Latin Restaurant — Restaurant in Sweetwater

Let me start by saying we have ordered from this restaurant at least 50 times. But after our latest experience they will never receive another penny from us. Take note folks, this is how restaurants fail...

We made a simple carry-out order, which turned into a whole $hit storm. My wife and I ordered a vaca frita and they asked us how we would like the meat done - well done, medium, etc....Even this simple Gringo from Ohio knows that a vaca frita only comes one way...this should have been a red flag that something was amiss...but alas, we were hungry. We went in to pay and order, and after getting home, noticed that my side dishes were missing. Also, the beef soup we ordered was a chicken soup...No problem - we will just call back and have them deliver the correct order. The manager says he will have someone deliver it just as soon as they can. We only live 0.5 miles away. But it was the principle! Shouldn't be a problem considering they advertise on their front door "WE DELIVER", right?

1 hour later, and nothing. Not a phone call or a knock on door. So we call back. We explain what happened, and they just hung up on us. Called again, hung up on us. Called a third time and they took the phone off the hook...

And this is when the $hit hits the fan. We drive back to the restaurant and the waitress who took our order of the phone has that deer-in-headlights look on her face before we can even open the door. Yep. You $%?!ed up.

We ask to speak with the manager right away. He walks up and calmly asks us what the matter was, in Spanish. I ask if he speaks English and he responds in surprisingly good English that he doesn't speak English. Fine. The wife states our case, and eventually we have the entire restaurants attention, accusing them of mistreating us, hanging up on us, and just doing a real terrible job overall. The patrons had a good chuckle when I explained that they asked me how I'd like the vaca frita cooked. They exclaimed on Spanish to the manager, "Hey, come on man. He's not even Cuban and he knows you don't ask how do you want us to cook the vaca frita! It comes one way! Give the guy a break".

Well they didn't give us a break. They pulled the side orders out of the counter - it had been sitting there the whole time. They forgot to give it to us. And they didn't bother to even try to deliver it. I explained - "I don't want a credit, I don't want you to remake it, I don't trust you. I want my money back." The manager tried to convince us to order something tomorrow and he will comp some of it, but my mind was made up. I won't do business with anyone that treats customers like this.

So he promised to refund the order back on my debit card. It would take 2-3 business days. More false promises...they never refunded my money, and they've just earned a really great review! Hope it was worth it buddy, and I hope this dissuades a few other people from wasting their money in this Mickey Mouse establishment. There's plenty of other Cuban restaurants in Miami - eat...

Update (2 Stars, 7/20/2022): I had to come update my original review (see below). Sadly, the quality of the food is no longer very consistent in the mornings or afternoons. Even when giving clear instructions of how you'd like eggs cooked (for example), the cooking staff ignores your requests and you have to send the eggs back once (or twice) to get them cooked to your original specification. Fries/tater tots will often go just barely cooked (still a little soggy or undercooked) rather than crispy and well made. When order things like vaca frita, they'll just barely crisp the meat rather than let them crisp fully and thoroughly (as you should). Originally in my 2019 review, I noted amazing service provided by the old guard including Martica, Yanely (no longer employed), and Yuleisy (all 3 are/were morning staff). A lot of their new hires are NOT as welcoming, loving, and special as their old hires; they don't provide the standard of service I had come to expect from Latin Restaurant. Frankly, I think the COVID pandemic hit Latin very hard and ultimately has caused their quality both in food and service to diminish horribly. I barely go around anymore even though I'd love to go back. I can no longer in good conscience recommend Latin Restaurant when there are better places in the same price bracket such as Casavana (both for their food and service). I hope things change for the better soon.

Original (5 Stars, 2019, Attending Since 2014): I work across the street at FIU's Engineering Center so I frequent here A LOT. The 10% county employee discount applies to students which is always appreciated. One of the things that keeps me coming back here is the ambiance and the service. It is top notch and the staff comes to know you if you frequent enough. Breakfast is always good, so is lunch/dinner. For the price, you get WAY MORE than you paid for. Popular routine is visiting for lunch then keeping the left overs for dinner because they serve a lot and you will NOT be minding a double serving for the day. If you're in Miami and want to try some authentic Latin cuisine that's no-fuss and down-to-Earth, then check this place out. You might even...

The food here is very good and worth trying. You get a bargain for both quantity and quality of food, however, the service is pretty bad. The waitresses are slow and will look at you and walk away when you're waiting in the front to be attended. They won't say they'll be right with you or anything. They'll just walk away and turn their face. I personally feel like I have been discriminated against for coming here with my partner by some of the staff. I've also personally noticed that the staff does NOT speak English so when an American will come into the restaurant they will ignore them purposely and charge them multiple times for "misunderstanding." I've never thought that they were capable of being fraudulent, however, there was a time in which I didn't get a receipt for my meal plan for the week. And they tried to tell me that because I didn't have the receipt they couldn't see it in the system and I had to pay it again. When I had told them that I had the charge in my bank account, they were persistent on getting my card number over the phone. I really didn't feel comfortable and now have to undergo the dispute process because of their scams. If you don't speak Spanish or have someone you know that can translate for you, do NOT eat here! Also, be on top of the charges you receive from this vendor and always ask for a receipt and check your food for take out. They will constantly mix up orders and give you the...