just 2! I absolutely hate when businesses do this. Not only is this simply false advertisement, but let us tip you what we believe you’re worthy of being tipped.
All in all, this experience was not extremely terrible, but definitely didn’t feel like I was at the Sofrito I know.

I had been to their midtown location in the past and always had a good time.
I was reluctant to try the new location because of reviews as well as the fact restaurants are always off when they first open, but I decided to have a birthday brunch for my mom anyway.
Ambiance: Place is spacious, fancy and chic. We sat inside because of the heatwave, but they have sits and couches outside overlooking the Hudson river and the George Washington bridge.
Service: My mom and stepfather are not fluent in English so when I asked the waiter if he spoke Spanish, he said not much but got us a Spanish speaking waiter which I thought was super nice. Our waiter was super attentive. Some of our dishes came out but my two brothers, who ordered the same thing did not get their food at the same time. It turned out there was a glitch in the computer and the order did not go through. The chef came out to personally apologize and assured us their food would be out soon. He was super friendly.
Food: For $ 30, you get one appetizer, main dish, dessert and unlimited mimosa or sangria. We each had a different appetizer and dish and we were all satisfied. I had the ropa vieja and it was good. My mom’s churrasco was pretty good too. The tres leche cake was decent, the chocolate mousse (dark chocolate cake with a side of ice cream) was pretty awesome. The white sangria was strong and yummy!
They sang happy birthday to my mom which was pretty nice.
Overall, I would return for brunch and would like to try their happy hour.

Sofrito… a very nice place but I didn’t have the best experience this time.
The new location is in a very nice secluded location now. I wasn’t too sure if I could drive right in because it looks like you’re driving into a park, but when we saw another car do it, we followed right behind. Valet parking is $ 15. The valet attendant told us that the general parking lot was blocks away and downstairs. What does he mean downstairs? The subway? I said I wasn’t going through all of that with heels on so we went along.
The ambiance is lovely… Indoor/​Outdoor Bars, Indoor/​Outdoor lounge areas, and a dining area inside. The view of the bridge and the water is just beautiful. The bridge can be seen from the inside too; One whole wall is a window.
The first issue was the drink; It was awful. I ordered the White Sangria and it was a cup FULL of ice, with white wine, two oranges, and a cherry. I was not a happy camper.
Second Issue: Our server was so sweet but unfortunately she messed up a little. She didn’t ask the birthday girl if she wanted fried or grilled pork chops when she ordered, and ended up choosing fried on her own. The birthday girl originally wanted grilled and the server said in the nicest voice, «Well, the pork chops are already deep-​frying so how do you feel about that?» (Insert your reply here) All in all, she got the pork chops she wanted without a long wait, but it was wrong for the waitress to assume… it made it seem like she didn’t care about our service in a way… but other than that she was nice.
I ordered the arroz con pollo which is delicoso and the portion is huge! I had more than enough leftover to eat the next day. It had olives in it but I just picked them out.
Third Issue: Before we got our food, the valet attendant comes up to the table and says «What car is yours?» My heart dropped to my stomach… I didn’t know what he was gonna say. I told him, he fumbled through keys, found mine, handed it to me and said «your car is right in the front.» I know we had a late reservation but if I’m gonna get partial service, then I should give partial payment. #JustSaying
Fourth Issue: The mosquitoes were in full force and we never went outside. I know it’s right by the water and it was night time but we were swatting bugs the whole time and we got bit up badly #JustSaying #Again
It’s a wonderful venue but I was just a little disappointed. I will try them again and I will not forget bug spray!