Our favorite Cuban restaurant. The staff is so lovely and the food is delicious. If we don't have time to dine-in, we often take orders to-go. Prices are great too. One of our favorite places in Downey and overall!! Highly recommend it!!! read more

For starters I'm not Cuban but I grew here amongst the second largest Cuban population. Growing up at friends houses we would have dinner and we'll although this isn't the best best place it's not bad. The lunch menu Mon thru Fri is worth it. 8.50 including a soda?! I think it's cheaper than Mc Ds (although as you can tell by my reviews I don't frequent too many fast food joints). Anyhow, if you're looking for something good, economical and time is pressed this is a solid stop. Now if you're looking for fine dining or an amazing dish then find another place. It's good, it's not super unhealthy, it's a hot plated meal and people are nice.. Try it. read more

Never been here my loss. Food was great service friendly flan awesome really good. Small place but really worth a visit. I'm sure it will become one of my favorite placed read more

This is an awesome restaurant! No frills, home made meals, and delicious. I never really thought about having Cuban food, but that has changed now. So many delicious meal to choose from, the selection was large. Carne Empanesado (I think that's spell it), was delicious The staff is friendly and attentive. I recommend a visit to Florida the restaurant read more

Hands down, the best Cuban food you are going to get that gets close to Authentic Cuban cooking. Their frijoles negros are the best- next to mine. Everything is always consistently good, from the food to the coffee to the batidos. The only thing that lacks at times is the service just because they are a bit slow, well I guess relaxed is the word but always friendly. read more

BAD REVIEW.. I always take my food to go, because I can't stand how the waitresses REFUSE TO WASH THEIR HANDS. Pay attention to how they go to their makeshift bread toaster, while TOUCH EVERYTHING, then go straight to the bread to serve or cut them to put on the table for customers. Their touching menus, money, mopping list goes on. Some people don't care about things like that, but I am not one of those people. It's very simple ladies... WASH YOUR HANDS, WASH YOUR HANDS, WASH YOU HANDS, like you know better than that, stop being nasty. Other than that, the food is fine.. your chicken could use better cleaning, it shouldn't smell like that heavy chicken smell. Clean it out with, VINEGAR and LEMON JUICE, it kills that strong smell, instead of masking it with seasoning. I'm Caribbean, so.. I'm well aware how meat should taste. Do better FLORIDA, you guys are a CUBAN restaurant.. so I expect better food than the alternatives. read more

Amazing food really price conscious menu I recommend to anyone that is searching for good authentic Cuban food in the downy area.

I really enjoy the beef empanada. It has a very thin crust and baked. The oxtails were delicious. Of course they didn't trim the fat so this wouldn't be something to choose if you're watching your weight. I've never had yucca (cassava) done Cuban way so it was kind of interesting in a delicious way. It seemed to be boiled with some pickled onions. Black beans were a bit on the salty side so mix it with a lot of rice. This place has a diner kind of feel to it but in a Cuban (Latin) style. read more

Florida Restaurant - Beef empanada - Cuban Near Me - Downey, California

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We had the following three plates: Ropa Viejo, Rabo Encendido, Pollo a la Plancha. I tried all three and they were very good. 4.5/5 for all three plates. We had excellent service even though we were hesitant given prior reviews. Would highly recommend!! Although I am not Cuban, there were local Cubans at the restaurant and that's always a good sign. read more

Honestly, don't waste your time or money here! This place is so filthy and disgusting. I'm surprised they haven't been shut down yet! I ordered arroz con pollo and the chicken was seriously cold and not cooked in the center. I didn't want to eat anything else, but since my family was all there I felt bad. I got the steak, rice, and beans and that was okay. Do yourself a favor and do NOT eat here. You've been warned. The place looks like it's from 1900. Menu's were disgusting, the floor was hideous and beyond dirty. The tables around us hadn't been cleaned or cleared off for atleast 25 minutes we were there and it was slow! When we first saT down on the booth each side we had to clean with a napkin there was crap all over it! Do not come here, food is not good, the presentation of it is embarrassing, they do not know how to cook and this place is so disgustingly dirty! Glad they ruined Cuban food for my family and I. read more

Florida Restaurant - Look at the floor. These tables have been dirty for 25 minutes atleast. - Cuban Near Me - Downey, California

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I haven't eaten here since I was 17 which was a long time ago. I loved it back then and I still love it now. I had the ropa vieja with moros( mixed rice and beans) and boiled yucca. I thought I'd prefer the yucca frita but wow the boiled one has so much flavor and is delicious. I would go back just for the yucca alone. My friend had the Mamey shake, which I tasted and it was so so good. I also had the sangria which was sweet and amazingly good. I'm looking forward to taking my family there soon! read more

Florida has great food at a great price. The service on the other hand needs major improvement! There are a couple of ladies who actually do an ok job but ok doesn't mean great. There is one lady that is definitely the most horrible waitress I've ever encountered. I'm not the only person to think that either. Another yelper posted a picture of this lady. This last visit was so upsetting that we haven't been back since. First off, she never bothered to bring the bread basket. Another waitress noticed we didn't get any and she brought some to our table. We placed our order, asked for Materva and a glass of water, she only brought the Materva. When our food is served, we had to remind her twice about the avocado salad. She finally brings it but doesn't bring any vinegar and oil. So we asked the other waitress and she brought right away. We ask her for a side of rice, that took forever to get to us again after having to remind her a couple of times. So since she never brought us water, I had to order another round of Materva. But of course that never made it to the table. So the other waitress comes by and we tell her of our frustration with our waitress. So that's when our waitress comes with the Matervas. I tell her we're finished eating and don't need it anymore and then she says, do you still want water? OMG!!! So I go up to the register to pay cause the check was another thing she didn't bother to bring. She comes to ring me up, funny how she found the time to do that part. Anyhoo, she didn't even bother giving an apology for her poor service and I didn't give her a tip. read more

I had their Tostones with garlic and plantains which were delicious! I gave them a five star even though the chicken was a bit dry because the plaintains flavor and tostones flavor made up for the chicken! read more

I greatly recommend the masitas de puerco, they are delicious . I personally give a to the Cuban sandwich, you would think you can't mess it up but no bueno. read more

Visited Florida Cuban Restaurant in Downey, had a very pleasant dining experience. We were welcomed and seated immediately. The service had improved tremendously compared to our previous experience. The servers were very attentive considering the restaurant was almost full. We surely will get back again, and will even bring friends. Had oxtail stew "rabo encendido", the best in town! Keep growing! read more

Decent food.. Horrrrrible service I don't know where to start. If I don't write reviews on Starbucks, it's because I'm not a Frap-kinda guy. I order a Cappuccino.. And was asked by the ride waitress "hot or cold" since I'm not a fan of the sugar-filled fraps, I said HOT. 15-20 min later, she brings me a cold coffee, and I state "I ordered a hot coffee" and she begins to argue with me. I don't understand it Since she didn't write a note or make a real order ticket. When I make a mistake, I own up to it.. Not argue further to make me look like a fool. This is the 3rd and last time we come. They prefer to understaff and look bad, they are crazy. Always a bad service. read more

Ok so food i would give 4.5 stars but the service was horrible 30 minutes now past since we've been done and no check. No one has asked if we wanted desert or water. Our glasses are emtpy. They havent even asked if we'd like to take our left overs. And there not busy enough for this kind of service. No excuse if i could buy this restaurant i could make a fortune by just improving the service. We even wanted a desert but now looks like we'll go to Tropicana for that. read more

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I'm Cuban and there is no better Cuban restaurant around. You can find many but the food might be good one day and bad the other. Here my husband and I leave the restaurant so satisfy and happy about coming back again and again. Food and service are excellent. read more

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Food is good (reason I came a second time). They need to work on the clean aspect of the restaurant. It is a shame that a place with good flavor food is not looking the way it should. The place needs some major renovations, to attract other people. I had to wait 25 mns for my lunch (not too happy about that), but again food flavors are on point. To keep a restaurant clean shouldn't be that difficult... lots of room for improvement. Good luck! read more

Food is great and customer service is excellent! Our waitress was very sweet and attentive. My family and I eat here at least once a week. Definitely recommend it! read more

I heard about Florida Restaurant from the wonderful Dan H. I have passed by it so many times and never went in. So when my friend Zee said she had never had Cuban food I decided Florida would be the place to go. I arrived kinda early and noticed the place was empty which kinda had me worried, but that soon changed as it became quite packed by the end of the night. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted as there were so many items on the menu that I wanted to try. Our server was quite patient with me and gave us extra time to decide as well as suggesting some things. After about 10 minutes or so Zee and I decided to order a couple different things in order to experience what Florida had to offer. We started with the sopa de siete mares to share. This is a very large dish and the server was nice enough to bring us two separate bowls which were very large! The broth had just enough spice to make you not want to stop eating this. This was by far my favorite dish of the night. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/florida-restaurant-downey?select=DMSN6nO3Ttgzi9tUhcGf7g I decided to order the Enchilado de camaron which also comes with arroz blanco, frijoles y platanos. I really enjoyed the camarones and the platanos were definitely de-lish. I couldn't finish this and had to take more than half home. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/florida-restaurant-downey?select=K6FwCdK43wWPD7vxZYHvXg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/florida-restaurant-downey?select=grzG_509R5HE7R3borN7ig http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/florida-restaurant-downey?select=Ov3twzcl2QpzZ4_HjI_Xcg Zee went with the oxtail. This dish was not spicy and very very tender. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/florida-restaurant-downey?select=mtrdmr0psFzV1wYLpvhHzQ Their portions are definitely large for the price and service was great. The booths are quite large and comfy. We were there so long that we practically closed the restaurant down! I definitely recommend Florida for some great Cuban food! read more

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The food is four star worthy but the service totally sucks and the booths are so uncomfortable you'll want to leave before you even get "served". Props for having the original mcdonalds across the street. read more

Worst service, they ignore you. I can't believe how rude they are, food is not great too . I would not recommend it!

Florida is often packed! Downey has a large Cuban community. In fact there is a large Cuban community around it too in cities like Bell, South Gate and Norwalk. Florida is definitely the best Cuban restaurant in Downey. I doubt it is the best in Los Angeles and the weird thing is that this is the case even there are so many Cubans here. I have never been to Miami, but I did have the experience in my early childhood years of eating awesome home cooked Cuban food. My best friend Carlos P. was Cuban and his mother was born in Cuba. When I go to Cuban restaurants I usually order the food I would eat at his house. Steak, or croquetas and platanitos fritos, papas rellenas and arroz congri. I love to order their tostones. All of these things at Florida are VERY, very, really, really ridiculously good! They are simple items but not everyone makes them right. If I were to review just those basic Cuban dishes this place would get a 5 star rating! However, I tried their Boliche once and it tasted just like American beef stew....ugh! I really doubt it is supposed to taste like that....I mean Cuban cocina criolla has very complex combinations of spices! Sorry Florida but your Boliche is a tremendous let down. Service at Florida is friendly but can have off timing. The parking situation is weird. Their lot is poorly designed. Usually there is enough parking though. The ambience is pretty cool. They play great Cuban music and there are a couple cool things hanging on the wall like a panorama picture of Miami or La Havana - I can't remember which one exactly. They also have cool pictures of rural scenes. Plus, lots of Cubans come here. read more

Florida is the Cuban version of your favorite local Mexican restaurant. As Roxana S. puts it, it is very similar to Versailles in LA (La Cienega just South of Pico - if memory serves me). There is a lot of variety on the menu...from pork to fish to beef....platanos, black beans and rice applied liberally throughout. A wide variety of sodas, smoothies and beers you won't find at most places and some strong ass coffee. Most of the servers have been there for quite a while...and the speak spanish VERY QUICKLY!! Yes, it can be intimidating but the reality is that they are all very nice...they just work quickly. I had the sandwhich cubano, white rice, black beans and some platanos (essentially fried banana)...all very good. The wife had some trout dish. I was too busy pigging out to ask her if she liked it. If you drink a lot of soda, try Materva...a lot of sugar and a lot of caffeine. We were there last weekend after not having been there in about 3 months and our server remembered what we like and ALMOST HAD OUR ENTIRE ORDER!! I have to agree with Dan H.'s review. Like recent pictures of Habana, this restaurant has a "old shoe" feel...out of style but very comfortable. This restaurant has been, and will continue to be, one of our favorite local places to eat! read more

The chicken plate with beans and yucca was good. Moist chicken....would've liked more garlicky flavor like I'm used to at Versailles in West LA. I've had better yucca. The mamey milkshake was a tad bland. The free bread they give was a bit dry and stale as other reviewers have noted. Otherwise, the price was very reasonable. read more

If you want superb no frills Cuban food in a chaos free (hello Versailles) atmosphere this place is a must. Get over the old diner exterior, once you enter and settle in you will feel welcomed and relaxed. The middle aged Latinas that run this well worn room will make you feel comfortable in no time, even us gabachos with limited Spanish speaking skills. One of my LA Boyz and I meet here as often as the occasion arises as it is a half way stop for us. Gabes Padre is Cuban born and he has validated Florida as the real deal. Every menu item we have had has been great, just depends on your dietary preference whether you order beef, pork, seafood or chicken. Oxtail, liver and other unique entre offerings are also availible. Sandwiches are very tasty, I've had the Cubano and the Media Noche, both made with smoked ham, roasted pork, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. Cubano is on Cuban bread and the MN is on a sweeter version. I even had a tail gate party catered with 60 Cubano sandwiches and they were very accommodating. The menu is very extensive and you may be confused at first, but there is english explanations for all items and the nice ladies will gladly take the time to explain further if asked. Please, go now! Experiment! Shun forever the Outbacks, El Torritos et all and enjoy some REAL food served and owned by locals that aren't corporate trained smiling robots! read more

Versailles in a mini-version..... Tasty shrimp drenched in butter and rice with butter and blackened beans. Not too shabby but there is a calling for another try as their menu is quite large and my review would not justify this establishment. Decent prices and overall good food. No wow, but good enough to say you satisfied your cuban cravings. Enjoy. read more

My favorite Cuban restaurant is Florida's! I've been coming here for years, even after relocating about 40min away this is where I meet my friends to catch up and have the best arroz con pollo ever. It's tender and just perfectly delicious. Other great plates as well I just never get enough of the arroz con pollo with maduros. Love love this place. read more

Tasty. Quite tasty! This place gives Versailles a run for the money. The menu is smaller, and so is the location. But the food sticks out. Cuban Sampler: was good. Empanada was full of flavor. Croquette was a nice rendition. Full of meat in the middle, potatoes on the outside, and nice crust surrounding it. Tamale was amazing! Oxtail: Perfectly stewed and full of flavor. A little tangy though. Chicken steak: good. A little overcooked, and apparently overly seared on the flattop, it still passes. Next time I'll go for the chicharron de pollo. They serve beer n wine. Overall: Worth a visit to! read more

Yes very much like Versailles. They've got the paintings outside with Cubans roasting a live pig : / .The food was good but very bad for vegetarians. they put bacon in the beans so no protein for you. The yuca was delicious ( I think it's boiled not fried). DO NOT order the avocado salad, it is sliced avocado with huge slices of onion on top, SUPER lame! They have Maltas though. Waitresses are very busy and speak very fast, I felt rushed, they were SOOOOO rude. read more

We were very impressed with the food, definitely coming back for more. Moms and pops kind of place.

This place has character. - They run on island time, which means SLOW. It took 12 minutes to get my drink. I know. I timed it. - Spanish is the official language here. I'm pretty flattered that they think a Chinese guy can understand and speak spanish here, but no comprende. - The beans, rice, and plantains were really good. Especially the beans. - The steak is so-so. I guess in Florida/Cuba, medium rare means well done. Lacking in flavor, chewy, and an utter waste of a menu choice. - Fried trout was good. Overall, not a Versailles killer. Not even close. But in all honesty, I didn't compare the pork or the chicken. Next time I'm going to reserve at least 2 hours for this place. read more

The outside of the restaurant looks like it's going to be fast food, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it nicer than expected on the inside of the restaurant. The servers greeted us and asked us to sit wherever we liked and brought us the menus. That's where the pleasantness begins and ends for this dining experience. Our group ordered a Cubano (sandwich), arroz con camarones, lechon, and bistec empanizado. The Cubano tasted ok, nothing special. The portion size was very small. If that is all you ordered you would not be satisfied. The arroz con camorones was ok tasting and good portion size. The lechon was not very flavorful, nor was the bistec empanizado. I have had better (on many occasions). The white rice and black beans were just as good if I made instant rice at home and poured on a can of black beans from the 99 cent store. The service sucked. They took way too long to come take our order, bring out the food, and bring the bill. I had to ask for water refills several times. They weren't even very busy so there really isn't any excuse other than slow servers. If you want good Cuban in Downey, go to Portos. read more

The food is always excellent here. Taste homemade. The grilled chicken with onions and garlic accompanied by black beans and rice and plantains is perfection. The bistec empanizado (breaded steak) is a huge portion and perfectly breaded. Don't forget the flan with coco on top. Tastes better than homemade. The prices are cery reasonable and the waitresses are always efficient and on point. This place is one of our favorites. read more

I decided to try this place thanks to the reviews of my fellow Yelpers. I had driven by it many times and had been turned off a bit by the bright neon lights and the big sun donning shades. But if my Yelpers tell me it's good, then we shall see. Walking into this establishment, I found myself a little shocked. It is definitely no frills and almost seemed a little dirty. But as my husband likes to say, "That's just the flavor!" This could be because the interior is a bit old and in need of a remodel. My favorite Cuban dish has to be the Lechon Asado plate with moros. I ordered that and was a bit shocked to receive what looked like a slice of turkey breast. I'm used to the pork being shredded and being very juicy. This was a tad dry with some onions on top. The moros were fantastic, as were the platanos. Since I didn't scarf down my pork, I had some room for dessert. I ordered some flan and was very happy with the rich, custard consistency and taste. I will definitely give Florida another try because it appears that the food that I ordered, while good, was just not what I was expecting. I think if I tried something new without some preconceived notions of what it was expected to come out like, I would have enjoyed my meal a lot more. read more

The food is good but I am very dissapointed with the service provided. One particular lady there is wierd and kinda mean. I've dealt with her many times before and there have been no improvements. Last time I was there I waited for a good 15 minutes to place a take out order and no one helped me. I just walked out. Honestly, I'm sick of the poor service provided. I doubt I will ever go back. However, my family likes to go there and they may drag me along one day but I will be paying close attention. read more

So my friends claimed this was the best Cuban food in town. I have to politely disagree and here's why: To start off, my wife and I had: Wife ~ Moros, yuca, bistec de palomilla. With a mango smoothie. Me ~ Moros, plaintains, ropa vieja. With a guanabana smoothie. With an additional avocado salad. ----- Moros - Delicious. Tasted pretty authentic. I just didn't like the texture of the rice, too soft and it's slightly greasy. Color of the moros was awesome too. Just how it should be. Yuca - HORRIBLE. Tasted bland. No mojo, onions, or lemon taste you'd expect. Plaintains - They were okay. Too soggy and greasy for my liking. Bistec de palomilla - Not too great. Tasted too plain. I think I could make a better steak here at home.The cut of the steak contained too much fat too. Ropa vieja - I enjoyed it. It was good however I felt that I didn't get enough meat. Might be because it was a lunch special though. Avocado "salad" - Okay so we all know an avocado is at least $1 on average at your local supermarket. What we received was half a normal sized avocado with 4-5 onion rings on top. All for the price of $4. Lame, at least pour some mojo on top! I felt ripped off to be honest. ---- Drinks: First I'd like to point out that we weren't offered whether we wanted milk or water for our smoothies. Not good. Mango smoothie - Tasted weird and sweet. I only had a sip (this was my wife's) Guanabana smoothie - It was okay. Too sweet though. ---- Service: The lady was nice. She checked up on us once. Like I say, if a waiter/waitress AT LEAST checks on you once, they're OK in my book. We spoke Spanish to her, so I think that helps with the communication and connection (to those who seem to have trouble with the service, speak Spanish! If you don't, sucks to be you). Price: Slightly expensive considering the quality just isn't there. ---- Most likely won't be coming back again. We know of a better Cuban restaurant within the Los Angeles area. See my reviews if interested. Also, this is coming from a guy who has had Cuban food in Cuba (La Habana and Santa Clara) and South Florida. read more

Out of the three cuban restaurants in Downey (not including Porto's) Florida rises above every time. Their food has always been spot on & their waitresses are always kind/attentive. There is a real homey feel to the place where one can just relax and enjoy some great cuban cuisine. Whether it be their tender lengua de res or classic arroz con pollo, you'll never be disappointed. ¡Aprovechó! read more

Florida Restaurant - La clásica media noche - Cuban Near Me - Downey, California

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I live pretty close to this restaurant so my wife and I decided to have dinner there for the first time. All I can say is that we were pretty disappointed. First off, the service was horrible. Being the first timers, we asked the waitress to recommend us a few entrees. Well, she's not a really good salesperson. She pretty much just pointed out where the seafood, beef, pork etc was on the menu. And when she was done pointing out the menu she just left us. So what did we order? My wife got the salmon plate, I got the spencer steak and the shrimp cocktail. The shrimp cocktail came out first.. It was basically a big glass of chivechi with mostly water. There were eight shrimps on the bottom of the glass and the cilantro, avacado, tomatoes etc was floating on top. The shrimp wasn't fresh. She could have just given us a bowl of chivechi and a glass of water. My wife ordered the salmon. It was dry and salty. She told me it tasted like chicken. I didn't believe her. So I took a bite and she was dead on. The flavor tasted like chicken and even the texture of the salmon tasted like chicken. What can I say about the spencer steak? Well, not much except that it looked and tasted like a really big hamburger patty. If she would have given me 2 slices of tomato, some lettuce, pickles and buns then I could have made myself a spencer burger. So the food was bad, the service was bad and the restaurant decor needed some serious updating. I don't like giving one star reviews but that one star represent that I tried it once and will never go back. read more