809 Take Out - Swiftwater

I found this place on Yelp during our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge, I didn't think it was going to be anything great but was pleasantly surprised when it was great food! Service was good fast and efficient. Place was clean. The rice and beans w/olives was so delicious, I couldn't stop eating it. The renejo de papa was heavenly! My pernil sandwich didn't stand a chance! We will definitely stop there again when we are in the area!

**Location, Location, Location!** While staying at the Mount Airy Casino, we checked out some local eateries but found their reviews lacking. So, we decided to try takeout from 809. Excited to see that they offered delivery on their website, my husband called to place an order on a Saturday night around 7 PM. A Spanish-speaking gentleman answered, and when my husband began speaking in English, the man said he didn’t speak English. Fortunately, I speak Spanish fluently, so I took over the call and inquired about a combo I found on the Yelp menu. The gentleman informed me that he had recently purchased the restaurant, and it was now called La Parrada Latina instead of 809. He was previously the cook at 809 and assured me that the food quality remained the same. Since we were both very hungry, we decided to place an order for the pork chop combo and a stuffed potato appetizer. When I told him where we needed the food delivered, he paused and said, "Sorry, no delivery tonight." I reminded him that his website mentioned delivery, and he explained that he was alone that evening and couldn't deliver. He mentioned it was only about 10 minutes away, so my husband offered to go pick it up. Here's where things started to go wrong. I hung up the phone at 7:40 PM. My husband left the room at 7:45 PM and used his GPS, which indicated the place was just eight minutes away from the casino. Twenty minutes later, he called to say that the address provided led to a vacant location. I immediately called back to request the exact address for GPS. He insisted it was the same address as 809. I explained in Spanish that the address wasn’t working, and again he claimed it was the same. I did a quick Google search and found 105 Rt 611 Swiftwater listed. He confirmed that was correct. I passed this address to my husband, who later called back to report that it was a liquor store. Frustration mounted as my husband drove around an unfamiliar area, asking locals who also had no information. When I called the restaurant again, the owner seemed confused and couldn't provide any landmarks. Despite my attempts to get clearer directions, all he could say was that it was at the same location. At 8:45 PM, after driving up and down Rt 611, my husband decided to scrap the search and head back to the hotel to eat at the buffet. As I called the restaurant to cancel our order, the owner suddenly said they could deliver after all. I was baffled because he had just stated there would be no delivery. He explained that they were closing soon and their delivery person had just returned. I hastily informed my husband about the change, though I won’t go into details about his initial response. After cooling down, he agreed to wait downstairs for the delivery. The delivery guy called at 9:03 PM to say he was in the lobby, and my husband finally returned with the food around 9:10 PM. What a disaster! We received our takeout an hour and a half after placing the order. As for the food, it was just okay. The pork chops were dry but flavorful, even though they were cold, and the black beans were decent, though I prefer red beans from a Dominican restaurant. The stuffed potato appetizer was overly greasy, although the ground beef was well-seasoned. Given that we would have appreciated the food much more had it arrived within 20 minutes of preparation, I would rate it only three stars after this lengthy wait. Lastly, as for the actual address, we discovered that the correct location is 2177 Rt 611 Swiftwater PA while driving home to New York. It's also near the Pocono Cheesecake Factory, which would have been helpful information to know! I truly wish someone had shared this with us!

This place is amazing! I've never had a bad meal here. The staff is very helpful and can provide great descriptions of each dish if you're not familiar with the cuisine. I've introduced my family and some friends to it, and they love it too. The food is fresh every day. It may not look like much from the outside, but it's absolutely worth a visit. If you're staying at a resort and looking for some delicious food, this is a fantastic spot!

Without a doubt, this is the best Latin food in the Poconos! The staff is incredibly friendly as well. As someone from NYC, I'm used to having access to the finest dining options, so finding this gem in the Poconos is fantastic. I now have a go-to place for Latin food whenever I visit. Thank you, 809 Take Out! Joe from NYC.