Escudo de Cuba — Restaurant in London

Constructive criticism: The owner has three restaurants and each is close to the other. My family and I went to the one we liked the menu the most. But when we arrived, the restaurant seemed darker than a nightclub hall and I, in particular, need to see what I'm eating. Then the waitress told us that we could eat the same thing at the other restaurant they have, although in that one, the specialty was pizza... But that's what we did. Although my family and I had booked in advance, we later realized that it was not necessary because the restaurants were empty. The owners and workers of these restaurants are Colombians. But if we said that the place was in Cuba, it could be forgiven for the poor conditions it has, because it is in a poor country. But the restaurants in Cuba are much better than these. Plus, being Latino doesn't mean we have to be a mess. The chairs were damaged, all the tables were moving, so all over the floor you could see pieces of cardboard on all the legs of the tables to prevent them from moving. Maybe it was because of the floor, which didn't look very good either. The lamps and crystals were full of dust and although they looked pretty, you couldn't appreciate their beauty very well. Then they gave us some plastic cups to drink from, which were not new, but reused; which I asked to be exchanged for crystal glasses. That was all a real shame, considering that although the food was expensive, it was fresh, well-made and tasty. The food was totally incompatible with the local. The waitresses were very helpful and very patient with me when I complained about the table and the plastic cups. That's why we made an effort and stayed to eat. Those bad details that restaurants have scare away the public, who surely when they enter they do not stay to eat or pass by when they see their unkempt appearance. . I don't know why the owner hasn't made those repairs, but if it is due to lack of money, it is better to sell one to improve two, than to have three in poor condition. Because they...

We dined at Escudo de Cuba last night, and while the food and drinks were great, the service was an absolute circus. The restaurant was so overstaffed that it felt like we were being tag-teamed by a never-ending rotation of waiters.

When we arrived, we informed a waiter that we had a booking for five people. Instead of being shown to our table, we were passed from one waiter to another—I had to say we have a table booked for five people at least 10 times to different waiters—until we finally reached the manager, who seemed completely lost about where to seat us.

Once seated, we were waiting for two more guests, but that didn’t stop five different waiters from approaching us one after the other to take our drink orders. When our full party finally arrived, another wave of waiters swooped in immediately to take our food order. We had to tell different staff members at least four times that we needed more time.

Throughout the meal, multiple waiters kept trying to clear our plates before we were finished. Instead of feeling looked after, we felt constantly interrupted.

The food and drinks were genuinely enjoyable, but the chaotic and excessive service completely ruined the experience. If they could manage their staff better and give diners some breathing room, it would make for a much more pleasant experience.

The Ropa Vieja A La...

Weirdest restaurant ever. My friend and I met here before an event at EartH, and it was one of the only things open on a Sunday night. Firstly it’s confusing as there’s a series of restaurants all linked together so you can also order Mexican and pizza from this Cuban restaurant. (That should have been our first warning.) That aside, I asked if the nachos came with real melted cheese or cheese sauce and a woman confirmed it was melted cheese. It came out with cheese sauce and when I mentioned this, the guy said “it’s both.” I sent them back, but not without a conversation about if I wanted mayonnaise on the nachos (he didn’t understand sour cream?!?). This was so weird that another table was started listening and shaking their heads. (This might be the place to note the service is awful largely because there is a serious language barrier, and no it’s not Spanish.) All the food was slightly off from how it should be served, so it wasn’t great. Arepas don’t come with zucchini and aubergine. Cassava fries aren’t served with ketchup. Plantains don’t come with - gah - ranch. They made us pre pay so we couldn’t even get extra salsa or anything to make it more palatable. Avoid at all costs, eat before you...