** Updating previous review with more tapas rankings ** Yuca Frita (9.5/10): These are so freaking delicious, wow. The cilantro aioli was an amazing dipping sauce. They really are fried to perfection. Frituras de Maiz: (10/10): Wow, these fritters are also amazing. They come with such a rich sauce. The fritters are exploding with flavor. Cazuela de Coliflor Asada (9/10): Insanely good dish. The cauliflower has perfect texture, complemented by the pistachios. The sauce is SO good. The cauliflower soaks it up so well. Chicharrones (9/10): Melt in your mouth pork belly. The pork skin crust was perfect. The sauces really make most of the dishes here. This dish is no different - I loved the sauce. Ropa Vieja (9/10): Perfectly slow cooked meat. One thing that really stood out to me was actually the white rice. The rice was VERY high quality, and I appreciated it so much. It's rare to come by rice this good. It had the perfect texture, chew, and fragrance. Ropa Vieja de Hongos (9/10): Pretty much the same as Ropa Vieja above. The mushrooms are delicious, and the dish is just as good whether your order the mushroom or steak version. Empanada del Carne (9/10): Oh man, the crusts are so good. This is pretty on par with the ones I just had in Puerto Rico. Chuletas de Cordero (8/10): The seasoning is heavenly. I was licking the lamb chops clean. Croquetas (8/10): Very solid croquetas. Wouldn't say it's a must-order, but you can't go wrong with them. Costillas a la Guayaba (6/10): The first time I had this it was really nicely marinated, and the rib meat is so tender that it almost falls off the bone. The second time, the meat was dry. Maduros con Tocino (6.5/10): This dish was pretty good, but got overshadowed by the other ones. Pulpo (6.5/10): Octopus was tender and savory. The potatoes were too salty. Camarones a la Plancha (6.5/10): Solid dish, but I enjoyed some other ones even more. Ensalada de Aguacate y Pina (6/10): The salad was a bit too sour, and that sourness overpowered the dish. It was a great blend of ingredients, though. *** and one dessert *** Churros con Chocolate (8.5/10): Big crunchy fluffy churros!! The chocolate sauce is amazing (not really spicy at all). You have to get this for dessert!! read more

Had a great dinner. 4 stars instead of 5 only because the service was a bit slow. They had plenty of runners but not enough folks taking orders. The sliders, which were not on the menu, were fantastic. The beef empanadas were good. The beet salad was excellent. The mushroom balls were good. Tres leches very good. I'd recommend. Nice place inside. Parking close by. read more

My party of four shared croquetas de jamón, maduras con tocino, ceviche, pulpo, ropa vieja, pescado del día, churros con chocolate, and pie de limón - TASTE: 4/5 - highlights included the savory ham croquettes, satisfying sweet plantains, and classic ceviche. The fish of the day included an amazing coconut curry(?) sauce, my favorite part of the meal! TEXTURE: 5/5 - perfectly fried croquetas and churros, tender octopus and shredded flank steak, and a refreshing key lime pie PRICE: 4/5 - total came to $300 SERVING SIZE: 4/5 - appreciated the mix of small and large plates. Filled us up and had leftovers to take home! SERVICE: 4/5 - made a Resy a couple days prior and arrived on time at 5pm. They had our high chair set up for us, and our waiter was friendly ATMOSPHERE: 4/5 - large space w a dark & moody vibe for dinner. Always appreciate the chance to eat Cuban food! PARKING: 4/5 - got a street spot right on Pine St read more

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Ceviche was fresh and tasty, mushroom croquettes very good, a portion of 4 small ones. Also great service and prices are decent. read more

Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar - Cuban Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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Get the Santiago sour! I lowered my expectations because it was closing time for the restaurant. They were gracious enough to fill my to go order and the bar made me the most excellent cocktails. The Santiago sour is so delicious! Very smooth and creamy. I had the empanada del dia and I can't wait to come back tomorrow and order it again. The ropa vieja was so flavorful! Perfect sauce and friend plantain. Reminded me why I love Cuban food. Beautiful restaurant and amazing service. They went above and beyond what I would expect. I would have totally understood having to cancel my order. read more

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Every tapas was perfection on a plate. The presentation was on point and the flavors were in perfect harmony. You would think each tapas would take a long time to come out, but no! We barely had to wait for the food to come out. The service was good and the ambiance was spectacular. I couldn't keep my hands off of the churros. The chocolate sauce was decadent and sweet. The churro was perfectly crispy and light, but not greasy. The steak was a perfect medium rare with an excellent char. The chimichurri gave it the citrus hit that livened up the plate. The crema on the side added a dash of creaminess that complemented the acid in the chimichurri. The same went for the lamb chops. Grilled to perfection! The meat was tender and the fat was crispy. The romesco sauce perfectly accompanied the lamb chops with the arugula giving it that freshness and crunch. Last but not least, the humble cauliflower was elevated in the dish called cazuela de coliflor asada. I never expected cauliflower to be treated with such care. The creaminess of the sauce, which was probably from the manchego cheese, perfectly complemented the cauliflower in the dish. What an experience! Give them a visit! read more

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We were five of us out to dine on a Saturday evening and we were certainly not disappointed. At first though the waitress who served water was not too good with her aim, so we thought oh well she was having a bad day. Sure enough, she was because what followed was great service and superb food. Very nicely done, tasty and served well. The place was packed and extremely noisy so conversation was limited. Did not matter though the quality of food made up for it. Well worth a visit. We were at their Waltham place. Parking was ample and free at the parking lot behind the restaurant, which was nice! read more

Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar - Halibut on a bed of squid ink rice - Cuban Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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This is my favorite restaurant in the area and one of my top places in all of Massachusetts! I love Gustavo's the flavors are unmatched. I normally get the ceviche and it's so fresh and flavorful. The one in this review has dragon fruit and it's amazing. The pork belly avocado lettuce wraps are also delicious the flavor is so good. The churros and spicy chocolate sauce is also so good. I love this place my only thing I wish is they added more gluten free friendly dessert options, other than that they are the best. read more

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I've been to the Cambridge location and was very excited to try their Waltham one which I've heard is better. They have a massive space in Waltham with affordable parking in the back (free after 6pm) as well as plenty street parking. We got a bunch of different tapas (can't remember the exact names) but everything tasted delicious. Hard to pick my favourite one but the pastelitos were sweet and savoury. The corn patties were Smokey and had a savoury taste to it. Steaks with chimichurri are always a hit too. While dinner was mind blowing, the dessert was just ok. We got churros with chocolate and the tres leches cake. The chocolate from the churros was great, the tres leches cake had too much of the meringue on top. I personally liked dipping the cake in the chocolate. To top it off, our server was super nice! He had all the great recommendations! Will definitely be back! read more

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Took my brother here for his bday! We had an amazing time. For the most part all the food was amazing! The mushroom balls were a no and won't get those again. All three of us agree the flavor and texture were off putting. If it was a whole fried mushroom it probably would have been great. The other surprise I was the ribs. They were fall off the bone tender but the sauce was awful! All of the rest of the drinks and items were insane...Yuka, lamb chops, plantains, muscles, Cuban mini sammies, pork tacos, Ropa veija all to die for! If they changed the sauce on the ribs they'd be amazing but as is nope! You've gotta try this place it's a gem! read more

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Everything was amazing! You can do no wrong with their menu, everything we got was so flavorful and delicious. We got the yuca fries, ropa vieja, lamp chops, croquettes, seafood salad, cauliflower, and garlic shrimp. I think my favorites were the lamp chops, croquettes and garlic shrimp, which all were just bursting with flavor. The drinks here are good as well, and the dessert is apparently delicious because they had sold out, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next time we go to try. Overall, great experience and a fun vibe. Would highly recommend! read more

Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar - Cuban Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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Stopped in to try for first time. The ribeye appetizer was excellent and cooked perfect... very pricey at 26.00 Then ordered the pork tacos which was the special that day for tacos. The taco shell was excellent and soft plantain .,order came with two tacos, these were very good , but pricey. Beer was pricey at 12.00 for a draft; but a Maine lunch which runs higher price by a 1-2 bucks ... 12 was high vs 10 bucks Then bill comes and a kitchen tip charge included ? Then bill has suggested tip percentages beginning at 18% I don't see returning when a kitchen tip is added . There are no taxes on tips and this isn't appropriate any longer ... Expensive for 2 appetizers and a beer Food was very good . read more

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A lot of things here, especially the salads, were way too salty and took me out of the experience. I understand adding salt to enhance the flavor and most of the dishes were way overdone with salt. Here are my full ratings: - [ ] Ribeye: 7/10 - [ ] Cauliflower: 9/10 - [ ] Yuca fries: 6/10 (too thick for me) - [ ] Beef empanadas: 6/10 (too salty) - [ ] Lamb chops: 7/10 (chops good; salad too salty) - [ ] Seafood Del Mar: 4/10 (too salty) - [ ] Chicarrones (pork belly): 5/10 (pork belly cooked well, but again too salty) read more

Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar - Rib eye - Cuban Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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This is one of the best tapas restaurants I've ever been to, ever! Their drinks are fantastic and their Cuban food is delicious! The ambiance and service are regularly fantastic, and great for family, close friends, or business dinners. read more

Kristina, our hard working waitress, made sure our daughter had a perfect birthday dinner. We sat outside on a warm Fall evening and sampled many of the delicious offerings from this restaurant's expert chefs. Four of us loved it all. My personal favorite was the mussels swimming in a broth of chorizo cream. The portion was very generous. The Croquetas de hongos melted in our mouths and even the simple dish of olives was elevated by the variety. Since it was a birthday we were compt a dish with four churros . Our waitress overheard us saying we also had a newly engaged couple and added a free flan. Both desserts were a delicious ending to a delicious meal. read more

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Food, service and ambience are top notch. Server was very attentive and made sure we have the best experience. Food was phenomenal and would definitely come back if we are in the area! read more

Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar - Great place, food and ambience. Server was attentive and made sure we have the best experience. Definitely recommend the place. - Cuban Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

Fancy latino small plates (tapas) that look good, but are a little confusing because you're always asking what is this and what's in it. The service was a little spotty due to lack of staff. We had a group of 7 and ordered an initial batch of small plates to share across the table: empanadas, chickpeas, yuca fries, octopus, and fried squash blossoms. We had some dietary restrictions in the group so it was important to know what each dish was so that person could avoid some of the small plates. We couldn't figure out what the squash blossoms or octopus dishes were until someone tasted them. Each small plates has enough to serve 2-3 people - so if you have a large group like us, then you need to order at least 2 of every small plate to share across the table. The empanada was simply a small chicken empanada and the taco was some sort of braised pork in a thin tostone instead of a corn tortilla. Both were nice looking, but just standard fare. For me the fried squash blossoms were the best - after we figured out what they were. The service was spotty. After ordering the first round of small plates, it took a long time for the waiter to come back so we could order more. They also use food servers that can only deliver food to your table - the servers can't really explain the dishes or take orders for more small plates. For that - you need to wait for your waiter to make it back to your table. For 7 people, with a round of drinks at the table, shared desserts, and an automatic 20% tip for large parties (which is fine - I would have given them 20% anyway), the bill came out to be $560. They were very nice about splitting the bill 7-ways so each person could provide a credit card. The parking was easy with a big municipal lot behind the restaurant. My overall opinion is that it's a nice atmosphere, but the food under-achieved and the service could have been better. read more

Festive ambiance but difficult to hear each other because it was so loud. Gracious waitstaff and good drinks. Food was lacking, tepid, and much of it was very heavy either fried or cooked/ sauced with lots of butter/cream/mayo based sauce. Funny they took the Best Of Boston winner appetizer off the menu. read more

Insane small plates. Don't waste your time with the churros at the end they look good but are pretty average. Again the small plate are legitimately out of this world. Creativity is a 10/10 read more

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Gustazo Cuban is a fantastic tapas restaurant in the greater Boston area. The ham croquettes were great. I usually love them at every tapas restaurant that has them on the menu, and this was no different. The queso frito was delicious as well. I loved the assortment of toppings. The tangerines and candied walnuts were great additions to the dish. The beef empanadas were definitely my favorite thing we ordered. The dough was perfectly baked and the dipping sauce had just the right amount of tang. I didn't have any of the lamb chops, but my dad absolutely loved them. The Cuban margarita was amazing!! It had more spice than it did sugar, which I really appreciate in a margarita. Also, the tequila used was infused with jalepeno and habanero! I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the area!! read more

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Food is always delicious, the space is big and airy and well decorated. Service is on point. Wanted to give them an extra good review, as on my recent visit I got a bee sting and the staff and manager went out of their way to help out, get my Benadryl and all. Will be back with less bees read more

Food was good, but for the price you pay & the small portion of food you get.. doesn't sit well with me. Don't get me wrong, the food was very tasty, however, $30 for a BOWL (not even a plate) of half rice & ropa vieja is outrageous!!!! Not to mention the added "fee" they tack on to your check to help cover wages for their "kitchen staff"!!! I get it, everything is more expensive now, but you can't expect a customer to pay $30 for a bowl of food AND an added fee to cover wages for their "staff", that is crazy! Raise the price of the dishes, if you must, but make the portions match the entree Price. Also as a patron, I feel an eating establishment has the right to raise their prices to ensure fare wages for all its staff, given the portions reasonably coincide with the item's cost OR make the "hidden fee" more known to the public prior to dining. However, making customers incur both-unreasonably marked up dishes that are subnormal in size, as well as an added "staff" fee, is unacceptable; one or the other. Make it make sense cuz the math is NOT mathing. That's crazy read more

Spectacular food, great service, a super cute spot for date night. The Hotel Nacional is my new favorite cocktail and the empanadas were to die for. read more

Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar - COSTILLAS A LA GUAYABA - Cuban Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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My husband saw this place as we were passing by and we decided to try it. The place was pretty busy for a Sunday night, but luckily they still had available tables. The server (Sean i believe his name was) was amazing!!! We opted for the maduro with tocino, yuca fries and pastelitos as our tapas and the ropa vija and arrow con pollo as our large plates. Every single item was amazkng!!!! The flavors all worked so well. For dessert we had the churros (flan was sold out), but it did not disappoint one bit!!! Best cuban fusion we have had. The place is cute, with a rustic, Cuban feel. Recommended 100%!!! read more

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I came here for my birthday dinner after seeing it on Yelp and wanting to try. It was easy to make a reservation. Pretty busy for a Wednesday night. Great ambiance, beautiful decor. Service was amazing. Our waitress Lila was so friendly and did an amazing job. Everything we got was great but my favorites were the pork belly tamal and bacon wrapped plantains. My mom said the yucca fritters were the best she's ever had. They even brought out a tres leches with a candle in it which was soo sweet and the nicest ending to the meal. I would absolutely recommend coming here if you haven't already. read more

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Great drinks and service but unfortunately my friend and I both experienced food poisoning the last time I ate there. I believe the ribs were past their expiration date. I think this restaurant should avoid serving food past its prime to preserve quality and prevent injury to customers. If this means increasing prices to be able to afford disposing of expired food instead of serving it to customers then so be it. read more

I liked every plate here. The place was a lot emptier that i thought it would be, but there was a good amount of staff that wasn't helping to clear the tables when our server was clearly overloaded. Chicharrones - not enough meat - just lettuce tacos with a sprinkle of pork belly Croquetas - great! but slightly salty Yuca frita - Bomb - better than fries Ropa vieja - good, but didnt blow me away Palomilla - our first round of this was so good that we order 2 more. The second time around wasn't as good though. read more

Gustazo in Waltham is fantastic. The service was warm, attentive, and made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in. The food was outstanding, and flavorful. Everything we tried was delicious, and the overall experience was excellent. Highly recommend for anyone looking for great food and great service. read more

This is a fantastic restaurant in Waltham! We stopped by during Parent Weekend, and everything was delicious. The space is large and welcoming with a great menu selection. My favorite dish was the sweet plantain, but everything we ordered was excellent. The service was friendly, and our food arrived quickly overall, a wonderful dining experience. read more

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Beautiful place to hang out with friends and share tapas. All our selections were tasty, cocktails and beer were very good. Service was outstanding. The reservation system was a little tricky as it's through Resy only, and we couldn't find a time for our large party. Using their email option, we got everything sorted. Will be back! read more

A friend suggested this place for dinner before an event we went to in Waltham. The food here was very delicious. We went with the tapas style and ordered several small plates. They also have large plate options. We enjoyed everything we ordered. The space is really big, so likely not too much to get a reservation.Our server was nice and able to answer questions about the menu items. Will certainly go back and try some more things on the menu. read more

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Really love the food. The ambiance is really Cuban cool. I honestly came here reading the reviews of fellow yelpers so sure enough they weren't wrong. When we arrived we were seated but our server was nowhere to be found until I actually grabbed the GM who was very gracious enough to take care of us. So with that said it doesn't get a perfect five but if we were looked after it would have been well over five stars.. Amazing lamb chops chicharrino's, porkribs, shrimp and tres leches. You must come here!!! read more

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Delicious food, slightly slow service. Huge place but it got full while we were there (on a Saturday evening). Everything we got was delicious, except for the tres leches cake. We loved the grilled shrimp and lamb chops. The ceviche, corn fritters, tomato and grilled cheese canapes were all fresh. Rice and beans on the side were great too. We will come back. Beware: They take a 4% kitchen appreciation fee. And the way the payment process works, this fee is not very transparent while tipping. read more

We usually don't go out much, but when we do... We go to the other Tapas place uphill on Moody (because that's where all our friends go before dancing next door!) This time we decided to try a different Tapas place, and we weren't disappointed. Portion sizes were great. Our server was engaging and helpful. The drinks were varied and interesting. We'd definitely give this place another try since there are so many other small plates and drinks we have to still try out! FYI, I wish restaurants were upfront about it, but they do charge a "kitchen appreciation fee". I really don't "appreciate" hidden fees! read more

This is the first Tapas-focused menu restaurant I've been to in many years. My reluctance is usually the feeling that I will spend a lot of money and not feel satisfied/full. Tapas seem to be very popular in Newton and this menu was hard to resist so while in the area, a co-worker and I decided to try it out! We were not disappointed. The staff was friendly and not at all over bearing. We had several people deliver our small plates and everyone was great. The timing of the dishes coming to our table was perfect. The food... so flavorful! We ordered the empanadas, Chicharrones, croquetas de Jamon, & maduros con Tocino. We agreed our favorite was the Maduros con Tocino- they were a perfect amalgamation of flavors; sweet, tangy, savory, salty- yum!!! Everything was so good, my only feedback would be for the Chicharrones- they were paired with an avocado purée which was tasty, but I wish they would have cut the fat with an acid to give it more dimension, rather than have two fats together. We also ordered the congri to enjoy with everything. All in all it was a wonderful experience. The restaurant was loud but we could hear each other fine and we really enjoyed the art and flair of the decor, especially the columns that look like lit cigars!! read more

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We came to Gustazo for dinner this past week, and I'm glad we did! It was a last-minute choice to come and there were no available reservations, but we found space at the bar. When you walk into the space, there's a nice dining room with closely packed tables and a front bar. If you head on toward the back, there is another dining room with another bar--we chose the front bar as it was a bit quieter. On the wall in the front dining room, there's a cool art piece of Cuba. Our server/bartender was friendly and gave us menus right away. We had the yuca frita, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I had the ropa vieja as my entree, for which the beef was tender. Everything in the dish went together quite well, and I was happy to see that the beef was more flavorful than some other local places that serve ropa vieja. I ordered the Cuban Cigar cocktail (after consulting with the bartender to see if it was Scotch-forward, which it wasn't). It was a complex, enjoyable cocktail that had much more rum flavor than scotch--this one's definitely a sipper. Gustazo is great to have on Moody Street, and I'll have to try the Cambridge location next! read more

We stopped in on a Friday night to try this spot and it was a fantastic find! We had a reservation for 6:15 and it was pretty busy here. Our waiter Fernando, was pretty busy, but he did come by in the first 5 minutes to grab our drink orders and some tapas. We put in 6 appetizers to share acrosss 4 of us. The food was pretty great, but our drinks were loving exceptionally slow. We actually got our drinks after 4 of our appetizers hit the table already. We tried a number of things and our favorite was the Tacos Cangrejo and the Queso Frito! We also loved the Churros for dessert! The restaraunt is really cute and has a ton of cute decorations to throw this spot back to a little Rustic Havana vibes. We really loved it, but the music was still a little loud, so we did feel like we were screaming. But by the end of the night two of us had started to feel the strain! Definitely a fun spot and we highly recommend! read more

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This is super impressive stuff. Started with the remoulacha which had beets, queso fresco, tarragon hazelnut pesto, yogurt, kumquats, watercress. The beets were really fresh, as was the queso fresco. I wished the pesto were more plentiful in order that the hazelnut flavor emerge more prominently. The squash fritters were so nice and soft; they came with kale, pomegranate, creme fraiche, kale, and sage. The sage was nice and crisp, the creme fresh added a contrasting texture to the rest of the dish, and overall each bite was quite rich, but fulfilling. The gulf wild shrimp with Cuban polenta was very rich and very delicious. I really appreciate it the meatiness of the shrimp, ensconced in a delicious polenta. Some might find the polenta a bit too rich, too much butter, but it's a really nice dish. I actually might have liked a little bit more polenta to give the dish more bandwidth. The guava based baby back ribs were so good they were tender and fell off the bone easily, yet they remained on the bone at the cusp of falling out. The glaze as was excellent, as were the pickled beets and pineapple puree. I appreciated that the pineapple puree wasn't too sweet. Finally, the crab tacos enchiladas were really delicious, they included slaw, Watercress and avocado. The plantain taco shells we're really interesting thicker than ordinary corn taco shells. I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the menu, and you should too! read more

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The food was legitimately excellent but the overly dim lighting didn't stop us from seeing the large *RAT* walking - not scurrying, no fear - across the doorway near the bar more than once. It was so disgusting that I lost my appetite. One of our party got ready to tell the server - but it was clear from her face that she was already well aware. read more

I've been here on two separate occasions and both times were delicious. The restaurant itself is huge with lots of seating. They used to offer outdoor seating during the summer time which was really nice. I'm not sure if that's available anymore. However, the ambiance inside the restaurant is great for a nice dinner out. We were a table of 3 and we ordered 6 small plates. For a few of the dishes ordered, typically their are only 2 pieces but the waiter offered to bring 3 so all of us could have a piece. I loved that they offered that so we didn't have to worry about splitting the food equally. We ended up adding in an extra taco and empanada so that each one of us could have one. The flavors of all the dishes were excellent! We ordered the queso fresco, mussels, croquettes, ribs, short rib taco and empanadas. I would recommend all of them! read more

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