Marimba!

Good service. Food is authentic and homey tasting. Environment is colorful and spacious. Interesting dance floor.

OMG amazing food! we love Marimba! is it really closed? that would be a shame. not only are they a very good restaurant in an area that has a lack of good, locally owned joints to eat, but they serve a style of food that isn’t easy to come by in the PNW!
i have tried several of their dishes and they are all fabulous – i especially love getting the little blurb about the origin of the dish, and where it is from. understanding where the food comes from makes it so much better.
and we were delighted that they had a juice menu! their fresh juices are so amazing – and so is the tres leches cake!

Interesting and unexpected place sitting on Hewitt. When we walked in on a weekend night the place was completely deserted… not a soul in sight. We got sat and were given water. Then we ordered food… Caribbean fiesta, Salpicon salad with steak and three entrees for four people. The food was unique and tasty. The service wasn’t bad. I don’t think it was worth the $ 80+ we paid for our dinner though.

cute place, good food, horrible (but nice) waitresses. be prepared to wait 45 min for a water refill.
but i’d still go back because they have pisco & cachaca.

Don’t let my three star view fool you. I’ve eaten at Cuba Libre in Philadelphia, Cobre in Vancouver, and Pambiche Cocina in Portland — so my bar is set very high for Cuban and Latin American cusine.
Marimba! is an outstanding Latin, Carribean, and South American offering in Everett. Everett? Yes — Everett. Recently changed owners who did a nice change of décor but kept the menu and chef, there is nothing but an endless array of Latin American favorites on the menu.
The plantain chips with a spicy sauce are a fabulous way to start things. Mofongo, a Puerto Rican staple is well done, as are the other dishes. They offer a full bar, and the sangria is definitely worth having a glass, or two — or three if someone else is driving.
The restaurant scene in Everett is exploding in a positive way — and Marimba is a solid offering. Don’t let my three stars fool you — it is very worthy, and about the best the Seattle area has to offer.

I think I really need to give this place another go on the weekend because going on a Wednesday night, you would think they were going to go out of business. We were the only ones in there the whole time, though despite that, it was not in the least bit uncomfortable. The ambiance (décor and music) was great and the staff were incredibly nice and friendly without being overbearing. I hear the weekends are much busier, and really I am surprised there were not more people. The food was very tasty caribbean/​cuban style, with nothing particularly wowing, but all enjoyable.
Would definitely return to try out some of the other dishes or when I want to feel like I am on a vacation to Puerto Rico.

Our group was the only customers in the place, and it took foreeeeever to get drinks. The server would come out occaisionally, with 1 or 2 drinks, they we wouldn’t see him again for a long time. A couple of the guys who had only ordered a bottle of beer, it took about a half hour for them to receive it. Not cool!

I came here early on a Friday evening and the place wasn’t busy at all. We were greeted by the friendliest waitress (no host) who had no idea what she was doing. She tried to fit all of us (5 people) in a table for 2 (wth?) even though there were many other bigger tables available. Being latin, I had a few questions about some items on the menu that I’d never heard of. Apparently she had never heard of those either! She kept saying «that’s a good question, let me go ask. BRB». And so we played this little game for about 10 mins.
It took about 45 mins for our food to arrive, and they brought it all out at the same time. All as in appetizers, entrees and DRINKS! Having said that, EVERYTHING was delicious, with a true latin taste.
I hated the service and loved the food, but I’m sure good latin food can be found somewhere else that offers good quality service as well. Will not be taking the hike up to Everett to go back to this place any time soon.

Still wishing Everett had more and better restaurants. The staff at Marimba was very nice. We were seated right away, and attended to pretty well.
I had the Mofongo after reading one of the reviews on Unilocal.I asked them to go light on the garlic as (IMO) it is often over-​used which just masks the actual taste of the food. Even going light on garlic, it was all I could taste after the meal and through the night. The Mofongo was okay, but bland (aside from the garlic).
The plantain chips were very bland. Someone at our group had a decent dish (I can’t remember what the name of the dish she ordered was) but among the five dishes we had, everything was just okay.
I was hoping for some experience that would highlight the herbs and spices of the region, but the foods were mainly blasé and nothing stood out as unique or novel.
While the restaurant was clean, the music authentic, and the staff really nice, I would not be compelled to go back again as the food just didn’t have any real distinct flavors to offer.

I had the cuban sandwich and the fried plantains.
The cuban was tasty, but the fried plantains were nothing special. They were pressed too thing when fried, and thus became overly dry, even with the dipping sauce. They do get bonus points for having such great juice, the mango juice tasted like they had just squeezed/​pressed it and there were even chunks of mango in the juice.
I’d go back and want to experiment with the menu a bit, trying other entrees they offer.
also, I love the décor of the place with the flags hanging on the wall.

We came here for lunch in the middle of the week and the restaurant was empty. I am a student of Spanish and heard quite a bit about Mofungo, so I decided to give it a try. OMG, sex in a dish! I chose the chicken and wasn’t disappointed. Fried plantains on the bottom, which reminded me of stuffing. It had wonderful crunchy pork cracklings and a very awesome flavor. On top was a wonderful creamy chicken with potatoes. Yup, I was full and happy after that. Atmosphere was very relaxing and clean. Our service was outstanding — even though they didn’t have Arepas, which is what I wanted to try. If you want Mofongo at lunch, you have to ask and be prepared to pay the dinner price. I promise it is totally worth it! This was a nice alternative to Mexican food, and the cultural feel of the place makes it a fun venue. Be sure to try their Salsa night on Fridays.

Okay, so frequently I buy certificates off of
and while doing so I consult Unilocal to see which places are the best bets…
Well after consulting Unilocal we decided upon Marimba! for our next adventure. Neither the hubby or I too familiar with South American food we thought it’d be fun.
We showed up and the place was full. Not busy, just full. They didn’t have as many tables as they could accommodate — perhaps due to the impromptu dance floor area? Or they just have never had a need for more tables? Either way, we showed up with our family of 5 and the only table they had sat 2. They tried to put us at that table but luckily the couple sitting at the table for 4 happily offered to move to the smaller table for us.
Also lucky was the fact it was a Silvertips Home Game night. That means kids eat free! They only had choices between chicken strips and hotdogs, mine chose the latter. Props to Marimba for bringing out plantain chips to keep the kiddos happy and also for bringing out the kids’ food first. Thumbs down for bringing our appetizer with our meals though… that provided a quick abundance of food and table crowding.
The food:
We got the Caribbean Fiesta for a starter, which is tequenos, papa rellena, tortilla de papa, ceviche marimba, and croquetas de jamon. Only they didn’t tell us that they were out of papa rellena, but just gave us an empenada instead. Everything was delish. I wasn’t a huge fan of the croquetas de jamon because they were a bit on the salty side… but it IS ham. The hubby liked it fine. My favorite was the ceviche marimba with plantain chips and both the hubby and I loved the tortilla de papa.
For an entrée the hubby went with the empenadas… a bit disappointing that we got one with the appetizer instead of the papa rellena, as our ordering strategy was to provide the most «tasting» as possible. They were delish, but probably the lowest point of the meal (at least for me).
I got the Churrasco, which was served with yuca, rice and pigeon peas. Loved it. No… seriously…loved it. Next time I know to hold firm on ordering it medium instead of medium-​well, but it was still delish. I’d never had yuca, but it was yummy, especially with the green sauce (cilantro aioli??) that was on top.
Oh, to the best part — dessert. We got flan and a piece of the tres leches cake (no rice pudding when we went *pout*).
Oh. My. God.
I haven’t had flan like this ever. Perhaps because my knowledge of flan is from chain Mexi restaurants around the area… but still… this stuff was just awesomeness on a plate. I was thrilled when the hubby said «I’m done, you can have the rest». The tres leches cake was almost as good. I mean mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. If you’re looking to share a dessert go with the cake… I ended up throwing half of ours in my to-​go box with the rest of my steak.
Okay — so the service wasn’t *great* but it wasn’t bad. Everyone had the intention of providing good service, but it just fell short. We had to ask for silverware and napkins, I had to ask all three people waiting tables for a to-​go box before one actually provided me with one, they forgot to remove the kids’ meals from our check, and then later as I double checked they had charged us for an extra entrée we didn’t even order. They did try though… and I give them credit for that. They were apologetic, friendly and sincere. I’ll take mediocre service with this staff over great service with someone cold any day.
If you’re not familiar with this cuisine (like us) keep a menu at the table. We had to get up and get one to see the names of what we were eating. LOL
Definitely will return. =)
OH we also had fun using my phone to Google all the country flags handing around while waiting for our food. A great little activity to keep little ones from going stir crazy. ;)

This place was pretty darn good. I loved the variety of dishes. I had something Puerto Rican and the hubby had something Cuban. Both dishes were well balanced and seasoned perfectly. They also have the best tostones I have ever had. Can I have some now please? The salads are fresh, beautiful and have a wonderful tangy vinegar dressing. Our waiter was very personable and the atmosphere was low key, warm, nd inviting. We will definitely be back!

You should know, my husband is Argentine and has an incredible cook for a mother, so any time we go out to eat Latin American cuisine, the expectation is high.
Oh, and were we ever excited to try the newest South American restaurant on the north end! We dined here with my parents (who are Irish :)) before seeing a play in downtown Everett last June. My mom and dad were mostly pleased with their food, but hubby and I were left underwhelmed.
The empanada appetizers were baked and flavorful, the entrée portions were sizable, and well.. I’m a sucker for anything made with plantains. The garlic was heavy (bueno!) and the meals were savory. The items that lacked were the sangria (not much to it, diced apples only), skirt steak & chorizo were overcooked (the Argentine was very sad), beans were mushy, and the service was pretty awful (the wait staff changed during dinner, so we had two different servers who were both non-​attentive and forgot what we asked for).
Since they have only been open a year, I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Everyone needs time to iron out the kinks. Marimba has the right idea.. especially with a website promoting salsa night!

THE BACKSTORY:
While walking around downtown Everett a while ago — ummm yeah, I was trampin’ around — I noticed a brightly colored restaurant-​front. It was Marimba. It was eye-​catching, so I had to go and investigate. It was a South American restaurant – I was captivated, but they were closed. So, I Unilocal book-​marked it for later.
THE INTRO:
Flashforward three months to last weekend. I was in Everett, it was lunchtime, my stomach was growling, I hadn’t had some South American food in days — the stars were in alignment: onto Marimba.
I entered Marimba’s dining area, and I had some «flava in my ear” – they were playing some salsa music. This was going to be good.
The server greeted me and seated me at a table near the window. The dining area was adorned with flags from all kinds of Central and South American countries (I’ve been to Colombia & Panama – they were there. Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil were up there, too — and those are where I wanna go next!). Onto the menu…
THE INGREDIENTS:
So many choices. I liked how they included the country of origin with the dishes they served. I wanted to go back to Colombia, so I went with the Arepas (two cornmeal patties) with beef, and since I love plantains, I had to get the Mofongo (smashed & fried plantains mixed into a ball with meat). While waiting for my lunch, I was caught off-​guard by the chef coming to my table and giving me a bowl of seafood soup — for free!
THE RESULTS:
As for the soup, holy snap! Such tasty spiciness. It wasn’t too hot, but it was just right. The mixture of various sea creatures, chiles, potatoes, and magical broth made me a hypnotized fan in seconds flat. Didn’t hurt that it was free!
I was ready for the entrees. The mofongo and arepas were dropped in front of my grill – their aroma and presentation had me mesmerized. You know, there are times when you go out and you just get straight overwhelmed by what is laid before you — this was one of those experiences. The mofongo was so tasty. The flavor was complex, and I liked the way the components combined to yield an end product which still haunts me a week later. Ah, the arepas – they had a pair of tough acts to follow. The beef & broth were in their own bowl, and the arepas were politely seated next to the meet. I have to be honest, the flavor of the beef wasn’t as on point as the mofongo or the soup. It was serviceable, and was decent — just not ecstasy. But it was good, and it served its purpose — it sent me back to a streetside café in Cartagena with chubby Botero statues in the background.
I was getting full, but I had to represent and ended up finishing up all that which was laid before me: sorry dogs, nothing for ya’ll.
THE CONCLUSION:
I’d give this place a sold 4.5 stars. I need to come back and see whether its a 4 or a legendary 5. I’m leaning more to a 5 because the food was so memorable, and my server said they had a band on Saturdays. They play salsa, merengue, and cumbia. It’s on. I need to come back on a Saturday for some food, music, and dancing. Additionally, the server was very nice, and made me feel at home. Oh, and they also had this payment system where you swipe your own card into this wireless credit card thing-​a-​ma-​bobber.
So, if you are up for a mini-​Vacation to Central/​South America, drop by Marimba — It’s inspired me to make plans for my next trip to South America – it’s always good when food is inspirational.

I love this place. As other folks have noted, the place has a high ceiling and can be a bit chilly. So bring a sweater, and ask for 2 stars or more and you’ll warm right up.
The service has always been fine when I have been there. If you are not shying away from beef, try the Peruvian Lomo Saltado. Its a bargain for the portion you get, and the flavors are wonderful.
This location has seen restaurants come and go, so get out there and try this one, hopefully it becomes an Everett landmark for Caribbean and Latin American food.

We had Adobo and Chile Relleno.
The Bad:
The service is lacking, water stayed empty until asked.
Our server seemed a little annoyed to be working there… lots of rolling eyes, good chance they’re a family member.
It’s chilly in there, with those high ceilings the heat does not want to hang with you at your table.
The food is blander than what I expected for it’s genre — found out this is because there is no indication on the menu to choose hot.
Upon asking, the owner said he forgot to put the little scale of peppers on the menu, but they will make it muy hot if you like.
The Good:
The food is presented beautifully, and the portions are large.
It tastes authentic and original to what I’ve partaken of before, sans the burn.
Pretty pretty flags waving to you as you nosh.
Prices are reasonable, and the menu we looked at was not even close to huge, as the previous reviewer mentioned — maybe 20 main items/​appetizers?
Nothing like the Cheescake Factory Encyclopedia.
Clean, nice floors, interesting artwork… I sat under an acrylic that made me think of the South American drug wars with bananas… or maybe it was just splattery paint.
It’s feeling some growing pains, but this could be a hit in a location that has killed off about 4 business in the last 6 years.
added pics

We enjoyed dinner here last week and really enjoyed it. Loved the fried plantains! The service was excellent. The food was tasty and not too expensive. The menu was a little overwhelming… so many choices! I can’t remember the name of the dish I had, but it was a Venezuelan dish of shredded beef, served with rice. I definitely would like to go back and try other dishes. I enjoyed an Argentinian Malbec with my meal, and my boyfriend had a very smooth, dark Brazilian beer.
A smaller menu along with weekly or nightly specials might make choosing a meal easier, but otherwise eating here was a good experience!

This place was pretty good. Prices were right and the service was wonderful but that was probably because we had my Bolivian friend with us to do the interpreting and what not even though we didn’t need an interpreter. We ordered the ceviche. I’ve had better. It was just baby shrimp and maybe a hint of lime with a side of potato chips. I KNOW!!! The chicken mofongo was delicious though and worth the money. If you’ve never heard or tried mofongo I suggest you try it. I’d definitely come back and try different entrees. Everyone in our group was happy with what they ordered.
For those that aren’t cultured. please be aware that you will not find tacos, burritos, taquitos, etc here. This is a South American restaurant.

This place was good. The Entrée’s though were skimpy and a bit overpriced. My friend got the veggie sandwich which was only $ 6.50 and it was giant and came with fried plantain chips and aioli for dipping, it was really good and worth the money. Stick to the sammy’s instead of the entrees. The inside was cool and comfy and brightly colored. The services was good.