Twisted Cuban Cafe & Bar — Restaurant in Woodinville

We have been here twice. The first time I was a little apprehensive--new words, new concepts and a new restaurant. I had the Ropa Vieja, companion had the Monster Cubano sandwich. We both had mojitos. The mojitos were excellent and very minty. The Ropa Vieja was seasoned to perfection, the garbanzo bean salad was fresh and flavorful. Friend's Cubano was amazing. Crispy-soft hoagie roll filled with high quality ham, pork, pickles, mustard and melty swiss. The yucca fires with garlic aioli were to die for. The service was a little slow but we felt welcomed into a home. Everything was clearly carefully-sourced, high QC and a talented chef in the kitchen. The mirror ball on the ceiling, party lights and sound board have a glimpse into a party on the weekends (they have dancing and music after dinner hours some days).

This visit, 1 year later, was just as good. We had a Cuba Libre and the caipirinha to drink. The CL was decent but sweet, however, the caipirinha was incredible. Sweet and sour and refreshing. The only complaint was that the limes were not fresh and little brown and yuck. They had been at the bar for a day too long. My partner switched drinks to join me in the caipirinha experience. Though not Cuban, they were greatly complementary to the food. We had the fried pork entree with tostones and a Twisted Cuban sandwich (smaller version of the Cuban sandwich) w those incredible yucca fries. The pork was crispy, flavorful and succulent. The rice was amazing. Tostones also were great. We asked for more mojo sauce for the pork as the pickled onions in garlic, butter and spices all soaked into the rice. It took a moment to receive the sauce, but the wait was worth it. The Cuban sandwich was great, though I would get the Monster next time as the ratio of filling-to-bread was more desirable to me. Another 15-20 minute wait for the food, but we had delicious drinks and were comfortable in the well-appointed restaurant with lots of pretty, interesting photos of Cuba to look at as well.

We were happy to see the parking lot full on this latest visit as it always seems to be dead when we drive by. The dining room was not packed and the sound levels were low. The food is amazing and fresh and made-to-order. Highly...

My Cuban friend summed it up nicely, "My abuela is turning over in her grave."

Twisted Cuban isn't bad. But it wasn't good, either. For the price ($20 after tax and tip) I expected a LOT more out of the cookery and restaurant, but was seriously disappointed. Again, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't worth $20.

Let's start with the positives: the restaurant was spotless. Also, the service was really friendly. The decor looked nice, too, for a glorified bar.

Looks can be deceiving, though; I sat down on a bar stool and was immediately uncomfortable. The chairs have no padding, at all, so the wood under the sagging leather cuts into the back of your thighs.

I wanted to like the food, but the more I had of it, the less I could pretend it was good. The server strongly recommended the Monster Cubano (a Cubano with pulled pork and bacon) and while it was a tolerable sandwich, too much of the classic was missing to call this a Cubano. It was a Cubano in spirit, but not flavor, texture, or joy.

The ham was good, but as you can see from the pictures, it lacked enough pickles, any mustard, much butter, or really any soul. The pulled pork had some sort of sauce on it, but it was underseasoned and dry enough to stick in my throat - as did the un-seared bread. I could go on and on about the ways this "Cubano" disappointed me as either a Cubano or a sandwich in general. But who wants to read a thousand words about a mediocre $20 sandwich?

The yuca fries, too, were a disappointment. Both because there weren't very many of them and because they lacked love. The exterior was crispy, but the interior was tough and chewy. They desperately needed the garlic sauce to make them palatable.

I think the real damning point for me was I still felt the weight of that dry underseasoned Cubano in my throat after I finished eating it. I went from wanting to really like the place to never wanting to think about it again.

YMMV, but I won't be back for the uncomfortable seating and...

Highly disappointed and will not return again. My husband and I came here with our daughter. He likes yucca fries so we came to Twisted. She didn't even offer us a highchair for our 13 month old daughter. The next two guests in the restaurant were greeted with table options and told that they didnt have yucca fries. My husband and I almost walked out because we were left waiting to ask for a high chair. I had to flag down the waitress to get a highchair. When we ordered we were then notified they didn't have yucca fries, which is why we came. So at this point we had already decided to stay despite not getting any kind of service. The food was just bleh. My husband ordered the monster Cuban and received the regular Cuban. There was no bacon and no spicy beef. I also ordered the caesar. I acknowledge that that's probably not the best choice but if you can't make a decent caesar don't put it on the menu. I was served a heap of lettuce dressing on the side and a lemon wedge. The dressing was about the worst caesar I have had. So will not be coming here again. The restaurant was not busy so there is absolutely no excuse for this piss poor experience. I work in the food industry and this is not the kind of...