Excellent Cuban food. Good service. I'm glad they made it through the pandemic. I will drop by when I visit So. Cal again.

El Rincon Criollo has comfortable Cuban cuisine to rival most in Los Angeles, however, the extremely slow service was tough to swallow. There were only two tables and our party of 8 was disappointed by how long it took to order, get drinks, get the entrees, get the check, etc. The dinner turned into a game of hide-and-seek service. Luckily, the Mojito Pitcher did arrive, the food was actually tasty, and the conversation hearty. The Combinacion Pulled Pork and Chicken offers "garlicky" super soft dark chicken meat literally falling of the bone before it got to my mouth and tender pulled pork with grilled onions. This combo was addictive and will bring me back to El Rincon Criollo. It comes with customary Black Beans, White Rice, and Plantains. The other main dish we tried was Bistec de Palomilla (Grilled Top Sirloin Steak) which also comes with the beans, rice, and plantains. Soft meat is always a welcome treat and when the beef comes dripping with Garlic Sauce like this one, they are very hard to resist. So, we didn't and devoured the whole thing. I also tried the Lengua Guisada (Beef Tongue) prepared in a home-made Tomato Sauce. It was indeed tender and flavorful. May not be enough to pull me away from the combination platter, but the quality of food was evident. Prices were reasonable around $11-12. For parking, we found a spot on Sepulveda, but heard from friends there were spots in back. I'll be back. El Rincon Criollo is A-OK Cuban cuisine. read more

See all

First timer here! Had the cuban pork style and the sandwich. So good, so tender. Big portion too. They also make their own habanero sauce, which is so tasty. Ended up buying 1 bottle home. Worth the $$ read more

El Rincon Criollo - Cuban Style Roast Pork - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

Rating: 70/100 pts El Rincon Criollo: the name translates to "the Creole Corner", but the food is as authentically Cuban as it gets. If Versailles is the Cuban star of hustling-and-bustling Los Angeles, El Ricon Criollo is its more subdued rural cousin. Both the attitude and atmosphere here are a lot more laid back and, I'd argue, better, at least if you're here to enjoy conversation with a friend. It's smaller and has less tables, but this all the more allows it to retain a traditional Cuban setting. Cuban paintings adorn the walls (which are for sale), and the interior is abound with various trinkets and explanations that illustrate Cuban's rich history and culture. At times, the food may not be as good as Versailles; but it's still darn good, and prices here are certainly better. Firstly: at $9.95, their 1/4 Pollo Asado is easily the best deal in town for a Cuban meal. Coming with bread, rice, beans, and plantains (as most of their meals do), it's more than enough to make you full, and authentic enough to make you temporarily forget you're in the US. But don't stop there: I'm also very keen on their Bistec De Pollo and Cuban Roast Pork. (Though I felt their Arroz con Pollo was slightly heavy on the grease.) If you have a sweet tooth, spring for their flan. Incredibly rich and perfect for two to share, it will certainly satisfy your flan craving. And I've never had a problem with the wait staff (which seems to be a common complaint here?); in fact, I find their service to be extremely attentive, without being intrusive. Always delicious, and never as crowded as it should be. *Park on Barman Ave, instead of using the pay meters on Sepulveda. read more

El Rincon Criollo - Flan and Cortado - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

See all

Comparable to: -Momma's home cooking (If I were Cuban/PR that is) -Versailles (the restaurant, not the place) Really friendly service, and the price to portion ratio is definitely worth coming for. We easily found a table for 4 (the wonderfully random hour of 3:00pm) and we ordered a pitcher of margaritas for the table. While I won't say that the margaritas were nasty, the alcohol content = close to none. And you can tell that it came from a bag mix. I ordered the fried pork chunks (masas de puerco fritas sounds much better) $10.95: Such good rice - slightly acidic, and with a little bowl of black beans and a good amount of salty fried pork. The pork was actually much more moist than what I've had at Versailles! Maybe it was a good visit because practically no one else was there? I will return! read more

I was around the area with my family and we decided to get Cuban since this is one of my Uncle's favorite restaurants. (If he thinks the food here is amazing then I need to introduce him to my favorite Cuban restaurant - Felix Continental Cafe in Orange http://www.yelp.com/biz/felix-continental-cafe-orange). I have to admit that the restaurant is way cute! It's nicely decorated with a tropical theme going on with fake plastic fruits, parrots, fishnets, a straw fence, and what not which gave that island feeling. In addition, they also had Cuban artwork and paintings displayed all along their walls all for sale for at least $200 or more. Definitely a cute, cozy atmosphere to have a nice, fun dinner with family and friends. The food on the other hand, wasn't so cute. The portions were way small compared to other Cuban restaurants that I'm use to...and they only give you two small pieces plantains? What a disappointment. I ordered the Arroz Con Pollo (1/4 Chicken cooked with steamy yellow rice) $9.95 - nothing about this dish really stood out to me, the chicken was a bit bland, and the rice was a bit soggy. I also had a taste of my sister's entree, Pollo Asado (Roasted 1/4 which chicken with black beans and white rice) $8.95 - I have to admit that the sauteed onions that was topped over the chicken was pretty good - very tasty and soft, I can't say the same for the chicken though. read more

See all

We lost our convenient access to Cuban cuisine when Havana Mania closed in Brea so this place caught my attention as I was cruising down Sepulveda on my way to Johnnies and immediately made a detour. I would say the food was good but I especially enjoyed the homey feel. I tried the fried yucca. The yuca was fried to order and the texture was very tender. The dipping sauce was ok though I found it a little light. The roast pork was also good, cooked with grilled onion and serviced with rice and beans. I enjoyed blending the rice w/ lemony garlic sauce from the pork. I also tried the flan and coconut. Good flan but over powering sweet when combined with the syrupy shredded coconut. I would definitely consider visiting again, especially to try the marisco dishes. read more

I found this place by chance as I was passing by during errands. I was pleasantly surprised to find this old school décor Cuban family restaurant. That reminded me of Versailles before they did all the upgrade changes and made the place more hip with a bar and TVs. I thought the quality of the food was great and it was very tasty. The service was friendly. I will go again. read more

Best Cuban food in the westside. Cheaper, better and tastier than Versailles. Amazing Cuban roasted pork. Highly, highly recommend. Super friendly service too. read more

OVERCOOKED......that word sums up everything we ordered. The food does take quite some time to come. My husband had the paella ($18.95). It was a bowl of over cooked slop. The instant gooey rice mixed with dry seafood made my husband stir the bowl constantly just to find something edible to eat in it. I ordered the whole fried red snapper ($16.95). It came with instant rice, black beans, and plantains. The fish was OK and the sides were unmemorable. Along with our meal we ordered fruit drinks. My husband had what was called a fruit shake ($4.95). How can they call it a shake?? There is maybe a 1/2 spoonful of ice cream in it. We will not be coming back......Waste of money and time that I'll never get back. read more

Love this place! The lechón asado is juicy and delicious! Plenty of food for two people to split. Also have to get an extra order of the maduros! So tasty! read more

I highly recommend El Rincon! The food is delicious and very authentic. I highly recommend the empanadas. Very friendly staff and cute environment. read more

This restaurant is a Cuban Culver City hidden gem. The flavorful smell gave away how delicious the food was going to be. Cuban cuisine is hard to capture and without a doubt, this cozy restaurant really embodied the full flavor of Cuban Havana night. The meat was marinated to perfection. We ordered the beef and chicken (two must try's on the menu) and the wine only added an abundance of flavor. Even the plantains(a Cuban signature dish served as a side garnish) was done right! Overall, the service was fabulous and I truly recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves a hearty meal, a great glass of wine and the flavors of the Caribbean. I look forward to going back! read more

Try their lechón! It comes with a side of rice and black beans. My favorite part is that they add about 3 little fried sweet plantains. Such a small amount of plantains but it is the perfect amount for your taste buds. The entire dish is to die for!!! I love that the location is not flashy. I usually pick a table outside on their patio. Personally, I think it looks better at night time since they have the colorful little lights on. read more

This spot is bomb. I was going to go to the place next door but I saw this spot and was drawn into it by the smell. I got the chunks of pork with the rice black beans and plantains. I also go somebread which was fantastic . My place was huge , but the food was sooooo amazing.. I couldn't stop eating. Before I left I got a Cubano con leche it was delicious as well. Great service . read more

El Rincon Criollo - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

See all

My friend had introduced me to this place years ago and I remember it being really good so whenever someone would ask me of a good Cuban place to eat, I had to recommend this! Years later, it's still there and it only makes sense that it is. Truly the great hole in the wall place with great service and food! It's a cute place with colorful decor but can be missed if you're driving too fast so know where it is. Their platanos are heavenly and I usually get a different dish and still really satisfied! read more

Would give this place 5 stars if it were solely for the food but the customer service is trash. Work on speaking louder on the phone and maybe not hanging up on your costumers? Lady working there also had quite an attitude. Disappointed. read more

Ladies and gentlemen... BELIEVE THE HYPE!!! So why 4 stars and not 5? Food is a tad bit on the salty side. read more

El Rincon Criollo - arroz con pollo - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

See all

Great food; great service. I am still full after eating half of my meal, and that was 5 hours ago! This is a nice little place with indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is varied and interesting. Parking was easy on a Saturday for lunch. read more

I stopped in as I had a few minutes before my appt and needed a snack. It was fine. The staff were really nice and attentive, the food was okay, nothing great. I had the chicken soup which I really liked. The broth was a bit heartier and not just a "clear" broth, with a little noodles, potatoes, carrots, and chicken. I got the chicken tamale which was meh. It was such a dark orange it looked like yams. It was bland in taste so I asked for sauce and they brought me garlic sauce which was also very orange. PhoShow was closed at 4pm which is why I came here. read more

El Rincon Criollo - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

See all

I had high hopes, but El Rincon Criollo came up a bit short. It's a small, down-home restaurant with about 15 small tables. When we arrived, the restaurant was half full and service was prompt. We ordered right away and our food came within 15 minutes. I ordered the highly recommended lenchon asada aka pulled pork ($10.95), which came with white rice, beans, and two fried plantains. The beans and plantains were really good, but I wish they gave more plaintains. The pulled pork was drenched in a garlic sauce (yum!) and onions. It had a nice garlicy flavor, but it's something that you can make at home. I also ordered the cappuccino ($3.95), which was quite unremarkable. Save your money for dessert. Mi madre ordered the garlic shrimp ($9.95). The server recommended it out of all the shrimp dishes. It came with 6 measley pieces. Meh. My mom likes the garlic shrimp trucks in Hawaii better. She also got the malta ($2.49), a Cuban non-alcoholic cereal drink. It tastes like soda with a lot of honey. We were glad we got to try this place, but we wouldn't recommend it for the food. Nice to support small mom and pop restaurants, especially since there's not a lot of the Cuban variety. read more

3.5 stars: The food is good, above average. I had the roasted pork, it was a little bit dry but still good. The garlic sauce is definitely good as well as their hot sauce. The service is a little lacking though. Had to flag down one of the waitresses several times. There were like 4-5 waitresses on the Saturday night we went, but they didn't check in on us on their own. read more

Ok here's my experience. The food is good specially the black beans. The staff is very friendly and greet you properly when you walk in. They have pretty good service. The only reason why I'm giving them 3 stars it's because OMG the food is overpriced. $$$ I wanted to order something small like black beans and bananas chips and ended up paying 11 dollars for just those 2. I'm probably not gonna go back. read more

Good shrimp cocktail and plantains, very dry chicken, pork and moros.

I love this place. I'm a Carribean who grew up in Miami and when I moved to LA from Florida I was desperate to find something that reminded me of home. For my birthday I was taken to Versailles in a sweet, but misguided attempt to fulfill my need for Cuban food. Versailles/ food straight up tasted like they poured a full bottle of Goya limon on the meat. Then I found El Rincon Criollo. I LOVE this place. I take EVERYONE here. I recommend this place to EVERYONE. It's an adorable atmosphere and the food portions are very generous. Get the palomilla with a side of tostones. They have Iron Beer too. Please do yourself the favor of going in and getting all of it. The fruit smoothies are fantastic too; I got the strawberry and pineapple one. read more

Came here tonight with a grip of friends....both old and new. There was Jenny from the Block...a new friend a few blocks down the road. Jammy Jam the Jammer...an old family friend from years ago. Sally the sultry vixen...my new sister from another mother reppin the LBC! D-Man Diamond Dallas...brother in arms. And last, but not least, Daemon "the everyday I'm hustlin" Hustler...a cool daddy-o keeping shit real. Had a great time in this cozy restaurant. Great conversation and great food. Favorite line of the night is when The Hustler went into the bathroom and raved about the sink in the hallway. "Is that even legal?" inquires The Hustler. "It must be 'cause it's there." replies Cobra K. Everyone ordered different things. Cobra and The Hustler ordered the Arroz con Pollo...great tender dark meat chicken with fantastic seasoning. I'd give it 4 stars. Jammy Jam the Jammer ordered the Lengua...dang...that dish was an order of magnitude tastier! I love the hell outta it and just perched myself over Jammy's shoulder waiting for her to drop some pieces on da flo for dis dog in heat! In the end, Jammy gave me the rest of her cow's tongue, which I eagerly polished off. I bid my friends farewell, and had creepy thoughts of centipedes eating rats for the rest of the night. read more

See all

Came here this past weekend when I was visiting my sis in the area. We had a great day in Venice Beach and wanted to end it with some yummy food. No junk food of course! Since my sis already ate here I trusted it. We sat outside (Sunny SoCal)!! We ordered our drinks and food. I had the Bistec a la Colombian. It was delicious! The sauce was just the right amount and the meat was tender. For the price this is very yummy and authentic. the food made up for the slow service we received on that day even though there wasn't hardly anyone there?? Note: I ordered the Strawberry margarita, which was not strong at all. I could barely taste the alcohol. My friend had the Pineapple, which was fine. When I asked she said the flavor matter? Weird. I'd skip the alcoholic beverages here. read more

El Rincon Criollo - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

See all

Service is wonderful every time I visit. This time was no different. I love this mom and pop Cuban restaurant for that reason. Parking is metered street parking or in the back. Rear parking is limited so best of luck on that. I always order the yuca frita. It comes with the garlic dip. It is soon yummy. Today I ordered the pollo asado. It comes with plantains, beans and rice. The chicken was tender and covered with garlic and onions. Portions was just right. Glad I stopped by. Until next time. read more

See all

I absolutely love this little neighborhood hole in the wall. Cubano and chicken sandwiches are amazing! Their signature garlic chicken dish is heavenly. El Rincon never disappoints! read more

El Rincon Criollo - The chicken sandwich here is almost as amazing as their Cubano! So delicious! - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

See all

Good food, good prices, and a friendly staff. Even had a very nice conversation with the owner while there. The kids surprisingly liked the plantain chips more than the plantains themselves. We will be back. read more

El Rincon criollo is literally a hole in the wall but the food is out of this world. A British friend brought me here a long time ago because he used to work a couple of blocks from here and since then El Rincon criollo became one of our favorite local restaurants, specially for take out, until 2008 when I stopped eating meat. The other day I was craving for some plantains and beans and decided to go back to my old fav spot. I was so surprised when I realized they have some vegetarian options. I ordered the rice with beans, salad and plantains which was delicious !!!! The portion was too big for me that I couldn't finish it all or maybe the reason was because I ate too many fried yuca while waiting for my plate. My friend had Ropa Vieja (shredded beef) and pork tamale and said couldn't ask for a better meal. For the table, we ordered yuca frita served with a garlic sauce which was amazingly good, I demolished all so we had to ask for a second portion :). Yuca frita is definitely a must try specially for those garlic lovers like me. I have a garlic clove every night. And here comes dessert..... The Flan!!!!! So bomb. I don't know why El Rincon Criollo has only 3.5 stars food is so good, even better than the popular restaurant in Venice Blvd or La Cienega. The restaurant is so cozy, very Latino. You need to try this place!!! read more

This place had a mellow vibe as soon as I walked in. Friendly service, quality food for a low price.

Stumbled upon El Rincon on the way home from the airport. It was a cool little hole in the wall I had to try out. Small and simple with Cuban music playing in the background. A cool tropical style sidewalk patio out front complete with wicker chairs and small round tables. It was a crisp, cool Socali dusk out so I opted for the patio and had it all to myself. I slumped back in my wicker chair and went for broke. I started with the Yuca Al Mojo De Ajo/Yuca In Garlic Sauce. Simple but really nice. A generous helping with plenty of garlic and very good. For the main course I had Sopa De Mariscos/Seafood Soup. Light and airy and hot but not scalding like too many places do soup. Chock full of great chunks of several kinds of fish and plenty of crab legs and shell fish. The broth was fish based very tasty and light with just a hint of lime in it. Really nice especially on a cool night out. The bread roll went well with the hot sauce. I washed it all down with Guava juice, very refreshing. There wasn't one single picture of Che Guevara of Fidel Castro hanging on the walls that a lot of the fake bogus places try to sell you. That tells you this place is the real deal. All in all pretty decent but I must return to try the other dishes. More to come on El Rincon read more