El Vecino Meat Market

This is always my first stop for meat.My Brazilian friend came over one day for dinner and brought steaks to grill. They were fatty and delicious and I was immediately obsessed. Her husband kept saying they are so cheap! I needed to know where they came from and luckily my friend wasn't going to hold out on me, so she even volunteered to take me to get some!Fast forward a week and we walk into this grocery store. It is packed full of goodies! To the right they sell hot food which looked delicious, but I didn't try. The back is where the meat counter is. My friend speaks Spanish so she told the man exactly what I wanted. I told her to tell him that every time he sees me to give me exactly the same thing! The man did say that he understands english better than he speaks it, so don't let it deter you if you don't speak Spanish. Pointing and nodding works just as well. All their meats and prices are clearly labeled. I got $17 worth of picanha steak and it lasted me five days! It felt like an insane amount. It was super easy, I just put it on the grill for three minutes, flip for three minutes and I'm done. The guy was also having a special on T-bone steak. I can't remember if it was $3.99 or $4.99 a pound, but either way that's a great deal. I'll definitely take him up on it next time.My friend said the cuban bread is really good and it is only a dollar! I passed, because I'm trying to help my husband lose weight, not gain it!I will be back to continue to get my meat. This is definitely a hidden gem.

We ordered the food for our baby shower here, it was delicious. Everyone loved it. We got yellow rice, rice with black beans. Stewed meat and stewed chicken. Salad and sweet plantains.

In Florida, what do I do? Eat ethnic food of course, duuhh! As soon as I arrived I had the best pork I have had in a long time. My sister told me she purchased it from this little market. This is all I tasted from here, but my sister raves about all the goodness they offer. I guess I'm not going to get any morcilla (blood sausage) on this visit. I had some more fried pork a second time and wasn't disappointed. I was especially impressed, since I ate at a not so Puerto Rican restaurant and their pork was horrible in comparison. The meat was tender, flavorful and the pork skin was toasted to perfection. It tasted fresher the first time around, but I think that's due to the time of day we ordered. The place is nothing fancy, just a little market, but has all the culture of the island. Nom

This is by far my favorite hidden gem in Tampa. They have a cafeteria style serving line, good sandwiches, and a meat market. The taste is amazing in the prices are unbeatable. I got for Cuban sandwiches four $12. You can eat lunch for as low as $3.99 and be happy and full. I really love eating here and I suggest it to anyone who hasn't tried it. if you want lunch that's cheap, fast and delicious this is your place.

This little bodega has a cafeteria style restaurant inside. There is no seating, but it's perfect to take out. There is a wide variety of option, but their best food is by far the beef stew and stewed chicken. For 3.99-5.99 you can get TON of food including red or black bean, rice, and stew. The chicken still does have bones in it, but it makes it more authentic and flavorful. Not only do they provide great food, but their other meat selection is great and they have all the essentials bodegas should have. If you have the time, definitely stop by!!

Granada has recently changed it's name, but it's still the same place. This is a great bodega for any immediate Latin needs. I've been known to pop in just for some chicharrones and a Goya passion fruit drink. One of the coolest things they do is sell pork butt and pork shoulder that's pre-seasoned for customers to take home and slow roast for making pernil. Don't like to cook? Not a problem, because in the back of the store they also serve up hot foods during lunch time. It's pretty good too. I've had the pernil, rice and gandules and it's was excellent. Definitely worth a try if you've never been.Downside, no one really speaks English. If you strut up in there speaking the Queen's, you're going to get the ole deer in headlights look. Also, no authentic Cuban bread! Just the fake crap in the white bag.

I ordered food from El Vecino for my Daughters Quince this past weekend. It was amazing! Everyone loved the homestyle Spanish food. It was very tasty and I got a great deal. This is a family style owned business with exceptional customer service. The owner made the ordering of food very easy for me. He took his time to help me decide what amount of food would work best and they had everything ready jusy how I ordered it on time the day of my event. Thank you so much El Vecino! You helped make this event very Special.

This place sells food by the pound and food to go, the price is the best where you can get rice, beans, plantains and stew chicken for only $3.99!!! I'm not kidding 3.99!!!!! There are only 3 places for you to sit, so most of the food is to go... You can even go on the weekend and you will find something great to eat. There is also the bodega, small supermarket part where you will find beer from Puerto Rico, like Medalla and some other great beers like Presidente and Corona. You will find also great vegetables at amazing prices, is a place where you can find everything and even your chicharones!! Or pork rings!! Best place for food....and a little more.... Parking is not that great, but reasonable. Go there at least once a week.

Disrespectful to my wife. She has been a client for years but this time she purchased some food and walked to her car, came back in to exchange it as it smelled bad like putrid. She was told it was because she left it in the sun. It was less than a minute from time a purchase to return. They argued with her that they were not going to refund her. She asked if she could exchange it. They started raising their voice and told to leave if she didn't like it. MAybe they were having a bad day but I advised my wife to never go again as in previous occassions it is not uncommon to see expired goods in their shelves. They lost a client of many years. probably for the better of us.

This place is a joke. White rice has little bugs in it guess there not rinsing the rice properly. Very dirty place as well so try and not look too hard at the floors walls because then you won't want to eat. Food is ok but definitely NOT Puerto Rican or Cuban. More like Mexican style beans and what not. They cater to mostly local workers construction landscapers. I'm bilingual so I can speak very well. Seems like if you don't know Spanish lol they WILL take advantage of you - so make sure you bring someone who can speak Spanish or you'll get crappy portions and not what you want. It's sad that most of the ppl who go there don't know any English so they are forced to deal with a mediocre dirty and poor service establishment like this place. Don't know how they don't get cited by inspectors. One star because I have to in order to leave review.