Flor De Mayo
30 Reviews for Flor De Mayo
Half Chicken special (comes with either sweet plantains or fried rice so if you have two people, recommend one person get one thing and the other get the other item). Also, if you feel really hungry and I'll admit, in my younger days I did this, you can get the whole chicken... ahhh, good times... good times.
Can sub the fried rice with cilantro rice which is pretty yummy too.
As of this writing, this is my favorite rotiss chicken joint in the city. I have impossibly high standards for chicken, and most chicken joints fall flat, flat, flat.
The chicken at Flor de Mayo is juicy, tasty, and perfectly cooked. It comes with a little bowl of some kind of crazy, tangy juice that always seems to run dry just as you pull the last bit of meat off the carcass.
I get it with the sweet plantains, expertly cooked if maybe just a hair too greasy.
Is there something else on their menu? Why waste people's time? Focus your energy on the chicken!
Chinese-Peruvian food. Nothing spectacular but cheap cheap cheap. Good place for a quick meal. Overall, I found the food to be a bit greasy but the portions are huge that you can save it for your next meal.
Quite funny because the waiter first spoke to me in Chinese then Spanish. I've always been fascinated by Chinese people living in Latin America (researched the topic for various papers) and here I was able to talk to the waiters about their experiences growing up there. Our waiter was from Venezuela and we exchanged stories about our connections there. Another waiter I spoke to was from Uruguay. Being Chinese-America, I felt at home since I've always felt Hispanic at heart.
So I was going to rave about the fabulous chicken and fried race at this chinese meets cuba meets peru establishment...but then my friend got attacked by some killer lo mein. And I don't mean killer in sense that it was so good she could die. She almost did.
READ: FOOD POISONING! She was the only one that got the lo mein, so she totally took one for the team.
Needless to say, we will not be going back. (but i really loved my chicken)
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Yes, Flor de Mayo is known primarily for their rotisserie chicken (which is very good btw), but what they should be known as well is their Peruvian food. Whenever I come here I always get the Lomo Saltado (which is EXCELLENT - there's a reason why I get it EVERY time I come). The Talllarin Verde and the Papa Rellena are also very good as well.
Please try the Peruvian dishes here next time-- you won't be disappointed.
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This Flor de Mayo (there are other locations) has reliable, quick delivery of their tasty Peruvian style chickens with yellow rice, plantains and black bean sides. Though the chicken is not always as flavorful and garlicky as it should be and it comes hacked into strange pieces if you get it cut-up, it is a good alternative when Dallas BBQ or other rotisserie birds get boring. Haven't really explored the rest of the menu. It's a good meal for $25 and feeds 3-4 ppl.
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The chicken here makes other chickens cry. Which is very very sad. Minus one star for so-so sides and making chickens cry.
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First off, let's just dispel the idea that Flor de Mayo is true Asian Fusion. It is NOT a fusion restaurant nor is it trying to be. Regardless, it's much better than so many of the poseurs out there that think that simply by saying they're fusion, really makes it so. OK, now that we have that out of the way, let's get down to business.
The main reason you should visit this place is the special rotisserie chicken. You MUST try it to understand how juicy, succulent and delicious chicken can really be. Like any good restaurant, roasted chicken is a litmus test of how good the kichen really is. Suffice it to say, Flor de Mayo passes this test with flying colors.
The rest of the menu consists of Chinese style dishes with a bit of unusual flair or ingredients. Plantains, yellow rice, sangria...you get the picture. They're decent compliments to the chicken and some are strong enough to stand on their own.
I've eaten here a half a dozen times and had delivery at least 10 times. I recently learned about how they treat their delivery guys and now am a bit conflicted as to whether or not I should continue to to go there. On the one hand, they serve solid food for very reasonable prices -- but on the other, I don't feel right about supporting a place that underpays their employees that much. Then again, I am sure Flor de Mayo's management is not alone in this practice. Such is life.
Four stars for the food, delivery guys but 2 stars for the management.
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Bomb-ass Peruvian made by Chinese folks? You know it! Like I've said before, The Chinaman can bootleg anything. OMG, DON'T FUCK AROUND. Get the rotisserie chicken with yellow rice and plantains and thank me later.
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No question, the chicken makes eating here worthwhile, along with the fabulous cilantro rice. Every time I go here, I think that this time I'll try something new, but nope, always get the chicken. It's SOOOO good that you will find yourself dreaming of it! However, friends of mine HAVE tried other dishes and been very happy.
I've dragged so many friends here, and they all love the place as well. Where else do you get a huge plate of truly yummy food for about $8??
My office tends to go nuts for Pio Pio -- but they haven't tried Flor de Mayo yet!
I loved eating at this place. The wait is always really long here, between 20-40 minutes. But for me it's worth it because the food was great and the atmosphere was always festive.
Try it out!
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The ultimate comfort food and the prices are unbeatable for how much food they give you. The ceviche mixta is always fresh full of raw squid, fish, octopus w/lime, vinegar, red onions and some spice mixed in.
We alwayss get the pollo a la brasa (rotis chicken) w/ plantains and yellow rice. The lomo saltado is also a must (steak, tomatoes, french fries). yesterday I tried a chicken stew which was a bit plain but tasty. Ooh and the sangria is yummy---verryyy sweet and fruity but it sure does sneak up on you!
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Peruvian-Chinese? I scrunched up face into a quizzical look when I heard that too. But there are actually all kinds of Chinese-Latin permutations in NYC. And it's not really fusion...it's more like half of the menu consists of Chinese dishes and the other half is Peruvian/Mexican/Dominican/etc. Anyway, I've never had the Chinese food here, but I can vouch for this being some awesome Peruvian!
OMG OMG OMG THE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN!
Just look at the photo I uploaded. It is so juicy, so tender, so absofreakinlutely flavorful. I feel kind of dirty just thinking about eating that chicken. My two friends and I decided to just order a whole chicken ($10.95!), some special cilantro rice and plantains - it turned out to be just the right amount of food. If you love cilantro, you have to have this thoroughly cilantroed-out rice. The plantains were perfect, slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, bringing out that unique starchy sweetness I love. I've also had the lomo saltado here (a classic peruvian dish of marinated steak, vegetables, and potatoes)...another revelation on how I had been missing out on Peruvian my whole life.
It's always busy here, but the service is fast and the staff are friendly...A prime example of how great food can come at reasonable prices (everything's under $20) in a laid back setting. A NYC fave!
p.s. THEY DELIVER!!!
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I was very disappointed thinking that I would be getting true fusion food. It's not fusion food. It's American Chinese food, Spanish food, and Peruvian food. Not doing a good job in any of the categories.
The only thing I did like was the complimentary bread. It was warm and crusty on the outside.
Not only that, but I was choose this restaurant because of the location of it. Going there, I pass by a line of striking line of worker at Saigon Grill. I was actually thinking of going to Saigon Grill earlier, but was glad that I didn't because of their exploitative practice of their delivery workers. I didn't realize that Flor De Mayo had the same practice.
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Flor De Mayo... Latin American? Chinese? And Peruvian? WTF...
We actually left this place and didn't eat, because we didn't know what we were going to get.
If you order the Double Hot Nut drink, you may have to prove yourself to the waiter. We ordered two of those off the bat, and he straight up told us No. We had to order and down a single to get some respect apparently.
I'm so suspicious of the Latin/Asian combination--but I can vouch for the Peruvian and the rest of the family tells me the Chinese was pretty good. According to the Times' "Dining In" section, their roasted chicken is the best in all of Manhattan, and I would have to agree that it was inexplicably delicious. I also loved my dish, which was some kind of lamb stew. A final note: the service was amazingly swift, which always goes over really well with my family.
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The roasted chicken is the only thing they really need to have on their menu. Not that the rest isn't good, but the chicken is amazing. This is also a great place to go if you can't stand your sister's annoying vegetarian boyfriend. Really go to town on the meat, suck the bones, and get carnal.
Delicious Latin-Asian food! My cousins have taken me twice here; the second time was upon my request! I love all the meats here. It gets crowded on the weekends (it is also a small, narrow space), but the ambience is very NY chic/romantic.
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I love this restaurant. Seco de res and lomo saltado are my go to options, although I'm down to try a lot of the other things on this menu. Unlike their other location on broadway and 100th, the dining area is a little less hectic. The dining area is a little cozier and seems to match the food a little better. It's a good thing I don't live by this place, I'd end up eating there everyday. Chinese/Latin fusion is genius.
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At first I was skeptical - long wait and half the menu just looks like standard chinese take out. But my friend insisted it had the best roast chicken ever so all 6 of us ate the roasted chicken with fried rice. It was amazingly moist and tender, even the left over chicken was scarfed up as a midnight snack. Apparently the Chinese food is good so maybe I'll try it next time. Or I'll just get more chicken...it's so cheap I wish I lived closer so I could come all the time.
Hahaha...Screw that Madaline L. She's probably one of those spoiled little bitches that needs to be pampered.If ya can't handle the hood stay away from the hood.The food in Flor De Mayo is reasonably priced and good.It's also not fusion.The menu is pretty much seperated Chinese/Latin.Also you gotta try that broiled pork chop.On the money with a special house fried rice..I mean it's bangin like that.
I should probably embrace the Latin-Chinese fusion but I stick with the Peruvian stuff here since it's harder to find in the city.
They make a very good Aji de Gallina (a nut-flavored shredded chicken dish) and Pollo a la Brasa (rotisserie chicken). Other recommended dishes are the Lomo Saltado (sliced beef sauteed in an onion and tomato marinade), the Adobo Pork special on Thursdays, Ceviche Mixto, Papa Rellena (stuffed potato) and Sweet Plantains. If a dish comes with rice, request the green (cilantro) rice over the generic white and yellow rice.
I've done takeout here every time except once w/ a friend - I wouldn't take a date here as the place is kind of lame.
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Try their tasty 1/2 pollo a la brasa (side of chicken), and special fried rice (with egg, veggies, Chinese sausage)! I liked those dishes so much, with unlimited salsa, that I never got around to trying other dishes. (I'd generally ask for 3 extra servings of salsa every visit.)
When I used to live on the Upper West Side (few yrs back), a friend & I used to eat here and at French Roast all the time. The owner was very friendly, and he gave me this great 2004 desktop calendar (called "Philosophy of Life") with cute traditional Chinese proverbs illustrated with cartoons. Pack rat that I am, it's still with me, and I hope to be able to read it someday. (I've been studying Mandarin for over a year and hope to be fluent some day.)
When I visited NYC in late Dec '05, I was disappointed that the subway workers were on strike, and I couldn't eat here. Boo subway workers! I really wish there were Chinese-Peruvian restaurants out here in LA!
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I wish I lived in the neighborhood. I'd never cook. The pork chops were amazing, just don't forget some gum--they're very garlicky. The squid fried rice is also very very good. It's like Korean raw squid (kimchee) but not spicy and not raw and not kimchee. Totally worth the wait and the venture uptown.
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This is one of handful of restaurants I make sure all my friends go to! And they all love it! The half chicken with sweet plantains is amazing! I always split this dish with an order of squid fried rice if I go with a friend. Don't be scared now... the fried rice uses squid ink, so the color is somewhat black. But it's delicious! Enough about the food, the service here is awesome, too! The servers are friendly and they are quick to bring your food. A warning though, there is sometimes a wait for a table, especially for dinner. It's probably a good idea to put your name down and walk around the area, since the UWS is pretty chill.
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Funny how Latin/Chinese is so abundant on the UWS. This and the other locations on this side of town offer good, cheap food pretty reliably. Not trendy, (no ceviche sushi sculpture-like dishes next to a pomegranate mojito here) but dependable for true ethnice fusion.
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Terrific Steak Kew chinese style, Tallarin Saltado (Steak with Tomatoes & Onions &Noodles), Kung Po Gai Ding (roast pork). Soups are also good while the service is just okay. Considering how cheap the food is "okay service" is more than acceptable. I always vow to try the Peruvian specials but I like the Chinese food so much ( the steak kew has an incredible amount of good beef in it- sorry vegans) that I always get that.
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"Pork chop night!" is a battle-cry for my friends and I to head uptown to Flor de Mayo for some tasty broiled pork chops, flavored with garlic and spritzed with lemon juice. Eat it with yellow rice and a side of plantains and you're in hog heaven. If you're really ambitious, or if you're sharing your chops with another lighweight, then ask for the squid fried rice (cooked Chinese-style) to round out your meal. The squid ink makes it look like a plate of dirty fried rice but it is so delicious. Other favorites include seco de res and lomo saltado. Great food at great prices makes this a regular destination.
I've been going to flor de mayo since i was a little boy...when my parents dated they used to dine there!..it's the best - i've introduced many people to the restaurant and they loved it!...it's not pricey and the food is awesome!
my boyfriend and i love it here whenever we can make it out to UWS. it's a great fusion of chinese and latin flavors that we absolutely loooove. flor de mayo is no frills, no attitude but generous with the portions (that we know and love from the chinese!) and with the flavors. our favorites are the pollo a la brasa y arroz frito (fried rice) with the squid ink. and los maduros (the sweet plantains)...son deliciosos! there's also this amazing peruvian stew made with a cilantro puree. soooo yummy. and what's better is that i can speak either in cantonese or in spanish here! we're always in for a flavorlicious treat whenever we go =) love it!!!
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