One of my Cuban heritage colleagues recommended this place, and it did not disappoint. Off an unassuming strip mall on Highway 6, this place has great menu variety and value for the price. For starters, I appreciated the complimentary Cuban bread (which they graciously gave us another serving of)! I had the Bistec de Palomilla, the traditional skirt steak, with a generous serving of black rice and beans and yummy plantains which were a sweet treat to end the meal with. My partner had the ropa vieja, the sauteed shredded beef with onions and peppers, along with some garlic yucca. Overall, I recommend this place to Cuban food seekers in the area. With a great price point, traditional menu, and fantastic service, this place can't be beat. read more

In the mood for some Cuban food while driving through the area, we stumbled upon Rincón Criollo located in the Barker's Oak Plaza, south of Addicks. This family-style restaurant instantly takes you back to Miami or even Cuba. We were greeted with a smile, invited to sit wherever we liked, and attended to right away. Our food arrived in less than 15 minutes and was very tasty. Overall, it was a great experience and a spot we'd happily return to. read more

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I've been coming here for years, way back in the day when they had a buffet for lunch, but I never really thought about writing a review because it's just one of those places that you go and eat a good meal and get back to work. I really enjoy they're oxtails, the ham croquettes, the sandwiches and of course they're wonderful coffee. The service has always been fast and efficient... Basically just a good honest meal with a Cuban flair and flavor. read more

Thea service was good. The portion size was great and the food was seasoned well. They also offered some toasted and butter bread prior to ordering your meal. We ate that up quickly. The meat was seasoned well and the beans were just yum. The place was clean and had steady traffic. read more

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Great Cuban flavor! Always a good experience ...almost as good as mama used to make! My go to place when am craving Cuban food read more

Rincon Criollo is a West Houston gem. I have eaten there several times now. The restaurant is clean and bright, the Cuban food is mui delicioso, and the staff is friendly. If you are hungering for Cuban cuisine, this place is a must stop. read more

This place stays packed. It's like a small mom and pop/family owned restaurant. The service is decent. The food was so good. Definitely one of my favorite Cuban spots that I've been to. The oxtails were so good. Can't wait to go back and try some other menu items. read more

Rincon Criollo - Oxtails and beans and rice - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Had a Cuban sandwich to go, staff was very helpful, restaurant was clean and very tidy. Since it was my first Cuban sandwich I don't have much to compare it to.. but it was good. read more

My list of favorite Cuban restaurants in Houston has always included El Meson and Café Piquet. But now, I also consider Rincon Criollo to be a fave. Of course, I would defer to a Cuban person or Miami resident when it comes to opinions about the very best Cuban cuisine, and this isn't Versailles, obviously. Yet, I think Rincon Criollo does the basics well. I ordered a Cuban sandwich with rice, black beans and plantains. Everything was delicious, service was great and I loved the decor. Highly recommended. read more

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Not friendly! At least smile & greet you when you walk in. Food ok but was not served hot! Disappointed. Yada! Yada!! Yada!

Sandwich Cubano had the juiciest pork in it! One of the best I've ever had. Glad it's as close as it is to me. read more

Rincon Criollo - Cuban Sandwich! - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

Visited this restaurant on a weekday after work. I had the oxtails with white rice and beans and it was really good. Oxtails were falling off the bone and flavorful. The customer service was awful. Upon arrival we were not greeted once I said hello and that a table for 2 was needed in Spanish then I was assisted. The waitress was not welcoming at all. When asked for drinks she was walking away while I was speaking. The bread that was complimentary was just slammed on the table. I also requested to go Tupperware and that was an issue for her as well. If you would like to eat here order out. read more

Appetizer: cuban tamal: it was decent but there was tiny bits of pork in the tamale. It was like 90% masa & 10% pork. queso fundido: my husband ate it all with no complaints Entrees: Cubano: hubby said there was nothing special about it, however, the pork was juicy. Ribeye steak: it was cooked the perfect medium well except it was so bland. No salt or pepper whatsoever. Sides that came with it were good including the chimichurri sauce. Waiter was nice though there was a language barrier. We had much more memorable, delicious cuban cuisine in Orlando, FL. Not great, not bad. Would recommend if your in the area and dipping your toes into cuban cuisine. read more

Authentic Cuban food, delicious smoothies, and a perfect stop for a cubano coffee! The service was excellent and even made room for our party of 15. We enjoyed our time there and will certainly be back. read more

Food here is average but service is super nice and on top of it. Food here is your average Cuban food and most of it seems out of the box. We order the Camarones Empanizado, Bistec Empanizado, and Chicken Milenesa and a Bistec Sandwich. Croquettas we're good and the Maduros were sweet and soft. read more

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Just wow! I accompanied a friend "Raul" to this place, I wanted a great Cuban sandwich and that's what they gave me. Tons of flavor, the spicy sauce brought it over the top! The sandwich I had here rivaled or surpassed the one I got in little Havana. I got an order of yuca to go for my wife and she gave it a 10/10, the citrus sauce that came with the yuca was awesome. I tasted the snapper filet my friend got and it was pretty good, too cooked for her taste but I thought it was perfect. The basket of bread they bring out is great! Raul says the Oxtails are amazing, I haven't tried them. I've never had oxtail and I was craving a good Cuban sandwich. Definitely recommend and I will be back. read more

Omg the best! So happy I stumbled across this hidden gem in the Houston area and I love sharing the word. Food is delicious; feels like I'm in Miami or Cuba when eating it! Staff is so nice and friendly. It's also never too crowded, which is a good thing, I always get seated quickly. I don't recommend the alcoholic drinks however. Ordered mojito twice and a margarita another time. Drinks were always too sweet or tasted as if there really wasn't any alcohol in them. Also, when I attempted to return the drink, because it was nasty, the staff all of a sudden didn't understand English lol. Problem solved, I just wont order any drinks..:but I'll get my food. :) read more

Walked in on a whim after craving some Cuban food and it was a great breakfast experience. I'm usually not a fans of the complimentary breads that other restaurants offer but this one was so buttery and moist. They go well by themselves or you can pair them with the entrees later on, as I found out that they don't really give enough rice to balance the savory dishes. Highly recommend the oxtail with Cuban rice and plantain. So juicy, soft, and flavorful. Cuban sandwich was also amazing. Perfect bite with every bite due to the thin crust and generous filling. We also got the ground beef in tomato sauce with a fried egg on top, and although delicious it didn't stand out much. Finally, we finished off with a flan and Cuban coffee. Coffee was strong and balanced the sweetness of the flan perfectly. Service was friendly and treats you like family. Really enjoyed our experience. read more

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Still the best Cuban eatery in the Houston area! The food and desserts are excellent !! Great service and friendly atmosphere!! We have been going there for 12 years now! read more

The environment was cute and quiet with some good hispanic music playing. This is a better cuban restaurant. The food was very good and not over whelming in size. I had the croquette sandwich which was very good. It is self seat and the server was nice and fast. He spoke Spanish and some english. The bread was soft and warm with some butter. The kids menu didn't disappoint for kids. I would definitely come back. read more

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Very authentic Cuban food , reasonable pricing. Service and presentation of food was good. We had the Cuban sandwich which I would highly recommend, made with well seasoned pork shoulder ( pernil) Would suggest if in the area stop by for some latin flavor. read more

I stopped here after renting a car next door and picked up ropa vieja and pastelitos de guayaba. The food was good & pastelitos were great. I would give it another try. It was packed & lively! read more

Very authentic flavors. Started out with coquettes and yuca rellena. Both appetizers where delicious and fresh. The carne encebollada was very well seasoned and so was the carne frita. My husband ordered the Fried Red Snapper and it was cooked to perfection! The food took a while to come out but we had no complaints because it only meant everything was made fresh to order. If you want the whole Cuban experience make sure you have a cortadito and a patelillo de guayaba before you leave . read more

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One of my favorite restaurants in Houston. I discovered Cuban food in Miami and looked for a place in the area that had good Cuban food. This place certainly fit the bill. Have been many times over the last couple years. Always good service and good food. I love the fricassee de pollo, picadillo a caballo, and pierna asada. Also love the complimentary bread. Top notch spot. read more

TL;DR Version: Best Cuban Food I've had since living in Florida. Expanded Version: Looked for someplace new to try out near work and Popped into the restaurant a little after the lunch crowd had filtered out. Place is brightly lit, a few TV's tuned to shows the staff prefer, Caribbean/Latin music playing softly in the background. Less than half the tables were still occupied, with one table surrounded by older men, all sipping at tiny cups of coffee, arguing about something... the scene was comforting and set my expectations high, as this was obviously a favorite of the local community. Hostess waved that I could grab any empty seat and the waiter brought by a menu and water immediately. After a brief look through of the menu, I ordered the Ropa Vieja with Black beans and rice, Tostones and Maduros for sides. The Tostones were so amazing... perfect amount of crunch to inner fluffyness. Add on some of the flavorful yellowish SPICY sauce (habanero?) they had on all the tables for extra pop! The Beans and rice came separate which allowed me to try them separately at first before mixing... the beans were neigh on perfect... great spices, great texture and once mixed with the rice became the best side dish. The Ropa Vieja... just SO MUCH FLAVOR! Juicy, tender, great sauce... made several little sandwiches of it using the provided basket of Cuban bread. The Maduros made for the best ending to the meal, a great desert in itself, and it's flavors pulling together everything else the meal had been. I was so happy with everything I even ordered a Cubano sandwich to go, preplanning dinner later that night. Hours later I wrapped it in foil (after stealing a couple bites) then reheated it between a couple cast iron pans to regain the crunch of the amazing bread's crust. Stellar sandwich totally made my day. I'll be going back many, many times and dragging people along to convert to proper Cuban food. . read more

Rincon Criollo - Ropa Vieja, Tostones, Maduros, Beans and rice. - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

Note to self: do not eat 5 pieces of bread before they bring your food. You will get too full to eat your entree. On the positive side though now I have lunch for tomorrow. The food tastes like it was homemade by a grandma. Super good and filling. The flavors of everything paired so perfectly together. We tried the following items: Ham and cheese empanada Ropa vieja Black beans and rice Plantains My husband had the liver and onions which I did not try because not a fan of liver, but he said it tasted like when he traveled to Cuba. Everything was 5/5. They have a larger menu so I can't wait to come back and try more things! I also heard they have a lunch buffet, but they weren't doing it when we came in so I'd like to come back for that too. read more

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Great food and plenty of leftovers. Servers were friendly and helpful. Good crowd at 2pm on Saturday. read more

Rincon Criollo - Oxtails - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I love me some Cuban food and I haven't found a great place in Austin, so I jumped at the change to try a 4.5* place. It was on UberEats so I did delivery, and the food was packaged just perfect. I ordered the ropa vieja and it stretched to like 3 meals for me. Only thing missing was some hot sauce, but I was able to score some elsewhere. Would definitely order again. read more

Rincon Criollo - a plate of food - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

I had the Vaca Frita which is fried shredded beef and my bf had the ropa vieja. Both dish were delicious and I asked for the habanero sauce since I like my food with a kick. Took a good amount of leftover home as well which is a bonus! read more

Rincon Criollo - Fried shredded pork - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Most authentic Cuban food in our area. Hands down beats Flor de Cuba. Super reliable and delicious when ordering large quantities for holiday gatherings. read more

Have been coming here for 6 years and it never has been anything short of DELISH! We moved away but always visit whenever we visit the Houston area. Staff is very cheerful and always remembers us. Great family run place! Try the guava pastries or the flan to bring home for dessert.. read more

Rincon Criollo - Cortadito - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

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There are a lot of Cuban restaurants in Texas and we've had plenty of Cuban food in Florida & PR as well and NOTHING is as good as their rabo encendido. Theirs is the VERY BEST that anyone could ever have!!! read more

Rincon Criollo - Rabo Encendido - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

Really good Cuban food and excellent service. My family will definitely be returning to experience the different menu options. Our first experience was the Rabo Encendido (Ox Tail Stew) which was absolutely FABULOUS!!! A must try! Five stars isn't enough. read more

Mom and pop vibe place. The food was great! Portions were adequate and the prices were reasonable. Great service too.

How good is it? We fly in about 2-3 times a year just to eat here! Very good service. Food is always the same. They don't change a thing. If you love it today, you can get it tomorrow exactly the same! It's a cozy, family, and friendly environment. Plenty of parking and good vibes. After you eat even standing outdoors you still feel the relaxed vibes. We love this restaurant and the staff. Thanks for being great! read more

Excellent place!! 100% real mojito with peppermint!!! (Thank god no mint )100% real Cuban food , warm and friendly environment, great service, with amazing flavor !! The best in town!! read more

Never been disappointed from their delicious food and warm welcoming hospitality. Definitely worth the visit and definitely recommend this place. read more

Rincon Criollo - The best oxtails plate I ever had - Cuban Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I will drive 30 minutes to come eat here. The food here is amazing, the staff is attentive. Did I mention the food is amazing? Delicious, authentic Cuban food. Try the yucca fries....yum. And I will say this - we visited Miami several years ago and I went on a Cuban sandwich tasting tour to find the best Cuban sandwich on our trip. None of them (and I mean this) were as good as Rincon's. read more

The vibe is there, weekends they have a guitarist that plays live. It's very lively there from the customers as well. Food taste pretty good, I stick to the oxtail with rice and beans every time and it doesn't fail. The Cuban is also good and staff is always friendly/ can speak Spanish and English. read more

Really enjoyed this Cuban Restaurant. Great menu, delicious food, attentive service. Excellent bakery and cafe. Best Cuban food I've had outside of Miami. Located in a strip center on HWY 6 (between Westheimer and Briarforest ) read more

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