Cuban Revolution

Used to be my favorite place fir Cuban pressed sandwiches. This time, it was just okay. The waitstaff was pleasant, but not the high quality of the downtown location.

The food was excellent, the company was better. How can you complain when you have tasty food and great friends!
One thing I had to admire and speak highly of, our waitress was extremely friendly. We had a big group. She was never flustered by our non-​stop talk or silly antics. She took it all in stride. When our food was delayed and something had to be sent back, she was extremely apologetic and sweet. Her manager came over and apologized again.
Hey, these things do happen. It didn’t ruin our night. In fact, we hardly noticed. What we did notice… the three complimentary desserts sent our way to close our night. It was a perfect touch that summed up a great evening.
Thank you Cuban Revolution!

First time here — My fiancé and I were driving towards Providence looking for a Mexican restaurant when we passed by Cuban Revolution and decided to give it a shot instead.
Service was great — our waitress was attentive but not overwhelming (perfect especially when restaurant was not very full at all)
Food was very tasty and well prepared — the build your own Rice and Bean bowl with the jumbo shrimp was exceptionally good if you choose the right ingredients. If you’ve never had the maduros I recommend them and the peppadews as appetizers.
Décor was interesting and fun/​bright; music was good — I bet it would be nice in here with the live music.
Overall a little pricey if you order from the entrees menu w/​cocktails — good value if you stick to the bowls/​sandwiches/​wraps and beer.

I’ve been to both locations and they are identical in terms of taste, which is a good thing. This location is larger and more open and airy. However, service seems to be a bit slow, but not bad.
What do I recommend? Quite a bit, but I love the yucca fries, the grilled steak chimichurri, and the grilled chicken wrap loaded up with cheese, rice, beans and chipotle mayo. Their sangria is a good dinner drink as well.

Meh. I’ve experienced better sums it up. I want this place to soar but for now its just average. I will start off with what I liked. I had a veggie sandwich… yes a sandwich. Really good. Cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach. goat cheese and something else. Just my style. Everything else there is pretty plain Jane. They only have mango salsa which some people enjoy, I thought it tasted like the sweet and sour sauce you get on Chinese food. And that will cost you. No free chips and salsa here. The inside is pretty cool They play AWESOME music and they have delicious milkshakes. If you are going for a drink and some live music its fun. Dinner. Eh.

This was our second visit to Cuban Revolution and we didn’t enjoy it as much this time around.
I had the sangria, which was tasty. My husband had bottled beer since they no longer have draft. That was a big disappointment for him.
We started with the mango salsa and chips, which was a steal at $ 2.00. The shrimp kabobs for $ 9.00 weren’t though. You only get two shrimp.
My husband had the Cuban sea scallops. He enjoyed them, but wasn’t blown away. I had the shrimp gumbo. It was just meh. I’ve had much better at other places.
We may return, but I’m not rushing to go back any time soon.

I used to go to the downtown location and I believe the kitchen and the staff was much better downtown. The food was overly salty, the wait staff barely smiled and did not seem courteous. The hostess had a major long face… Not a very inviting setting.

Boy has this place gone downhill.
The past 6 times I’ve gone there they were out of the ham croquettes which were in my opinion one of the best things on the menu.
The last time I went they informed me that they changed the menu, and they were no longer on the menu, but they had chicken croquettes — which you couldn’t order by themselves, but as part of an appetizer combo plate. No thanks.
We ordered some things to share, and a couple Cuban sandwiches.
They had ran out of something we ordered so the kitchen was kind enough to give us an order of the chicken croquettes by themselves which I thought was very nice of them since the bartender knew I was sad to see the ham ones go.
They were not very good. The ham croquettes were delicious. The chicken croquettes tasted simply like potato. That’s it. Not even good potatoes.
I was able to overlook it, and just be happy that they made that substitution, even if I wasn’t crazy about the result. Until our sandwiches came out.
2 thin slices of deli meat, 1 slice of cheese, some mustard, and a sliver of pickle.
Wow.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
This place is a shadow of its former self.
The sandwiches used to have actual substance and flavor to them. Now I felt like I was eating in a soup kitchen.
Last time I’ll ever go there. Sad.
The only reason I gave it two stars is because there was a time I might have given this place 3. It deserves a one.

I’m always astonished when I go into the Cuban Revolution at how large and clean it is. I still think of them as just being the place that moved into the old City Grille space downtown.
As others have mentioned here, the service can be a little slow but not so bad that I would think of it as the worst service ever. The food I’ve had here has been good, although I’m very spice-​averse so I tend to stick with basic Cuban sandwiches and the like.
I can’t comment at all on the authenticity of the menu. I’m not sure if the Cuban Revolution’s food is so authentic that Castro, Gloria Estefan, and Scarface would all think it was made by their moms, or if it’s just a Cuban-​themed version of the Olive Garden («When you’re here, you’re comrades!»). I’ll be honest, I don’t care. It’s a decent place to go in the neighborhood if I can’t really afford Julians, Nicks, or pretty much anything on Atwells.

This place was horrible.
First off, my boyfriend and I had never been to this location before. We got there and couldn’t find a spot to park in. So my boyfriend went inside to ask if there was anywhere else to park, he was informed that the 10 spots behind the restaurant were all that they had available.
We waited a while… when this angry couple that lived in the building next to it came up to us and asked us to move our car out of the way. We told tem we were waiting for a spot, they then informed us that there was a whole parking lot across the street devoted to C rev. Well we felt like total MORONS. But give us credit we did go in and ask.
Finally we were inside, the service was ridiculously slow as everyone else said before. The décor was nice but the waitstaff distracts from the restaurants ambiance.
They were goofing around the whole time, no supervision what so ever.
We ordered the banana espresso shake which was phenominal! But unfortunately everything else lacked severly. The food was very bland I thought, I was expecting something flavorful being that it’s «cuban» food. Tasted liked everything was frozen.
Then the worst part was we had a
gift certificate that failed to mention 18% gratuity for using it. So we paid the stupid waitress $ 10 for being the worst waitress I’ve ever had.
Congrats Cuban Revolution, you suck!

great food, great music, awesome service & i love the décor.
The chicken wings are the best for football nights!

This place absolutely takes the cake for the worst service in a restaurant from the dozens of restaurants I’ve gladly visited over the years. This particular establishment has left me inundated with anger and absolute disgust at the service they’re being compensated to do.
I have been here at least 7 – 8 times but the last 5 times have been appalling to say the least. As a vegan, I make sure to ‘over communicate’ my order to ensure that I don’t have any issues but for this place, no amount of repetition will guarantee the order you requested so if you have allergy or diet restrictions: steer clear!
For example, today I placed my usual Maduros wrap order with NO cheese and confirmed my order at least twice on the phone (since he wasn’t competent enough to do so). I arrived to pick up my order in about 15 – 20 minutes and it was ready to go. As habit grows (and their consistent lack of attention to detail), I checked my order in the car and saw the exact thing I said NOT to include: cheese. I go back inside and tell them the issue; my new dish is ready in about 10 mins or less. Thinking they might have it right, I head to my car again but something tells me to check the order.
When I opened the container, not only did my order now have beef mysteriously included (and not part of the original dish) but the wrap was torn, it fell apart upon touch and it was REUSED!!!
I go back inside fuming but remained calm. He went back to return my order only to come back and say that they ran out of wraps and will give me a refund unless I wanted to try something else. Thank you but NO thank you. I demanded a full refund as my friends order was now cold after waiting over ½ an hour for my order to be redone.
I will never come back here again; not only did you lose a customer but you created a negative cheerleader customer. I wouldn’t wish this service to my worst enemy.
Get it together or get ready to close down your doors.

I’ve come here a few times and it’s always the same issue. You walk in and there is a sign that states «please wait to be seated.» You stand there for like 10 min and no one even acknowledges you. Staff def sees you but no one does anything. The place wasn’t busy either. If someone does finally seat you, it takes a while to be served.
They changed the bottomless chips so they’re trash now.
The wings are great, no complaints.
The «cuban» food def isn’t Cuban.
Prices are reasonable
My main gripe is the service. Pretty sure I’ll never go back again.

I wanted to like Cuban Revolution a lot more than i did, and looking back, the current Unilocal rating of 3 stars seems about right. I dined in a group of 7, and between the group we tried a bunch of different sandwiches and other cuban fare.
Overall impressions
— the appetizer, from a portion size/​presentation perspective, was a bit lacking. It felt like someone had just thrown a few apps on a plate far too large for that amount of food.
— our waiter was fun –engaged in some witty banter and helped with a few questions that folks had
— i had the displeasure of being seated with my back to the table next to us, which would have been fine if there was a proper amount of distance between tables. As it stood, i was bumped into several times by staff and other customers trying to get by. (disclaimer — i am not a heavy person and pushed all the way in after the first time it happened)
— Great sweet potato fries

Solid, delicious, well priced cuban food.
My hubby and I love Cuban food though we are by no means experts. We just like well seasoned, fresh, tasty food that makes us linger over our meals. That being said, Cuban Revolution is a good place.
The atmosphere is a bit kitschy– you have the overblown Che posters everywhere but lacks the charm of other restaurants I’ve been to (ie– Cuba Libre or Alma de Cuba in Philly). Still, we had a pleasant round of drinks while we enjoyed the tortillas and salsa. Unilocal readers were right on target– the mango salsa is AWESOME and the tortillas we had were fresh made.
The meals were solidly good– my husband had the ropa vieja, very tasty, very tender and well seasoned. My empanada was also equally well done but a bit too crusty for my taste. The maduros and rice and beans were very good, too. I wasn’t too impressed with the Tres Leches cake, it was way too dry, hubby thought it was fine.
All in all, I was happy with the service, it was a nice date night, the prices weren’t exorbitant, the food was very good. I’d go back in the future.

Love the hot sauce. Love the rice and bean bowl. Love, love, love the maduros. Wings are pretty good too. Love that parking is easy. the rope vieja is full of flavor.
Service is slow. We were there in a completely full restaurant and there was only 1 man working in the kitchen. Dinner took 35 minutes to come out. Our waiter barely asked if we wanted a second drink.
Always go wishing it wasn’t so slow.

I came here for lunch one day while visiting family in Rhode Island. To be honest, my city doesn’t have any Cuban food restaurants that I know of, so I was excited to check it out and have the opportunity to try something new. And it didn’t disappoint.
First of all, the restaurant has a cool atmosphere — very urban and artsy. It did need a little love, as we were told they had a busy evening the night before. The bathrooms were a mess, which is always a turn off. It happens, though.
My family and I split a bunch of different tapas, including Croquetas De Jamon, Fried Green Beans, Sweet Potato Fries, Albondigas, Chips & Salsa, and Stuffed Peppadews. All were good, but my favorite was the Albondigas, which are meatballs in spicy garlic tomato sauce. They were tasty! The Croquetas De Jamon tasted good, but the consistency creeped me out… it just did.
My husband and I also split a Cuban sandwich (the «world’s best» according to Cuban Revolution)…It was just okay. Not bad, but a little heavy in my opinion. Not so sure of the other entrees my family ordered, but they were enjoyed by all.

I love the look in here. The atompsphere is so chill. The bar is big and looks nice.
You cant beat the All Day Everyday $ 2 and $ 3 Drafts.
Or 20 Cent wings special everynight.
I got the «Worlds Best Steak Sandwhich» and it was soo bomb! I ordered a side of onion rings but it cost $ 6, which I thought was a lot considering the portion size.
I like the inside of this location better than the one downtown, def.

The real revoultion here has nothing to do with Communist Cuba. It’s the idea of tasty, cheap food in Providence!
I know, impossible right? It’s true. I had the 20 cent wings and they were delicious! They come plain, but you can dip them in any sauce you want.
I’ve also had the salad, which is cool because you start off with a $ 5 base and add whatever you want for an extra quarter-​a-​piece!
The wraps and burritos are tasty and cheap, around $ 7 each.
The burgers are pretty good too, $ 5 base, add what you want for a nominal charge.
The beers are really cheap, $ 3! Elsewhere in Providence you can expect to pay between $ 4 and $ 6 for any draught or bottle.
The only time that it’s a bit annoying is on weekend nights when they have live bands. They sound good, but are a bit over-​powering for a restaurant. It’s clearly not a night club, so they should nix the loud music. Sometimes the service is a little slow, too.
Overall, an excellent meal for cheap is what you get! Look for coupons on
, makes it even cheaper.

If you are looking for a good deal — go to the
website, print up the $ 100 gift certificate, and bring over 10 of your friends! :) They also have cheaper gift certificates — note — this does not include alcohol.
What a fun and lively restaurant! We placed a reservation for a Friday for 14 people, and they were ready for us when we arrived — which is a huge plus in my books! There was a live jazz quartet playing, which added such a wonderful vibe to the place :)
My husband ordered the famous steak sandwich, which was great! My favorite appetizer is the fried sweet plantains.
The one things we ordered that I did not like was the appetizer sampler. Nothing, aside from the fried sweet plantains, was special.
The salad bowls are an awesome option — you can add as many things as you’d like, and they are huge.
If you have a sweet tooth, the chocolate layer cake is incredibly large, and reminds me of fudge.
The waitstaff was very friendly, outgoing, and lovely!
Parking is across the street.