Lazaro’s Cuban Cuisine

Small, quaint and cozy, I would definitely recommend calling ahead if going with a large group of people, there were 8 of us. This is a family owned business and the I thought the customer service was great, despite the late hour. It was obvious our waitress had a busy day, yet she remained very friendly, upbeat, I’m good spirits and helpful. The food took a while to come, but again we were a large group and we got there just a little before closing time. The food is absolutely delicious and was so worth the wait. The minute I tasted my rice and beans I knew we had found a little gem, because the flavor and texture were perfect. I grew up in Miami were Cuban food is Abundant, so finding this place was awesome. Will be going back

Visited: 01/​15/​2016
We ordered the Chicken & Beef Empanadas ($ 7.00 for two pieces), Tamal ($ 12), & Shredded Beef — Ropa Vieja ($ 17).
Positives:
1. Enjoyed the piece of beef empanada.
2. Flavor of the Ropa Vieja wasn’t bad.
Negatives:
1. Prices & amount of food are not balanced (see pictures if you need example). I’ve gotten way more food for this same type of food.
2. Quality of food was poor. Examples: Both pieces of tamales were drenched in oil. I’ve had corn tamales before, and it’s never been this poorly made. Therefore the taste was destroyed because of the grease, let’s just say the banana leaf underneath was soaked. Unfortunately, the worst tamales I’ve had in the entire state of GA.
3. Menu is inaccurate with what is served. Example: Menu (pictured) states: Shredded Beef — Ropa Vieja: Lean Tender Beef Brisket — Shredded in Tomato Base with Peppers & Onions. No where on the description did it say there were olives included. We both dislike olives, and olives were what we were definitely served. Check out the picture. Again, I’ve had Ropa Vieja and this is the worst I’ve ever had.
Custer service: Our server was super nice and friendly. She did a great job serving us that evening.

I think this place is very middle of the road. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing fantastic. Most things I’ve had were relatively tasty (i.e. cuban sandwich, empanadas), but I wish there was a little more spice to it all.

A friend introduced me to Lazaro’s when we met for lunch. It was a great intro and I can’t wait to go back again. We had the empanadas and a tamale to share — they were so good we almost forgot our niceties as we forked for more than our fair share. For entrees, we had the roast pork and steak. Everything was done well. The restaurant was intimate. a house with cosy conversation corners — made for catching up with old friends that much more enjoyable.
I still think of the tamales and that may be my entrée next time around.

Fantastic… service was great, the roasted pork, empanadas, and guava pastry were all delicious (I lived in Puerto Rico for a year too which has some similar dishes). This restaurant was converted from an old house so it has lots of charm. This place is absolutely worth a visit.

I wanted so badly to like this place. I love Cuban food and used to go to a place in
Midtown that closed. I wish this place was better because the food is just kinda blah. I always compare moros because that is a basic Cuban dish. There’s is plain and boring. I wish it was wetter with more cumin, garlic, and oregano. Oh well, after three hopeful times, we won’t be back.

Good Cuban food. We went for a special event one night, so the menu was specialized also. We each had a pork dish (can’t remember the name right now) and it was good, but next time I would try something that I know more about, like a Cuban sandwich, etc. We are going back soon.

I like others have been driving by this place for a long time and have wanted to try it. We sat outside and the weather was perfect. There were two guys playing guitar and percussion not too loud, just right to set some awesome ambiance. The staff was very friendly and Lazaro was a pleasure to meet. The parking lot was small for our Silverado but we managed. My roast pork was delicious look so forward to going back and try some of the other authentic food. I have never been a fan of Plantains but Lazaro’s won me over, I should have gone home with a side order. They will be my new standard by which all others will be judged.

What a bad place… if I could give this zero stars, I would. Wifey, mom-​in-​law and I went to eat here… telling my mom-​in-​law about Cuban food. Hmph… this simply did not work out!
First…the place was a bit dirty! We were seated next to the windows… and the blinds had so much dust on them that someone wrote «Dust Me» on the blinds! Not a great start!
Service? Well, it took a while to get waited on… and then, slow service all the way around… just too long. Oh… and wifey and mom-​in-​law ordered steak to share… the waitress made a point of asking whether they wanted steak or chicken… they confirmed… steak…and they got CHICKEN!!! Wow! So… had to send it back… and get what they wanted.
Food…bland…
As I said, wifey and m-​i-​l got the steak and it was bland, bland, bland… you had no idea it was supposed to be of Cuban seasoning and descent! I got the Cuban sandwich (the waitress was offended when I called it be the common name of Cubano!)…it was ok… nothing to rave about… but edible.
All in all… there will be no need for me to darken the doors of this establishment ever again.
Oh…and I read a review while there… where the «chef» «Lazaro» replied and said something to the fact of «it is shame that people don’t have sophisticated palates»…Lazaro…please do not respond to my review here… I found your response to that other review offensive!

Stopped in on a Friday evening for dinner. Decided to share an app & an entrée. The app was the croqetas which were tasty, you get three of them and they come with plantain chips and a dipping sauce.
The entrée was the grilled pork chops — which were described as being marinated in garlic and citrus, but for me were dry and had no discernable marination — the mixed rice (a combination of rice, black beans and sausage) had good flavor but was again dry.
The portions were generous — you could definitely share — but the entrée needed more flavor and some kind of sauce.

I have mixed feelings about this place. The service and the entres were very good, but the dessert (I had a tres leches) was VERY POOR. It looked horrible and tasted like the worst tres leches Ive had.
The decorations (paintings, cigar boxes) in the place are actually quite nice. But paper table covers and a jewelry (yes, jewelry!) «shop» set up inside a restaurant that looks like its a nice, elegant place to eat (which their prices match) are two way too tacky touches for me to ignore. I mean, what is a tiny little jewlry shop doing set up casually next to the tables? I wonder what that has to do with good Cuban food…
Aside from that, the pork and steak we had was very tasty and tender, but they should reconsider the paper table covers and especially having the random jewelry shop set up inside the place.

My husband and I enjoyed dinner here. We ordered the fried yuca which was pretty good– I’d say the perfect amount of fried. My husband ordered the Medianoche and I got the Pan con Lechon. The Medianoche was better because the bread is sweet, which makes the sandwich not as dry. I’m only giving it three stars because I feel like we overpaid for our meal. Then again, we are from Miami, where Cuban sandwiches are not nearly as expensive and do taste a tad bit better.

[TL;DR] Solidly good Cuban food. Of course, I have absolutely no authority on the matter. If eating a good sandwich while sitting on a rickety chair conjures warmth and longing for home, this is your place. Possibly the worst thing we did for this review was to have the sampler appetizer.
We met with a group of new friends from Unilocal at this very quaint spot off the Roswell main strip, located somewhere between a seedy corner market and a subdivision. My kind of place.
If I had to give a one-​word description of the theme of this restaurant, it would be – claustrophobia. Parking for example. Three spots up front. It opens up in the back once you drive down a narrow driveway. We parked up front since there was amazingly all spots open. Upon leaving though, it was a 29 point turn to get out of there. Inside, the dining area is what I would call — compact. They did a great job of getting people seated, though. We were practically sitting in the kitchen, entranceway, and waiting area… depending on where your bottom was hanging out.
For the table, we split the large sampler appetizer which consists of 6 empanadas — 2 chicken, 2 beef, 2 spinach & corn, plantain chips, tostones, a pork tamale, fried yuca, and salted cod fritters. For a table of 7, this worked out pretty well. We split it 4 ways, coming to about $ 10 each. The pork tamale was amazing but really should have included two of them. Trying to split one tamale 7 ways was a feat of sheer will power. Everything was pretty good. I don’t see myself ordering plantain chips or spinach & corn empanadas though.
By recommendation, we ordered the steak sandwich and the Spanish sausage sandwich. Both are served on authentic Cuban bread (flown in twice a week.) The steak sandwich is kind of like a meal between buns. Sliced steak topped with grilled onions and shoestring potatoes. Pretty good. The Spanish sandwich was a bit on the salty side for me but still not bad. I have to say, one of the highlights of our meal is the mixed rice. SO GOOD. Even my wife, who doesn’t really care for rice, really liked it.
Our waitress was friendly and in a near panic the entire time, trying to keep the lid on the pressure cooker from blowing off. We had to flag her down a few times to get more dipping sauce (affectionately known as Laz sauce) and some adjustments. NBD though. She was chill.

This was my first time trying authentic Cuban cuisine. This place is a home that has been remodeled into a cute little restaurant. The unassuming exterior has caused me to drive by it for years without giving it a second thought.
Parking is scarce here. You can opt for the 3 – 4 parking spots in the front, but I highly suggest going to the back and parking there. But there isn’t much parking in the back either and you can’t park in the street.
Some of our party were already seated when we walked in, so thankfully, no wait! Soon after our whole party arrived the hostess/​server/​floor manager welcomed us with waters and went into great detail of the daily specials. She seemed very knowledgeable of the menu and drink selection.
We decided to split the large sampler appetizer, which had 6 empanadas (2 beef, 2 chicken, & 2 spinach), 1 pork tamale, plantain chips, salted cod fritters, fried yucas, and tostones (taken from Andrea’s review because I forgot the names!). My favorite was the spinach empanada because it the pastry was warm, flaky and melted in your mouth. The sampler was served with two house-​made dips, a mayo-​based sauce and a lime-​based one. As others have mentioned, the orange mayo-​based sauce is literally, awesome sauce. I wouldn’t be surprised if crack is used in this dish because it’s addicted and pairs well with nearly everything on the menu. The other lime-​y sauce is… interesting. I got a very strong, overpowering taste of lime. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t necessarily good, but definitely interesting.
The kitchen must have lost or forgot my order because food arrived at the table for everyone except me. The server mentioned that the kitchen forgot, which may or may not be due to her not writing anything down when taking our orders. However, I did get my order of mixed rice while everyone chomped down on their entrees.
When my steak sandwich finally arrived, it definitely looked rushed. Being so hungry and not paying attention, I didn’t realized they messed up the Cuban bread on the sandwich. Instead of being nicely heated and slightly pressed, my bread was cold and rock hard. My bread looked more like a cracker. It was hard to break and when it did, it just became crumbs.
The only reason I noticed was because my husband was so thoroughly enjoying his Cuban sandwich that I took a bite of it and realized his bread tasted much better. His bread and every other sandwich at the table looked different than mine. Oh yeah, because I got two crackers.
Luckily, the server was very understanding and had the kitchen remake another sandwich. When it arrived, it was much, much better with the fresh bread!
Like I said, my husband had a foodgasm while eating his Cuban sandwich, but said his white rice was pretty lackluster. My mixed rice, however, was pretty decent. Mixed with black beans and chunks of chorizo, I didn’t mind eating all of it.
At the beginning our server was attentive but as the night progressed and the place became busier, it became more difficult to flag her down. As mentioned, it might be better to get a reservation if you plan to come to dinner.
We’ll definitely be back to try the plates and desserts!

Definitely an authentic Cuban place. One member of our group had a foodgasm when he bit into his Cuban sandwich. I advise to ask for a reservation since this place seems pretty popular during the weekend around dinner time. The restaurant was on the smaller side since it was a converted home so do ask for a reservation as I saw a few couples waiting around for a spot to open up on this particular Friday evening around 7 PM.
The beef and chicken empanadas were delish. The orange sauce, called Laz (?), was a great combo with this and everything else. My friend’s sister called it crack sauce. lol. It looks like Chipotle sauce and tastes somewhat in the similar arena but not so much with that kick. The green sauce was unique. As soon as you try it, your taste buds will get an immediate hit. There’s like this lemon taste mixed in with something else. It wasn’t bad, but the flavor was unique.
The large sampler platter was huge. Since our group had 7 members, this was a perfect sharing item. It was expensive though since it was about $ 66 or in the $ 50’s range thereabouts. The platter was split in 7 ways (I think) so each of us ended up paying $ 9.50. This consisted of 6 empanadas (2 beef, 2 chicken, & 2 spinach), 1 pork tamale, plantain chips that were the healthier version of potato chips, salted cod fritters, fried yucas, and tostones. I think I like the empanadas, tamale, and plantain chips the best.
My chorizo sandwich was good. It was a tad on the saltier side. Granted it’s in the nature of the sausages to be so, but it could have been dialed down a bit. My friend’s pork sandwich on the other hand was a tad under salted. The sandwiches comes with pork and beans. Some members of the party wanted mixed rice, and they seemed to like it very much. Should have gotten that. The white rice was good since it was lightly salted, but it was still plain in my opinion.
The service and atmosphere was great. For lunch, I heard the atmosphere is more causal, but there will be music with dim lighting during dinner hours. The restaurant was accommodating when certain members of the group wanted substitutes.
Parking was scarce. There were a few spaces in the immediate front, but getting out seems like it would be a pain if you have a large vehicle. If you drive behind the building, there will be additional spaces.

«If your reviews are looking like essays, start a blog. I can’t read bits of your life story on my phone before ordering from the menu!» =P
Time & Date of visit: Sometime after 1 pm, 12÷26÷14
Party Size: 2
Location/​Ambiance:
Very homey. Cozy kind of vibe. Somewhat rustic, as some of the paint was chipping and window sills worn down. Don’t fret about the cars parked in front. There’s a back parking lot once you go down the driveway. Around lunch time the noise is average.
Service: There was only one server during our visit. John was able to handle the few tables as well as ours, attentively. Due to being sat away from the kitchen /​server station, he even left us a pitcher of ice water on an adjacent table if we wanted refills.
Food Highlights:
Empanadas — Beef Filling :
Served with a small bed of plantain chips, their version of empanadas are a good bet for starters. Stuffed with a meat of your choice, but also bits of pieces of olives, raisin, I think potatoes. Not enough to overpower the flavor of the beef. It just adds a bit of contrast to your taste buds. The accompanying sauce they had is crazy good. Like crack in sauce form and made for dipping. I asked for two of these for triple dipping. Trust me! The slight smoky flavor pairs well with most sandwiches to dip in! — Worth a try!
Cuban Sandwich:
My sister ordered hers with sauteed onions. Dam. That made it even more better! The onions added a robust flavor, while complimenting the rest of the sandwich layers. The mustard on the Cuban is more tangy then the Medianoche. It stands out slightly more then the other flavors of the pork and ham on each bite. — Good, unless you’re not fond of mustard!
Medianoche (Midnight sandwich) :
Pretty similar to their Cuban sandwich, though what differs is that the Medianoche has a very slight sweetness to it’s bread. The bread is generously seared and though visually, looks slightly burnt. I think it adds a crunch to every bite for more texture. The pork is mouthwatering good resting in the middle of slices of ham. The overall taste is balanced with the mustard being subtle to marry all the flavors on each bite. –Good!
Summary: I think this is definitely one of the Cuban restaurants that stands out. Even more so being in Roswell, as there’s not many choices for this kind of cuisine in the area. I’m not sure how it is for dinner, but this place is worth a try if you want something different for lunch than the usual.

Cute & quaint, I discovered this place while in Roswell getting my hairs «did»! Super nice folks and the food was delish! The atmosphere is much nicer than most other Cuban restaurants I’ve been to — in fact, I’m definitely planning to visit for dinner when I can take the hub back with me — it’s cozy and cute and has romantic potential (flutters eyelids).
I started with the pumpkin soup, which it turns out also had big hunks of pork in it, really comforting on a cold day — very hearty and well-​seasoned. For my main, I had the medianoche, and it was one of the best I’ve had. Not too much meat, not too much bread, just the perfect combination of warm and toasty goodness you’d expect from an authentic Cuban-​style sandwich. The sandwich is served with crispy-​fried plantains, which thankfully were not on automatic refill — possibly the only thing that slowed my roll!
I was too full for dessert after only half the sandwich (the hub benefitted from my limited stomach capacity, which forced me to take the other half home!), but I had a café con leche that was just the right finish for a really good lunch! Service was good, too — the hostess, Betsy, was pleasant, prompt, & attentive! I took a peek at their dinner menu before I left, & I’m really looking forward to stepping through some of their dinner offerings on my next visit!

Yum, yum yum! The brother and I decided on Lazaro’s for lunch and we were not disappointed!
The restaurant is in a revamped house, which is pretty quaint. There are 3 – 4 parking spots in the front and more in the back, slightly downhill from the house.
There were a few tables occupied, but it was later in the lunch hour after Christmas.
Our server was very friendly and great.
We ordered the beef empanadas, the Cuban sandwich and the brother had the Midnight Sandwich. Everything was delicious.
The empanadas came with this slightly spicy sauce which I have called «crack sauce» cause its addictive. I even asked for more to dip the plantains in.
I requested sauteed onions with my sandwich (cause, why not? hehehe) and it was great. The ham was not super salty like other places and all the components complimented each other well.
I had ½ the brother’s Midnight sandwich and although he said he couldn’t taste the «sweetness» of his bread, I could since it was very distinct from the bread on my sandwich. It was definitely good, but again, the taste is different from the Cuban and my tastebuds weren’t liking the back and forth I was subjecting them too.
We were unfortunately too full to even look at the dessert menu, but I have no doubt that there will be a repeat visit in the future!

PORK.
If there’s one thing that you should take away from reading my review, it’s that you should get the pork.
Meeting up for lunch in Roswell, before my company moves to Alpharetta and it’s a little bit more of a haul for these places, we enjoyed a lovely leisurely lunch on the patio. The 4 of us were the only patrons for lunch. Our server, having heard that it was the first visit for some, proceeded to explain the menu, and rave about all the different appetizer choices, as well as the sandwiches and entrees.
I chose the beef empanadas and the tamales for the table to share. Both were so good. The tamale itself was delicious, and made even better by the moist and flavorful pork on top. The beef empanada was crisp and tasty. Good, but not as memorable as the pork.
For my main, I got the medianoche (cuban sandwich on darker bread) with plantain chips. It was a good sandwich. The plantain chips were very crisp, and not too salty, not too sweet. I also got to try some of Trevor’s pork, with mojo. And it was divine. I will absolutely get the pork next time. Lindy shared her maduros, which were very caramelized, and almost as tasty as the pork, though obviously in a completely different way.
Our server did a good job of being friendly but not overbearing, kept the waters filled, and brought business cards saying to call for a table in the future. They even already had a reservation for what was sure to be the busiest Alive at 5 of the year with the amazing weather.
In short, get the pork, with extra mojo.

«Your mother loves you so much. She waits by the fire making plantains, and red palm oil stew with your sister N’Yanda and the new baby.» — Blood Diamond (2006)
What a great find just off Canton Street — and I had NO clue it was there. A suggestion from a friend for a lunch meet up — 4 of us gathered and had a lovely lunch on the patio. You wouldn’t think it, but it was nice and cool (and breezy) for a mid-​July day. Our server, Elizabeth, was quite attentive and did a god job making recommendations, keeping glasses filled and was not overbearing at all.
We opted to get a couple of appetizers to share — beef empanadas and pork tamales. Both came with the same red sauce on the side, which was not needed, but was a definite compliment to the dishes. The empanadas were rich and delicious — perfectly crispy and flavorful, but the star were the tamales. The masa was moist, deep in flavor and also packed with pork, but they also put extra pork on top of each tamale (also, no work required on these tamales as they came already removed from their husks). The star was the pork — moist, tender, full of citrusy mojo goodness that I could have eaten my weight in that stuff. WOW.
I ordered the Cuban sandwich on sweet bread for my main entrée — called the Medianoche. This is my new favorite way to eat a Cubano. I have decided after years of eating it on the regular bread, that the sweeter bread is a better compliment. This obviously had the amazing pork on it, but sneaking tastes from a friends plate (he ordered the entrée of the roast with rice and beans) was much tastier. The sandwich was amazing, and I loved the plantain chips on the side, but next time I must get te roast pork entrée. If you come here, order it!
I also ordered a side of the maduros. I am a sucker for these — and they did not disappoint. So caramelized, they were almost like candy. I could not get enough — until I thought I might explode!
All-​in-​all, everything was delicious. My recommendations are definitely the roast pork, tamales and maduros — you cannot go wrong with that as your order!