Cuban restaurant Rincon Criollo opens second LI location

It just takes one bite of the slow-cooked oxtail to understand why Rincon Criollo has been called the "best Cuban restaurant in town." By town, the writer meant New York City, as this Cuban restaurant has been wowing customers in Corona, Queens, since 1976. (And for decades before that, in Havana, Cuba.) More than a year after it served its last Cuban sandwich in Queens, the storied restaurant has relocated to New Hyde Park.

The restaurant is the second Long Island location for Rincon Criollo, after the Acosta family opened a spot near Huntington Station's Walt Whitman Shops mall in 2015. Co-owner Rudy Acosta, who runs the restaurant with his sister Esther, lives on Long Island and wanted to be closer to his daughters. He bought the New Hyde Park building and spent the past year doing improvements to the space. Despite the long lag time, he said he's managed to bring the entire team from Queens into the New Hyde Park location. 

The cavernous space is packed with old family photographs of Rudy's great uncles Jesus Rene and Rodobaldo Acosta plus vintage paintings, including a signed portrait of the iconic Cuban singer Celia Cruz. The bohemian motif makes the space look like it's been there for years, an instant classic.

"Our brand is family. It's abuela's house, it's a sanctuary," he said, referring to the Spanish word for grandma. "You got pictures of every single relative on the wall. It smells like food. You've gotta eat as soon as you come in. It's that same vibe." 

The menu includes many of the classic Cuban dishes that Rudy's grandfather Rudesindo Acosta served going back to the '50s in Cuba, like the roast pork dish lechon asado ($19.95), the ground beef stew picadillo ($15.95) and the slow-cooked shredded beef dish ropa vieja ($26.95). 

But there are also lesser-known stars of the Cuban kitchen, like rabo encendido ($29.95), a homey dish of oxtails that are braised in a red wine tomato sauce until the meat becomes soft and glutinous. Rip off a piece from the bone with your fork and spoon the velveteen sauce over the white rice; It's magic. On Wednesdays, Rincon Criollo offers rabo encendido alongside a hearty cup of split pea soup laced with bacon for the same price. Make sure to ask for a side of spicy green sauce; its clean habanero kick cuts through the creamy soup. 

You won't see it on the menu, but a Cuban sandwich ($10) is available upon request. And you should get it, because it's legendary, and is currently on Newsday's list of Long Island's top sandwiches. Rincon Criollo also has a full bar with cocktails like a spiked Iron Beer, which is a famous Cuban soda that tastes like root beer, topped up with lime and coconut rum ($14). 

Rincon Criollo, 2232 Jericho Tpke., New Hyde Park, 516-506-1653, rincon-criollo.com. Open noon to 10 p.m. daily.

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.