El Nuevo Siglo

It’s easy to walk by this Little Havana spot and assume it’s a grocery store—which it is—but just past the gum sticks, next to the wine aisle, you’ll find a small counter with a few tables. Here, you can listen to the beeps and boops of the checkout register while you eat ternilla—beef rib meat so tender it falls apart faster than the lies you tell yourself about how much you’ll accomplish this weekend. Our favorite place to sit is at the counter, where perched regulars discuss the possible causes of their sciatica. Not everything is great here. The vaca frita is so tough it feels like you’re chewing on cable wire. But the stewy ternilla de res is why you’re coming here.