Michael A.

My aunt made reservations to this place in Palmdale. Palmdale is a very dry, hot heated area, surrounded by bushes and lizards and maybe snakes too. Anyway, this place apparently is a fancy Cuban restaurant according to my aunt. We decided to eat here for dinner after 7pm on a Saturday and it was booked. A great place to take a date if you can even get one nowadays, lucky you. You found the right place. The Cuban food ordered was a vaca frita sandwich that was reasonably priced at $17 or so. It was dry, lacked seasoning and had even more dry plantain chips on the side fried to high heaven. My aunt ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. Still dry but more moist than my vaca frita sandwich. Server was Juan, he was good, good patience and quick delivery. Good overall was mid in my book. Maybe should have ordered the $65 plate with seafood. But it was overpriced. Although I could afford it, $65 for a plate is ridiculous. The other entrees included the fried bananas but the sweeter ones and black beans and rice with for example oxtail, fried steak, chicken and pork, of which was overpriced as well. At least $30 for each dish or more. Take a look at that menu. The ambiance inside was loud, outside was louder. Music was playing and there was this massive window door that separated the inside and outside. Inside it was small, there was a bar area for alcohol drinkers and in the back was a nice restroom. Other than that, it was a decent Cuban place, needs to adjust prices for the entree, but the sandwiches were at that sweet spot. The sand which to me needed sauce like tabasco or cholulu or some sort of wet birria sauce that would make it taste better. Incredibly dry, was not a fan of the texture, taste was fine. Came out to $50 for both plates and it was a little lackluster in my opinion but everything else, good service, nice ambiance and decent sandwich prices, it was worth the visit but maybe a one and done not sure. Maybe the plates are delicious.

Anastasiya T.

Came here for a girls day. Have to say the place was really cute, but I'm surprised how small it was on the inside. They did have tables outside, but it was too hot for us. Parking was super easy. The drinks were delicious and the sandwiches we got were very good, and you can just taste how fresh the ingredients were. The service was also very good, and the lady was very patient with us, since it took us a bit to order, since we were catching up.

Mary C.

Baracoa Cuban is in Palmdale and that can be a real drive for some. But it is worth it. They have great Cuban food and if it is Cuban they have it. It is all made to perfection and there is not one thing we don't love. For about $32 dollars you can get Havana Bites, it is a taste of some of their great items. It comes with Beef & Chicken Empanadas, Papas Rellenas, Platanos Fritos and Yuca Frita all served with Rico Sauce, which is so great. All of their empanadas are great and you can get just one or a bunch. We often get some to take home. The Papas Rellenas is so good and so nicely priced. It is two mashed potato balls stuffed with Cuban picadillo, then breaded and fried to perfection. I love potatoes so I love to get this. We also take these home. They heat up so well. The service is great and they are very friendly. Parking is easy and there is not usually a wait. I am not sure if they take reservations, so call them and check. The place is comfortable and pretty.

Jeanne W.

First time here as part of a car club run in the area. Cuban cuisine is a top choice on my list of dining experiences. I ordered the Mar Y Tierra which is Rabo Encendido and shrimp served with rice, black beans, and plantains. The Rabo Encendido was actually quite spicy with a pronounced chile kick. (I am used to the dish being more on the savory side rather than spicy.) This was definitely a "tail on fire" experience. The oxtails were tender and plentiful in regard to portion size. There was a good mix of oxtail sizes. As the portion size was generous, there was plenty enough for three meals. Shrimp had a crisp, snappy texture which came with careful preparation in an alkaline solution. This was a good shrimp enhancement. There was an ample portion of shrimp in the dish as well. The black beans had a good flavor but the accompanying steamed white rice could have used a bit of seasoning to overcome the inherent blandness. Plantains were ripe and cooked tender with a caramelization on the edges. Mar Y Tierra was pricey at $49 but the generous portion size of the meal made it a good value. The restaurant itself was comfortable and understated in its decor. The outside patio is larger than the interior dining area. It was nice to dine outdoors in the patio. Service was good with friendly staff. Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience. Parking is plentiful in the lot.

Van D.

Baracoa Cuban Restaurant was an amazing discovery when we stopped for a lunch pitstop on our drive up towards Tehachapi. I can easily see them being a favorite in the Palmdale area. There was plenty of parking in this lot. The entrance is located through their patio, which can be a bit counter intuitive. We came at opening and the restaurant got really busy during our time there. Initially we were looking at the sandwiches because it was lunch time, but then we were going to a wedding that night so we decided to eat something more filling since the ceremony and speeches always delay the eating. All entrees here are served with black beans and rice or congri, and 3 fried plantains. My boyfriend had the Ropa Vieja ($28) with the congri and I had the Lechon Asado ($25) with the rice and beans. Our food came out pretty fast after we ordered. My boyfriend's Ropa Vieja is a Cuban braised beef. The congri is basically a mix of the rice and beans. This dish was super tasty and the shredded beef was so tender with the bell peppers and onions. I can really taste the red wine and tomato sauce in the base. I took a few bites but in general I preferred my dish more, and vis versa he enjoyed his dish more. My lechon asado is a roasted pork that is super super tenderrrrrr. It was so sweet with the grilled onions and it had the perfect amount of fattiness without being over bearing. SO GOOD! Love the plaintains too. I'm glad I got the rice and beans option because I would have gotten too full too quick with the congri. I barely touched my beans and only got through half of my rice. Both dishes came with this super tasty garlic butter sauce that I poured on my rice and made it even tastier. It was so good. One thing I didn't enjoy about the experience was the flies attacking us and our food. Since the door is open and connected to their outdoor space, it leaves the opportunities for flies to come in. We had to play defense with the flies the whole time. The service here is a little slow. Especially when I was trying to get back on the road I wasn't feeling too patient. I waived down multiple staff members too. Also I got hit with an undisclosed 3% surcharge for using my credit card. I only found out after I got the receipt. I would have paid in cash if I knew. *dislike* LOVE LOVE LOVE the food. Might be the best Cuban food I've ever had... and I've been to Florida where there was a lot of Cuban spots. Room for improvement with service, flies prevention, and the disclosure of the credit card fee.

Nora A.

First time here. First I want to call out that Juan our server was excellent. Very attentive, great smile, made the lunch and first time here a super pleasant one. I ordered the chicken salad with a side of rice. The mango dressing was a big hit, just a bit too spicy for me. Others in my party ended up ordering for their food :) Rest of our order: Shrimp ceviche with plantain chips. Delicious!!! Spicy and very fresh. The steak sandwich with fries. Tender meat, soft bread, cooked perfectly. Fried plantains, perfectly sweetened, so good! I don't live in the area, just visiting family but when I'm back out here again, I'll be back to try the snapper! Plenty of parking, reasonable prices for their salads and sandwiches. Outdoor seating, with fans and a beautiful breeze.

Ray F.

Had dinner here recently with friends as I had been wanting to try it a while. It was crowded inside and we were turned away by the young door guy who said they did not have room for us, the evening of our visit. We were about to leave when I inquired about sitting outside on the patio, it was a little cool and windy with no one there. The young guy was not helpful and did not want to accommodate our party? An older gentleman stepped in offered to seat us and got the heaters going and we sat outside with heaters on each corner of our table, once we sat down so did another couple and we adjusted the heaters to encompass them as well. Another waiter came out to take care of the six of us, along with the older man who brought us menus. The food is very good, we started with a variety of appetizers. The Ceviche was very good and freshly prepared with pickled onions, arugula and avocado. A nice portion, enough to share. With the chips its a good start, lots of fresh chopped seafood. For my main course, I went for the Red Snapper, a beautiful presentation and delicious. All in all a very good meal. Once we got past the young guy at the door, it was a decent dining experience. My party of four, we dropped over $300 on dinner before a tip, that this eatery would have missed on had we allowed that boy to discourage us from eating there? It was pretty obvious he did not want to serve us. 4 Stars a good choice for a meal but would have been a 5 star review had it not been for the young inexperienced door guy... his misjudgement was a major flaw to me and hence the one star drop 01177

Lorean W.

Solid 4.5 stars. The Oxtail stew is delicious like my mom's with less tomato flavor. I usually order at dinner when it's more tender. Stopped by for lunch and had to work to remove the meat from the bones. I order it with the dirty rice one time too. The plantains are the best. Service is very good and friendly. Ambience is nice and their outdoor patio adds addtl seating options.

Elise B.

I came here for lunch and sat outside on the patio. We ordered the ceviche del caribe & yuca frita to start. The ceviche was fresh and had a little kick. The yuca fritas are fried yucca root- nicely crispy & delicious garlic-lime mojo sauce. The Cubano Sandwich has slow roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard & mayo. The bread is toasty, meat is juicy and cheese melted- everything you need in a traditional cubano sandwich. Parking- big parking lot shared with other businesses

Cesar D.

In Palmdale you will find a great Cuban restaurant Baracoa Cuban, with many favorite dishes like Ropa Vieja, many cuban sandwiches, tostones and so on. The restaurant is tucked on the side of a the main plaza, on the back site, it has outdoor covered seating with many seating options, the ceiling has great lighting and fans, the indoor seating is very classy with a bar top and many top shelf liquor options. The food was amazing, we had the Baracoa Cubano with rosemary fries. The pork had a lot of flavor, the sandwich bread was soft and filled with an ample serving of pork. Our favorite dish was the Pollo Encendido, grilled chicken that was slow braised in a "spicy" creole sauce with onions and bell peppers, it is also served with a mound of white rice, black beans, pickled red onion slices and a few fried plantains. Wow, what a great dish, lots of flavor plenty of protein, this is the type of dish that leads you to want to come back. The dish is not spicy, I requested a spicer salsa, the staff was very accommodating. I am really looking forward to trying a variety of many other dishes on the menu. The Drinks, I would highly recommend the following, the Berry Mojito is prepared with muddled mint, lime, a house made berry syrup, with dragon berry bacardi topped with lime soda, the next drink was not only refreshing but had a solid amount of alcohol starting with the havana sunset with matusalem rum, cointreau orange liqueur, and the final drink was my favorite the rum Old Fashion, with a top shelf whiskey. They did a great job preparing the drinks that complimented the meals well. The setting is very chill, the staff are very welcoming and the food is top notch, I would recommend if you are looking for a very authentic Cuban food restaurant that you do not miss the opportunity to stop by, I know we will be back.

Glenda R.

Had a Networking Event on the Patio of The Baracoa Restaurant and the Environment, The Food, and The Service were ALL EXCELLENT!!! The Patio with the ceiling fans and green floral areas made for the Perfect Setting! There was also a separate seating area with cushions where participants could sit and network! I will DEFINITELY be using the Restaurant again for another event as well as for my own lunch or dinner in the future! As a Retired Educator, I give this WHOLE Experience provided by this restaurant, and it's servers and management, an A+++. !!!

Fabian R.

Absolutely the best guest hospitality and food quality my family and I have ever experienced eating out. The atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant is always lovely, fun, and lively. The food quality is spectacular! I always get the Baracoa Cubano sandwich and it never disappoints. The ingredients are fresh and organic with each dish I've ordered. Since I have allergies to ingredients used to preserve frozen food, it's always been so hard finding a restaurant with a menu that doesn't cause me issues--and Baracoa has never compromised with their ingredients! The organic quality of their food is something you'll taste on your first bite. And finally--the service is impeccable and I have yet to see such excellent hospitality at any restaurant I've visited, even in Los Angeles! The waiters are always kind, attentive, and energetic with their behavior and service. It's very easy to tell they love the work they do and it shows in their work ethic. In addition to that, the managers are always making sure we're having an excellent night and have transformed it to a level of service we've never seen! My parents and I went a week ago and talked to Daniel the Manager about how much we missed a Piña Colada from a closed restaurant which would make it in the pineapple itself--and he said if we promised to be there in a week he's make it himself. We came on Friday, and the joy that my family felt was palpable when Daniel came out with the drinks we've wished for years now since that restaurant closed! Honestly, I've never heard of someone caring for their guests so much to do that--truly everyone should visit this establishment and experience true fine dining. I don't think I'll ever eat anywhere else for a special occasion ever again.

This review is long overdue! We brought my mother-in-law here for Mother's Day, and it was our first time visiting. The food was fresh and absolutely delicious. The ceviche was especially amazing so flavorful and fresh! Most importantly, my mother-in-law was so happy, which made the experience even more special. We live in Los Angeles, so finding a great restaurant near Lancaster wasn't easy, but this place exceeded all of our expectations. The food was a 10/10, and the service was an easy 20/10! Everyone was welcoming, attentive, and made us feel right at home. We can't wait for another excuse to visit my mother-in-law so we can come back and eat here again. Highly recommended!