This place used to be so good but it has gone downhill a lot. They charge top prices at the door and for drinks but the quality is bad. The "top shelf" margaritas are syrupy and have barely any liquor. The shots are tiny thimbles. The empanadas tasted freezer burned and like old grease. The bathrooms are disgusting. And to top it off they have a creepy security guard who wears a full face mask and stalks around breathing down everyones neck. read more

We at lunch here - but it looked like a very fun place to come to for dancing. The service was attentive and the server fun to talk with. Of the dishes we had, the shrimp in garlic sauce I tried to eat had a shrimp that smelled off, so that was the end of that dish for me. Julie had a couple and said they were okay. The plantaines with beef were good. Of the 3 empanadas, we enjoyed the beef. The star was the mango margarita - yum yum yum. read more

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Empanadas are amazing ! Also the sweet dessert, tres leches cake, OMG! I would defiantly recommend this place read more

This place is great! The food is tasty and quickly served, but the setting really steals the show. There's a friendly neighborhood bar to one side, but the dining area is booths on all edges and a wide open dance floor in the middle. This is great for two reasons On Thursday to weekend nights, it's a lovely party room and a lot of fun. But early in the week it means you get a take not surrounded by others. Every seat in the house geeks private so you can talk, hear each other, and be comfortable. It's a great spot for more than one kind of date night! Plus it's close to Saint Anthony Main and a vibrant shopping area, so you can do dinner, movie, walk in the park, shop strolling, ask in one. Highly recommended for date night read more

The truth is I'm so sad, since I'm a frequent diner and I usually have this place as my favorite for my party getaways, and today you had the unpleasant pleasure of running into the person who was at the bar the day before with a very bad temper, and a terrible service and very annoying. The truth is if you don't have the humility to serve, don't do it. It was the most unpleasant time I've ever had in my life. read more

Went here in a Saturday around 5:15pm. We were promptly seated and someone came over to ask about our drinks. We ordered some water and then our meal. Ordered the chicken with rice, fried yuca and skirt steak with chimichurri. The chicken with rice was the most flavorful dish and the hottest. I liked the yuca but the sizes were all different which meant some pieces were too fried and others not enough. The steak had the potential to be so good! It wasn't hot enough, in terms of temperature. I loved the flavor of the chimichurri and I was sad that it was warmish. Maybe the chicken and rice took longer-I'm not sure and it still tasted good. We had great service with water refills and checking on us. Used a LivingSocial deal and it was easy peasy! Next time I'm coming back for the paella! read more

Conga Latin Bistro - Dinner - Dance Clubs Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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old oil taste of empanadas The empanadas are old, oily, and gross Some staff don't speak Englishand are very aggressive and rude read more

Food was not that great! Server got my order completely wrong. I ordered an Argentinian Churrasco and got a Seafood plate instead after a very long wait. Place looks more like a dance club than a restaurant. It is too loud and outdated. Not a very good experience at all. I had my hopes high but got disappointed. read more

pésimo servicio de comida y de la bartender si en realidad no tienen comida no la ofrezcan y no den migajas al cliente

H M M M M M ........... I THINK N O T I am here for the second time, it is conveniently only 3 blocks from daughter's house. Unfortunately, this trip was no better than the first. It was just " blah". I think a restaurant with the word LATIN in the name should have some pizazz. Really. Maybe if we would have been able to order in Spanish we could have conveyed our desires to our server much much better. After ordering, we waited and waited and waited for everything. Lucky for us, we were here to see my Niece dance with her Flamenco Dance Group. That kept us occupado. So we were entertained while we waited, thank goodness! We split the beef short ribs appetizer (that came with white rice and runny beans), and the pork tenderloin with a giant dumpling and a little gravy. The ribs were flavorful, and uncommon to find as a menu selection. The pork was similar to how I make it at home, certainly not very Latin - like. I thought the dumpling was good on the outside where it was crispy. The i side how, seemed thick and chewey. Gaggy. I will say, the price was right. Daughter ordered the 2 4 1 mojito, and they came in really tiny lowball glasses. If they had been in 1 taller glass, it would have been a normal mojito. Whaaaaa ? It was. however, quite tasty and minty! Yum. So, the best part of this evening, besides watching my girl dance and kick up her high heels , was using the ladies room. Yes, that is what I said. It had a black ceiling , black tiles on all the walls, black sinks and counters, black doors and dividers AND black commodes. I have never peed in a black pot before. My life is now complete!!! The floor was painted a muted blue, and the contrast was perfect. B E S T L A D I E S R O O M read more

Conga Latin Bistro - On center stage - Dance Clubs Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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This used to be one of our favorite restaurants, but it is now on our Places to Avoid list. We wanted their paella and since it takes an hour to prepare we both ordered in advance on-line and by voice mail. We asked them to call us to confirm our order, since the previous time we pre-ordered and it was not prepared when we got there and their corkage / bottle fee. We never got a call back and when we arrived they had not prepared the paella we pre-ordered. They also sat and waited 20 minutes for a server. When we asked about the corkage fee they laughed at us, and said $20. When we asked about the Paella, they said they would prepare it, if we were willing to wait an hour. We instead ordered the seafood cassorole which had was mediocre and had one scallop. Our total, including the $20 corkage fee was $50.00. We will not be back. There are much better places to spend your money. read more

If you haven't ordered your food yet, do yourself a favor and leave! I came here with a friend and we got the habernaro wings, empanadas, and paella. The wings came out first, they were ice-cold, and still frozen with a side of hot fries. So we sent them back, but then they came out overly cooked, so dry that you can't even pick it off the bones. Fries had no salt, and when we asked for salt, it came in a cup from the bar. They didn't have a salt-shaker. They had the worst seafood paella i've ever had in my life. Bitter after taste, could not eat the rice at all. Lobster was so dry, it wouldn't come out of the shell. Shrimp and mussels were so dry and overcooked, you had to chew it for days or spit it out. White fish and scallops were not dry but had no flavor besides the crap-tasting rice it came with. I do not recommend this place at all. Save yourself the taste buds and literally go anywhere else. read more

Horrible food - charged me twice and when I called to dispute, they refused to provide me a refund. Do not go there!

Had a Groupon. Wasn't impressed. Went twice actually since there were two Groupons. The food wasn't seasoned well and wasn't plated well. I had the ropa vieja both times. It's good but nothing special. The servers also are not very attentive and they're slow to bring the meals out. The yucca fries on the other hand were good. Had a craving for them and had to try it. They do have salsa dancing lessons do if that's something you're interested in you can dance drink and dine all in one spot. read more

We almost didn't go here because of the bad reviews but I'm glad we did. I really wanted to try seafood paella, or Paella Marinera as they call it, which is why we came here. I have had paella once before and also made it once. We were warned that the paella would take about 40 minutes but we were okay with that as we had beer, wine and a huge bowl of black bean soup. The soup was great and kept us going for a while. When the paella showed up it looked really good. It had plenty of rice, fish, crab, lobster, mussels, clams and scallops. It also tasted really good. I only had two issues with it. I have read that authentic paella is supposed to have toasted rice because the rice is cooked over a high heat. This didn't have that and maybe no one makes it like that anymore. Of course I may not even like it if I got to try it. The other thing is I think that the amount of salt could be toned down, but then I'm quite salt sensitive. Overall good though and we had some to take home for lunch the next day. In a lot of the bad reviews they mentioned the bad service but our service was good. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. She came back multiple times to make sure we were okay. read more

Conga Latin Bistro - Paella Marinera - Dance Clubs Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Food tasted really good, I was surprised . I wish I could take a picture of the pork, cause that surprised me also. A bone shard that was nearly sharp as a razor was sticking out. It cut my lip cause I didn't see it initially and surely didn't expect it and when I told the waitress she gave me an empty expression and just said yes. No are you ok, or sorry. Just an empty expression that said she wasn't interested And/or wasn't her problem. Total turnoff. read more

Conga Latin Bistro - a plate of meat and rice - Dance Clubs Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This is a place I will not be going to again. The food was just as bad as the service. I do not recommend this restaurant. We were kept waiting. The waitress was rude and as the only three latínas there, the service was horrible. When I asked for sauce for the mofongo the waitress caught an attitude. I've been told the music and dancing is good however doesn't matter I will not be going there ever again not even for a free meal. read more

Conga Latin Bistro - Menu - Dance Clubs Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Empanadas (mediocre, filled with velveeta and overpriced), Jamaican Chicken (70% vegetable) and salmon ... and a rum punch. Sweet plantains were good, all three to four of them, given that they were ten dollars. Overpriced, under delivered mediocre food. Sole saving grace: Nice venue and helpful service. read more

We had a groupon for this place that we had to use before it expired. We had a decent experience the first time we dined in here .. the food and the service were both decent, but it was different this time. We were there on Saturday night, and the place was not packed. We were greeted and seated promptly. We ordered pork tacos as our appetizers. They came out pretty quick, and that was good cos we were really hungry. Now here came the first problem. The server didnt get us any silverware and dinner napkins, so I had to use my fingers to get the salsa and sour cream out of the serving cup into the tacos. The tacos actually tasted pretty good, but if I didnt have to dip my fingers in the salsa and sour cream cup without not having any napkins, I would have enjoyed the tacos a whole lot more. We then had to flag down another server to get us the silverware and napkins cos our server sort of disappeared. We order Steak and Onion, and Roast Pork for our main meals. The main dishes also came out pretty quick. They tasted ok. The rice and fried plantains on both dishes were actually the good part of the dish because both rice and plantains tasted better than both our steak and roast pork. The steak was edible but not at all memorable. The part of the roast pork with the glazing sauce tasted quite nice, but the other part that didnt have any sauce over it was dry, chewy and bland. After we were done with the meals, we had to ask the server to PLEASE refill out water glasses. Then after we got the check, we had to again wait for a while for the server to take our check and credit card. We dont want to see if third time is a charm, so we wont be returning. read more

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This place is a solid 3 stars in the best way. My expectations were pretty low for this place, given the previous feedback, but I was plesantly surprised. The decor is a little dated, the place feels old, and the service was impatient, yet attentive, but the food was better than I expected. The bad: water. The water had a very strange and offputting taste. The tostones - very, very dry, flavorless but at least it was crunchy. The house wine. This was the first house wine that I had that made me wonder, what is, exactly house wine? Is it leftover wine from the previous day? If I had to guess, the house wine here was the leftover wine from the previous day, from several bottles, mixed together. BLEH. The good: Arroz con Mariscos/Rice with Seafood (for one) - really quite tasty. It didn't have the crunchy, browned bits that paella would have, but this was much cheaper and faster with a similiar flavor. The Tilapia in Curry and Coconut sauce - the filet wasn't overcooked, which is always a good thing. And the curry was nice too, not really authentic tasting, but plesant. Instead of rice or potatos, we opted for a side of mofongo, which also had a very nice flavor, but was again quite dry. In the middle: Seafood Casserolle - for $22, I would typically expect a little bit more. Some of the seafood, like the crab was definitely overcooked. But overall, the flavors were nice, if a bit overseasoned. And it was a nice portion. Conclusion: I had decided to come here based on a friend's groupon, so it was a very good deal for a decent meal. It's also within walking distance from my home, so that always a plus. A solid 3 stars. read more

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My work group took a trip for a monthly trip to new restaurants around downtown Minneapolis. Conga was near Pizza Nea which I loved, but it looked like a cool place my team might like on a team lunch. I was taking a big risk. So far team lunches have been to places someone has gone to. Conga is a first! I went to Pizza Nea and saw the place down the street and it looked cool. We looked in the windows and no one was there but the buffet was open. It pissed me off that that drinks were not included in the buffet price of 9 bucks because I called a week earlier and they said the soda was included in the buffet price. They had good pork and chicken and lots of rice with lentils and chicken that was fried. It was kind of your basic buffet food, but the salsa was really good. Like amazing good for salsa, just the right amount of heat. I was full after two plates, but for a lunch buffet, after tip is was about 15 bucks, with Diet Coke. It really pissed me off that they charged us for drinks after saying they would be free 2 days ago, but the food was pretty good. It would be a 4 and 1/2 or a 5 if they didn't screw us over on the sodas after they said it was part of the buffet. The service was pretty good, it was one guy servicing the buffet. Again, it made me look like a total jerk to my friends that got charged for a drink, when they said there would be no charge 2 days before. Horrible. read more

Bought a 2X $16 for $30 worth of food - so I came here twice and ordered different dishes each time! Note that you can't use your Groupon for Paella! :( Impression: Dining room needs some updates, looks a bit run down. Napkins, silverware, etc. probably not as clean as they can be. Service was nice and friendly although slow at times. Food: Shrimp in Garlic Sauce & Plantains: loved the sauce, and the fried cup shaped plantains gave it a nice crunch! Broiled Salmon in Brandy - just not my cup of tea. Can't really pinpoint what I didn't like, but it was just off. My friend ordered the Halibut in Garlic Sauce, which tasted better than me, but it was alright. We decided that fish is probably not the way to go here. Second Visit... Sweets Plantains with Queso Fresco - loved the flavor contrast but not sure if it is worth $6.50 since we got like 5 pieces of plantains? Rice with Seafood - since I couldn't use the Groupon for Paella, I resorted to this. The description was similar, and it even says "If you can't wait for the Paella..." Rice was drier than I would have liked, and the halibut was overcooked. Generous portion though with pieces of shrimp, mussels, crab, clams, etc. Churrasco Argentino - grilled skirt meat with chimichurri sauce. This is by far my favorite entree here! The chimichurri sauce was excellent - would have asked for some extra on the side, and the skirt steak had a great grilled taste and was cooked well (we asked for medium rare). Overall, probably not the first place that comes to mind when I am eating out, but if you are in the area, it doesn't hurt to give it a try! Get the Groupon if you are planning on coming here - it's a good deal! read more

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Based on the reviews of Conga on Yelp, I was a little nervous that the food and service were not going to be up to par. But I was more than pleasantly surprised with our experience for dinner last night. My hubby and I stopped in for dinner to use a Crowd Cut coupon and the restaurant was empty, except for us (which didn't make me feel any better since usually when a place is empty it's because it's not good). Since we were there during Happy Hour, all appetizers were half price. Conga has an awesome appetizer list and there were a lot that we wanted to try, but we settled on a new appetizer on their menu, Shrimp and Avocado on Plantains. Wow, this appetizer blew us away! The flavor was amazing and the shrimp were perfectly cooked. I loved the combination of the creamy avocado, sweet fried plantains and salty shrimp. Plus, the portion size is very generous. I would go back to Conga just to get this appetizer again. For our next course we ordered the Mango and Avocado salad. Some of the other reviews on Yelp mention that the food at Conga is overpriced for the presentation of the food, but based on this salad I completely disagree! The salad was beautiful and came wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber. And the taste was fantastic. The salad came with a generous helping of avocado chunks and fresh mango. It also had a really great lime vinaigrette. For our entrees we ordered the Jamaican Chicken and the Ropa Vieja. Both entrees were good, but not quite as tasty as the app and salad. I thought the Ropa Vieja had great flavor and was nice and tender, but it was a tad on the salty side. The Jamaican Chicken had great spice but lacked a little in substance. It came with a side of rice and had chunks of chicken, green pepper and onions. Our service was great and very attentive. While the entrees were just OK, I really enjoyed our appetizer and salad. If I go back to Conga, I will definitely take advantage of their Happy Hour special. read more

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I wanted to love this place. When a friend suggested we meet here for dinner, I was excited! She's Puerto Rican and was craving taste of home. With the exception of people at the bar, the place was pretty empty. Despite this fact, the service was extremely slow. My friend and I shared a Monfongo. It was fine. It satisfied her craving. My husband ordered chicken and rice. It was tasty. So tasty that I ordered my own and he ordered one to go. That was a mistake. The next batch was likely from the bottom of the pan. There were many hard grains of rice and wasn't very flavorful. We received our Green Plantain Tapas, an appetizer, after the entrees. They were good though. My friend said the service is usually better and so is the food. I was pretty disappointed. I can't say I will return. read more

Conga Latin Bistro - Dance floor and booths - Dance Clubs Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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On a cold winter night my nose led me to a Conga! I was hungry, tired and desperately looking for a good bite to eat. Out in the cold brisk air my nose perked up to what I now think was the Goya seasoning that tingles my tummy and attracts me to Latin food among other things. Even though the restaurant has a bright red and yellow exterior I still consider Conga a hidden spot because you can't see inside from passing by. Although I was so eager to eat I ordered the pollo con arroz to go. The portion was large but the flavor was blah. It needed a little more fullness in the seasoning of the rice and the chicken. It tasted watered down to me so I would hope that was the result of mass cooking for a large quantity but sadly the finished product was subpar. My expectations were so high but the final product did not help me to stop salivating. Don't get me wrong I finished my food, remember I was hungry but after I was done I had no desire to go back and actually sit in the restaurant and enjoy another meal. I am always willing to give a restaurant a second chance but next time I'll just have lower expectations. read more

The food was so bad I assumed I was in a front for a drug ring.. the tacos are a No Go! The decor is dead Having this place in the neighborhood is a huge pain in the ass, I've seen more trash laying on their front sidewalk than in a dump. Management, PLEASE pick up the bottles and cigarettes from the sidewalk. read more

This place is terrible... the quality of the food and the seasoning (or lack of) is such a disappointment!!! the food took a while and I am pretty sure our roasted pork was not cooked that day or even the day before. Not worth it! read more

I had Tilapia, I had flan. I enjoyed them. Does anyone else pee on the sides of the inside of the toilet bowl to make it quieter? read more

My friend had a Groupon and I had driven past this place for years and never been in. Staff was super friendly hard to get a hold of someone when we wanted something though. Ordered a bunch of appetizers. Food was delicious & music was great! We'll def be back to try their late night dancing. Ordered: yuca fries, rice & beans (red), Jamaican chicken(good!), habenero wings (spicy but good!), sweet plantains( meh), and flan! read more

The plantains were delicious as were the tacos. The tres leches were a lilltle dry. The Argentinian meat plate was good. I liked the Sangria. Our friendly and helpful waitress Beya -- although I know that is not the proper spelling of her name, was the best. I look forward to coming back next week to give the empenadas a try. read more

bad service !! the owner is horrible!!! rude the food is not good !! the drinks got a half a shot of likkka in them !!! all over minneapolis the dance places are less then 20$ !! this place over chargeing !! 25$ entry fee 35$ for VIP ticket witch is just small tiny drinks comes with 3 very small drinks like a splash of booze !!! an if u get there early to eat an u speend money .. when it hit 9pm the security gard will come to u an charge u !! read more

Horrible place! The food is pretty good but the waiters are horribly trained. They need to be trained better on being nicer, and better service. Are waiter tried to memorize everything we ordered and messed up on our order. She wasn't happy or pleasant at all. Never asked if we want anything more. I came with a part of 4 and are table would be filled with plenty of plates and cups and no one moved any of the stuff and our table was always filled with empty dishes. The tables were dirty!! They need to better clean it. One of my friend came here plenty of times and said she has come here plenty of times and always the same attitude with the waiters. read more

Amazing! Went for dinner with my family. They catered to special orders. I asked for their Jamaican Chicken, except with chicken substituted for shrimp. It was glorious! The service was delightful. Ashley was our server and catered to my family's sometimes demanding style with a smile and poise. The meal portions were perfect. We left full, but not in a food coma. The short rib appetizer was the perfect portion for my 9 year old daughter's meal. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Masitas con Mofongo was very tasty. I love pork and plantains. It was very filling. Server was efficient and very attentive and had great recommendations. Have also been there for their lunch buffett which is alright. I thought there would be more to choose from, but still a decent selection. read more

So disappointing that Conga is not what it used to be. I had the arroz con mariscos, which was my favorite. The seafood seemed spoiled,soft and mushy, the halibut was totally absent, and the fake seafood sticks were also spoiled. I told the waitress and they made no offer to reduce the bill. I won't be back. read more

I love this place! The food is so good and staff is so friendly! The place was nearly empty every time I was there, so can't speak for the quality of the service when it's rush time. Their happy hour is great: half-off apps and 2 for 1 drinks 5-7pm. Plantains with Garlic and Shrimp, Plantains with Grilled Shrimp and Avocado, and Plantains with Queso are great choices for apps (Yes, I do have a thing for plantains). Entrees are also very good, can't go wrong with fish dishes. ** Update: Heads up! The main sign has been changed to "Mango - Bar and Grill", but the place is still "Conga." Some of the old or new customers might find that confusing. Also, apps on the happy hour are now $2 off instead of half-price as before. read more

Are you reviewers kidding me? I am a foodie and a former food critic. I eat at Conga once a month. It is an undiscovered treasure and I'm glad it's not packed because I have a very restful dinner! The prices are BEYOND reasonable, and the food is very consistently tasty and well-prepared, albeit very (and I mean VERY) spicy re:salsa and many other dishes. You must go there and eat and then judge for yourself. This is a real undiscovered gem! read more

It's a weird place but the food is good. I went there last night and I had a Cuban Sandwich. It was really, really good. There were only 3 other customers in the entire bar/restaurant. This was my second visit. My first visit, my wife dragged me in there for the lunch buffet. Again, it was good. And again, there were hardly any people there. I don't know how they make money. Maybe I'm just coming at the wrong time. Or maybe the main thing is the Friday & Saturday night dancing...which I've never seen. -Daddy Maxx Retro read more

Went here last week for lunch with my cousin as we were both taking the day off. Sadly, the meal took so long due to the slow service that we had to rearrange our plans for the rest of the day. The poor server would quickly shuffle past us with a quick, "I'm coming to you right away" and then we wouldn't see her for 20 minutes. It was confusing because we were 1 of 3 tables in the whole joint, so I don't know if she had other kitchen responsibilities or something else that was taking up her time? Ultimately so much time passed between the water coming out and her dropping off the silverware and then the salt and pepper coming out and then the water being dropped off that at one point my cousin and I ended up accidentally shouting at her, "DON'T GO YET!" so that we could get our orders in. Don't judge - we were desperate. And we apologized. It was pretty laughable. The weird part about the whole thing was that once the food arrived it was actually wonderful. We ordered a sweet plaintain with queso fresco appetizer and I've been fantasizing about it ever since. I ordered the pernil and it was falling apart and served with this delicious gravy-type sauce that I could have put in a glass and drank with a straw. Food: would be 5 stars, but it's a bit expensive. Service: crapful negative stars as service was slower than real political change in the US. read more

We went to Conga at 5:30 p.m. when the restaurant was bare (this was just fine with me), however, I've heard that the bar area really picks up at night for dancing. We started off the meal with the plantains topped with shrimp and avocado. The flavor combination was excellent! Then we had the mango and avocado salad with cucumbers wrapping it all together. The mangos were the sweetest and most flavorful I've ever had! The presentation was great. Since we had a Crowd Cut coupon, we "had" to order two entrees to make sure we used the full value. We ordered the Jamaican Chicken with spicy curry and the Ropa Vieja (shredded beef with rice and black beans). The Jamaican Chicken was great...it had a sweet and spicy flavor to it. The shredded beef was pretty good, but didn't strike me the same way the appetizer and salad did...coming from a guy who usually doesn't eat salad, this is a big compliment! However, the rice and bean mixture was tasty. Don't forget about happy hour, they have have priced appetizers and 2 for 1 draft beer and "Conga" drinks (mixed specialty drinks including mojitos etc.)! The service was decent, nothing special...nothing bad. When we go back, we'll probably stick to appetizers, the salad and drinks. This amount of food is plenty for two to share unless you have the appetite of a giant! read more