Cocina Latina Bar & Grill

Horrible place for dinner. Gave us a vine list and then after we order a bottle of vine. They said they don’t have vine by the bottle, really??? Ordered a drink and they came back and said they didn’t have the drink. food toke extra long to come and it was nothing good about it. Never again.

This place had good food. Closed down a few months back. Too bad I had a Group on for it.

The place was cozy. It was hard to park, waitresses disinterested and service without a smile, small servings, nothing impressive.

First time going to Cocina Latina. Always passed through it and always wanted to Try it out. Finally went there because friend had a Groupon certificate. The staff, the food and the venue was great. First time I have to admit I enjoyed myself and would like to go there again.

Went there on a Friday night with some friends on a Groupon deal. Not a lot of selection on entrée as a result. Service was ok. Food was ok. No surprise at all. Only thing I remembered was that the unisex bathroom was slippery and stinky…

Had the chance to visit this restaurant courtesy of jury duty across the street. So a few of us jurors had lunch at this place 2x during the week and we were fortunate to have discovered this place. Service was prompt and courteous in helping us understand the menu items. Décor can be well described as intimate.
I’m fan of panini’s so I ordered the Pollo Panini on one day and the Chicarrones de Pollo the second day. The grilled chicken in the panini was very well marinated and the sandwich overall was huge and worth the $ 8. The Chicarrones was appealing to try for the first time but I probably wouldn’t order it again as I lost the interest in too many fried pieces of chicken. Price for the dish was fine for $ 9.
Overall a good place to try if you’re in the neighborhood.

I have been to the restaurant several times and as always the service is terrible!!!
The last time I was there they ran out of wine. WTH! who does that and the restaurant wasnt even busy!
The appetizers are way better than the entrees.
Such a shame becasue it is such a pretty spot and it has potential.

i walked in on a groupon offer, Thank god i did!
the place is nice, cozy and small, the Bar area had a few regulars from the looks of it, but the dining room was extremelly empty, the waiter was extremelly Nice! but the food really wasnt such a big deal, i had the aguacate with shrips which was tasti and the chicken in wine sauce which was very blah! nothing special about it. i also tried the flan which wasent very good, i would try this place again but on another groupon offer, deffinitly not on regular prices.

My girlfriend and I decided to visit this «fine establishment» recently. They did not have any wine by the glass and when we asked for a bottle turns out they didn’t have that either. The waitress did not know anything. But here is the biggest insult: we both got virulently ill after eating the following «Aroz con pollo, fried coconut shrimp and flan desert». We were throwing up all night. After we came to ask for refund they told us that we are SOL and they could not do anything for us. Not a good way to attract customers. Needless to say I hope that a lot of people read my review and make appropriate decisions. I work in restaurant industry myself and this is not how you treat unhappy customers. Two thumbs down

I’ve been to this place two times now and have found the food and service to both be excellent. It is located right on Queens Blvd just opposite of the criminal court building. Both times I have been there a table has been available almost immediately.
The menu offers HUGE portions and all of the food is so delicious. This place can get loud but it has a cozy intimate feel to some of the two-​seater tables. At the same time this place is feeding a full family on the other side of the restaurant.
It has that feel where the servers know everyone in there because its the same return customers that keep going back because this place knows how to make a solid meal.

Nice spot in Kew gardens. The food is good and the price is reasonable and the waitress are very friendly.

I went to dinner with my boyfriend and we ordered the ceviche for an appetizer. The ceviche was amazing. It was just right.
Entrees however were not as great as I was expecting. I ordered the paella and he ordered the skirt steak. There were very small mussels and a few pieces of sausage. The clams were a decent size however it had a lot of sand in it. The rice was season decently but they put way too much water in it. The skirt steak was ok but it was way small.
Not sure if I really like this place but on the upside, the waitresses were really nice.

I went back because my first experience was great. But this second time around was horrible. The food is ok but the service was beyond horrific.
MY SERVER
I still couldn’t tell you her name because it was never offered. I had to chase her down to take our orders. She seemed utterly uninterested in any questions I had of the menu. She never came to check on us, NOT ONCE. She popped up at the end of our meal with the check and told us to have a good night. FYI it was a Friday night around 9pm and the place was EMPTY. She also spent most of the time on her cell phone at the bar.
I can see why they can’t keep steady business. I don’t care how good your food is, I want to be treated kindly and with respect. It was my grandmothers birthday and the server treated us like we were scum.

I have been here three times trying to use a groupon and even though it took 3x I was more than happy to keep coming back to sample everything off their menu.
The apps are delectable, the entrees are savory and the sangria is divine! (also 90% alcohol)
They lose a star because every time we went to use our groupon there was an excuse on why we couldn’t use it, also the waitress fell asleep at the bar one time while we were waiting to get our check.

Came in with a Groupon had the avocado stuffed with shrimp for appetizer, steak with three chimichurri sauces and paella. The appetizer was really good. I never had it before so I was pleasantly surprised with the simple flavors. The skirt steak was alright. nothing special.
But the plate of the night goes to the paella. It was the worst paella I had ever had in my life. Paella is one of my favorite Latin dishes and this place ruined it for me. The rice had the texture of instant rice and the seafood had a uniform taste; like you were taking a bite out of main street flushing. The seafood was most likely frozen and just dumped in to be cooked. Even worse the entire dish was completely bland.
Would much rather stay home and use a paella mix to save myself the trouble. Their bar menu as of July 9^th is outdated as well.
Stay away.

Came here on a Saturday at 6PM with three friends and a Groupon for two appetizers and 4 entrees. The food was pretty good, the interior was really nice but service was horrible.
WHAT WE GOT:
Shrimp Stuffed Avocados and Calamari: both were FANTASTIC!
Churaso a la Brasca: I liked my dish very much, the hanger steak was cooked well, not dry or burnt and the 3 chimichurri sauces it came with were a good addition.
Pollo en vino Blaco: Tried it and wasn’t impressed, tasted like the chicken used in fried rice from Chinese takeout places, with the addition of lemon.
Salmon cooked in banana leaf: I don’t remember the actual name of this dish on the menu but my friend who ordered it was also not very impressed. The fish was seasoned poorly and sections of it were very salty.
SERVICE:
Oh man, seriously what everyone says is on point — the service sucks. When I arrived there was this dude standing outside the main entrance like a bouncer. When I went up to the door he «attempted» to open the door for me but didn’t, later I realized that he may have been the manager. There were about 3 waitresses in the front, one was also the hostess and bar tender, she was the one dealing with us most of the time. We had to ask several times for our water to be filled — the place was COMPLETELY empty, instead she chatted at the bar and the other waitress was on her cell about 2 tables down. When my friend motioned for our waitress to refill her cup of water, someone at the bar brought it to the waitress’ attention. My friends heard her say «I don’t care» in response. Why? Most likely because they already tacked on a REQUIRED 20% onto our bill for gratuity.
BOTTOM-​LINE:
Would NEVER come back to this place. HORRIBLE service/​nasty waitresses. In the middle of bumblefook. High price for only okay food.

it’s not bad, no, not at all — just not mindblowingly awesome.
split some appetizers with my friend and his wife. sliders were fairly basic. plantain chips were good. short ribs were tender and coated in this great sauce.
I had a steak which was a little tougher than I expected (and I ordered medium); the yucca fries it came with were actually good and I think I preferred them over the steak. the three sauces it came with, though, were kind of bland, aside from the green sauce (guess which of the three I actually ate?).
the atmosphere is relaxed but classy. there are some secluded booths which I imagine are great for a date, and the music isn’t at the point where it makes conversation impossible. the unexpected arrival of a large table of angry Russians, however, was loud enough to compensate.
I’m rarely in Kew Gardens, and there’s a Cuzco Peru right near me in Rego Parkistan, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to go here, but if meeting up with some friends, it’s a decent place.

I was here to redeem a coupon I bought earlier. Turned out this restaurant was good! They make good (and personal) paella and also other food. but my complaint is that it’s too loud. Especially people at the bar (which is by the entrance) were laughing and talking too loud, and my friends and I couldn’t really continue our own conversation. Maybe I will try this place another day. I hope the loud crowd is not there everyday.

Very nice place; not local for me but if it was I would be back often. Close to a fine dining experience; not just a local restaurant/​café. Décor is very nice; lots of wood tones; rather modern feel. Room is narrow but deep so lots of seating. Background music is Latin pop. Hostesses in «little black dresses»; well spoken and professional. No table linens; silverware could use an upgrade.
Clientele is upscale; lots of lawyers and legal staff from the courthouse across the street. Combination of Latin and Yankee guests.
Spent a lot more than I would usually for lunch but I needed a break and to try someplace different. I had the shrimp — Camarones al Ajillo — which were very nice. The entrée came with rice, fried plaintains and a very nice side salad. They served plaintain chips on the side with what the waitress told me was a «mojito» dipping sauce. Very green. She told me that it was cilantro, garlic, etc; OK but not impressive.
Full bar but no cerveza on tap. I ordered a Corona which came out with a slice of lime but no glass. OK by me.
Worth a try. Not many nice Latin places that I have come across. This is not a taco joint. Oh, and they have Wi-​Fi.

I was hoping for ceviche as an appetizer and although it wasn’t real ceviche, it was pretty damn good. Loaded with chunks of salmon. Also had fried calamari for appetizer as well. Not bad but didn’t blow me away. Had a great entrée which was shared with my wife even though she will say I ate most of it. It was 2 grilled skirt steaks, 2 chicken skewers, about 4 ribs that fell of the bone, a big salad, 2 grilled chorizo, and 2 sweet plantains. It was a perfect combo. It’s the best way to go when you order for 2. Not bad for $ 36.00. The sangria was excellent. One of the best I have had. She will say I drank most of that too. She’s probably right about that. Place is a little loud and small but we didn’t mind. I would come back again.