Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar - Waltham — Restaurant in Waltham

Loved Gustazo’s. Good food and good service

Exterior/Parking: Their front entry is covered by scaffolding so you have to use their side entrance. I’d say street parking is minimal/non existent however there is a huge garage/parking area behind the restaurant not too far from the side entrance. Was a little hard to find but no too bad

Interior: We were greeted at the front desk, the host/server was kind and showed us too our table. The booth they initially sat us at was cramped and looked a little dingy so we asked to sit at a center table. It was a little tight as we were close to the tables next to us but much better than the booth. This is why I have atmosphere a 4/5. The vibes of the restaurant were nice and it is huge inside. There were a lot of different seating options.

Drinks: I ordered 2 cocktails, both came balanced and delicious. I will definitely be back for more. They are a little pricy for my taste but made well

Food: Delicious!!! We initially ordered their smaller plates and the Ropa Vieja. The tapas were great and a size that you’d expect. The bacon wrapped plantain were really good. We were disappointed initially because we intended to split the Ropa Vieja as it was listed as a larger sized plate however when it came it was small enough for one person to eat as a main. However, some of my family at the table ordered the slow roasted pork and their chicken plate and they were very large. After seeing how big those plates were, we ordered those plates as well. Definitely recommend the slow roasted pork, the chicken plate or fish of the day.

Since this outing we’ve ordered takeout from them and everything came neatly wrapped and separated in a manner that lended well to transporting back home.

Service: Our server was amazing. He was kind and attentive. He made our experience!

Will be...

I am very torn about my experience this past Saturday evening at Gustazo. This was our first visit. The food was delicious however the service was mediocre at best. From the moment me and my partner walked in, there were serious areas of concern. For starters, we were seated at a table and not given any menus. There were no QR codes at the table either. We ended up having to flag a runner down to provide menus. At that time we were given one of each to share. Our waiter came to our table at least ten minutes after we received these menus to exchange zero pleasantries and ask “if we are ready.” We ordered a cocktail each, and three dishes. We received 2/3 of our dishes 20-30 min later. After finishing these dishes we had to again flag our waiter down to ask if our drinks were coming and to provide more water. She had no recollection of any cocktails, no apologies, no pleasantries whatsoever. Luckily as she wracked her brain, our drinks arrived. This was roughly 40 min after initially ordering. And after consuming half our mea. The food and drinks were delicious and if it were for better (or even average) service, I would be back in a heartbeat. However, the shortness of our waitress, terrrrrribly slow service without any acknowledgement or apologies, and disorganization makes me think twice. We ended up ordering churros as dessert, which took another 20-30 minutes minimum. For two people, 1 hr and 45 min is terribly long for eating out locally! I would like to come back to see if this was a one off. But will have to weigh the pros and cons of visiting a consistent good spot on a street packed with...

This place is a great place to experience some modern Cuban cuisine. The best part is the outdoor seating area that comes equipped with some heating elements during the particular chilly days! Very COVID-19 compatible for a place to dine in!

Items ordered as of 10/20: Empanada Del Dia - $4 each - Great beef flavor and crispy exterior. Sauce that comes with it has a nice spicy kick to it. Definitely would recommend but if you have more than 2 people I would order multiples as it isn't very large. Yuca Frita - $8 - Think of it as French fries since that's what they essentially taste like. Very crispy and the sauce it comes with (similar to a ranch type sauce) is phenomenal. Pan Con Lechon - $13 - A crispy sandwich filled with pulled pork, avocado and crispy pork belly on a ciabatta long roll. This was very tasty! Pollo fritto y waffles - $17 - (From their Sunday brunch menu). Basically their take on a Southern chicken and waffles dish. Chicken was juicy though the crispy skin was lost under the sauce. Waffles were also good with a very SWEET sauce on it. Pairs well with the chicken (or any salty, savory dish). Cubanisimo - $16 - (Also from their brunch menu) - Cuban style pulled slow roasted pork, sweet plantains, pork belly crisps, toast & salad. Very good combo with the salty and sweet. Flan - $5 - It's flan! Also it's delicious with a nice caramel ornament on it. Nice finish to the meal!

If you come here and if the weather is nice I would highly recommend...