La Boina Roja Steak House

This was one of my favorite places to eat. I have been here many times before with great food and great service. Last weekend I called here about 630 to make a reservation for 7pm. I was told there was a birthday celebration that was wrapping up and that I would be able to have that table in about 15 – 20 minutes. We immediately headed out to get there for our 10 – 15 minute drive. We were even lucky and found a parking spot right in front. We walked into the restaurant and as always it was a little busy there were a group of people waiting outside and some people waiting inside. I tried to get the attention of the servers or any of the workers to let them know we had arrived for our 7pm reservation. No one really was able to talk to us. I noticed they were clearing out a table for 6 people so I assumed that it was for us. Finally I spoke to a female worker who first said she could not find our reservation and then when she did find it mumbled something to the other worker and walked away. We were so confused as to what was going on. Finally Jorge another waiter came by and looked concerned we asked him if that table for 6 was for us and he walked away and spoke to the other workers and came back and said no. Meanwhile no one was giving us any information as to what was going on. One female worker finally came to us and said we were late and lost our table. Meanwhile we were waiting there over 20 – 30 minutes. No one was communicating anything to us. We were all very frustrated as we had 2 small children with us and it was freezing cold outside. We tried to find other options in the neighborhood because by now we were all getting upset. The only person that took the time out to speak with us was Jorge who worked very hard to accommodate us even taking our order as we waited for a table to finally clear. He made sure to pull two tables together and make room for us despite there not being much space. The other staff kept sitting other clients and ignoring us or looking bothered we were still there. Even during the time that we were finally sitting waiting for our order they would not wait on us or talk to us as if we had done something wrong for waiting it out and being upset about how they handled the entire situation.
IT is a shame that we had this terrible experience as I really love their food and their sangria. I hope that management takes note of what happened and come up with a better solution as to how to sit their customers or take reservations or at least train their staff in being able to communicate better with customers. AT one point I verbalized to one of the female staff that we were not upset about waiting or the fact that it is a busy restaurant, but more about the fact that no one was communicating with us or giving us options. Poor Jorge took on the responsibility of making up for the rest of the poorly manage staff.

Hands down the best Colombian restaurant in the neighborhood. Located directly next door to a butcher shop, their cuts are always fresh and lean.
I am a fan of the skirt steak, with rice, beans and fired yuca.
As an appetizer I strongly suggest the tostones al coco, and as a tip, order an extra side of tostones to go with it.
The service is bar none, and as far as drinks goes, their sangria is off the chain.

I want to start of by saying the food in this restaurant is absolutely 5 star quality!
I had the Pechuga a la plancha (grilled chicken breast) which comes with a salad, rice, beans, a choice of yuca fries, tostones (fried plantains), or maduros (fried sweet plantains). I asked for the yuca fries since our phenomenal server Jorge said the sweet plantains that they had available weren’t the best, I really appreciated his suggestion and was very happy I chose the Yuca fries instead! The dish is also only 10.95 which I think is insane for the big plate of food that is served, definitely good for sharing! The salad is served first and had sliced cabbage, iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, tomatoes and chopped cilantro. They serve it with French or Italian dressing, or olive oil and vinegar which I always opt for. Next, we shared the tostones with one of the best guacamole I have had in a very long time! It had the perfect amount of salt, onions, garlic, cilantro, and avocado! The tostones were perfectly crispy! Note to those of you who are not allergic as myself this dish can come with shrimp as well!
When the dish arrived I was pleasantly surprised they offer chimichurri sauce and hot sauce in small containers a generous amount that adds to the already delicious seasoning in the food. The beans were so fresh and perfectly cooked. The chicken was grilled and seasoned with just the right mount of salt and spices! As I mentioned before the Yuca fries were so yum and had a yellow seasoning and delightfully crispy! Absolutely loved the food!
Now here is what I really hope the restaurant works on… My sister had called for a reservation. They told us 15 minutes so we drove from Astoria to Jackson Heights immediately. We arrived at the 15 minute mark and then were told we had to wait. First I should mention it took 10 minutes for any one to acknowledge our presence. Jorge was the only one who actually acknowledged us and told us he was doing his best to get us seated immediately. I understand it was a busy time but it was so frustrating that the female waitresses seemed as if they were annoyed we were still there. Finally, an hour later Jorge felt so bad for us and generously took our order while we waited for a table. He made sure to get our salad and appetizer to us as soon as we sat as well as our order of sangria (which was delicious and strong)! I really hope they work on a better system for reservations and ensuring a faster way to clear tables. We noticed there was rarely anyone checking on the tables to clear them and get people their bill. I understand that the restaurant does create a homey feel and doesn’t want to rush anyone out but it does make for a longer wait. It was definitely worth it but I want to see this restaurant remain successful and feel that if these issues are addressed they can become a stronger establishment!

I think it’s great if you consider it a straight up Colombian restaurant and not a steakhouse in the Western sense of the word. Living in New York, we are spoiled and tend to think of steakhouses as having prime dry aged cuts cooked with a high level of TLC and attention to detail. La Boina Roja is not one of those steakhouses. It’s a steakhouse like Tad’s Broiled Steaks is a steakhouse. Sure they put some delicious pieces of meat on a grill for a while and serve them sizzling. But the cuts are pretty low end.
That said, I think the bandeja platters are a great value and I would return only to order those, and maybe also the watercress salad if they have it on special. Everything else was fairly lackluster. At any rate, a good choice in the hood.

The place had quaint feeling to it, made you feel like you were in a small house somewhere in Medellin, Colombia. The service was mediocre, well lets be honest who really wants to work new years day lol.
To start they serve a small salad. We ordered the shrimp with guac and tostones to start. The plastic forks that came along with it was a little strange but nonetheless was definitely a good choice to start. I ordered the Churrasco S/​Fereno which came with roasted potatoes. The portion was definitely generous and cooked exactly as I asked. The steak was covered with a red sauce and onions which was a pleasant surprise. My girlfriend ordered Entrana and her portions were generous as well. Both plates came out sizzling and very flavorful I cant forget the pitcher of passion fruit of sangria we ordered. A definite must try if you’re going to grab any food here. It was moderately strong but after a two glasses you will feel it. Overall the food was good, the décor was lacking some oomph and bill was moderate.

This place is great. Been here a couple of times and it’s just phenomenal. I was recommended by a friend who couldn’t wait to come back here after being here a year ago. It was definitely not disappointing at all. The place is small, so the space can be a bit crowded. The service was fine. The food was great! We had the calamari special appetizer to start; that was banging! They also start you off with a small salad which is always appetizing. I had some steak special with corn sauce that was amazingggggggggg! My friend had the other steak special with a different sauce, I forgot what. Oops. But worth trying the specials! Note, they do not have prices on the specials so expect to pay a hefty price. The second time I was here, I order the special with the steak, fish and lobster and although it was a huge platter that can be shared for 2 or even 3 people, that special alone was $ 49, as someone else has reported. A bit too steep for my liking but now I know to ask. All in all, their portion sizes are generous. There was a lot of plates we have noticed other tables Had ordered and it just looked so presentable to want to try the very next time. A great restaurant to try if you’re in the neighborhood.

Absolutely delicious, and great service and prices. The special skirt steak with shrimp and roasted corn with creamed corn sauce was wonderful: great quality meat and shrimp, with very tasty sauce. Sangria is great too, but watch out!
The rice pudding dessert war also yummy, as long as you like cinnamon.

The worse service and catering I’ve seen in New York the owner was extremely rude and our food wasn’t made at the promise time need a lot of improvement when it comes to customer service and running are restaurant

HORRIBLE CATERING SERVICE!!! Do not order from here for your parties. My father was supposed to pick up our food for Christmas eve dinner and they had him wait for 2 hrs. By the time he got home a lot of our guests already had to leave and we had to give them to-​go plates. This situation totally ruined our Christmas because everyone was starving and just waiting for food. If they cannot keep up with the demand on a major holiday than please dont take so many orders and then make people wait for hours, which is time they should be spending with their loved ones. Worst catering experience ever!

Hate to write a negative review, but it does affect our overall enjoyment. We arrived to an empty restaurant and sat before anyone else arrived and placed our order. Eggs with rice and beans plus a watercress salad. Three other tables arrived after us and they were all served before us. We got the sense that it helps to be a regular as they got special service. Ordering soup or a grilled item if you are a regular turned out to be quicker than eggs or salad as a newbie. The actual meal tasted fine.

I will give it 3 stars for the food it’s good, not as good as other Colombian restaurants I’ve been to but it’s ok. I took my mother for her birthday and was hoping to have a good time, but I got completely the opposite! The soup we ordered was served cold and the waiter refused to change it! We went on a Monday night so I think maybe that’s the reason everything was completely unacceptable. I think the worst part was the service, the waiter was very rude in other words the service was AWFUL! I will never go back to this restaurant again!

This place is phenomenal. My best friend (who is Colombian) highly recommended this place for their great food and meats. Now I know why!!! My boyfriend and I were eating on a budget so we picked the bandejas off of the tipicos. These platters may have had the cheaper cuts of meat but definitely not lacking in flavor. My boyfriend and I devoured our bandejas.
My boyfriend picked the super bandeja and it was totally worth it for 15 dollars you could have a deliciously crunchy fried chicken cutlet, juicy pork chop, round cut steak, chicharron. Every bandeja comes with rice and beans, avocado, and a over easy egg. Literally enough to feed 2 or 3 people, or if you have no shame… all by yourself in one sitting.
We are already planning our next visit back.

Amazing food and service. We made reservations and we waited 2 minutes. Seated right away. They take CC. Their pitcher of red sangria was strong and good! A must. My FI ordered the fried chicharron with a small arepa on the side. We shared tostones and guacamole! Amazing and freshly fried tostones yummy! I had the skirt steak with shrimp in a corn cream sauce! And corn on the cob! Amazing ! I enjoyed it. It came with maduros (sweet plantains) and rice and beans and salad! My friend got filet mignon, lobster tail and shrimp. Also they provided chimichurri sauce and a red tangy sauce.
The only gripe of mine would be they included a «gratuity» fee in bill but if you pay by card it says on the receipt «tip not included» Very weird!

2^nd visit, first visit was directly bc of Unilocal… but we didn’t review it then.
This was by far, one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. My husband’s red snapper was to die for, my dad’s shrimp/​clam/​filet mignon dish was amazing, and my skirt steak (w added onions) was perfection. Appetizer special (tostones with shrimp and guacamole) was delish. Our waitress (and the young guy who seemed like the manager) was attentive, friendly, and fantastic.
My only complaint? They charged (a nominal 60 cents, but 2 charges nonetheless) for doggy bag containers. Wasn’t something we held against our waitress in tipping bc it must’ve been company policy. But on a $ 172 bill for 4 + a toddler, 60 cent charges for 2 boxes seemed unnecessary.
No matter what sized party you have, expect to wait (though they did take my name by phone in advance), especially on a weekend or holiday. Won’t stop us from returning again and again though. We’ll def. be back.

Great people great food
Sangria always rocks
Tostones with guacamole a must
Chicken churrasco so juicy and tasty
All the seafood dishes are great. Soups are great
And the steak well juicy and tasty

Excellent sangría and piña coladas! Went with friend/​new boyfriend, which isn’t too far from his place. I had the grilled pork loin, which I expected to be thick, not long and thin, so it was a little dry :-\
(Boy)friend had steak, which was lovely! Definitely getting that next time

For drinks, I ordered a glass of red sangria. Much needed on a Friday evening and pretty strong, served with apples and cherries.
For appetizer, we ordered the shrimps with guacamole & fried plantians. Great taste and chunky guac yum. It was the size of an entrée for only $ 17.95.
For entrée, we order the combination platter which consisted of skirt steak, blood sausage and chorizo which also came with beans & rice and fried cassava. The skirt steak was cooked perfectly since I asked for medium rare. We also ordered chicharrón con arepa and arepa con queso. The chicharrón was nice and chewy, not dry & flavorful. The queso didn’t cover the whole arepa but it still tasted perfect with the guac and rice & beans.
The total bill only came out to be $ 61 and some change. We couldn’t even finish all that food between two people. I saved the skirt steaks and made tacos the next day! Great deal! Delicious food & amazing service :) I would definitely be recommending this place to my friends!

My boyfriend & I are regulars here! The food is absolutely delicious! We
Only had a problem once where our appetizer took way too long & it actually came together with our entrée. Other than that it’s great!

It’s true… you can’t go wrong with anything you order here… breakfast. lunch… dinner. even their coffee is phenomenal…
But for some reason I really… really adore the soups… they are hearty. stick to your ribs comfort soups that soothe your soul. If you plan on getting some soup for dinner good luck… they almost always run out by dinner time. But if you call them in advance they will save some for you (the waitress kindly told me after going there 2 days in row after work, and coming out empty handed)

I had really high hopes for this «steakhouse»
#1– came in and no one greeted us or even said anything about wait time. About 15 mins to get seated.
#2– server that we got at first was friendly, about half way into the order we started noticing his attitude (rushing). Then they changed to a waitress which was really nice and explained a couple of dishes, she made a couple of recommendations.
#3-​apparently we didn’t read the fine print on the menu, but the dish my GF got was $ 49 dollars, extremely high for a dish. She didn’t like what she paid for (we felt ripped off) a total bill of $ 115 for a cheap steak & lobster. Definitely not worth it… will never come back.