Puerto Viejo

In 1986, when the corner of Grand Avenue and Dean Street was auto shops and taxi depots, a couple from the Dominican countryside opened a luncheonette here with a steam table and a counter, and mechanics lined up at noon for rice, beans and a protein. A fire in 2011 took the old room; their children rebuilt it, and it reopened in 2012 with metal walls, barrel tables and higher ceilings — a little like a shipping container that came to rest on the corner.

Breakfast is los tres golpes: fried eggs, queso frito and salami with mangú, mashed green plantain, with pickled red onions. Later in the day, order mofongo with your choice of filling and the garlic sauce, or pernil with boiled yuca. Sancocho and a Cubano are on the board too, and the room is loud and easy enough for a big table.