Copa

Absolutely fantastic soup to nuts. Awesome decor and design - beautiful space - and every segment of the meal was fantastic. Had the great pleasure to meet the owners - husband and wife Elizabeth and Roberto - as well. They couldn't have been nicer. This is the exact type of place you want to support and frequent in town. Tapas and Tacos for Cinco de Mayo. And dear Lord the desserts. Just awesome.

I had the pleasure of dining here December 1, 2023. Reservations are reccommended! Wonderful restaraunt in the heart of downtown Durham with a great food and bar menu! There were so many choices of food as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails that we had a very hard time maeking decisions. The charcuterie board and the pork belly were scrumptious. I also had a mule cocktail that was amazing. Try this place. You will not regret it!

Tried this place for the first time this past weekend and it was an absolutely amazing experience! The hostess was very sweet and welcoming from the moment we walked in the door. Seating was full so we opted to sit at the bar and the full service at the bar was fast and efficient. The food was super flavorful and the cocktails were also great! Taking suggestions from the bar tender we made a few great choices and we were not disappointed! I’ve been to a number of restaurants in the downtown area and this place is definitely top 3! Can’t wait to go back!

Lovely dining experience. We had a large party and they were able to accommodate our needs. The food was tasty, service was attentive and friendly. Check out this spot!

Everything we tried is so good! We were here celebrating graduation and our server Doug was very welcoming and warm. Paella is a must-order, but do order in advance since it’ll take 45 minutes to make. The only part we are not too satisfied is their small portions. I could probably finish the Paella myself even though it said serve two on the menu.

We went for dinner (we had reservations) on a busy Saturday in Durham. The food was excellent and the service was FAST and friendly and the drinks were delicious and fast too. We tried about 7 different dishes and they were all good - my favorite was the 1. paella, 2. chips and 3. sausage. If they are always that fast - don't feel like you need to order everything at once. It is tapas (for dinner at least) and as fast as they are - you can order a few things to start with. We didn't know how on top of things they would be and they delivered everything super fast. I want to try their lunch menu... it looks similar to the menu from the owner's previous restaurant which was a favorite spot for a good cuban sandwich. Based on this one visit - I'd recommend this place and will be back myself.

My only sadness is that I live very far away from Copa. This is the most incredible Cuban restaurant I have ever been to. The food is absolutely outstanding. Service was phenomenal and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. Did I mention the food is out of this world? Absolutely will be visiting Durham again, I will find an excuse to visit and come back to Copa. I highly recommend to anyone near the area if you have not experienced the cuisine of Copa, go now, and read the back story of the restaurant on their web site, it's fascinating!

Overall our experience here was fine. The cocktails were tasty and provided a food variety. The service was really slow, as in it took 2.5 hours to eat dinner with a reservation starting at 630. The food was ok but overall not a lot of crowd pleasers. The pork belly was far too fatty, the ropa Vieja had a very strong unusual smokey flavor and the medianoche could have had more mustard or pickles since it was a little bit dry. I appreciate the mission and the atmosphere but the execution is a bit off.

This place I feel is more for the ambiance and service than food. The server was very informative and attentive. Also sitting outdoors is a nice experience. The food was ok but would have liked it more if more flavorful. I use to live in Miami where I have had authentic Cuban food. I had the pork with rice beans and plantains.

Being generous. Service was poor. Cuban dry. Sat at the bar and no one was even seated here.

Good things about this place: 1 - beautiful restaurant and ambiance 2 - unique menu and dishes with lots of variety 3 - not too loud, you can have conversations 4 - some excellent appetizers - duck was delicious Need for improvement things 1 - service is pretty slow, especially the bar service 2 - my Caribbean chicken entree was a bit dried out but the flavor was good 3 - the steak wasn't cooked right so we had it sent it back, though it was good. It tasted like it was marinated in vinegar/ chimmichuri and I hope that's not because the meat went bad 4 - wait staff didn't check on us 5 - one of our entrees was delivered 10 minutes after all the others 6 - it's pretty expensive for what it is

We had high expectations but were totally let down. The plantain chip appetizer stated there was black beans and avocado. I really enjoyed the three bite sized pieces of avocado. Nice and fresh. We ordered the seafood paella and it looked pretty good when it arrived at the table. Since it was served in the pan I was looking forward to scraping the crispy rice bits off the bottom but there weren't any. The shrimp was overcooked and the fish not only had the skin still on it but it still had fins! YUCK! The two scallops were good. That was the worst paella we've ever eaten. The service was good. Didn't need a reservation after all because there were only two other tables occupied. Now I know why. It was way overpriced and they automatically add 20% plus I'm sure they expect more. If you want good tapas style dining , head to Barcelona in downtown Raleigh. You won't be disappointed there.

Our 2nd visit to Copa felt like a missed opportunity. We had several well prepared dishes that were lacking in flavor. Cuban food, esp. authentic which my dining partner has had, is typically very flavorful. We had the pork belly, loaded plantains, coconut curry shrimp and ropa vieja w/ tortillas. All were prepared and presented well, although the coconut shrimp took two tries since 1/2 of the shrimp had not been deveined in the 1st delivery. The staff quickly took care of the issue. The drinks we thought were a bit thin but were tasty. The brightest spot of the evening was over server. Dalton was great! He checked on us regularly, even though he and 1 other server were really hustling. He was friendly and very courteous. Copa really has the ability to be a 5-star Yelp business, but without more flavorful food it may not happen.

AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL!!! We love Cuban food and tried Copa at Taste of Durham years ago and so we went with a completely positive mindset. 45 minutes and $100 after sitting down we left stunned with how bad the food was. The Cuban meatballs were so hard and stringy they were almost inedible. The ropa vieja was bland and tasted like burnt asphalt. The best part was the Spanish olives and cocktails which you can honestly have at any tapas restaurant worth its salt. I have to honestly question if the chef even tasting before sending food or this quality out.

Terrible, just terrible. Save your money and go to a real Tapas restaurant. This one misses the mark by a mile.

We had reservations for 5:30 pm on a Tuesday evening prior to a show at the Durham Performing Arts Center. We arrived at the restaurant at 5:25 and were surprised to see a group of about eight people outside. It turns out that they all had reservations and none of them (and neither did we) know that the Copa does not open until 5:30 (even though I received several texts messages reminding me of the reservation). We all waited until 5:35 for someone to unlock the door....and it was quite cold and windy on the street. Hostess was not particularly gracious. Cut to the chase: our server was good. Food came fast. Food was 4 out of 5 stars. Dining room was freezing cold whenever the front door opened on a February night...even though we weren't seated next to the door. A panel blocking the wind could easily be installed. A note on the reservation confirmation about opening time might also help, and finally, opening the restaurant on time when a crowd of people are clearly visible through glass doors would be very helpful.

We ate here recently and had a wonderful experience. We inadvertently booked seats at the bar and the host was nice enough to offer to seat us outside on a gorgeous night. The traffic was a little noisy, but you can't beat a beautiful downtown Durham evening. We had wonderful drinks...I highly recommend the Carolina Tonic. The Charcuterie Board was delicious, as was the Peruvian-Style Fish, the Plato Cubano, and the Caribbean Roasted Chicken. We ended the night with the Tres Chocolates cake and it was divine. The service was lovely and I would eat here again anytime.

Overpriced food skimpy portions. Food tasted good and service was good, but I would pass next time

Wanted to like this place but can't recommend. The ham fritters were definitely the high point - it all went down from there. Service is excruciatingly slow. Our waiter was young and new but that didn't affect the fact that the kitchen was operating at a snail's pace. Husband had a médianoche sandwich that was okay, my beef mole was served as chunks of beef - some very fatty in a thin broth that had the spices all clumped together - it was better after I stirred it to distribute the seasoning. Dessert is better to pass on - also no decaf coffee which seemed odd .

Every time I go it's a wonderful experience. Copa is one of my very favorite restaurants in town.

The food here is good. But it's clear they're chronically understaffed in the kitchen and front of house. There were literally three kitchen staff on a packed Saturday night last week - the place is huge, that is crazy. I've eaten there three times over the past year, and each time I'm annoyed that the prices are high but the service is low. We've had to ask for silverware & napkins after the food arrived, reputedly canceled drinks and food that never arrived, and had to flag down waitstaff just to place an order after 30 minutes. It's not the staff's fault - there just aren't enough of them. After a year, this is a management problem, not an off night. I won't try them again unless management changes.

Copa is a fantastic Cuban restaurant that continues to impress. During our visit, we had the pleasure of enjoying a variety of tapas, including the mouthwatering garlic shrimp served with delicious fresh bread and the flavor-packed Croquetas. For our entrees, we shared the Country Style Pork Chop, which was both crispy and bursting with flavor, and the Steak Frites, which had a delightful crispness, although slightly undercooked for my preference. The real stars, however, were the cocktails. The Hotel Nacional, a delightful blend of Rum, Apricot-Infused Brandy, Pineapple Juice, Lime Juice, and Organic Cane Syrup, was worth the journey alone. La Diosa Negra, featuring Muddy River Spiced Carolina Rum, Damn Fine Coffee Liqueur, Orange Bitters, Haitian Vanilla, Organic Cane Sugar, and a touch of Cuban Tobacco Smoke for a smoky twist, provided a unique experience, although a tad heavy on the tobacco. As always, the service was exceptional, rounding out an unforgettable dining experience at Copa.

Great setting. :-) Great ambience. :-) Great service. :-) The food however was all *extremely* salty (!) to me, and not very flavorful (other than the salt flavor). (..which was quite surprising‍. Perhaps that is just typical of the cuisine?‍?? My wife said it was ok to her...) But we had a very enjoyable time there, enjoying each other's company and the friendly staff and owner. :-)

The menu offers many items you don't see in other restaurants, and the chicken and curry shrimp dishes we got were delicious. Bravo! The dining room is too noisy, and the outside seating is just minimalist cafe tables with some Durham all-stars walking by eyeing your food. The park let us in black, but isn't being used, which is a waste of 2 parking spaces. Those items are what why are, but what is egregious is the 20% "Living Wage Fee" that is snuck into the bill. It completely destroys the concept of what a tip is and what a wage is. Either provide service worthy of 20% (it was not) or pay your staff a higher hourly wage and raise the food prices.

- Food: This was the lowest quality food at a very high price. First of all, they were out of two of their two main dishes on a Saturday night. Secondly, the appetizers and the main dishes we ordered were at best below average for the price.

Decided on Copa for birthday dinner as I'd read and seen good things and I had yet to try it. Given that my family has members who are not able to be vaccinated and due to the fact that the weather was not conducive to dining out outdoors, we were left with the option of take out. I decided on the RIBS because I have had ropa vieja at other reputable Cubano establishments. Suffice to say the entree should be listed as RIB.. no "s" because that's what you get and it's $22 dollars which would get you a lot of rib in most normal places. The salad was also soggy due to being dressed prior to take out which seems illogical. Lastly, I think I got like half a plantain for the maduros... really? Anyways, I believe the price doesn't merit hype. It will be some time before I return. Also their contact form doesn't work which would have been my first choice of contact.

Not good. 20% living wage fee built in to the bill and the service is reflective of that as the waiters don't care (at least ours). Our waiter took our order for apps and drinks and then we, not exaggerating, didn't see him again for another hour to take our main course order. And that was after I had to ask the hostess awkwardly to find him so that we COULD order. By the time he took our order they were also out of 50% of the main courses for the night. I had the Ropa Vieja for $28 which came out with the equivalent of 2 tacos and half an avocado. Won't be going back and I suggest others avoid as well.

I have heard great things about Copa, and was excited to try them out when they did a special neighborhood delivery during COVID times. The ability to have food delivered to our clubhouse is so helpful! I was also super happy to see Copa on the Back on the Bull list! We have been using that list for most of our takeout orders during COVID times. I ordered the Vegetarian Family Dinner which was yummy and included 2 fried eggs, half an avocado, beans and rice, and a seasonal salad that had cucumbers and pear in it. I loved the chicharitas (plantain chips). My family also had the Family Pork Dinner and El Caney sandwich. Everyone enjoyed their food and agreed this would be a good spot to try in person in the future. We ordered everything online, and were a bit confused by the service fee. We are happy to pay an extra fee during COVID especially for the convenience of having it delivered to our neighborhood but we weren't sure if that was just gratuity or something else. It would be nice if the ordering page explained that better so we knew what to possibly add on top of that fee. This will be on our list of spots to try in person as soon as we feel comfortable doing that again.

Food looks amazing. Came in at 930 on a Saturday night for a drink at the bar. Open seats at the bar. Hostess went to ask the bartender. She came back and flatly said, "They are too busy to serve you." Ok. Bye.

Years ago on the Durham food tour, we went to Old Havana. I never made it back before it closed but discovered Copa and they offer the sandwiches that Old Havana had. Copa offers brunch and that was a good excuse to try the restaurant. My party was a little early and a waitress saw us outside and let us come in early so that was nice and set a great tone for the rest of our experience. The restaurant is beautiful and open. Our waitress Vivian was wonderful and asked if we were attending the show so that we'd be out in time. I went with the Havana sandwich that had very tender pork, some ham, and cheese. The bread it was on was so good. I know there was some mustard on it and I think something else. I chose the salad for my side but could have gotten bean or plantain chips. I liked this sandwich so well it will be hard to try something else and not order the very same thing again. They have desserts too. The waitress recommended the almond cake so that is what I decided to go with. The restaurant did not have iced tea but did have hot tea so I hope they offer iced tea when we return or cool some brewed tea and serve it with ice. I am looking forward to dining here again.

Easily the best Cuban sandwich I have ever had. The cigar infused cocktail is also a must try... the owners are phenomenal people, can't recommend it enough. If you are in Durham, don't miss this place.

Very disappointing! First the noise, apparently sound proofing was never a priority. Then the size of the tapas, which were ridiculously small. Crab cakes arrived with 3, each a little larger than a quarter. And yes, they were out of several items on the menu

4 of us went to COPA last night. We were going to order the paella but the waiter told us it would take at least 80 mins to prepare. Pretty outrageous time to prepare a dish so we passed and ordered other food...but it still took an 1hr 15mins to get our main dishes. The waiter was completeliy absent and we had to ask for water refills and drink orders. The table next to us asked for their check and left early before their food came. The food finally came and while the pork was tasty, all the sides were bland... rice, beans, kale salad and the chicken main was flavorless. After food dropoff the waiter didnt come back. We had to go to the bar to ask for our check. As I read the other reviews for this restaurant, its the same story. Our bill was $300 for abysmal service and less than mediocre food. I highly encourgage anyone considering COPA to look elsewhere.

I recently visited Copa for dinner on a Thursday evening. The service was wonderful, and i really like the information on the front of the menu stating how they pay a living wage to their employees. The server said each person should order between 2 and 3 small plates. My husband and I ordered 6. I liked the maduros, loved the white anchovies on toast, savored the arroz con pollo, and enjoyed some of the cheeses (and all of the pickles and olives!) on the queso plate. This was a beautiful restaurant with lovely service and nice food.

Oh Copa I had high hopes for you. I always walked by and you looked like such a cute spot. Finally checked it out for dinner before a show at DPAC. We got the theater menu. I started with the garlic shrimp which were ok. My friend ordered the croquettes. Those were the best part of the whole meal. They were not a usual croquette I have but they were super tasty. I got the Ropa Vieja. It may be that I grew up getting home cooked meals from a Cuban immigrant so I am spoiled but I did not like it at all. The sauce was weird, had a strange after taste and it was super bland in my opinion. My friend got the pork chop which had sections that were undercooked, so not the safest. The veggies that came with the pork chop were very bland too. For dessert, my friend got the almond cake or whatever it was called. It tasted ok but was dry. I got the flan. Again, weird after taste but good consistency and it also tasted a bit over cooked. There are too many amazing restaurants in the area to go back to Copa. The positive of the night was that our server was good.

So-so food, weak drinks, and inattentive waiter. Went at 7pm on Friday night and they were already out of seafood paella, sausage, and empanadas. Dirty plates still on our table as we paid the bill. Disappointing experience.

I'm torn. My 3 experiences has been very different. Love the ambience here. A beautiful, upscale, modern restaurant with clean lines and high ceilings. It doesn't look like every other wood/steel/industrial chic restaurant in Durham which is refreshing. The food is good. But pricey. The duck is the best. The chicharron is crispy and yummy too. Generally small portions. The service has been spotty. I had one pretty terrible serving experience and one okay one. I LOVED my bar tender. She was super friendly and knowledgeable and had great recommendations. The drinks are EXCELLENT. They are the highlight of this place. The Une Rosa Blanca ($12) is floral, light, comes in a beautiful glass. El Titan ($11) is exactly as described - a sweeter, Old Fashioned with a hint of pineapple. The Canchanchara ($10) is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE with lime and honey and rum! Great flavors, light, and sweet. The La Diosa Negra ($12) is possibly the coolest, fanciest drinks I've ever had. The glass is smoked with cigar smoke and the drink it heavy and alcoholic with sweetness to balance. Great presentation too! Long story short, it's pricey for what you get but the drinks and ambience have won me over!!

A disappointing experience overall. Service was quite slow for a Thursday evening. Empanadas were unremarkable. Pork meatball appetizers riddled with gristle. Duck was dry. And I wasn't ready for the $10/person deposit for a reservation. Really?

Just bad. If you want tapas, go to Mateo. If you want authentic Cuban food, idk, go to Florida.

We celebrated a recent birthday here and everything was very good. We started with three tapas, the duck breast (lightly seared, lovely chutney, the sausage (good seasoning, a bit like andouille) and the clams (good broth). We then split the Medianoche (pork was SO tender and yummy, not fatty just sweet). We finished it off with the Tres Chocolates cake. I also enjoyed a Hotel Nacional cocktail which was quite good. It was a lovely place and our server was attentive without hovering. We would definitely visit again.

Please do NOT WASTE YOUR TIME at this place. Food was completely flavorless and cold. It's a disgrace to Cuban food and flavor. Manager was super rude as well. Food is also over priced, $20 for a plate with (1)ONE RIB and rice. Just over all a horrible experience.

Overall - I wouldn't come again Price- it was ok but considering it's a sandwich a little on the pricey end What we got Havana - a little dry. I think we were expecting a cubano.it wasn't a cubano Ropa Viejo- shredded beef with tomato sauce. Also unfortunately a little dry Ambiance - great ambiance, loved the outdoor seating Service - solid

My family and I came to this fine establishment for dinner! The outdoor dining was actually kind of magical, and the server was very knowledgeable about the beer menu. I had a sip of IPA from Dirty Bull which was refreshing. The make your own plate with pork option was savory. The salad would have been better if served in a separate bowel because it was a bit wet when put on the plate with the rest of the food. If you are looking for a date night and few drinks under a starry night, this is the place to visit. The food is decent but needs a bit more pizazz but the ambiance is unbeatable! Just in case the bill seems confusing, they automatically add 20% extra to bill so the waiters can get a living wage

While I was sad to see Revolution go, I am also really happy to see Old Havana expand. I absolutely love what they have done to the space-- it's classic, clean, and open. My husband and I came for dinner during the soft opening so the menu wasn't huge, but everything we had was delicious. First, I have to rave about my mojito. I have had mojitos at the Hotel Nacional in Havana and this rivaled that mojito. One thing to note is the portion sizes-- even the "tapas" were larger than what you get at a lot of other tapas places. We had the butifaras a lo cubano which was a different take on traditional charcuterie. We also had the "trinidad" of chips, which I would say was the weakest thing that we tried. I would have liked to have a trinity of dipping sauces to go along with the chips. Finally, we had the duck which was AMAZING. Everything was so good that we even finished off with some mantecaditos for dessert (and my husband never wants to get dessert). The service was also fantastic throughout our whole meal. Dinner was great and I look forward to coming back and trying some of the new items that weren't previously on Old Havana's menu!

I really enjoyed my experience for the first time at Copa. First, I think the Yelp location of the restaurant is incorrect on the Copa page, because I wasn't able to check in accurately. But on to my actual review of my experience and the food, I think overall, it was really good! The location of the restaurant is right across the street from Luna, which makes it easy to find. The food at Copa is also extremely similar to Luna (at least the plate options). The sandwich options may be different. They also both have plantains and maduros. I ordered the Paleo plate, which comes with the option to pick from pork, chicken, and beef. It also comes with plantain chips and a side of salad and avocado. I ordered the pork. We also got to try the homemade hot sauce. The pork was delicious! It was tender and well-seasoned and the homemade hot sauce really added to the dish! They have a really good vinegar based homemade hot sauce, so I would highly recommend it! I also really liked the side salad and plantain chips. My only complaint echoes some of the prior reviews. The portions are really small. The overall plate was enough food for one meal (I wiped my plate clean!), but the pork portion (meat portion) is pretty small. I would have loved some more pork on my plate, especially since it was so good! I personally wouldn't have leftovers when ordering here, which is fine (I eat a lot). But for Durham, I'm just used to larger portion sizes and Copa has relatively small portions in comparison to other restaurants. I'd definitely come back to try their sandwiches!

We've been wanting to try this for some time and finally had the opportunity today only to be highly disappointed. The server is as unsure of recommendations but we tried the empanada, mojito, and rum mule to start. The empanada was good but both drinks - nope. Mojito was all lime and the mule was too too sweet, no bite. We had the steak frites and beef mole. The frites was about 50% fat, and overly salty. The mole is in a broth with approximately 2 ounces of meat with bland white rice and thick, bland corn to. We won't be back.

We walked over to Copa for dinner before heading to a comedy show at the Carolina Theatre and had a pleasant experience. My husband and I both ordered 2 rounds of cocktails. The list was extensive, my personal favorite was the una rosa blanca. The menu is tapas so it is recommended to order 2-3 per person, we chose the croquetas, ropa vieja, plátanos rellenos, medianoche and arroz congris y aguacate. The favorites of the table were the ropa vieja and medianoche. I did not like the arroz because it was slightly overcooked and would pass on the platanos rellenos next time and order maduros instead. Save room for dessert, the tarta de almendras was amazing. We got the natilla too and liked it. It was a little expensive for tapas but Copa is perfect for a date night.

We went all seafood. Food good service bad, and I mean bad enough that I wouldn't go back. Also, outside seating is tables next to road construction. Alcohol was great. I glanced through reviews, and many mentioned poor service, so I feel like the owner needs to evaluate how employees are being trained.

Require vaccine card but not posted. Doesnt accept cash Drinks are expensive Food is expensive Food quality 3 out of 5 Portion side 2 out of 5 Im of Spanish decent and this couldnt be further than true Cuban food.

Don't go if you actually want to eat food. It's tapas which is fancy for over priced tasty morsels of crumbs. It wasn't really authentic Cuban food I was used to from South Florida Cubans. Duck was good but there was nothing to it and paid $18 for it on top of 5 half sized croquetas for $8. Not worth it for dinner time. Unless you want wine and a conversation more than food.

Upon attending Copa last night, our high expectations were left unfulfilled. The food itself was relatively decent, but the inadequate portions distracted from the taste. To start our meal, we ordered an appetizer of shrimp and bread. However, we only received a singular piece of bread. For three people. The entres themselves were also minuscule and insufficiently prepared. One of the entrees came with a side salad. Copa's version of a side salad seems to be a five rations of spinach soaked in dressing. In what world does a salad consist of solely spinach? Moreover, in another entree, the seafood stew, three clams were served. One of them was closed, thus rendering it inedible. For a seafood stew, the absence of seafood was appalling given the price. To make matters even worse, 20% was automatically added to the bill as part of an initiative to give the restaurant staff a "living wage." Since she was already guaranteed her tip, our waitress seemed disinterested and lacked a personality. Overall, we left more hungry than when we entered and for the price and automatically added tip, the food and service should have been top tier. A total disappointment.

Fantastic, authentic Cuban fare and truly magnificent cocktails and THANK YOU for offering mocktails, as well. Definitely try the terrine, maduros, anything served with their tortilla (ropa vieja was excellent) and the Cuban sandwich. Definitely order La Diosa Negra to drink - a fantastic smoked cocktail. Felt like we licked the inside of a good humidor. As someone in the service industry, I despise the whole living wage thing, but we can get over it for great food and service and hopefully their wait staff is still making decent tips in spite of that management decision.

We had an absolutely amazing meal at Copa tonight. From the minute we walked in and were warmly greeted, to the last bite of food, it was a wonderful experience. We had some great starters - the cracklin bread (with the most incredible oil), the pork croquettes, and roasted veggies. Then the main dish - absolutely outstanding steak frites! The steak was tender and the flavor was like no other steak I have ever had. The seasoning is so good I kept trying to force myself to finish it all, but it is a very generous piece of steak (takeout boxes all around). The 'frites' were perfectly cooked potato wedges crispy on the outside and ready to be dipped in the sauce. We also enjoyed all of our fabulous drinks (I had the Brut, it was excellent). I cannot recommend this place highly enough.

We were really excited to try this place and the menu looked delicious. Unfortunately, it didn't quite meet our expectations. It took us about 15 minutes at our table before our waitress came to get our drink order, and then another 10-15 minutes before we placed our food order. Once we placed our food order things came out pretty fast. Our waitress was very nice but we were hungry so all the waiting at the beginning wasn't great. It was also pretty loud in there and the two-person tables are awkwardly long, making it hard to have a conversation. The cocktails were excellent, 5 stars for those. The food was overall pretty good (maybe 4 stars) but we really didn't think they were worth what we paid. We didn't realize until we were too deep in how small the portions were -- $17 for three meatballs is a bit steep, and they were our least favorite of the dishes we got. The omelette and croquettes were delicious but also very small servings. We left barely satiated with no leftovers. Overall, I think we would have liked this place better if it was either less expensive or had more wow-ing food and ambiance.

Wide gluten-free, dairy-free menu plus lots of vegan and vegetarian dishes. You don't miss anything by having food allergies at this great spot!! Such an amazing restaurant!!! Farm-to-table Cuban is amazing. The cocktails are inventive. Food is traditional with local ingredients. We started with the Chicharitas (plantain chips), Croquetas (pork fritters) and Maderos (sweet plantains). The mojo is perfect! We finished with Ropa vieja a la americana and vegan Vegetales y casabe (seasonal veggies & cassava pancakes). All is so well seasoned and prepared! I even had gluten-free dessert! Light airy almond cake. Mmmmmmm. Now, the cocktails are so good. The Canchanchara feeling like you're on the frontlines with the guerilla freedom fighters during the 10 Years War of Cuban independence. El Titán de Bronce is one of my new top 10 cocktails in the country. Rum, whiskey and pineapple syrup. WHAT?! So good.

ROACHES, GALORE!!!!! This place looks nice on the surface, but there was a reason that it was dead on a Friday night at 8 PM. We were a party of two with maybe two to three other parties in the entire restaurant. We sat at the bar and were served by a moody and sullen bartender named "Dizzy" who lamented that he would have rather walked out into traffic (seriously! suicidal) than be working that night. Things went from bad to worse when our food came. Not only was it salty, dry, and bland, but it was super overpriced. Next came the ROACHES!!! My co-diner noticed a COCKROACH!! crawling on the bar in and around our food. He killed it with his napkin and then called Dizzy over discretely to let him know. We immediately asked for the bill ($70 for two drinks, a large and a small plate) and were shocked when nothing was comped. We spoke to the owner/GM about this and he merely apologized lightly before saying he hoped we came back (???). I also noticed the "chef" in the open kitchen not wearing any gloves or mask while he prepared our food. Avoid this place if you value your health or tastebuds. DISGUSTING.

I'm quite impressed with this place. The service is excellent, the drinks are great, and the food is delicious. Tons of gf options. I really enjoyed the onions stuffed with duck, as well as fried pork croquettes. Meat is definitely their strong suite. Seasonal vegetables were a bit underwhelming, as well as the almond cake for dessert, but I'm looking forward to trying more meat courses in the future. It can definitely get very pricey for dinner, especially if you come hungry. The portions are quite small, but good for sharing between 2 people. In other words, this is a great date spot. Do listen to your server suggestions for food and drink and you won't be disappointed.

Really disappointing and not worth the money. The other reviews were good so maybe this restaurant was just having a really bad night. The server was nice, but they were out of nearly every dish we wanted at 7:15 on a Friday night, so we ended up ordering things we really didn't want and were disappointed. Bill was $385 for 6 adults, including 6 drinks. I ordered the whole fish and the texture was unpleasant (mushy) and the flavor was off on the accompanying sauces, but the fresh tortillas were good. Suggestion: share with your guests how this dish is to be eaten. The acorn squash under the fish was inedible. Root vegetables were undercooked and under seasoned, and the sauce they served with it was unpleasant and didn't pair well. The crab cakes had a bit of a kick (spicy), possibly one of the best dishes we ate. My husband got the pork chop; the rice and beans were good, but the squash was under seasoned and under cooked. The pulled pork sandwich was good but ate dry. The "ribs" turned out to be a single short rib; it was a long one. It was cooked well but the sauce didn't compliment the meat. Whit rice and the plantains were good. Tostones were Ok and the pork on them was good. Fried plantains were best bite of the night for my daughter, but the sauce also didn't pair well. All of the sauces seemed off. The desserts were good. We ordered all 3 and the table shared them. The almond cake ate dry but had good flavor.