Cuban Diner

Delicious!!! We had ½ Cuban Sandwich and it comes with 2 sides. I had the yellow rice and some plantain dish. I can’t remember what it was called. They have 2 plantain sides and I got one and my husband got the other. They were both delicious but I liked the softer one best. Everything tasted fresh and everything was seasoned to perfection. We also got a beef empanada to split. It was fantastic. Our waitress was SO helpful and nice. We will definitely be back!!!

I have heard and seen this restaurant in an exhausted shopping center near the Big Chicken but never visited until last Saturday. We arrived at 6:30 and were seated at the last table available– always an encouraging sign when a restaurant, with no exterior lighting (the neon marquis is broken, the windows are shaded– if one did not know better, one would think the restaurant was closed), is packed full.
We were greeted by an intoxicatingly spicy aroma and an attentive staff who kept apologizing for our wait even though we had no service issues. The food came promptly, was exceedingly flavorable, and the house wine at $ 15 A BOTTLE just added to the experience. As business wound down the new owner Dorian walked throughout the restaurant chatting wirth the customers.
Dorian (a Cuban native) and his wife bought the Cuban Diner from longtime owner Jose last fall; by all accounts the transition has been seamless. I have seen some low review scores which might have come during the changeover but, from our experience, must have been an outlier situation. We are looking forward to returning often!

Best Cuban coffee in Marietta hands down!
Haven’t had the food yet, but why eat when I can be jacked up on espresso?

The food was great. We had the chicken mojito and lechon assada. Cuban rice were just too good and the citrus sauce added in the chicken mojito with the Cuban rice have a wonderful refreshing taste. Many things were firsts for us including the amazing tres leches dessert. It’s heavy, and sweet, but just too irresistible. It was a first for us to have Yuka or the two types (savory and sweet) planktains. The décor and locality may not be the best, but the food is great.
This young couple recently bought this place from an earlier owner and I hope they succeed. They seem to have the passion and drive to pull them though, maybe brightening up the place and improving the décor can bring their vibrant personalities into the front of the house as well.

My friend invited my family to try out this restaurant.
I’m not very adventurous in my dinning choice.
They ran out of their famous fried chicken tonight.
I had a thin steak that taste pretty good. I ordered a great cup of coffee. My son had the beef stew that’s he ate in a hurry. He is usually not a big picky eater but when he ate with that speed, that dish should be good. He ordered the three leche cake which he did not think about sharing.
The service was great. Sadly, I may not return since the food was not a stand out for my visit.

Great Cuban food. I only do take out but I have never been disappointed and my order is always ready when I get there and I only live a couple miles away.

I was surprised by the experience I had at Cuban Diner. Given the overwhelming positive reviews, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, Cuban Diner didn’t live up to its billing on my visit I have a few theories why, as you will see below.
First, let’s start with the good. The staff was friendly and helpful. They were quick to refill drinks and left a good impression. They also had some attitude (in the *good* sense) — one joked with me about disliking yucca fries. I liked the staff and they were the best part of the experience.
Now, the negative… I’m not sure what happened, but our food wasn’t as good as I expected. We ordered an appetizer sampler with empanadas, coquetas, tostones and maduros. The empanadas were good, but the rest were just okay. I was suspicious about how quickly they came out of the kitchen. When we entered, there was only one other table of people eating. They delivered the sampler only a minute or two after we ordered. It almost had to be re-​heated and my suspicions were confirmed when I got a cold bite from the empanada.
We ordered a set of sandwiches to share, so I sampled several. The Pan Con Bistec Delux was the first I tried. The bread was really hard and not pressed like I expect from Cuban sandwiches. It looked like something from Subway! The flavor was bland. I did not like the way the meat was seasoned. It wasn’t poorly cooked, there just wasn’t any taste.
The El Cubano was not much better. The ham was slimy! This time, the bread was fully pressed, but too much so! The top was completely dry and brittle, so when you bit it, it kind of exploded into powder.
Finally, the Cuban Chicken Sandwich… Oh boy. The menu described it as like a «chicken Sloppy Joe» and it wasn’t kidding. It really tasted like a chicken Sloppy Joe. The bread was better on this one, but it still wasn’t very good.
Of the three sandwiches, we were only able to eat the Cuban Chicken. The other two went unfinished. Given the restaurant’s glowing reviews, the taste of the food surprised me. I read more reviews, and someone mentioned that the old owner was no longer with the restaurant. A change in ownership and management might be to blame. Whatever the case, I hope they take a serious look at the preparation side of things. The goodwill from years of positive reviews will wear off quickly if this is the new standard for Cuban Diner.

Great food and the wait staff is very attentive and prompt. They get your food out quickly… very impressed for my first visit.

Saturday evening – 7:00 pm – in Marietta, we arrive in a nearly deserted strip shopping center in that has no lights on. After a search, we locate and enter an equally empty Cuban Diner in Marietta. One table is occupied. We should have turned around and walked out, but alas, we didn’t…bad decision.
First the good… the empanadas were decent and the servers were polite.
The bad… despite praise from many reviewers, our experience was very poor. The food was sub-​par across the board.
The cuban chicken sandwich was lots of bread with a dusting of a bland chicken sloppy joe mixture. The pan con bistec was billed as grilled sirloin steak and grilled onions. In reality it was a tasteless mix of glob on lots of bread. The El Cubano was slick, greasy, and tasteless on (yes) lots of bread.
Their mojitos were served in juice sized glasses, but that was fine because they were weak and not good either. Our party of four was uniformly disappointed in the food and drinks.
This place should be ashamed to be serving such poor quality food. I definitely would recommend that people stay away — which most folks appear to be doing without my advice.

Great hidden gem in Marietta. Authentic Cuban food that you can smell as soon as you walk in the door. Everything we had from the pork to the yuca fries were delicious, and purely authentic. We also ordered some cuban coffee, and it definitely will wake you up if you’re not ready for it. I will definitely be going back here for lunch again.
Atmosphere is great, and the staff was beyond pleasant.

This is the first time in a while I ate at a restaurant that tasted like home cooking. If I was a Cuban immigrant I’d cry from the native taste. Place is very cozy and the presentation of the dishes (and even mojitos) are beautiful. Would definitely go back.

Just left this place… And I already want to go back! Found this place, thanks to Unilocal! Headed to NC from Florida, and needed a quick bite. HIGHLY RECOMMEND to anyone.
Okay… On to the food. We ordered chicken mojito with rice, beans, and plantains. And then some pork dish (I forgot the name) but it was «traditional style» with Cuban rice, yuca fries, and sweet plantains. My husband and I shared everything. We were both so happy with EVERYTHING. The «mojo» sauce that came with the fries and chicken was delicious. Very garlicky. YUM. I asked if they sell it… They don’t… But they gave me a little cup to go. So nice
Portions were large. Prices were good for the amount and quality. The servers were great. Very helpful with recommendations.
This place is a GEM.
We are headed back to Florida on Sunday. We would stop here… If they were open. :((

Omg I loved it! I wish they weren’t so far! I had the arroz imperial, beef and chicken empanadas (awesome! Reminded me of Ecuadorian empanadas which made me happy) and a coconut mojito to die for. I can’t wait to be back on that side of town so I can go back!

Jesus on a bicycle that Cuban was good! Listen everything that I tried was soo flavorful!!! I am not a drinker but I heard the mojito was awesome so I asked them to make me a Virgin on and that mango mojito was swanging!!! Will be back!

This had to be one of the best experiments that my husband and I have experienced in our endeavor to try new cuisines. Enamored by the Cuban cuisine, we really wanted to try it this time around. The evening turned out to be one of the best dining experiences for us.
Right from the servers who had an obviously and natural connect to the food and flavors to the owners who served and spoke about the food and establishment with much love. We were recommended the entire order by the most skilled ladies we’ve met in this business.
We ordered the Chicken Mojoito and the Lechon Asada as entrees.
The chicken came with Cuban rice (rice cooked with black beans) and grilled sweet plantains. The chicken itself was perfectly grilled along with the skin and has a wonder juicy interior wrapped in a crispy skin. The marinade was the famous mojo sauce.
The Lechon Asada (my personal favorite) is a pork slow roast in mojo sauce (garlic-​lemon based tangy sauce/​marinade) and shredded. It is served with savory plantains. The entrees came with three sides Yum fried with mojo sauce (superb!!!), boiled yum in the mojo dressing (sensational!!) and chicken noodle soup.
We ended the dinner with a portion of Tres Leches — super moist cake made with three kinds of milk topped with lightly whipped cream and cherry.
All in all the restaurant is worth a second and third and many more visits. Great job guys! Keep up the recipes and customer service.

First, our waitress was hilarious, friendly, and helpful all rolled into one. While I already knew about Cuban food, it was fun to hear her go through the menu and explain the sides and the different meat dishes. I told her I heard they have delicious homemade mojo, so she brought us some cups of mojo and fried yuca to dip in it. The mojo is garlicky deliciousness!
I had the Picadillo, maduros, and white rice. I ended up pouring the mojo over the rice and picadillo which made it quite tasty. Another person with me ordered the Cuban, which looked phenomenal and another person order the palomilla steak which also looked great. I want to go back so I can try the black beans, which someone at my table thought were the «best black beans he has tasted in a long time.» I also want to try the pork!
In terms of price, our total bill was just under $ 50 for 5 people to eat, which I thought was quite reasonable. The price, friendly/​family atmosphere, and good food made for a great dining experience. I’ll be back!

Fear not as you drive over that steep hill leading down to the parking lot of the kinda sketchy strip mall. You are in the right place if you’re in search of dreamy sweet plaintains.
We came at 6:30 on a weekday night and were seated immediately. A friendly server greeted us promptly and gave us menus to look over. We ordered a Mango Mojito and a Guava Mojito to start off. When asked what she recommended, our server suggested the Ropa Vieja and Palomilla Steak for beef, and Traditional Lecho Asado and Lomo de Puerco for pork. Surprisingly, she didn’t recommend any chicken dishes. I opted for the Ropa Vieja with a side of tostones, maduros, and yuca fries.
Guava Mojito — It took some time to come out, but I appreciated the time and care the bartender put in really muddling the mint for the drinks. The Guava Mojito was quite lovely and refreshing with a strong flavor of mint. It’s pretty weak rum-​wise, though, and this is coming from a girl who gets bright red after 1 beer. For $ 5, they need at least 1 more shot of rum in that.
Yuca Fries — These appeared to have a cornmeal-​like breading and thus, weren’t super crispy or crunchy. Still, they had a nice texture and within, the yuca was wonderful soft and savory. It came with a container of mojo sauce. The mojo really punches you in the face with garlic before introducing the lime and olive oil lurking in the background. I mean, phew. This would probably kill the first vampire you throw it on, or the first person you try to kiss after your meal. I’m all right with garlic overkill, though, but just a warning to those who might not love its pungent flavor — go easy with the dipping.
Tostones — These were rather tasteless and kind of hard, as if they had sat around for a while after being fried. They also weren’t crispy, as the menu had described. I’d pass on these in the future.
Maduros — These plaintains were by far the stars of the night. A nice crisp exterior surrounded a soft, creamy, sweet center. I would eat these little nuggets of joy every, single day for as long as I live if I could. Seriously.
Ropa Vieja — This is a stew of beef brisket, tomatoes, olives, green peppers, and onions. It’s less saucy than I anticipated, but I didn’t mind. The tomatoes dominated the dish and I couldn’t taste any olives, peppers, or other spices they used. The meat was tough and stringy, rather than the tender morsels I expected to find in a stew. A pretty disappointing dish overall.
The entrees and mojitos are priced a little high for what you get. For $ 5, the mojito has only a touch of rum. For $ 11 – 12, you get a small bowl of tough beef and 3 small plantain/​yuca/​rice sides. After tax and tip, it’s close to $ 20 and I really wasn’t satisfied with what I got at the end of the meal. However, I do think that it would be a great place to grab lunch. The sandwiches, which we passed on, cost about $ 8 – 9 and comes with 1 side. If I ever find myself up in Marietta during lunch time, I just might swing in for a Cuban sandwich and a side of those heavenly maduros.

Used to have to drive to Little Havana in Miami for good Cuban but I love this place.
Fell in love with real Cuban Cusine a number of years ago in Florida. I had had Cuban Sandwiches before but they were approximations and not real Cuban Sandwiches. First Real Cuban Sandwich I had was at a Food Stand north of Tampa run by a Cuban Expatriote and I fell in love with it. I looked forward to trips back to Florida to visit this Stand but the closed a bit later but I could still find the real thing in Little Havana of course.
My son and his wife and my grandson live in Marietta and i had spotted the Cuban Diner some time ago and made it a point to give it a try and I’m glad I did.
It’s a small store front and does not look like much of the outside but don’t let that food you. What’s on the inside is vibrate, service is great and the food is excellent. Can’t say this is across the board, but everyone one on staff we talked to were either native Cuban or 1^st Generation. Our server was excellent and gave an excellent primer on certain aspects of Cuban culture and cusine that i was unaware of and for that I am thankful.
We started out by ordering the Sample Platter which is 4 different appetizers and we all shared. The Grandson loved the Fried Plantains or more correctly Tostones Tapados.
Can’t speak for every dish but I had the Picadillo which is a seasoned ground beef dish along with yellow rice, Black Beans and Cuban Fries which is Fried Yaca. All were excellent and I will be honest, best Black Beans I have had in a long time.
The others had either Chicken, Pork or other Beef dishes with the exception of the Grandson who zeroed in on the mixed vegetable. He’s a broccoli freak and I have never met a child who like brocolli and he’s not even two. His Father as a child was definately not a fan of broccoli so it must come from Jill, his Mother

Exceptional Cuban classics with amazing service and family style ambiance. The staff here are so genuine, helpful, and friendly while the dining experience offers significant portions at inexpensive prices.
The Cuban Diner lives in an older strip mall just East of Harry’s Farmers Market Marietta and beside the 120 Tavern off Roswell Road. Parking lot is an older 3 tiered style reminiscent of 80s Post Offices. But the restaurant is smack dab in the middle of the complex.
For our first visit, we decided to opt for the classics to get a good gauge of what these guys were about.
* Sampler Platter (empanadas, croquetas, tostones, maduros)
* Ropa Vieja
* Arroz Imperial
* Moros (Cuban Rice with Black Beans)
* Black Beans
* Yuca Fries
* Yuca con Mojo (boiled yuca with sauteed onion rings and mojo sauce)
* Key Lime pie
For starters, the empanadas were wonderfully light and flaky with perfectly seasoned chicken and beef (ours had one of each) that had a wonderful little kick of spice in the meat. The croquetas were divine and perfectly fried similar to a hush puppy. Soft, minced ham inside with a crispy crunch outside. The tostones were beautifully tender and carmelized on the outside giving them a delicious mix of texture and sweetness. As for the maduros, the only item of the night we found a little overcooked and dry.
The ropa vieja was perfectly tenderized and coated, not drowning, in tomato sauce. It pairs so well with the cuban rice and black beans. Spot on!
The Arroz Imperial was delicious as well. A yellow rice casserole with pulled chicken in sofrito sauce topped with mayo and melted swiss. It was a massive dish and super light considering the ingredients.
The Yuca here is amazing and I cannot recommend the Yuca con Mojo enough. Comes out with the boiled cassava covered in sauteed onion and drizzled in that delicious Mojo sauce. They do it with oil, vinegar, and garlic here and it is addictive!
For dessert, it just felt like a key lime pie kind of night. Knew we were in for the real deal when the pie came out that perfectly pale lime green. It was tart, sweet, cold, and creamy. The perfect end to our meal.
Other items to note, that have a MASSIVE Mojito list that is worth exploring and a full bar that runs from cuban coffee to alcohol.
Prices here are super affordable compared to other Cuban restaurants OTP. All the dinner mains hover around $ 11-​$ 13 and come with 2 – 3 sides each. Impressive value to match their stellar service and quality.
Absolutely enjoyed our experience and will certainly be back!

Definitely a hidden gem! This restaurant is tucked away in a non-​descript strip mall. The lunch menu had a variety of choices that all looked appealing. I ended up ordering the Pan Con Bistec sandwich. The beef was tender and well seasoned. The Cuban bread was a nice touch over regular sandwich bread. My coworker had the ropa platter with rice and plantains. It looked delicious and he said that it was, indeed. I will definitely return and will try them for dinner as well as our server said that some of the portions were a bit large for lunch.
The service was top-​notch as well. From the time we walked in until we left, everyone was very attentive. Our server (didn’t catch her name) was wonderful. Even people who weren’t our server would ask if we needed anything as they passed by. A man I believe was the manager also stopped by our table twice as well.
If you want delicious, quick and affordable Cuban food, make your way here. You won’t be disappointed.