Calle Latina — Restaurant in Decatur

Please read on, as things WILL get better...I am giving 3 stars on my first visit at Calle Latina, because my mofongo was flavorless. I have had this dish while visiting the Dominican Republic, and then again in Puerto Rico, and at both places they were fantastic, so when I saw it at the Calle Latina's menu, it was a no brainer... The mofongo on either of these islands came with slow cooked, full of flavor, a little juicy shredded meat inside/on top of a smashed low tower of either green plantains, or even better smashed yuca. The flavors were unbelievable. Salty, savory, spice rich, and rightly hot... the perfect islander comfort food. The mofongo at Calle: uninspiring, bland... AND A regret. The plantains seemed to be cooked in a rush, without garlic, and the big slice of meat that topped it was seriously, the most flavorless meat I have had in a long time. I could not tell what cut it was, there was no flavor, whatsoever. It was a tender flavorless mess. I left my food on the plate, and started to have bites off of my husband's DELICIOUS Arepa Burguer he asked for medium- because he said they would bring it medium well- which they did and that's the way he wanted it. My one daughter had an Arepa that came filled with slices of beef and . And the other daughter had the Chuletas de Puerco. It was unbelievably tender, juicy, and flavorful. The portions are good in size, and the price is right. The place is cozy, casual and unpretentious. The waitress was nice, and I will go back for a second try, since all the other food was great. They gave us free desert for my husband's bday, which was very sweet of them, and the Tres Leches was yummy too. I hope they can fine tune their Mofongos, as it is not a hard dish to get right, neither it is expensive to keep on the menu, and it is a...

Table for 2 for dinner We approached the restaurant and noticed a nice-sized shared parking lot. I quickly found a spot and took the short walk to the entrance. We didn't have a reservation and requested outside seating. However, we were told the outside area was reserved for an event. Later, we heard someone else ask to sit outside, and they were led there without hesitation. It felt like there was some miscommunication regarding the outside seating area. On a nice day, outside seating is always our preference. I mentioned the mix-up to our server but didn’t make a big deal out of it. We reviewed the drink menu and ordered the Sweetwater Lager, which our server suggested, and Wifey ordered the same. We thought we were tasting something new, but It turned out to be the Sweetwater 420 Pale Ale that we’d tasted before. We reviewed the food options and made our decision. Wifey went for the Lombo, described as Brazilian pork tenderloin with a side of plantains. I opted for the Fried Adobo Chicken, which came with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. While waiting for our food, we noticed the great overall design and ambiance of the restaurant, with vibrant colors and original art everywhere. The food came out pretty quickly and looked delicious. We started to dig in, and the food did not disappoint. I loved my fried chicken meal, and Wifey just said, “Wow Wow” about her pork tenderloin. The portions were big enough that we had leftovers to take home. We also decided to order a Tres Leches to go. Overall, we had a very good experience at Calle Latina, and our server, Ciarra, was nice and took...

The only reason I’m leaving 2 stars is because I liked the vibe inside, kind of like NY, and Roy was an amazing host! He was very attentive and likeable. Everyone enjoyed talking to him. We went for my mom’s birthday and there was about 11-12 of us; he dealt with us very well. I honestly was expecting a lot more than what we got food wise though. We’re PuertoRican and we we’re expecting some really good Latin food but were highly dissatisfied instead. The food has no flavor and I’m very concerned what other reviewers eat on a regular to claim this food has so much flavor. We ordered both chicken and beef empanadas, the chicken had a weird flavor and the beef had none. My cousin got the crab empanadas and that had like a canned fish weird flavor and the consistency of really fine tuna. We got 2 bottles of the house sangria for the table, I drank about 4-5 glasses but didn’t feel a buzz. I ordered the pernil tacos, the flavor was ok but it was literally packed with meat and a sprinkle of mango salsa, no guac, no crema, no tomatoes and no onions. The rice that came in the paella had no flavor and the veggies inside were frozen peas, carrots and green beans; same with the carne guisada. My moms fiancé ordered the chuleta and it came with cilantro rice and 2 ribs..he said it was really good and I tried a piece of pork chop and it had an ok flavor. My cousin said the shrimp had no flavor either. The mofongo is ok, just a little too much garlic..that’s all we could taste...