Mambo Cafe, Miami FL

The waitress was very unpleasant, she put a lot of sugar in my coffee without me asking, and when I told her that I wanted it without sugar, she didn't want to change it and spoke to me in a very bad way….

I had a crave for Lechón (roasted piglet). The only Cuban place nearby was this restaurant. When I arrived it was pretty empty. Other restaurants around were packed. This was a bad sign but I seated anyway. Waiter was rude. I order to start a beer and then the Lechón. They brought the Lechón but not the beer, I had to ask again. Lechón was fried chunks of pork, and it was not even hot. Was hungry and try to eat but could not take much. Worst Lechón ever. They bring the bill with tip included, had to ask to take it away. Is a turist trap that should be avoided.

The food tastes great, but it is preheated food or so I found, good service, very friendly and attentive.

Horrible experience. E.g, waiter rolled his eyes when only one of us ordered an entree. I always tip based on two entrees but we only order one. B. S.needless to say we didn’t stay. Cancelled the order.

Very very bad service! Slow! The waiters was not nice and ignore me even to take reservations! I was on Sunday and they told me the food will take one hour to go out.
I was alone and they see me like this so they was not nice.
I don’t recommend at all

Decent Cuban food. I enjoyed going to Bayside, and this restaurant does have a nice scenic environment with their outdoor seating next to the water. The location is great, but if you get close to the restaurant, employees start pitching to you, like those kiosks in the mall where they try to sell you stuff. It’s very scenic, and they do have the right food items and fun touristy drinks on the menu, but the food wasn’t great and the staff was more sales and less service.

I give them one star because there is nothing to leave less. The food is not good, the French fries are cold. I ordered a Cuban sandwich and the truth was that it had no taste, it was tasteless, and my wife ordered a fish fillet and it was poorly cooked, to make matters worse, a pigeon in table
And another thing, the tips are already included 15 dollars the mojitos 26 dollars the model beers 21 dollars not recommended we will never return to Mambos cafe

Mambo Café at Miami's Bayside location undoubtedly shines in terms of its prime spot. The view of the pier and its placement right on the bustling strip, coupled with the musical ambiance from neighboring restaurants, create an atmosphere that is nothing short of exceptional. The overall vibe is undeniably great, making it an attractive place to spend time.

However, it's worth mentioning that, unfortunately, the food at Mambo Café left much to be desired. It was, to put it mildly, rather lackluster. Even the fries on the plate looked quite sad. It becomes evident that when dining here, you're primarily paying for the location rather than the culinary experience.

On a positive note, the service was a standout aspect of our visit. Our waiter was truly fantastic, which added to the overall positive ambiance. However, there were still areas where improvement could be made.

One aspect that caught us by surprise was the drink pricing. When ordering drinks, be aware that they come in an unattractive glass cup that essentially costs $23. It's a detail that they don't always communicate upfront when you're ordering, although it is found in the menu. This practice may feel like an overpriced phenomenon, primarily driven by marketing, but it may leave you questioning its necessity.

In summary, Mambo Café at Bayside offers an unbeatable location and atmosphere, making it a desirable spot for a lively evening. However, it's essential to be prepared for food that doesn't quite match the high standards set by its surroundings.

During our visit to Mambo Café, an interesting experience unfolded when a photographer from the restaurant approached us and offered to take pictures. They kindly mentioned that one of the photos would be complimentary, while additional pictures would come with a price tag. We ended up taking multiple shots, and they printed and presented them to us in frames.

The pictures turned out great, and it's safe to say that if they were offered at an affordable price, we would have likely purchased them. However, it was a bit surprising to learn that they were charging a rather hefty $20 per picture or two for $30. Given that they had already invested in printing our pictures, a more reasonable fee might have been a wiser choice. Perhaps a more modest $5 per picture could have encouraged us to buy them all, and it's a missed opportunity for the restaurant in terms of revenue.

It's somewhat perplexing that they didn't consider providing the photos to clients as a gesture of goodwill, especially when everything else at the establishment is on the expensive side. Overall, it was a memorable encounter, but the pricing strategy for the pictures left us questioning their approach.

Side note; I added a few extra videos of neighboring restaurants just to give you a feel for the vibe

We didn't really like the quality of the food. The tostones were not crispy, the cassava and congris were hard, as if the food had been cooked many days ago. The cleanliness of the bathrooms leaves a lot to be desired, really the only thing I found good were the drinks.

Completely overpriced place! We took glass of coke and draft beer which costed $13.5 without the so called "extra" tip which was to be added according to the check if you don't realize that the tip was already included. Service pooring. We will avoid this cafe for sure in the future!

We had to get some Cuban food before leaving Miami. I have to get the pictures. The drinks were very tasty and came in a souvenir cup which was awesome sunce we were tourists. Great oceanside atmosphere outside.

Food is Overpriced and our server was not descriptive/ honest with us. He DID NOT tell us that if you want a daiquiri, the only way it comes with is the souvenir cup. We didn't want the cups and would have preferred not to pay for them.
It was also not on the menu that 18% tip would be added. We were party of 5. Dirty restrooms, but also because they were open to public, not just restaurant patrons.

Day before, we went to Old's Havana Cafe in Little Havana and our bill was same, but the food at Old's was awesome!

The food was bad in taste, the waiter never gave me a detailed receipt of what was consumed, for 2 plates of picadillo and a mofongo he billed me $126.84. I will never return to that place again, I presented myself as a family plan.and we all left there very upset. I do not recommend it.

Food was pretty good but in the end the bill was high. What disturbed me most and is the reason for only 2 stars is that I felt kind of scammed when paying the bill by card. I was asked to go to the counter to pay and didn't see the detailed check (my bad I didn't ask for it). When asking the waiter if service charge was already included in the total amount (which is often the case in Miami), he said that I could add any amount as tip. When asking again about the service charge he implied that it wasn't included and repeated about adding any amount. I didn't do my math fast enough and ended up adding another 15% tip, assuming no added service charge. After leaving and recalculating, I realized the resto must have charged a 16-18% gratuity without telling.

It's a pity, because the food was good but that eventually ruined our experience. The tips in the USA are already crazy enough, at least I expect restaurants to be transparent and honest about their fees and charges (again, my bad for not requesting the detailed bill). I am definitely not going back nor recommending this place.

I’m from LA and tried this place for the first time. The small salad was good, vegetarian quesadilla yum yum, my mom and friend got the Cuban sandwich and thought it was good. They felt it needed a little more tomatoes and lettuce. Bedsides that the only thing I wish they offered was more option for vegetarians with items they already use. Rice, beans, maduro, salad. The atmosphere was good. The quesadilla made up for the difference no doubt. Staff was nice and the photo taking person took nice photos.

I ordered a vaca frita and the rice was cold, my plate was incomplete and with the wrong side. The camarones al ajillo was super nasty that I had to send back. Don't order the tostones with picadillo because it's also nasty with horrible flavor. Definitely a bad dinner experience.