Willy's Azucar Cuban Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Town of Oyster Bay

I recently visited this Cuban restaurant in Massapequa, and I have to say, it was a huge disappointment. While the exterior of the place looks vibrant and inviting, the inside was cramped and the service was extremely lacking.

After sitting down with my wife and son, we ordered our meals, but the food took way longer than expected. To make matters worse, our order was mistakenly served to the table next to us. The food sat there for a good five minutes before anyone noticed, and then it was taken back to the kitchen, only to be brought back to us after another five-minute wait.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, they forgot to serve us the complimentary bread, and when we asked, we were given a weak excuse about the staff exchanging lunch breaks. On top of that, my wife noticed that the table next to us had received the same exact dishes we ordered. After the waiter took the food back and talked over our plates, they proceeded to serve us those same dishes. Honestly, it felt disgusting knowing our food had been touched and hovered over by strangers.

While the food was okay, it was far from anything special—definitely overrated. With the poor service and the unappetizing experience, we won’t be coming back. One and...

After much anticipation, we finally checked out Asuka, the new Cuban-inspired spot in Merrick. Here’s the breakdown:

Ambiance:

Fun, tropical decor with bold emerald accents and a fedora wall—feels like a mini getaway. Small tables make it a bit tight with larger plates. One downside: staff were cleaning/prepping in the dining area during service, which was disruptive. Food:

Croquetas: Big, mostly potato with a hint of meat—tasty but not traditional. Ropa Vieja: Great flavor and generous meat portion, but the sides (rice, beans, maduros) weren’t fresh. Bread: More like dinner rolls with flavored butter—not Cuban bread. The menu mixes in other Latin dishes (like guacamole), so not everything is authentically Cuban. Note: Maduros come with some dishes even if not listed—watch out for double ordering. Service:

Super friendly and quick—no long wait to be seated or served. Price:

Reasonable for portion sizes. Worth it if you choose carefully. Overall: A lively spot with good service and standout mains—but if you're looking for purely traditional Cuban cuisine, you might want to keep exploring. I’d go back, but I’d be more...

My wife & I went with 2 other couples, and to start off we had cocktails. All were LOADED with ICE and hardly any booze. On the second round we asked for no ice and less ice on other drinks, and all the glasses came back half full. Really? Some cocktails come in a miniscule glass that's probably equal to 3 or 4 shot glasses with, of course, plenty of ICE.

Then came the food, which was just average for three dishes and the rest were really bad. The calamari however was good. Yet two of us had steaks that were sliced so thin like paper and tasteless.

Then to really ruin the evening, the Live MUSIC was BLASTING SO LOUD all night long that we hardly could hear each other, and we were sitting the farthest away from the singer & speakers. It's a shame because he had a great voice and was entertaining, but the amps were pumped up so loud that it was ridiculous. We enjoy live music, but don't blast your clientele's ears out all night long, this is a restaurant, not a concert hall. The waitresses were all very nice, yet that can't override the negatives. Hence all three couples will...