El Siboney Restaurant ( Stock Island) — Restaurant in Stock Island

This place was recommended to us, so we went for dinner. The food was good, not exceptional, but good. The squished panini bread with melted butter that came first was my favorite part of our dinner! I was excited to try the food based on that bread. My husband had the Cuban sandwich, something he loves, and he wasn’t impressed. It was the same bread, only larger, and it came loaded with veggies (lettuce, tomato, etc) he said isn’t how it’s usually made. I think he felt like it had too many competing flavors and textures that detracted from the overall yumminess of the sandwich. I ordered coconut shrimp and plantanos. The coconut shrimp was delicious. The plantains were too sweet and I’m not a fan of food that looks burnet even when that’s kind of the only way plantains look when cooked. The insides were good, but it’s something I ate for a variety of flavors and textures not something I could eat a whole lot of.

We had a waitress but kept commenting on how AWESOME the male waiter was who was truly the best waiter I’ve ever seen. He was extremely outgoing, engaged with each table as if they were all his best friends, even the strangers, and he was talking about the food like a table to table salesman! We discussed that, if we owned a restaurant, we’d make sure all the staff tried samples of the food to sell it to customers like this guy was doing so well.

He had beer and I had sangria in a wine glass. They accommodated my allergies very well and I had no reactions after we left.

Our only negative comment was that our waitress seemed attentive at first while we were first ordering stuff, then after our food was delivered, she disappeared and it was hard to get her back to the table. She didn’t even take the plates so we sat at the table for I’d say at least 10 extra minutes with fjnished dinner plates, then they were still on the table during dessert, and then my husband went up to where she was socializing at the wait staff station to ask her for the check which she still didn’t promptly deliver to our table, and when we left, all the dishes were still on the table.

I always tip over 20% but this time it was a struggle for me to tip 15% because that was really not ok.

I wouldn’t tell people not to go there, but when you walk in and see the super awesome waiter, request to be seated in his area. He services 3x as many tables exceptionally well versus the waitress we had that couldn’t even handle 3 tables out of about 20 tables with seated customers. We can’t say yaye or naye about any other waitresses, but ours wasn’t good at her job.

Some regulars at a table next to ours were dining with someone who hadn’t been there before and they were advising him on what not to order, but I didn’t quite catch it all. Maybe ask the outgoing waiter because he definitely knew what to recommend and did a great job explaining the food to tables nearby.

P.S. When we left the restaurant, we saw this (see photos and video). I thought it was 1 animal and watched for a while until it revealed itself as 3 cats with 1 cat eating something protecting his food from the others. This photo looks like it’s 1 animal, to me! My husband has far better vision and he also thought it was one animal until they started moving around separately. I think it’s...

Originally, we were trying to go to the other El Siboney’s. But, we realized Apple Maps was trying to take us back to Key West, and instead chose to go to the other El Siboney’s. Honestly, we were not disappointed whatsoever. Although it wasn’t super busy when we went in (around 18:00), it had a very homey feel, emphasized by the awesome service we received. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted and quickly sat down. Within a few minutes, we had a server dropping off silverware and getting us all drinks. Our waitress made us feel at home and was able to help us have a great experience.

After they gave us cheesy bread, it was demolished in mere minutes. It was toasted well, and tasted superb. We ended up getting some to go at the end because we did not want to leave without having some more. That was our only real appetizer because we left room for our main courses.

For my entree, I ordered the chicken salad. Although it was simple, it was good. The tomatoes and chicken were both succulent and tasted great. The chicken was spiced well, and the dressing (I think I ordered ranch) tasted really good. Both of my brothers ordered grilled fish, and they were very pleased with what they got. The fish was very flavorful, and the french fries were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. My mom ordered… something. I don’t really remember what it was. All I know is that it had pork, and was scrumptious. The things that I believe were Yuca Bites were super good, and the pork was somehow even better. We also got a plate of plantains, which surprised me. I’m not a huge plantain fan, but these were pretty good. Lots of flavor and were cooked perfectly.

As we were going on a fishing trip the next day, we ordered several sandwiches to go. For me: the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, and my two brothers and my father got the Cubano. Both types were super good, even though we ate them the next day. If you want good food, go to El Siboney Restaurant...

I took a lyft to review wasted time I recently had a regrettable experience while dining at a Cuban restaurant after taking a Lyft to get there. Unfortunately, my overall impression of the place was extremely disappointing.

Upon arrival, I ordered an empanada, but it did not meet my expectations. The quality of the food was below average, and the main course of beans chicken and rice was just passable. However, the most significant issue I encountered was with the staff. They seemed disinterested and inattentive, focusing more on cleaning tables than providing helpful service. appeared to rush me out of the restaurant, which was frustrating as I had arrived at a reasonable time. The atmosphere was unpleasant, with employees sweeping around me, which made me feel uncomfortable and even sick.

The staff's behavior was messy and rushed, lacking professionalism and courtesy. I didn't even have the opportunity to finish my meal, as they seemed more interested in getting me to leave. This made it impossible to enjoy my dining experience, which was increasingly frustrating. Additionally, the constant chatter between employees across the restaurant was disruptive and added to the overall negative atmosphere.

It is important to note that my dissatisfaction lies primarily with the staff and their poor service; my waitress, in particular, was not the issue. The restaurant's management should address these concerns to ensure a more pleasant and customer-oriented experience for future guests.

In summary, my visit to this Cuban restaurant was a regrettable one. The low-quality food, rushed service, and unprofessional staff made it impossible for me to enjoy my meal. I would not recommend this establishment based on my experience. And thete wasnt even...