Sofrito has been a popular restaurant destination in Midtown East for quite some time now and their newer, sister restaurant Sazon in TriBeCa is no exception. Notably, Sazon is very similar to Sofrito; offering a similar menu, vibe and the same delicious Puerto Rican flavors. However, as it pertains to the ambiance, I do feel like Sazon has more of a “clubby” feel. Nevertheless, both of these upscale Puerto Rican restaurants are delicious and notably are very popular destinations for birthday dinners. Reservations are scarce on Saturdays, so I highly recommend getting there early or making reservations far in advance.
The Ambiance: Both restaurants have lovely and vibrant décor. Both restaurants also can get loud pretty loud. However, music is not played too loudly that you cannot have a comfortable conversation. Sazon has a downstairs bar that gets packed during happy hour. If I had to pick, I would say that Sofrito offers the more intimate experience between the two.
The Food: Tasty, very flavorful and highly seasoned. Although, I’ve never had any bad experiences at Sofrito, during my recent visit to Sazon, some of the dishes were “over-seasoned”. Basically, this is probably not the place for you to go if you don’t like and/or can’t stomach highly seasoned/rich food.
The Service: At both restaurants, the service has always been friendly and accommodating. You will not be rushed and the Servers are never shy about giving you suggestions on what to order.
Complaints: Every five minutes it was someone’s damn birthday to the point that you start to feel sorry for the staff, constantly having to sing. Besides that little annoyance, my experiences at these Puerto Rican Restaurants in NYC, have always been fantastic.
