Cuba — Restaurant in New York

I was a little hesitant to go indoor eating since we are in this whole Panic at the Disco, but a few of my friends came to visit from out of town that I hadn't seen in years so I took the chance. When we arrived, my friend said she made a reservation via their website but the restaurant could not find the reservation. I would recommend calling ahead just in case this happens to your party because we assumed we would not be able to eat there. Thankfully they said there was a table in the back that would sit us, but a manager came out and told us we would not be able to stay past 2 hours. We weren't really planning on staying past 2 hours, so this small lecture was not necessary, but I guess still good to know. We began ordering drinks and food. We came on a Saturday, so there was endless mimosas. The way the waitress explained how to order the drinks was extremely confusing. Essentially I think she was trying to tell us that the table can only order one type of mimosa that would remain bottomless for the next hour. The three flavors, that I currently cannot remember, look exactly the same though so every staff member that passed assumed we had a different drink. We essentially tried all three drinks without ordering them. Our food came, but things were still missing. We were also celebrating two birthdays and ask for some desserts. During all of this the wait staff to not remind us of time that we were still trying to move quite quickly. We began trying to get in touch with the staff so we can get our receipt when the manager returned again saying that we needed to leave because our two hours had been over. Okay! We've been trying to get a receipt for a little while now, you could have just brought it over. We split the bill for them paid and left. I'm probably not going to return to this restaurant. Besides the point that the food is slightly basic, it's a very small restaurant as all New York restaurants are, I'm positive I could have gotten a better meal at a place closer to my house in a hole...

Reason why I give this restaurant a 1 is because of poor customer service. We didn't even get to try it due to them not even knowing it was time to open. My husband and I had been looking for a place to eat some authentic Cuban food, not being from here we searched on google and this place had such good ratings we were convinced it was worth the wait and the distance from our hotel. We waited at the park for 11:30 (the time they announce the restaurant opens) so we could eat brunch there. Upon arriving (at 11:38 am) we noticed the door was open, but the chairs were still up on the tables and a young man and a lady are standing by the bar, we walked in, they turned around after I entered, and I asked if they were open (since it says everywhere they are open @ 11:30am), the guy says with a look of shock on his face as he looks at the lady "yes we are open"...then the lady looks at the computer (assuming she looked at the time) and says "we open at noon today" she said it with an attitude as if we should've known, didn't even explain why everything (menu, webpage, etc.) announces opening time @ 11:30am. I would've understood if they told us they had to open later nicely but instead the lady was rude and unapologetic. We spent a lot of money on this trip and felt our time was wasted waiting on this restaurant to open and having to go elsewhere because they gave us a bad experience that made us not want to go there anymore. In other words, they need to learn to appreciate their customers more since it is because of us they have a business to begin with. In the end we ended up going to Cafe Habana which was amazing, great customer service and to top it all of...

A group of ten of us had dinner at Cuba, and it was a hit! While it’s listed as a “Cuban Restaurant & Rum Bar” on Resy, the vibe leaned more towards a restaurant experience than a full-on rum bar.

As a Cuban who grew up in Miami, I had high hopes, and this place delivered. The menu is extensive and has all the Cuban classics: ropa vieja, vaca frita, rabo encendido, arroz con pollo, croquetas, papas rellenas — you name it. For appetizers, we went all out. The papas rellenas were excellent and became a table favorite. The ceviche (not strictly Cuban, but a welcome addition) was fresh, although the portion was on the smaller side. The tostones — both the plain and stuffed versions — were terrific, and the yuca frita was yummy. The croquetas were just okay; I’ve definitely had better.

I ordered the rabo encendido, and it was delicious but I didn’t love the bone-to-meat ratio. The flavor, though, was spot on, and it came with rice and beans (like most of their other dishes). Portions were generous —maybe too generous; most of us couldn’t finish our meal. I also tried the rum old-fashioned, but it wasn’t quite there; it was a bit watered down for my taste.

The service was excellent, with attentive staff who were helpful with their recommendations. They even treated us to complimentary cigars at the end.

One small downside was the temperature in the room we were in — it got pretty warm. They turned on the heat pump at my request, but it ended up adding a bit of a musty scent which wasn’t ideal. Minor issue in what was otherwise a...