For the longest time, I thought this restaurant’s name translated to “The Castle of the Jaguar”—a perfectly romantic thing to call a totally anonymous hole-in-the-wall on Rivington Street. If you don’t speak Spanish, you will likely be in the minority here, but as long as you have an open mind, an empty stomach, and thirty dollars or so, they’ll welcome you. The Dominicano Sandwich (El Castillo’s take on a Cuban, with fried Dominican cheese and fried sweet plantains) is a knockout, as is the Especial de Bistec en Salsa. The bell-shaped Pork Mofongo, a mysterious mashup of fried plantains, pork cracklings, and garlic and olive oil, is tempting but also seems like something you need to earn. Tuck yourself away here and keep hunger from breaching the ramparts. —Nathan King