Guantanamera — Restaurant in New York

False Advertisement on Delivery Menu & Dangerous Metal Shaving in the Food. (Manhattan location)

We are extremely disappointed with Guantanamera's delivery menu and service. We have eaten at this restaurant before and it had been good, so we decided to order the same dish we had ordered at their restaurant using the Yelp iPhone app, which had a picture of the dish just as we remembered it in person: "Ropa Vieja" (Shredded skirt steak on a bed of plantains with plantain mash, and with white rice and black beans). The food arrived within 45 minutes, despite the fact they are two short blocks from our home. When we received the food we opened the bag and to our surprise, the dish was separated into three individual plastic containers, and none of the containers was filled with the bed of plantains with the plantain mash. We immediately called the restaurant to inquire about the missing dish accompaniment as it was depicted on the menu picture on the Yelp ordering app. We spoke with the manager Pablo, who was very quick to point out that the bed of plantains with plantain mash had not been part of that delivery dish for the last 13 years and that was the reason it was listed at a cheaper price (so he says). I pointed out that the picture on the Yelp app for their delivery menu showed the complete dish with the bed of plantains with plantain mash, but his only response was that it was a "very busy Saturday night and he was not going to send us the bed of plantains with plantain mash," but he would be happy to send us "five baskets" of plantains any other day. I was disappointed, to say the least...this is like ordering a burger with fries (as pictured on the menu) and then receiving the burger without the fries and the manager tells you that he will give you 5 orders of fries any other day...(really?) To add insult to injury (almost literally), as my husband reluctantly started to eat his "Ropa Vieja" dish, he almost ingested a one-inch long metal shaving that was mixed in with the shredded beef. He was only a third done with his food and had to throw out the rest. We kept the metal shaving to file a formal complaint with New York City's Department of Health and decided it was a waste of time to attempt to call back to the restaurant. It is a shame we had this horrible experience because the very few times we have actually gone into the restaurant the service was adequate and the food was tasty, all be it a bit on the expensive side for just rice and beans. For our part, we will never again be able to trust their food to be safe, nor their delivery menu to depict the true dish that will...

Unprofessional and Disappointing Experience

(Deleted my reservation on open table so I couldn't make a review)

The evening began well, but everything changed when a large group of finance bros walked in. They immediately became disruptive—chanting loudly and eventually interrupting the live musicians. One man even jumped on the conga drums mid-performance, followed by others who grabbed instruments and the microphone. The female singer was forced to intervene and ask them to leave the stage. Despite this escalating chaos, the staff did nothing. I had to step in myself and tell the group to stop, as they clearly felt untouchable in their group of 20. The rest of the restaurant applauded me for speaking up, while the employees stood by in silence. What shocked me most was the manager’s response. Only after I confronted the group did she approach—yet instead of addressing them, she told me, “This is not that kind of restaurant” and claimed she had it under control. When I told her she had been unprofessional, she dismissed the situation, saying the group was “spending a lot of money.” She then asked me to leave, but not them. The singer personally thanked me for helping, and several employees apologized privately—but not the manager. The entire situation left me disturbed. It was not only a failure of leadership but also carried undertones of prejudice. I strongly believe that if the group had been non-white men, the response would have been very different. I will never support this establishment again—or any other businesses owned by Ramon Mario Zarate, Ewelina Sylvia Klopocka, and Marcos Javier Stoart. In a city where people work hard to enjoy a night out, it’s unacceptable for management to prioritize rowdy big spenders over respect, fairness, and the safety of...

Keep reading for the scammy "service" note. We needed a quick bite before a show. We ordered some lunch specials, which are advertised as $15.50 on the menu, and a couple of appetizers. Food arrived in about 20 mins, was delicious, the fried plantains were juicy and creamy, and the plantain chips were crisp and crunchy.

When we asked for the check, things went downhill. I handed the waiter my card at the same time to speed things up, the waiter hands over the check for me to fill out the tip and sign. I check the bill to make sure things add up, and then notice that they've decided to tip themselves a generous amount, without even asking. They also charged us the regular price for what we ordered -- and not the lunch specials price. I also nearly tipped twice, since the receipt I was asked to sign had a blank space on the tip line.

So overcharge, the staff decides how much you tip, and then hopes that you'll tip on top of the tip. It honestly feels scammy. It wasn't a lot all said and done, maybe $10 than I would have paid -- given we were in a hurry, I just signed and got out, but super sneaky.

So for the tourists in town: look out for the server who seems friendly, byt charges you the wrong prices for what you've ordered, thinks he deserves a 20% tip without even asking you, and then tries to pull a fast one handing you the receipt to just sign and just maybe hoping you'll throw in an extra tip on top of the tip that's been added for you -- without asking.

Food is great, but this "service" left a bad taste in my mouth...and unfortunately, that's what will kill a restaurant. Bad service.

Edit: Looking at some of the other negative reviews, it looks like overcharging and the tip scam is a pretty common occurrence...