Review Mambos Cuban Cafe - Jacksonville

My uncle recommended this place and stated it was the best cuban food in town. We had the 6 empanadas for our appetizer. Yes. 6. 2 chicken, 2 beef, and two guava & cheese. (Also ordered 6 more to go 🤸‍♀️🤫) Honestly, I could've probably canceled my order and been fine with just the empanads and the tasty salsas,....♡ at first taste.🥴🤤 Fried pork chunks were a 🤏 dry. I'm used to them being crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Overall, it was not bad and still very delicious. The waiter was super attentive and very sweet.

We ordered a sampler appetizer that didn't disappoint, it was all delicious. Main dish I ordered the Lechon Asado was super tender and very tasty. They also serve draft beers.

Authentic and tasty Cuban sandwich. Relaxed atmosphere. Friendly and helpful staff. Large portions. Could easily split the sandwich at $13.50. Will try again!

Stopped in a week or so ago. Been to this place about 5 or 6 years ago and could never remember the name but after finally finding it and being the area had no choice because I wanted steak. My wife had the coconut shrimp and fries. The shrimp were so good and the dipping sauce was sooo delicious. Fries were crispy and so enjoyable. Myself ordered the Palomilla steak and o-m-g I was not disappointed. The steak was perfectly cooked and the rice was amazing. Everything about this meal was worth it. Love this place would come back in a heartbeat.

First time here we are passing through and decided to stop here. Very nice place. Great atmosphere. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. 👍🏻

Fast and friendly service in a comfortable setting. Amazing food! Great prices!

Stopped in for lunch and was thoroughly impressed! Veggie wrap was delicious. Swapped black beans and yellow rice for french fries and was happy that I did. The rice ideas perfectly cooked and the beans were very flavorful. You would not be disappointed stopping by.

Sorry for the half eaten food photos! The food was really good and had really good flavor. They gave us so much food we couldn’t finish it. I called back to find out if the potato balls had beef or pork. They actually called back to make sure I didn’t want to go lace an order. That was so thoughtful! I truly appreciated that! Great service, excellent food. We’ll definitely be back.

My daughter & I adore this place. They have delicious food & incredible service. Gloria always provides a memorable experience with love & uplifting energy. Thankful for this beautiful restaurant in the community.

Sweet Cuban cafe on Beach Blvd gives you all the feels of Cuban cuisine. Loved the atmosphere and roominess. Service by Gabrielle was good .. not always easy serving an 8 top but other than us not knowing what we ordered and some immediate confusion everything else went smoothly. Food was tasty and his recommendations were spot on. Happy I got out if my comfort zone and ordered Camarones Enchilados, shrimp sautéed in peppers and onions and prepared in a house made creole sauce. We also ordered salads, sandwiches and empanadas.. all very yummy. Black beans and rice with fried yucca and the cilantro house sauce was also impressive. Go. Enjoy! Deliciosa!

The food and service here were amazing! We all tried something different, and each dish was delicious. I had the Mambos Chicken Salad and we shared a side of tostones.... both were great!

Our company had lunch catered into us today from Mambos. Absolutely amazing. Can't wait to visit the restaurant with my family. Absolutely delicious!

I am reviewing this location based on their catering services. I chose Mambos Cuban Cafe as my catered food for my vow renewal event and worked with Stephanie and her team. I am so happy with the services and food I received. First, Stephanie was very helpful and made changing and confirming my order so easy. Second, they give you soooo much food and to top it off, it is delicious. My guests were so pleased and kept complimenting the food all night. We ordered two appetizers (mini empanadas and potato balls) and they disappeared SO fast, we loved them. The entrees were insanely good and we had food left over which was a plus. They delivered the food to our venue and helped explain set up. Everything was perfectly packaged and delicious. I highly recommend them for catering!

absolutely yummy! our server was so kind as well. would highly recommend this place 😊

Yucca Fries delicious! All the food was yummy 😋 quick and easy on the pocket book!!

Is a great place to come for Cuban food. Gets busy Sunday afternoon but worth the wait. Menu is through a QR code. Prices are reasonable more on the high side but quality is great. Service is 5 start same as the people working. A bit wired because entrance is on the side of the building and through the front you will exit.

Never disappointed… The food is always amazing and always wow.. Everything so far I have try ( almost the whole menu) good and amazing flavor.. Service something can be lacking on speed..

We were on a mission for empanadas. A friend gave us the recommend... so we drove over listening to "Latin night" on jazz night in America. Once we pulled up to the correct parking lot, we noticed it was packed (which is good for 8pm). There was one space available at the store front. We walk in, the decor was comforting. You had a mix of pollo tropical meets mom and pop sandwich shop. We were thrown off with the dedication to the Italian cuisine in the name (and menu), but the mural put us to ease that we were going to get some authentic Cuban food. Sitting took a minute (they were packed remember). All kinds of groups/parties, feel free to come as you are. Put your active listening ears on, cause some accents are purposefully heavy w/ the music in the background. Menu is straight forward, Espanol nombres para las comidas, English explanation of contents. We had the empanadas first and struggled to decide what meal to share. We ended up with the masitas de puerco fritas $13. The empanadas are priced small $6 for 4 or large $8 for 6. Flavors are beef (ground), chicken, and guava & cheese (cream cheese). The empanadas are pretty good. They are served piping hot (be careful), don't use a fork. The texture is great, nice and crispy shell exterior, not oily or greasy, wonderfully chewy and aromatic on the inside. The beef tastes excellent, and you get several attempts to pin point the flavor of the tomato mixture. The chicken however is a so-so and not nearly enough in there. The guava ave cheese is similar to a toaster strudel in flavor and texture, but a great dessert option. These were so delicious we got 3 of tHe beef and guava to go. The masitas de puerco fritas came out on a platter with your choice of white or yellow rice, black beans (I didn't hear the options) and plantains (I didn't hear the other options again), the lightly fried pork is in a bowl lightly covered in onions and vinegar broth. The pork chunks were crispy and moist, I could have done with less/no broth. The sides are sides, not much flair. All in all a very good meal, attentive service, vibrant atmosphere for a Saturday night. Even the receipt was on point, with the pre-calculated tip options, 15%,18%, or 20%. I definitely recommend giving it a shot.

This was our first visit and wow is all I can say. Top notch service from the moment we stepped foot inside and our server Gerardo was awesome. He was extremely nice, well trained and professional. The kitchen staff gets another huge rave because everything that was put on the table was cooked to perfection. Thank you for the wonderful experience, we will definitely be back again and would recommend this place to anyone. I hope you all have a Happy New Year!!

My favorite restaurant, and the second year we've gone to Mambos for Mother's Day. The food was amazing as always, wouldn't expect anything less. The staff were very friendly and attentive despite the fact that the restaurant was extremely busy. I've never been disappointed and would eagerly recommend Mambos to anyone wanting to try out a different place to dine.

I like french fries and Yuca frita but most places hand you a plate of greasy food. Mambos' food is the opposite: the fries and yuca have a crunchy exterior with a soft center; not greasy. The food is truly authentically Cuban with the rich flavors of my heritage. The service was excellent. Successful wishes from Miami.

Absolutely delicious. After visiting Key West and getting my first taste of Cuban food, I couldn't get enough. Mambo's surpassed every expectation of taste I could think of. The Cuban coffee was to die for. Thank you for being a local opportunity to enjoy Cuban food-- you guys do such a great job!

The owner is a good friend of mine, and my wife. his food is amazing he catered for our wedding best food we have had in a long time if you want a awesome meal need to eat at mambos always guaranteed great food

Visited yesterday for the first time and ordered the Mambo Cuban Sandwich, although the taste was great I got disappointed not by its size but for the small portion of meat in this huge sandwich for $9.99, even though I won’t be ordering it again I will go back to try so other items in their menu.

Over priced. 24$ for a coffee and a breaded chicken breast. No lime. No onions. Not even a toast to go with it. The chicken was. Dry. The tostones were cold and soggy. I would not recommend them at all. Just from this one trip I’ve gotten better food from a chain then this place the coffee was burnt

Really dispointing after many years, and sadly we don't recommended it! We come to this place pretty often and never had a bad experience UNTIL TODAY, and wouldn't leave a BAD review if it wasn't for also the BAD service we received, today they lost a family of loyal customers. 1.- We ordered: empanada basket, Cuban burrito and Churrasco a la parrilla, they took FOREVER which we understood even when it was not busy at all (9.00pm). 2.- After a while...they brought the WRONG empanadas (we ordered 2 chicken 2 guava, they brought 2 beef 2 guava). Again we understood as we were starving and didn't want a wait another 30 min (No apologize received at all). 3.- The Churrasco arrived (WITHOUT the side of plantanes), for the 3rd time we understood and just nicely reminded the waitress about it (She eventually brought them but 0 apologies). 4.- Then the meat in the Churrasco was just HORRIBLE, told the waitress about it, she "told someone in the kitchen" but no apologies received. I really really tried to eat it since I hate wasting food and it was almost 10pm so of course I was starving, but I had to chew each bite for several minutes and try to swallow it with water (which was also never refilled it) until I couldn't take it anymore and ran out of water, I felt like a was chewing gum, so I decide just to eat the rice and the beans. When the waitress finally showed up, I told her AGAIN that the meat was overcooked and impossible to eat. So this is what she did: -Took my plate in a really aggressive way (which kind of surprise me since I was still trying to eat at least the rice and beans) and then brought us the check, WITHOUT offering a new dish, another item on the menu, cancelled the really bad Churrasco from the check, or at the very LEAST an APOLOGY for the waiting time, the wrong empanadas, forgetting the side of plantanes, and the terrible meat in the Churrasco, NOTHING! Really bad experience.

The food reminded me of the Cuban food I miss from Miami delicious. The Cuban sandwich is tasty and the Churrasco is season well and delicious. Black beans are flavored, do NOT taste like they came out of the can. To top it all off the cordatito (spelling?) Was just the way I love it and my sister loves the cafe con leche. We travel from Crystal River,which is 3 hours away on the west coast, to take my sister to the Mayo Clinic, and we come to MAMBOS every time to get our Cuban fix.

Overall experience was memory making. The warmth and authentic feel of the environment and the first impressions from parking lot to the inside aesthetic and comfort is nothing short of superb. The staff was cordial, professional and well displayed in their spotless uniforms to represent as the establishment’s brand ambassadors. The food was seasoned perfectly and once digested a party of flavors that compliment made the tummy dance with glee. This is a true customer centric place and you’ve earned the 5 star rating. Continued success and loyal patrons.

I love this place! Great food, huge portions, and awesome customer service. Worth the drive from Riverside.

Went there with some friends after it was recommended by one of them. I loved the food, the café con leche was amazing. Great service. It hasn’t been easy to find good Latino restaurants, so I will definitely go back, specially I to taste the Cubano Sandwich!! Comida sabrosa, excelente servicio, lo recomiendo 100%

This was my first experience with Cuban food and I must say that it was phenomenal!! My family and I absolutely loved it and we will definitely be back before we leave Jacksonville!

I really didn’t care for the ham croqueta or yellow rice! The bread for the Cuban sandwich was very good! I will not visit it again.

This is honestly one of my favorite restaurants in Jax. I try something new every time I go in and it’s never a disappointment. The food is always delicious.