Mario's Catalina Restaurant — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Everything said here is my honest opinion. Cups on the table were disgusting. They were not washed and even had a dried piece of lime and left over sangria. We entered the restaurant when the owner opened, and we were greeted by a table with what seemed to be left over mojito and coke cans from last night. We entered at FOUR PM.

First off, I would like to mention that apparently he has a scam system; you buy a gift card worth more than what you pay for (for ex. pay 100$ and get 200$ worth). Unfortunately, one of my family members bought about 5 of these the last time he went, and brought 2 of these gift cards with him this visit. When we had to pay, there wasn't even a receipt listing what we spent, he just pulled aside my uncle and told him the price was ~390$. The rest of my family didn't hear their conversation, but he told us that the owner was persistent in leaving a cash tip, and he reluctantly folded. He gave the owner the 2 gift cards plus 80$ in cash.

When we first sat down he suggested sangria. He asked me if I could drink and I said no. I am not of legal drinking age. He brought me a cup anyways. I don't know if he forgot or something but whatever. The food was ok. The empanadas were delicious and fresh, but we didn't ask for them. We asked him what he recommended (no where did we say that we will take them) and he just brought us random dishes. He didn't bother to say what they were. Needless to say they tasted pretty mediocre. The food was warm, but it wasn't fresh warm. The disgustingness of the restaurant didn't even make us want to finish our plates. We took one bite, and that was it, we took our food to go. The owner asked us if we wanted dessert. We said no. Guess what? He brought us dessert anyway. The flan was not up to par. The color was extremely yellow. It didn't taste like anything except for the extremely faint taste of malt, so I'm assuming he used powdered milk to make it. The caramelized cap seemed to be made with gelatin as well, and was separated from the flan itself. The dessert left a stinging sensation on my tongue, so it was very strange overall.

The whole vibe of the restaurant was not great. The place was empty, but then again we were the first to go in, and it was extremely dark. The water he served us with was from refilled Eternal alkaline water bottles.

Do not trust the owner, he may seem like he wants to be your friend, but trust me when I say he is a manipulator. I'd advise you to stay away from this restaurant...

Best Cuban Cuisine in Fort Lauderdale

Someone said that “variety is the spice of life,” and we feel Mario’s Catalina lives up to that quote. From the beverages we started with, the entrees and sides we enjoyed, and finishing with dessert, the variety of options was one of the best we have encountered in a while. We started with mojitos – probably the best mojitos in Florida – so well made and presented. We all agreed that they were so delicious, so we ordered another round. Since there were four of us for dinner, we agreed to share the appetizers of empanadas and mussels. I thought the super flavorful empanadas deserved the “Best of Fort Lauderdale” title. And the mussels in a rich garlic sauce were delicious. Since we were in a sharing mood, we also agreed to select and share four different entrees. Jerry had the Chicken Breast with Milanese Sauce of olive oil, crushed garlic, and dry red wine. He described it as the “Best chicken Milanese I’ve had in a restaurant”. Roland went with the Salmon and Shrimp dinner with a red sauce. If you are seafood and shellfish lover, you will really enjoy this dish. Superb. I opted for the Grilled Grouper Filet, a soft, flaky fish that was well prepared. Ken chose the Roast Pork dinner, nicely roasted pork, and rice topped with black beans. We finished the meal with fresh brewed coffee, desserts, and conversation. All-in-all, a great evening with superb service, the best food, and a comfortable environment. We all recommend you check out Mario’s Catalina on SW 27th Avenue. As I said in the headline that started this review, this week we got to experience the “Best Cuban Cuisine in Fort...

BEWARE

Upon arriving, we were greeted by a seemingly very friendly host – Mario. He was touchy-feely (hugs and kisses). In hindsight, I do believe this, and other things he did were part of an act to make you more vulnerable and less likely to resist his upsells.

We were then seated and he recommended his Mojitos. We told him thank you for the recommendation, but we would continue looking at the menu. The next thing I know, and while we were still looking at the menu, he was delivering multiple Mojitos to our table which made us all question whether this was part of his friendly guise.

At the point we were going to order food, he recommended his most expensive appetizer combination. We told him very clearly “no thank you” and proceeded to order what we wanted which he repeated back to us. Lo and behold, his most expensive appetizer platter showed up at our table.

Strangely, he has multiple menus with different prices.

The food was fine. The rice was overcooked.

When the bill came, it was handwritten and totally illegible but he clearly charged for the drinks we didn’t order and the overpriced appetizer that was very clearly didn’t order.

After seeing some other negative reviews buried in the sea of questionabley authentic positive reviews, I’m now convinced this experience wasn’t an error or unique to our party.

None of us will be returning. We also will not be recommending this to any friends, family...