Boogaloo

Holy shet where do I start.
Get that corn. It’s like real good. I put salt n sugar init though cuz I’m a freak.
I’m eating a Caesar Cubano right now, and lemme tell ya, it’s messing my whole world up in a really positive way. My favorite part of any Caesar is the anchovy influence, but these guys went a step beyond and threw whole anchovies on that mug. It’s like a Caesar but spicier and fishier. A+
Let’s tall about the sweet potatoes fries. Yes. So. They crispy AF. Gotta get the jerk aioli with em. Really tho.
I just ate a tripleta and I have that distinct «I’m gonna die and I don’t care» feeling that only eating a giant pile of delicious assorted meats can give ya.
The staff was great, although I’m trying to make better life choices and they’re total enablers.
Give it a shot.

First… these beloved swings, they are tacky. Ew.
Moving on…
The service was phenomenal. Adrienne is great, please request her.
You murdered the glorious NOLA original called The Hurricane. I actually started singing, «Do you know what it means, to miss New Orleans…» while I drank it. Heartbreaking.
The calamari is interesting. They are alright, but I recommend trying something else…
Your music is WAY too facking loud.
I ordered the Fried Shrimp Po Boy. While it was good, it wasn’t great. There was flavor, but not a whole lot.
The French Fries are the best thing on the whole menu. I think they might actually be the best I’ve ever had.
My friend got the Jerk Chicken. It was very colorful, very visually appealing. He said it was good, but was more like barbecued chicken, there was no actual spice or heat of which to speak. He also added that the rice was the best thing he ate all evening.
So in the end, eat the sides and ask for Adrienne.

They have great flavors in their menu. The Manchego Cheese, empanadas and the gumbo were all delicious. We got seated right away and the service was prompt and the presentation good. Mojitos are made from basic & fresh ingredients and were delightful.
If you’re just getting one thing here, get one of their tapas — crab empanadas :)

Had a great time there! Food was delicious… I love plantains so I suggest those and the Caribbean tacos. Great atmosphere. I really loved the swings and Meg was such a great bartender. Definitely will be back!

I don’t write magazine article length reviews.
It’s enough to say we all enjoyed everything.

I got some sort of chicken sandwich, which was pretty good. The real stunner was the plantains. My god, those are the best ones I have found in this city so far (albeit a bit pricy for a side order of them).
Boogaloo is an interesting place, for sure. All the employees are dressed up like cats (which honestly was fun and awesome).
I came for a happy hour with my work group. The prices were reasonable, the food was good, and everyone left happy. Needless to say, I’ll be back.

Ok, I give. I have been back to this establishment, and eaten, approximately five times since my initial review in 2009 when I was just a wee little baby on the Unilocal community — but not until now do I feel forced to update my review.
I am a foodie, my husband and I designate a fair amount of money to eat out (directly correlating with how much we go to the gym) and its one of our favorite shared pastimes. We like to try restaurants, we are food-​tourists and when we travel the food scene is very important to us.
Maplewood is a pretty trendy little up and coming place for singletons and dual-​income-​no-​kidders. We like this neighborhood — its neat and it has a real community-​type feel. You know my favorite wings are in this town (The Post!)…
The restaurants are trying REALLY hard to make a name for themselves but I feel like they just keep… missing a mark.
Since 2009 — I have been an Elite Unilocaler and I always provide very honest reviews — even if it means I know the owner, even if the owner is one of the nicest, most knowledgeable people I met, or know the story behind the restaurant in its infancy, have a connection to one of the other restaurants that might be owned by the same person… I am very honest. Friends don’t ask me to review their restaurants because they are worried I might be too honest — or they DO ask because they are just THAT confident in what product they are putting out. Both scenarios I understand, completely.
In the five times I have been here since 2009… the most recent two stand out in my mind the most.
Remember, I told you guys I was the TACO aficionado? Well, its true. Its my favorite food on this planet and if I was forced to live the rest of my life only eating one thing — it would be tacos. Period. No question. I also have a pretty serious love for Cuban, Cajun, AND Creole food… No lie, so to have these all together in one place, pleased me.
Two times ago I was given the tacos in their shiny little metal holder in the taco trio. I immediately dug in and taco one, in its corn tortilla, fell through the bottom of the soggy corn tortilla and splattered all over the other two tacos that lay in wait below. I was irritated, but figured that perhaps a little extra sauce was added to that one, or perhaps was a juicier meat.
Taco #2, adjusted the napkin in my lap to catch any falling debris, and picked it up. The taco didn’t even make it up out of the metal holder — all of the filling stayed in the metal taco holder… ugh. Again??? Guess I am eating this set with a fork… By Taco #3, I ate it with a fork because I was tired of looking like an insane person attempting the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Last week… all I have to say is VERY burned Cubaniche sandwich. I love cuban sandwiches, so much so that I needed to overwrite this memory and the very next day got a good one at the Fountain on Locust… The bread was charred so much that it damaged the flavor of the food inside the sandwich. One of the biggest points of the cuban is the prominence of that mustard and pickle… I, honestly, didn’t really taste either — like, at all — which made me relatively sad.
Sorry, Boogs… I had to downgrade you from 5 stars. I hope in the future there is some sort of change initiative so that I can start eating the food there again — but in the meantime I will stick with your Jameson Manhattans and the Mule drinks and eat elsewhere beforehand.

Walked in and saw that the bar «stools» were wooden swings. Star for creativity.
Server was kind. Star for politeness.
Casual ambiance with vintage elements. Star for design.
Food was outstanding. tapas are great for splitting with someone else (pick 2 – 3 of them). Star for good food.
Service was terrible. The food did not come out at the same time –1 star.
Should you come here?
Yes, if you have time to sit around and wait for your food and talk with friends.
No, if you’re impatient and do not have time to sit around.

We sat on the swings (of course) to have a comfortable, Saturday lunch. My husband ordered the Cubaniche and I had the pulled pork sandwich. Both dishes came with a side of french fries. He loved the Cubaniche, and the bartender stated that it was very authentic to the Creole style. My pulled pork had the BBQ sauce on the side, which I liked because I hate it when it is too saucy. The fries were really delicious too. I enjoyed it here because the items were of quality and the environment was very comfortable/​casual. Our service was also quick and the bartender was amicable. My husband and I could tell that it would also be a fun place to go out for drinks at night. We definitely want to go back again.

I had not been to Boogaloo for almost 10 years until yesterday when I came for lunch. I have no idea why i haven’t been in so long, seeing how i always liked this restaurant for its diverse cuisine, good drinks, cool atmosphere, and of course, the swing bar. In that it’s been so long since I’ve been here, i noticed differences in the menu. I had my first muffeletta ever here, and now that sandwich is no longer on the menu. No big deal. I got the cubaniche sandwich, which was excellent. The service was slow (i sat a long time before i was greeted or got a menu because there was only one waitress working) but my food and drink arrived quickly. I had the banana boat cocktail which was delightful! If you are looking for a nice, casual, cool place for a good drink and great food, then you should consider Boogaloo. And be sure to check out their custom manhattan cocktail menu. I will absolutely be back to try it! Congrats on your 10 year anniversary!

Tried a vast array of the menu loved it all!
God how I had missed a good cuban sandwich!
The bartender was nice and knowledgeable about the options available
However I am giving them 4 stars because my server was aweful
It was not busy and she disappeared for awhile
Long enough my spouse and I wondered if she had walked out
Awesome food crappy server

I’ve been to Boogaloo three times and I’ve decided it is one of my favorite restaurants. I tried several dishes and have yet to find one I didn’t like.
My favorites are the roasted plantains and the Cuban paella. There is nothing better than the Cuban rice at this restaurant… buttery and delicious.

I am waffling between 3 and 4 stars. While the service as friendly and prompt, the food ranged from kind of bland to really good.
It did not take very long to get seated and put in some drink orders. I had the cucumber mule, which may have been good as a starter drink for the night, but I had already had a few craft beers, so it reminded me more of drinking cologne.
I really liked our server, but she was unable to estimate how many tapas (+ a serving of sweet potato fries) would be a good number to split between two people (one guy, one gal) for dinner. This is what we ended up getting (and the food came out fast!):
— Sweet Potato Fries — Really good! But not enough ketchup on the side.
— New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp w/​Sweet Potato Biscuit — A decent number of shrimp, but the sauce was overpowering and mostly tasted like regular BBQ sauce. The biscuit was kind of dry and bland.
— Mussels Steamed in White Sangria — These were good! The sweetness from the coconut milk worked.
— Crab Empanadas — These were recommended by our server, but I thought they were kind of bland. The dough overpowered the other flavors, and I couldn’t really taste the crab (although the texture was there).
— Cigarro Cubanos — These were good, at least while they were hot. Did not come with enough avocado ranch dipping sauce.
Overall, hm… okay. Some of the tapas were worth the $ 9-​$ 10 price tag, but others not so much. I would eat here again but won’t be rushing to return.

Went to Boogaloo for dinner, arrived early and was seated in the bar. Although they offered an intriguing array of cocktails I was driving so stuck with the iced tea.
Started with the conch fritters which were delicious. Nice and crunchy on the outside with a soft tender inside and accompanied with a sweet dipping sauce.
Hubby had jambalaya which he was very happy with and I had the Cuban «Paella.» If this was actually a paella I would have given a 5 star review. This was more like a mushy rice and seafood stew, loaded with beans, served in a white bowl rather than the traditional pan shown on their website and with none of the delicious crispy rice bottom you expect from a paella. I have to admit this is one of my most despised restaurant tricks — if you call it some thing make sure that is what you serve. If you call it paella, serve paella, otherwise call it something else.
We split a brioche bread pudding for dessert which was huge, sweet and incredibly dense and could have used a crunchy element to break up the texture. Both the paella and the bread pudding had one thing in common, mushy.
Service was paced appropriately and we didn’t have our entrees come out until after our appetizer were finished and the table cleared so as far as I am concerned Kelly earned her tips.

Some of the best food that I every had in St Louis. It may take a while coming out from the back but we’ll worth the wait. Come sit in a swing at the bar, have Justin made you up your favorite drink and grab anything great off the menu.
I had the Seafood Paella and it was delicious twist on an authentic dish.
It seems like a great place to sit, drink and people watch.
Your welcome

Boogaloo is a restaurant and bar that serves Cuban, Creole, and Caribbean food. They’ve been in business for nearly ten years, and they will enter their eleventh year of business in September 2015.
I had been wanting to give ‘em a try for a long time. It’s a place my picky husband wouldn’t like, and going alone seemed depressing. I knew the ISC had scheduled a dinner here, but their meeting time is too early for me.
This week I finally had an opportunity to try Boogaloo. Mel A. and I decided to go to lunch one day, and when she suggested this place, I was stoked.
I grew up on the border of southwest Louisiana, where my diet was heavily influenced by Cajun food. There are differences between Cajun and Creole cooking, but they’re similar enough that Creole dishes remind me of home.
When we walked in, we were greeted by a sign that told us to seat ourselves. We chose a regular table, but this is a great place for swingers. No, I’m not talking about those in open relationships – though, I’m sure they can dine here. I’m talking about people who enjoy swings. As other reviews have mentioned, they have swings in place of stools at their bar.
I had viewed the menu online prior to our lunch and had narrowed my choices down to either the gumbo or the jambalaya. Both contained chicken and andouille sausage, but the jambalaya also contained shrimp. I’m pretty particular about my gumbo, as my family made homemade gumbo every Christmas. Because it’s hard to compete with those memories, I went with the jambalaya. The waitress assured me I had made a good choice.
The jambalaya had a strong tomato flavor that is characteristic of Creole cooking, and the holy trinity was there in full force. I received a hearty portion that contained six shrimp and was packed with chicken and andouille sausage. I was quite pleased with the amount of protein provided, but I have two very minor complaints:
1. The chicken was a bit dry.
2. The shrimp were served in their tails. I think shrimp are more attractive that way, but I would prefer my shrimp to be served without their tails. That being said, I was impressed with how clean they were. My grandfather was a shrimper, and I am as particular about my shrimp as I am about my gumbo. I saw no evidence of the «vein» on any of my shrimp.
I love spicy foods that leave my mouth burning in pain. The jambalaya wasn’t at that level, but it was adequately spiced and had such great flavor that I did not find myself wishing I’d packed cayenne or Tony Chachere’s in my purse.
If you love carbs, this rice-​based dish definitely delivers in that area as well. It’s served with a large piece of cornbread.
My total for my meal with water came out to about $ 18.50. That’s expensive, but I have to give them credit for not skimping on the chicken and sausage. Also, I was able to make two meals off of the large portion I received.
I did not experience the poor service others have mentioned. Though, it probably helped that we visited at 11:30 when they weren’t very busy. Our waitress was attentive and kept my water glass filled. We had a leisurely lunch, and we weren’t in a rush to get our bill and leave.
I’d love to go back to Boogaloo to try something else, but it would be hard for me to get something other than jambalaya. Why mess with success?

As some other reviews mention, I brought a large group of friends here for our monthly supper club. We had reservations in advance, so they knew a group of 16 would be coming, and I also called to confirm. Unfortunately they were woefully understaffed. The one waiter for the packed house (several other large parties were there too) was working his tail off, and actually did an amazing job for what he was dealing with. There should’ve been another server called in, managers, owners, whatever, knowing that at least one large party was coming.
Despite the service issues, I liked the food. I got the veggie burger and it was good, especially with the avocado ranch sauce that came with it. Yum! The bun was very soft and good. The sweet potato fries also were good.
I’ll come back for the food, but if the service is lacking again, that would be it for me.

This really should be a 2 Star Review, but the Jerk Chicken Wings got them the extra star. I came here for our monthly International Supper Club meeting. We had a reservation for a large group of 16. Since we all had arrived, we started to order. Once we did, we could sense something was a little off.
Our drinks came out slow and staggered. Being seated near the bar, I could watch the bartender. An immediate red flag was that she was reading recipes and measuring every drink with a shot glass. My «Big Easy» a Hurricane type drink was weak and so bad, I sent it back and had it replaced with a simple vodka and club soda.
Once our food started to arrive, again it was very staggered. Finally our server informed us that the bartender had called in and quit at the last minute. So they had to pull another server to act as bartender and he was the only server for the entire restaurant. Poor guy was doing the best he could do considering the circumstances, but a very bad call by management. Management should have been either behind the bar or waiting on tables. This made a very bad first impression for many diners at our table and those around us. I saw two tables, get up and walk out.
However, as stated the Jerk Chicken Wings saved them from being added to my Terrible Two’s List. My french fries were also fairly good, as an accompaniment to the wings. I also had a carry-​out of Red Beans and Rice for my roommate and he thought they were pretty good. Another bonus point for me, is the carryout containers are eco-​friendly.
I’ll give them another try. I’m hoping this was a one night screw up was not their typical service.
May 4 — Dinner (International Supper Club)

Recently visited with a large group of friends, even though reservations were made well in advanced they were totally unprepared when we arrived.
Service that night was lacking, and I believe they only had two employees handing the front. In fact I think the hostess was running double duty as the bartender that night, which would explain my awful tasting Hurricane. Anyways service here was slow and uncoordinated, I ordered the Ropa Viaja which was good, but not my favorite entrée, it seemed pretty bland.
Due to the limited staffing that evening it took forever to get our checks, this process seemed totally new to them as they had multiple separate checks. Needless to say the payment process was a bit of a cluster if you were paying with a credit card, clearly cash was the smart way to go. Overall Boogaloo provided a great atmosphere for our large group to meet up, however they seemed to fail miserably at the execution. At least it was spent with friends, which helps take some of the sting out of the night.
Hopefully the next visit is an improvement, it certainly couldn’t get much worse.

Thanks, Sarah S., for the ISC event May 4. It was terribly unfortunate that there was only one server for the entire restaurant.
We had a good group. It was a fun outing.
Everything was incredibly slow. Those who got drinks at my end of the table declared them horrible. And they were Hurricanes. Shouldn’t Boogaloo do better than that with a Hurricane?
I ordered the Picadillo sandwich (a Cuban sloppy joe) — $ 8.95. It was OK. I took part of it home, but ended up ditching it.
It took forever to get checks. .. kind of unnervingly long and uncomfortable. Everyone wanted to leave. It was a week night — a Monday night. You need to get home.
It was a great get-​together. The rest was a mess.
Sorry, Sarah S., but you do a great job with the ISC!