Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar

I had a late lunch at Cuba Libre today.
I ordered the lunch Cuban bento box and was pleasantly surprised by the size of the portions. It is now dinner time and I don’t feel hungry yet.
Today with the lunch bento box, I had guacamole (with roasted pineapple) and plantain chips, a burger sliders, an empanadas, and a 3-​leche small cake for dessert. All of this for $ 16!
The place is very cute and you immediately feel transported to Cuba. They also have a big, open bay window and some music (not too loud, which is perfect)!
I am not putting 5 stars because I found the dishes a little bit too salty for my taste.

Stopped in before 6 on a Friday. The patio was empty but they took us all the way to the back next to the bathroom. I asked that we be seated toward the front but was told that was the only table available. We left and went to another restaurant for dinner. At 7:30 we walked back past here and it was still only half food. There are too many restaurants in the city that are glad to accommodate. I wish I could comment on the food.

Stopped in with another couple after a show at the Arden. Our friends had never been there before and loved it. Keenan, our bartender was awesome. Attentive, personable, and helping us make some great drink selections.

The pineapple guacamole is delicious. This is also a great place to sit at the bar and soak up the atmosphere.

Excellent place!!! Great food, music, drinks and people. The best place I went in Philadelphia.

3.5 stars. My cousin loves this restaurant so we decided to swing by on a Friday night. We arrived around 6:00. It was early so it wasn’t too busy. They seated us in the back where it was dark and by a bathroom. The worst!!! I can’t enjoy my meal when I have to hold my breath every time the door to the restroom opens up. I asked if we could be seated elsewhere. Well just my luck we get seated upstairs by the bar with a group of «We just took our last final» college kids. Naw. I’m cool. I don’t want to take a shot with you. Anyways… Now to the food. I ordered the Citrus Chicken. It was just okay. Not a big fan of the Plantain Fufu. My cousin ordered the Levanta Muerto Seafood Soup. Nothing annoys me more than when someone out orders you. The soup was delicious and I wish I had ordered one. It had me at truffle oil… Make sure to order it! Broth is so so good with a hint of coconut. My cousin is obsessed with the complimentary bread (which is why she wanted to take me here). It’s almost like Texas toast. It is served with an awesome mango butter. We asked for several baskets and even took some home. Service was just okay here. Slow at times. I had to ask for refills on my water and they took forever to bring out more bread.
After dinner we walk out and a homeless person asked for food. I handed over the bag with my chicken leftovers. Totally forgot the bread was in there. Cousin was super pissed off at me. She reads my reviews. So sorry, Krissia. A week later and I still feel bad about that one! #Fail

The theme, décor, flavors, and drinks allow you to feel you’ve stepped right off the streets of Philly and into a little slice of Cuba.
My boyfriend and I decided to hit a couple spots in Old City before ending here for dinner. I was initially impressed that for a 7 pm drop in, we didn’t have to wait for a table. I was then impressed by not only the variety on the menu items, but the options for ways to try many. We didn’t do the Chef’s tasting, which allows you 15 small plated menu items, but I think we will when we go back.
We both had a mojito which had a lot of flavor but also very expensive.
All in all, great service and great food. I wouldn’t mind coming back for late night when the upstairs bar turns into more of a club feel.

I came here for the nightlife. Such a awesome night. $ 10 cover and def worth it. The mojitos were the best. Wonderful night of salsa music and glow in the dark pool noodles. They have 2 floors of dancing and 2 bars. The drinks were yummy. Great night with great friends.
There was even live dancers on the first floor. So much fun. Can’t wait to go back for the food. They have a no sneaker rule so check the dress code before you go.

Great food, bad service. My friend made the reservation, and they got her name wrong. Wouldn’t let me sit even after my friend called to tell them that I was included in the reservation.
We waited 20 minutes to be seated even though we arrived on time for our reservation.
The food was great though! It was rich and very tasty. The shrimp ceviche was absolutely amazing.

I’ve only eaten a couple of dishes here but have been here several times for drinks and dancing at night. The downstair of the restaurant completely converts to a dance floor at night and they remove all of the tables and there is a DJ. The music is always great and the crowds are usually quite large so it’s always a really fun time. The upstairs has a nice bar and is a nice reprieve from the dancing downstairs if you’re not quite into it. The bar downstairs is separated by a semi-​wall from the dance floor which is nice for being able to get a drink without being bumped into constantly. The service is good, the drinks are strong (especially the Long Islands), and the vibe is upbeat, lively and fun. It’s a good place to go out with friends at night or to go for a very nice dinner.

Even though on its Unilocal page they mention that the attire is CASUAL, and there is no mention of a dress code on their website, me and my friends were not allowed to go inside the club last night simply because two of us had sneaker-​ish shoes on. If there is a dress code, which is perfectly acceptable, the club should allow the public to know.

Go for happy hour 5 – 7, only at the bar! The deal isn’t unbeatable, but makes it more affordable to try a variety of top-​of-​the-​line dishes. The ceviches are the money-​makers, and in particular, the tuna. The tuna ceviche was primarily tuna, as opposed to an afterthought, and was possibly my favorite. The scallops were also fresh and copious. I tried 3 of the empanadas, and the chicken one was definitely the way to go (crispy, flaky crust with cheesy chicken goodness inside). The rellena was similarly excellent. If you want a drink recommendation, absolutely you must try the guava caiprihna. Its a perfect balance of sweet and sour and tastes fresh– no sugaroverload here. The classic was not that good in my opinion, but my girlfriend liked it. There isn’t much of a selection for happy hour beer.

Incredible flavor to these dishes. Excellent Maduros and I enjoyed our servers recommendation to add avocado to place on top of one of our main dishes (I believe it was the asado). They have an extensive drink menu too.

I’ve been here twice at the Philly location. Once for happy hour and once for dinner.
Their menu is heavy on the fried food, so if you’re not in the mood for that and don’t want to pay for one of the more expensive entrees, you should go elsewhere.
The happy hour menu has a lot to choose from and an awesome option where you get one of each tapa for like $ 32… great way to try their food and do dinner for less money!
When we went for dinner it was the week before Christmas so there was a holiday office party happening on the lower level that made the noise level way too loud for friends trying to catch up over dinner. We also had told them we were celebrating a birthday and they didn’t do anything for our friend and we had to watch as other tables were given decorated dessert. Minor thing, but still.
The mixed grill platter is AMAZING!!! My husband and I shared it and it was very worth it. Our friends did the chefs tasting and we want to go back and do that as well — it was presented beautifully and they loved everything.
Mojitos are great and definitely worth getting a pitcher and probably an extra shot of rum.

This past Sunday a friend of mine woke up with an absolute craving for Cuban food! we ended up grabbing two others and went here for the «unlimited tapas» brunch deal.
It was 28 per person plus up charges for some menu items. None of us ordered alcohol but we had coffees, aqua Fresca, watermelon juice, and seltzers. With the up charges, tax and tip, the total was 48 pp, which isn’t terrible for brunch — but has a sting to it when you factor in that there was no alcohol. I personally spent 10 on coffee alone (which was delicious!)
So the menu wins (for me, the vegan) were the tostones, guacamole with plantains and taro, black bean soup, the yuca fries and the Coffee with steamed coconut milk. I unsuccessfully tried to veganize the salad — but it came out covered in dairy. I didn’t even bother saying anything Bc one of my friends ate it– so no harm!
The food quality is 3 stars, nothing terrible but nothing mind blowing. The atmosphere is 5 stars as this place is so charming and so cute! Our service was good and no complaints about that at all.
The reason I didn’t give 5 stars was because, while there are lots of little items that were accidentally vegan, there was no one shining item. (Hint even alma de Cuba has one) And I’ve had better quality yuca, tostones, and black bean soup at other Latin or Cuban restaurants.
You can’t argue with good guac though — that’s for sure!

Went here the other weekend for salsa night (so I can only comment on the night-​life portion and not the food here) and I can say that I definitely had a good time! We showed up before the dancing started to grab a few drinks at the bar and we were pleasantly surprised with the drink specials that they had before midnight! Also, they start charging cover around 11 so make sure to get in before they take your hard-​earned $$! But back to the drinks — $ 5 mojitos and discounted prices for imperial beers. The mojitos were great! They weren’t super strong but I didn’t feel like I was drinking water — just the right mix. The music here was great; the crowd was a big mix of people, it was good and bad. Lastly, there was a lot of broken glass on the floor when we were here so we were really happy that we had worn closed-​toed shoes! You might want to make the same choice.
I could definitely see myself coming back here!

Tell me, have you ever dreamed of dancing in Havana?
Well, look no further because, at Cuba Libre, you will be dancing (rumba, meringues, salsa & merengue) side-​by-​side with Professional Latin dancers. Every Fridays and Saturdays, so mark your calendar.
For a taste of the forbiden island, you might want to give this (celebration of flavor and comfort) a try.
— Try the Del Mar rapid (seafood Soup, shrimp ceviche and MahiMahi fillet.) This trios will take your lunch up a notch. $ 14.75
— Also, you can’t beat the highly flavorful Cuban bento box. the selection is changed weekly and cost $ 16.5
— Any mojito will be a very GOOD accompaniment to any meal. Or better yet, alone, if you’d like. Tell me, again, why you shouldn’t have another one anytime you want?
Three and half Unilocal

Such beautiful Cuban ambiance and interior design, I can’t help but give them a four star.
Food on the other hand, good but only selective dishes:
— Seafood paella (real good but too salty for my preference. Ask them to adjust this for you and it would’ve been on point! The rice soaked in the sweet richness of the seafood and red sauce so beautifully– I would give it another chance)
— Plantain with guacamole (loved it!)
Less fond of:
— grilled baby octopus (overcooked, dry, tough)
— coconut crab fritters (uses imitation crab meat, disappointment)

I came here for the unlimited tapas brunch and it was great! All the brunch dishes were delicious with a Cuban twist in many of the dishes.
Some of my favorite tapas include the crab cake benedict, pork fried rice con huevo, arroz a la cubana and the French toast a la cubana. But since it’s unlimited why not order and try everything!
Come in a group of 4+ so you can try everything on the menu! Also try to come earlier so that you won’t feel rushed when eating. I had a reservation at 1:15pm and I felt a lot rushed by the waitress when I was eating. Great atmosphere and great food to start off your weekend/​lazy Sunday.

I’ve been here once before, but I’ll be honest it was the fifth stop on a very well liquored up afternoon. This time around we got what I remembered, grilled pineapple mojitos. So delish.
The bartender was fun, quick, and didn’t push on anything.

Ouch, why you so mean?
Cuba Libre is one gorgeous restaurant. The décor enough makes you feel like you are on a movie set of Little Havana. With one of the best happy hours of the city I was excited to try this Cuba Libre, prior to their dancing extravaganza.
Having met some of their chefs from the Orlando location, at a former Unilocal Elite Event, I knew Cuba Libre delivered quality from the kitchen. And yes their Tres Leches cake is close to godly. Finally, their location for dancing is supreme, bring your flat, closed toed shoes, and get your salsa on.
Enter my girlfriend and I, on a hot Friday afternoon, scouting Old City for a great happy hour. I was so excited to pass by Cuba Libre and notice what they had to offer. Knowing that Cuba Libre delivered quality Gia M. and I had to try it out. We were greeted by two friendly hostesses that guided us to the upstairs bar for happy hour. After taking our seats, I gazed around at the magnificent décor of the upstairs… high ceilings, great facades, unique fans, I was really digging the vibe. As we sat down the bar tender greeted us, and I got excited to see what Cuba Libre had to offer for happy hour.
A couple also sat down to us, and the bar tender decided to serve them first, even knowing that we arrived before the other couple. A bit agitated I still looked forward to friendly service from the bar tender. I was wrong.
We were eventually served. Gia got the red sangria, mixed perfectly, and quite tasty. As for happy hour options we decided to go with the guacamole, filled with pineapple, and coupled with plantain chips, this was quite tasty for four dollars.
But then I noticed something wrong with my water. It had a stark fruit taste. I then had a sip of Gia’s water to see if something was off with hers too. Hers tasted fine, so I had to ask the bartender if they flavored their water with fruit. She then harshly exclaimed that they didn’t flavor it with fruit, and that sometimes, since they mix mojitos near their water deposit, mojito can get mixed into the water. In reality, customers do not need to hear how the back end of how restaurants operates. Whether this was true or not, it grossed me out. In response, I asked for a new water, which really ticked off the bar tender. Service went down hill from that point on.
The bar tender purposely ignored us for the remainder of our stay. She went out of her way to be nice to everyone around us making small talk with them, providing them with new drinks, filling their waters, and disregarding us. At the end of our meal she asked if we were finished and then proceeded to not give us our check.
Its this kind of passive aggressive behavior that makes customers uncomfortable. I would be willing to try Cuba Libre again, but just the thought of this experience, makes me wonder how other people are treated by this bar tender. Ultimately, its the service that can make a restaurant shine or falter.
Cuba Libre missed the point with this bar tender.