Right now this restaurant is showing at 3.5 stars. That's a really fair appraisal, between A-OK (which is still good) and great. The food is all really tasty. I had the opportunity to sample a bunch of things from both appetizers and mains. On the apps front, the plantain rellenos were very popular. The squid was great and despite being habanero were not hot so they were fine for kids. The fish main was the least good, mostly because I found the portion of fish a tad small (it seemed smaller due to sharing). I can see why; all mains hover at around the $15 mark and fish isn't cheap. To hold that price, you need to cut down on the quantity of fish. The pork shoulder was super tasty and unlike a lot of pork shoulders was not dry. Despite the comment of another reviewer about fat, it wasn't fatty. It was properly moist. It's a pork shoulder; you slow cook them because of the fat content. Don't like fat? Don't order a pork shoulder because lean pork shoulder sucks. Which brings on the Pork Belly Medianoche. Now there is fat! Good fat. Great sandwich and a fair price. Sides of rice, slaw and plaintains are terrific.
The only downside to the place is that it's not perfect if you want to linger. They move you along at a brisk pace. Understandable given the diner-like vibe and the long line out the door. Great for a fast or family dinner where kids don't want to sit for 2 hours. Four stars from me because the food is great, well-priced, and it's nice to have a joint nearby that's good for a family dinner (the kids loved it).