Francisco's Restaurant

The jerk chicken has so good and a great value for $15. I loved the sauce so much I bought a bottle to take home. I returned 4 hours later with friends to have dinner! The oxtail was so tender and the goat was good but not amazing. Highly recommend that you eat here!

This is my absolute favorite restaurant. If you have not tried Francisco‘s this is a must try place. I am a regular here and I get oxtails with coconut rice and beans every time they have wonderful staff great prices and delicious amazing food.!

Very nice spot! Easy to get to and park nearby. Was greeted upon entering and had a great experience overall. The Jamaican beef patty was delicious — filling was flavorful and the crust was flaky. Ordered the whole fish, steamed, with veggie rice. The fish was flaky and delicious in the coconut broth. Also tried a side of jerk chicken — stellar! Flavorful and marinated throughout the meat and was very juicy! Loved everything!

The staff seemed overwhelmed and a little grumpy (which was sort of funny), and so I didn't expect much of the food. But I was willing to try it anyway. And boy am I glad I did. The empanadas and jerk chicken were fantastic. Really good quality everything-even the sauces. I paid more than I had expected, but after my meal, I feel it was worth it.

This is an awesome place. It's nice to have a Caribbean restaurant that also sells Cuban food. The empanadas are fantastic and I love the fact that the Empanada the day had plantains along with the meat and cheese. The Cuban steak sandwich was phenomenal and the portions of sandwich and fries or generous. Friendly owners and a nice looking restaurant. Strongly recommend.

Well I was glad to have found them. I have for over 15 years loved jerk flavored Jamaican food. So to see this Caribbean place i was like cool. However, I always drove up to the city for Pimentos because i didnt think there was a place here in Rochester. Anyway, I ordered 3 times today. First 2 times, I was in person pick up. The I did a door dash order from them. I purchased 3 orders of jerk chicken, coconut rice and peas w/ plantains. It was the bomb. Then I ordered Curry chicken, rice n peas, w/ plantains. Not a fan. The curry sauce was thin and chicken didn't taste right. Also the Jamaican beef patties were good but not stuffed at all. More crust then the beef inside. Last order was the jerk chicken tacos. I was very disappointed because it was sloppy and im unsure of what kind of sauce was thrown on there. On top of that, my chicken was cold. Now after spending close to $110 for all my meals today, I wasn't sure if I'd be back simply due to the tacos. I tried to get my refund back. However, didn't get that back through doordash. So was definitely hoping for a great experience so I wouldn't have to drive that hour for my usual jerk cravings. But I think I will have to unfortunately. Thanks for your quick service. Hope business gets better.

The food here is always tasty with great service. I had a catastrophic malfunction with my take out order where the food was so hot it melted through the styrofoam. I called the restaurant and they replaced it within 20 minutes! Will always recommend this place for their customer service and great food!

The Sweet Plantains were simply fantastic, maybe best part of this simple meal. Also good was my Jerk Chicken. Seems that the chicken is smoked for any meal, then sauce as appropriate is applied or provided as the case may be. Her Mango/Pineapple chicken hit the spot too. I had coconut rice, and that was totally different from my imagination. Not like Thai coconut, but a very worthy meal companion just the same. But the Sweet Plantains, yeah, I could make a meal out of a plate of those! Totally worth a stop, but think food court instead of Fancy Restaurant and you will enjoy your food. Many take out meals moved through the front door while I consumed at a table.

Small restaurant but don't let it fool you. The food is authentic, hearty and hits your soul like no other! Staffs are friendly! Love their oxtail and selection of rice!

Fantastic! We tried their food at the Thursday on First this week, only to return tonight to see what more was on the menu. And I'm in love. Service is friendly and the ambience matches their vibe. I may only be up this way 1-2 times every few years, but every single time you can now plan on me going here. My favorites: yucca fries, jerk chicken, jerk pork, spicy Cuban and lord don't you forget those spicy beef patties!! Why we can't find a place like this in Chicagoland I'll never understand. Maybe one day. Had a pretty lousy day today, so your food and smiles and great service was exactly what we needed. Keep up the great work!

Very nice spot! Easy to get to and park nearby. Was greeted upon entering and had a great experience overall. The Jamaican beef patty was delicious -- filling was flavorful and the crust was flaky. Ordered the whole fish, steamed, with veggie rice. The fish was flaky and delicious in the coconut broth. Also tried a side of jerk chicken -- stellar! Flavorful and marinated throughout the meat and was very juicy! Loved everything!

Came in for a Jamaican Beef Pattie. I was skeptical about authenticity in Rochester but when I heard the accent of the server, I knew it would be ok. Would love to try the jerk chicken next time. Beef pattie crust was flaky and sweet. Also meat wasn't too dry. Would have loved a bit more flavor in the form of pepper but it was overall ok. Service was relatively quick since I just wanted the patty.

The food is amazing ! Staff and service is top tier! Best food and smoothies in Rochester I wanted a smoothie for breakfast and found everything I wanted and was craving .Plenty to eat if you are vegetarian!

Fun little restaurant located conveniently in heart of downtown Rochester. This was my 1st time, and I am excited to rank this as one of my favorite local eats and recent hidden gem. Francisco offers Caribbean food is delicious, reasonably priced, and made by the team with love, laughter, and happiness. Reminded me of Pimento in the Cities. Ordered - Curry Empanada (4/5). Hot off the grill, this was piping hot with mouth watering with a curry that reminded me of home. A 1, 2 biter of yummy goodness. - Pineapple BBQ Chicken with Cilantro Rice, Plantains, and Island Slaw (4/5). Delicious. The cilantro rice was unique and flavorful - something new I never had. The BBQ chicken was similar but slightly different at the same time. Great spot with good people and vibes. Can't wait to re-visit and try other dishes like a nice ol' Cuban sandwich. cheers!

Great food and the colada was good. Smaller restaurant but has plenty of seating. Staff were nice and patient when I was selecting order.

On a chilly December day, Francisco's made me feel like I had been transported to the Caribbean! Cute decide, clean, bright with friendly staff. The place smelled amazing and my jerk pork with coconut rice and fried plantains was amazing. This is legitimately as good as anything you would find in Jamaica and I can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu. Seriously, just go.

Francisco's is a small joint. Service moves at slow and friendly pace... island time! You'll wait for your food and it is very much worth it. I ordered curried whole sautéed snapper. The pic isn't much to look at but the fish was delish! Cilantro rice was meh. I tried my husbands saffron rice and that was better. Great place, great menu. totally worth a visit.

Yum! One of the best Cubans I've had in MN. Done right with the thinly-sliced ham, thin bread, and firmly pressed. Just the right amount of mustard, pickles, and cheese. Jamaican slaw was delicious but the portion could've been bigger. The chicken croquettes....nom nom nom. Excellent. Dipped in that cilantro lime sauce....*chef's kiss.* Too bad I'm not from the area, otherwise I would return.

Very clean, convenient to St Mary's, but the food lacked flavor. I ordered online and picked up within 15 mins. The jerk chicken was good. We ordered extra sauces, and glad we did so, as the rice was a little bland. The jerk pork tacos were drenched in sauce, and it made everything soggy. I fished out pieces of meat, and ate those with the rice, but could not consume the rest - it was literally soupy because of too much sauce. My recommendation for the tacos - please, provide all sauce on the side. The flan was too sweet, and consistency resembled cheesecake. The mango shake was good.

My husband and I went here for lunch on a Saturday. We're glad to have found a good latin place to eat in Rochester! The food is wonderful; we ate passion fruit smoothie, cheese pastry, curry chicken empanada, spicy Cuban sandwich, and Cuban club. The cheese pastry was the best!!! The only reason I subtracted 1 star is that the lady who took our order demonstrated poor customer service toward us. She gave us attitude when we attempted to order and cut us off stating "I'm waiting to finish this catering order." So we waited for a little until another employee told her to just take our order. No apology.. just an eye candy roll. It just gave us a bad first impression. However, since the food is excellent, we will be back.. And hopefully I can change this to 5 star!

Looking for something close and good to eat. How's like 15 feet from our Marriott Springhill Suites parking lot?! Yeah, walking distance HA! Tonight was Caribbean/Cuban night in Rochester! We lived in Florida and it has some really good eats! It lives up to it here. Judy got a kick ass spicy Jerk Chicken Sandwich! I got the Francisco Cuban add Pickles! Our lady asked if we liked it hot so she added a Scotch Bonnet peeper sauce authentic to Jamaica Mon! We bought a bottle on the spot. The wife likes heat and it pleased her tastebuds. The Jerk Chicken kicked it spice-wise and was a very good sandwich and she got fried plantains as a side. I like heat but she can handle higher heat than me, we split half each other's sandwiches. Mine was awesome as far as Cuban's go as a house special one. Usually Cuban's are thin and pressed tight. Because of extras it was thicker and the bread suffered a bit becoming loose. More sub-like than Cuban, but still working! I got fried yucca as my side with a cilantro sauce. Fantastic! Eat it in the sandwiches' paper instead of fully unwrapping it. Flavor-wise awesome and solid! They close at 8:00 PM so get there in time! We did!

A surprising find coming to MN. If looking for a little taste of the Caribbean, this place surely delivers! The coconut rice and peas give me a touch of nostalgia every time.

Love this place! Whole snapper is as good as walleye! Add some cilantro lime and that is Minnesota / Caribbean fusion heaven!

Best Authentic Food! Love love there sweet plantains. The jerk pork comes with sauce but since it season so well I never need it.

Came for a second trip while visiting Mayo and found it to be even better than we remembered. I got the jerk chicken this time, even though I thought it was tacky to get jerk chicken at a Caribbean restaurant- that was dumb thinking on my part. They are known for jerk chicken for a reason!!! It was amazing! My wife got the Curry snapper- also amazing! Little place with BIG flavor. You should make the visit!

been going here for a while and they're overcharging people, and false advertising on the menu the jerk pasta says its only $14-$16 somewhere around that and she tried to charge me $22. Asked how much the empanadas is she told me $14 for a 1 empanada I asked her how so when they were originally $8 she said "let me check, of they're $9" how did you go from 14 to $9? I think they're overcharging those who don't realize. and it's not right at all.

Round 4. Francisco's delivers each and every time. They are quickly moving to the #1 spot of favorite places to eat in town. I went simple with the jerk tacos again and added fish tacos. I'm more partial to a fresh over fried fish taco, but their fried fish is so good there's not even an inch of room to criticize or pull a "if only they...". I think next time might have to be a move to some of the main dishes (big bites) like the oxtail, but its always so difficult to move off of the things you've already had that have been so awesome you can't tear yourself away. You know what I'm talkin' about. I might have to have a huge "family style dinner" at my place, where we get one of everything and everyone just chows on a bit of everything. Some empanadas & croquettes need to go on the to-do list as well. PS - I missed my round 3 review, it was on a weekend so I got distracted with other stuff. Awesome food as always, but we did have to wait an extra 25 minutes past our pick up time for the order. Now, one can complain about that or one can be happy that a place that (I assume) gets mostly hospital traffic was actually very busy on a Saturday @ lunch, causing a back up. Me? I would rather wait 25 extra minutes, even 25% of the time, vs having this place disappear due to lack of business. All is forgiven once that food hits your taste buds!! Plus, in our "fast food" minded society, maybe having to wait for something once in a while might do us some good. Maybe we all need a little more "island time" in our lives? But I digress...

A hidden gem that is a must try if you are craving Carribean Cuban food. Goat curry is so tender yet mild and light even with curry. Can't wait to try the oxtail next time. Friendly service and you can tell they care about their food and service. Lots of love.

Closed not sure if they are still in business. Lights out and no one there at 4pm on a Monday when the index said they would be open. Sorry maybe another day??? Need to update hours at the least to save another person a fruitless trip.

Great place. I lived in South Florida for 10 years, and I had plenty of authentic Cuban sandwiches during that time. This place has the best Cubans I have found outside of Florida. The Cuban Croquette sandwich is also excellent. Convenient location for people visiting St Mary's. Parking might be a challenge for those coming into town just to eat here, but the food is worth it.

Jamaican Chicken Platter was super good only thing is rice could use a little more salt and the slaw was not that good. Chicken was super juicy and service was great. Food came out quick and the spot was pretty clean.

This place is hard to find, but you can actually access it from within the Mayo Clinic by going to the underground level and using the tunnels there. If you're walking outside -- it's inside the food court of the mall, tucked away in a corner a floor up. I enjoyed the stew fish I had here today - it was spicy with a crispy outer skin and perfect flaky white meat. It was served with a few plantains, choice of rice (yellow please!) and I also ordered a Cubano. They asked me if I wanted sugar with the Cubano, which I thought was interesting since typically cuban coffee seems to have some sugar blended in, but I guess they don't want to assume! All in all - a solid place for lunch. I'd recommend Francisco's Cuban Cafe!

Definitely one of my favorite restaurant in Rochester! Best Ox tail and curry goat. You can even ask for mixing them into half and half. Man Jerk chicken with their special sauce, only one bit would take you to the paradise!

Enjoyed the spicy jerk chicken plate with salad and flavorful yellow rice. Very clean and colorful place with a varied menu and friendly staff. Can't wait to go back!

Doesn't look like much from the outside, but is a gem. Smelled great as I walked past. Very glad I stopped in. Great authentic food and happy atmosphere.

Best Cuban food in Minnesota! Definitely a hidden gem. Locate inside the galleria. So glad there is Cuban food in Rochester. This place is owned by a family from Miami, they moved here 2 or 3 years ago. They are great people. Service is fast. I normally get their Steak Sandwich, it is super delicious! Will post picture of that soon. Highly recommend!

My favorite place to eat in Rochester, MN. Great fresh food every time! Small restaurant but take out is just as good!

I had the jerk chicken sandwich and it blew my mind. The bread was freshly baked and had a little crunch to it. The chicken was grilled with possibly a jerk rub or Caribbean rub on it then, pulled apart. They loaded the sandwich with chicken then covered it with shredded lettuce and fresh tomatoes. They drizzled a jerk seasoned Mayo on it and cut it in half. You've got to try this sandwich. It's got a little spice to it, but it didn't burn my tongue off. It was full of flavor. I live in Indiana but travel through MN 4 times a year. This particular route isn't standard but for this incredible food, I may make the route change. Hood to see you guys again soon. I'll be thinking about your food in the meantime. Also, very friendly staff and a very clean setup.

Great food, fast service. Jerk Chicken was juicy, smoky, just the right spice level.

We got the oxtail which had huge oxtail servings, the crispy fried snapper, with Jamaican spices which was excellent, and a Cuban sandwich. All super delicious and flavorful. I actually ate there 3 times in the week I was in town.

Traveling from out of town, I was so happy to come across this Caribbean gem. The curry was full of flavor, fall off the bone deliciousness. Beef Pattie's are a must, and the Cuban bread was on point making this cuban sandwich legit. The staff was friendly and helpful. I would eat here again!!!

The food is amazing and the staff is so nice All the food we have tried has been top notch and so flavorful Thank you for always being great!

Deliciousness that had my wife saying "oh now I don't need to go back to Miami,". Thats a ringing endorsement if I've cover heard one. For myself I love knowing I can get fried plantains and authentic Cuban sandwiches in a charming little neighborhood place near St.Marys hospital. Yum!

Everything they make is really good, but the stars are the jerk chicken or the red snapper escovitch. Small, maybe 8 tables.

Stopped at this Skyway level (2nd story) joint in a food court area for a late afternoon bite. At 4pm, they were in shutdown mode when I made my order for a Cuban Sandwich with fries. The sandwich was thin and good and came with lots of good crispy fries. From the looks of this business and the other joints, they cater mainly to the lunch crowd from adjoining hotels, government offices, and the Mayo Clinic.

A hidden gem of Rochester! Right across from St Mary's, it's on the beaten path but overlooked for so long. The staff are amazing. The food is consistently great--we have gone back every day for a week it's so good! You can do carribean spicy or Minnesota nice. And the prices are quite reasonable, you would pay more at a chain fast casual.

We've lived here 6 years and this is the first time we had full meals here. My friends end once bought me empanadas, which were delicious, but I avoided going to the subway location as it's a hassle. The newer location is much easier for me. I got the Cuban sandwich and it was one of the best I've had. My wife opted for the pineapple BBQ chicken and liked it a lot. We also got empanadas and the guava cheese pastry, which was outstanding. We shall return

We got a pineapple and a guava pastry, with a papaya and milk smoothie, and then a mango without milk smoothie. It was amazing they cook it when you get there so it's really fresh I recommend eating your pastry fresh 10 out of 10 makes a huge difference!

This is our SECOND time eating from here (we've only been in Rochester 3 days), actually we did get just the Cuban espresso once so ... lol 3X's. First time we had no clue what to order, ended up with amazing tacos, empanadas, coconut rice and papaya cheesecake!! All Delish!!! Last night we had to have more, at the suggestion of a kind young gentleman we chatted with on our first visit, we tried Jamaican jerk chicken AND... braised Oxtail ... not something either of us would ever ever thought to try. Each bite was more amazing than the last!!! The flavors are incredible, moist, fall off the bone tender! Finished with the leche cake ...WOW & yum!! My pics do not do it justice

Located on the 2nd floor of a food court, you probably wouldn't expect to find much in terms of value AND quality. Surrounded by typical food court offerings like burgers and utility Americanized Chinese food is the "diamond in the rough" Francisco's Cuban Café. Not to miss dishes include the braised oxtail, curry goat, and brown stew fish. All served with your choice of rice and delicious plantains (yum!), Francisco's serves the best lunch you can get in Rochester. If oxtail and goat sound off-putting to you, leave your apprehensions behind and let your taste buds introduce you to a different culture. This is honest, ethnic cooking. Currently open Mon-Fri only, Francisco's will be opening a new location directly across from St. Mary's Hospital where its delectable morsels can be had 7 days a week. Come hungry, come curious, come with an open mind, and just plain come to Francisco's.

Wonderful little place across from St Mary's hospital at Mayo Clinic. I LOVE the Jerked Chicken sandwich!!

I have been wanting to try this place for awhile now but haven't been able to because I work Monday - Friday and they're closed on the weekends. Thanks to the wonderful app DoorDash I finally got my chance! They just added Francisco's to their restaurant list so I was quick to order delivery and boy was I amazed! I got the Ropa Vieja special with yellow rice and plantains and my coworker got the Jerk Chicken Tacos. Omg it was all so amazing! We're both sitting here at work, stuffed, content, and finding it hard to get back to work after lunch lol! I'm a Florida girl and there are some pretty amazing Cuban places there. The dish I had today holds their own compared to the restaurants in Florida that I had it at. I cannot wait to try the rest of the menu. Thank you Francisco's and thank you DoorDash for allowing me to eat an amazing meal!

Food was great : had the Jerk goat curry. Really loved it. Coconut rice was also good were the empanadas and fried plantains

Delicious food, charming atmosphere, incredibly nice staff. Highly recommended.

My friends have been raving about this place for months. Yesterday, I was perusing GrubHub for options when I discovered that Francisco's is still delivering amidst COVID! I ordered the Jerk Chicken with coconut rice and peas and.... my life is changed. The rice was so fragrant, I ate it alone. The chicken was incredibly tender. The jerk sauce brought tears to my eyes (mostly because it was divine, partly because it packs a nice kick too). The sweet plantains are beyond words. Maybe I am so overwhelmed because it's finals week as well, but truly, this was so good, I told every one of my friends about it. My boyfriend and I are both ordering Francisco's for lunch again. I'm looking forward to the Cuban pork sandwich already.

Got an inexpensive dinner of coconut rice and peas and a beef and cheese empanada. Really delicious and less than $8!

My kids 6 & 8 years old voted this place for the best sandwich in town. I came and check out other food on the menu and boy the curry is awesome!!!! Please come and check out this place coconut rice, jamaican chicken curry and goat. Very convenient too if you are around St. mary's campus the place is just across the street. Clean inside no flies around. friendly cashier too that would recommend food base on what you like either spicy or not.