By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — Inwood's newest restaurant Sazones opened quietly in late September, serving its first plate of Dominican fare to patrons taking a break from work and others looking to extend the night’s party.
Owner Julian Sanchez said his goal was for Sazones to become a breakfast and lunch hangout for local workers, much like the crowd at El Sol de Cibao, the restaurant previously housed in the same space at 5085 Broadway.
El Sol de Cibao quietly closed earlier this year after years of feeding cabdrivers and workers from the garages and car washes nearby.
It’s that lunch crowd that makes Sazones’ sophisticated décor seem out of place for this industrial stretch of Broadway, but the dark wood bar and accordion-style glass doors may be intended for the after-hours crowd the restaurant hopes to attract.
In addition to its weekday schedule, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sazones will open from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. during the weekend, perhaps catering to crowds from the owners’ other restaurants/clubs in the area, which include Tobaco y Ron and Vintich.
Sazones’ owners said they are filling a need for a mid-priced alternative to the either very casual or more upscale eateries found throughout Inwood and Washington Heights.
The menu is strikingly similar to other traditional Dominican restaurants throughout Upper Manhattan, but entrees average $12 for the Dominican-style chicken, fish, plantain dishes, and beans and rice. That's half the price of that offered at the more upscale restaurants and twice the price of that sold at the more casual establishments.
The restaurant does not yet have a liquor license, but owners say they will apply in the coming months.
