Cuba Lives Restaurant

The food and ambience is amazing. Good customer service and clean restrooms. I would recommend and also please go to Orlando and open a restaurant there we need something like this there.

This place is great. The price is unbelievable and the food is like eating live in Cuba. The staff are amazing and friendly. The mojitos are off the chain (omg I’m craving some right now), makes me want to drive to Miami just for it. You don’t have to speak English to go and have a great time!!

This place is the BOMB! Our first Cuban buffet experience and we are throughly impressed by the great selection of food items and friendly service. The price is more than reasonable. Don't be afraid to come to Hialeah to try this little gem out, you won't be disappointed.

Interesting Cuban buffet. I had a good time with my family. The food was OK …can be improved. I grew up with really good Cuban food and now still have really good Cuban food. I just feel that they can improve …service was very good though I must say not sure I’d return

The food was very good. It is a nice way to get a taste of a variety of Cuban food. The little green dip they put on your table for the plantain chips was very tasty. The live singer was very charismatic and fun. It was loud in there and pretty crowded, but it was worth it.

Authentic food, collectivistic environment, and fast service 👏 would recommend to anyone in search of quality time with family

Must try for the all you can eat fans! Such a selection of meats and sides as well as seafood and FRESH fruit and Beatles vegetables! I will be back. Love that they had a special on Forth of July. They don’t have to as it already a great value but it’s very appreciated to see as sole proprietor! You got a patron for life.

The food is very good especially when you take into account that it's a buffet style location. Most buffet venues have food that tastes like it's been sitting out. Here everything tastes fresh. Service is somewhat lacking but the food and atmosphere is excellent.

What a lovely experience Service was great Went in on fathers day Sunday It was packed!!! Everyone happy and smiling Amazing buffet!! I like that they offer fruit as desert If you have a diabetic or keto loved one this is a good place. Lots of meats Salad bar was simple but got all your basic needs met Alfredo pasta was soooo good with a pollo a la plancha!! A must add! Lots of rice choices Imperial rice White rice Cuban Chinese rice They have fish , chicken, steak, n pork The bread was boring I wish it was sitting in a butter garlic sauce instead of garlic spread at the top. The natural juices are very sweet so watch out. They add a lot of sugar. You can't seat unless the entire party is there so keep that in mind if you're a big party.

Fantastic food, staff and ambiance. Party of 4 we went for lunch stuffed our faces with so much delicious food. We had 2 beers and a capirihni that was way too strong haha, but good. Total was $93 before tip. Enjoyed the food so much we did not take any photos. Will definitely be back soon and will take photos next time.

I went there last Saturday wit family an all 3 of is were impress with the food quality and taste. The servers were also excellent.

Nunca más vuelvo a venir!!! Es como estar en cuba comiendo cajita de cumpleaños. O como nada y al final me cobraron como si lo hubiera hecho. No vuelvo más

My husband wanted to eat some meat while we were in Haileah. My husband is Cuban, and I remember seeing a Cuban Food Buffet in Yelp. After googling, this restaurant was only 5 minutes away from where we were. The restaurant was quite big. There were many families enjoying their food. I was only one Asian there. Staff were very friendly and helpful. They have everything including some American food. The quality of food was not bad for buffet. I wish they had sweets as a part of buffet. But it's ok. By the time, we finished eating, we had no room for dessert. The price was reasonable too.

VERY LOUD!!! NOT MUCH ENGLISH HERE! All food labels are in Spanish! First time here. Dinner Price $24.99. No desert bar. Salad bar OK. 2 in on a Friday at 5 for dinner. Pretty busy but got seated right away. Good variety to choose from. I tried many of their items just guessing what they were. I found nothing to be seasoned very well, very flat and only warm at best. A customer stopped and ask "what are 2 Americans doing here? We had a good laugh. No need to go back..

Phenomenal food, however some items were a bit dry. Great place to come for authentic Cuban food. This place gets packed and is located in the heart of Hialeah. The ambiance gives Little Havana nights with live music. The price is reasonable for the endless food you get to endulge. The service is great, staff friendly. Planning to bring my family here when they come to visit.

Super Rica la comida por un precio accesible, el servicio de primera, constantemente preguntando si necesitas algo, muy buen ambiente me encantó

HOLY CUBA! If you love Cuban food this is the place for you. If you have no idea what Cuban food is, you owe it to yourself to come here and explore it. This is one of the finest buffets I have ever eaten at. I truly dislike Miami, but I sure would come back here for the food! The service was great--bring your Spanish speaking self. Nice, clean, tidy, and a spectacular hidden gem. YOU NEED CUBAN FOOD IN YOUR LIFE.

The BEST buffet I've been to, outside of Las Vegas! Big kudos to the chefs, I imagine them to be cute aunties with sazón, who are throwing it down in the kitchen. Every single food item is fresh, flavorful and spectacular. They have your typical Cuban/hispanic dishes such as grilled meats, yucá con mojo, plantains, all type of rice dishes (including arroz imperial and Moro), and a magnificent salad bar. Very easy to keep it healthy in this buffet, very impressive. The grilled steak, chicken and pork station is very popular and busy but they also do a great job at restocking it and keeping it neat. I've only gone for lunch a few times but was told that the dinner service is even more impressive and includes a musical act, I'll be coming soon to check it out. The servers and hosts are great and very attentive but not annoying and very fast at cleaning up your plates and refilling your drink. Please tip your servers!

This place is amazing! I found this restaurant as I was looking for buffets on google and decided to try it out... 12.99 during the week for lunch sounds too good to be true! For the price you pay you get your BANG for your buck...LITERALLY!! The food here is so fresh and deliciously amazing! If your in the area you really gotta give this place a try and I guarantee you will come out of here with a big smile, I know I did! The servers treat you great and are very attentive, which most buffets lack in but not this one. What I love about this place is that they offer a variety of authentic Cuban food for a great price. So, if your tired of going to an Asian buffet or Churrascaría, you gotta come here! Your tastebuds/cravings are not going to wanna go back to those type of buffets after visiting this one, at least for awhile.

I was hesitant, a Cuban food buffet but I was nicely surprised! Loved it. Super fresh, clean, and amazing service. Thank you Eduardo!

I was told about this place from a friend who regularly goes and is a fan. So I came to try it out. The place is located in Hialeah and looks nice enough from the outside with ample parking. Upon entering the establishment no one was at the reception area, staff were busy. Then two older Cuban ladies walked in and stood behind me, and then a server came and spoke to them first and sat them down. I actually said "err I was first!". he was very apologetic, and showed me to my own table, set in front of the buffet. Not a good start. However after that - it was great. This is a buffet, but is surprisingly good and great for me to sample all the Cuban dishes I have never tried, (see my plates for what I ate). THIS is the place to be adventurous. Everything I tasted was very good, and trust me I have tried many Cubans restaurants, cafes and home cooking from my Cuban husband. The fact that I could sample dishes that were new to me, I was in heaven. I especially liked a dish with cabbage in it, cilantro, onions and ham - I aske da female waitress and she told me all about it, its called Col in Spanish). I tried the ceviches, all were decent, beef, chicken and they even had picadillo and roasted pork with crispy skin. They also had monfongo and sweet plantains and they were very good too. They even had some mac and cheese, and spaghetti in a cream sauce Cuban style. I thoroughly enjoyed my tour of Cuban cuisine and most definitely WILL be returning. Also for 11.99 for the lunch buffet, it is excellent value for money. Also to be noted there were plenty of patrons dining there, and I am not surprised!

First of all I should mention that I am not a fan of buffets. But I would recommend this one. I am not Cuban and not very familiar with the culture. Cuba Lives got me an opportunity to sample different food. It is a buffet but the place has live music (on weekends I understood), so it doesn't give the canteen vibes. The service was great also. My only concern is that almost nobody speaks English. But even then you can get by They have full bar also. Parking all around. I would recommend the place. For $25 you can try all the Cuban food at once

This is a buffet style restaurant with a good selection. In fact the food was very good. The waiter never refilled our water glass nor did he bring us our change from the bill. I do not know if this is cultural or if I was specifically supposed to ask for more water and my change. The restaurant was very clean but had a small area where you sit and dine.

The food was amazing fresh seafood, congris, ceviche and many Cuban dishes it's all buffet - I love it very much every time I come to Miami this is the best place to enjoy authentic Cuban cuisine and the service was great - the place was full and the food just keep on coming.

Came here with some friends. Read the mixed reviews and decided to take a shot anyway. Glad i did. Came on a Thursday night around 8 place was packed. Had great and friendly service. Got to sample a wide array of cuban food. While i didn't necessarily like everything, there was a lot of things that I did like. Thats the beauty of this place. Lots of options. The fact that the place was packed with a lot of Cubans was also another good sign. Will definitely be back when I'm in town again.

Food was delicious. They should include the dessert in the price as well though. On their picture they show the desserts kind of making you think it's included in the buffet. But other than that. I recommend it!

All about the food variety never had tried fingernail fried rice , an experience I would not recommend

I'd driven by this place a couple of times and wanted to give it a shot for dinner after the gym. It looked decent and fancy-ish on the outside and my concern was that I'd be underdressed in gym gear. Based on my experience here and other recent reviews it looks like they have bigger fish, or chicken, to fry. I haven't been too much of a purist during the times of you know what but it was my understanding that buffets were not allowed to operate, social distancing at all. Well this place is still running a buffet operation. The first sign that this might've not been the best was the host/waiter mentioning that I wouldn't have much time because they were in a hurry to close. I commented that my dish was fairly simple and that's when I was told it was buffet. I head back to the serving line and got a couple of pieces of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and mashed plantains. A couple of bites of my chicken breast convince me that it was not the way to go. It tasted rancid like if it had been sitting there for a while. To their credit at least the mashed potato was good. I went to the register to complain about the taste of the chicken and was charged full price basically $16 for mashed plantains and potatoes and a couple of bites of rancid chicken. On top of that they even had a line for tip on the receipt. The few bites that I had felt like a bomb on my stomach. Here's hoping my next checkin isn't at an urgent care.

First time myself, my wife and adult daughter ate here are ate any Cuban food. Excellent food and service.

The food is a variety the ambiance and other diners are very intimidating even for being right in the heart of hialeah be prepared to e transported to a different country and not in a good way. The service was good and the desserts are exceptional!

Very good food, the service was excellent and the ambience was perfect. Highly recommended

Loved this place! We were seated right away on a Saturday afternoon at around 4 pm. Mariquitas were served with a delicious cilantro garlic type sauce. The buffet had gloves available for those who wanted to use them. The buffet had so much variety: steak, pork, chicken, ceviche, pasta, fried rice, etc. Even croquetas! My dad loves this restaurant so I was excited to try it and it didn't disappoint. The flan was the size of my head lol! And very yummy. Can't wait to come back

Horrible. Old food under lamps. Nothing seemed fresh. Would not recommend. Waiters inattentive, seemed bored, annoyed to serve the customer.

Delicious Cuban food with great variety of food and great service! Very nice facility, clean, modern and great welcoming service by Eduardo. The food is absolutely bursting with flavor. All the dishes are well prepared and presented, fresh made food. They had an excellent selection of Cuban desserts. I settled for flan with a cortadito coffee. The flan was topped with caramel cream and a side of whipped cream. I have to say it was a succulent dining experience. I would recommend this place to any visitors!

Finally! Someone read my mind. A Cuban Buffet in the center of Miami. The restaurant is clean and pleasant to the eyes. A family environment. The food looks and tastes delicious. I recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner. The only thing i would recommend to improve is the attitude of some of the waiters. But overall this places is great. I look forward to coming more often.

First and last. Ordered a Palomilla steak and got some kind of beef that's one notch above dog food. Don't know about the rest of the menu and won't care. Don't order steak here though.

Food is delicious and they have a great variety of dishes. Perfect for lunch or dinner! There is something for everyone. My favorite dishes are the "Ropa Vieja" (pulled stewed beef with veggies) and "Congri" (black beans and rice) . The service is also amazing. Eduardo was very welcoming and very helpful with recommendations. They all make you feel at home and are very funny! You'll leave with a smile on your face no matter what! Don't skip dessert! The Copa Lolita was delightful and so smooth. Overall, I 100% recommend!!

Hands down my favorite Cuban restaurant!!! Went Friday on their lunch special with co workers and can't wait to go back. Buffet price per person was $10.99 Monday- Friday. They had almost everything. If you enjoy Cuban cuisine you'll love this place. The only bad thing is that they don't open Monday's :) Service was good and place is clean.

Although food was excellent. Hostess ladies were not amiable and in fact they were rude. We had a group of 8 but they refused to sit us until we had every single person with us although there was plenty of tables open for seating. I understand the culture and typically cubans are not the warmest when it comes to customer service. There was a person that just stared at people all the time. The servers were very serious although our server treated us nice. Just an overall heavy feeling environment as if there was about to be a raid inside the place lol Food was great overall but not exactly amazing when compared to other Cuban restaurants.

The best .. typical Cuban food done right .. A regular stop for us .. unfortunately we moved to Kissimmee.. whenever we're in town . We get our fix.. I hope they open one up here .. worth the 3 hour drive

Wow wow wow ....... dog food!!!!!!! This place left me and my husband grossed out and discussed If I could give them a negative 5 I would. What a disgrace Ok the meat was salty the tamales tasted like pure masa the yellow rice very sticky and over cooked the fired cheese was cold the beef steak was tough all the fruit was to ripe The tostones were hard and cold The fruit salad was watery Should I go on !!!!!! We keep trying one bite at a time desperately trying to find something worth putting into our mouth The only 2 things that were 50% ok was the yucca and the shrimp in sauce The restaurant was freezing The waiter was a My god this place takes the Cake Top level DOG FOOD!!!!!! Please avoid this place at any means the sad part that we where talked into going Oh I forgot the flan was Burnt

Excellent. I've tried many Cuban places in Miami and everything here was literally delicious. The service is very friendly and attentive I loved that there was perfect synergy between all the staff to take care of us and the food. Authentic Cuban experience in Hialeah where you can try it all

Great food for the price and quantity. Their vaca frita (Shredded Beef known as Fried Cow) was great and their flan was not only good but a nice portion too. This place brings back so many memories. The actual location was a place my family and I frequented when I was a child back in the late 70's called "El Lila Restaurant" ....they left all the original murals which makes this place nostalgic. Service was also great. Very clean and welcoming.

A table over other,peoples/employees at hallway standing.High prices for regular food available.Service excellent.No returns.Sorry.

All you can eat Cuban buffet first time there loved it!! They have a wide range of everything

I went during covid and they are super organized, my family and I felt very safe. They're currently seating outside and I actually liked it better! Food was good and staff is super friendly!

Only thing that was great was the coffee! I was visiting my friend & we went there for Sunday brunch... I'm not Latin at all but apparently it doesn't matter because everywhere you go, everyone who's is Latin speaks to everyone else as if that person is a Latino - I'm Asian! Everything was bland, the "hot" dishes were ALL COLD! Even with the heat lamp. It's like no water was in the buffet bins to keep them warm. So they had mac/cheese & Alfredo in aluminum tins which lets me assume/believe that this was a frozen item they just heated up to add to buffet. Everything on buffet line was bland, dry, hot food was cold, cold food didn't look fresh at all. It seemed like everything was a day old. I was so disappointed, reviews & pics looked like it's be very good. Maybe for dinner? Idk if I'd try this place again?

First time coming here and it was to celebrate my grandfathers birthday. I happen to come in with a group of 7 and a 1-year-old. The lady who greeted us and the lady behind the counter I think her name is Yusleidy or something similar was very rude. When we asked to be accommodated, to a bigger table than the one beside the door and they said they couldn't give us a bigger table because they would have to charge us $10.99 for the baby's chair even if she didn't eat out of the buffet. (which she drinks milk so no she wouldn't be eating out of the buffet ) which BTW it says for lunch children would be $5.99 not $10.99 as the claimed and their other sigh says SHOULD pay meaning I'm not required to do so all for a damn chair. he best part is that they have a whole other section with tables and chairs to the left when you walk in and she said that she couldn't accommodate us due to her establishment getting filled and then not having enough space for others. (mind you the section to the left was empty!) The food they have a selection of cold pasta salads, some regular salads, ceviche, fruits, bread, cheese then a section for rice and chicken soup, and beans. Then another section with meats( grilled chicken, fried chicken, meat, fish) etc... I will tell you that they only reason why we stayed was that we had an 80-year-old with us because if not I would have been long done from there. The staff and I mean the waiters all need to be retrained in hospitality. They are very rude, they don't ask out of courtesy if you're done with your plate. One actually just snatches the plates off the table and when they pour water for you they don't say excuse me they just come from behind you and grab your cup. I had to request a new soda and cup after pouring mine halfway I realized the cup was dirty inside. Oh and the fly that landed on our food since the door was beside us. Before we left we actually saw a family walk in, greeted and told to wait to be seated when the waiter went to call them instead of walking up to the family and walking them over to their table he yelled from behind us to them "Hello!" cause they were all conversating amongst each other and weren't looking in his direction! I can go on but I'll just leave it here. Thx

It was really good! I don't know why so many people complain about the service, all the staff was so polite to me there. My empty plates were picked up under 2 minutes and glasses refilled under 2 minutes. Only thing i can say is desserts should be added to buffet, and a few more items the rest was great!

My daughter has a service dog and was denied service. We are from Texas and every where we have been we have had NO issues with entry with our dog. Under Florida's service animal law, people with disabilities who have service dogs and other assistance animals are entitled to full and equal access to an establishement. An establishment cannot require you to provide documentation that your animal is trained, and it cannot ask you about your disability. However, it can ask you whether your animal is a service animal required for your disability, and it can ask you about the work the animal has been trained to perform. We told her he was trained but we didn't have his card. He was calm. She was RUDE

The food is tasty but not piping hot, large selection of meats, salads, fruit, and sides

I love buffets and I love Cuban food so I was in heaven at this place. Staff was very friendly and the food... well the food was scrumptious. For being a buffet, the quality was great and such a vast variety of food. Mariquitas and fried yuca at every table, and servers walking by offering queso frito, croquetas de bacalao, vaca frita, tostones, ribs, and almost any other Cuban delicacies you can think of. The buffet itself offers churrasco, congri, arroz imperial, ceviche and a variety of salads. I give it five stars for what it is: a Cuban food buffet. For a delicious, all you can eat dinner (or lunch) then this is it. Plus live music on weekends. Maybe I'll run into you guys there :)

The food was great but if you have weight loss surgery stay away. Only buffet no a la carte so much good food .

I was intrigued by the concept of this restaurant. Having been born and raised in Miami and being half Cuban, I have developed a strong love for Cuban food. This was my first time hearing about a Cuban food buffet so I definitely had to check out. I wanted to visit this past Thursday night and took a peak at the restaurant as I was driving home and noticed it was completely empty. After seeing it was basically a ghost town, we decided to go elsewhere for dinner. About an hour later, as we were driving down to our destination for the night we passed the restaurant again and noticed the place was completely packed! At that moment my date and I decided we would definitely check it out during the weekend. We decided to visit Saturday night around 8:30 p.m. The restaurant was pretty full and there was loud music being played. At this point, before I continue this review, I would like to make a disclaimer. This review is based on my experience at this kind of place. I knew there would be live music so I expected it to be loud. I was not expecting a five star restaurant with soft music and the finest cuts of meat money could buy. I visited expecting the vibe of a big dinner at my family's place. The kind of night where they are blasting music and serve an absurd amount of food. The kind of meal that starts off with your abuelita or tia telling you you've gained weight and that you should be watching what you eat only to end up in a food coma later on because they keep forcing you to eat. We were greeted and seated promptly, on the opposite side of the stage where there was a talented singer performing. I would advise to request not to be seated too close to the stage if you want to have a conversation with your party. The drink list was handed to us and the waitress explained to us how the dinner worked. We ordered two shots and two mojitos and made our journey to the buffet. What You Should Try: - Kamikaze: Simple, sweet and cheap. For $3.50 it's a great way to start the night - Fresh Croquettes: There's a server that walks from table to table, offering everyone freshly made, warm croquettes. We really enjoyed the ham ones and the fish ones. - Macaroni Salad: Mmmm, so good! I'd go back just that alone. If i'm not mistaken, I don't think it contained any relish or pineapple which I was happy about. If it did, the amounts were minimal and the salad taste creamy and savory. - Churrasco: Normally I like my meat medium or medium rare and this meat was cooked more medium well-well but it was still delicious. Juicy and bursting with flavor. - Ribs: Dry rubbed and tender, the meat falls of the bone! - Ropa Vieja: They do this Cuban classic fair justice. - Pork Steaks: So tender and moist, make sure to grab extra onions for it! - Arroz Imperial: Layered yellow rice, shredded chicken, a touch of mayo, Ham topped with melted cheese. It's like an arroz con pollo that has leveled up. Make sure to eat it with a side of sweet plantains because if you're going to do something, you might as well do it the right, ya dig? Thank me later. What You Should Skip: -Ceviche: Alright, as always I like to make it known how much I LOVE Peruvian food. I should have known better than to eat ceviche from a Cuban restaurant but what can I say? I'm only human and I'm weak so I had to try it. It was bland and clearly had been marinating for way too long. - Mystery Shot: I completely forgot the name of the second shot on the drink list but judging from what I tasted it was probably vodka, simple syrup and grenadine. Stick to the kamikaze or one of the other million drinks they have to offer since they do have a full bar. - Mashed Potatoes: Again, why did I got to a Cuban restaurant to try mashed potatoes? BECAUSE CARBS ARE LIFE, THAT'S WHY! With that said, you're better off with the rice or yucca selection. I enjoyed this place because of the nostalgia it brought me. The food tasted homemade. The atmosphere was warm and we left extremely satisfied. I'll most likely be back soon to try their soups, beans and desserts but the first impression they made was definitely a positive one.

Great food and service. If you like the loud Hispanic atmosphere like being in a family gathering than you will enjoy this restaurant. If you like quiet don't bother going this place is not for you. Us Hispanics are loud we don't have a volume control lol

Love the restaurant love the food love the service the fact that tried to sell me Flan and telling me it is Pudin. it's a lot better to say that you are out of Pudin or that the cook made a mistake than to make the customer feeling confused about the problem or the flame which I know what to put in his and I know what the plan is

This place has variety! They have mac and cheese, Chinese rice, some of the best carne de res I've had, mashed potatoes, and they were all very delicious. I had a flan and it was sweet and soft. The environment is very comfortable and the waiters are very kind.