Caribbean Twist — Restaurant in Tampa

We love this place so much, we are regulars. At the beginning we would go during the evening shift but now we go in the mornings or afternoon since we work overnight. They were nice enough to allow me to buy lunch at 8 am, when I was pregnant. I couldn't stand the sight/smell of uncooked meat during my pregnancy, so this place was a lifesaver. That chicken soup held me down so many times, and the fruit smoothies are everything. I still crave the mamey soothie, and I'm 3 months postpartum. I have ordered online, very easy and I had no issue picking up the trays I ordered for a work party. Two Thanksgivings ago we ordered the lechón meal, we were surprised how good it was and the amount of food we got. The food is so good, I went yesterday and I'm kicking myself that I didn't get the spaghetti. I went yesterday around 12 pm, the food was enough for lunch, dinner and breakfast today. We always spend about $60-$70 but that's enough for us to have for two days. If you think about it that would be one plate each at another restaurant and as new parents with a crazy schedule, it works for us. We've even talked about getting trays to meal prep in the future but I always forget to ask. I've never had a bad experience here, even when they have lines the service and attention is always excellent. They have a great group of employees and move pretty fast to move the line without making you feel rushed. I really wish they would open a second location in Town and Country near me, so I can go more often to get my shakes 🤣 we have a big spanish community over here and we need some good food!

My one complaints have nothing to do with the actual restaurant. The parking lot and me have it out for each other. It's tight, so taking my baby in and out is a pain sometimes. There's a barrier between the back entrance and the parking spaces, I stay struggling with the stroller with it.

Overall, I...

Update* Thank you for going above and beyond to make each visit better since the previous encounter! Definitely a place I truly enjoy going and the fried fish is always amazing!!*

The food has always been great and I have had a lot of good experiences here until this evening. I have been told if a specific item is not ready that I can request it to be made- I love the fried fish! I come in every week and I have always been treated great. Tonight I asked if the fish could be made since I cannot have any other meat proteins, except in extreme moderation due to health reasons, and I was refused. When I politely asked the lady, since it was not available already cooked, I was told no since it was frozen. This doesn’t sit right with me if you have the product and you just don’t want to do it. I didn’t mind waiting for the fish to be cooked but was not given that option. It’s the one thing I look forward to when I visit my boyfriend on weekends since my diet is so restricted. You lost my business tonight because I couldn’t eat anything else out and also moving forward since I do not support being told one thing by the owner and doing something else when they are not there. This woman did not want to go have it made for me. Why refuse to make something if you have it and the owner says it’s not a problem? If making something for a customer is a problem then it shouldn’t be told. It’s one thing to be out of a product but she just said the fish was frozen. I am extremely understanding but this was...

The food is fresh and great here. The one native English speaker was helpful and patient in explaining everything to me, who has never been to their restaurant before nor too familiar with Caribbean cuisine (although I've eaten it at least twice before). The other two working today were limited English proficient but they were trying at least.

Insofar as the prices, it's a bit confusing. I ended up buying a two-item plate, one tamal, one small order of tomato-based shrimp, and a coffee with cream and sugar. The bill was about $21. That's super reasonable, especially since everything is so fresh!

I didn't give it five stars because as a dine-in person, I expect to at least be offered water and or to be asked if everything was going well. Clearly, their focus is on to go customers. At the same time, I also feel the need to respond to the salty replies by the management/owner staff on other peoples' comments: Learn to take some criticism and not appear so defensive. While I understand defending your position, displacing blame or simply commenting makes you look bad, not the reviewer, especially when exhibiting a 'tude or less than a "professional" tone of voice. In other words, just be gracious people bothered to give you insight--especially when you don't like it. Use them as encouragement to keep doing even better, instead.

I'll be back, maybe closer to lunch instead of dinner next time just to experience from a...