Ekelekua - Brunch, Bar & Tapas — Restaurant in Río Grande

So the wife and I were looking for a place to eat for breakfast and this was highly rated, so we gave it a shot. Let me tell you something. I'm glad we did! Here's the break down.

Drinks: I had an iced mocha and the wife a mimosa. Both were delicious and I had a second iced mocha because it was really that good.

Starters: We tried the fried cheese not knowing what to expect. It was great! The cheese is not the frieable cheese you come to expect from Central America, but was soft on the inside while crispy on the outside. It came with a guava sauce which was great for dipping.

Main Course: I ordered the dulce de leche french toast with a side of scrambled eggs. The bread from the french toast is what you would expect from a fresh bakery. It's from a loaf bread, not pre-sliced, which made it that much better. The dulce de leche was on point making it unnecessary to use syrup. Eggs were fresh and well seasoned.

My wife ordered the chicken and waffle. The chicken was crispy and juicy. The white gravy on top of the chicken was an added bonus. The waffle had a nice balance between airy and crispy which made it tasty.

Overall: It's a great place to go if you're unfamiliar with the area. It's a small restaurant so it may be difficult for large parties (8+ people), plus parking is even more limited. Though the restaurant is small in size, it has good food and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere. Would definitely come here again...

Amazing cortadita. A beautiful version of this classic with excellent coffee flavor. They must’ve used quality beans. Five stars for the coffee!

Brunch was good. Server was attentive. I’m giving this experience four stars overall, because when I hear, tapas, I truly expect tapas food. They had five or six items that I would consider tapas, but I also think it’s probably my definition of tapas. Looking at all the ingredients they had on the menu, they certainly could’ve created a few more traditional tapas. Some patatas bravas would’ve been great, because they did a wonderful job with the fries, so I know they can cook potatoes well.

Also, my husband said his Cuban sandwich was good but not great. So that’s a four-star Cuban.

My daughter, liked her wrap, but again, nothing to write home about, it just missed the mark a little. So a nice 4-star wrap.

My Montecristo was good and probably was four stars. I prefer a lot more powdered sugar on top, and the bread they used was a bit unusual, but it was loaded with meat, so that was a real bonus.

Even though they were busy, our server was quite attentive.

Atmosphere was loud and gave off bar-like vibes.

A nice stop on our way to the ferry...

As a Chef and as travel around the continental US and around the world, I am always looking for my next culinary Gem, Specially when I travel home. My son told me and treated me at this place. I must admit, I was extremely surprised, the place is clean, service was outstanding and the food was extraordinary incredible. I ordered La cubanita sandwich, it was full of flavor, perfect seasoning and tearfully juicy, best sandwich I had in years, I accompanied that with two outstanding and delicious mojitos, the best ever. My son ordered the chicken and waffles, and I must admit, it was not even near or close to my chicken and waffles, the chicken was well seasoned and the cheese sauce was to die for And last but not least, our server Tony provided us with an awesome and excellent experience, his service and carisma was beyond admiration. Ekelekua, you guys are making it happens, it brings me joy when I visit places like yours, keep up the awesome work and good food, I will commit to be your North Carolina ambassador and will definitely recommend you guys for sure. I makes me very happy see my fellow culinary peeps thrive and succeed. Thank you so much for such a great experience...