THE CAVE: Cuban Cuisine & Cocktails — Restaurant in San Juan

Probably the most bizarre and worst dining experience we've ever had. A bummer, because all other reviews looked great so we thought it would be a good place to dine.

My family total of 7, including me, arrived near the lunch hour at The Cave and there was no one else in the restaurant besides us, so we thought it would be a great time to sit down and get some fast service, some appetizers and a drink. We ordered our simple drink order and we were waiting around 10-15 minutes for our drinks to be made. After about 20 minutes our drinks finally arrived and our server told us it would be another 10-15 minutes for the second half of our drinks to be completed but gave us no explanation as to why it was taking so long. He just said that and walked away. We should have taken that as a huge red flag and just got out of there at that moment. We decided to stay and it took another 10 minutes for our server to come over and take our order. We only ordered 2 appetizers and two caprese salads, very simple dishes. After we ordered, we were sitting...waiting...waiting...waiting, half an hour rolls by and our server or bartender are no where to be found. It was like a ghost town. Our drinks our empty and we have to flag our server down from behind the bar to order more drinks. At this point there was only one other couple sitting next to us in the restaurant. They brought out half of our food order and our server didn’t let us know when the others would be out…he said nothing. We figured the rest of the order would be right behind the rest. From there, I ordered 7 bottled waters and 2 bottled beers...something that should take one minute to receive when a restaurant is empty. I watched the beers be opened and two of the bottled waters be placed on the the spot where the drinks are picked up by the server where they continued to just sit and get warm until I reminded the server that we ordered the beers and waters. He finally brought over the beer and water and they were all warm. We were still waiting on one caprese salad after 40+ minutes of waiting. I had enough by that point and went up to the bar and asked where our last caprese salad was and received the response “I can’t control what happens in the kitchen” and a blank stare. Mind blown, I asked to pay immediately so we could get out of there. I don’t know if the staff was off that day or what was going on, but it truly felt as though we were being ignored the entire time or we were a complete bother to the staff. Really strange and...

First I want to begin with the disclaimer: I rarely ever review anything negatively and this is not a negative review it’s the ability for management to improve. Upon first glance and the number of reviews, after a long day of touring Old San Juan my husband and I were famished. The atmosphere and the number of reviews were enticing. There was no wait and the hostess immediately brought us in. The atmosphere was lively and the music was low key and restaurant appropriate. Service was fast and courteous and we both got alcoholic beverages that met our expectations. Next part of the dining experience: The Food & what was ordered: Fried cheese- came with guava jam which a life saver for the other food items Chicken Breast- the skin was so crispy when my husband broke it off it was like a lays potato chip. The driest chicken we have ever tasted. It was like someone forgot it in the oven. We never complain so my resourceful spouse used the guava jam to make the chicken less dry so it was atleast edible while downing water with it so he wouldn’t choke, then the icing on the cake: a long black strand of hair in his meal. This was when we inevitably asked for the check. Cuban Mondatitos-This was my meal and it would’ve been delicious because the bread, mustard and cheese were good but again the pork was not only dry as if it had been overcooked it was so salty I felt my blood pressure and the risk of hypertension rising.

This could’ve been a bad night, the chef could’ve been tired, not feeling well. There could be many sensible explanations, but unfortunately due to this first experience it will be a lady and definitely not a recommendation from me. I hope this helps and maybe the next visitors will enjoy this gorgeous...

We came in on a Monday night inspired to get a good meal and live music. We were seated in the back in what was formerly an inner courtyard of an old home, which was charming. The front was empty and we were disappointed to be told by the waiter that the live music, despite advertising, was in on the weekends. Major disappointment. The waiter however told us that we would get “great authentic Cuban food.”

Drinks: not a single Cuban drink on the menu. When we asked for drink recommendations, I was told that, as a woman, the best drink would be something that was very sweet. I chose something else less sweet. My friend (a man) ordered a drink only to have the waiter tell him that it was sweet and he should order something that is “better for men.” As Latinx, we’re used to occasional machismo but this interaction made my eyes roll. The drinks came out quickly and were fine.

Food came out quickly. My ropa vieja tasted like boiled meat with some tomato sauce and no salt. The rice and beans had no flavor, which is hard to do to with black beans. My friend’s stuffed chicken breast was dry and felt like it was microwaved. We asked for some hot sauce, expect some good pique. We got a cup of something that looked and tasted like ketchup with a dash of tabasco.

At that point, we just decided to cut our losses, finish our meal (because we were hungry), and leave. I went the women’s bathroom only to see there was no soap - on a very slow night. We...