Genesis

La comida ha estado muy buena, el servicio también. He probado el caldo de bola y el chaulafan, estuvieron deliciosos. Definitivamente lo recomiendo.

I have had meals at a few family restaurants in the neighborhood and the unassuming Genesis is quite something else. I had the tripe stew, and it was one of the most delicious thing I’ve ever had. Even the rice was excellent. Since then I could not stop thinking about coming back to Genesis. Fantastic place!

The best Ecuadorian food I ever had in NYC, since the Isla Galapagos Restaurant was in Queens in the 80’s, the other restaurants are just business, this is the real thing!
Food and services are amazing!
My friends and I were very happy to had found this place, from bolon, Empanada de verde, corvina frita, chaulafan, caldo de bola, seco de Chico, the best quaker I ever had since I left guayaquil.
Congratulations to the owner and the people who work there!
Thank you for making our Two days in a row a delicious dinner break!
M

It’s like visiting your Ecuadorian Aunt! Food is great! My wife and I both had Ceviche de Camaron with white rice and we shared a Corvina Frita with Tostones. Highly recommend!

First of all I’m Ecuadorian and I just moved two NY. So I know how Ecuadorian food has to be. I had a shrimp ceviche and it was delicious. I didn’t have to add anything on it because it tasted really good. I also take an American friend with me and he tried a mixed ceviche with fish an shrink and he loves it. So I’m definitely coming back to this place. I know, it’s not fancy but they have very good service and of course the food is amazing.

As a true Ecuadorian I was very very disappointed! The only reason why I’m giving it two stars is because of the white rice, mote, and tostones, Plain simple things that if you get wrong it’s like you really don’t belong in an Ecuadorian kitchen. My family and I went, 9 of us, ordered hornado con mote, the hornado was definitely not an Ecuadorian hornado, tasted nothing like it, had too many spices and was very dark in color that definitely was not right. Just by looking at it I knew it was definitely not what I wanted to eat. We had ordered two of those :(. My dad ordered caldo de bolas which he said was not bad… but I did try it and it was bland. My sister ordered the chaulafan and that got a 7 from her from a 1 – 10 scale. Not too bad honestly. The one bad thing that also got me upset is that once all the food was out they said that the hornado I had also ordered was all gone! They were out of it and we noticed my moms order was more of the last bits in the pot! Not good at all! My brother’s ceviche de camarones was warm! Worse thing for a ceviche of course!
Well of course now I know not too come back. We will not.

Me, my wife, and some family went here on Mother’s Day. It was packed, which made sense. The wait wasn’t too long to be seated. After we ordered, it took about a half hour to get the food. Still not bad considering the holiday. Once the food came everything was great. Love the humita, and the carne esada with hot sauce. The prices are a tad on the pricy side, because in ecuador most of the food is less expensive. The place itself is small and cramped. The service is average. Overall I will go back I’d say.

Holy yum… so glad we came here.
We found ourselves in search of a decent sit down place while exploring the area around Inwood Hill Park. Thanks to fellow Unilocalers we found this spot.
It’s definitely in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood but I would not ever call it «rough». On a Saturday on your way down 207^th Street you see many locals selling stuff on the streets (from TVs to fresh juices) and chatting with each other in Spanish. But by no means was it rough or unsafe.
The place itself is quite large. The décor is bland. The waitress was friendly and didn’t speak too much English but we got by without issue. The menu has descriptions in English and Spanish so there’s not much issue if you don’t speak Spanish. Also there are some lovely pictures on the menu to assist you if you’re really unfamiliar.
Based on a review (thanks Unilocal!), I chose the Corvina Frita (fried white fish) with tostones (plantains). It was a generous piece of fish with tons of plantains. The plantains were drier than what I’m used to and not sticky sweet. I actually really enjoyed them this way. They had the consistency of potato slices rather than the soft, gooey ones I’m used to.
My hubby got carne apanada (breaded steak) which came with a huge portion of white rices and pinto beans. It was very flavorful and a generous portion. The beef was thinly sliced and lightly breaded.
We definitely enjoyed ourselves and would come back if we were ever in the area again. It was really a great experience. It was also very, very filling (large portions!).

Make sure you do not go Monday through Thursday because the choices from the menu are very limited. EXTREMELY limited. I went on a Thursday and that was a mistake. What Ecuadorian place does not have seco de chivo? They didn’t even have seco de gallina! I don’t understand what’s the point of being open if you are not going to have all the dishes you offer everyday. No ceviche, no caldo de bola, no bandera. And their plates are pretty pricey for the quality of food you now get. I remember this place use to be the best. Now it’s just another Ecuadorian place. It’s lost its title.
I ended up getting chaulafan which was drenched in soy sauce. My husband ended up getting the yapingacho (the potatoes were burnt). My brother in law had to get breaded chicken (which i could of made at home) while his wife got the carne asada (nothing out of this world.
I’m just highly disappointed, you are better off going to the Ecuadorian food truck on Grand Concourse.

Genesis –Ecuadorian restaurant extraordinaire– is truly a gem. If you are looking for wonderful, authentic food from South America, you will find no better substitute; I’ve lived in Ecuador and have several Ecuadorian relatives, so I feel that I can give a valid testament to this.
Moving on, lets get to the meat of what this restaurant is all about. While this restaurant can be found in the heart of what some may consider a bit of a rough spot in upper Manhattan, don’t let that dissuade you from taking a step out to get to it. It’s along one of the main strips in the neighborhood and is easily found, being mere blocks from the A or the 1. When you come upon the restaurant, you may find yourself thinking that it doesn’t have the the typical flair of many of the competitive establishments these days, but herein lies it’s charm and truth. I’ve been to Genesis many times over the course of the past few years and have always found a warm greeting upon entering. One can seat themselves at a table that is nothing fancy, to be sure, but certainly doesn’t strike as being unsanitary.
The wait staff at Genesis is wonderful. One problem that one is likely to come across at other Hispanic restaurants in this neighborhood is a wait staff that shows a blatant contempt for non-​Spanish speakers –there is nothing that turns me off more than this. However, Genesis’ wait staff has always been more than happy and able to communicate with me in English, and they seem elated when I break out my broken Spanish and have a little fun. And so, over the years, I have never had a problem getting what I want due to any miscommunications.
The food is the best part of Genesis. It can be mid-​ranged in price (15 dollars would most likely round out the tab for the average customer) and it is well worth every bit. As a side note, it should be known that Genesis, being a small restaurant, has had a policy of adding a minor surcharge for using a credit/​debit card; one can avoid this by bringing a bit of cash.
Items on the menu include a selection of seafood dishes, soup entrees, and traditional homespun foods from Ecuador. Platters of note include the Corvina frita, which is a fried white fish, like no other, which one can eat with rice (my preference) or tostones (fried plantains) –a few drops of lemon on the fish takes one straight to heaven; Ceviche de Camaron, which is a soupy mixture of onion, cilantro, shrimp, and several other ingredients –one can mix in a dried corn or rice to soak up some of the delicious flavors; Caldo de bola, which is a soup containing a large ball of cooked plantains and boiled egg, potatoes, beef, corn, and a smattering of other veggies (although, it should be noted that this is a special soup only prepared on the weekends); and indeed there are many more items on the menu that are making me salivate as I think of them.
Genesis is really a great restaurant for the young and old alike. I would feel comfortable taking family members there for a delicious dinner, or going out on a date and impressing with something a little different than what they may have experienced. On the surface, Genesis is a place one might just walk on past, and chalk up to being nothing more than the typical hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant that can sometimes be a gamble; Genesis, however is a place that lives beyond expectations, and accomplishes what every restaurant should in the end –they make great food and they serve it with hospitality.

This is the second location of their original location on 181^st Street in Washington Heights, which is basically a kitchen and two small tables. Being familiar with the food, I knew what I was in for.
Genesis is an Ecuadorian restaurant whose owners are from the coastal city of Guayaquil and is reflected in the cuisine served. Coastal Ecuadorian food differs from that of mountain cities like Quito and Cuenca, which you’ll find in Queens.
However, one thing I like about this location is that it did serve my favorite mountain plate, llapingachos with hornado or fritada, which is a bright yellow hockey puck-​sized mashed potato and cheese pancake with cooked or fried pork with mote, large white corn kernels on the side. This is more difficult to find outside of Jackson Heights.
The area is spacious, the people friendly, and you are left along to read, talk, or watch the large TV that is fixed to the ceiling.

This place is in a bit of a rough neighborhood, so when we came here we didn’t expect much. Fortunately, the Ecuadorian food served here was delicious and authentic, and not too expensive either. I had a fried steak with rice, and my friend had an avocado salad, and both were very good. The restaurant itself was clean and the portions generous. I don’t think they speak a lot of English here, though, so be prepared to break out the high school Spanish.