
Hours
| Thursday | 4 PM–1 AM |
| Friday | 3 PM–2 AM |
| Saturday | 3 PM–2 AM |
| Sunday | 12 PM–1 AM |
| Monday | 4 PM–12 AM |
| Tuesday | 4 PM–12 AM |
| Wednesday | 4 PM–12 AM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 3541 Riverdale Ave, Bronx, NY 10463
Phone: (718) 766-0050
Website: http://bokagua.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
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BOKAGUÁ – Riverdale, Bronx, NY
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Reviews
I came for a birthday dinner reservation. There were some standout moments from the dining experience and a few let downs.
The initial greeting and seating by our host was awkward. There was a bit of a rushed feeling with each server that created more awkward moments.
I did enjoy most of the dishes especially the Sancocho wontons which was a creative take on the classic dish. The oxtail samosas were exceptional as well. My least favorite for lack of flavor and construction was the Dominican Spaghetti which in fact was not spaghetti.
I typically don’t go into much detail regarding my dislike for foods and service details but for such a large bill, these details should be shared. I was not informed there would be a $80 “large” party fee for my table of 6 and I tipped on tip of this fee because it was not disclosed.
I dined at another restaurant tonight with the same guest number and was not charged a fee. I found it to be unnecessary especially since we couldn’t even get water refills until the end of our meal. The attention of the staff was lacking to be deserving of an additional fee.
Complaints aside the experience was decent and worth the a try at least.
I accidentally ordered a dish with pork, which I don’t eat, and Gemmy immediately took it back with no hesitation and brought out an alternative. That level of professionalism and care truly stood out. The place is clearly very well run, and I’d love to return soon.
All the dishes were fantastic, but I highly recommend the Oxtail Samosa and the Lobster Fried Rice—absolute must-tries!
That said, the layout was a bit confusing. When I made the reservation, we discussed lounge vs. dining seating. Upon arrival, the space felt smaller than expected and the tables were quite close together and on the smaller side. For a menu structured around “small and large shareables,” the table size didn’t really support that experience. If additional dining space was under renovation or unavailable, it wasn’t communicated (even though our reservation was confirmed twice), which added to the confusion.
Food-wise, this is where things get nuanced. The menu reads ambitious and exciting — and you can absolutely taste the potential — but the execution didn’t consistently meet the vision.
We started with the Korean fried chicken wings, which were very good. Proper crunch, sticky smoky depth, nicely done.
For mains, we ordered the braised short rib jiajang and the strip loin ssamjang and ended up sharing both. The steak ssamjang was described as coming with a market wrapping kit, assorted banchan, sauce trio, and garlic rice. The sauce trio was excellent and the kimchi was solid, but the “wrapping kit” and assorted banchan were initially missing. After asking, three romaine hearts were brought out — nicely plated, but still not quite what was described or expected. When you market a ssam-style experience, the accompaniments are a major part of the dish, and that felt incomplete. The steak itself (ordered medium) was slightly tough for my partner but acceptable to me, though the cuts were fairly large and no steak knife was provided. The garlic rice was fine but leaned more subtle than flavorful.
The short rib jiajang was tender and enjoyable, with a pleasant sweetness from the banana component, but it didn’t quite have the depth or intensity you might expect from a dish like that. It felt like it was very close to being great, just not fully dialed in.
Dessert (coconut cassava cake roll with vanilla ice cream and passionfruit caramel) was good — dense, not overly sweet (which I appreciated), and the passionfruit element tied it together nicely — though more of a cream sauce not caramel and again, good but not particularly a standout moment.
To be fair, it was Valentine’s Day and clearly a busy service. There did appear to be a light time limit on reservations, which is understandable on a holiday. We likely would have stayed for more cocktails, but our reservation window was ending — even though there were still a few open tables visible. I’ll chalk some of that up to the nature of the evening.
Overall, cocktails and ambience were excellent. The menu shows real creativity and potential, but the food execution and some service details fell slightly short — especially at $100+ per person. With tighter consistency and better alignment between menu description and plate, this could easily be a 4.5-star experience.
We would absolutely love to see a happy hour here — the cocktails alone would make it worth returning for that. As it stands, though, while the drinks and vibe were excellent, the food isn’t quite calling us back just yet.
My only gripe was calling ahead about bringing in our own cake and being told there was a $25 cake cutting fee; which was fine. We asked to have the cake brought out to take pictures of it and then have it cut. But instead of it being cut for us, we were brought a dining knife to cut it ourselves but we were still charged the $25 fee. That didn’t sit well with me, at all. Also an 18% tip is automatically added regardless of the table size.