Bongos Cuban Cafe

The food was cold, it seemed as if they cooked it in the microwave and than let it sat for a little while. The service was scattered and felt as if there was no one in charge of the facility. The Manager was yelling at a waitress in front of customers which I feel is very unprofessional in the service business. I went with my husband expecting to have a beautiful romantic cuban cruisine food and it turned out to be disasterous because the restaurant had no quality at all. The price for service and gratuity there I think is way over priced because everything is just horrible. If it met my expectations than I would be willing to pay any price but that atmosphere was just dreadful. Nice Appearance but very deceiving service and cooking.
Location: HOLLYWOOD, MIAMI
HARDROCK CAFE

Me encanta el ambiente, la comida sabrosa y buenos precios!

Bongo’s sadly closed 2 weeks ago it’s such a shame I loved this place it was great for dinner or dessert but nothing in Bayside ever closes

The food is good and the service is good. The only annoying thing is they automatically add a tip to your bill regardless of how many people are in your party. I hate that, I tend to tip more when I’m given the option.

Meh. Expected it to be jammed pack and to shake my behind all night, that wasn’t the case, we left early.

The food is not so great, but come after 11 pm and dance like there is no tomorrow.

The energy at the place is amazing. I ate the vaca frita de pollo and it was very tasty and mouth watering. I am usually a big fan of the vaca fritz but the chicken version of this plate was truly amazing. I am dying to go back and eat this again. After 11 or so, the place turns into a salsa dancing party. The bring in a DJ from one of the radio stations and the party starts, so make sure you bring your dancing shoes on a Friday or Saturday.

The food here is really good. It was fresh and came out fast. The shredded. Eef and chicken are delicious and so is the free keches cake yum. However the service is this places downfall. Its too slow and I’m assuming its because the tip is already included in the bill. Also they place is set up really nice to be a good party place however there are not enough customers, probably because of the service. Food is good service isn’t, but I would return if I’m ever back in Florida.

Have gone here with family for lunch and once for dinner in the nightclub. Everytime we went in the day time for lunch, service was always so slow despite the fact there were not many customers there. I went for dinner and dancing May 3, 2014 and the service was a lot faster. I had the Bongos Combo appetizer and it had great variety only the pork chicharones were really dry and had no flavor. On the other hand our friends had pollo a la milanesa and said it was amazing. I give the food 3 stars, the service 2.5 stars and the venue 5 stars. The venue is beautiful, cultural, and totally miami. If you are bringing someone into town and want to take them for a night out you can do this at bongos. It is very Latino friendly!!!

This has to be one of the restaurants with the worst service I’ve ever experienced. I came with a very large group, and Adier was our server. I waited about 20 minutes to get my food after the last person was served. My husband waited for me and ended up with cold food. To get the check it’s taken over 30 minutes (we’re still waiting). Management, if your restaurant can’t handle large groups, don’t accept reservations for them.
The bar also added water to a scotch ordered neat (we saw him pour it) and then denied it.
Tourists and locals alike, go to any other restaurant. Avoid this mess.

Worst experience ever… Do not speak to luis… I went to for my sister in laws birthday and Luis treated me unfairly. Do not ask for table service.
I was told that 1 small table per bottle would be given. .for a party of 4. we had a party of 6 so we were told that we had to order 2 bottles
Minutes later another party next to me was allowed 1 bottle for a party of 12…
Totally unfair!
The management is really to blame for unfair practices.

Hmmmm… I went after the Heat Playoff game on a Sunday. I thought the place would be slam packed but it was far from that. What a shame. I really wonder why they aren’t getting the business they need. Maybe it is because the game was also on Easter Sunday…
The food was pretty decent. Not as good as Larios on the Beach but still pretty good. And the prices aren’t than much higher than other Cuban joints.
The place looks great. Great place for a family to go to for drinks, food and dancing. The food was really fast. But then again they were empty and probably overstaffed since they were expecting a better outcome after the game.

I will never willingly go to this place again, ever. The staff (from bartender upstairs, to waiter when we sat at a table, to guy picking up trash on the dancefloor and including «bouncers» «guarding» the doors) was rude, unfriendly, unhelpful, and unpleasant. The drinks were overpriced, badly made, and incredibly tiny for the cost. And the food was bad (so bad, I couldn’t even finish my plate).
A few examples?
1. Let’s start with the bartender… he took about 10 minutes to mix a cosmopolitan. It was in a small little plastic cup. He never asked me what kind of vodka I wanted in it, just assumed I wanted well, and then, on top of everything else, he charged me $ 14 for it.
2. The waiter at our table was completely unwilling to help someone in our table decide what they wanted, or another person at our table with a special order (just rudely and flatly said, «No, it can’t be done» And we’re not talking about something out of the blue-​she just wanted a slice of cheese on her tostones…) and then, since they were apparently starting to get ready to turn into a club and the space where the tables for dining were going to be converted into the VIP area, the guy actually brought out our bill about 5 minutes after our food came out. Think that’s bad enough? Oh no, it gets worse. While we were still eating, with knife and fork in hand, he tried to grab the bill envelope and asked, «are you ready for me to take this?» We gave him such a glare he didn’t dare come back until we actually called for him. But if we asked for a table that close to when they were going to turn into a club and clear out the dining area, why’d they give us a table at all? We felt rushed and pressured.
3. On the dancefloor, the cleaning guys actually pushed us aside to check if the dancefloor was littered — literally, put one hand on one of my friends and another on another friend and moved them aside. Another time, he pushed us away from the edge to sweep.
4. We paid the extra fee to park in the Arena garage, but when we were ready to leave (much earlier than we otherwise would’ve been thanks to all this other stuff going on), we were told the elevator was closed and we had to go out «through there» where the «bouncer» pointed. When we get to where he pointed, we were told by another bouncer, «you can’t come out through here, it’s through there» pointing to the other end of the place. When we finally get out through there onto the back veranda, we head towards another exit to go down and are told, «no, it’s that way» pointing to the other end of the veranda. Finally, we come out on the front of the areana, where we have to walk all the way around, go down a set of stairs along the front of the arena, walk around the front, go down another set of stairs that look like an alleyway set, and finally walk around the back of the arena to get into the garage the back way.
I was fuming.
If I could write to Gloria Estefan herself, I would.

Bongos Cuban Café me parecio un lugar muy agradable y comodo (los precios un poquito elevado, pero para mi opinion valio la pena), pero lo que más me dejó sorprendida es la comida… Yo nunca habia provado comida cubana, so le pregunté al mesero (por cierto excelente customer service) que me ayudara a eligir algo tipico del menu y el me sugerio de Bongos Famous Fried Shredded Beef (Vaca frita) y me encantó :), la carne tenía un sabor delicioso, me encanto los tostones o patacones y el arroz muy rico… Salí con un WOW del restaurante y 100% satisfecha por el customer service :)

Dined at Bongos Cuban Café before a Heat game at American Airlines Arena.
Decent, but not great Cuban cuisine – and I have had the privilege of dining in Havana. This is commercialized Cuban food (supplied by Sysco). Decent, but not spectacular, chicken with rice. Definite a plus in terms of convenience and an alternative to dining inside the arena.
Would I come back to this or other Bongos locations? – probably not. Would definitely check out some other restaurant in Little Havana or other parts of Miami for authentic Cuban cuisine. This would be great for a person who has never been to Cuba and wants a little taste (especially if they have kids who are easily distracted) – but if you’ve had the real deal, as I have had, this was a bit underwhelming (especially when compared to La Cocina de Lilliam, La Guarida, and even El Aljibe, etc.)…which is a bit of a surprise since they have access to more and higher quality ingredients than restauranteurs from the homeland in Cuba.

malo malisimooooooooooooooooo

NPS = 2
The ridiculousness of Bongos is quintessential to Miami (or at least South American/​Latin American) culture.
We went with a group of about 18 people, and BONGOS WILL NOT SPLIT THE CHECK. The end of the evening was a spectacle in itself as some people that did not eat did not want to split the check evenly. Always the hassle with one large bill and not splitting it.
If that was not an experience in itself, the staff wanted to kick us out before we could finish paying our checks in order to make room for the dance floor. BONGOS HAS NO IDEA WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE IS.
The food was typical Cuban food. You can find better food around the corner for a third of the price. The service was also horrible.
The worst part of Bongos (the ridiculous part) is the DJ that will not shut up for 2 seconds. So while the songs are playing, he will just be rambling on and on. Let’s not forget the occasional (or rather frequent) train-​horn. I mean, I could not stop laughing the entire night of how ridiculous everything was… so I guess… that was a good thing?
Overall, avoid Bongos. It is an overpriced tourist trap.

This is not my first time frequenting Bongos, however it was the worst! As a tourist, I have came to this location previously as well as the Hollywood location. Both previous visits, I had no complaints. Too bad I can’t say the same about my latest and LAST visit.
We had a party of 5 and went on a Sunday for a late lunch. There was one other table there when we arrived. Service was extremely slow. Food was even worse. Only thing worth ordering was the beans & rice. Everything else was very bland!
We ordered the Bongos Combo, however we never received it so we canceled it by the time our food arrived. I ordered the Shrimp Cuban Creole (bland); my sister ordered something (can’t recall) that she did not like and sent it back. The other 3 in our party all ordered the shredded pork… which after doctoring up with a few different sauces wasn’t bad.
In my opinion this is an over priced Cuban restaurant that doesn’t live up to it’s standards.

We had a gilt city deal so we went on a Friday night. Since we don’t eat land animals, they worked with us and gave us ceviche instead of the Bongo’s platter (all meat items) that was part of the deal. The food was good, but not worth the price. The décor is very cool with bongos on the walls and elaborate glass palm trees and pineapples. I had the fish fillet which wasn’t anything special but the sweet plantains were a great side dish. The flan was good. A drink was included so we each had a mojito but I would never order one again from there. It just tasted like alcohol and sparkling soda (no mint or sugar taste to it). It was not at all worth the price.
We stayed for salsa after which was great. Fun atmosphere and fun instructors but the guy to girl ratio is horrible and the girls end up dancing by themselves for a majority of the time (even if you bring a guy since they trade off partners). I’m glad they offer it there though. It’s a little pricey ($ 40 for one session if you purchase it there) but it makes for a fun activity.
I

Ordered a beef dish with eggs on top and my date ordered Masitas de Puerco.
The beef turned out flavorless and tasted like taco meat from Taco Bell. The pork from the Masitas de Puerco was overcooked and as hard as a rock. They also got the side of plantains wrong (fried instead of sweet). The waiters gave several wrong dishes and sides to the rest of the table.
Also took 30 minutes to give us our check!
All in all, terrible service, terrible food, and overpriced. DO NOT GO.

Night club review:
FO STAS!
Ended up here as an alternative to LIV night club.
Bottle service was reasonably priced and the service was good.
The music was awesome and the crowd was friendly. No fights no 1:45 AM last calls.
Four solid stars will recommend to friends.

Went there for the kick off party of MIami Spice. The location was privatized and sponsored by barcardi and stella artois.
There was a few food stations offering the restaurant’s specials, good cuban and spanish treats with paella, rice, beans, fried plantains, churrasco skewers, pulled chicken, cuban shredded chicken. There was also a dessert station with dulce de leche, rice pudding and cuban flan.
The place is big and has a nice dance floor. Great view on the bay!
Flat rate parking below the restaurant, very practical!

Two stars… one was for décor. Its what you expect Miami Tourist Trap Estefan restaurant to look like. The only reason we came was because some out of town guests insisted on coming here for dinner and drinks.
So having said that lets start with dinner. It really was disappointing. Overpriced mediocre Cuban food for gourmet prices. Seriously, it was the worst Cuban food I have ever had in Miami (I live here) and the Mojitos were absolutely terrible. What blows my mind is that this should have amazing Mojitos and amazing food! Come on, my Camarones Al Ajillo were swimming in a bowl of butter. It is ridiculous that since this Cuban dish is a stolen Spanish recipe it is nothing like it should be. Al Ajillo means SEARED with butter and garlic, not thrown in a bath left to drown in it.
Then, being a Cuban place you would expect the dinner to start with a salad (didn’t happen) and white rice AND black beans with the Maduros (which were cold and hard). Not either or, and don’t tell me you could get Moro’s, because you know what? It wasn’t even offered to us. I can most definitely get a better meal in the gas station on the corner for ¹⁄₃ of what this cost.
Again, the Mojitos? Yack.
The ambiance? Well, if all you like is Salsa and trashy Reggaeton this is the place for you. If you are looking for the awesome gorgeous hot chicks in Miami they definitely do not come here. The people from out of town that we were with couldn’t believe the parade of skanky inappropriate– ill fitting street walker dresses and Affliction dressed tools. Our guests come from a South American country with gorgeous sexy women, so they are used to skin but they were not feeling the flabby unflattering dressed women.
Please do yourself a favor and don’t bother. Its overpriced, bad and trashy. I would love to see management take this review into consideration. I WANT this place to be awesome, it really can be. I WANT to be able to tell people its a great place, instead I really can’t.