Copacabana Cuban Cafe

Yes, I’ll do that again, without a doubt. An extensive menu with many impressive choices. The Red Snapper was extremely tasty & even better in the presentation department. They bring you out a full-​fried Red Snapper skewered with oranges. Their rice & beans are delicious & their specialty sauces were also divine. I will undoubtedly eat here every time I’m in Mt. Dora, probably with a few Gold Margaritas as well.

Always a favorite, service can be slow but it just adds to the atmosphere… worth the wait!

Just called to make reservations they said they were booked up, then they just hung up very rude will go back

I know a lot of people are impressed with this place, but I’m not.
I’ve been here a few times now, and the food is usually not great and pretty greasy. I usually have the palomilla, and there’s just a lot of unnecessary grease on it that doesn’t need to be there. Even allowing for the fact that I’m Cuban and I know my standards might be higher, this place is still not even that good.
My most recent visit, though, was a disaster. I came here for dinner with a few friends last weekend. We ordered our food pretty soon after sitting down and waited OVER AN HOUR for it to arrive. We asked multiple times where it was, and received no real answers from anyone, even when one of us asked in Spanish (it seemed some of the servers and the owner did not speak much English). I had ordered soup and asked for it to come before my meal, and when it did not arrive about 45 minutes after I ordered it, I asked where it was as well. That also took a while to come. We kept watching other people receive their food, people who had come after we did. It was the most ridiculous and unnecessary experience. I am not coming back here any time soon.

Not only their food is truly amazing, but I have to add that their service is fantastic! My server, Luis, is fast and he make sure our experience is great. I definitely will come here again in near future and is about an hour away from where I live. Mount Dora is a small town and I love the feeling of small town with amazing food.

Good Cuban food for a great price! Service was particularly slow, but there was no rush on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The bar looked legit, but we couldn’t stop for a drink before heading out. Next time, mojitos!

Best Cuban food in this part of the state. However slowest service on the planet! It can take 15 min before the you can even see a server or get a glass of water. And that server will only take a drink order. To Order food will take around 15 more min. And it’ll be around 30 – 45 min before you get your food. So plan on being here anywhere from 1.5 — 2hrs.
The food when you get it is great and can almost make you forget how long you waited.

The food and service is amazing. I’ve been a few times and only travel to Mount Dora occasionally. I always want to come back and eat here, it’s worth the hour drive both ways.

Really good food excellent service. Really nice atmosphere tucked in a quiet location.

Outstanding food and service. Everything was perfect. I had the roast pork with yuca, black beans and rice cooked together and fried green plantains. So much food! And so delicious! Can’t wait to go back!

There are many «Cuban» restaurants in central Florida — this one is the best.
My friends and family have tried many of their menu items, but in our collective opinion the Palomilla steak is the item to get — tender, juicy marinated beef, cooked to perfection, topped with sauteed onions. I get it with white rice, black beans, and sweet plantains (maduros). ASK FOR THEIR SAUCES! They have two: mild «chimichurri» and spicy «piqué» — we put the piqué on pretty much EVERYTHING, it is spicy garlic heaven.
Service can be inconsistent, but the food is always fantastic. Portions are generous and prices are reasonable, especially given their location in downtown Mount Dora. My dad loves their mojitos; the owner frequently makes them himself. Give Copa a try next time you are in town, they do not disappoint!

Let me start by saying that I am Cuban and from Miami so I know what Cuban food is SUPPOSED to taste like. I came to this place with my (Cuban-​as in born in Cuba) family since we just moved to central Florida and have been craving Cuban food. We ordered mojitos and mariquitas to start. We looked over the menu (which had a lot of strange items I wouldn’t expect to see on a Cuban menu)
The mojitos probably didn’t have any rum and tasted like bad lemonade.
The mariquitas looked like they emptied a bag of plantation chips and the sauce they served them with tasted like pure vegetable oil.
The appetizer was so bad that we decided not to order anything else.
My family and I were very disappointed and I would not recommend this place to anyone.

I don’t know how this place has 4-​stars. The food is ok, however the service is so bad it is almost indescribable. The wait! OMG!!! The wait! The servers ignore you as if you don’t exist. I could have passed out on the floor and they would have stepped over me. If you go to this place don’t expect a refill or ordering another drink from the bar, because that won’t happen. Getting the check without a 30 minute wait… not happening.
I wouldn’t return to this place even if the food was amazing, due to the terrible service.

As I was born in Miami, I know good Cuban food — and it is hard to come by in the Central Florida area. This is a «must» for me when visiting Mount Dora, as the food is delicious, the service is cordial, the restaurant is clean, and the pricing is fair. The lunch special was a great deal — an entrée, rice, beans, and maduros for less than $ 10, certainly can’t complain. I’ll be back when i’m in the area again.

This is a great little Cuban café hidden down an alley of the Mt Dora walking district. We only had lunch but it was great! The Cuban sandwich was made with perfectly authentic Cuban bread and roast pork. We also ordered some plantain chips as an afterthought. Make sure you order these first thing, as they are fried to order making them hot and delicious, especially dipped in the hot roasted garlic oil.

The mojitos (what they are known for) are super sweet. Even a non-​mojito drinker would love it. The best appetizer was the Papa Rellena (breaded mashed potato stuffed with creole seasoned ground beef — served with sweet and spicy sauces). I also loved the Tostones (fried green plantains) once I added some salt. For dessert I had the Coconut Bread Pudding which was ammaazzinngg (served cold).

Copacabana is a cute café in the ever cute Mount Dora tucked away in an alley by The Goblin Market. The outdoor patio can be a nice little hangout and is protected by an overhang, which is a plus in Florida.
I’ll start with the good, which was the food. I had the Fricase de Pollo con Papas, which is chicken and potatoes in a tomato sauce with the required maduros and rice and beans as my side items. The food was well-​seasoned overall, though the beans were a little undersalted. Still, I’ll take less salt over too much salt. Large portions and good flavor made the dish a pleasant lunch for the next day.
The reason for a 2 is the service. Our server was doing his best, but I think the restaurant may have been understaffed and service really suffered as a result. We were in a large party but had made a reservation, to our credit. I’m not sure what was happening, but we were rarely checked on, the food come out in waves, we waited about 45 minutes to take our orders, and the checks came out in waves as people asked for them. It was just a bit of a mess and we ended up leaving without getting dessert because it was taking so long.
I also was unimpressed with the drinks, which factors into the low rating. I had a Dos Equis, which is tough to mess up, but the sangria was really just red wine with an orange slice and the house margaritas tasted like mix. The prices are low, which is appreciated, but I would steer clear of the sangria.
Overall, I would return if someone else wanted to come here, but I would rather hang out at other establishments in the area if I’m looking for good food and drinks.

Amazing, authentic Cuban food. Best you can get this far from Miami. Mojito is definitely worth a try, as well as the tostones. Service was a little slow, but it’s to be expected when the place is packed and the food is so Good. Our server, Benny was fantastic too. Definitely will be back.

My friends are I were in Mt. Dora for the day and decided to stop in here for lunch. It had pretty good reviews on Unilocal so we thought we would check it out. It was a lovely day so we chose to sit outside. They have a large outdoor seating area. Service was fine and food was eh.
We started with the croquettas and I must tell you these were the worst croquettas I have ever had in my life! It was just like goop inside. It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t the right consistency, and the price was a bit high for the amount you get. That said, Little Havana and 3 of the best croquettas you ever ate for $ 1 may have spoiled me.
I had the medianoche and my friends had Cuban sandwiches. They weren’t bad, they just weren’t great. I would’ve strongly preferred a Cuban sandwich from Publix. The fries were good at least.

We found this place thanks to Unilocal,of course, while visiting Mount Dora for the cycling festival. We immediately felt welcome– the servers were very nice and the atmosphere felt refined but comfortable. I loved the artwork and Cuban feel.
The food was great! The steak entrees looked appetizing and made me seriously question my decision to give it up. I decided on pollo instead, though, and it was delicious. Pressed into a sandwich and seasoned to perfection. They also had a good amount of vegetarian options.
If we hadn’t been planning on a long ride later that day I would have definitely tried a mojito. Next time!