Andrés Restaurant

Great food. great prices… good service
Combination of Empanadas… off the chain amazing great… delicious garlic sauce
Ensalada Verde … meh!
Ropa Viejas… delicious but salty
Free basket of garlic bread… priceless
Overall.will return. Delicious!!!

This food is very very good! Prices are good too! Try the ropa Vieja and the pernil. Riquísimo! Glad I came– reminds me of home!

The comments about the service are all true. Their service is TERRIBLE. What I didn’t expect is for the food to be so mediocre… not a fan of the food at all. How is it that it’s not even seasoned properly? The Puerto Rican beans and rice was so bland! The pork chops were overcooked, resembling a hockey puck. Will not return.

I ordered (catering) here almost 6 – 8 months ago for a work event and I just so happen to be around the neighborhood today and asked if I were able to order food to go (some places won’t allow it just to dine in) and they said absolutely!
The hostess was very accommodating. She took my order (provided today’s special) and informed me to wait about ten minutes (I ordered pernil with arroz y gandules).
Let me just say that even if I had to wait another 10 minutes it would have been so worth it.
Food was hot and ready to go.
No complaints with what I ordered only thankful that Andre’s is around as I have been missing my cultures food since I moved out here (hopefully that made sense).

The food is way too salty and oily. I couldn’t finish my plate. The service is extremely slow too.

My son and I went on a Monday. My Boricua side was very excited for Carribean food.
The garlic bread came first (reminded me of how my abuela made it-​dripping and oozing in oil and garlic chunks) and we ordered the appetizer sampler plate, with the fried plantains, empanadas, croquetas and more. We both had the ropa vieja entrée and it was delicious, well seasoned with rice and black beans. There was so much food to eat, my son had enough for another meal to take home as on Mondays they give you a soup or salad and flan dessert with your meal!
Yes, I will return and try the arroz con pollo that others were eating and looked very good. Wepa!

I am really a fan of this authentic, delicious hole in the wall Cuban restaurant. The portions are really good and prices fair for what you get. The ambiance is a bit outdated and down played, but that’s actually part of the charm of this place. You can image that you are eating at a family owned restaurant in Old Havana or El Salvador, and you wouldn’t be too far off in your imagination.
If you want authentic, its not going to get any more authentic, in terms of this coast for Cuban food LOL! I am sure there would be many contenders in a City like Miami, but here this place definitely stands out. Bottom line, if you like to travel & experience that «I am eating in another country» feeling and you haven’t renewed your passport yet, look no further than Andres in Linda Vista for this experience!

Being a Native Miami girl, I was relieved to finally find a Cuban spot. Although I’m Puerto Rican it’s still great to find something familiar to home.
It’s a cute little restaurant, they have a few parking spots and good lunch specials. Unfortunately I was an hour late to take up on their deals.
I got the Pernil and Moro which is a huge staple in South Florida. The Pernil was very flavorful, did have a lot of garlic to it but not bad. Moro was excellent or Cubans usually call it arroz congri. The flan wasn’t bad but I was a little disappointed. It was rough looking and part of it was a little hard. I’m used to flan being soft all over and smooth in appearance.
I liked the little market they have next door to it, some is overpriced but I did find a few good things that I missed like my Colombian soda. It’ll never be like Miami but for now it’s my Miami in San Diego.

Went here with my friend who’s half Puerto Rican and after our meal he said it was nothing special and his pork chops were really dry, definitely nothing like his grandmother’s food. Food was average, a little overpriced. My biggest complaint was with the terrible service.
First of all, they had a sign in the entry saying please wait to be seated. We stood there waiting for 5 – 10 minutes with not a single worker acknowledging us (though looking at us as they walked in the restaurant). If we hadn’t already paid for a Groupon, we would have walked out. If you don’t want our money, we will spend it somewhere else. We literally only stayed because we had a Groupon.
The food was okay and homey and filling, but I still felt like it was kind of overpriced for what it was. The tablecloth was dirty from a previous diner that at there, which kind of put me off. We were also seated at one of the tables in the middle of the restaurant and the whole night, felt the floor shaking as each waiter walked past the table, it felt like elephants walking by the whole night. So, for $ 15 – 20 per entrée, you would think you’d have a more pleasant dining experience.
Anyway, our server was totally fine, but at the end of the meal, the manager or someone came to clear our plates. He asked my friend, «Are you finished?» My friend nodded and the guy grabbed his plate and then my plate too (which still had half my meal on the plate). I quickly had to stop him and I said, «I’m sorry, could I have a box?» just merely in time as he almost stacked my friend’s plate on top of my food (gross). So he quickly dropped the plate back in front of me and said okay. It was just weird. Why would you ask the person whose plate is clean if they are done, but not ask the customer whose plate is still covered in food? Baffling!
At the end of the night, a woman brought out our check. She didn’t apply the Groupon even though we gave it to our waitress at the beginning of our meal. We saw another table had the same problem and was trying to sort it out at the same time as us. The woman who was handling the checks just looked like a deer in headlights like she had never heard of a Groupon before. I left cash for our meal because the whole experience just felt sketchy, sloppy, and somewhat unprofessional. It was strange.

Excellent service & the food was just as great. I’ve been here several times and introduced two new people to the yummyness that is this place. We had the ropa vieja, pernil asado, pescado along with sopa gallega, papas rellenas and a salad. Everything was great! My guests were impressed by the flavor. We will definitely return.

I like this place. It’s pretty cool small restaurant. The service is mediocre and is a B+. I think it’s prob one of the better Cuban places I’ve had in southern cal but it doesn’t compare to Miami! But it will do when I need a Cuban fix. Prices are anywhere from $ 10-​$ 18 per plate.
Get the groupon if u can. I say it’s worth a try. I’m picky with my carribean food because I’m carribean myself but if this is not something your familiar with I say go for it!

Really tasty food. This was my first time eating PR food. We had squid with rice, Mofongo and Tostones. Everything was delicious delicious. The staff was super polite and offered great service. we will definitely be back.

Been a customer ever since discovering this place back around 2000 or so?
Great service
Excellent food
Big portions
Great value
Sparkling clean environment and restrooms
Additional parking next to their adjacent market
My top 3 favs:
Ropa Vieja
Pierna de Puerco Asada
Plantanos Maduros
Go! What are you waiting for?

This is the kind of restaurant that you always feel warm and welcomed each time you visit.
Today I ordered my favorite Cuban sandwich. The mixture of ham, pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickle is delightful. The fries are light, tender and perfectly crispy. The nicest place to sit is by one of the many windows. Other dishes I love are; Pierna de Puerco Asada and Arroz Con Pollo. I always look forward to eating the flavorful black beans and rice.

Just dined in this evening with a groupon for $ 20 of food credit. Been buy a few times but never came in till now. Came in about 730pm on a Wednesday night, found the place fairly busy in the main dining area.
I ordered simple and healthy as this was my after training meal so went pretty clean and natural which from the online website menu looked pretty easy here. Turned out so as I went with the sirloin steak season «Cuban style», white rice, black beans. I also got a bowl of soup of the day which was white bean, potato and spinach.
I was seated and my order was taken quickly even with the busy night. My soup was out in 10 minutes tops. My entrée was out within 10 minutes of that. I will note that buttered/​garlic bread rolls are also put out complementary as well but I pass as flour and I don’t mesh well.
My sirloin steak was done great, seasoned well and just the right size, about 8oz or so. Good helping of rice and a bowl of hot black beans to round it out. All tasted fine. Services was good and fast. With my groupon I paid $ 0! Just tip was it. So no complaints on price at all. However I am not sure I would want to pay $ 20 for a plate of basic sirloin steak, rice and beans. Pretty easy to make that at home for under $ 10. (Done it myself…)
I am sure the other more truly Cuban entrees they have put more flare and culture into the food and perhaps those are worth the bill.

Hyman Roth: If I could only live to see it, to be there with you. What I wouldn’t give for twenty more years! Here we are, protected, free to make our profits without Kefauver, the goddamn Justice Department and the F.B.I. ninety miles away, in partnership with a friendly government. Ninety miles! It’s nothing! Just one small step, looking for a man who wants to be President of the United States, and having the cash to make it possible. Michael, we’re bigger than U.S. Steel.
The Godfather II
Photos of old Havana line the walls of the banquet area. I imagine Havana inspiring the scenes in Godfather II. Classic American cars. Good Cuban food. Place is a reminder of a past I’ve only seen on the big screen. I seem to come here mostly on cold winter days. Maybe it’s because of how warming the food is…
Empanadas have a crunchy and flaky crush. Kind of like an fried apple turnover. Pastry is very good but not quite as good as the fried apple pie at Izzy’s. Beef filling had delicious cuban flavors. Chicken filling has flavors a bit like the beef but a little spicier.
Pierna de puerco is very tender and has delicious cuban flavors. Notice tiny bacon pieces in the crust. Only thing I don’t like is the little garlic bits. I’ll have to see if I can get it without garlic next time.
Ropa vieja was very tender and had delicious flavors.
Pollo Frito Puerto Rican style had delicious crunchy skin and spices gave it a unique slightly salty flavor. A little bit dry.
Guava turnover was strange. In addition to the gauva there was a bunch of cream cheese. Sweetness from the guava hit hard. A bit too sweet for me.
I have enjoyed the food each time I’ve come here. The dilemma is whether to come for a lunch special or visit at dinner when the full menu is available…

Finally got to try this place this past weekend and I’m feeling kind of disappointed. I ordered all my Cuban favorites including:
Pierna De Puerco and Macitas de Puerco $ 16.95
Our two most favorite pork dishes Pierna de Puerco and Macitas de Puerco served with ripe plantains, moros rice and Yuca con mojo.
Picadillo $ 8.95
Caribbean seasoned ground beef hash with rice
and a side of Cuban-​style black beans
Pollo Asado $ 9.95
Grilled chicken breast marinated in lemon and garlic
with grilled onions, rice and black beans
I also ordered a few native smoothies and an extra order of the plantains.
The food overall was too salty and I’m actually not that picky. It took them over 35 minutes just to bring out our appetizers and waters. Their overall service was very unorganized and they seems to not be able to handle the customer flow very effectively. So much to the point that I will probably not be returning. Between the poor service and the salty food, I’m sure I can find better a Cuban experience. Maybe someone else will have better luck but I didn’t.

Arroz con Pollo is what you’ll want to order if you come here. I’ve been here several times and almost every single time I’ve gotten this dish… It’s delicious! Hands down the best Arroz con Pollo I’ve had in San Diego.
The dish is served with a side of black bean soup and a salad. The black bean soup is really good, but the salad is nothing out of this world. BUT the RICE… wow so much flavor, the chicken is very tender and well seasoned. This is a very popular dish because they usually run out of it by dinner time!
If I plan on going for dinner, I usually call around lunch time exclusively to ask them to please save me a serving of Arroz con Pollo for dinner. That’s how committed I am to their dish!
Besides their Arroz con Pollo, I’ve also tried their Ropa Vieja, which is shredded beef. Once again, just like the Arroz con Pollo, this dish is very flavorful. I do prefer the Arroz con Pollo though!
Also, I recently tried one of their batidos (shakes); Mamey, a pink fruit. The shake is not too sweet, so even better! My friend ordered it and she let me try it and I’m so glad I did. Next time I go, I will have to get my own! They have other flavors like Guanabana and Guayaba.
As far as the service, it’s a little bit on the slow side; maybe due to the fact that they usually only have one or two servers working. This place will sometimes get completely full and one or two servers doesn’t seem to be enough to serve the entire restaurant.
Other than the service, I believe that the food is absolutely delicious. I will definitely try something new next time I go. I’m so hooked on the Arroz con Pollo that I don’t even bother looking at the menu anymore. But I WILL try something new!
I’ve brought a couple of my friends so they can try the Arroz con Pollo and they have also loved it as much as I do. Definitely would recommend everyone go give it a try!

El servicio al cliente excelente. El pernil, arroz con gandules, amarillos, yuca frita, tostones y la ropa vieja espectacular!!! Buena localización y estacionamiento. Lo recomiendo!!!

I had to come here after I tried the empanadas at an event on campus… if the empanadas were tasty, I knew the food had to be good. As soon as we walked in, I could smell the goodness! Free chips and salsa… and a huge menu with so many good eats. i tried the roasted pork dish served with black beans and rice. I ate it all! every bite! The pork as cooked to perfection and paired perfectly with the rice and beans. I, of course, ordered empanadas to go and really enjoyed the food from this place. Ill definitely be headed back for more.
Parking is kind of difficult. The lot only has a few spots and street parking seems to be limited, so carpool if you are bringing a big group. There is a huge banquet room if you do have a big party and I know they cater. I’ll be sure to be ordering from this place for my next catering order.

I feel torn about Andres because some things were really good and some things needed some work so I’m going to split the difference with three stars. If I could, I’d even bump it up to 3.5 stars.
The evening started on a rough note as it took a couple minutes for us to be greeted. We stood awkwardly in the «lobby» and waited for someone to even acknowledge us. Once we were led to our table, we waited for another few minutes before a waiter approached us to take our drink order. The restaurant was pretty busy but it seemed like they were perhaps understaffed.
Once we placed our order and received the complimentary garlic bread, the evening started to improve. As big garlic fans, my boyfriend and I both loved the bread. Be warned though that you will smell like garlic for the rest of the night. We were watching a movie at home later in the night and I kept getting whiffs of garlic. :)
I ordered the Polla a la Plancha without the onions. Although the plate looks a little boring with just two chicken breasts and white rice, it tastes amazing! The chicken is cooked with lemon and garlic and had incredible flavor. My boyfriend was amazed at how quickly I, a typically slow eater, inhaled my food. Surprisingly, even the white rice had nice flavor. Not sure if it was just the lingering bits of garlic from my chicken or what but it tasted great.
My boyfriend, who is a vegetarian, didn’t have a lot of options on the menu. The vegetarian plate includes yuca con mojo and plantains with rice and beans. He thought that everything was just okay. I tried a bite of the plantains and was amazed by how sweet they were. A couple bites and I felt like my sweet tooth, which is quite small, was satisfied. He thought the beans tasted like they were from a can and that he could make better beans at home.

Combinación Ropa Vieja y Pollo Encebollado, plátanos maduro frito, Iron Beer, y flan!!! Yum!!!