Raices — Restaurant in Tampa

Wow… the restaurant was at full capacity when we arrived, and the hostess told us the wait would be 30 to 40 minutes. However, we ended up waiting an hour and a half while several tables remained empty. There were no apologies, updates, or explanations—just a long line of frustrated customers left completely uninformed by the staff. I understand it’s a new restaurant, but the management really needs to improve. The lack of organization and communication was incredibly frustrating. What bothered me most was being left completely in the dark about the reason for the delay. Everyone waiting could see how chaotic everything was. I’ve come to this restaurant every weekend since it opened and have overlooked small mistakes before—like the time a waitress forgot to place my order and completely ignored me while I watched her attend to other tables. My husband got his food, but it got cold and unappetizing while we waited. On that occasion, the manager was kind, apologized, and offered a discount, which I appreciated. But this last experience really crossed the line. Also, it’s unbelievable that such a large restaurant has only one restroom with a single stall, causing long wait times, especially when the place is packed. That’s a basic issue that needs to be fixed as soon as possible. I want to make it clear that this isn’t the waitresses’ fault—they do their best under difficult circumstances. My intention in writing this review isn’t to bash the restaurant, but to encourage improvement. I’m supporting this place because they’re Cuban and I want to see the Cuban community thrive. I truly love the food, but the management urgently needs to improve organization, communication, and facilities before loyal customers like me stop...

Raíces Cuban Restaurant — the décor is very nice and the ambience has a lot of potential. The prices are moderate, but there are definitely some areas for improvement.

One of the biggest surprises was that entrées only come with one side. If you’ve ever been to a traditional Cuban restaurant, you know that rice and black beans are a staple combination — so having to pay extra for the beans feels very out of place. The same goes for sides like plantains and yuca, which are also à la carte.

I ordered the Churrasco (skirt steak), and while the flavor was good, the presentation missed the mark. The steak still had membranes attached and was served in chunks, which took away from the overall experience. For dessert, the Flan was served in a bowl, which is an unusual choice for this kind of dish.

Lastly, the Cuban coffee came unsweetened, which again felt untraditional — normally, it’s pre-sweetened as part of the authentic flavor and experience.

Overall, I’d rate it about a 3 out 5. The place has promise and a nice atmosphere, but it needs a few key adjustments in both food presentation and authenticity to truly stand out. Hopefully, since it’s new, they’ll take feedback to heart and refine...

Unfortunately I’ve had the worst experience ever here in Tampa staring for the lack of item available most of the items I went there for were out of stock literally we were scared to ask cause they had noting we asked for , then no napkins just a one piece of paper unbelievable ,then when we got some appetizers we had not small plates we had to eat them out of the same plate they came in ,very uncomfortable to be honest then when ordering main food same thing ,out of stuck on most of the items and the ones they had available were in terrible conditions cold food and with no taste not mentioning not coordinating on how to bring the food and how long it took .I really hate doing this but they didn’t like us complaining about the food like how not complain when u have not options to choose and the ones actually available are not good to eat . I’m definitely not coming back and I hope they chance cause I’m not the only one that went trough this experience and I do not recommend this place and definitely not...