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El Cocotero

228 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011 40.74137 -73.99869
nr. Seventh Ave. See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
work212-206-8930 Send to Phone

Cuisine: South American
Price Range:
$$
Key to Prices and ratings
Upscale

Almost Perfect

Exceptional

Generally Excellent

Very Good

Good

Cheap Eats

Best in Category

Excellent

Delicious

Very Good

Noteworthy
Very Expensive

Expensive

Moderate

Cheap
Reader Rating:
7.7 out of 10
|
6 Reviews | Write a Review

Photo by Gavin Thomas

Map Rate & Review

Official Website

cocotero-restaurant.com

Hours

Mon-Wed, 11am-10pm; Thu-Sat, 11am-11pm; Sun, noon-9pm

Nearby Subway Stops

1 at 18th St.

Prices

$9.95-$19.95

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

Brunch - Weekend
Delivery
Good for Groups
Lunch
Outdoor Dining
Take-Out

Alcohol

Beer and Wine Only

Reservations

Not Accepted

Delivery Area

14th St. to 34th St., Fifth Ave. to West Side Hwy.

Profile

El Cocotero is a bright, cheerful café specializing in arepas, the delectably dense, spongy corn-flour cakes stuffed with everything from chicken and avocado to soft farmer's-style cheese. The small, affordable menu lists a few fresh, vaguely tropical salads enlivened with lime and orange vinaigrettes, pressed sandwiches, and spears of fried yuca meant to be dunked into rich, thick Venezuelan sour cream. (Or, even better: the oily, herby version of guacamole called guasacaca.) There are now nine entrées, and one is a nap-inducing doozy: pabellon criollo, a heaping platter of slightly chewy stewed flank steak bolstered by mounds of white rice and black beans and decked with fried plantains. The fact that it's dished out unceremoniously from a spotless steam table doesn't diminish the room's homey appeal, with its sky-blue walls and palm trees, colorful ceramic plates, and disarmingly friendly service.

Brunch

Sat.―Sun., 11:30 a.m.―3:30 p.m.

Recommended Dishes

Arepas, $5.50-$7.95; pabellon criollo, $16.95

7.7

"Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10

66%	Would you go back?
66%	Would you take a date?
50%	Would you take kids?
16%	Would you go on business?
66%	Would you go on a special occasion?

Food:	7.8
Service:	8.0
Décor:	7.8
Value:	7.5

El Cocotero

the worst

sammayne from 10011 | Posted on 12/9/09

Overall Rating: 101 (Not Recommended)


Food:	1
Service:	5

Décor:	4

Value:	1

this place is empty at 8pm for a reason. the worst meal i have had in 6 months. chicken wing hot sauce as the only condiment? really!????!! please stay away from this place...you will be doing a service to the community by staying away from here and facilitating their going out of business. i'm no connoisseur when it comes to venezuelan food, but caracas in the east village is about 100x better.

El Cocotero

Oh-So-Good

rjebaum from 10002 | Posted on 3/21/09

Overall Rating: 109 (Highly Recommended)


Food:	10
Service:	9

Décor:	8

Value:	8

When my friend suggested this restaurant and I looked up the menu online, I expected heavy, greasy arepas with cheese (like the ones you get at The Fair), and a bright, tacky decor. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that El Cocotero was a dimly lit, intimate little restaurant, tucked into 18th street with a visible kitchen so you can see them preparing all of the delicious foods. We ordered a pitcher of Sangria from our friendly waiter and although it wasn't exactly cheap at about $30, we ended up getting at least 6 glasses out of it. The Atun arepa was so good and fresh, marinated in citrus with tomato and onion like a ceviche. We decided not to get dessert but they sounded oh-so-good. Will definitely go back!

Read All 6 Reviews >>