Maybe this is too niche, but I trust this board more than random food TikToks. I'm looking for the best Dominican steam-table counter in Washington Heights/Inwood right now — the kind of place where you order a pernil plate, not from a menu, but by pointing through glass at a row of aluminum trays. I've been doing this for years, mostly along St. Nicholas, Broadway, and a few short blocks east or west. Two of my former go-to places have changed hands in the past year. One now treats pernil like it's a garnish over rice, and the other switched to smaller clamshells but kept the same price point, which stings because I used to get a second meal out of it.

I'm not looking for a sit-down restaurant. I want counter service, a plastic fork, and a table or a ledge if I'm lucky. Requirements: pernil that isn't dry, rice that actually absorbs beans, and a maduros portion that's more than one sad slice. Skin is important. If you ask for a little chicharrón and they act like you insulted their mother, I can work around it, but I'll notice.

I've had decent versions around 168th and Broadway, and a bodega on 181st whose name I always forget, but I want to know what held up through the pandemic and what hasn't. Also curious about whether anyone else thinks the yellow rice at some of these spots has gotten sweeter. Maybe that's a me problem.

I usually go after 2 p.m. to miss the construction crews, but that's also when the trays start getting tired. Are there any spots that actually replenish for an early dinner? If you know a counter where the pernil is still good after 4 p.m., that's what I really need.

This is timing. I moved to Washington Heights last month and keep walking past these counters but never know how to order. The line behind me always looks impatient, so I end up with a regular slice or a pastelito. Is it okay to point and say 'un poquito de todo'? I don't eat pork, do any of them do a decent stewed chicken or is that a sad afterthought? Sorry if that's a dumb question.

Beth, you're not dumb! You can absolutely point. I always say 'perdone, un plato de pernil con arroz y habichuelas, por favor' and then if I want maduros I just nod and say 'sí, maduros.' Big tip: if you see someone pulling a fresh tray out of the back, THAT is the one to order from, not the crusty front tray.

Have you tried the steam table inside the bodega on 168th with the yellow sign? They do a garlicky stewed chicken that's shockingly good! Not an afterthought at all! Also, are you team red beans or beans with the little orange oil on top? I need to know.

Astoria_arch, for late-day trays, the key is a spot with enough turnover from hospital and police lunch crowds, otherwise you're getting the lunch leftovers. The one near the Presbyterian? Their pernil starts going dry by 3 but they sometimes put fresh chicharrón out around 4 if you ask!

I'm from Flatbush and I still make the trip up to the Heights for this style. Nothing against Crown Heights/Park Side, but the Washington Heights steam-table plate is on another level. I look for a spot with a constant line of older dudes buying those little cups of coffee and waiting for their sandwiches. If the lady behind the counter is yelling at someone, even better. I don't trust a quiet steam table.

One thing I learned: ask for the sauce, the juice from the pernil, over the rice. And don't sleep on the chicken either, beth, especially when the pork tray is getting low. Is it weird to bring your own container? Some of these spots use those flimsy styrofoam clamshells and the beans always leak.