We have been to this restaurant several times and it never fails to be amazing.
Though the restaurant doesn’t look spacious, there are actually two floors and several rooms, so it’s a pretty good space. On the first floor, there are two dining areas and a bar, often with live, loud music. If you don’t want it to be loud, ask to sit on the basement level. The basement level has two separate dining rooms and a small, calmer bar in one of them. Despite the various seating options, it’s usually packed for dinner on weekends and I’d highly recommend making a reservation. Often, there’s also a larger party taking up one of the rooms entirety during these peak times making forward planning more essential. The one loophole is that the seating at the downstairs bare is first come first served and you can order off the full menu there. It’s not a large area, but can seat about six people at any given time.
Fun, lively atmosphere, but not a good place for serious or quiet conversation.
The food is genuinely fantastic. Delicious, flavorful, hearty – just great food worth going back for.
Pollo Guajira – chicken breast stuffed with sweet plantains, mozzarella cheese, and topped with zucchini and a white wine sauce. Rice and beans on the side. This one is definitely substantial, with the fried plantains, mozzarella, and white wine sauce in the dish. There was a substantial amount of sauce and you could easily coat all the rice with it. The flavors and ingredients combine perfectly and it’s truly an amazing dish.
Ropa Vieja – shredded skirt steak braised in tomato pepper, and salsa criolla with rice and beans on the side. So moist, so juicy, so delicious. The meat is so tender and just melts in your mouth. One of the best ropa viejas around.
Pollo Manigua – chicken breast (2 good sized breasts), lightly marinated and spiced, served with a small salad of watercress, avocado and tomatoes. Rice and beans on the side. This is a very plain, simple dish – kind of the opposite of the rest of the menu. Even though there is a bit of oil in the rice, it’s not oily and neither is the chicken breast. There is no sauce that accompanies this dish, so it’s really individual components and about as healthy as you can get at a place like this. Nothing amazing, but a nice option if you want something light.
Arroz Con Pollo Criollo – saffron rice, roasted chicken breast, sweet peas, cherry tomatoes, avocado. The rice and vegetables are piled into the center of the plate and the chicken breast is served on top. This dish is quite delicious. More flavorful and less oily than I thought it would be.
Portions sizes are always good. Service is hit or miss depending on your server. We have encountered more than one unpleasant server during our many times dining here, which worsens during the busiest times. Otherwise I do highly recommended the place. It’s absolutely one of the best Cuban restaurants in town.
