Cuba — Restaurant in Kalkara

The Cuba restaurant is the only restaurant in the recently opened Shoreline mall where you can have everything from breakfast to dinner. You can eat outside and enjoy the view on the fountain (which is deactivated due to constructions around the mall) or eat in the indoor area. The restaurant wants to give you give you an impression of being in Cuba which it succeeds. The lamps, the pictures...it gives you certainly a feeling for it. The staff was friendly and quick to serve but this may have also been because it was not lunchtime and the restaurant was not full.

Once entering the restaurant you have to wait at the entrance till a waiter gets you seated. For payment you have to get to the counter which may be quite efficient if you want to pay quickly.

Besides ordinary dishes like burger and pizza the restaurant also offers "Cuban Specials" which are also highlighted red on the menu card. They usually come with fries/rice and grilled vegetables/ salad.

The crust of the pizza like the Pizza Diavola was well done and thin enough but the topping did not taste as the one of a Diavola due to the lack of spicy sausages on it. Moreover it was not spicy at all. The "Flauta del Carne" looked delicious and it was certainly freshly made. However the only taste you got from it was only the one from the corn tacos. It completely lacked the taste of the slow-cooked and marinated beef. However the other Cuban dish was tasty.

All in all a restaurant with the potential...

I am extremely disappointed to share that the service I was given was very arrogant. The waiter, which took out orders, had an attitude which wasn't needed. I ordered a taco de pollo, and my cousin ordered a pizza capriciosa and asked for no artichokes, which didn't seem like a problem for the waiter. When the food came, I was very frustrated to say that the waiter got both our orders wrong. I was expecting a taco with chicken, pineapple sauce, and guacamole and instead received chicken in pita bread... My cousin received a capriciosa pizza WITH artichokes. We called for our waiter, which kept trying to convince us that that is what I ordered, and also that he repeated the order 2 times for us, and we didn't say anything. Fortunately, I am 14 and haven't lost my hearing yet, so I'm sure I heard him correctly when he repeated the order, and I'm more than sure I gave him the correct order. In my opinion, the amount of arrogance shown by the waiter was unacceptable. 5 minutes after, the manager came. He greeted us in a very good manner and got my correct food out in a hurry. For that, I am grateful. Out of this unfortunate experience, I am glad to say my aunts cappuccino was good :)

Ps. My aunts wrap, and my tacos had enough water to drown...

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this restaurant due to a very disappointing experience. The establishment enforces a strict policy prohibiting dogs from entering the indoor dining area—this includes well-behaved and smaller dogs, without exception.

I spoke with the manager on-site to better understand the reasoning behind this rigid rule. He explained that the policy comes directly from the Managing Director, leaving him with no discretion to make exceptions or reconsider the approach. While the manager expressed sympathy and said he would personally be open to revisiting the policy, he is strictly bound by his superior’s instructions.

In a time when more and more restaurants are becoming dog-friendly, and many people consider dogs to be part of the family, I find this inflexible stance quite disappointing. It creates the impression that guest needs are not taken into account. For those dining out with their dogs, I would recommend considering alternative venues that offer a more...