Max and Louie’s Café — Restaurant in Garden City

I was born and raised Puerto Rico and know what authentic PR food tastes like. Unfortunately and as much as I hate to criticize, I have to give constructive criticism and say there were multiple things I tried that were not an accurate representation of real Puerto Rican cuisine. The (carne molida pastelillos) at this restaurant has raisins and I have NEVER in my life seen anyone in PR put raisins in ground beef pastelillos and for good reason. Traditionally (Mofongo) is always made with very green plantains as it’s supposed to be more savory rather then sweet and the plantains here must’ve been pretty ripe and yellow because the taste was very sweet which isn’t traditional. Also the Mofongo consistency was very wet and mushy almost as if they would’ve been boiled or not fried long enough. Mofongo is supposed to have a denser/compact texture. The (Yuca Al Mojo) was fairly good but needed a bit more acidity from vinegar and a bit more garlic and while I’m here Yuca is supposed to be a side and not a whole dish that comes with rice and beans and tostones since yuca is a root vegetable. Rice was good, beans were fairly good, tostones and sample platter was enjoyable and the sauces were really good. Last but not least the fried pork was good but under seasoned. As far as the costumer service I have 0 complaints. Our waitress was very nice, and helpful. As I mentioned by no means am I trying to put this restaurant down. I really want to see this place succeed so people can try Puerto Rican cuisine as long as it’s done right. I’m giving constructive criticism because I actually know what authentic PR food tastes like unlike most people that have reviewed this restaurant. If the clients that have never tried authentic PR food like it the way it is more power to this restaurant but I’m just giving my opinion because some small adjustments could take this restaurant from just being “ok/good” to GREAT. I understand that we are extremely far from P.R or the Caribbean and it’s hard to find plantains that are very green but even a plantain that is slightly yellow doesn’t have such a sweet taste like the ones used in the Mofongo i tried. If this was my restaurant and the only plantains I was able to find were that ripe, I would much rather do a dish like a (Pastelon) where the plantains are supposed to be ripe and have the sweet taste instead. Hope the restaurant owner sees this and considers what I and another person who has tried authentic food and left their...

Let me start by saying that I don't typically leave poor reviews unless I REALLY think they are deserved. I try to be objective and keep an open mind. That's why I'm not giving Wepa one star. However, I will not return here and I would not recommend anyone go.

The good: The building was very nice, and the location was really cool. It's right on the river, so the ambience is really nice.

The bad: We waited (no exaggeration) an hour and a half for our food, despite the fact that we had a reservation and showed up on time. During the entire time we were waiting, we were only visited by a waitress exactly 3 times, and not once during the final 45 minutes. We did see other people coming and going, sitting down later then us and getting their food earlier then us. We did not have any complicated or special orders. We finally decided to take our food to go, because we had a 2 year old who was pretty close to being done being patient. The manager did apologize and comped us our drinks. We were in such a rush to leave once we got our food that (admittedly this is partially my fault) we didn't check the food. When we got home and finally sat down to eat, I found out that my order was missing beans, and my wife's order was missing her entire entree! In addition, our yuca was rock solid (barely cooked) and my steak was well done. I do know that my steak wasn't going to be medium rare after driving it home, but there was no juice in my carry out box so I know the meat was cooked well done in the first place. That was the final straw in drawing me to post a review. I was really hoping that this was going to be a 3 star review, something like "the service was awful but the food is amazing!" but that wasn't the case. I would not recommend Wepa to my...

I got married last summer and wanted a somewhat intimate brunch reception. Art, the owner of Wepa Cafe, provided our wedding guests such an enjoyable experience. He helped me customize a brunch menu that was served buffet style. Many of our guests were unfamiliar with Puerto Rican food and loved it! Mimosas with tropical fruit juice were a hit. There was also a selection of beer on tap and canned cocktails. The staff went above and beyond to welcome us and did an amazing job. We had approximately 80 guests and the size of the restaurant was perfect with an upstairs roof top bar, front patio, and main dining room. The food was set up in the main bar area and the flow was perfect. There was also enough room to set up a memorial table and a table for gifts and our guest book. Art suggested family style seating which worked out perfectly and allowed all of our favorite people and family to interact and get to know each other. The restaurant is adorable with a tasteful tropical theme that was perfect for a summer time reception. I opted to have the house music playing as I wanted my guest to enjoy each others company. Art was more than willing to accommodate a playlist or music of my choice. He also offered the option of accommodating a DJ so we could have a dance floor set up and more of a party in the parking lot. The location in Garden City was perfect! We had guests staying at the Riverside Hotel within walking distance of the restaurant and it is only a 5-10 minute Uber/ Lyft ride from downtown Boise. We were also very happy to support a local Boise business owner. We had such an amazing day and experience thanks to Art...