El Rincón Criollo - Cuban Restaurant Los Angeles — Restaurant in Los Angeles

*Delayed post from May ‘25

This Cuban restaurant in Playa del Rey was a true delight for me as someone born in Miami to Cuban immigrants! The quality of food here is outstanding, despite relocating less than a year ago. Speaking with Jason the owner revealed that their chef has been with the restaurant for over a decade, so they know what they’re doing! There is some outdoor seating on the patio, but I recommend sitting inside to absorb the atmosphere more, with books, paintings and music filling the space. The parking lot has a few spaces, but street parking is easily accessible.

For an appetizer, I recommend the mariquitas, or fried plantain chips, because they’re made fresh to order. At other popular Cuban places, Porto’s for example, they cook these plantain chips in the morning and let them sit out all day, causing them to become stale. The dipping sauce for these chips however, is not your typical garlic and oil mojo sauce, but rather a sour orange garlic sauce that is more watery. I love the flavor, but I would recommend emulsifying it a bit to add texture similar to its traditional counterpart.

The lechon asada is fantastic! The pork is super tender and moist in the middle, yet crispy on the ends where the fat has fried. The onions are well cooked and have a bite to them instead of being slimy. The rice and black beans are exactly like my mom makes them: fluffy jasmine rice with smoky, tender beans in a thick sauce that comes from mashing some of the beans as they cook. This meal was by far my favorite as it celebrated traditional Cuban seasonings and cooking methods.

Cuban Sandwiches are always a classic order, but note that while the bread is delicious and crispy from being pressed, it’s not your traditional bread made with lard. The pork is very smoky and the sandwich comes with a good amount of cheese that melts nicely into the buttered bread. Some people might prefer more pickles, mayo and mustard, though I appreciated the more balanced execution. My only criticism is on the maduros, or sweet plantains, which are too mushy in my opinion. I know this version is pretty standard, but I love it when the corners get really crispy and caramelized to add a textural contrast.

At the end of our meal, Jason surprised us with a complimentary dessert that hadn’t been added to the menu yet (it may be available now as this review is a few months delayed). It was a warm empanada filled with guava and cream cheese, served with guanabana ice cream and a sprinkle of cardamom. QUE RICO! I really hope they’ve added it to their menu...

Horrendous service. Hostess was not personable. I came in with my girlfriend and her parents which happened to be Cuban. We arrived at the front and no one greeted us. We came in excited and eager to try their Cuban food. I literally chased someone down to seat us. They asked if we had reservations, which in my mind this is a small business family feel restaurant, not a 5 star fine dining restaurant. We said "No". Then they made us wait to see if they could find a table for us and we could clearly see they had tables available. After a few minutes they seated us at the back of the restaurant next to the bathrooms and in main hallway to the back of this building. The waitress gave us 4 waters and left. We never saw her again. A family came after us, was seated and was giving a basket of bread. We never got any bread. We waited 25 minutes and no one checked on us. They simply forgot us. I tried to get the others staff's attention but we where just told that they will be with us. I am assuming because none of these other waiters and waitress didn't seat us they didn't want to serve us. Thats my assumption, but clearly this is bad customer service. So at this point I turned to my father in law and asked " should we go" and he said " let's go". We got up and walked towards to front and no staff nor manger stopped us to ask why we are leaving. We never had an opportunity to try the food but after seeing other customer's reviews, we definitely saved our taste buds. We ended up going a couple blocks down the street to Tito's tacos and had amazing experience and food. We were...

Beware of this place due to overcharge. My total was $49.61 and I was charged $60.20 This was my experience the first (and last) time I stopped by.

I ordered two orders of croquetas ($6.50 each; then $13) and 4 orders of empanadas ($8 each; then $32). I was charged $13.40 for the croquetas and $41.20 for the empanadas, before tax. I told the guy at the cash register they overcharged. He told me those were the price in the cash register. I told him he had to charge the price I saw in the menu, not what is in the cash register. Then he told me that was the price with tax. Then I told him he was charging me tax twice, (per item plus subtotal). I told him that is illegal. I did the math for him based on the menu prices plus the taxes and asked him to refund the difference. He told me was not allowed to refund any and provide my info and come back next day to talk to the owner. I asked to talk to the manager. He told me there was no manager at that time. I told him every restaurant shall have a manager on duty for every shift. I told him if there is no manager on site, please call the manager over the phone and explain him what is going on because I will not leave without the refund. He went to the kitchen and about five minutes later came back, open the cash register and gave me $15 something. I told him you are giving me more. You have to refund $10.59. And I explained him the math:

$13 for croquetas $32 for empanadas 10.25% Culver City Sale Tax: 4.61 Total must be: $49.61 I paid $60.20

Then the...