103rd Street - Corona Plaza (7)
Home to a famous taco cart, excellent tres leches cake that rivals a previous find in Mott Haven, a NYT-reviewed Ecuadorian restaurant, and outdoor Sunday sermons in Spanish right in the center of the plaza, this stop is a bustling Latin American gem.
To get the full experience, walk up and down Roosevelt and/or 103rd streets around the station.
English won’t get you very far here -it’s a Spanish stop.
View of Corona Plaza when descending from the subway station (which, yes, is above ground out here). Peep the pastor and his circle of followers.
Here are my seven recommendations:
1) Corona Plaza
Corona Plaza greets you from the subway stairs. Grab a flavored horchata or snack from the tented vendors and enjoy it on the metal plaza seats while you people-watch.
2) Leticia’s
Quality Ecuadorian food with a sweet family story. Read the NYT review here! It’s perfect for date night.
3) Tlayuda Oaxaqueña Sr. San Pablo
Project 472 is a vegetarian, but for the meat-eaters out here, here’s a legit Oaxacan taco cart. Pro tip: Ask for extra sauce.
4) Capy’s, Bogati, Beky’s, or Azogueñita’s
Satisfy your sweet tooth! Capy’s is a chain, but given how close this location is to the station, I recommend getting a tres leches slice here and enjoying it in Corona Plaza. Bogati is also a chain, but a very popular one among locals for ice cream.
Beky’s has more variety, and more of a fun local vibe.
Azogueñita’s is an Ecuadorian restaurant with a bakery. Come here for a meal + sweets.
5) El Cafecito de Mama: International Bakery
Come here for lunch. The space is small and cozy, but it just has a vibe to it. The menu is in English and Spanish. I loved it.
6) El Atico Sport Bar
This one’s a real pueblo-style hangout. It’s a small upstairs space with a neon black-light entrance. If you want the “real” Corona experience, you’re coming here for a drink.
Follow the Corona.
THE RENTS
Grocery shopping out here is fun
More Corona Plaza vibes
Some inspirational quotes in El Cafecito de Mama
Have fun!
