Rolando’s Cuban Restaurant

My family and I ordered dinner for pick up and none of us were thrilled with the food. I wanted to get vaca frita but the person who took our order said they don’t serve that which is odd because other people’s review said they ordered that. I got ropa vieja instead and it was so salty it was almost inedible. The portion was also really small. It came in this little round container. I got yuca fries as a side and it wasn’t as crispy as I like it so I had to cook it longer in the oven before I ate it.

Food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t Cuban food.
The vaca frita taste like Chinese peppered steak. And their beans were nothing out of this world, I’ve honestly have had better quality beans at Pollo Tropical.
Probably won’t eat here again. This food is only suitable for their old gringo demographic. This ain’t no Cuban food.
Service was good, and the environment is friendly. But getting my change too FOREVER!
It took 3 employees to get my change. Hence the sign (see pictures)

My husband and I have been here a good handful of times and each time we’ve been the food has been excellent. We usually get the Cuban party and a Cuban sandwich. The restaurant is small and could use some renovations but it also gives off the authentic feel too. We say «go give it a shot!»

I lived in Florida most of my life and have eaten my fair share of Cuban food. I am not sure what this is or who is writing the positive reviews of this place, but the food we got there was terrible. The Vaca Frita was thinly sliced steak that was bland. The black beans were bland as well and if you are only going to get one thing right in Cuban fare that would be it. The Papas Rellenas were dry. The soups were unimpressive as was pretty much everything else we got. This place has been around a long time, and I am not sure how they stay in business.

Authentic Cuban food was fantastic due to the perfect guidance of our waitress. The sweet plantains were the best I’ve had in years. Family friendly environment was very comfortable and inviting.

I used to love their Cuban sandwiches. I had not been there in awhile and have been twice recently. Both times, the sandwiches were very greasy and the bread didn’t seem as good. The menu is much smaller and you can’t get plantain chips anymore as a side order. In fact, nothing comes with the Cuban– no regular chips, nothing. The service was slow and not particularly friendly these last two times. I won’t be going back. We need a place for a good Cuban sandwich around here now.

Great food and not to expensive love it

4 Stars for some really good food, a chill atmosphere, and a fun server!
I found this restaurant through Unilocal when looking for a good spot to have a birthday dinner before visiting Semoran Skateway. When we pulled up we noticed there were disco lights in the entrance and knew we’d made a good choice.
I ordered the ropa vieja (shredded beef in a fabulous sauce) and a side of sweet plantains. The plantains didn’t blot me away but the main dish was soooooo good! It tasted like a ropa vieja dish if get in Little Havana (Miami).
We also got a carafe of the red wine sangria and I’m not ashamed to say that this sweet sangria (with canned fruit in the bottom of our cups) was ADDICTIVE! It was sweet and tart and I could have had the whole carafe to myself.
I also tried the arroz con pollo and it rivaled my dish. But beware! There are bones hidden in the rice!
One guy in our group got the fried chicken and we all kind of agreed it wasn’t the best. That being said– who orders fried chicken at a Cuban joint?!?
Finally, the server brought a flan with a candle on it for us to sing happy birthday! When the check came he told us that the dessert was on them. GREAT touch!
Overall if I find myself in the area again I’ll definitely return. The server was hilarious and their food is really special (even if they don’t take themselves too seriously!).

Food was not very good. Starting off with a paper takeout menu in a sit down restaurant was not a good start, then the croquettes were almost over cooked and runny inside. Very, very disappointed with the congri, dry and lukewarm. Pork chunks way over cooked and not much flavor with only 5 small pieces, expected more quantity and quality for $ 14.95. My wife’s breaded steak was decent but that’s it. My wife put a menu in her purse for takeout but put it back on the table. Being Cuban, I know what good Cuban food is and this was not. I’ll just cook at home.

The food was fabulous! One of the best Cuban restaurants I’ve been too. Not only was the food delicious, the atmosphere was perfect for the restaurant.
The server, Ivan, made recommendations and suggestions. We ended up sharing the Ropa Vieja and the empanada. Dinner came with 3 sides which we ended up with yellow rice, black beans, and sweet plantains. The portions are large enough to share, even though the flavor doesn’t make you want.
We went on a Saturday night, so they had a live music playing while we dined. There was one man playing the guitar while singing Spanish music. It wasn’t too loud so you can still here everyone at your table talk, enjoying the music in the background.
Definitely will be eating at Rolando’s sooner than later. Great service food and atomsphere.

This was some of the best Cuban food we’ve had… And my husband is Cuban! I had the fried pork chunks. They were the perfect size! We had ham croquettes which were good sized. And a very nice bistec. 5 star!
The waitress was delightful as well!

We are new to Rolando’s but after 3 meals we are hooked! Not a Cuban food gourmet, but we love all the meals we have had. The seasoning is just right for us and the freshness of the food is great. A lot of value for the money.

The dining room is large so it’s probably good for groups.
Overall the food wasn’t bad but the coffee was. If a group of people wanted to go there, I wouldn’t protest and I’d avoid the café con leche.
I ordered the chicken fricasee (no idea if that’s authentic cuban or not) with yellow rice and tostanes (sp?). All of it was pretty good.
I was willing to cut them a lot of slack on having delicious food because I know we’re far from Miami’s Calle Ocho, but I wasn’t willing to cut them slack on the café con leche. It was bitter — not just strong, but bitter like it was old and burnt. And they used regular milk rather than the traditional condensed milk. So disappointing. I’ve had a strong café con leche elsewhere I know that it can be smooth rather than bitter.
If we set aside that disappointment, I’d say the food was still good enough.

We were very impressed with this place. We noticed at our favorite place in DT Orlando (número uno) that this was the sister restaurant – apparently owners have changed but we didn’t mind giving it a shot.
My fiancé and I shared sangria-yummy…very smooth. I’m not much of a drinker and I had three glasses.
Appetizers: papas rellanas and Marquitas. Both very good. Mariquitas is a large portion served with delicious mojo.
Entrée: I had ropa vieja, yellow rice and plantains. The meat was tender and flavorful and the yellow rice was not dry. Plantains were fried perfectly and very sweet.
My fiancé had the fried pork chunks. He commented on how it had the right amount of crispness without losing moisture. He also had yellow rice and plantains, but also got red beans. Which he promptly dumped over his rice.
We shared a vanilla flan for dessert – nice flavor and portion.
We had good service – but only one of two tables there. I don’t know what it is like busy. Food was all hot and quick. The owners were very courteous and grateful to have us.
We love Número Uno, but I think we have found our new go-​to Cuban restaurant. Local, clean and delish! We would recommend it to all.

I could have never guess that this restaurant was going to be so good.. just knowing that my wife will post good things about this restaurant on Facebook it has to be good… she never has written anything about any restaurant in the 12 yrs we’ve been in the states.

They were just bought and have new owners/​management. I can say that I wasn’t AS impressed. The tostones were made with the wrong plantains (they were too sweet). Their lunch menu is very pared down. Their server had no idea what the things on the menu even were (Do you want black or red beans with your congri?!?)
Anyways, wasn’t as big a fan. I’m kinda disappointed, I really liked the family that used to run this place, I’m not so excited about the change. Maybe I’ll feel differently is I go back…

I took my wife to Rolando’s for Easter dinner. The Mofongo was very tasty and large enough to share. We both had the Ropa Viejas with the Congri rice. We both found the Ropa a bit on the salty side but the Congri was awesome. The bread that was brought was nothing worth eating. The portions are large. The waitress was very friendly, professional and informed. It was very clean but décor is dated. We are already planning our next visit.

Have been coming here for years and love the food! It doesn’t get any more authentic than this Cuban food. Great sangria, toasted Cuban bread, empanadas, chicken and rice… so delicious! Be careful if you order the chicken and rice, as it does have pieces of bone in it.

I was disappointed with my experience here. The reviews were so good, I was expecting a great Cuban restaurant. That’s not what I ended up having. I’ve definitely had better Cuban food elsewhere. And since I’ve noticed that people tend to qualify their reviews of Cuban food by saying they grew up in Miami, or they are Cuban, or whatever, I’ll say this: I’m Cuban. I grew up in South Florida. I know what great Cuban food tastes like. This isn’t it. It’s not bad… but it’s not awesome.
When we dined there, there was another family allowing their children to run around screaming at the top of their lungs throughout the restaurant. Now, I understand that kids will be kids and that this is the parents’ responsibility. But at some point, I think it would have been appropriate for the server to ask them to keep their children to a certain area. The music started out as Latin and then suddenly switched to Taylor Swift. Weird.
The food was fine, but not anything I’d write home about. I had the palomilla steak (they call it something different there). It wasn’t as flavorful as I would have liked it to be. The tostones were decent. I enjoyed that they provided pressed cuban bread for us while we waited. Nothing impressed me, though. For my money, I’d rather go to Padrino’s.

My mom was half Cuban so I grew up eating Cuban food whenever we had family get togethers. Actually my mom was a horrible cook… it was my aunt Charo who was the real Cuban cook in our family. I treasured the days we went to her house for dinner!
Rolando’s is one of the better Cuban establishments I have gone to over the years. I would say it is in my top five… the first being a place in Key West that is no longer around! My mom always said that she could never really taste the way it was made in Havana because the water is different. The breads never tasted the same in the sandwiches because the bread was made with different water… and since I have never been to Havana, I can’t tell you for sure if that is true. I just have to take my moms word for it. Many of my friends who have been there say that Rolando’s is close to the real thing. Too bad restaurants don’t have water shipped to them! Maybe that was the secret of that place in Key West!
I went for dinner one night with friends for a birthday. I love black beans and rice, flan, Media Noche, and palomino steaks, and Ropa Vieja. These are the items I normally will get and make comparisons with. That night, I got the palomino steak and flan. I LOVE a good flan and they got it right. The steak was also great… with raw onions and my black beans and white rice on the side. Happy tummy!
The décor is okay… but I am not there for the looks of the place. just the food. The service is also good. Happy servers who seem to be enjoying their job and serving great food. You can tell when its good food when the local Cubans come to eat.
Atmosphere = 5
Service = 8
Food = 10
I did like Rolando’s and plan to make more visits in the future! Enjoy!