Cubano’s — Restaurant in Bethesda

Multi-Sensory Culinary Transportation to Cuba!

Our visit to Cubano's in Bethesda, MD was not just a meal but a culinary journey in taste and imagination! From the moment we stepped in, we were treated to a feast for the senses, and the intimate decor set the perfect backdrop for our experience.

For our appetizer, we indulged in the Arepitas de Lechon, l that were simply mouthwatering. The fried, crispy, but not greasy cornmeal cakes, paired with strips of succulent roasted pork, with a delicious sauce was a savory delight.

Our drinks, the Colado Cubanas, were a tropical dream come true🤩. The combination of rum, coconut cream, cinnamon, and pineapple was a winning formula that transported me to a Cuban island vacation🇨🇺. Here's a quick tip: order this drink with your ice on the side.  It's sweet and you get a substantial portion.  You can then just take your time pouring it over the ice and savoring it😋. I felt like I had two drinks for the price one! I couldn't stop sipping on it throughout our entire two-hour meal.

Now, let's talk about the star of the show – The Lechon. Roasted for a whopping 12 hours, the pork was incredibly tender and flavorful. It was accompanied by platanos dulces fritos (fried sweet plantains) and moros y cristianos (black beans and rice). The portion sizes were generous; I couldn't finish my meal and had the pleasure of leftovers for lunch the following day.

And dessert? Oh, don't get me started on the Munuelos de Anis. Who knew yuca could taste so good😂? Perhaps you knew, but I didn't anticipate such a delicious surprise! The yuca fritters had a delightful light ly fried and crispy exterior with a  cream cheese inner texture and flavor, reminiscent of French toast. The spiced syrup they were served with was just the right amount of sweetness to elevate the dish.

Cubano's truly exceeded a five star experience and I am already planning to do a business dinner at their Bethesda location in the near future.  I want my colleagues to experience their culinary adventure.

So if Cuba is on your bucket list of vacation destinations🏝️, but you won't get around to it in the near future, just go ahead and do dinner at Cubano's🤩, for a remarkable evening filled with mouthwatering flavors and impeccable service. We'll be back soon!...

This is response to the obviously ill-intentioned review accusing Cubano's of "bland" flavor.

First: With Covid it's hard to run a restaurant, and please everyone. I have patronized this establishment and its other locations, even in Fort Lauderdale, Florida which recently opened. And it is THE REAL DEAL and TASTES AMAZING since I have patronized them since 2007!

Note: I AM CUBAN! Transplant from Miami and can tell you Cubano's fare is ALWAYS as Cuban food should taste PERFECTLY SAVORY!!!

Whoever is complaining about flavor must be seeking Thai or Mexican foods and most likely hasn't travelled much, and certainly is clueless about our national cuisine.

Allow me to educate the clueless... Cuban food, and most Latin-American food also, by the way, is NOT SPICY. Trust a genuine Cuban when I tell you this is as the MOST AUTHENTIC and BEST-TASTING CUBAN FOOD outside of my own kitchen!!

Not only the food, but the AMBIANCE, the waiters, the owners, the hosts, are all the most attentive, genuine, friendly, caring, people I have ever found in any establishment nearby.

If you want cheap, salty, over-priced fare, as the charge seems to be leveled here, I suggest walking across the street to bask in salt, corn, and meat buried under spices so you can't tell its age. Something about a Ranch. So go spend your thirty dollars per person to eat industrial warehouse bagged chips and canned dip. But please, don't insult quality cooking.

Everything at Cubano's is FRESH, and DELICIOUS....I do agree, prices are a tad steep for Cuban fare. But this being our area where they corner the market....don't even bother going to the nightmare Cuban place on Rockville Pike, forgot the name....and address luckily.

Don't listen to me, or the ones trying to diminish the real quality and service you will find...

I went to Cubanos to get some last minute food for my father's suprise birthday party. They opened the Bethesda location just before covid hit and my dad had been wanting to go there with me ever since. I really wanted to make this birthday special and was set on their resturant for the dinner. When I got there in the afternoon the manager had not arrived yet. I had no idea what to order but the servers, chef, and bartender all helped me work through the menu to pick out some options. They were incredibly patient and friendly explaining all of the dishes, amounts and offering suggestions of their favorites. I was worried that the meal would come out over budget but once the manager arrived she was able to offer me the dishes I liked served and priced for large groups. Which was a huge relief and made difference in cost.

We got the following: Moroa Y Criatianos Yuca Frita Macitas De Puerco Vuelve a la Vida Camarones Al Ajillo Vaca Frita Ensalada De Aguacate

The food was AMAZING. I can not say enough about the depth of flavors, incredible textures and wow. I could go over each dish in detail but suffice it to say my family LOVED it. My dad was thrilled and my cousin (a resturant manager for a well known restaurant in San Francisco) said it was the best food he had ever had catered and the best he has had in years in the DC area. I myself have eaten plenty of catered food before and I can safely say this has been the BEST.

Many thanks to the team at Cubanos for making my dads...