El Castillo de Jagua • 1983

On the Lower East Side since 1983, this Dominican stronghold has fed generations with heaping platters of chicharrón de pollo, mofongo, and slow-roasted pernil that falls apart at the touch of a fork. The Castillo family runs the narrow dining room on Rivington Street with the warmth of a home kitchen, where regulars argue over whether the sancocho or the ropa vieja reigns supreme. Come hungry—the portions are generous enough to fuel an entire afternoon of wandering through the neighborhood.