(212) 473-0108

13 1ST Ave
New York, NY 10003 40.7235 -73.9884

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Neighborhoods: East Village, Downtown

Hours:

Monday 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Tuesday 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Wednesday 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Thursday 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Friday 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Saturday 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Sunday 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Price:

$$

Last updated 10.14.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express , Visa , Discover , Diners Club , MasterCard , Debit Card

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining , People Watching , Date Spot , Group Dining , Bar Scene

Cuisine:

Latin American , Brazilian , Caribbean

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About Boca Chica

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Cheetah-print banquettes, bamboo lanterns and a few elements of '60s kitsch and Southwestern decor are thrown together for just enough of a jumbled theme to make this East Village nook look festive and fun. An evening here is more pleasant than mind-blowing. For fun on the run, sip a mojito at the bar while a portrait of the Virgin Mary bizarrely watches over you. – – The Food – Lines stretch out the door for pungent sangria and a decent meal that kicks off with fried plantain chips and a great garlicky black-bean dip. Highlights of the budget-friendly,…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
Get in the mood with passion coladas and the tequila-heavy margaritas.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. Plus if you want to check out the bar scene afterwards it is in a great location.
  2. It's a reasonable restaurant with a fun atmosphere, and there's always something new to look at.
  3. Good sangria, zesty food, and a fun crowd of guys at the table next to us (thanks for the tequila shots) made a very convincing argument for her to move here!
  4. The atmosphere is always fun.
  5. This is not a trendy hopping bar the attitude of the place is that more of a cafe than a restaurant but it is very good food for a very good price and the decor puts you in a great mood.
  6. Great food, great atmosphere, good service, but with a large group it's definitely difficult to be served together and in a timely manner.
  7. Boca Chica has it all -- great ambiance, great food, great drinks, great value, great service.
  8. Great ambience, fun and quirky crowd and pretty good food.
  9. If you love great food and ambiance go here!
  10. Great ambiance, great drinks, great food in generous portions, what more can you ask for?
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. The coconut flan for desert is very good.
  2. Shared teh chocolate bread pudding which was very good.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. This is not a trendy hopping bar the attitude of the place is that more of a cafe than a restaurant but it is very good food for a very good price and the decor puts you in a great mood.
  2. The drinks are good and the service was perfect.
  3. Boca Chica has it all -- great ambiance, great food, great drinks, great value, great service.
  4. Great food and drinks and the serivce is nice too!
  5. Plus if you want to check out the bar scene afterwards it is in a great location.
  6. The drinks are amazing -- the pina colada is so good you want to be alone with it for some quality time!
  7. Their drinks are great and service is quick.
  8. The bartender was great, so were the drinks.
  9. Great ambiance, great drinks, great food in generous portions, what more can you ask for?
  10. had about an hour of a wait which I didn't even mind because I hung out at the bar and had some great drinks.
  11. The drinks are excellent.
  12. The food (vegetarian & non-vegetarian) was truly authentic as well as the drinks (alcoholic & non-alcoholic).
food quality
93.81999969482422% positive
  1. The food was enjoyable, the food was well seasoned and cooked and we had everything from coconut shrimp, steak and chicken.
  2. The food is fresh, flavorful and delicious.
  3. The pork stuffed plantains are very flavorful with the perfect balance of the sweet plantains and the spicy pork.
  4. Good sangria, zesty food, and a fun crowd of guys at the table next to us (thanks for the tequila shots) made a very convincing argument for her to move here!
  5. Great Brazilian food
  6. Try the pastel for an interesting combination of cornmeal, black beans and olives with a side of rice and beans.
  7. Very loud, small room, but the food is very good, and so is the friendly, accomodating service.
  8. Tasty, tasty, tasty!
  9. Quick service (once you get a table), and decent food.
  10. Today it's just a ho-hum restaurant with mediocre food.
  11. The menu truly is a terrific blend of fusion food, so whether you want a burrito, mango gazpacho, or tostones they've got it in some delicous way!
  12. Also, unless you really can handle chilies don't order the shrimps with green chili sauce - I personally loved it.
  13. Food is tasty and not too heavy.
  14. We had a tasty steak dish and (possibly) the best shrimp dish I've had in a restaurant.
  15. It's sometimes hard to find good latin food these days.
  16. The food is authentic and DELICIOUS.
  17. very cute manager and very good food
  18. Sure it's loud and you are sitting on top of one another but the food is consistenty good and authentic.
  19. This is not a trendy hopping bar the attitude of the place is that more of a cafe than a restaurant but it is very good food for a very good price and the decor puts you in a great mood.
  20. Evey dish we ordered was SO good, and really reasonably priced.
  21. Shared teh chocolate bread pudding which was very good.
  22. The food is always great.
  23. This place is great with food, and their service is good and they usually have nice Salsa playing in the background.
  24. All the fish specials and shrimp dishes are fantastic.
  25. Great food and drinks and the serivce is nice too!
  26. Their shrimp and steak are wonderful.
  27. Great ambiance, great drinks, great food in generous portions, what more can you ask for?
  28. Great food, great environment, tiny though
  29. All the dishes were delicious, and the staff was really accommodating of our rearranging the furniture as we grew.
  30. The steak sandwich is very good as is shrimp ceviche (although a ceviche is a wrong term since the shimp is actually cooked, not marinated).
  31. Great food, great atmosphere, good service, but with a large group it's definitely difficult to be served together and in a timely manner.
  32. some stuff seems a little foofy but lots of good food.
  33. Sides were all delicious.
  34. shared the shrimp quesaditas which were good but probably had like one shrimp in it.
  35. Excellent food!
  36. Yummy, delicious, & aromatic!
  37. The complimentary plantain chips were tasty, and I appreciated the vegetarian entrees especially since this restaurant concentrates on their ultra-fresh vegetables.
  38. Although the wait was annoying, the food was good so i might be back for a regular-night out kind of dinner.
  39. always get the Camarones Chipolte, spicey, smokey, great beans.
  40. Great ambience, fun and quirky crowd and pretty good food.
  41. The food (vegetarian & non-vegetarian) was truly authentic as well as the drinks (alcoholic & non-alcoholic).
  42. highly recommend this dish if you can handle your mouth being on fire.
  43. Not great food, but filling and satisfying.
  44. If you love great food and ambiance go here!
  45. The food was amazing!
  46. There are probably six tables and one booth in the entire place but the staff does not rush you out, Try the Flan and the white sangria- both delicious!
  47. The food is very good, try the Steak!
  48. took me a while to visit, and I don't go often (about once a year), but whenever I'm in the mood for some very good pan-Latin food, I skip the scene at Patria or Chicama, and head over to Boca Chica.
  49. The food is great.
  50. This restaurant is very over rated, quality of food is mediocre, too pricy for the food you get.
  51. The food taste authentic!
  52. Boca Chica has it all -- great ambiance, great food, great drinks, great value, great service.
  53. Boca Chica has a cool Cuban vibe going on combined with great inexpensive food.
  54. The dipping sauce that comes with the complimentary plantains is amazing.
  55. yummy tastes for your boca
  56. Everything is delicious!
  57. You will pay an average of $10.00 to 15.00 for a huge plate of food.
  58. the food is pretty good too.
  59. The food was really, really good (sweet plaintains filled with spicy beef are small, but every perfect bite counts!)
  60. The fried plantains and dip they give you at the table are delicious and different.
  61. My boyfriend is not very adventurous when it comes to food but he loved the Arroz con Pollo and even ate some of my Ropa Vieja.
  62. GREAT food and friendly service.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. The menu truly is a terrific blend of fusion food, so whether you want a burrito, mango gazpacho, or tostones they've got it in some delicous way!
  2. Our waiter knew the menu very well and made some excellent suggestions.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. We had a tasty steak dish and (possibly) the best shrimp dish I've had in a restaurant.
  2. Boca Chica (small mouth) is a great place.
  3. It's a great place to take out-of-towners!
return potential
50.0% positive
  1. Although the wait was annoying, the food was good so i might be back for a regular-night out kind of dinner.
service
82.6099967956543% positive
  1. Their drinks are great and service is quick.
  2. All the dishes were delicious, and the staff was really accommodating of our rearranging the furniture as we grew.
  3. The drinks are good and the service was perfect.
  4. After we ate dinner, 2 of our friends left - the rude hostess approached and wanted to take a table away since "you are only 11 now
  5. Our waiter knew the menu very well and made some excellent suggestions.
  6. Boca Chica has it all -- great ambiance, great food, great drinks, great value, great service.
  7. very cute manager and very good food
  8. This place is great with food, and their service is good and they usually have nice Salsa playing in the background.
  9. service: strictly business - good speed, was not rushed, efficient, no extra chatter, water was filled regularly
  10. service is always good.
  11. Ivan, the bartender, is great!
  12. Great, friendly staff as well.
  13. The waiter/waitress were extremely fast and efficient.
  14. Quick service (once you get a table), and decent food.
  15. The acoustics of the place make it seem like everyone is talking at full volume - it's so loud you could probably discuss classified information inside and the people at the next table won't hear you.
  16. Once we got there, 8 of 13 in our group, the hostess was rude and unprofessional.
  17. The bartender was great, so were the drinks.
  18. There are probably six tables and one booth in the entire place but the staff does not rush you out, Try the Flan and the white sangria- both delicious!
  19. almost always it's easy to get a table right away, plantains for appetizer are amazing and the service is usually quick.
  20. Very loud, small room, but the food is very good, and so is the friendly, accomodating service.
  21. Terrible service - VERY RUDE!
  22. Great food, great atmosphere, good service, but with a large group it's definitely difficult to be served together and in a timely manner.
  23. GREAT food and friendly service.
value
89.28999900817871% positive
  1. Great ambiance, great drinks, great food in generous portions, what more can you ask for?
  2. Boca Chica has a cool Cuban vibe going on combined with great inexpensive food.
  3. The best deal I've found in the neighborhood, though, which is generally overpriced.
  4. It's a 20-something crowd enjoying the good value (read: very inexpensive).
  5. This is not a trendy hopping bar the attitude of the place is that more of a cafe than a restaurant but it is very good food for a very good price and the decor puts you in a great mood.
  6. You will pay an average of $10.00 to 15.00 for a huge plate of food.
  7. The dinner was really good, but that is somewhat pricey for the Lower East Side.
  8. Everything smelled really good tho and the portions are pretty big.
  9. Very good value
  10. Boca Chica has it all -- great ambiance, great food, great drinks, great value, great service.
  11. The price is really good too!
  12. vibrant little spot to try plaintains cooked every which way and enjoy a few strong margaritas for a good price.
  13. One of the best mojitos and margaritas in the city, for a very good price--two of these and I'm loopy.
  14. When my boyfriend and I were going on our first date I went on citysearch to find a good inexpensive date spot.
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. almost always it's easy to get a table right away, plantains for appetizer are amazing and the service is usually quick.
  2. Their drinks are great and service is quick.
1 Star Rating: Poor

05/04/12

Take Bocachica out of LES

by Latina NYC

I've been a customer of this restaurant for the past four years, I'm a lover of Latin cuisine. But today I had the worst experience in my life. I made a complaint to one of the waitresses about how salty the appetizer was, she was willing to change the plate and a little after, one of the owners came back to tell me that she did not think that the appetizer was that salty, "Latinos cook like that (with lots of salt), maybe this is not the restaurant for you" I replied, that I was a Latina and that I don't like salty foods, then the owner started questioning me about my health and making assumptions that I have high blood pressure because I'm Latina and my weight. Very disappointing for a restaurant in the LES to treat their customer like that. The Lower East Side is a community created by Latinos, it is not fair when people from other cultures come here to judge our own... If you are a Latino stand for your own and boycott Bocachica... This is our neighborhood wie will not be pushed out. Never again I will go to Bocachica, I hope that all Latinos can read this message and support... Take Bocachica out the LES.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

06/15/09

Afro,Brazilian,Latin Jazz

by StyleCityRecords

Style City Records

A world leader in Afro-Brazil-Latin-Electro-Jazz, bringing you the warm ethnic sounds of Brazil, Cannes, and Ibiza night life. Listen at home, in your car, or at work, while the music creates a pleasurable atmosphere.

  • Pros: Great Music
4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/20/08

Delicious Fusion!

by JessAtl

I came with a large group on Friday night, but there was delicious sangria so the 30 minute was no big deal. The food was really, really good (sweet plaintains filled with spicy beef are small, but every perfect bite counts!). The menu truly is a terrific blend of fusion food, so whether you want a burrito, mango gazpacho, or tostones they've got it in some delicous way!

  • Pros: Great fusion
  • Cons: Loud
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/24/08

Yummy, delicious, & aromatic!!

by BaruchGrad

I've been to many spanish restaurants and I must say that Boca Chica was one of the best. The waiter/waitress were extremely fast and efficient. The food was amazing!!! It was layed out beautifully and smelled so good. Well worth the wait. I went there on a Saturday, and it was packed. I would definitely go there again!!

  • Pros: The Ropa Vieja was delicious
  • Cons: Tight seating
4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/26/07

two words: shrimp ticul

by yummytummy123

yum-eeee.

ambiance: festive, fun, loud and boisterous - but not obnoxious, laid-back, colorful

prices: a little pricey, but not TOO bad

food: last night was my first time... i tried the shrimp ticul [green chili sauce with red onions and lime juice] accompanied by black beans, white rice and a type of coleslaw salad. The shrimp was absolutely ridiculously amazingly deliciously spicy and fresh. It was SO good and flavorful. I highly recommend this dish if you can handle your mouth being on fire.

service: strictly business - good speed, was not rushed, efficient, no extra chatter, water was filled regularly

meal came out to about $24 including a pacifico, tax, and tip

  • Pros: overall: most excellent
  • Cons: a little overpriced - but maybe it's because I live in bklyn

The Details on Boca Chica

Place Categories:

  • great zesty food
  • great drinks
  • friendly accomodating service
  • delicious fried plantains
  • great place
  • enjoy few strong margaritas
  • fantastic shrimp dish
  • very good price
  • really good dinner
  • good white sangria
  • great casual spot
  • great ambiance
  • rude hostess
  • good value
  • nice serivce
  • great restaurant
  • fantastic steak
  • very good coconut flan
  • extremely fast waiterwaitress
  • always fun atmosphere
  • great fun crowd
  • delicious yummy
  • mediocre food
  • nice great food
  • great bartender
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