Rincón Criollo

I had high hopes for Rincon and I even tried it out 3 times, but on all three occasions the food and service have let me down. The first time I went I got arroz con pollo and the chicken was cold and dry. The second time I went I had the same thing because that is my fav Puerto rican dish and again the chicken was awful and I had to wait 35 min even though I called ahead 15 mins earlier. The last time I went I had the fried pork belly and it was cold and had an off smell. So I am going to stick to Campus Grille for PR food.

Love this place. Go when you are really hungry. Portions are generous. The food is wonderful! I’ve gone several times and have never been dissapointed. Very tasty and well prepared.

I’m wondering if the person who left a comment about us having rats is sure that they’re talking about the right place? We have never had such an incident occur at Rincon Criollo. We are a family restaurant and we treat the place just like home. The owners are very strict on cleanliness. Orders may take some time to come out, servers may be frustrated and short with some customers at busy times, but rats are definitely out of any question that might have to do with us & that’s for sure.

Simple place with a big heart and delicious (cheap) eats.
The staff go out of their way to make you feel a part of the family from the moment you step through the door. With warm food prepared as well as cook to order available, Rincon Criollo was booming with to-​go orders and families eating in on a Saturday afternoon. Blasting spanish christmas music and even featuring some dancing wait staff — Adorable! RC — you had me at hello! (yup. we’re on a first name basis).
The shrimp mofongo was prepared in a lemon garlic sauce and wasn’t overly crispy. The flavors were perfectly blended, tostones massive and delicious with the garlic sauce and mayo-​ketchup. Who can beat this warm comforting atmosphere (gotta love the friendly latino culture), perfectly seasoned food, large portions, and a menu with nothing more than $ 15? Plus — A quick lesson on Cleveland in the 1950’s was a geeky bonus for me.

The food is consistently good here. I always get the chicharrones dinner every time and it’s great. It comes with a huge helping of crispy, tasty chicharrones and pinto beans and yellow rice. They also have a number of beverages I like but the water is definitely tap, if you’re picky about that kind of thing.

I was so excited to try this place after hearing many good reviews from friends. Unfortunately after my experience today, I just don’t get what all the hype is about. The beans and rice were good and the fried chicken was ok. The plantanes were so bland they were inedible and the empanadillas were in desperate need of seasoning. I had to drench most everything in hot sauce just to give it some flavor.
The service was horrible. Waited a long time for a server to even acknowledge my table, she didn’t check on us once the food was served which was frustrating in my want for hot sauce, and she just wasn’t very personable. Which sucks for her because being a server myself, if I get good service, I tend to be very gracious with the tip.
I will probably try this place one more time since it is so close to my home but will most likely order take out to avoid bad service.

Taste just like being in the isla! The presentation is so wonderful as well and the staff is friendly!

I just ordered for the first time and all I can say is what the hell is this supposed to be I ordered rice and beans and pork chop I got mushy rice and and I’m sure this is a damn pork chop or not. It looks more like my pork chops shriveled up and died. What a sorry excuse for a Puerto Rican style restaurant.

I love the fast service, especially during the lunch hours. However, the closer to closing time the worst the food is. The chicken, beef, pork, and potato dishes are cold and not very tasty. (this is for pick up only)
I have eaten here 4 times for dinner, with the large generous portions especially for the price, however the execution was poor at best, again their meats (especially pork) are cold, dry, and tasteless. My favorite items to get are the moon pies, and the rice and beans are killer!
Overall the experience is not a positive one. There are definitely better places on the west side of Cleveland.

You want authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, jibarro meals that’s real close to abuela’s cooking? This is THE PLACE! The whole menu just teases those who are familiar with Caribbean cooking at its best! The food reminds me of grandmas meals that were prepared with love and care which made them that more enjoyable! I can’t say enough great things about this place, so I suggest that you just come in and experience the food for yourself! Take a break from your day and make a break for the islands!

Today was my first time at this amazing place! I have always heard great things about it and a lot of my friends go often. It’s a shame that it took me so long to go considering I drive past all the time!
The food was AMAZING! If you like authentic Spanish food then this place is for you. I had fried chicken with rice and beans and my boyfriend had the same but the roasted chicken. I have always lived Spanish rice and beans but this place takes the trophy… possibly the best I have ever had. The chicken was very good too. Next time I go I want to the crispy pork… it looked soooo good.
You know it’s gotta be good food when every single person in the restaurant is Latino!
We will definitely be back!

It’s pretty decent if you are hungry and want something a little different for the area. But it’s definitely not the best latin food in the city or the westside for the matter. But I wouldn’t pass it up if I was hungry. It’s always packed when it’s open, but I’ve gone several times during normal hours and it’s been closed.

Yeah the menu is pretty authentic but I went there close to the end of their shift (7pm) and the food was not that fresh. Aside from the french fries and the tostones the chicken was pretty dry and warm. Some items on the menu were not available anymore at 6pm.
I will go back for sure, but perhaps at the lunch time for a better experience.
I asked why they close at 7pm and they said it is because of security. Guess that neighborhood is not too safe!
The flan was absolutely outstanding!

My partner and I stopped here for nite to eat as his favorite Puerto Rican eatery had gone out of business. We ordered rellenos de papa, deep-​fried mashed potato balls with meat stuffing for an appetizer. They were great! Main course; he ordered a steak and I had fried chicken. Both came with yellow rice and beans. We were stuffed! My chicken was a bit on the dry side, my only complaint. But it was the end of the day, and they were due to close in 45 minutes. The staff was very friendly, a definite plus. Located in the «Gordon Square» neighborhood, I would easily return to this reasonably-​priced establishment to eat again…

My favorite place to eat! The staff is friendly and the food is delicious. Reminds me of my mom’s cooking. I love it and I recommend it to everyone!

If your not in a rush greatt food best puerto rican food in cleveland. Service was great plenty to choose from and fried pork is awesome

BEST puerto rican food in Ohio.
I went to PR over the summer and this is the only place that comes CLOSE to real native puerto rican food– you MUST try!
Plantains are my absolute FAV and they were bomb (a must get). The rice & beans were very very good along with the Shrimp Mofongo. The empandada’s were so so, i probably wouldn’t get them again. My friend got the #1 (i cant rem what it’s called) but he loved loved loved it. The portions are HUGE so don’t fill up on the yummy app’s like I did.
I will def be coming back that’s for sure.

The best thing on their menu is the Mofongo Relleno de Camarones (Shrimp Mofongo). I am glad this place is around so I can get mofongo just like home. Their pernil (pork) has very good flavor too, not too salty, not too bland. However, I don’t think they do a very good job with the seafood so order anything but that, otherwise you may get disappointed. I really love rellenos (potato balls with ground meat inside) but unfortunately they are a little inconsistent as sometimes they are very delicious and sometimes I forget why I ordered them. I keep ordering them cause it is worth the chance.
Their alcapurrias are not that good, specially because thet tend to serve them cold.
I will really recommend this place to everybody. It is very good Puertorican food overall. I hope my review helps you make the right selections from the menu.

Me: White, married to a Puerto Rican. So this is a review from someone who was introduced to PR food a few years ago.
Atmosphere: This restaurant is great when you just feel like having some good spanish food. The restaurant is small and has a «neighborhood» feel to it. Not fancy at all. Not someplace you would take a date.
Food: The food is very good and you get large portions. About 10 bucks for a platter which will stuff you.
Service: The service is kinda slow, but it’s not bad enough to get angry about. The food came quick though.
Overall: want some good spanish food? go here. Want to go out to a nice restaurant for dinner and drinks? Don’t go here.

A neighborhood Puerto Rican restaurant run, as you would expect, by a family. The Ruiz’s, Nydvia and Papo are the real deal.
Before I begin this review, let me say I am completely unfamiliar with this style of food. On the Dishcrawl, I expected a small sample — what each participants received was a platter of rice and beans, chicken AND a jibarito (a steak sandwich between slices of fried plantains)
When I asked her about the size, she said it was a sample. Okay then. :)
It was all tasty and looking at the menu, very affordable. Both Nydvia and Papo were gracious hosts and made everyone feel as if we were invited to their home — which I suppose is what it was in fact.
(four stars instead of five only because I am such a newbie to this food … I’ll have to stop back in to «get better aquainted»

This place has Ah-​MAH-​zing roast chicken and rice!!! Oh my god. I was craving yellow rice, beans, and chicken like nobody’s business. I think this is the only place of its kind, at least on Unilocal.
It’s not like the other Latin American listings, which serve burritos, tacos, pupusas, or arepas. This place specializes in rice and beans with the most succulent, greasy, tender chicken/​pork/​gizzards/​or whatever you want. They have mofongo, sandwiches, and a bunch of other stuff too.
I am a real pig, so there weren’t any leftovers. However, for a normal person, the portions are definitely generous.
Service was friendly and I really appreciated the family-​feel of the patrons and the staff. Everyone seems to really like one another here.
Tip — minimum of $ 9 for a credit card.

Me encanta aquí! La comida aquí es autentica y rica.