This place came highly recommended by many as the best Cuban food around, but I thought it was simply average. I can't remember the last time I walked into a restaurant with carpet, which seemed really dated and unsanitary. My meal was their classic Cuban pork, but I found it to be sour and plain. The only hot sauce option they had was a bottle.... Not sure I'll revisit... I think there's too much competition in restaurants to not pay attention to the ambience... felt like a cafeteria. read more

Bella Cuba - Pork - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Why is it so hard to find excellent Cuban food in Los Angeles? The only place I consistently like is El Floridita in Hollywood, but their prices are sky high, and they've had periods where even their quality hit rock bottom for awhile (before the pandemic). For whatever reason, this lack of consistent, impressive Cuban food has kept us on a perpetual quest to keep trying new places. So, after some haircuts in Huntington Beach, we decided to head over to this place we had bookmarked in Santa Ana. It is located in one of those mega malls, where there is the giant mall and also buildings spread out in the gigantic parking lot with various restaurants. The restaurants is in one of those outside separate buildings. Because it's far from the mega mall, parking is easy enough in the huge lot. Service was friendly and generally attentive. The place wasn't packed, but it was a Saturday early dinner time, and there were still some people who wondered in to other tables. We started with the Platanos Rellenos - basically little fried cups made of green plantains and filled with meat. We got 2 with lechon and 2 with picadillo. It was okay, but the onions in the lechon were basically large shards of raw onion. Also we got our first taste of what was going to be the biggest problem about the food overall. Their mojo is awful. Usually mojo is garlic, oil, and lemon. Their mojo was incredibly sour. Add to that, they absolutely pour it on the entrees, so your food including rice and beans and plantains are swimming in this sour, unpleasant mixture, and you are left with an unpleasant meal. For our three entrees, we got the Macitas de Puerco Fritas with moros and maduros (fried pork chunks in mojo with black beans and rice that are cooked together along with sweet plantains). The poorly made mojo was pooled on the plate, not only drowning all the pork but also tainting the maduros and moros. We also had the Camarones Al Ajillo - shrimp in garlic sauce - with regular white rice and black beans and maduros. Once again, that mojo ruined the shrimp with its flavor and greasiness. Finally, the kid had the Bistec de Pollo Empanizado with tostones (basically a fried chicken cutlet with fried green plantains). Luckily it has no sauce, so there was no mojo to ruin it. However, it's a rather bland entree and was nothing special. Bottom line - damn that ridiculously sour mojo and the heavy hand that dressed the plates with it! Sadly, the search for the perfect Cuban restaurant continues. Mojo is the bedrock of most Cuban dishes, so if that is not good, most of their food will not be good. It's like an Italian restaurant with a bad red sauce. Cannot recommend. Pass. read more

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Located in a mixed use shopping center with lots of parking and across the street from south coast plaza and Segerstrom. Clean and efficient dining space. We went with the server's recommendations not knowing what we ordered....lol. He was a little hard to understand but super sweet. They were out of margaritas and mojitos? We ended up with the combinacion de pollo y Puerco ($19.95) and sangria. The chicken was absolutely fantastic! The pork was moist and yummy. Generous portions; we could have shared 1 order. Looking forward to going back for more chicken! read more

Bella Cuba - Combinacion de Pollo y Puerco - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

First time coming here and it was such a treat. Celebrating a birthday here and the staff gave us complimentary flan which was delicious. With a hint of cinnamon flavor the overall flan consistency was good. For lunch we ordered the pork with side of black beans, plantains, and lime flavored rice. Super good. They also gave complimentary garlic bread which was soft and toasted just right. Super good. I also ordered two soft drinks Materva(apple flavored) and Jupina (pineapple flavored) which both were quite refreshing. Also ordered spinach and beef empanada and it was good. Their potato balls aren't as good as I prefer Porto's over this place but the rest of the meal was spot on delicious! Definitely coming back here to try other dishes. read more

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Food is soooo good! I'm not a huge Cuban food connoisseur lol But I've tried several places and this one is up there! Service is always great! Cute place with a nice ambiance. Also, they catered my micro wedding (30 people) And all guests were pleased. read more

Bella Cuba - 1. Lechon Asado - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Got the Pollo Asado today. Generous portion and marinated well. The garlic bread, rice and black beans were very good. My only recommendation would be to reduce the sourness on the marinade a little based on my preference. Service was excellent. read more

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This place is a good spot for Cuban food. I got the garlic chicken which was juicy and packed with flavor. It came with rice and some really tasty black beans. I also tried the beef empanadas and loved them. Prices seemed fair overall. Some in our group weren't into the lechon (pork), though.Our server was attentive and friendly but the table was a bit cramped for all the food we ordered. The vibe was fun with music playing and lots of families/couples around enjoying their night. read more

Cuban restaurant with great food and reasonable prices. Located in a strip mall with its own parking. Credit cards accepted. We went around 6pm on a Sunday and there was no wait, but when we left, there was a large crowd of people waiting to be seated. Indoor dining only. Restrooms located on the left hand back side. Alcohol is served here. The food portions were quite large and I really enjoyed the pollo asado. It comes with rice and black beans, as well as a couple of plantains. The chicken came with a lot of onions and I had enough for leftovers for lunch. My dad really enjoyed the lengua. The pollo asado was a tad salty but still good overall. They do have vegetarian options available. read more

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I had really high hopes walking into this restaurant. The decoration was Cuban. The music playing was great. And it felt good. Upon walking in there was no one at the hostess stand. There was a guy sitting off to a side table that saw us and told us we could sit anywhere. At this point I didn't know if he was a worker or some patron just trying to help because he didn't even stand or welcome us. When we sat we were greeted by our server. And took our order. I asked what kind of beer was on draft and he said Modelo. When he brought me my beer it was in a bottle. I didn't even mention it as I thought it was a misunderstanding. We ordered the chicken empanadas, Ox tail with rice and Paella for one. I'll start with the bad so we can end in a nice note :) the chicken empanadas were meh. It had a nice crust and the dough wasn't too thick. But the chicken filling lacked flavor. The Paella was the worst part of the experience. In the menu it said 45 mins to cook. Which we were ok with because we were in search of a really good local Paella. When we got it after 15-20 mins we were surprised. Firstly it came in a regular plate. Normally it's served in a pan. Or at least that's where they've been served to us before. The flavor we lacking. It was bland. But the worst part was after first bite you could tell everything was either reheated or frozen. The fish was gross. I can't even describe the taste as it was more like jerky. We actually had to send it back because some parts of the fish was still ice cold while the others were warm. The shrimp was chewy. Again it tasted like it was reheated. When we sent it back the guy sitting on the seat when we first came in, asked the waiter what was wrong with it. The waiter said I said some parts were cold. The guy who I am assuming is either a supervisor or manager didn't even come by to apologize. He just sat back down staring at his phone lol Ok on to the good! The ox tail stew with rice was actually really good, lots of flavor and very tender! My one star goes to the stew! IF I did come back it would only be for this. But honestly I don't see myself coming back. read more

Bella Cuba - Ox tail stew - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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I've been going to Bella Cuba for years now. This restaurant is a local favorite, it doesn't matter what day of the week it is, the restaurant is always packed. There's ample parking in the lot, the wait for a table depends on what time you get in but it's pretty fast. Service is wonderful, everybody is friendly. They have a lunch menu during the week and they have a lot of delicious dishes on the menu. I love that the plates come with plantains, that's my favorite. read more

Bella Cuba - 6. Pollo Asado and 35. Camarones al Ajillo - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Service was amazing and very quick. We came at about 12 in the afternoon, atmosphere was great and played great music. They do have a lunch menu with sandwiches and other 'quick' to eat items for the lunch rush. The service was very quick we got our food within about 10min of ordering. We order the beef tongue plate as well as the pork and chicken combination plate (pictured); both were very good and will definitely come back again! read more

Bella Cuba - Chicken and pork Combinacion de Pollo y Puerco - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Food was delicious. Service was helpful when asking suggestions. Lively atmosphere. I would definitely go again. read more

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Their steak was season too much their beans they're black beans were burnt. The onions were supposed to have a line taste while cooked. They gave them to us the way they wanted to. I do not recommend this food nor the service. I was so disappointed cuz I love Cuba food I've been to many food restaurants this was by far a waste of time and money eating read more

Great lunch options and friendly service but a little slow because the restaurant was packed at around 1:30 pm on a cold Thursday afternoon. Complimentary garlic toast was very good. I ordered the grilled calamari in garlic butter sauce from their lunch special at $ 14.95 and it was excellent. Have never seen this dish on the menu in cuban restaurants I have been to in the past. I would definitely order that again. It came with plantains and a side of black beans. Calamari was perfectly grilled and sooo tender. The whole plate was filled with the delicious garlic butter sauce. read more

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Came here with a coworker. I love the lunch order it's not only so delicious but so reasonably priced. The service is great! They are so friendly & welcoming. The food is amazing! The chicken is so full of flavor. I love the beans & plantains. The bread they give is so yummy! I've been back twice & honestly it doesn't Miss. I can't believe I'd driven past it this many times & never went in. I highly recommend! Right near south coast plaza. read more

So this is where we go when we can't figure out what to eat for dinner on Friday nights. And we're basically here every other week. I had the #10 the bistec, steak smothered with onions and rice and beans and plantains. Pretty much my go to dish. Also had the oxtail dish too and that was really good. The meat was super tender. These are the only beans I'll eat! Also tried their strawberry shake, creamy with fresh strawberry chunks. Highly recommend this place! read more

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Food was good once again. Years ago, it had become really salty. So I'm glad they've corrected that. My companion had a Cuba Libre that was weak, don't know if that's a one-off. But I love their classic dishes and will return regularly. Definitely recommend. Decor is casual dining, the music played in the background is nice and it makes for a relaxed enjoyable setting. read more

Great spot to eat delicious and plentiful Cuban food. My wife and I share the roast pork dish (pernil) with white rice and black beans. Of course, the tostones/platanos maduro are a tasty treat as are the marinated onions. read more

I really wanted to like this place. It was not that busy but staff were hustling like it was. My waiter recommended their piccadillo which had some ingredient that just wasn't right (I'm part Puerto Rican and part Cuban); I couldn't identify the taste other than it made it taste "wrong." Their rice was perfect Cuban rice. Their black beans were very watery and liked more like black water with a couple of beans. The best thing I had was a cafe con leche and platanos maduros. However, their garlic lemon chicken looked amazing and I will definitely be going back to try that. The people eating next to me say that's the only thing they order when they come... that and the sangria. read more

This is our 3rd time coming here and every time, it's a surprise! Some of the dishes are worth coming back for, while new dishes are also worth trying. Oxtail dish with rice, beans and plantains were bomb! Seasoning was on point; the meat was ever so tender and the sauce permeates the meat so well, the flavors go well together! Hands down, my favorite dish! 5/5 Mahi mahi plate was okay. The texture was chewy and bland 3/5 Lengua - way too salty! Generally, our family loves lengua, and this one was even tender but unfortunately, the saltiness was too much for consumption 2/5 Tres Leches Cake - thumbs up! Cake was sweet, moist and shareable for 2 people 5/5 Cuban coffee - bold, strong and perfect with Tres Leches cake 5/5 read more

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I've only had the Pollo Asado. This plate is on point! Great flavor. Cooked just right. The beans are super good. The plantains are a great addition to this plate. Sweet and warm. The garlic bread is damn good too!!! Will definitely return. read more

Bella Cuba - Pollo Asado... - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

3-1/2 stars Bella Cuba offers a wide assortment of beef, pork, chicken, seafood dishes. Everyone in our group had the garlic chicken with plantains, black beans, and rice. The chicken was crispy and sitting in a pool of a tasty, garlicky marinade. The plantains were equally good. But the black beans were a bit too salty and watery for our liking. One person had a chicken and pork combo. The pork was tasteless and salty. Food aside, the service and the nonstop Cuban music were excellent. read more

Good ol Bella Cuba. Me and my family have been coming here for years since I can remember. I always get the same plate. I enjoy eating the "bistec de pollo empanizado" pretty much just breaded chicken. Accompanied with your side of rice and black beans. Always get a side order of "Mariquitas" and "yuca frita" which is fried cassava, and from what I can remember the service was good. The place itself is nice as well and very Cuban like. Food - 9 / 10 Setting - 9 / 10 Service - 8.5 / 10 Total - 9 / 10 read more

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Food is amazing, service is great, and location is perfect I would recommend it to everyone I know read more

Bella Cuba - Shredded beef ‍ and Oxtail was fire !!! - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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I don't know if it was due to being hungry, but this place wowed me with everything they brought to the table. We went for lunch and ordered from their lunch special menu. They also give you complimentary delicious, light and toasty garlic bread. Cuban Sandwich ($11.95) - The Cuban sandwich was a bit thin and had less meat than I would have liked, but it was so crispy and the cheese was nicely melted and did that amazing cheese pull you see in photos. I would have preferred more pickles as well, but the mustard helped provide that nice tangy flavor in the sandwich. It was served over a whole plate of fries. A whole plate, yes. It was just plain salted fries, but for whatever reason it tasted so nice and potatoey, with just the right amount of crunch on the outside and soft mashed potato like inside. Beef Tongue ($15.95) - This was such a good deal. It came with 3 slices of thick (~1cm), tender pieces of beef tongue cooked in an amazing tomato based sauce. It paired very well with the huge portion of yellow rice that it came with. My receipt said the yellow rice cost $1 extra, but you can order it with white rice. It also came with fried plantains and a bowl of black beans. The black beans tasted good on its own, but so much better eaten with the garlic bread. I ordered their tres leches cake to go. I wasn't completely wowed by their cake, but I appreciated the almond slivers they included for the texture. I would absolutely come back to this place and try more of their foods. After reading other reviews from this place, I am looking forward to trying their roasted garlic chicken. Our server was a sweet lady who came to check up on us very often and made us feel welcome to dine there. read more

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This is the best Cuban food in the greater LA area. The interior is subtle and inviting with nice decor recalling parts of Cuba. The gem of course is the food. It's the only place I have eaten that reminds me of Miami. I can't wait to return and try more dishes. The lechon and vaca frita were both very well prepared and maduros and moros were also very well seasoned and cooked. This is a must try for anyone craving good Cuban or Caribbean food, which can be hard to find on the left coast! read more

Went to Bella Cuba to grab a quick lunch. Just after my meal was served, I got a bat signal from a family member that made me change from dining in to taking out (and ordering extra food). The gentleman who helped me (I didn't get his name but he seemed to be a manager)- was SO incredibly kind. It seemed he knew something was going on with me and took exceptionally good care of me and, by extension, the family members I was then preparing to feed. The food was DELICIOUS of course, but the TLC I got in the wake of what turned out to be a challenging situation was WELL worth the visit. I look forward to retuning! read more

I lurve Bella Cuba! Being half Cuban myself, I am very partial to this restaurant. I (as well as my 100% Cuban father) personally think it's the best Cuban food in Orange County :) For us, we can always tell by the black beans. They're just the right consistency and flavor here. I recommend the Pollo Asado, Vaca Frita, and Ropa Vieja. You also must try the sweet plantains! read more

This unassuming place is fire! We were seated promptly and the place wasn't too busy yet for lunch. They set down some of the best complementary garlic bread straight from the oven. I was craving something different and ordered the Lengua con salsa and it was cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. It came with rice and some of the best black beans I have tasted in a long time as well as fried plantains that were so good we ordered another plate of them as a side order! The lengua was so soft and decadent. My wife ordered the Colombian style steak and it came similar to mine but with a different sauce but once again was as delicious! It's located in a strip mall shopping area and down some stairs but worth checking out. I can't wait to go back! read more

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They do an excellent job with the Bento Box and I'm sure they do well with rolls as I haven't tried them

I was in town for business and always looking for good food. I had made my rounds of Mexican food and wanted something a little different. I had seen Bella Cuba and was eager to try it. I enjoy Cuban food and saw that they have lechon asado. I arrived and was seated quickly. Service during my meal was good. Nothing over the top but consistent. I started off with the empanadas and they were good. For my main I ordered the Lechon Asado and was really looking forward to it. The portions were generous and the quality was good. The pork was just a tad overdone but not to the point that it wasn't enjoyable. Overall this was a good place and would recommend trying if you are in the area. read more

Bella Cuba - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Great spot. Feels just like home! Staff treats you like family, food tastes like home cooked and decor makes you feel like nostalgic. It seems like you can't go wrong with any of the dish here. We got the chicken as our main course. The sauce the spice the flavor the chicken everything was a great delight. read more

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The food here is amazing!!! Great portion sizes and so juicy and flavorful. The sangria was fruity with a good hint of alcohol which is how I personally liked it, so we got 2 pitcher of that! We were a party of 4 gals - hey! Prices for entrees are from $16-19 with the whole red snapper being the most expensive at $30. Enjoy these photos to get your mouth watering! read more

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Food is OK. Ordered the chicken and beef empanadas for appetizers and the arroz camarone butter for my entree. Empanadas were OK. The arroz camarone was ok as well. I was a little taken aback by the portion of 6 measly shrimps, some beans, rice and fries for almost $25. I always pass by this area when I am in the area getting boba so decided to try it and definitely a one and done experience. Nothing compelling about the food or menu for me to come back. Service was not that great either just basic. Everything is just OK lol. read more

Bella Cuba - Arroz Camarone Butter - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Versailles level! I've been searching for good Cuban food for years since moving from LA. This place is delicious, huge portions, just as good. The food is about 100x better than h*bana. read more

I had pretty high expectations for this place since they have a lot of reviews on yelp, and when we walked in on a Sunday afternoon at around 3 PM the place was packed. Maybe because they had a lot of customers at the time, but we had to wait quite a while for our food after we ordered. We love the Cuban tamales from Portos so we decided to order the tamales appetizer at this restaurant. There was really little filling inside the tamales and the dough could've been blended smoother. We also ordered the chicken and pork combo. It was rather disappointing because both meat items were dry and soaked in a sour onion sauce mixture. I would recommend asking for the raw onions on the side, so it doesn't touch the rest of your food. The raw onions with the sour sauce make all the dishes taste the same. read more

Bella Cuba is our go to place for authentic Cuban food. Great atmosphere, staff and food...especially the roasted chicken plate (#6). Also the best sangria around! Highly recommended. read more

I was traveling on business and stopped in with a co- worker to try out the their food. I based my choice on the menu. I have a hard time finding Cuban restaurants that offer boiled yuca con mojo. I absolutely prefer it boiled rather than fried with pork pieces. We arrived and looked at the menu. I knew I'd made the right choice based on the toasted garlic bread that came to the table. I normally go with the oxtail(rabo emcendido) but I veered off the beaten path and went with the lechon. All plates came with a side of beans, rice, and plantains. I ordered the yuca con mojo as another side. My co-worker had never tried Cuban food before so she went with the roasted garlic breast. She finished her entire plate and some of the yuca. I can safely say that I have made a Cuban food convert! I had a malta and it brought back memories of my childhood. I have a favorite Cuban restaurant in LA and now have one in Orange County! read more

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Excellent service and i always get the oxtail. My husband and kids live the steak with lemon salt pepper. Next time will try the amazing chicken. Kids love the garlic bread. read more

Five years ago I gave this same establishment a 5 star rating. I recently came back and my experience was unfortunately totally different. To start with our server seemed put off when my companion asked for paella. He tried to dissuade us from getting it by telling us it would take 45 minutes to make (it took 20). Well, it was not worth waiting for and when the dish arrived we could not understand what we were looking at (refer to pic). It was a mound of seafood piled on top of 3 spoonfuls of rice. They do understand that this is a rice dish, correct? Anyways, it was AWFUL. The chicken was hard and tasteless and the rice was missing in action and the only resemblance to paella was its name. The price ($45 for one person) was exorbitant for an inedible dish. I ordered the chicken fricase which was also tasteless with a side of white rice that seemed to have been sitting out for quite a while as it was dry and hard. I'm bummed that one of the few places serving Cuban food in OC is now a "no" for me. I hope they heed this review and change their ways. read more

Bella Cuba - Paella - Cuban Near Me - Santa Ana, California