Casa Adela

"Come to this iconic BYOB Puerto Rican restaurant in Alphabet City for crispy-skinned rotisserie chicken, beans and rice, and fresh avocado salad. Adela Ferguson, the woman at the helm of the business since it opened in 1976, sadly passed away a few years ago—but the family-run place still feels as welcoming and homey as ever. If you want to supplement your rotisserie chicken with something else, try the garlicky, piping-hot mofongo with pernil or a couple alcapurrias. Bring cash—they don’t accept credit cards." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, kenny yang, neha talreja

"This quintessential Puerto Rican restaurant on Loisaida Ave., especially beloved for its moist rotisserie chicken, was founded by Adela Fargas in 1976. She passed away in 2018, but the matriarch’s likeness still smiles at customers from the tribute art on the walls of this East Village spot with a small-town feel. (There's even a Casa Adela-inspired restaurant in a Guardians of the Galaxy comic.) Think of Fargas gratefully with every bite of the mofongo with peppery pernil. There are only a few tables inside, but you’ll find a squeeze bottle of mayo ketchup on every one of them—and you can BYOB. Pernil asado, chicharrón de pollo, alcapurrias, tostones" - molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, bryan kim, sonal shah

"Kim’s Video has come and gone. So has CBGB, Gem Spa, and even the show Stomp, which we all assumed would run until the year 3000. But another East Village classic, Casa Adela, founded by the late Adela Vargas in 1976, keeps chugging along. Don’t take it for granted. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte This diminutive, cash-only Puerto Rican restaurant—with its rec center chairs and scuffed black floors—is your living room, clubhouse, and family kitchen when you don’t have the will to turn on your stove. The room is unpretentiously bare, and the food tastes home cooked in the best sort of way: warm, well-seasoned, and deeply comforting. Get some peppery pernil ferried from the pint-sized kitchen tucked around the corner, and supplement with crisp tostones, and mofongo draped in garlicky shrimp. There are no wrong choices here. Everything tastes exactly how it should, and, with prices that rarely exceed $20, the cost is just right. Bring beer, bring cash, and bring yourself once a week. Food Rundown photo credit: Kate Previte Alcapurrias These crunchy alcapurrias are slightly sweet and steam when you break them open. Get an order, and experience pure comfort. photo credit: Kate Previte Pernil The East Village isn’t the East Village without Casa Adela’s big strands of moist pernil. photo credit: Kate Previte Sancocho How’s your day been? It’ll ascend a few notches with this warming sancocho. photo credit: Kate Previte Mofongo There are few different kinds of mofongo at Casa Adela, but shrimp is the correct choice. That goes double if you appreciate garlic." - Bryan Kim

"Endorsed by both Fat Joe and Rosario Dawson, Casa Adela is pretty much synonymous with NYC Puerto Rican food. The beloved neighborhood spot, founded in 1976 by the late Adela Vargas, is a great place to bring a few friends for tostones, mofongo, and chicharrón de pollo with rice and beans. The Alphabet City restaurant is casual as a diner, with just a few tables and a little kitchen hidden in the back that cranks out moist, steaming alcapurrias and peppery pernil. As per tradition, it's still cash-only, and also BYOB." - marisel salazar, bryan kim

"Come to this iconic Puerto Rican restaurant in Alphabet City for crispy-skinned rotisserie chicken, beans and rice, and fresh avocado salad. Opened by the late Adela Vargas in 1976, this family-run place still feels as homey as ever. If you want to supplement your rotisserie chicken with something else, try the garlicky mofongo or a couple of alcapurrias. Before you head over, grab a bottle from your wine cellar (you have one of those, right?), and don't forget to bring cash—they don’t accept credit cards." - Team Infatuation