La Bodeguita Del Medio

I used to work in Palo Alto and go to this restaurant all the time! It was one of my favorites. I absolutely love their tortillas con pescado (fish tacos) and their grilled chicken breast sandwich. The cumin aioli on the sandwich just made it that much more delicious! Pros: Great food more

I have patronized this restaurant several times, due to the convenient location and the cigar bar. The food is so-so, not as good as one would expect given the prices they charge. The atmosphere is not bad, despite the cramped quarters. Most of the staff is friendly and helpful. Pros: Cigar Bar (with bad furniture and a crappy TV) Cons: Over-priced, unfriendly owners more

We've had dinner at La Bodeguita at least ten times in the past few years and have recommended to many. However this last visit on Saturday night was terrible. I ordered the Masitas - their signature dish. It was a smaller portion than normal; served in a bowl, not a plate; they eliminated the plantains which normally come with this dish; the dish was so spicey all I could taste was the spice, not the food; the server didn't even ask how we liked the food; and the bill was $75 for two. I believe they just raised their prices on top of the poor food and service. We will not be going back any time soon. more

""ropa vieha"" (sp?) is great and authentic. great atmosphere and a cigar lounge to boot. Really, really good (dam citysearch requires 100 character limit). Pros: great drinks, great food Cons: cant get busy more

This is a fun fun place to go if you're in a group. The food is pretty good, but like other spanish... more

This is a fun fun place to go if you're in a group. The food is pretty good, but like other spanish influenced places, can have a consistency prob... more

If you are looking for authentic Cuban cuisine, this is definitely NOT the place! This restaurant that prides itself on its history and association with Cuba really comes off as some Cuban/American fusion. I don't know if it's just indicative of Palo Alto, but I found the cuisine inauthentic and extremely pricey. I believe this may be the only restaurant in the world where ""Arroz con Pollo"" costs $16.00. Speaking of ""Arroz con Pollo,"" their rendition of this dish left a great deal to be desired. I found the food very bland, the rice and plaintain were dry and hard. Oh, the most disgusting part was that my plate was served to me ""lukewarm."" I was so put out that, in lieu of dinner, I ended up ordering a $9.00 appetizer plate of 3 empanadas which were actually quite tasty. The plating of the food was beautiful; I just wish equal effort had been put into the preparation of the dish. The service was mediocre. If you want REAL, reasonably priced Cuban cuisine, go to the city--your stomach and wallet will be pleased. more

We had gone as a group for a friend's birthday. Initially there were four of us, then two more added 20 minutes later, then two more 20 min after that. (We had informed them that there would be 8 total.) On a Tuesday night, we were seated promptedly as I would expect and a table for 8 was ready. Most of us ordered mojitos immediately and my husband and I personally thought they could have been sweeter. It was as if there was little or no sugar used to muddle the mint leaves; otherwise, drinkable. We all shared appetizers of crab cakes, fried potatoes and the spinach salad with goat cheese. All we delicious. My spicy pork with rice could have been a little spicier for my taste, but still great. My husband loved his tierra y mar. The birthday girl and husband were quickly informed that their snapper was out but they were glad to get mahi mahi in place of it and prepared the same way. Honestly we don't recall receiving bad service. Our main waitress was attentive and the water fillers came often. Decor was lively and warm. For 8 people the bill came to almost $3XX and we figured even for the two of us, it was about $90! Definitely something saved for special occasions like this. Would probably return again. Pros: Flavor, atmosphere Cons: Price more

My family and I came here for my birthday recently. I've been here before, and remember the food being pretty tasty. We were seated rather promptly but then 15 minutes went by without any service, then 20 minutes, and finally 25 minutes. By that point we were fuming! This is a relatively small restaurant, and waiters/waitresses were passing right by us without even making eye contact. We finally flagged down the hostess and asked to speak with a manager. She went and found our waitress who apologized profusely as she had forgotten that our table was hers. We were offered free appetizers and drinks, but my one problem is this: Wouldn't one of the 6 -8 wait staff members notice that there were customers in the restaurant who hadn't been attended to? One would think someone would bother to find out who was covering our table. Overall, the food was fairly good, but the service really tainted our experience. Pros: great drinks Cons: poor service more

I was pretty ambivalent about Cuban food until I came to this place. I LOVE La Bodeguita. It's a nice... more

I was pretty ambivalent about Cuban food until I came to this place. I LOVE La Bodeguita. It's a nice compromise of great food and great atmosphere... more

Amazing, amazing food here! Also has a great ambiance and great drinks. Has some healty options, but I usuall get tempted by their rich options instead (superb appetizer empanadas and mojitos!) Pros: Food! Mojitos! Ambiance! Amazing Banana Dessert! Cons: Prices add up quickly. more

I just went there for my 3rd time. The hostess is always friendly. I couldn't make a reservation for my 6 friends on a friday night because they were booked. However, I was craving their food and so decided to try my luck. The hostess seated us in the dining area right away, with the condition that we had to limit our dining time to an hour and a half (since there was a party that had booked that table). We didn't mind because it was ample time. The service was fast, the food was great as always, and the mojitos were great! more

After reading other reviews of this place, I have to agree that the service isn't always the speediest. With that in mind, I do think they have some good dishes like their Ajiaco which serves two and has lots of seafood as well as their empanadas. Something I learned for walk-ins. Keep your eye on the tables next to the long side of the bar. Those are first come, first serve. Otherwise expect a wait time of an hour and a half plus on weekends. For oyster lovers, I have to mention their oyster shooters with habanero rum. Make sure everyone at your table tries it. more

As an out of town visitor, I find La Bodeguita a great place to entertain clients. It consistently has a great neighborhood feel and is never stuffy. There are many choices on the menu and eveything is great. I always start with the santiago cooler and empinandas, which come with a savory slaw. For dinner my favorite choices are the paella, snapper or tierra y mar. I always have a side order of the boniato potatoes (TO DIE FOR...) Although they are walk-in friendly, it's best to have a reservation for the dining room. The bar is a great casual place to meet for drinks and appetizers, dinner if you'd like. The back room and patio are great for drinks and smoking, even though I don't smoke. My guests have always enjoyed themselves and the staff is always friendly and compitent. I highly recommend La Bodeguita for friends or business. Pros: food, staff Cons: crowded bar more

We tried to have a group gathering here several months ago, but the bar was much too crowded, we were pressured to buy entrees while seated at the table (we were having drinks and appetizers), and the service was poor. I've boycotted this place ever since. Cons: rude service, lack of bar space more

Went there for dinner with my husband. We're both Cuban and found the food to be pretty authentic although a bit pricey. If you want to save a bunch of money (our tab was $80 for 2 drinks, 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and 1 dessert), come over to my house and I'll feed you proper Cuban food! It has a very nice ambience and very good service. Pros: service, ambience, food Cons: price more

The guitar player was drinking tequila the evening my party dined. He set the ambience--time for great food with good friends. It is so difficult to find a restaurant that serves delicious food nowadays. La Bodeguita definitely fills my palates desires. The snapper and spicy pork were delicious; All elements on the plate melded deliciously together and stood alone well on their own. Bartender was friendly and not over attentive. Cuban Sidecar was the clear winner; Mojito lacked some depth maybe due to mass production; Santiago Cooler was not balanced (too fruity). The waiter was good but a little ditzy. Pros: Flavorful Food, Easy Parking, Great Ambiance Cons: Service Just Good more

I met a couple friends here for dinner. It was recommended by one of the friends joining me for dinner and I was really happy with it. The Mojitos were delicious, tart, and fresh. The food was delicious. Pros: Great bar, Good for large groups more

Maybe La Bodeguita del Medio has been in Palo Alto too long, perhaps it's the length of time it's been on the hot list, or maybe the wait staff was just having a bad night; but from the start to the finish this place annoyed us. It started with them telling us they were making a ""special exception"", which they could only do with manager approval, when we wanted to add another friend to our spacious 8 person table. It ended, after poor service all night, with them adding an 18% service charge to the bill and then taxing the whole thing! Pros: Ambience Cons: Service, Price/Value more