Guantanamera Cuban Cuisine

Went in after the lunch rush. At around 3 or 4.
Ordered the Cubano sandwich.
It was dry. Lacking in flavor.
A Cubano should be moist, cheesy and have a golden look to it.
The bread seemed stale. The beef was dry/​bland
Mustard was barley noticeable
Left very unsatisfied. How can an iconic meal, something so simple be so boring?
The place is clean and has a classic interior design with all the tropes that come with a Cuban restaurant.
Overall I give it a 2 out of a 5

This place is really cool. The food is great and the service was good too :) one thing you need to keep in mind is that the portions are biiiiig. Another great thing about this place I guess!

Amazing food. Best Cuban sandwich ever — the roast pork makes it. The tostones came four to the order, we got half with Roma vieja, half ketch on. Just delicious. Best of all was the empanadas with beef, so good we had to order another.

Good food, growing up in south Florida where Cuban food is GREAT, there was a high expectation coming to this place. It’s quant, good music, great service and AUTHENTIC Cuban food. Try the Churrasco, Lechon Asado and croquetas! Carmelized onions are good too! Will not disappoint!

Delightful. Nice décor, good food. The Hemingway cocktails with aged dark rum are a must. Croquetas were tasty, particularly the ham and that crazy rich mojo sauce for dipping. Light crust and moist filling. The black bean dip with plantain chips was also a top notch appetizer. The cubano sandwich was good, but not life changing, and the yuca was the only bad thing we had. It was reminiscent of stewed wallpaper paste. The service is really what kept it from more stars. Our friendly, helpful wait staff was overwhelmed with the Friday crowd. They really need to fix front of house operations. Next time I hope to try the arroz con pollo.

Beat civiche I have had in Austin hands down. I can not get enough of it. Plus fresh made guacamole, litterally right when your order it. Both served with fried plantain chips. DELICIOUS! Pair with a signature Cuban cocktail and life is perfect!!!

Awesome comfort food. You will leave here feeling full and in need of a nap.
Appetizer: Tostada Rellenos (or something?) — This shit was insanely good
Entrée #1: Lechon Asado — Real good. Get the black bean & rice mixture stuff it’s toit.
Entrée #2: Carne con Papa — Also good but not as good as the Lechon Asado. Tastes basically like pot roast and a little bit like carne guisada.
Drinks: Alejo’s something or other (Cuban coffee with milk & foam) — Super badass.
Tip: Choose plantains or fries as your side — the small side salad was way small like a couple pieces of lettuce and a tomato.

Found this place by accident and was pleasantly surprised. The Pollo Fricassee was delicious and tender. The Mamey Shake left something to be desired though — I’m not sure if it just wasn’t milky enough, but it wasn’t very sweet and not what I am used to. But I was impressed that they had mamey to begin with, so kudos for trying!

Ugh. I don’t Unilocal.I think Southpark is right about Unilocalers. Actually taking time to do this. Food is a 3.5. Go to Habana if food alone is what you care about.
Bought a $ 20 Groupon for $ 13, walked in spent $ 62.50, cocktails, two appetizers, ordered off the dinner menu. Handed the lady the Groupon and she refused it, bc it was lunch time. Huh? Asked what she meant, she said the Cuban sandwich was on lunch special, I said, oh, so charge me the dinner price and take the Groupon. Disgusted, I tipped just 18% and walked out. I don’t Unilocal.I work nights starting at 1:00AM, so this is our dinner.
Now that I have out knives, I’m complaining about things I don’t normally even notice. We sat at bar, and during that time the employees had a long boring loud intrusive conversation about another restaurant, their lives, and everything except, «Sir, do you want another drink?» «Miss, is your order right?»
I will extract revenge. Wife will go in sit and order $ 20 to the line, tip 18% and leave. And then do it again, hell I will probably buy Groupons for other people on the condition they extract enough pain from these people until I feel vindicated.

Best Cuban food in Austin is right here! Having recently moved from Miami it’s been so painfully difficult (stomach pains) to find the Cuban food we know and miss so dearly. We’ve tried Habana Soco and the other «Cuban» food here in Austin but so far Guantanamera is the clear winner! Our fave dish is the Lechon and fave drink is the Hemingway. They have a great happy hour here too! And the Cuban coffee that they serve here is actually Cuban coffee! Sounds like a no-​brainer but what Habana Soco claims is Cuban coffee actually isn’t. And whoever knows Cuban coffee knows that you don’t mess around with that. Give them a visit, you won’t be disappointed. We’ve already sent a bunch of our neighbors there who’ve never had Cuban food before and they’re hooked!

I can’t say enough good things about Guantanamera. This place is crazy good!!! I’ve never had a bad meal there; however, the Lechon Asado is amazing! Also, if recommend a rum infusion, yum!!!

This place is awesome. There’s just no denying it. I’m not sure if there are other authentic Cuban restaurants in this city, but after eating here twice I have no reason to look elsewhere. The food is absolutely delicious, the wait staff is helpful and friendly, and the ambiance is inviting.
In an otherwise desolate-​looking strip mall with a vast, empty parking lot sits an oasis that can serve you one hell of a meal if you know where to go. Just look for the cool red sign that says «Guantanamera». As soon as you enter, it’s like you’re in a different place. The interior is quaint, with pictures on the walls, nice décor, and a hip little bar near the back. Refined dining is the way to put it. Unlike the plaza it’s in, this restaurant feels comfortable.
Oh man, the food. I’ve had the lechon asado, which was very well-​cooked pork but slightly light on seasoning. And I’ve had the ropa vieja, their shredded beef masterpiece that is super juicy and packed with amazing Cuban flavors. I was in heaven eating it, and it was so much food I had to take leftovers — a rarity for me. You get rice and beans on the side, which only makes the dish better. The beans are stewed so well it would make its own tasty soup. Tip: mix the rice and beans together to make them even more savory and get the different textures. The plate is huge, and everything is good.
Did I mention my love for plantains? Thank god for Latin and Caribbean cuisine that features them heavily. Here you can get maduros (cooked sweet plantains) or tostones (fried unsweet plantains, paired with a killer garlic sauce called mojo) on the side. I would eat them both all day long if possible. Plantain and garlic… the ingredients that complement each other never cease to surprise me. And don’t forget dessert — their rice pudding is out of this world. It tastes like cinnamon or nutmeg, it’s super creamy, and the raisins add a nice touch. Pudding is not something I normally eat, but this will be a wonderful exception.
If you love food — it doesn’t even matter what kind — you should try Guantanamera. It’s a stuff-​your-​face experience that will leave in a state of spiritual awakening. Or something like that.

When we first walk in right away we where greeted .
That’s a plus we where ask if we wanted a booth or table other plus. we ask for a booth our waitress seem or is very shy that’s very bad working in a restaurant business

This was an awesome little surprise. I had no idea this place even existed until I stopped by the Chase ATM in the shopping complex and smelled something amazing coming from next door. I was starving and had cash in hand, so I let my nose lead my stomach inside.
Totally not what I expected from a strip mall restaurant. It was super vibrant and warm inside. Rapid-​fire Spanish was being spoken and punctuated by the sounds of people practically drooling over their sandwiches. Good sign.
We ordered a few small things from the bar to go; some black bean hummus (AMAZING) with plantain chips and the stuffed zucchini boats with mixed black beans and rice. The zucchini boats were delicious, but the rice mix was a little bland. It just paled in comparison the other flavors on the plate.
Also, the drinks are bomb. Had a strawberry mojito while I waited and one left me tispsy.
Definitely going back!

After eating at Guantanamera, I want to marry a red head named Lucy, play in a band, and make friends with my Landlord named Fred.
I’m not so sure I’ve ever truly had Cuban food before. During my poor college years, I would take white rice and mix it with black beans, but that’s about as close as I’ve gotten. This restaurant is located in the shopping center at west gate and west William cannon. It’s nestled in the back. You may not even see right away. It’s a cozy place that probably seats around fifty people and they even have a closed off patio outside.
The service was really top notch considering there was one guy manning the entire front of the house. Eventually another guy showed up, but bravo to the original guy. He held down the fort.
The food is great and so is the décor. I really liked the nice touch of keeping all the table condiments in cigar boxes. There were some real Cubans eating here. So I have to assume the food is authentic. With the Cuban music playing, I now need to take a trip to Havana.

So the hubby and I went out for a double date night here and I was so excited to try it out. One word — yummy!!! I ordered the Cuban Churrasco with a side of Yuca con mojo. Omg the yuca was soooooo delicious!!! If you love a potato kinda thing topped with garlic — this is the nicest comfort food The meat was good and the chimichurri was good too. I would definitely go again. Excellent prices for yummy food

I LOVE Cuban food, and Guantanamera did not disappoint! I had the Pollo Fricasse, and I can honestly say I’ve never had such tender chicken. It was falling off the bone… super tender and juicy. Black beans were on point too. DEFINITELY try the Hemingway cocktail. It’s like a mojito martini. Super refreshing and well crafted!
The tostones were cooked perfectly, and their wings are super crunchy and great as well! My only critique was for the wings– the menu describes them as being seasoned with lemon pepper, and perhaps they are, but after frying you simply can’t taste any sort of seasoning. They’re just good fried wings. Not fried lemon pepper wings. The mojo here is also a type of garlic-​oil, instead of a more meaty red sauce based sauce (which is what I was hoping for).

We’re from South Florida, so we have been on the prowl for good Cuban food. This place was pretty good, but could use some improvement. Our waitress was nice but seemed like she was not happy to be there. I hate when that happens, cause it ruins the patron’s experience and has nothing to do with the actual food.
We started with empanadas and tostones, which were delicious! And that garlic sauce! Mmmmm…
I got that Quimbobo, which was good, but tasted a little tart, as if the okra was canned. It was very flavorful and the rice (congris) more than made up for it. My honey got the Cuban sandwich, but the bread wasn’t Cuban bread and they used what looks like a panini press to flatten the bread. Also, the boniato fries were not actual boniato, but sweet potatoes. Still, the flavors were there.
I would go back again, but will stick to the classic Cuban dishes. Oh and the passion fruit juice with water is delicious!

Just a quick review here:
Service: Pretty good. Kind of hard to flag down the waitress, even though it wasn’t that busy, but she was nice and helpful.
Ambiance: Lots of traditional Cuban music, and the inside is reminiscent of a street café in Havana (I presume :), mixed with modern elements.
Food: Portions were generous! Flavoring was good albeit not exactly memorable. Also, the food was more lukewarm by the time we received it, for some reason, but at least not cold.
Drinks: The mojitos, daiquiris and other drinks looked great, but we opted to try a mamey smoothie to try out a new fruit (the mamey) we never had before. Pretty good! Very fresh, and tasted like vanilla and banana mixed together. The hubs got a Cubano, and said it was hot and tasty.
Overall, not sure if we’d make a special effort to get out here again, but it quelled our craving for Cuban, so we liked it.

They opened March 3^rd and I went on March 26 and 27. That in mind, here was my experience. I ordered takeout the first time and had apps and mojitos the second time.
Interior:
The bar has these very tall chairs, fit for a giant, but then the architect made the bar itself too tall. Same for the booths. The booth is shorter than the table, by about a foot. The interior involved lots of Cuban murals, and very slow moving ceiling fans that look as if they are being fanned by the ocean air. I really liked the ambience, once I was inside, and not staring at the Dollar Store next door.
Drinks:
The drinks are great, and $ 4 during happy hour for a pint-​glass of mojitos that are hand made at the bar.
Food:
Tried the ropa vieja (beef) and the lechon asada (pork) as well as an empanada filled with eggplant. First of all, the eggplant empanada was huge! It was the size of three McDonalds apple fritters squashed together and had the same consistency. And it was $ 2. I picture the more typical empanadas, that are drier and tiny and filled with meat and raisins and whatnot. The lechon asada, that comes with rice and beans, was a bit on the greasy side. And the ropa vieja was not super memorable. The plantains were really yummy. And the maduros (fried plantains) were like little plantain potato chips.
The apps were the guacamole with fried plantain chips and that was pretty tasty; the yucca con mojo is an enormous mountain of food drizzled with mojo (oil, lime juice, garlic, and cumin); the croquettas (one with fish and one with pork but the waiter was unable to tell us which was which).
I don’t know Cuban food that well so I’ll just say I’ll be trying the all-​day sandwiches next.
Service:
No water ever arrived. And no waiter knew which table should have which dish? Yours? Yours? Yours? Ours! And then it was 20 minutes to get the bill. But the bill was twice what it should have been because it had yours, mine, and ours listed on it. 20 minutes later we get the revised bill (the computer’s fault is what we were told), and then it was 20 more minutes before the payment was taken. The Cuban motto might encourage kindness above all else but after a twenty minute wait in the parking lot on the front end, it sort of adds up. Yes, we were hostages on a Friday night, but we made it out. And, yes, we will be back.