Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Still Got It: El Gran Castillo De Jagua
By
Lauren Evans
Published Aug 29, 2015
Modified Aug 29, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Lauren Evans
Published Aug 29, 2015
Modified Aug 29, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In this city, restaurants come and go faster than you can say "sustainable locavore burger." And even though there are great new additions to the culinary landscape popping up every week, you've gotta give kudos to anyone who can stick it out for over a year. With that in mind, we bring you Still Got It, our tribute to establishments that continue to serve mouthwatering meals and drinks long after the buzz has faded—or where the lingering hype is still justified.
You've got to hand it to the Barclays Center—after years upon years of negotiations, the deployment of eminent domain, the strong-arming away of beloved restaurants and bars and the displacement of many residents, it finally landed in Brooklyn, changing not just the immediate area, but the entire borough forever.
It was inevitable that Gran Castillo de Jagua, a Dominican restaurant which for four decades inhabited the flagstone building on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Park Place, would be fated for closure as part of someone's dumb idea of an upscale makeover. The loss to the neighborhood would have been incredible—where else in this gilded city is it possible to eat a hearty breakfast of mangu con queso frito for just five bucks?
As predicted, El Gran Castillo was ousted in 2013, to the great distress of its owners and the many patrons who loved it. "We’ve lost our business,” the owner, Sergio Olivio, tearfully told the Daily News. The storefront was bought, along with several others, by a Brooklyn developer, and that very well could have been that.
Luckily for thrifty diners seeking reprieve from the area's proliferation of Nu American brunch spots, Gran Castillo didn't close. It only scooted up the street, reopening at 355 Flatbush Avenue. The interior lacks the dilapidated charm of the former location, but the food remains affordable and deeply satisfying: The chicken soup is stuffed with generous hunks of meat surrounded by knots of soft noodles. The pepper steak and onions with a side of rice and beans will gird you for a night of drinking at nearby Sharlene's, and an order of French toast with sausage for $4.75 will fix you up after. Repeat this cycle until death, and you'll have lived a full and productive life.
Gran Castillo de Jagua, 355 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Tagged
el gran castillo de jagua
prospect heights
still got it
original
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .