MaBí Tropical — Restaurant in Charlotte

Located in the NoDa neighborhood, MaBí (pronounced Mah-bee) brings a rich and flavorful Dominican experience to Charlotte. Housed in the former spot of Figo36, this restaurant is part of the Raydal Restaurant group, known for their popular Sabor Mexican brand and other Latin eateries across the city. MaBí offers a refreshing take on Caribbean cuisine, with a strong emphasis on Dominican dishes that the owner, Dalton, holds dear from his family’s culinary traditions.

From the moment you step in, it’s clear that MaBí goes above and beyond to deliver a comprehensive dining experience. Unlike other Caribbean spots in Charlotte where entrees come with just one side or require additional a la carte orders, MaBí’s plates are generously portioned with multiple sides, leaving you fully satisfied. Expect your main course to be accompanied by rice, an additional starch like tostones, and fresh ripe avocado or salad.

The menu is diverse and extensive, featuring everything from appetizers to sandwiches, main plates, and desserts. The drink menu is also impressive, with options that are thoughtfully crafted to pair well with the Dominican flavors. Even the spirit-free menu offers well-curated choices, ensuring everyone finds something to enjoy. Service is friendly and attentive, with the staff frequently checking in to ensure a great dining experience.

Portion sizes are generous, offering excellent value for the quality of food. My dining partner and I struggled to decide what to order, so we ended up trying multiple entrees—and we still hoped we’d have room for dessert because the Flanchoco was calling our names.

We started with the Empanada Cativia, a trio of cassava empanadas filled with pernil (pork), ropa vieja (beef), and charcoal-roasted chicken, served with a creamy, slightly smoky rosada dipping sauce. The ropa vieja was the standout, bursting with rich, savory flavors. The pernil came in second, and while the charcoal-roasted chicken was tasty, it could have used a bit more seasoning to really shine. The rosada sauce was so good that I kept dipping into it throughout the meal.

Next, we tried the Cuban Sandwich. I’ve had my fair share of Cubanos in Charlotte, so I was curious to see how MaBí’s version would stack up. While it was a good sandwich, it didn’t quite hit the mark for a true Cuban experience—the bread wasn’t pressed as thin and crispy as I prefer. That said, the side of root vegetable chips was a pleasant surprise—crispy and flavorful, they disappeared quickly.

We then moved on to the Pollo al Carbon, a charcoal-roasted chicken served with ensalada rusa, coconut rice, avocado, and tostones. Ensalada rusa is a Russian-influenced potato salad with egg, beets, potato, onion, and mayo. Not being a fan of beets, I passed on this, but my dining partner enjoyed it. The coconut rice, despite my usual aversion to coconut, was mild and quite enjoyable. The tostones were perfectly prepared—thick, well-salted, and not dry like they sometimes can be. The charcoal-roasted chicken was the star of the plate, moist and tender with just the right amount of smoky flavor. A bottled vinaigrette with a hint of mojo added a delightful zing that complemented the chicken beautifully.

We also tried the Sancocho de Marisco, which features pan-fried red snapper and shrimp served with root vegetables, coconut rice, avocado, and a flavorful sauce. The shrimp were cooked to perfection, but the red snapper wasn’t quite to my liking—nothing wrong with it, just not my preferred preparation. The root vegetables, possibly yucca, were soft but cut into cubes that were too thick, making them a bit too starchy in the center, so an extra dip in the sauce helped.

Finally, we dug into the Pernil, a mojo pork dish served with moro rice (Cuban black beans and rice), avocado, pickled onions, and tostones. The moro rice was a fantastic accompaniment to the dish, and the mojo pork was tender, flavorful, and well-balanced with just the right...

Cute little vibe! We decided to try this place out with a couple of friends. Upon arrival to our reservation everyone was so nice and friendly. It did however seem a bit understaffed which we had no issues with considering they have just opened and we understand the service life. The food and drinks were on the pricey side but seemed like Latin bar food to us. Our table ordered beer, a glass of wine, and a cocktail. The wine was a heavy pour which in no way was a complaint. The cocktail was a bit on the weaker side considering the cost ($15 per cocktail). For appetizers we ordered the Quipes, Ceviche, and Charcuterie board. Quipes was good but not memorable, the green sauce we chose might have not been the best option for it 3/5. Ceviche was good but we only were served maybe 6 chips. It was a decent size and wished it had a little more seasoning/flavor. But from what we did taste it was very fresh & refreshing 3.5/5. The charcuterie was the star of the table! 5/5 everything paired so nicely together. I’m pretty sure the board had nothing left on it, not even the jam. While we were dining, we witnessed someone not having the best experience with their food (entree) so we decided to order sandwiches for our main. We ordered the Pescado Frito and Pollo Ripiao. The fish sandwich, THE CRUNCH, I am a texture person and I LOVED the crunch/crisp that was achieved. The flavor was there, I did have maybe one piece that was overly salty but did not bother me. However, I felt like the sandwich could use a bit more sauce. Both sandwiches also fell apart very easily. 4/5 definitely ask for extra side of sauce. The side of chips were the chips missing from our Ceviche. It was boring and I would recommend to swap with something else; which they don’t offer many sides. Chicken sandwich is just your regular sandwich; lackluster. Again, fell apart as well. The bread was a bit too hard for our liking 2.5/5. Overall rating would be a 3/5 if it had not been for the 2 stars of the table which were the fish sandwich and...

So the place is cute, the servers are sweet, but the menu is straight up effed. Why is there avocado in multiple dishes but NONE in the Guacamole? Who is ordering Guacamole for the salami? The margaritas were actually terrible. No one in my group liked theirs. The salt on the rim was fine. We left without ordering any entrees because after reading the descriptions we just kept saying “why do they refuse to include the usual ingredients?” Who wants avocado-less guacamole that doesn’t even have normal chips? Root chips after already making the worst guacamole avocado-less and salad heavy is insane. Having bad MARGARITAS here is insane. This menu was made in an echo chamber and it all sounds really bad. Won’t be returning and will be making jokes about this place when people mention wanting margaritas or guacamole because this menu was a constant “WHY?” when reading every menu item that would be predictable at another restaurant. They’re tying too hard to he niche when their place is already niche. No one had a good time.

I’m honestly shocked by the positive reviews. Even typical dominican guac has am avocado base. This place is cheaping out but dressing up to pretend it’s worth it. The entire menu should be revamped including the drink recipes. I’ve never left a Dominican restaurant so confused as to why they want their food to be so unique in a negative way. Root chips instead of tortilla chips in addition to the weird, avocadoless guac was an actual jaw-dropper. That was the moment my group knew nothing on this menu was going to be “as expected.”

If you like ordering familiar dishes and receiving them weird as hell, or ordering classic drinks and wondering why the flavor is so strange, you’ll probably enjoy this...