Lidia’s Cuban Kitchen

I ordered grilled chicken with onions and rice and beans. I took the order as take out and got home to see no beans. A Cuban mean without beans is not the same. Not to mention a 55 minute wait for my food. Food tastes good but I was very disappointed $ 19 for this and no beans… smh not good at all. I personally cane here to buy a father day meal but of course after I called the manager there pretty much was nothing they can do. Very unprofessional

We love it. Our go to for local Cuban. The tres leches cake is phenomenal. Get the Cuban sandwich or bistec empanizado

Immediately when I walked in it felt cozy with Cuban décor pieces throughout. It was decorated with palm trees, lights and newspaper as placemats showing Cuban history. The waitress was friendly and knowledgable about the menu. While waiting for the food we see a lady walk in with a dog and she was seated in the back. It seemed she was known. My husband and I felt a dog though cute doesn’t belong in a restaurant. Being extremely allergic to dogs myself I think was unfair of anyone to bring a dog to such a small restaurant. When I asked the waitress she said «oh he’s a therapeutic dog». It didn’t make sense to me still why he was there in a purse on top of the table where people eat.
Finally when we get the food, the pernil I had was good and moist, my daughter had the breaded chicken that was also good but my husband and son had steak and white rice, the steak was chewy and had a weird seasoning. My son was not pleased and left most of his food the rice had no flavor also and for the price we paid it was a waste. Some of their dishes were good like the papa de relleno and the pernil. I’m not sure if I’ll return because some of the dishes are a hit or miss therefore spending over $ 100 and not for all of us to be please doesn’t seem worth it.

This was not a good experience. I have been here once before a couple of years ago and there was a reason I didn’t return until recently wishfully thinking something changed.
We got seated on the dark corner by the kitchen (and bathroom?) entrance. It smelled like fish and we weren’t attended to for over 15min. Finally I asked if we could be moved outside as I couldn’t take the smell anymore. We were sat outside and the tables were at an angle I guess because of the sidewalks but our glasses kept sliding off.
The waiter was young he was very nice but could probably use a bit of training on the menu items.
Now the FOOD: we got two apps and two entrees. One of the apps was a shredded pork which was tasty and a good portion. The second was a fried potato ball with meat inside. It was absolutely disgusting. I wouldn’t even feed it to my dog. It tasted like chemicals. Windex maybe? We considered sending it back. We couldn’t believe it was even edible. The entrees were ok. Nothing special. The bill was $ 80+. Simply not worth the money. There are so many places you can spend that much and be very satisfied– this is not one of them.
I would not recommend this place.

Can only talk about the Cuban Sandwich. One of the best I ever had. Service was quick as we ordered to go. Will go back to try more and eat in!

After reading a lot of the bad reviews on here, I was a little nervous to come try this place. Luckily, it turned out to be opposite of a lot of the reviews I read.
The food was delicious, I got empanadas as a starter ($ 8 for 3 regular sized empanadas which I thought was a great price.) and the Cuban sandwich as the meal. Loved the empanadas (I got beef). They had lots of flavor and the meat was not dry at all. I didn’t even need sauce to go with them, they were so good on their own. Then I tried the Cuban sandwich as my meal — this thing was huge! I barely made a dent in it and had more than half left to take home. You can definitely share the sandwich with someone. They will also make sangria for you if you bring your own wine. We had a large party of 12 and they made us two pitchers of sangria. With a whole party of 12 of us, no one complained that they didn’t like their meal.
Personally I didn’t think their meals were overpriced at all. Also the ambiance is nice and the place is clean. Will definitely be returning!

This is a really cute place. The BYOB for the sangria they make you is undoubtedly the best part. I drank so much of it. It’s pretty sweet but after enough of it who cares? You will absolutely have a good time here with the right group. It also smells like garlic down three blocks, and that is such a good sign for a restaurant.
I got the picadillo which was a mistake because no ones picadillo will ever be as good as their mom’s picadillo, and this happened to me. I also remembered I ordered something that was like a throw-​together meal I had 1,000 times growing up at a restaurant, which was a dumb choice. I did have some though and it was good. The maduros I got came out in a little deep fryer basket which immediately made me regret ordering something fried. But they’re maduros so I was powerless.
I didn’t get dessert nor do I really remember if they offered it. But this was a good spot.

Food was delish. Cuban Nachos appetizer was large enough for a group of 4. The Cuban sandwich can feed two people. BYOB — bring your wine and for a moderate fee they will create a fantastic sangria.
Our group was sitting for a short while when Alec noticed no one had come to our table yet. He came over and said it wasn’t his section but he would take care of us. He did an awesome job. Was very attentive to us. I would totally recommend this restaurant to friends and am looking forward to going back.

I finally got the opportunity to try Lidia ’ s Cuban Kitchen. I can honestly say I liked it and I’m a fan.
Lidia’s has a cozy festively decorated bar where you can sit and eat while watching big screen tvs. It is a byob establishment however so you bring the alcohol and they will supply the rest.
The décor is Cuban style with a warm ambiance and casual in dress code. The dining area consists of table seating. The host and wait staff is personable and friendly. My suggestion is you bring a large appetite. The portions are big and the dishes are for those with hearty appetites.
I had the Cuban Sandwich. $ 12.00.
This sandwich is twelve inches in size. It consists of roasted pulled pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. The bread is lightly toasted and absorbs the juice from the meat. Delicious.
I ordered a side of, Boiled Yuca. $ 5.00.
The Yuca was a nice sized portion. It was boiled and took on the flavor of the garlic and seasonings. I enjoyed it.
I also ordered a side of Black beans. $ 3.00. and Cuban style white rice. $ 3.00. The combination was Delicious. The beans were packed with flavor from the Chorizo cooked with the beans.
I also ordered the, Chicken Parmigiano. $ 18.00.
The Chicken was the size of a porter house steak. It was massive and covered with, mozzarella cheese. This dish also comes with a large portion of, Angel hair pasta. Quantity, quality and flavor were all in this meal.
This link will provide additional information on, Lidia’s Cuban Kitchen:

Cuban sandwiches are the way to go here. Fries that came with it are good too. Not too crunchy and not soft.

Nice place, like the location and parking across the street, hate the fact they charge for any add on’s or changes, like if you want rice and beans instead of white rice, I had the shredded skirt steak in lime and sm other flavors wasnt bad meat was cooked perfect nice size portions, but I was full frim Nachos I had as appetizer, must try, The Red snapper too many bones stay away if your hungrry.

I got take out last night, my first time trying it. The wait staff was super friendly and the food was ready to go. I got home and everyone enjoyed. I had a Cuban sandwhich and flan and thought it was great. I’ve eaten in many places like this in the Newark area and I thought it was just as good if not better. I’m actually eating leftovers right now cause the sandwich was huge for me. I’d like to go back and eat in next time.

I stopped by Lidia’s for lunch with family, as I’ve had this place bookmarked for some time. Note that we arrived at around 2pm, so the place was not bustling with people; there was only one large group. Let me also say that this is probably my first time trying Cuban cuisine. Thus, I cannot comment on authenticity; I’ll leave that for others to decide. However, I can comment on our meal.
Cuban Sandwich w/​Yucca con Mojo ($ 12): The Cuban sandwiches are really the main reason why I wanted to eat here. My expectation was that the sandwiches were massive and that even someone with an especially large appetite would have difficulty finishing it. That was not necessarily the case. Each sandwich is sliced diagonally, layered with a nice serving of lechon (Cuban style), ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles on Cuban bread. The meats were tender and juicy, matching nicely with the crisp sweet pickles and the slightly tangy mustard. I enjoyed the Cuban bread itself; it was soft but had a slight crust.
The yucca was fried perfectly; it had a light crispiness and a pillowy middle. I liked it on its own, but the mojo sauce had a nice citrus-​y flavor.
We also ordered Lechon Asado ($ 18) with Congri and Picadillo ($ 15) with white rice. The lechon was tender and not dry at all. However, I think I liked it better in the sandwich. On its own, I thought the roasted pork tasted as if it needed a little more flavor. The Picadillo was solid. You could taste the richness of the tomato sauce and the saltiness of the olives. Overall, I say the place is more of a 3.5 based on my first visit, but I rounded up. I do think some dishes are pricey, but the food was pretty good and the service was great.

Definitely not worth the price tag. I’m lucky to live near some great Cuban restaurants so I know it’s typically affordable and delicious. Lidia’s is a bit lacking and the entrees are rather pricy. Not to mention you’d have to get the sides separately. Pernil was subpar, cuban sandwich was alright, oxtails and ropa vieja tasted almost identical. Sure its BYO but they sure get their money for it.
Interior is a bit dated, the folded napkins are super awkward (think huge antennaes) and it’s not the best place to take dates. It’s mostly large parties, 6+ people so it gets rather loud. Service is kind of cold. I felt unwanted and I’m always really understanding. My last visit was a definite reaffirmation that I won’t come again unfortunately. Sadly, I never got to try their desserts.

Great location — decent service. Nice ambiance. The problem is the food. When we visited we ordered the Ropa Vieja and the Vaca Frita. Both of these dishes came out overcooked and dry like the Sahara desert. It was like eating shredded jerky. Certainly not like the cuban dishes I have experienced at several other cuban spots in my experience.
I really like the BYOB aspect and everything else about the place — I just can’t justify a return visit until I hear the food has significantly improved.

For starters, we came in on a random Tuesday afternoon around 4pm, our waiter was Javon — he was so great, very attentive. We had our own bottle of wine since it was BYOB — Jevon offered to make a sangria for us (using our bottle) but my tinderuni (boyfriend) opted for the wine instead — we had sangria last night anyway. I also loved the décor and ambiance, very colorful and packed with empty cigar boxes — really makes you feel like you’re in a Cubans living room.
We ordered the beef stuffed potatoes to start — Delish, so yummy. I ordered the Cuban sandwich and it was downright the best Cuban sandwich I’ve ever had, which says a lot because I’m from queens, motherland of ethic foods.
Chris ordered the skirt steak, the most expensive damn thing on the menu and he was not happy with it. He described the meat as being too tough and probably cheap meat. I tried it myself and it was not nearly as good as I expected.
However, this is my review and not his, so bam, still 5 stars if you ask me. My food was incredible, Chris even had some of my sandwich and he loved it. I also ordered the tostones and garlic dip, cooked to perfection — I’m also Dominican so I know my tostones.
Overall, between the service, quality of MY food, the ambiance, five stars — well done.

Yesterday I went there to eat and it was far from a pleasant experience. First off the service was horrible! I sat at a table and despite the fact that two waiters walked past my table every minute, not one offered to take my order for 20 minutes. Instead I had to get up from the table and request help. Then the waiter appeared to be annoyed. Once I ordered, he never came back to check on me. The next time I encountered him was after I flagged him down to get the check.
With respect to the food, I ordered the empanadas. Unfortunately, all of them were bland and lacked a lot of flavor. As a result I was unable to finish them. However, the complimentary bread (which I had to request 2 times) was good. Overall, I would never go back to this place.

I needed a Cuban Sandwich fix and there was a place 2 blocks from my home that I have tried already. But I found Lidia’s Cuban Food from searching and I decided to try them out. They’re 3 towns away from me so we gave them a chance.
We decided to place our order over the phone so that we can just pick it up. The lady on the phone sounded nice and asked if it’s the cranford or Ortly Beach location. Cranford is where we ordered.
We ordered the Cuban Sandwich, 2 papa rellenas and a extra order of tostones. We didn’t know the price of everything since they don’t have the prices online.
We got there and picked up our order. It came up to $ 36. Woof. Come to find out the papa rellanos came in a pair and we ordered 2 at $ 7+ per order. Our mistake, we should have asked.
Food is great! Love the Sandwich. Pulled pork, lots of ham, soft crunchy bread but unfortunately, we only had 3 pickles in the Sandwich, maybe they ran out? I was looking for a pickle kick in a Cuban sandwich at least in every bite. Next time I’ll ask for pickles on the side. The papa rellanos are huge and so good, and there are 2 of then. It comes with a red sauce and it went perfect!
I will order again! And I heard its a BYOB! So maybe we’ll come eat there! Thanks!

I wish I could give a half star but I gave them three stars because the place is really clean and quaint. The décor is simple and elegant. Also the service wasn’t too bad.
For lunch I went with a plain Pollo a la Plancha. I love Spanish food and to be honest there was nothing spectacular about it. Seasoning was alright but nothing to sing home about.
For the price I would eat somewhere else.

Starting off with the most important factor, the food, it is great! They start you off with delicious Cuban bread, nicely toasted and pre-​buttered! For appetizers the fried pork chunks were great, nice and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, the papa rellanas, also nice and crispy outside with potatoes and beef mmmm, and the tostones with picadillo, had some of the best picadillo I’ve had, great seasoning!
For entrée I had a special which was a trio of oxtail, ropa vieja, and lechon asado with rice. The oxtail was great, fall off the bone and nicely seasoned in a delicious base and the ropa vieja probably also some of the best I’ve had. My wife had the vaca frita which is shredded flank steak served crispy in a nice marinade of lime and garlic.
Another plus, Lidia’s is BYOB and they’ll make you sangria!
So why 3 stars, well the service and the price. Maybe our waiter was having a bad day but he was indifferent and rude and really paid us no attention. I’ll chalk it up to that as the others working there seemed friendly. Also, the price is pretty high considering the cuisine. We were a party of 4 and it was nearly $ 50pp; I would put that on the higher end of most Cuban restaurants.
But hey, the food is great!