Came by in the late afternoon, place was empty except for one seat, so I was concerned. But it's likely because it was early. The restaurant was nice and clean, tables ready to serve guests. Ordered the lunch special, along with fried calamari and yuca fries, delicious. -The chicken soup was great, the rice was a little mushy, but good flavor. The sauces that came along with the appetizers were delicious. They also gave us some flan, which came with the special. A bit sweet, but great consistency. Look forward to coming by for a dinner, looks like they play live music - that should be fun. Give them a try! read more

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What a flavorful meal! Croquettas are my weakness and these are delish! Ordered both kinds of the croquettas, chicken and ham. Flavor and size both great. Also ordered the cuban sandwich which was a very good portion, pork is seasoned so well, it is a hearty sandwich. Will definately order again! read more

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Food was delicious, our waiter "Charlie" was personable, good natured and attentive. I had the "Tilapia" and the sauce was incredible! read more

Now back in NYC for a few weeks, it's been a fun run of eating out with friends - and I do say that mist sincerely, it's been three to four nights a week. Each homey having their own flavor and culture preferences, I have no preferences because I'm a high variety seeker so I just go with their flow. And in the land of unlimited options - I'll go anywhere and eat anything. My Cubano buddy wanted steak, there was a Puerto Rican spot that had a popular pepper steak a Dominican spot that sold a stew I'd heard good things about - we drive around to find an Argentinan place that had closed and we're getting hungry and ready to sit down and eat after all the mental menu gyrations. Loud music and a parking spot for his monster truck was enough for us at this juncture to grab a table - we ordered a few drinks of Bacardi and lime - six total and our drink bill was $90.00 which was steep for basic rum. Two Skirt Steaks - medium rare for me with extra chimmichurri - loud live music a few feetvaway - a few pretty ladies around on all sides, all the makings of a good time. We talked loudly but i was having so much fun that what felt like a night of shouting to my throat the next morning was experiences I'd not had in the 16 months of Maine and Florida restaurants. New York is a loud place, part of which (If not most all) I find destructively unappealing to my wavelengths but there are times that the loudness flows through naturally and becomes part of the encapsulation of a night out on the town read more

Guantanamera Queens - Skirt Steak $40.00 - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

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I might have had one of the worst restaurant experiences in my live on Valentine's Day this year at Guantanamera. This restaurant was incredibly unprepared for one of the busiest days of the year in dining. It is not like it came unexpected as they have a sign outside their establishment encouraging people to make reservations for Valentine's Day. The night starts with me getting there at 8pm as my reservation stated. I was told by the hostess that they have no tables because people came late and didn't even offer me an alternative basically she put her hands in the air, I had to make the suggestion that we will hang out by the bar until a table was ready. Thankfully a couple finished about 10 mins after we got there, i had ti flag her down to make sure she gave me the table. It was at this point I realized they had only TWO servers and ONE runner for the entire restaurant which was full to capacity. We did not have anyone come to take our order for another 20 mins. At that point we out in an order for a pitcher of mojito and an appetizer. The mojito at a reasonable time, however no sign of the appetizer and no sign of my waitress to take our main course order. I had to flag her down and get her to take our order of two steaks with different sauces on them. We sat there for another hour no appetizers no main dish and no WATER. I had to go to the bar myself to get waters. When the main dish finally comes out, it comes with the appetizer and the steaks are completely wrong, my steak cut had no sauce why my girlfriends had my sauce, not to mention they were not cooked very well at all, one was very rare the other was half cooked well done half cooked medium. We let the waitress know how wrong the order was and she was not apologetic, she tried to say we were wrong with no alternatives, not in a nasty way but a kill them with kindness type of way. At this point we just tried to eat as much as we could so we could get out of their quick, no Valentines dessert as we feared we would be there another hour. We paid the bill which they took off a very small percentage from basically $10 off a $150 bill. I have had fine experiences at this restaurant in the past, the food was fine the service was fine. However this day may have been one of the worst experiences I've ever had dining. I dont understand how a restaurant can be so unprepared for Valentine's day when they ADVERTISED and recommended to make reservations for the night. Very disappointing as they are very close to our house, there are to many better restaurants in the area to waste time with this one. The only good thing was the live singer they had which was entertaining. Everything else was terrible from the moment we walked in. read more

I really should start looking at reviews before going to eat out . This place is horrible nothing Cuban about this place i order a arroz con pollo and it was just chunks of chicken in tomato sauce . The Cuban worse the pernil absolutely no flavor the worse 100 dollars ever spend. read more

I absolutely loves this restaurant! The food is delicious and the service was great. It is a real family restaurant. We had the pernil and ropa vieja that was simply delicious. They had a singer, which was a little pitchy but was great to hear some great Latin songs. Definitely give this place a try. read more

My husband and I went for dinner this evening. We ordered the guacamole for the appetizer, which was a disappointment and for what they charge. We then ordered our entree which we waited over an hour. One of the server came over and asked if we are okay. I questioned what was the delay on our entrees? She went to check and never came back to let us know the status. We got so frustrated, cancelled the order and only paid for the beverages and the guacamole. This was our 3rd visit to this establishment and will not return. No one apologised and we just left. I would suggest to the manager either retrain your servers or hire a whole new staff that are competent. read more

Nice restaurant, sometimes they have live music :) they have frequent specials like $2 taco Tuesdays etc. I love their mojitos and the oxtails. Definitely worth trying it out. The restaurant is colorful and service is nice as well. read more

Went for valentines day. took over 2 hours to get our food. I understand it's a busy day but they needed way more staff. they tried to make it up to us by offering free appetizers but ended up getting charged for them anyway, which we were able to wipe off the fee. Maybe we just came on a bad day but I am hesitant to go back. read more

We initially found this place through IG then saw it come up during restaurant week, since it's In our area we decided to give it a try. First time around Drinks, Watermelon mojito it was very good nice taste good amount of alcohol this is a summer drink special. Appetizers we tried the Camarones Al ajillo, garlic shrimp was very good great tasting sauce. Also tried the Yuca Rellena, yummm these were delicious love me a good yuca appetizers & this one slapped. Main dishes I had the Pollo Guajira it was very good, great tasting sauce good chicken I got it with mashed yuca instead of potatoes, the yuca was great. Hubby had the Picadillo a la Habanera very good dish as well, nice tasting meat very tasty when all combined. Desert tried the Tres leche's cake, so good not crazy sweet it was just the right amount of sweetness. Next time around Frozen mojitos Passion Fruit & Strawberry were very good a bit too sweet but not bad, then regular Tito's & seltzer, Jameson & Modelo beers not bad. Apps this time Ceviche, very good nice lime taste, good Tostones Rellenos. Tostones relleno were very good as well. Main dishes Lechon asado was very tasty so was the Ropa Vieja. Churrasco was very good nice taste to the meat w tostones, good chimi & garlic sauce. The Fried whole fish came with tostones & salad they liked the fish. Service each time was good waiters were very attentive, prices are little on the high side but doable & more normal these days. They do have decent size portions for the food. drinks/cocktails are $15 Beers were $10. Each time we've visited was early Saturday afternoon & the place was not crowded. They have a nice & colorful decor good size dinning area. Happy we discovered this place as so far each time has been a great experience, we plan on stopping by from time to time. read more

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We came for my birthday on a Friday night. Food is ok not the best not the worse. Great ambience, there is live music and the band playing that night was great. Service was ok. It gets crowded after 8pm. read more

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First time ordering here, figured I'd start with the restaurant week menu. I'm rarely in Forest Hills but when my Yelp Bestie Jo said let's order, I was game. Call it cooking fatigue, miss eating out and during the Pandemic - want to support local businesses as best we can. Onto the food: Arroz con Pollo - flavored chicken with rice and assorted vegetables. A complete meal in one entree. The chunks of chicken was very filling as well as the rice of course. A classic dish - simple and satisfying. Truth be told, I thought the container was small but there was just so much rice, I couldn't finish it anyway. Plus, I'm a sucker for some rice and beans any day so I wanted to save room to try other stuff we ordered. Costillas Matanzas - BBQ ribs, you can smell that savory sauce the minute you pop open that take out container. The portion was generous, five - six ribs paired with a side of spinach. It was sauce-y and finger licking good. We actually had some as a leftover the night after and it was just as good as the first day. Fall off the bone tender. I totally would order this again! Picadillo a la Habanera - ground beef with olives! Never paired the two and I don't know why not... It was delicious. My son didn't want to share this yummy entree as he wanted the avocado and egg (his two favorite foods anytime). It came with rice and beans (yeah!). For these restaurant week entrees, I picked the "stuffed potatoes" (aka potato croquettes) and a side salad (simple greens with a citrus based dressing). All were great. Nothing fancy, just classic good food. I read fellow Yelper Ben L.'s review and must try the oxtail next time. It is worth the mention as that's their best dish I'm told. Will do... read more

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I haven't been here in a while, but I am having a great time by myself and the music is awesome. It is Friday, May 17 830 and if you wanna come they're open till 11 with music. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Empanada - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

Stopped by for dessert and a drink. I had the bread pudding which was beyond delicious. I love this place for food, drinks, and desserts. A live band was playing and was really a nice for a Saturday night. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Bread pudding - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

This restaurant is amazing, its become one of my favorite happy hour/ Friday night go to, I've probably had about everything on the menu now, but here are some of my favorites Ropa Vieja, churrasco con chmichurri, papa's rellena,Camarones Al Ajillo, Tostones Rellenos, Staff is great I've been about three times in the last 2 years the food and drinks are always great and there's live music on Fridays. read more

Ordered food here through delivery app. The food does not taste like authentic Cuban cuisine. I ordered rice with shrimp, palomilla steak, and croquetas. I was excited to try the ham croquetas. Please, do not overlook the croquetas. They tasted over cooked, dry and with no ham! Was so disappointed with this place. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Do not order the ham croquetas. If you've tasted Islas Canarias Croquetas in Miami, you will be very disappointed. - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

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A random stop in here for some lunch while I was working. Nice big place with a little stage for live entertainment. It was early in the afternoon, so it was relatively quiet still which is how I like it sometimes. Anyway- service was great! Food was delicious! I was working so I wasn't able to try any "drinks" but I'd definitely come back at night time and see about the live entertainment and try a margarita! This place hit the spot! read more

Guantanamera Queens - Breaded chicken cutlet over greens with cranberries and balsamic vinegar - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

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I give this place 4 stars mainly for the ambiance. The food is not the greatest and I wish they would improve it but I do love their live salsa band and their daily happy hour. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Ropa vieja - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

Hello, I have just recently dined here, but not really. Me and my boyfriend were only served our appetizer after ordering two hours later. And for our main course it just never came and we gave up waiting and left. The waiters don't know how to do their job, three waiters came up to us asking if what they had was ours when it wasn't, FOUR times. I would highly recommend not wasting your time and money here at all. read more

I love Guantanamera sooo much. I really came 222 update, since I visit this place pretty often. My last memorable experience came in the form of these oxtail. Absolutely perfect. I also had beef empanadas, but I ate them before I thought 222 take a picture. AMAZING by the way. The spinach needed a little more TLC, but honestly after coming here so many times, I believe they are just catering the taste to the locals, which can sometimes mean, some things aren't seasoned as well as I think the chefs are capable of. I truly dislike the influence in that sense. But Guantanamera is such a gem, I don't care/mind much. The staff is sooo sweet and kind. So attentive. Lol they literally mean the world 222 me. The drinks are always amazing. And if you communicate your needs, they always adapt...which is another reason I return. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the red mussels I ordered last time either, but honestly those and the oxtail and paella are the highlights of the menu 444 me. I'll never stop bragging on this place. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Oxtail, Espinaca Salteada Dinner, red Sangria, Maduros - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

Angelo and his team at Guantanamera were awesome and amazing yesterday. We celebrated our son's 40th birthday there with over 60 people. Angelo was very accommodating and helpful with all our needs, wants, and changes.  We all had a fabulous time. read more

As part of the big wave of Latin establishments opening in FoHi in the last few years, Guantanamera is among the very few in the borough to specialize in Cuban cuisine. (#1) They've done a good job in staying on brand with its more popular sister location in Manhattan, which is a good thing if Forest Hills folks are looking for a good time. Before the pandemic this place was rowdy on any given night. The atmosphere of borrachos and live music made this an easy destination for a date and group fun. The Latin groups performing here were top notch; I would come by with a cocktail just to people watch and listen to good music. I think their biggest problem has been the inconsistency of the food. I've enjoyed really good versions of their cubano sandwich, vaca frita, and pernil sandwich. I have had both good and bad arroz con pollo, bocadito de pollo, and some super dry croquetas. No place is perfect and I understand that. However, I've also downed a few sangrias and mojitos and suddenly everything food wise is ultra satisfying. Customer service has gotten better since their start. Right now with pandemic life in full swing, they've pivoted to fairly quick delivery and takeout, as well as a pretty good outdoor setup with a number of tables. They've remained a fairly reliable option for locals in the area. While I don't think live music is frequent as before, but I do sincerely hope there will be an opportunity for Guantanamera to thrive again in the near future. __________ (#1) And ironically, one of only other Cuban spots is also in the same hood. Coincidence? read more

I came here with my mom for Mother's day. They didn't offer the lunch or brunch menu which is why we came at this time. We ordered some apps, which were decent, but then we ordered the paella and well I think it was all frozen food, the peas/carrots were definitely from a frozen bag, and the fish were probably - I love mussels and I couldn't stomach them. I'm not sure how much effort it would have been to get fresh veggies and cut them up. It was also the smallest paella I've seen and was $36. Sorry wish it was better, but was pretty disappointed. read more

10 WONDERFUL STARS. WHAT A GREAT RESTAURANT & EQUAL STAFF! To think that my cousin and I were going to Hibachi & she spotted this gem, she had visited the one in Manhattan in the past,and yes same owner. We drank a pitcher of coconut mojito.Ordered the tostones for app, and it just got better from there. Our entrees were nothing short of wonderful flavors, and the Yuca!! Holy Flavor! Delicious, I cannot wait to go back. A huge shout out to the 2 ladies serving the room, they were busy & they handled the room with ease, eventually there was a 3rd young lady. I was very impressed read more

Guantanamera Queens - Pitcher of coconut mojito, wow - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

What a find! This place was a place my friend and stumbled on and we were both really happy with our meal. It's a cute spot on Queens Blvd, I thought my meal here was great and the decor was very festive, I also thought the uniforms on the waitresses made me feel like I was in Havana. The restaurant is a good size and the seating was comfortable. The food: Rabo Encedido- Tender chunks of oxtail, red wine sauce. O...M...G... do the oxtail! The oxtail was delicious, the meat was so incredibly tender and I thought the red wine sauce went perfectly, I highly recommend this dish. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=ncKihDiMVS2BRQ5e_KWZPg&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Masitas de Puerco El Cochinito- Crispy golden pork chunks, cumin scented marinade, congri. I enjoyed this dish with the addition of the lime, the pork was nice and tender with a nice crust on the outside. The lime kick was nice to offset some of the richness of the pork. Overall a good dish but the above dish was a show stopper. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=-FO7Qg6tmM7akynNfj0sZg&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA read more

Guantanamera Queens - Rabo Encedido- Tender chunks of oxtail, red wine sauce - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

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I only can review there empanadas. I originally went in to inquire about the pizza but once I saw the empanadas I was sold. Normally I don't eat beef empanadas but for some reason the beef ones look way better then the chicken. I only purchased one which was $2.50 The gentleman behind the counter was great and answered all my annoying question I asked. The beef empanadas was out of this world. Highly recommended read more

Got takeout in February 2021 (covid times). Food was solid as before, and portions were generous. Wish we could dine in. read more

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Came here on a weeknight and there were a few tables dining in. Not busy and not slow...food was average. I'll dive into detail: Place - easily accessible by train and plenty of street parking and bikes as well. The place is pretty big inside and the decor is not bad. They have a small corner where they play live music, in assuming on the weekends. It's relatively new, so it's clean!. Service - you'll see a lot of female waitresses here sporting the same outfit that enhances the curvature of their physique. I am not complaining at all. Besides that, service was average. Food - 3 stars. I guess we are all accustomed to eating a certain amount, especially my mother when she ordered her paella, she was like, "where the hell is the rice?!" Lol. Yeah, they don't give you much and you'll feel ripped off but when you do finish your mea, you'll be full though. In regards to if it's good or not? Eh. Regular. We ordered the following: Avocado salad - regular Grilled calamari- 3 pieces. Devoured under 3 seconds. Tasty! But just keep in mind 1 order is good for just 1 person lol. Side of black beans - average Seafood paella - not much rice and not much seafood but by you'll be full after. Average. Tres leches - horrible. Skip it. No consistency and just not good. Give it a try if you must but you'll agree. Overall, regular here. I won't be back unless I have friends who are eating here and insisting. They should step up their game to best La Cabana, which isn't far from the area. read more

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I Guantanamera!!! They have amazing food and the live music is incredible. I celebrated my birthday here last week and the staff and owners were attentive and professional! Please consider this hidden treasure if you're in the Forest Hills area. read more

I ordered the Seafood Paella. I have eaten Paella around the world, but this ranks as the worst I have ever attempted to eat! Threw all away. I will never order again. read more

We went right before a rush at 5 pm came. It was quiet and perfect. The staff was very attentive and super friendly. We ordered the red sangria, was absolutely delicious. It was the perfect sweetness and refreshing. We ordered the tostones and garlic sauce on the side. The tostones perfectly fried and not greasy. The staff came over to refill our glasses without asking or even realizing we had empty glasses. We ordered the VACA FRITA, and BISTEC DE PALOMILLA. Everything was hot a fresh. read more

Soy Cubano, la comida es la mejor que eh comido afuera de Miami... la decoración un poco oscura, la pared de color mamey no se jeje pero la comida excelente. read more

The food was phenomenal! Beautiful presentation, the wine was delicious and the service was excellent! The dessert was freshly baked and delightful! Such a great dinner or date spot. Highly recommend it! read more

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Mixed reviews for this authentic Cuban spot in my childhood home town. The place is pleasantly decorated, open and charming, but the noise is on the high side to begin with and then when the band plays you can forget about having a conversation. Food is generally good too. Appetizers were served family style to my group so I tried a few: empanadas are good but a little dry; croquetas delicious; tostones con mojo better than others I've had. Great crisp on the platanos. I had the lechon asado for a main course. The pork is slow-cooked tender with good flavor (particularly when you get a grizzled hunk of fat). Batatas were just plain boil-baked with a fork dragged through them; mostly unappealing. And the arroz con frijoles negro had not a great taste and were dry. This dish had a little salsa verde dropped over it. Not nearly enough found its way to the dish. Next time boys, I'd advise a regular spoon rather than a slotted one. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Childhood memory. Pizza oven still here from La Famiglia. - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

More of a drinks and live music spot than a destination for food. There are options to snack on, but I was more a fan of the fries than the shrimp appetizer I had (thin sauce, needed seasoning). Outdoor enclosure is nice and sunny, and service was good. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

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I give it 4 stars mainly for service. The food was good but management needs to step up on the service. We sat down and waited a long time for someone to take our order. I had to call the waiter, who by the way was very nice. No water service. We also had to ask for water a couple of times. When we were done with our food, I had to call the waiter to take the dishes away. The staff is not attentive at all. They will pass by your table and not ask, not even once, if your food was Ok, if they can take the plates away, nothing! Also, the decor of the restaurant needs a little upgrade. I felt like I was dining in a coffee shop. read more

The food was really great! And after 8 pm everyday they have live music. On Tuesdays, $6 drinks all night. This is my new spot. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Vaca frita - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

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The food was OK but not great. I had the seafood paella - I've had better. The fried banana with ice cream was disappointing. read more

Guantanamera Queens - Seafood Paella was a bit disappointing but overall good. - Cuban Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

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My family wanted to go here for two birthday celebrations yesterday which was a rainy day. They wanted to sit inside but the restaurant had a large band playing. It was so loud with amplifiers they opted to sit outside in the restaurants shed. The restaurant also messed up the reservation thinking that it was for seven people at 7 p.m. which was incorrect because it was made last week for 7 at 4 p.m. The restaurant states they serve Cuban fare. I chose to get the spinach salad with fried goat cheese and cashews and pears. The salad was drenched totally in balsamic vinegar to the extent the spinach was wilted! The goat cheese, pears and fried cashews were very good but the spinach was inedible being so strongly drenched! I ordered the seafood paella with yellow rice. the seafood was mussels, a few clams and two shrimp, some unknown white fish with no sauce whatsoever AND ALL THE FISH AND SEAFOOD WAS BLAND. They didn't cook the seafood in any sauces whatever! The vegetables served in the paella were old frozen reheated vegetables from some bygone age they had LAYING AROUND THE REFRIGERATOR FREEZER. They even have a supermarket a couple of doors down from them and could've grabbed a few vegetables to cook and not make themselves look so bad with no excuse for poorly made food. They had a pizza oven and at the rate of the food I got that the cost was $42.00 bucks salad and for the seafood. Maybe I should've gotten at least pizzas with a topping/s? The waiters had no covers for the food and when it started raining they had to use their hands over the dishes to try to stop rain from falling on it. We were 7 people. I like my food and complain when it's not up to what I expect a restaurant to do. The only positive comment i have is that they keep all the bathrooms clean with paper towels. read more