El Centenario

In what used to be a Colombian convenience store that I would come in for café con leche when I had a project nearby, a small Mexican counter has evolved, serving standards to order fresh from the grill. The operation seems headed solely by one woman who takes orders and cooks. When she is busy, she is hard to find back in the kitchen.
All signs of the old store have been removed and replaced with five tables that do not come close to filling the space. On 6pm on a Sunday it was completely empty, but I think that is explained more by the lack of beer in the refrigerator and TVs showing fútbol.
My sope de pollo ($ 4) came with a mountain of iceberg lettuce on it, as well as a very nice cream and shredded cheese. Pushing these aside revealed the small chunks of chicken and very thin layer of beans. The chicken was seasoned unlike any Mexican I had ever had, more Asian in taste with a spice of soy sauce. I added the «red» sauce she offered (the green was gone), which complimented the tastes nicely. I think next time I will make sure to ask for extra beans to help put a thick coat on that masa base.
The jukebox fired off a song on its own just after my dish arrived, and I sat alone with my sope and a loud Mexican ballad.
The Sidral Mundet ($ 1.50) is an apple-​flavored soda that was not too sweet and a good alternative to the ubiquitous Jarritos. The apple flavor was barely noticeable, but the drink is better than most sodas.
I decided after my tasty sope that I would take a couple tamales ($ 1 each) home. Standard raja and verde were available, but also tamales dulces, which I had never tried before. I took it home eager to try once my hunger returned. It ended up being pink colored, and while interesting was not exactly tasty, somewhere between dessert and not. I think sugar was simply added to the corn mix, along with ample red food coloring. The verde was decent, but probably not worth returning for with so many good tamales to the south in Sunset Park. It had very little chicken or salsa inside, and was overall a bit dry.