Cuba Cuba Cafe & Bar — Restaurant in Denver

If you value customer service like I do please read fully. Came in today for happy hour as I always have been meaning to since I live a block away now. I have been to one other Cuba Cuba and it wasn’t too bad but also in the middle of a remodel so I didn’t judge it too hard. I went in and it was quiet. The bar tender was prepping drinks and still stopped to take my order and made mine and the others perfectly and with fresh ingredients so I was ready to make this a nice review. I decided to go outside and sit. I went passed 2 employees who paid me no mind. I stopped when I saw they have a second outside area which looked perfect for me to take my computer out and take care of a few things in peace. A man approaches me as I turn, very close at that (within elbow distance from me), and said: can I help? I stopped and looked as I had a drink clearly in my hand and he repeated sternly: “can I help you?” I paused and said “excuse me?”. He again said in a very poor and demeaning tone, “Can I help you” as if I didn’t belong there or wasn’t a customer.I looked for a moment and said “no he already took care of me” as I pointed to the bartender who was now watching this. The man says again “well can I help you with something. He then tells me”THIS”, pointing behind me, “is a dining room”. I looked over his shoulder and the bartender is still watching all of this. He then tells me that they are not quite open yet despite the only door being open is the one to the dining area. He tells me if I am having a drink I can sit over at the bar area or out front only. I asked the bartender who he was and his name is Les and he is a manger. I then put my drink down and told the bartender that Les has just lost you business as that was a very rude and disrespectful interaction. I left and went down the street where I spend my money with people who know how to treat customers and have some tact. I am not sure if it is because I am black or because I wear Gym shorts and a dispensary tee shirt (the benefits of owning your own business) and headphones on but there was some sort of assumption or bias in his tone, demeanor, and approach to this situation. So Now they will see the power of a pen. Do not spend your money with this business as they are not an example of what it is to be part of Denvers melting pot of a community that normally accepts all walks of life and people happily! Thanks...

Great service but, food was not all that. The churrasco was not skirt steak, not even flank meat, it was brisket. Tostones should not be served full of garlic pieces. And they were dry. Rice and beans was ok and so was the Cuban sandwich. Place needs better floors. That old Louisiana look makes the place look run down and it smells weird. The worse part was $13 coconut mojito that didn’t even taste like coconut. I even asked the server if it was, I thought he had gotten the order wrong. I changed my review to 1 star. Wish I could’ve changed it to nothing, after the owner replied below with the “stuck up” attitude that he/she replied. I never suggested you to change floors. I was giving my OPINION. Just like I can say the chairs were uncomfortable, it’s an opinion, I don’t suggest anything. That is why Google allows people to come and voice their input. Good for you that you can keep floors since 1880 but they need to be cleaned better because the place smells old. And FYI - I’m Cuban born and raised, never heard of the garlic over tostones in Habana. Not sure if in the country side of the Cuba that is a tradition, but I have been to the best hotels and restaurants in Pinar del Río, Matanzas, Guantánamo, Villa Clara and I have never seen tostones with anything OVER them. The sauce goes on the side. I know there is other places around town, I can see them in Google maps, I’m not from Colorado and was visiting, and decided to try your place because it was late night and most of the restaurants close early, but trust me if I ever go back to this city, your restaurant is not a place I would go to, especially after the nasty and unprofessional way you replied. I mentioned sandwich was ok, right? Maybe I could’ve gone back for that, but now it’s a definite NO for me and my big family. 10 of us dined by the way, not one person including kids had a different opinion. And some people in my party live in CO. I will make sure I pass along your attitude, so they can let their friends know as well to dine at their own risk if they decide to try your place. I don’t need luck finding a restaurant, it’s not what I live of, you do. Now I can say that your food and this experience overall was just like your taste in accepting positive criticism, hard to...

We've eaten at this restaurant twice before, and it was always ok, but never great for the outrageous price. My wife and I are from Miami. We know how much these dishes should cost, no matter WHERE you are eating it. There was an amazing Cuban food establishment in Lakewood called Frijoles Colorado that had authentic Cuban food at a VERY reasonable price. BUT, they didn't survive post-covid, so Cuba Cuba can set whatever prices they want. Obviously, we know almost everything is more expensive at this point, but $27 for Ropa or Vaca Frita? That's an insult and 40% higher than I've EVER paid for those dishes. I might have been fine getting my hometown food fix for that price if the portions were big, but they are not. The empanadas were lightly stuffed, the croquetas were short and the whole experience reeked of cutting corners. Speaking of reeking, the restaurant STUNK of sewage the entire time we were there. It's IMPOSSIBLE that we were the only ones to notice, and construction was happening during our visit the weekend of April 20, 2024. The construction noise was bad enough for us to have to move deeper into the restaurant, but unfortunately, to an area that was sometimes wafting with sewage stink. We wanted desperately to eat and get out of there, but the service was ridiculously slow. There was about 25 minutes between the time we finished our appetizers and were able to actually order our entrees. As a 35 year food service professional I am WELL aware of the cost of goods going up, help being hard to get and other modern hurdles, but this last visit was hard to forget. It should be noted that our server was VERY nice and attentive while he was at our side, but was gone for large stretches. All in all, I can say we probably won't be back. In the 20 years I've lived in Denver, I've come to grips with the fact that I'll never get authentic Cuban food here without getting slammed in the wallet and probably disappointed. But this last vist to Cuba Cuba made it even more depressingly...