Cuba's Cookin' — Restaurant in Oranjestad (city)

Me and my family made reservation for a party of 9 on May 14th 2019 at 7:45pm. We arrived to our reservation at 8pm so we were 15 mins late . We all sat down and everyone that was working there were nice at the beginning and they had very good music . Our server took about 15mins to come to our table with just water and she never greeted herself to the table stating her name or anything . Once our server brought out the water ....we were all ready to order our food .

Between 8pm and 8:45pm me and my family went on the dance floor to dance and have fun while waiting on our food that we place around 8:15pm. Once me and my family sat back down our server comes to our table at 8:45pm stating that they were out of “white rice” , so everyone just ordered “yellow rice” instead . Our server did not apologize for the inconvenience of not having white rice or anything.

Around 9pm our food was still not ready ! One lady who was the manager at Cuban Cookin came out with appetizers at 9:10pm to our table that wasn’t even ours . We then asked the lady what is going on with our order and the manager said it was coming . Half of our entrees did not come until 9:22pm and when we got the first half of our food EVERYTHING was LUKE WARM ! The second half of our entrees didn’t come until 9:30pm! My Aunt asked told our server that this service was really bad and that our entrees took forever . My aunt then asked for the manager and the server was very polite about it and said she would go get the manager .

The manager came out and my Aunt expressed how she felt about our whole experience . The manager did not even apologize for anything but she expressed that the kitchen was very busy from having a full restaurant BEFORE we came and sat down . My aunt responded back to the lady and asked why couldn’t you as the manager communicate that to us that your staff is running behind or SOMETHING!? My Aunt said that everyone’s plates were Luke warm and one of the entrees had beans that were scraped from the bottom of the pan because it was very crunchy ! The manager responded and said I’ll have to check on that with the chef. My Aunt ask the manager what are you going to do for me and my family and the manager just starred and ask what do you mean. My aunt said a discount and the manager literally LAUGHED right in front of the whole table and my aunt responded back I am not laughing and I find it very offensive that you think this is funny . The manager NEVER apologize and her only response was she would have to talk to the chef .

The manager came back condescendingly and said we would get 15% off the check . We were all done eating at 9:45pm. Before giving our bill they had cleaned off our whole table by 9:50 and then it took them another 10mins to bring our bill finally. And in the mist of waiting a guy that worked there came to our table and said “long wait but good food” and kept walking.

The whole experience was awful at CUBAN COOKIN and very disappointing overall. Every restaurant has there bad days but as a manager it’s all about how you make it better for your guest . The manager never apologize or anything ! This restaurant is on the expensive side so for my family to have experience this service was unbelievable. I’ve had better experience ordering food from a fast food restaurant paying $5 for a combo meal .

The music was the only thing...

My mom and I walked in on a Saturday afternoon. It was a hot day, and as we walked inside we immediately noticed the difference between the seats outside and inside. The is no airconditioning inside, however, outside there was a nice breeze. So, we decided to sit outside, which was also recommended by the waitress.

The tables are small square wooden tables. Ours was a bit wobbly. The chairs, on the other hand, were nice and firm with proper back support. The whole place was quiet with no music in the background. I know that around dinner time they usually have live bands perform latin music.

The waitress, a young friendly lady with glasses, brought us the menus shortly after we sat down. I don't know her name, as she never introduced herself. One menu for the food and one for cocktails. There was no menu for dessert, instead you are instructed to ask about the desserts, as they vary from day to day.

We ignored the cocktail menu as it was too hot for a cocktail. My mom and I both had lots of water. I have sat down at the bar in the past for drinks, and I can say that the cocktails are really good and the bartenders are also very friendly and attentive.

My mom ordered the grilled grouper, which was served with white rice, black beans, plantains and a small salad. I had two bites of the black beans stew and thought it was a bit bland. But then again the idea is to mix it with the white rice. My mom loved the grouper.

As for me, I ordered the plantain medallions topped with vegan cheese and vegetables. It wasn't clear from the menu whether this dish was an appetiser or a main course. I suspect it was an appetiser, since it didn't come with any sides.

I would describe this dish as light, tasty and fun. The plantains were fried and shaped into medallions, like patacones. The vegan cheese tasted just like real cheese, except less oily. The vegetables were also nicely cooked and added extra flavour. I would not decribe these plantains medallions as bite-sized. I had to slice them up in two separate pieces (and I have a big mouth).

Since I am a fast eater and I only had an appetiser, I was done eating before my mom was. The waitress noticed and came to pick up my plate. As instructed on the menu, I asked about the desserts. They had quesillo and tres-leche. I went for the quesillo. The quesillo was nicely plated with a cherry on the side, not on top. It tasted great, not too sweet. It was a sizable portion, and so I shared half with my mom after she was done with her main course.

Overall, we had a very pleasant experience at Cuba's Cookin'. The food was very tasty, the ambience was nice and relaxed. Good for conversation and catching up. The waitresses were very attentive. Even though we didn't order any drinks, our glasses of water were always full. As for pricing, we paid just under $60 for an appetiser, a main course...

Absolutely the worst food I’ve ever had in my life. I got the sampler plate with 3 meats. Ribs were cold, shredded beef was super tough and had no flavor, beans had a funk taste to them. Only thing edible on the plate was the plantains. Drink was nothing but sugar. Service was “ok” asked by 4 different workers to order, after I ordered already. They offered to fix it when they saw I ate nothing and i refused as they would just toss it back in the microwave.

My response Thank you for the time to respond, if I enjoyed my drink why was it full when I left? I did finish my water but not the drink. Like I said the service was ok and she did offer to fix the cold ribs which were warm on the top and COLD on the bottom. A clear sign of not fresh food cooked in a microwave. And yes I tipped the server a decent amount even though I left unhappy cause they did nothing wrong, it’s how you run your business with cold microwaved food hoping tourist don’t review that caused my negative review. Bottom line is your food sucks. I know I’m not the only one as the 2 other tables that left when I was there either left behind a ton of food or took full to-go boxes. Most people are to afraid to be honest...