Years later and this place has come back around. Happy to be back in the neighbor and have this in the regular rotation.

It is a small cute restaurant ,that has been in Culver City for maybe 40 years or more , they serve authentic Cuban food ,tropical fruit smoothies.friendly staff,fast service ,outdoor & indoors eating areas , start meter parking .opens 7 days a week.I recommend this restaurant read more

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

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Tonight I was invited by my aunt who highly recommended this amazing restaurant. I ordered the garlic chicken, rice, and beans. The food was super delicious and bursting with that unique Cuban flavor. The food was right on point! We also had the wonderful opportunity to meet Jason ( owner). His service and hospitality made us feel like family. His undivided attention to his customers really stood out, for those who require superb customer service. The last highlight of our evening was a live band that created such a pleasant atmosphere. I would like to personally thank Jason for treating us like royalty. The food and service here is second to none. I highly recommend this gem to anyone who requires nothing but the best! read more

This spot is such a gem. I should have written this review a long time ago because I have been going for years and always tell my friends about it. My husband and I always get the Cuban sandwich and it is incredible every time. I highly recommend! The homemade habanero hot sauce is also top notch (we usually purchase a large side of it to bring home). The ambiance is warm, colorful, and the staff is always sweet. This place is definitely in my top 5 places to eat in LA. read more

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

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I have been going for over 15 years and yesterday the food was horrible, the only thing that was good was the plantains, in response to the owner, we are regular customers and everything was on the menu we ordered, it was not good, please read my review correctly, thank you read more

New owners but the food remains excellent as of today when I took my nephews there before dropping them off at LAX. My eldest nephew was only 2 or 3 years old when I brought him to El Rincon. He's 22-years old now (birthday was yesterday, 6/13) and El Rincon has the same vibe. I couldn't be happier that this place is still open. read more

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Overall very solid food. The Cubano sandwich was what I expected and was about as good as you can probably find in LA :). I did also enjoy the fried yuca quite a bit and it even travelled well for delivery. The hot sauce is really quite hot. I love hot sauce and I was excited to try theirs and I was not disappointed. Just be warned that it is insanely hot, but it was hard to stop eating it because it tasted so good! read more

I've been coming here for just about 10 years. After numerous meals on site and to-go, I can only say that El Rincon Criollo has no flaws for which I can deduct stars. It's simply a humble establishment with the satisfaction of their customers as their core value. Parking can be hit and miss. A few spots in the rear (in a terribly paved alley), and mostly street parking--metered and/or residential. The location is an adorable island-vibe restaurant with a "beach shack" feel from the outside. The service is almost always stellar (everyone has an off day, from time to time). The food is CONSISTENTLY phenomenal, especially their pork. The Lechon Asado is a house favorite, slow roasted pieces of tender, juicy pork in their signature garlic mojo with marinated onions, rice, black beans, and soft, caramelized plantains (maduros). For me, the Masas de Puerco steals the show. Crispy pieces of fried pork, again served in their soul-shaking garlic mojo and marinated onions, rice, black beans, and plaintains. They make a delicious Ropa Vieja, as well. Soft, slow-cooked, juicy shredded beef with onions, bell peppers, in a rich marinade. SO FREAKING GOOD! It's really hard to find something on the menu here that won't light a fire in your belly. I've been following the siren-song back to this place for YEARS, and there's a good reason: The people are nice, the vibe is mellow (WAY less stress than Versailles), and the food (and potions) are simply outstanding time after time. Thanks to the cooks and staff at El Rincon Criollo for always hitting the mark. Oh, and if you go, just spend the extra few bucks on a side order of the house garlic mojo... I put that sh!t on everything. :) read more

Go here for good cuban food. I visited this place with fellow yelper Sue Z. We were actually on a trip to visit.. Greens something.. but they were CLOSED! on a SUNDAY! SO.. El Rincon Criollo it was. I ordered the.. COMBINACION/CHICKEN and PORK COMBO (A garlicky combination of chicken and pork, served with delicious grilled onions) - $12.95 Sue ordered the ARROZ CON POLLO/CHICKEN IN YELLOW RICE (A 1/4 chicken cooked with our steamy yellow rice) - 9.95 Both plates were DELICIOUS. Although, I felt the pork was a little too salty. The chicken was good. Better than the chicken at that fancy smanchy Joe's Restaurant. Also.. the garlicy rice was perfectO!! IT was garlicy, and lemony at the same time. Add the onions to that .. and it becomes a triple threat combination. I will definitely be back! Oh yeah.. they take reservations now. But you don't really need it unless you're rolling up in a big group. Parking is street parking... metered. read more

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

Had take out, Saltados beef and Cuban style roast pork. Maybe we stick to all Cuban because Saltados beef was not that great like from Peruvian places. Dull taste with wimpy fried potatoes and uninspiring marinated bits of beef. Rice was okay. Pork again needs bit more spiced up cooking and it was small pieces of port with boring onions etc. Prices are reasonable in todays inflation. Should eat more dishes to evaluate, I know, but bit disappointing food for us. read more

I was sooooooo looking forward to going back and getting my favorite dish, Ox tail. I ordered pick up, and only got 3 of the saddest fatty pieces. Everything tasted AWESOME, but the amount of meat I got for what they charged me for was lame! Luckily my wife's dish was huge, so I had some of hers. I wouldn't order the Ox Tail here if you are very hungry. I also wouldn't order their barely fitting in my palm sized flan for 4.50. Their food tastes great, but their portions are off. read more

El Rincon Criollo - Ox tail. More bone and fat than actually meat. That is me just barely opening it. - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

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We had a horrible experience here recently, and I have been debating whether I even want to take the time to write this, because I have already spoken to the owners and reported our discontent, with a surprising result - their offensive attitude. I had catered a party many years ago with food from here, resulting in great satisfaction from my guests. I remembered this place, so I decided to order a take-out meal for me and my boyfriend on a Friday night, since we weren't eating out during COVID, and were in the mood for Cuban. We prefer to eat at restaurants, our go-to place for Cuban being Versailles, but this was for take-out, so I convinced my boyfriend to try something new. We ordered online and the questionnaire at the end of the menu asked us to tick the box which identified the time we would like to have our food ready. We allowed almost 45 minutes. My boyfriend, who has been in the restaurant business, left a 20%.tip, even though we were picking up our order, because he knows how difficult it can be to survive, even in the best of times. When we arrived, my boyfriend went inside to get the food. After 10 minutes, he came back to the car and told me that they hadn't even gotten started on our order. They told him that we should have ordered over the phone! "Why bother having an online option if you're going to ignore it?,"we wondered. They said they would put the order in right away and have it ready in 20 minutes. We waited another half hour and the food was not yet ready. An hour already invested, we were hungry and decided to wait still longer. My boyfriend went inside again and was told it would be another 10 minutes. He told them he hoped they would "makes things right". All in all, we waited 1.5 hrs for our food when they finally brought it out. We thought they might have included a dessert or something extra since they knew what they had put us through. The two combination plates were tasty, but the plantains were limited to a couple of small pieces each. What? The high-priced avocado salad contained a few slices of avocado topped with some white onion slices. No dressing! No extras! We tried calling the restaurant the next day and no one answered the phone. We double-checked the hours to make sure they were open, and these were open business hours. We tried again and still no answer. My boyfriend gave up and said we will never go back there. In the coming days, I felt so disgruntled that I decided to keep trying. An employee finally answered the phone and said the owner wasn't there but she would have them call me. "Jason" called me back and I explained the situation. He said only that he had to go, and made no apology! Was he going to call me back? I waited a week and called again. The owner was not there, but the staff would have them call me back. Within a day or so, I heard from "Courtney", Jason's partner. I recounted the experience to her and she said that we had ordered during a busy time, and that it is best not to expect promptness during the dinner hour. I told her that the online form gave us available pick-up times and she acknowledged that information, with no apology, except a remark about perhaps putting a cautionary note on the website. With no offer of recompense, that is the last they will see of us. (I have just learned that Jason and Courtney are the "new" owners. This is not the same "El Rincon Criollo" that I fondly remember. Adios!) read more

The food is great, the prices are great and it is always easy to get to. The only reason I did not give it a 5 star was because I went last week and the bread was stale and hard. Not usually! read more

excellent food and service. Love the shrimp dishes and the Ceviche. Putting it in my regular rotation.

Wow just wow. This is exactly why people won't support small businesses during these times. I was so looking forward to this food!! It's old reheated microwaved chicken. The Pork was cover on Garlic sauce to cover the taste. I won't go here again. $20 after tax for spoiled food. I'll stick to Taco Bell. I can't believe Yelp took the pictures down. I will never use Yelp again!! read more

They were so nice I want to give them 5 stars. However, the experience only measures up to 2. The service was a 5. They were nice, prompt, and competent. The ambiance was nice. It was a great L.A. day, and I would have preferred to sit outdoors. But I don't share my meals with pets. The outdoor tables were too close for people and their dog-gone dogs mixing with my food. So we sat inside. Inside is clean, but a little too dark. There's also distracting Cuban music playing too loud when we're trying to talk. Lastly though, and the reason for the two stars, is the food. I love Cuban food! This food however, is not good. The chicken was dry and not near the Cuban flavors I'm accustomed to. read more

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

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Terrible service. Definitely don't order by phone, they won't take your order this way. And the chicken is so dry you'll choke.

I had high hopes for this place just based on how friendly the staff was, but the food left me cold. I got the pork & chicken combo, and I honestly felt the marinade was just tasteless. While the meats weren't as dry as some have complained here, I do think they were a bit over-done. I was really surprised that with as many onions as were piled on top of my food, there really was almost no flavor. I don't get it. I'm glad I ordered an extra side of plantains, as you only get two little pieces with the combo meal. The plantains were awesome. Perfectly cooked and just the right amount of carmelization. I would actually come back just to get them. The staff, as I mentioned, were awesome. Nice, attentive, helpful, pleasant, everything you want and expect. If it weren't for that, I would have left this at 2-stars. read more

El Rincon Criollo - Pork & Chicken Combo - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

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Got 2 not so fresh fish dinners Called and told them, they said no worries, and put down near the register that I had credit for 2 meals. Month later called, they honored that and we had another great meal. Place is much better then Versailles, this is the real real read more

My favorite Cuban spot in all of LA! Love their Cuban Garlic Chicken ... due to pandemic it's been a while since we dined in but we still frequent pick up takeout :) read more

Not sure why the stars are so low, their plantains are zing, the garlic shrimp was the best, loved the fresh coconut rum, ropa vieja was so soft and tender, and the flan was by far the best I have ever had! read more

You can drive by this place and totally miss it but if you're in the neighborhood it's worth seeking out. The food is OK, a little on the pricy side but portions are very generous. The pan con lechon is tasty and the arroz con camarones is good too, as is the "cubano". I was disappointed by the platanos, which were hard and not that great; a good Cuban restaurant lives and dies by their "maduros", and these need work. They have beer & wine and "mojitos" which I put in quotes because they're not made with rum and should be avoided at all costs. Service is attentive and they have an outdoor seating area that's dog-friendly if that's your bag. read more

Ordered rabo encendido with maduros and black beans and rice. So good!!!! Will be back!!

My first visit to El Rincon Criollo was absoulty amazing. The parking sucked, but once we got a table and sat down we ordered pork tamale and banana chips as appetizer, for the main course we ordered roast pork and beef and potatoes. the beef was so tender, my eyes were closed and nose was in the air and i was humming "umm umm", without me even noticing. The shredded pork was on point so were the beans and rice. I am very excited that i came to this place. It took a hour in traffic coming from north hollywood and two blunts to get here but im glad i did. I will definitely come back and its a nice change up from the every day mexican dishes i am used to. read more

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I have been coming to this cute little restaurant for over ten years and each time I've had an amazing experience. I always look forward to coming here. The waiters are friendly and engaging, the walls are covered with paintings from Cuba which gives it an artsy scene, there are maps of Cuba underneath the clear table top which make for something pleasing to look at, palm trees on the clear drinking cups, warm string lights on the inside and outside of the store- the place is lit (get it?), their warm rolls with butter and the fried sweet plantains hit the spot Every. Single. Time. and the coconut candies at the end .. fantastic. 10/10 read more

El Rincon Criollo - This place has THE BEST sweet plantains. I don't go anywhere else for these. - Cuban Near Me - Playa Del Rey, California

There should be a category for "a little 'lil' whole in the wall." That's define as a restaurant or place that doesn't have great esthetics or the outside and sometimes the inside, but their food is spectacular. I almost hate to review this place because it's that good and never a lot of people inside. The prices are on the mid to high side, but the food is well worth it. Try the chicken sandwich with the fries. I also can eat the beans and rice as a full meal. This place gets Tray's Urban Chef Award!!! read more

Have been coming here for years with my family and introduced to many friends. Always delicious food and friendly staff. You can't beat tradition and El Rincon has been a staple in Culver City for decades and many more to come. read more

Great place for a quick bite to eat. Nice outdoor seating area. I purchased a margarita that was only $5, incredible deal! Definitely recommend this spot for good food and drink at a reasonable price! read more

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

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Ok, so I decided to give the place another try after I had already given it 2 stars a few years ago. For a sec there i thought this place had a chance. Their garlic chicken became my new favorite; skin crisp to perfection, the chicken was never dry and I loved the season onions. Me and my husband were happy again and would frequently dine there. Then we went back and noticed a new man walking around the restaurant. Immediately I knew, new owners. And not for the good. My garlic chicken came out and oh my gaaawwwwww what the heck were they serving me? No more crispy skin and it didn't have a good garlic flavor. I asked the waiter if there was a new cook and she said no- but that couldn't have been true. So sad to see this place go down the drain. Now my search for new Cuban food begins, taking recommendations! read more

The waitress came to my table a total of 4 times. The first after flagging her down to take my order. The second to bring my food. The 3rd time was after flagging her down to get my bill. She however, kept coming to the close by table repeatedly chatting in Spanish. Food was just okay. The black beans were like soup and the rice and pork had tons of lemon and was kinda watery. Everything was reeeeally soft The music was blasting and noisy kids at 3 of the tables (there were only 3 other tables occupied while I was there). Not good for such a tiny place. read more

My family and I have been coming here for years and we love the food so much. It's not the kind of fancy restaurant the you go for a date, it's quite simple and customer service is decent. But the food is consistently fantastic. Highly recommend the pork and chicken combination or the lengua guisada. Best rice and beans in town and make sure you put lots of garlic sauce on top for an extra zing YUM! read more

This place is one of the best spots around. Best Cuban Sandwich and their Mojo is insane.

This place is A1 from day 1. Great food, chill atmosphere, and local. I highly recommend for anyone looking for cuban food. read more

Lechon asado place is the best. Ask for havanero sauce on the side. Get a side of fresh bread. This place is well worth the prices they ask. 5 stars read more

Fried Yucca ? Or boiled Yucca with garlic sauce what's a chubby girl to do? both! Beef Oxtail was so tender flavorful. My hubby was impressed and he is a huntsman. The shrimp cocktail is great but definitely for 2 or 3 to share. We also sneaked a few plates of the catered party trays . Pork / Chicken / Arugula salad and plantains beans and rice. Wonderful garlic sauce. I say cater with them. Patio seating is limited so call ahead!! Casual dining. I miss Miami n read more

This restaurant had an online order option on their website ; we placed an order , paid with our credit card and got an order number. When we arrived to pick up the food at the restaurant they stated that they no longer did on line ordering. I showed her how it was placed and the confirmation print out and the employee said that I had to figure it out on my own. I had to call my credit card company and cancel because she wasn't going to get paid so unless I was willing to pay again, I wasn't getting any food. Find it very unprofessional. read more

Second time here same great lechon sandwich. Big portions with choice of homemade fries or crispy banana chips. We've only had sandwiches here medianoche and above mention. Traditional Cuban dishes offered. If dining in meal comes w complementary warm bread and butter. Get the lemonade it's every refreshing and tasty. Covid compliant with proof of vaccine card in which I appreciate very much. Non vaccinated not allowed. read more

Some people don't appreciate small businesses... which is why this spot deserves a review. If you're the type of person who appreciates a delicious sandwich, this is the spot. I walked in and noticed how intimate the set up can be if you were on a lunch date, the food was made great. The plantain chips were amazing and authentic along with my sandwich. Every business encounters customers that hold high expectations which is why the reviews don't do it justice. This is not a Michelin star restaurant but it's certainly one I can take a date to and even friends and family. No wait time, just come, chill, read maybe, and eat. This is the way eating is intended to be. Owner does a great job with trying to satisfy the customer because he cares. Isn't that what you want in a restaurant? read more

Delicious food, friendly staff, perfect Cuban cuisine in every way. This is the real deal-- we felt transported to a warm Havana afternoon with friends. read more

Terrible from the waitress to the chef portions are beyond small and the wait was way too long for the food not authentic at all. Don't waste your money. read more