Cubacan

Went there on Father’s Day. The wait was about 45minutes but they were not that busy. There were numerous tables available in the outside seating area, yet we waited for 45 minutes. The food was average, not authentic Cuban, but it was good. Their sangria was above average and the only reason I’m giving them a third star.

Tried to eat but was told there was a 15 min wait. Checked in 20min later. Gave up and found another place at the 35min point. The restaurant was full of empty tables and I watched a ton of them get opened and just stand open.
I’ve eaten here in the past and found it «just OK». But a sloppy front of the house is often an indicator of a poorly managed operation overall. You’ve gotta be doing something wrong if you’re selling mojitos on the beach and can’t manage to get that accomplished without screwing it up. If you can get in without a line, do it. But if I wanted to wait ages for food, I’d have chosen a much better restaurant to wait for.

Only look good, terrible service… Had to wait almost 40min between courses, it wasn’t busy.

Wow! Loyal customer of this place and was just rejected even though the place was basically empty. We had 4 adults and 4 children so I’m guessing it was the kids… Not cool! Oh well… Adiós muchachos!

Ok, where to start. My wife and I have lived in the asbury park area for years and we’ve occasionally had the local food. Cubacans was one place we dined at a while back and sadly left a bad impression. Originally we didn’t think it would be a great place to go to ever again due to the mixed reviews recorded on Unilocal and prior experience but last night changed that. My wife and I were walking along the boardwalk and noticed new that there was new outdoor lighting being put up. This got us thinking, if they’re willing to invest that much money in lighting and fix things around the restaurant they must be making some other changes. So we decided it was time to try again with Cubacans and we were pleasantly surprised. Everything was not just what you would expect but much more. The food was great the service was outstanding and the sangria was to die for!!! (Buy the liter of red sangria it’s a great deal and a great drink) This place was packed and it was still an amazing experience. My wife ordered the paella and I ordered the skirt steak and it was cooked to perfection. This and the sangria made for a fun night.
I had to write this review because I’m seeing too many false negative reviews and not enough positive ones on here. Cubacans has come a long way and if you don’t believe me try it for yourself.
I hope this review is helpful in deciding where you go next. Cheers!

I’ve now been to Cubacan 2 separate times and I have been disappointed in my service and food each time. June 2015 my friend and I stopped into this cute restaurant with tons of ambiance for lunch. We shared empanadas and each had 1 drink. The first time, we were seated in the back area but a server didnt come to greet us for almost 15 minutes. We got there about a half hour after they opened on a Saturday afternoon but it seemed like they were not ready. The server who did come was short and dismissive like he was having a bad day (even though we had to be the 3^rd table of the day). I had a mojito that seemed to be more augar than rum. We left after our drink with a bad taste in our mouths.
Yesterday, June 2016, I went there again with a bachelorette party. I am sad to say I was disappointed yet again. We had a reservation for 5. We were seated in the farthest corner of the restaurant by ourselves by the kitchen. Far away from the ambiance and liveliness that made the planner pick Cubacan in the first place. Our server while pleasant and professional, disappeared aftet he took our order and didn’t come back to check on us until we complained to a passing manager that our food still wasn’t out 45 minutes later. When the food came out, we received our entire order except, for the one person with food restrictions who ordered just grilled chicken. The hardened tiny piece of chicken that came out 10 minutes after ours was a joke. The jalepeno margarita I had was entirely sour mix — to the point i wondered if i was eating sour patch kids. My friend and I both had churrasco which should not feel so tough and gamey. The food was simply not good, which is why they comped us each with dessert. By that point i was over it and ready to leave. While we found a way to liven up the Bach party after that, it was not the best beginning.

I just read some of the previously posted reviews and wondered, did I eat at the same restaurant just a few hours ago? My wife and I enjoyed it. We went here this evening because there was a private party at Pop’s Garage, our usual spot to eat on the boardwalk.
I must admit that initially getting any attention from a server took a little while. And once we ordered drinks it took a while for them to arrive to the table. The same thing happened on the second round. We had a brief, light conversation with our server and she became more attentive after that. By the way, I had a Jorge Clooney which I enjoyed, a nice and unique taste (tequila, ginger beer and a few other ingredients).
But the food was good. My wife had a mixed greens salad to which she added avocado and chicken, I don’t recall her commenting on the chicken but she did remark how good the salad and avocado were. I had the beef brisket with peppers and onions, I don’t recall it’s Spanish name. Enjoyable! The beef was tasty as were the red, green and yellow peppers. The black rice with black beans were fair, not much taste. I think I would have preferred the yellow rice I saw on another diners table. I also had the Cuban Street Corn, this was my favorite, tasty… tasty…tasty! I would have loved a second! And I hate being thirsty a few hours after dining out due to the amount of salt in the food, that didn’t happen tonight, well seasoned and not heavy on the salt.
And the view on the Asbury Park Boardwalk can’t be beat, great view of the ocean and beach. When we dine in Asbury, which is often, we always eat outdoors (weather permitting of course).
It’s not inexpensive, the food came to a little over $ 50 but it was the drinks, two wines and two Jorge Clooney’s also came to $ 50. So be prepared… or drink water!

My fiancé and I were walking on the boardwalk enjoying ourselves this past Memorial Day weekend down the shore. We had lunch earlier and wanted some more drinks. It looked like Cubacan had a nice seating area outside and was playing some fun music, so we thought why not? We were in the mood for some mojitos– their list of flavors looked delicious!
We were quickly seated by the hostess and we thought, «oh, this is great!» However, we quickly realized we were in for a real frustrating hour +. 15 minutes went by, a server came over but she was quick to point out, she wasn’t our server but would only give us water first. Some time passed again, we finally got some water, but still… no sight of our server. I got up and spoke to the hostess and she said she would let our server know, but that she would take our order first. We were debating to leave but thought we’d wait just a little longer.
After our drinks came, we were content for a while. We even thought that despite the little hiccup in the beginning, we contemplated getting another round before heading back onto the boardwalk and beach area. However, as we were finishing up our drinks, still we had no sight of our waitress. We asked for her at least 3 or 4 times… We had been there over 40 minutes and had not interacted with our waitress even once. We thought that someone would come by as they noticed our drinks running low but as we sipped our drinks to the last drop, still no one came.
At that point I had it because the service was clearly non existent. I saw another server and asked nicely for the bill. Still after some time, still no bill and no one came by to ask us anything. After using the restroom, I complained to the hostess again. We finally got our bill after who knows how long and how many people we’d flagged down. The waitress finally came by and apologized and said that there was miscommunication with who was covering our table and our bill was comped.
I understand it was a busy weekend and it wasn’t full at the restaurant. I’m not trying to single out the waitress because it wasn’t singularly her fault, but rather the restaurant’s system/​team. If a customer has complained a few times, pull whoever is assigned to the table or find someone else to cover it. Simply put, this shouldn’t have happened. We actually enjoyed the one drink we had and wanted to order more… but after the appalling lack of service, we just had to leave.

Worst Cuban meal I’ve ever had. We were a party of 8 (6 adults 2 children for an early Sunday dinner) I ordered Pernil Asada with fried yucca. The pork was a greasy mess and the yucca tasted like it was fried 2 days ago. I told the waitress the yucca was inedible, so she gave me a fresh order of 3 small strips that was ok.
The children’s menu consisted of 3 offerings, one being chicken strips which we ordered for our 3 year old. We were told that they didn’t have any at all. We should have just walked out … Waitress was more interested in pushing cocktails than anything else. Martini was just ok. husband said Mojito was good.
I don’t mind paying for good food, but this was not good food at all. Very overpriced for what you get., but I guess they need to over-​charge for the prime real estate.
Run to get a slice of pizza before you eat here… not kidding.

Such a mess. Dinner on a busy Saturday was a disorganized chaos. Our table wasn’t ready for an half hour after our reservation. Our server was well-​intentioned but frazzled. In fact, all of the staff seemed frantic and stressed, and that carried over directly to our table.
Also, it was frustratingly dark at our table. Like, pull out our phones to read our menus, dark. I asked three different people to bring out a couple new oil lamps (the one on our table had gone out), but nobody did for twenty minutes.
The food was pretty good. What came out, that is. One of our entrees never arrived. They took it off the bill, but no apology, no manager visit, no drink comp.
The bar was crowded and understaffed. Two bartenders working probably thirty seats plus the service bar. More stress in the room.
In short, don’t go if you want to relax, or if you want to see what you’re eating.

Assigning one star to this establishment is generous.
Yesterday afternoon, a group of girlfriends and I were searching for a place along the boardwalk to get drinks and enjoy the view (which ended up clouded in delightfully creepy fog). Of course, the only restaurant without a wait was… wait for it… Cubacan. Knowing the poor reputation it possesses (rightfully so), yet really needing those drinks, we begrudgingly decided to get a table outside.
Like, we picked it. Our hostess was so confused and led us all past a service station (a tight unnecessary squeeze when there was actually a direct path to the table). When faced with four open tables in which to seat us, a fog settled in over her face (much like the one over the ocean) and we awkwardly chose our table.
Okay, fine.
We waited about 10 minutes for a server to even show up (as it turns out, we were very far from his section). We order drinks and food and all seems well so far. Drinks taste fine and we were off to a good start. Then, three out of the four meals we ordered arrived. It took 15 minutes and three check-​ins from our server, ensuring me it would be right out, for my house salad with grilled chicken to arrive. (Actually, it was bagged field greens and less-​than-​satisfying chicken on my plate for $ 14.)
We’re all a little perturbed by this because we know how bad the service is here and it’s living right up to its reputation.
We ordered a second round of drinks. When one of my friends went to take a sip of her Bloody Mary (missing an ingredient, mind you, and telling our server this basically made his brain melt), the glass slipped out of my friends hand onto the floor. No, she wasn’t drunk. There was Bloody Mary ALL over the glass and it was never wiped down after it was made.
Our server came over and like, blinked at us. At this point, we just wanted to get the heck out of dodge, so we finished and waited quite a while to get our check. Meh.
Listen, we all knew better, especially as locals. We were just looking for a way to enjoy our long weekends. Don’t go here. I don’t have to tell you that. Cubacan is a tourist trap for those who don’t know better and who are perfectly content with horrid, unsatisfying service that leaves almost as bad a taste in one’s mouth as the food.
(I just need to add that there is NO excuse for Cubacan to be like this. They’re open year-​round and for quite a while already. It’s clear management/​ownership doesn’t care about their patrons. Get your act together.)

Let me preface this by saying we have been coming to cubacan since day 1. The restaurant has died. We arrived with a party of eight on a reservation that was entered over a month prior to dining date. Firstly they put us in an unair conditioned new (expanded) area.
Secondly, the food was poor. To the extent they had it. This was Memorial Day weekend. They had no olives, no yucca, no wings (which were great). Calamari was cold. Octopus was a joke. Sliders were hockey pucks from a catering hall. My party returned gross drinks.
When we complained to the manager, he could care less. He was rude, unprofessional and combative. I was very cordial in my comments.
Let me add that no one was here. The bathrooms were a mess and there were no towels. We’re very disappointed. We will not be back.
Won’t even review the main dishes. Go elsewhere in Asbury instead.

When you order a signature drink off the cocktail menu and the bartender needs to read said menu to see what’s in it, you know you’re in for a bad drink. And when the bartender then needs to ask a colleague if she «missed anything» and to please do a taste test, you should probably take that as your signal to leave now! Unfortunately, we did not heed the warning signs and suffered through a miserable evening.
The drink, by the way, was missing something… seltzer! So what did she do to fix that? Why pour out the alcohol, of course, to make room… ugh! Surely, wine should be easy to get right??? Wrong!
I ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir, figuring I’d have a glass at the bar and finish the rest with our meal. She literally put the bottle and a dirty glass in front of me and walked away. And I don’t mean it just had some spots on it either. This thing hadn’t even been through a dishwasher! It was absolutely filthy. She did a fine job shining up a new one for me, but that was where her service ended.
Had she actually done what a bartender is SUPPOSED to do and pour me a taste, she would have found out that the bottle was actually NOT to my satisfaction. Why is that? Because some genius thought it would be a good idea to store their wine on top of a beverage refrigerator, which of course gives off heat! Now, I don’t expect my wine to be chilled to an exact temperature, but I do expect it to NOT BE luke warm!
So, now it’s time to be seated… even that was a fiasco! Not only did I have to literally pick up my bottle of wine and carry it to the table myself, but we were seated next to a pile of unused chairs and tables! We requested a different table and were reseated.
Ahhh, ok… We’re at a nice table now, it’s a lovely warm evening… let’s wipe the slate clean and hope for a nice dining experience! Wishful thinking. Our waitress walks up and says: «I’m ready when you are, do you know what you want?» Ummm… no actually. Perhaps we could have, I don’t know, a MINUTE, to review our menus? Good grief.
Apparently, we were not the only people experiencing this service because a couple stormed out of the restaurant, followed in tow by the manager who was calling the police on them for refusing to pay their bill. I heard the customer yell, «You want my money? Fine, take my card! But I shouldn’t have to wait 45 minutes for service!»
When the police showed up, I said to my boyfriend… «Gosh, maybe we should offer to testify on their behalf! We can certainly back up their poor service claims.»
I’ve eaten here before and have always been pleased with the food, but this kind of service (or lack thereof) is absolutely inexcusable. We are local and eat in Asbury often… it kills me to have to scratch this one off my list.

Went for drinks and tapas (appetizers) on a Friday night. Pros: waiter was super professional and helpful. Atmosphere was relaxing (we had a table with a view of the ocean) and drinks were tasty (we both had sangria) Cons: prices are way too high for me (but it’s on the boardwalk and a trendy spot so it’s understandable) Food was good but not good enough. Cheese plate was $ 12 for 3 smallish pieces of cheese and like 4 thin pieces of bread. Ham croquettes and empanadas were tasty at first but really heavy in the tummy! And sliders were dry and fairly bland. So overall not my first choice in Asbury but it’s location is ideal for a relaxing drink after a beach day.

Service delightful– value POOR — I know it’s the boardwalk but really — they should be ashamed of serving 10 ROCK SHRIMP on a platter, calling it ceviche and charging almost 13 dollars. Same for the maduros — 7 bucks for one maduro? When we know they are 2 for a dollar at the supermercado!!! As I said I expect the food to be pricier on the boardwalk but it’s also nice to walk away not feeling robbed — please note — I don’t have to feel like I need to be rolled out of the restaurant bc the servings are so big to feel satisfied with a meal — lesson learned– GO FOR HAPPY HOUR ONLY!
If the place had better internet I would have been able to check the reviews on here and would have probably gone elsewhere :/

So sorry what was once a great eating establishment falls short in flavors and now sub average cuisine. You will wait with a reservation so please do yourselves a favor … Go enjoy a great meal elsewhere and go to Cubican on a Sat. Night for a drink and dancing.
It’s a Shame the servers are so helpful and outstanding so these issues fall in the Main Leader… Management. While We were guests Andrew was the Manager and I can tell you our experience has been a constant issue with guests that we recommended before the quality and efficiency of booking reservations and quality of cuisine failed us.

This place has a great atmosphere inside. It’s very comfy & easy to have dinner & conversation. I found the staff to be extremely pleasant & accommodating. Our waitress, Bridget was sweet as could be & the manager came by checking to see if everything was alright. I ordered from the Jersey Shore Restaurant Week menu & started with the Arugula salad. It was very good with just the right amount of tangy vinaigrette on it. Next came Arroz Con Polla, chicken over yellow rice with peas, red peppers & olives. The chicken was nice & moist & rice was tasty. I personally love green olives, but cooked, not really a fan. I did however like the taste they added. For dessert I decided on the Tre Leches cake which was light, moist & delicious. I will most likely not return but not for any reason other than I don’t think Cuban food is quite for me. I am very happy I tried it however.

Good Cuban food, curt service and watered down drinks.
It was a random weekday in September after Labor Day and they were clearly understaffed for the busy day ahead. Our waitress was super busy and wasn’t the chatting kind– I get it.
The food was good.
What we ordered (all apps):
Elotes Callejeros — cuban «street corn» aioli, cayenne pepper, cotija cheese. Dos Caminos does it better.
Chorizo con Tostaditas de Pan y Ajo — Sweet spanish chorizo, onions, peas, olives & garlic croutons — Very good. Recommend for an app.
Sliders de Cubana — — Chorizo & angus beef sliders, manchego cheese, grilled onions, pickles & ensalada rusa. Good but not memorable.
Croquetas de Jamón — manchego, serrano, saffron aioli. A good addition. Just enough to feed two people with other apps.
If it’s a nice day, definitely sit outside as it’s right on the boardwalk. ENJOY!

Consistently great food, good service, lovely ambiance, and it sure is a little something different for your boardwalk cuisine foodies out there. This place could almost be a 5 star winner in my book, I just needed a few things to be improved that I noted each time I have visited Cubacan. Frankly I am a bit surprised by its current status as a 3 — I urge anyone looking at that to dismiss it and look at my review instead!
The best: The food. Consistently tasty food. Highlights on the menu: the ceviche (note they have removed the tasting of 3 but now offer a few more options), the sliders, ropa vieja, garlic shrimp, lechon asado, and churrasco. I’ve never had a bad meal there. Oh and the mango and fruit infused butter they serve with their warm toasty bread to get you started off, phenomenal.
The good: Very well decorated, not what I think of when it comes to Cuban on the boardwalk, but you know what, I don’t mind! Its clean and full of taste and makes me feel fancier than I should when rolling into a nice place caked with sand and suntan lotion. The service is good, not stellar, but good. We generally were able to get what we needed but it was strange when our waiter walked away in the middle of our drink orders. He was all like, peace out! It’s also a bit slow, so either plan for that ahead of time or just know you will be there longer than you probably thought you would.
Not so great: 2 stalls in the woman bathroom in a place that seats probably over 100 people. Yikes. At 5pm when dinner was just getting started there was already a line and it wasn’t super clean. They are also really weird about reservations. They are very stingy to a point where they have to be loosing business by not filling tables. IE we had made a 5pm resie and asked to change it to 5:30 which they could not possibly do. During our dining time from 5−7pm the restaurant remained half full the entire time. Strange!
Overall, I highly recommend a visit to Cubacan. Some of the tastiest food in Asbury!

Hot, famished and parched from a beach day in Asbury? Usually, after baking in the sun for a few hours that is how most of my beach days end.
Cubacan is located directly on the boardwalk, and is a great place to get your post-​beach food and drink fix. You can opt to sit outside on the boardwalk and take in some ocean views, and they also have a very large indoor space. Because we were a little over sitting in the hot sun, we opted for an inside table.
First order of business– mojitos. What else would go down on a sunny summer beach afternoon? Nothing. If you know me or have just read my reviews, you probably know that this is my all time favorite drink and I order it whenever I can. I was absolutely blown away by their selection of mojitos. In fact, they had a whole menu section dedicated to it.
After consulting with our waitress, I decided to go with the coconut mojito. They had some pretty standard flavors like strawberry, mango and lime, but I have never seen a coconut mojito option before. It was basically the lovechild of a piña colada and a mojito and was probably one of the best libations that I’ve had to date. My friend went with a pineapple mojito (also pretty unique) and after sneaking in a taste I would definitely order that as well.
I could have ordered 5 mojitos and been set… but a gals gotta eat too. I kept it pretty classic and went with the chicken empanadas. It was a perfect portion size for one and came with two overstuffed empanadas. The inside filling was a mixture of spiced pulled chicken, peas and onions. I was a bit disappointed that there was no cheese, but I still enjoyed them nonetheless.
My friends went with the swordfish taquitos and the cuban sliders and everyone was pleased. Between the pretty solid app selection, amazing cocktails and friendly service there’s no reason to not come into Cubacan, especially after an Asbury beach day. Even if you end up packing a lunch or grabbing boardwalk food, it’s at least worth a visit for a mojito. Trust me.

Cuba, si.
Cubacan, no.
Que lastima!