Celia's Cuban Cuisine and Mojito Bar — Restaurant in Columbia

TLDR: This is the real deal, excellent Cuban food even by Cuban/Miami standards. The tostones are flawless, the pollo guisado tastes better than my grandma’s did and as far as I know this is the only place you can get a real and very good Cuban sandwich in the entire DMV area.

I was born and grew up in Cuba, lived in Miami for 25 years and moved to Columbia in 2022. I have been around Cuban food my whole life, I love it, and I am pedantic about its authenticity; specially Cuban sandwiches.

A true Cuban sandwich requires Cuban bread, 70% of what makes a good Cubano is the bread. It toasts perfectly when pressed, it retains its structure and gives you a satisfying crunch without hurting your mouth like a baguette.

You also can’t get Cuban bread north of Tallahassee, trust me, I have looked. When Celia’s announced itself and promised an authentic Cuban Sandwich I was doubtful, but this is the real deal.

They are sourcing their bread from a local bakery and it’s made specially for them; it’s not perfect, but it’s 90% there and I think with time they’ll get it to 100.

The result is the most authentic Cuban sandwich you can get outside of Florida, but even by Miami standards Celia’s is excellent.

The rest of the elements are all great, the pork is flawless, wonderfully cooked, and they use pernil which is a superior cut. It’s perfectly pressed, so all the elements come together for a sandwich that will make you see fireworks.

Pro-Tip: Ask for no Mayo; Tampa Cuban sandwiches (where it was invented) don’t use mayo, that’s a Miami addition and it detracts from it by cancelling out the sweetness of the mustard and pickle; try it both ways, you’ll see what I mean.

Get it with Tostones, they’re some of the best I’ve ever had; better yet, get a side order of them and plantains which are also excellent here!

I also tried the Pollo Guisado; it was phenomenal, it tastes like a dish straight out of Cuba; the sauce it’s cooked in is insane; I didn’t expect Chef Eduardo to nail every dish but so far everything I’ve had here is exceptional.

When I bit into the Pollo Guisado I became emotional. Remember in Ratatouille when Anton Ego is transported to his childhood after one bite? I genuinely had the same experience. I recommend white rice and plantains as a side for this one. Finish it with a flan.

Let’s talk atmosphere; the materials they used for the flooring, the texture on the walls, the choice of bar top, tables and chairs, even the sodas (displayed on the counter, led by a Malta) it screams Cuban Restaurant; walking into Celia’s is like walking into an authentic Cuban restaurant in Miami; if you’ve never been to South Florida, save yourself the money and go to Celia’s instead.

I know this was long, I know it’s ridiculous to become attached to a restaurant a week after it opened; but being able to take my half-Cuban children to enjoy the same food I grew up with is more meaningful than I can convey in words.

Food is culture, history, and tradition; until three weeks ago I was resigned to only offer them a part of their heritage through the limited dishes I make at home; but with Celia’s I can share an authentic, delicious experience just a couple of miles away.

My expectations for this place were sky high and they still managed to surpass them; Celia’s is more special and unique than most people can imagine; if only because it’s the only authentic Cuban sandwich you can have In a 1,500...

I am reviewing this restaurant after 2 visits.

The first visit was pretty good! There was 1 blonde lady at the bar, who also handled the tables and she was really nice, asked us if we had questions. She made our drinks, and checked up on us.

My first surprise was how few mint leaves there were in my mojito; there were only 2 as garnish. It was also served in a plastic cup which I did not expect for the cost.

The appetizers were the strongest for us, empanadas, and the fried cheese. For entree I got the pernil and my husband the ropa vieja. I thought my pork was just ok, it was a little bland and dry. The yellow rice was also bland (the one I make at home is better.) It was served with a green sauce similar if not the same as what came with our empanadas and luckily I kept it bc it was needed. I found the rope vieja to be a little salty, and I love salt so that was surprising.

A couple of weeks later, browsing the menu online we decided to go back, and sat at the bar. The woman, different from the last time, slammed down 2 menus and said "No specials, no (something else.)" We said "aww no specials?" bc that's what we were looking forward to, but we weren't like angry or anything, just making conversation. The woman however must have taken offense and said "we've been open for a month."

I know they had recently opened, bc I was looking forward to their opening.

Anyway the woman left to serve other guests, never brought us water (which she should have done right away) and seemed to be in a bad mood so we left after several minutes of just sitting there.

I'm not sure what a recent opening has to do with not offering menu items. Many restaurants print their menus on paper to reflect what they actually serve. Maybe save your laminated menus for when they are accurate?

I completely understand wanting to offer specials in the future, but it makes no sense why they would use these menus, have the items posted online and in the restaurant if they don't offer them.

Anyway, we haven't been back since. We might try again in the future but were just really put off by that woman. We live in the community and were happy and eager to support them but it's like this woman was annoyed to have customers.

There are better options in the area for Cuban food with much better flavors, drinks, service...

★★ 9 minutes ago Went there yesterday with my family with high hopes as this place has really good reviews. Being Cuban, I was excited there was a local restaurant where we could enjoy the classic dishes we love.

Sadly we were quite disappointed. The only positives here are that the staff were friendly and the space had a nice ambiance/decor. But the food was very disappointing. I Ordered ropa vieja, a Cuban classic. It was super salty, oddly flavored and the beef was not even shredded which is what makes the dish unique. My plate was the last to come out because they ran out of white rice (was told l'd have to wait for it to be cooked and so l chose arroz con gandules) and when they brought out my food my black beans were cold and tasted so heavily seasoned with cumin I couldn't eat them. To make matters worse, I'm pretty sure all the beans (including my husband's, he ordered red beans) were canned. Even the gandules had a weird taste almost spicy. Cuban food is not spicy at all. It was strange that they offer arroz con gandules but no black rice (Moro-another Cuban classic) on the menu. Gandules typically are more Puerto Rican.

Maybe it could get better with a different cook and training but I won't...