Rincon Criollo

first of all, for being #1 on this lis, t it shouldn’t be. Service was poor. Waitress had attitude and seemed to be upset the entire time. Not once did she crack a smile. The pan con lechon that we ordered was very dry and it had cheese! An original Pan con lechon is simply pork, bread and mojo. NO CHEESE! Why do they put cheese on an original cuban sandwich like pan con lechon??? The croquetas were re-​heated and old. The place was very hot and no air. The plaque from Zagat and best of Las Vegas should be removed! Not to mention those were from back in 2007!!! Chef Ramsey would be applled!
Pass this place up and head somewhere else!

Cuban sandwich was MUY delicioso! if you’re in the area it’s worth a stop in!

While visiting Las Vegas, I spotted this place away from the strip. I looked at it for a day or two before going in. I was hoping for something simple and inexpensive. That’s exactly what I found. Nothing fancy but a very nice casual atmosphere. There was a baseball game (in Spanish) on the television set and the staff was watching it as they worked. I had a Cuban sandwich with fries and a café solo. Ten dollars all up and the food came quickly (delivered by the unfortunately bored-​looking and rather ill-​mannered young waitress). But don’t let that put you off. The food was hot and delicious and I’ll definitely go back. I don’t worry about fancy. I’d rather be comfortable, and I certainly was here. I take one star off for the waitress, but an enthusiastic four stars. I’ll be back!

I am a huge fan of Cuban cuisine, Vegas, honestly does not have enough Cuban restaurants and this one will not be on my radar. I was pretty disappointed by my experience here.
We ordered yuca in garlic sauce, bacalao in red sauce, ropa vieja with fried plantains. We left without finishing our food. The bacalao was SO salty, I couldn’t eat it (I actually prefer my food on a saltier side). The yuca was just boiled, drained in oil and sprinkled with garlic powder. The ropa vieja was just ok.
What really stricked me is that you can see part of the kitchen from the kitchen area and the first thing you see is a microwave… Odds are many restaurants have microwaves in their kitchen but should customers see them from their table? Absolutely not.
Now, I went to the bathroom and was seriously grossed out. It looks like it’s a bathroom in a 3^rd world country. After I washed my hands and left the bathroom I felt like my hands are dirtier.
I really wanted to like this place and based on so many positive reviews I thought I would. The positive reviews is what actually kept us from walking out without ordering.

Ordered a Cubano sandwich and fried plantains. The plantains were burnt. The cubano was fantastic. Tender juicy meat BUT THERE WAS A HAIR IN MY SANDWICH. I’m so disappointed!

Cubano 100% it’s just as Cuban as it gets!
I’m Cuban I just got here to USA from Havana and let me tell u eating here is like eating at your Abuela! (grandma’s) back home… Ropa vieja and black beans to die for… Love this place please never change your food, your servers or your place

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to eat here but for one reason or another didn’t.. . then 15 YEARS went by and I FINALLY walked through the door. This place was EVERYTHING I thought it was from looking at the outside of it for years. Home style, family run and authentic is what I always thought and it delivered! I read the complaints about the loud soap operas and that was one of my FAVORITE parts of the evening. I’ve had better Cuban food but this is still a good place for authentic Cuban food. A few of the staff were.. . ahem.. .shall we say.. . set in their ways. There was a small language barrier when we ordered but somehow we got everything we wanted on point.
PROS: Feeling like I’m in a home
Yucca in garlic sauce
Maduros
Loud soap operas on the tv
Watching the staff come out to check on the soap opera every now and then.
The manager/​owner sitting at the table enamored by the drama on tv.
CONS: Black beans needed more seasoning or something
Seemed like I used a LOT of salt on my dishes to seasoned them up more.

I like the atmosphere so much that I’m willing to go back just because I feel like I’m in a Cubano household eating.

We had a lunch with a great app iof guacamole that was fresh with lime. In addition, there was sausage with fried onions and bananas over toasted bread.
Main dish was feast of black beans, light white rice, and a fresh chicken dish with vegetables. This was the lunch special at $ 8.95.
Area is a little sketchy but ok for lunch. As a Vegas resident, I like these family restaurants.
Definitely returning.

Not having had Cuban food ever, I wanted to have a new experience. My what an experience I had!
I was greeted by a homeless person at the door asking me for a dollar to pay for some food. I said ok, so we go inside and it seems like he wanted me to pay for his whole plate! Good thing Mama of the house told him to leave.
The place is a true hole in the wall, complete with the TV blaring telenova dramas, a big picture of Havana, Cuba on the wall, and even the chef coming out to swat flies… on my table haha.
Not knowing anything, I ordered the Arroz con Pollo. When it came out it was two pieces of chicken over a bed of red rice and a little slice of tomato. The food was ok. The chicken came out dry, but with a little hot sauce the flavor was there. The rice was unique, with a little spice to differentiate it from other places.
It was quite the experience indeed. I think I’d like to try other Cuban food dishes, maybe without all the other hoopla.

It was a really nice place to stop. It felt like home. We have never tried Cuban restaurant, and this place opened a new world to us. So bad we don’t have anything near to that at where we live.
We can before closing, while the family who owns the place were having a dinner. We were welcomed like as we would have been a part of that family. All food was exceptional and tasty.
Normally, we don’t go to expensive places because of their luck of personality, and even in LV where you have a variety of well-​known restaurants and buffets, we believe we made a right call. We’ll be the first stop at our next trip to Vegas.

Warning: If you are a prissy, high-​maintenance individual, you won’t appreciate this place. This mom & pop style restaurant is as real & homely as it can get! Imagine yourself in the dining room with your uncle watching baseball on the television.
The waitress, I’m assuming, is also one of the cooks; as she is constantly on her feet waiting on customers, helping in the kitchen, and busing the tables. She is hospitable and patient enough to listen to my Spanish when taking my order.
The food is undeniably delectable to the point where I have to roll myself out of the door. I can’t stop myself from licking the plate even when I have warned myself that I cannot eat anymore. I always order the oxtail, but if that’s not your cup of tea, try the special of the day. I encourage you to order items you rarely see on an everyday menu such as the garlic yucca and sweet plantains, of course!

My wife has been craving Cuban food ever since we moved from south Florida to Las Vegas. We came to this place solely off of the Unilocal reviews. We were NOT disappointed.
Pros:
Food was GREAT. We had no complaints about that.
Our waitress was nice and we didn’t have to wait around for anything.
No fountain drinks (Most Americans are fat enough as it is).
Average prices
Cons:
Location. Very sketchy once the sun goes down. If you have a cc permit, it’s a good place to use it.
I’m not a germ freak but I know what’s used to clean the tables. Our water glasses were sitting upside down on the table when we walked in. I wouldn’t put my lips on the table, so why would I want to drink from an item that has been hanging out on one
Besides that SMALL personal nitpick, we WILL be back for sure. Loved the cubano sandwich! I’ve already recommended the place to a coworker.

Good food, surley staff.
Agree with the loud soap opera, but it adds to the experience.
Entrée was great, beans and rice not so much.
A little pricy for what they are serving, and don’t bother asking about vegetables.
Fried plantains where out of this world, although you might have better ambiance eating in your car.

I LOVE this place. This is the best place to get authentic cuban food in Las Vegas. Actually, I would go as far to say that I like this place better than any other cuban food place I have been to– and that’s alot. My step-​dad who raised me, was half cuban, so I am familiar with the real deal.
Do not pass the opportunity to truly enjoy a hole in the wall cuban place run by a REAL Family. I crave this place every week. I am seriously contemplating flying from la to vegas just to eat here.

As I came into this quaint little place with a loud soap opera tv show being played in the background, the fresh and wonderful smell of a hot cup of Cuban coffee brewing and an old lady that looks alot like my grandma in bedroom slippers sweeping the floor, I knew right then that I came into a gloriously authentic Cuban hole-​in-​the-​wall in the midst of all the noise and hype of the usual Las Vegas. All men and women must try this little piece of HONEST and downright DELICIOUS rustic cuban cuisine.
As I ordered my food, I realize that I am still in shock. Am I in Miami… Nah, not even. Almost felt like I was in a Cuban city rather, before food rations and lack of resources were constant in the country, of course. Which is a shame, by the way, because Cuban cuisine is one of the most flavorful and tastiest kind of food that you will ever eat!
They brewed my café con’ leche (coffee with milk) just as I liked it, as my own mother used to make it, with extra sugar too as ordered! Thick, sweet and very satisfying. As you are reading this review, you are now obligated to try the Café con Leche, extra sweet, just for me. You will not regret it either!
The Pollo Fricasse was very generous and tasty; tender and moist chicken breast with chunks of seasoned potatoes and spanish olives in a red, zesty stew. Goes great with some creamy black beans and white rice. I ordered some fresh avocado with marinated onions (‘mojo’ or ‘mojo de cebolla’;not listed on the menu, you just gotta ask for it, it’s a cuban thang) on the side to compliment the already-​rich taste of everything that I was delightfully shoving into my mouth! I also ordered a pineapple soda (Jupiña) with my meal, a common fizzy drink in Miami that is by far the best pineapple soda I ever tried.EVER.
Next time you make a trip to the big ol’ Las Vegas, avoid those overtly expensive and gawdy restaraunts for once and give this rustic gem a try. ‘Florida Café’ and all the other more hyped and obnoxious so called ‘cuban’ or carribean joints in LV and The Strip have nothing on what is truly honest, humble and simply good grub ESTILO CUBANO!

One of the best (if not the best) places to eat authentic Cuban food in Vegas.
As others have noted, it’s in a sketchy area; the parking lot is sketchy, and the building and restaurant itself are a bit run down. This is not a fancy place by any means.
That being said, the food and service are amazing! It almost feels like you’re at a relatives house for lunch, with the TV blaring in Spanish. I had the ropa vieja, which was delicious and dare I say, better than at the Florida Café.
Will the restaurant win three Michelin stars anytime soon? No, but it’s just a different frame of reference. The food is authentic, reasonably priced, and good. The ambiance is welcoming, and the service is great, which is enough for me.

Located on Las Vegas Blvd near Charleston. In the grungy area so usually do it in the day and it’s not good for big parties as the dining room is really small.
This is a follow up review and I Love this place.
But I’m not over selling it and dont expect a fancy looking décor and designer napkins — it’s not gonna happen. The waitress and t.v. are set for spanish… cuban style so be ready.
Lunch pollo criollo, black beans, avacado salad and iron beer. All we’re bangin my drums and made it a better day :)
Fast service and like eating at a relatives and all really good.
Been eating here for along time.

Not too long ago, I was skimming a book my sister had lying around the house. It was a satirical hipster book. One of the points listed was how a place loses credibility once it is infiltrated by too many people that are not of that ethnicity. Not at Rincon Criollo because it was obvious that this Asian and his Caucasian friends were the only minorities in this joint.
The waitress did not make any comments or give us odd glances, but the patrons looked over to us a few times. It was all cool once we started chowing down. I had ordered the Arroz Con Pollo ($ 10.50 regular and $ 8.50 on Sundays). The rice is probably the most flavorful and delicious I have had anywhere. The chicken came in large pieces, but was dry. I ended up stealing components of my friends dish to make the perfect dish. The black beans are also a must. The plantains ($ 3.50) were good, but not as soft as I normally like them. The portions are generous and the food comes out quick.
The service is homely. Our waitress put us at ease and took care of us like we were a guest in her house.

Don’t ever judge a book by its cover. This little hole in the wall joint on a shady looking lot offers the best Cuban food I’ve ever tasted.
Prices are reasonable, the staff is reasonably friendly and the service is prompt. I went in for lunch to try them out and see if they were worth while. I ordered the Bistec Criollo, which was diced steak with chopped vegetables. The portions were quite generous, and left me thoroughly stuffed. The entrée came with white rice, a delectable black bean soup, and some tasty bread rolls. The meat was juicy and plentiful and the seasoning was delightful. I strongly recommend this mom ‘n pop joint to anyone who is located on Las Vegas blvd who is craving authentic cuban cuisine.

Decided to get some lunch before meeting the Unilocalalicious people.
This seemed interesting and walking in it was very much a hole in the wall family place. I came in with a few patrons already there (seemed all to know the staff) and part of the staff was sitting and watching a telenovela. It’s just a very simple of a place and random, like there is a turtle in a tank on the counter.
I ordered a Inka Cola which kinda taste like a more cotton candy tasting cream soda. I rarely drink soda, but felt like a bit of nostalgia from the days my mom would buy Latin sodas for my abuelo.
To eat I got their puerco pierna asado, cuban roast pork leg, which came with rice and black beans and two nicely toasted and hot french bread slices with butter. The pork was delicious– juicy, nicely spiced with some oregano, garlic, I think it might be cloves and some lime. Thin slices of onion on top just help it to be even better. It is very simple and may not be the most «big» flavors in terms of the other things on the menu, but it’s something that is comforting and a way I like to judge cuban places. Subtle and simple things are sometimes the hardest to make because it’s hard to dress it up, but a fine line of where it needs to be. I kept on happily eating since it was hitting that comfort spot that good homey foods make you feel.
I like that the staff was just sitting and watching and you hear their big, boisterous laughter at whats on TV. It might irritate wound up people but to me it’s like you’re in their home so they are just going to be themselves and I like that unpretentious feel. It didn’t make me feel weird to join them and laugh at the shenanigans on the show too.
The way staff talk to each other and to customers and how they care on their customers, it’s like you’re at your Tias house being showered with their cooking and doting on you. I like that home feel and the pork was right on. I’m coming back and this time I want to bring some friends. There’s so much I want to try and the portions are generous, the price is right, so I’m hoping to coax them to share a few things. Maybe this will be the First Friday meal spot ritual.