Don Pedro’s

this was my fave place in NYC. i think 2^nd ave subway construction killed it.
i would love to know where the chefs went! i wish it would reopen somewhere with the same cooks, i would travel for it!

I came for the $ 25 sangria brunch. I wouldn’t say I left disappointed but the experience was just ok. There’s definitely better places for brunch for around the same price. Service was excellent for the most part and the food came out very quick which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. When we sat down the waiter explained that the first glass would come after we ordered and our last would come with dessert. I felt a bit rushed throughout the meal but they did keep refilling the sangria until they took away the dessert plates. The sangria was pretty generic tasting, nothing really set it apart.
For my appetizer I got the beef empanada. The presentation was beautiful however the empanada was tiny, 2 – 3 bites at most. It came with a little salad which was nice but it was covered in the sauce for the empanada so it wasn’t really edible. The empanada was very good and went well with the sauce.
For my main I got the ropa vieja. It was a huge mound of white rice with some meat on top. In my opinion there was way too much rice and nowhere near enough meat. The dish was decent though a bit bland overall.
For desert I got the tres leches. Again, it was a shockingly small portion. This was by far my favorite part of the meal. It was soft and moist, soaked in thick and creamy milk, and absolutely delicious. The only negative about it was that didn’t have any whipped cream on it.
Overall the meal was decent but I wasn’t blown away. Portion size may be a bit small for some but I was stuffed by the end of the meal. At $ 25 it isn’t a bad deal but I think I’d rather grab a jug of Carlo Rossi and some Sophies.

A great «Latin Fusion» experience.
Dragged my family to the restaurant for a «Non-​Mexican» dining adventure. Live music, great specials, tasty sangria and attentive staff all created a wonderful evening.
We enjoyed the empanadas, pork shank, rolled chicken and shrimp dinners. Everybody really enjoyed the presentation and flavors.
I read many reviews and was frankly a bit cautious about trying the restaurant. After giving it a chance, I say discount the negativity (we are human, therefore bitching comes naturally) and judge it for yourself.
I would certainly return again!

The #1 way to cure a hangover is with phở. If you don’t have a phở joint nearby, the 2^nd best way is with bottomless mimosas/​sangria.
A group of friends and I came here for Sunday brunch after making a reservation ahead of time. This is vital at a place like Don Pedro’s because it fills up quickly.
The restaurant has a peculiar vibe to it. It seems like your average quaint and delightful Sunday brunch spot. However, as you sit down and wait for your waiter, you begin to notice that they blast EDM like no other. Maybe it’s because it was EDC weekend, but I swear they had Kaskade’s «Fire & Ice» album on repeat. Quite strange…
3 course brunch of your choice, bottomless sangria, $ 25. I’ve seen better deals, but this is quite cheap for New York.
Course 1 (Appetizer) Choice: Beef Empanadas. Lightly fried and served with greens and a thousand island sauce. Pretty tasty but mushy on the inside. Felt almost like a samosa.
Course 2 (Main) Choice: Crepenetas de Mariscos. A small crêpe with a mix of various seafood covered in hollandaise sauce, served with grilled potatoes. Great flavor with every piece of seafood adding its own distinct touch. The crêpe is perfectly fluffy and the sauce tops it off well. Only complain is the portion is too small compared to other dishes on the menu and is overcompensated by the potatoes, which were nothing special.
I tried my friend’s Chursquito al Caballo, which is a much more worthy choice. The meat is fantastically marinated and very tender. The plantanes are also a great touch.
Course 3 (Dessert) Choice: Tres Leches. A milk soaked sponge cake served with a dab of various fruit sauces. Very light and not too sweet. A perfect way to cleanse your palette.
To quote the waiter, «the service here is horrible.» On the contrary, Eldun did a fantastic job. He was one of the most down to earth restaurant professionals I’ve encountered. No fake smiles or corny jokes. This guy is legit.
Bottomless sangrias are truly bottomless here. At the end, you’ll have a hard time saying no.

EXCELLENT BRUNCH! 3 course brunch for $ 20 w/​unlimited Sangria — can’t beat that
Started off with a nice glass of yummy Sangria
The entire staff kept the refills flowing — started w/​the Empanada de Pollo {Chicken Empanada} & Ensalada de Abuelita {Grandma’s Salad}
Both were great dishes
Our main courses — Revoltillo de Espinaca {Eggs w/​Spinach w/​Roasted Potatoes} & Chursquito al Caballo {Grilled Skirt Steak w/​Fried Egg}
Another great selection
Overall, great dining experience i’ll definitely be back for Brunch

$ 20 for a 3-​course brunch with unlimited (strong) sangria. What’s there not to like?!
For appetizers, I recommend the empanadas and the salads. The soups are kind of meh. The entrees are huge and very meat heavy. Highly recommend the Masitas de Cerdo Asadas. The marinated pork is to die for. The meats are a little tough in some of the other entrees. The tres leche always makes me happy. Oh, and they’re really good at refilling your glass!
Overall, the food is pretty decent, and I always leave feeling stuffed. There’s always festive background music during their brunch hours. A fun brunch experience, but somewhat out of the way if you don’t live on the UES.

Don Pedro’s, you managed to out-​do yourselves again!
I recently came here again for my belated birthday dinner. They saved the day by having a 7 PM reservation available on a Saturday! When we arrived, our table was already setup and ready to go. They quickly brought out pitchers of sangria. They were more than patient with us while we were waiting for two stragglers to arrive. The food was amazing, as always. I had the swordfish (it isn’t always available) and it was yummy. They also brought out shots all night, were more than nice for my friends to setup a cupcake stand for me, and even brought out a birthday dessert tray which had «flaming shots» on it and «string sugar» for you to pick off and eat! Amazing! Don Pedro’s, never change.

what we ate: $ 20 3-​courses plus unlimited sangria for brunch. i had the chicken empanada, shrimp salad, and tres leches
Some friends picked this place out for a recent weekend boozy brunch. based on teh reviews i was expecting a scaled down version of calle ocho which was more or less accurate. it’s similar in that It’s aycd sangria served by your server, not so much in that you only get 1 variety.
so the food… it’s decent. my starter empanada was tiny and did little more than make me hungrier for the main course. the salad actually was presented very nicely and had plenty of greens with 3 large shrimp on top + avocado and grape tomatoes. the only downside here was that i didnt care for the dressing (which thankfully i asked for on the side) so it was a little plain. for dessert I got the tres leches which was very sweet.
the sangria was pretty strong which was a good thing since even though it was aycd we kept having to flag the server over for refills. i think in total we had 3 – 4 during the whole meal and our glasses were really small so we arent talking very much in the end.
wouldnt go out of my way to come here, but if friends organize it i wouldnt turn it down either.

3.5 stars.
3 courses + unlimited sangria! @ Don Pedro for my friend’s birthday brunch!
I walked by this restaurant every single day on my rotation at Metropolitan Hospital. They have a huge sign for the brunch special so when my friend asked for venue recommendation, I suggested this place.
We arrived around 11:30 with my party of 5. For appetizers, all of us ordered the chicken empanada. It came with just 1. cut into 2 pieces. Very light and delicious. I can probably eat a lot more. Kinda sad that it only came with 1 per order :(. For my main course, I ordered the shrimp salad. The portion was huge and beautifully presented. One of my friends ordered Cuban minced beef + fried egg over rice. It was hearty and she really enjoyed her dish. Another friend order the traditional breakfast (forgot the name) with Fried egg, mashed sweet plantain, dominican sausage + fried cheese? The mashed sweet plantain tasted more like regular mashed potato which was a lot less sweeter than expected. She also thought the fried cheese was a little odd. Perhaps we’re just not used to this traditional dish. By desserts time, the place was filled. We all got the tres leches which the texture tasted a lot more like oatmeal. Wish the desserts were a little bigger! They had no problem refilling our glasses of sangria.
For unlimited sangria brunch, I will return to Calle Ocho over Don Pedro any day.
but overall, pleasant dining experience with great service.

I came back for brunch on a beautiful fall day and it was just as good as the first. The portions for the two courses are smaller than usual however as someone who does not eat a lot it did not bother me. I opted to pay the extra $ 10 for the unlimited mimosa’s and they did a good job of keeping my glass full.
As someone who loves brunching, I would say there are better places for your dollar. However the food is always excellent and I at least know I will be getting quality.

My review isn’t any different than most of the ones here. As soon as we walked in we were greeted and seated. Our waiter was on point; he helped me with my coat in the beginning and at the end of the meal, making my date feel inadequate. He explained the drink special, which sounded delicious but we weren’t up for drinking that night. He checked up on us several times and wasn’t annoying about it either. It was a quiet evening with sexy music and lighting. It definitely set the mood. When we were done eating our waiter brought out a box filled with a variety of tea. Very unique, and it was a beautiful box.
I ordered the chicken with lemon and saffron rice. And my date enjoyed the monfongo with chicken. That was pretty good monfongo and I’ve had a few. Not too many are as good as the one I had. My dish was very good, too. I finished all of it.
I would love to come back for brunch.

Still great food and friendly service, but boy, is brunch crazy or what?
We got stuck in the upstairs loft, even though we had a reservation, and it’s cramped and not that pleasant. Downstairs, the crowd seems fun and convivial. Upstairs, it’s just crowded. (Although former governor David Patterson showed up, kissed everyone at the big table next to ours, and made us feel like political insiders.) So bonus points for that.
Still, the 3-​course brunch is a great deal. The delicious sangria truly is bottomless, and the waiters are good-​natured when you try to fit one last glass in. The menu is limited, but everything on it is lip-​smacking – and I know, because my companions were just fine with sharing it all.

It’s so hard to find a boozie brunch that is not booked weeks in advance. Don Pedro’s came to the rescue. I had walked by this place several times when I lived on the UES and had always wanted to try it out. I was in town two weeks ago and wanted to catch up with friends, and this was the only booze brunch that we could find in under a week’s notice.
The food was decent, nothing too great, but I was really impressed with the service. Needless to say, we were not the best crowd. My reservation was for 8, then I changed it to 12, and then one of my friends called the day of to change it to 15. People arrived at different intervals and just when I thought we were not going to be 15 people and our table was re-​arranged, 2 more arrived and the staff had to fix the table again. All this time, the staff smiled and was polite when they would have had every right to show their frustration.
Our orders were taken quickly and our glasses of sangria were full throughout most of the meal –I was skeptical as the glasses were small, we were upstairs, and the staff was responsible for filling, but they were very attentive. We were a pretty lively group with more than a few still hungover from the night before, but this was taken with good humor. We paid with way too many credit cards and again we were accommodated.
I’m definitely a fan of Don Pedro’s because they easily could have ushered us out, but went out of their way to treat us well. It’s a hidden gem and a great place to go for brunch.

My sis and I brought a friend we hadn’t seen in a long time to this spot. We were searching for a nice place to have brunch and came across Don Pedro’s menu and once we saw «unlimited sangria with your brunch», we were hooked.
We all had the Pre-​fixe brunch. I ordered the Ensalada Verde, the Crepenetas de Mariscos ($ 3 extra but worth it) and had the Flan for dessert. During our meal we were often topped off on our sangria and all in all the experience was great.
The staff is SO friendly and after your meal, fill out the card they give you because you may be blessed with a treat via email. This is definitely a place I want to try out again. There is a lot of street construction going on yet they were still pretty packed so you KNOW the food has to be good but I fear it may be difficult to get a table here post-​construction because they are just too good, especially for their prices.

I was really blown away by the food here. I loved my mofongo, which is crushed plantains; mine also included shredded pork. My friend got mofongo with her red snapper, and her dish was also delicious.
Go for the white sangria. It’s the best value in terms of alcoholic drink options, I think.
Lastly, do yourself a favor and get the tres leches dessert. It’s unlike any form you’ve ever had it, and you won’t regret it. Love the spongey texture.
Be forewarned that the restaurant is quite loud. There also seem to be a large number of people working here for some reason.

So I come to NYC for good food. Not the experience I expected. The bartender was awesome, we had a nice chat since I realized we have the same name (his name is Carlos) and he was incredibly nice and attentive. Unfortunately the rest of the experience was so bad I wasn’t happy at all.
The food is OK but the prices are too much for generic Latin food. Yes it is supposed to be modernized fusion but read: Americanized. Meh.
The worst thing was the mistreatment of the staff from the manager (owner?), unprofessional yelling at staff in front of customers. They would have one more star if it hadn’t been for that. Not a fan, will never be a fan.

We visited Don Pedro’s for a recent UYE to support struggling sangria producers on 2^nd Avenue. They should be all set now.
Much like my recent experience at Mundo in Astoria, this would have been 4 stars if not for the incredible service from start to finish. We had a group of 15 and we were waited on constantly, to the point that I was convinced my water and sangria glasses had magical qualities.
For my prix fixe meal, I got:
— Empanadas des Res — my empanada was bursting with flavor and had a fantastic paprika aioli on top. Unfortunately, it was freezing cold. Probably due to the large party, but it was disappointing.
— Tres Golpe — fried eggs, fried cheese, Spanish sausage and plantains? Yes please. The waiter caught me licking the plate.
— Flan de Caramelo — this was the weirdest plating I’ve ever seen. there was a small slice of flan on the very edge of the dish with nothing else. But it was delicious.
Cant say enough about the service. I don’t think anyone had more than one sip of anything without a refill, yet somehow the servers managed to not be annoying. The manager, El, checked on us several times as well.
On Tuesdays, every table gets a free bottle of wine and there is salsa dancing! This means I’m definitely go get free wine and watch people other than myself salsa dance!

Wow, as I pick myself up off the ground after yesterday’s UYE sangria brunch booze fest, my mind is still a bit fuzzy about how I came to sleep on the living room floor last night. I dunno. Maybe it was the non stop glasses of sangria that just seemed to magically appear as soon as my glass was half empty. I had dreams of that Sangria Ninja waiter pouring sangria into a funnel down my throat! I think he was on a mission to make sure our minds were erased after this event.
The service? Just ridiculously spot-​on.
The food? Again, just wonderful and full of flavor.
The sangria? Awesomely delicious and poured in absurd amounts. Yesssss!
I just want to thank everyone who showed up and participated in yesterday’s UYE brunch here. The group who showed up made this a terrific event. Lots of fun and laughs with great company.
I do remember having the Chicken Empanadas for an appetizer, the Masitas De Cerdo Asadas — chunks of pork marinated in Caribbean spices, sweet plantains, and salad for my main plate, and the Tres Leches for dessert. All were delicious and perfectly filling. I tried a few bites of other plates and also loved them too.
Did I mention the sangria? Oh yeah, I did. An ocean of it! Courtesy of the Sangria Ninja that lorded over our group on the balcony area overlooking the main floor while cool house music and Latin inspired tunes were pumping away. I remember Mike B fist pumping like a champ turning this event into a mini edition of the Jersey Shore. Lots of funny inappropriate things were said but that is the way we roll! One big dysfunctional family!
The manager El came over a few times to make sure we were all good. The staff was super courteous and fun. They really take care of you here. I feel for these guys as the 2^nd Ave subway construction is trapping them behind a mountain of cranes, fences, and debris. Small businesses like this need support. Normally on Sat/​Sun brunch is $ 20 with unlimited sangria. Give them a chance and get your drink on!

Phil H knows how to get us drunk best so thanks to him, he organized a fantastic UYE at this restaurant in his hood. It was an incredible deal — 3 course brunch PLUS unlimited sangria for $ 30 for a group of about 20 of us.
Sitting in the private upstairs balcony section, we got to enjoy way too much sangria and good food. The staff here are fantastic. We were assigned our own waiter (aka Sangria Ninja) who made sure our glasses — both water and sangria — were never empty for long. The owner even came to check on us to make sure all was going well and chatted with us for a long time.
For brunch itself, I chose the Pollo Empanadas for apps, Picadillo for main course and Tres Leches for dessert. All three were delicious and filling. They do not skimp on portions here!
The location of this restaurant, on the corner of W 96^th and 2^nd Ave is conveniently close to the 96^th St station.
I’d love to return to give their dinner service a try and maybe even check out their salsa night!

«what are you doing this weekend?»
«oh, I’m going to brunch on Saturday…»
«the f*ck? you go to brunch all the time now?»
«yeah, now from Unilocal,I got friends who appreciate it.»
«the f*ck? you don’t invite me and your father?»
— a conversation between my mom and myself earlier this week
so we came here for a UYE organized by Phil «Hannibal» H on this day. oh good heavens… let’s get down to brass tacks, this event was ridiculous and anyone who missed it probably hates America and is thus dead to me.
$ 30 for a 3-​course brunch and unlimited sangria. YOU CAN RUN TELL THAT.
to drink, in addition to sangria, I had peach oolong tea: the loose tea leaves came equipped with a «magic trick» that entertained my fellow Unilocalers (in actuality, just a simple spring-​loaded mechanism — goddamn it, I’m such an engineer). loose tea is the ill nah nah, and this was amazing stuff.
begin with: Austrian lentil soup with carrots, potatoes, celery, and corn. «Mike, I’m not comfortable with you ordering something from Austria.» «don’t worry, I had 4 relatives who fought for the bad guys in World War 2… wait…you probably didn’t want to know that.» anyway, I am a big fan of soup (who orders salad, really? that’s food for food), and this didn’t upset.
main course: Tres Golpes — deep fried cheese, mashed plantains, chorizo, and fried egg on top. Jesus, Allah, Buddha, and Superman could not come up with a platter half as delicious in a million years if they tried. sorry, kids. all these flavors combined into an orgy of awesomeness.
final plate, FATALITY! dessert mode. I got the flan. did I destroy it in a few seconds? yes. did I lick up all the remnants on the plate? yes. take note, ladies of Unilocal… I am skilled with my tongue.
service? impeccable. eventually I learned to just use my straw and wipe out my entire sangria glass, thus allowing our Sangria Ninja waiter to refill it pronto.
this place was awesome. while the City Fathers proceed on their mission to utterly destroy everything in the path for the Second Avenue Subway fiasco, businesses in the area such as Don Pedro’s struggle to survive. so please go give them a hand, eat your fill, drink absurd amounts of sangria, and tell five friends.
#occupybrunch #sangriamode