La Bodeguita de Pico

Ran across this place again looking for new restaurant adventures and felt that I needed to comment. My company has about 100 sales people who we take out as a group several times a year, they eat and drink thereby running up a bill of several thousand dollars easily. Therefore I have been at some of the best restaurants as well as my favorites the real hole-in-the wall gems. I checked this place out by first ordering take out before I commit to actually going there. As I recall I ordered a chicken type dinner with the normal sides. When I got home and we opened the bag we were SHOCKED. three wing pieces. Now let me explain, not a chicken wing with a wing piece and drummet but only three small wing pieces and a scoop of rice and scoop of beans. The chicken left blood stains on the foam container it was so undercooked. My wife' s side who lived in Cuba was shocked. It was aweful don't chance it there are too many good Cuban restaurants in town to patronize rather than waste your hard earned money. Pros: Was not crowded, place was empty Cons: terrible food more

I went to La Bodeguita De Pico with a group of friends and we loved their Mojitos!! We ordered some snacks and had a great time! I believe this is a nice place to hang out and have a few drinks. more

My fiancee and I were looking forward to our first Cuban food experience. We had to seat ourselves because there was no one around. When we got there it was quite empty but it still took a while to get service. We ordered our food and it was delicious. However, they serve you your drink in a tube-like glass, after 3-4 sips you're done with your soda. And it takes a while for the waitress to come by. Eventually it gets fuller and there's still only 2 waitress/waiters serving 10-15 different parties. I think we waited longer for our check than the amount of time it took us to eat our food. We spent $75 for 2 people and we honestly didn't order much. It was a very disappointing experience and I wish I'd read the reviews first to avoid wasting my money and time there. Pros: tasty food Cons: everything else more

The Pierna de Puerco Asada is the best thing ever. It is completely authentic and as good or better than the Cuban food you can find in Miami. And you know a place is authentic when they serve papa rellenas. I have been several times and the food is always great. The wine and drink menu also have some gems. Definitely worth checking this place out. Pros: the FOOD more

We went to La Bodeguita de Pico for their advertised Salsa lessons on Saturday nights at 8 pm. When making the reservation, I inquired about the dance lessons and signed the four of us up. They suggested dinner at 7 to be ready for salsa lessons at 8, which was a bit early but we agreed to it for the sake of our salsa lessons. We arrived to a quiet restaurant with little decor. Our waiter was nice enough and we ordered, confirming our dance lessons at 8. Well, 8 o'clock came and went and we figured they were a little behind because there was no band or anything out yet. The food came and was mediocre. At 9 pm I asked the hostess, who was rude and not very smart, what happened to our salsa lessons. She shrugged and replied that the teacher "didn't show up." We asked for the manager and she went to get him. 20 minutes later, after asking again to see him, he made his way out. We asked about our salsa lessons. He shrugged and said the teacher "didn't show up...it's not my job to deal with the dancing." We explained nicely that we had come primarily for the salsa lessons, and he continued to shirk responsibility in spite of the fact that it was one of his staffers who took the dance reservation to begin with. He didn't offer anything to lessen our disappointment. He just repeated "it's not my problem." By that time, our waiter had long disappeared. We asked the busboy to get him. We finally made his way over 15 minutes later and mumbled something about being sorry but he was very busy. It took another 20 minutes to get our check (full price in spite of their unprofessional conduct at every level). We over payed and left, disappointed with what was supposed to be a special night of fun and dance lessons with friends. I wish the night had gone differently. There's a dearth of good salsa places in LA. In any case, for better food, better service, nicer staff and reliable salsa, go to El Floridita on Vine, and STAY AWAY FROM LA BODEGUITA DE PICO. Cons: FALSE ADVERTISING ON WEBSITE more

The service was fast and good, very nice people, whe went a Saturday at five o'clock we was no looking for show or music but yes for good cuban food, The black bean were very good, and the Pork excelent, but the rest like the chicken was dry, the Arroz con pollo no the best, the fry plantain the green called chicharritas o plantain chip where cold like they have been made yesterday, the mojo o salsa they served with excelent, lots of garlic like the Cuban like, The place is dark kind of and I felt sad instead of happy celebrating my BD there, overprice, sorry they have to low the prices, more

ME AN MY BOYFRIEND WENT ON OUR FIRST OFFICAL DATE AN WE LOVED IT WE HAD THE CHANCE TO BE SEATED BY THE OWNER HE WAS A SWEET HEART THE WAITER CAME OUT ASKED US WHAT WE WANTED TO DRINK AN TOOK OUR ORDERS THE FOOD ARRIVED IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME AN WAS A LARGE PORTION .THE FOOD WAS VERY GOOD MINES COULD HAVE HAD A LITTLE MORE FLAVOR BUT OVER IT WAS GREAT MY BOYFRIEND ON THE OTHER HAND GOT THE PORK CHOPS AN THEY WHERE ABSOLUTLY DELIGHTFUL OMG JUCY MOUTHWATERING THE MEAT JUS MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH .....I DONT KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER COMMENTERS BUT WE LOVE THIS PLACE AN PLAN ON GOING BACK I RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO EVERYONE BUT DONT TAKE IT FROM ME TRY IT YOUR SELF Pros: EVERYTHING WAS WONDERFUL more

I went this past weekend with my gf to check out the restaurant for the firs time. Went on Sunday around 5pm. Place was quiet except for the salsa class in the background, which did not bother us at all. Started with the pitcher of sangria and was a bit disappointed. The taste was great, plenty of fruit, but after we finished it, neither of us felt the least bit buzzed. But then the food came. I picked the churrasco and was very impressed. The amount of meat was generous and tasted great. My gf had the picadillo a la habanera, I can't comment on her dish because I did not taste it, but she said she liked it, not to mention that she's very picky about food. Overall, we loved the atmosphere, food was great, but sangria could have been stronger. We will go back and give them another chance. more

Went to this place with my wife last week and I couldn't believe how bland the food was. All that we could do was pour tobasco sauce on everything to try to save it. That was the first time I've ever seen my wife use tobasco sauce. The rice was dry and there was no alcohol in the overpriced (36$) pitcher of sangria. The table next to us said the same of their mojito pitcher. This place won't be around much longer. One day someone will catch them "forgetting" to put alcohol in their drinks. I must of stared at the bill for 10 minutes trying to figure out what happened and I never do that. This was probably a 50-60$ meal anywhere else but I was charged over twice that amount! What they don't tell you at the door is that there is a significant mark up on all of the menu prices whenever there is a live band playing. This is in the fine print on their website somewhere. The difference is pretty significant. For example on our bill: Arroz con Pollo goes from 14.95 to 19.95...Ropa vieja 13.95 to 18.95...papas rellenas 5.95 to 7.95...tres leches 6 to 8 and so on. EVERYTHING was marked up. We were seated at 9:45 and the band finished at 10. We got the bill at 10:55 and it was marked up by at least 40$ and the watered down pitcher of sangria was almost a third of the bill! As much as I wanted to not leave a tip due to the bad food and drinks I couldn't bring myself to do it - so dinner for 2 was over 105$ plus 20$ for the tip. The 5-star reviews could not be coming from real customers. Don't be fooled by the Cuban music and Cuban art on the walls. You will walk in smiling but will walk out of this place feeling cheated and hungry. more

Extrememly overpriced! Ordered a pitcher of sangria ($36.00) that tasted like it was made of kool-aid with the only 'fruit' being marachino cherries!!! There was no taste of wine at all in the sangria.Chicken was dry, plaintains over-cooked, and tres leches dessert from Costco! I arrived at 9:45pm on a Friday, ready to listen to some great salsa. At 10pm the band finished their session!!!! I was so disappointed. Did I mention that there was a homeless lady dancing around the restuarant and sitting down at different tables talking to anyone that made eye contact with her? I'm never going back. Dinner for two (nothing fancy) came to 100$ not including tip. The tables were wobbly with uneven legs and the menu was missing prices on many different items such as the $36 pitcher of kool-aid. When my husband told the waiter that there didn't seem to be any wine in the sangria the waiter brought out one single small glass of mango mojito for he and I to share as an attempt to smooth things over. We tried to have a good time but this place was so disappointing. We've been to a lot of restuarants and have had a few bad experiences but this is the first time that I've ever felt compelled to write a review. Maybe I can save someone's Friday night. Be careful with your free time and go somewhere else. Definetely pay more atttention to negative reviews than the positive ones. more

Went with a party of 8 on a Saturday night and was very excited to enjoy some good sangria & live music. The atmosphere was nice and the live band was very good (and loud, not good for conversation) but enjoyed them. A few people started dancing and & by this time I was expecting the sangria to kick in as I needed a little kick to get up and dance myself. Our food arrives & I ordered only a side order of tostones which were very dry & tasteless. You don't have to be an expert on Cuban food to tell these were just awful. Finally got up & danced with some friends & there was an instructor giving short individual lessons to help (I believe he was employed by the restaurant). Our party was ready to move on to our next hot spot as the bill comes & it was $380! That's not the shocking part (even though two of us ordered ONLY appetizers as a meal) the pitchers of sangria were $36.00 EACH which tasted like sugary fruit punch...didn't even catch the slightest buzz after a few glasses. Needless to say, I will not be returning. There are many other places to go for good cuban food & music -many of us in my party agreed. Pros: Street parking, good band Cons: Food, overpriced drinks more

I went to this restaurant about 3 months ago with a bunch of my friends. The food was bland, overcooked and did not live up to the decor and ambiance. The service was okay, at best. Would not go back. more

I went to la bodeguita the other night and I have to tell you this was probably the best cuban food i have had right next to my mothers food. I read all the bad reviews and I don't know whats wrong with these people. they don't know whats good cuban food if they had it in front of them. To start off the dinner we had the gran plato and that was delicious then i had the Ropa vieja. everything was perfect. the music was great and our server was charming. I do recommend this place to anyone who wants to have a real cuban experience Pros: valet, food, music, service, everything Cons: none more

Avoid this place unless you like overpriced, low quality food. We ordered the arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), the chicken was dry, the rice tasted like they cooked it in tap water. We also ordered the pork chops with black beans and white rice. The pork chops were a disappointment, the black beans were slimy, and the rice was Minute Rice!!! I know the price of rice is high right now but Minute Rice? Really? It was just not edible. Oh yeah, we ordered a pitcher of Mojitos with mango at the waiter's recommendation, it was ok, but certainly not worth $49.00 for a pitcher - that's right $49.00!! - and I didn't even get a buzz!! This place was a huge disappointment. more

not that I care for bodeguita, but in anyones defence that customer attacking Roberto failed to say that her party of 20 requested separate checks on a busy night...not to mention that she wanted her check compted because it was her husbands B-day...she did get a huge discount on their bill yet she wanted more...and all her friends did not tip, not because of bad service but because they were low class cheap people looking for a freebie. more

I just went to La Bodeguita de Pico tonight and it was such a great experience. I arrived before my friends and the staff was immediately friendly and welcoming - they asked if I'd like a drink while I waited in their very casual little front area. The place was fairly empty when I arrived except for a very lively dance class (salsa?) that was going on. The dance class continued throughout the course of our dinner and provided some of the best entertainment we could have asked for - not because of the dancing talent, but because of the carefree attitude exuded by those giving the fast steps their best go around. Dinner was excellent - I'm a novice when it comes to Cuban cuisine, but I LOVED it. The highlight though was our incredibly friendly waiter and wait-staff. He overheard us wishing our friend a happy belated birthday and when my friend went to the bathroom he asked if it would be alright if he brought us "cake, i mean, flan, for his birthday?" It was so sweet and unexpected since we were so full from the great food, but the flan was some of the best I've ever had. The dance class clapped along to "happy birthday" which just added to the sweetness of the moment. Loved it and definitely going back. Pros: Incredibly friendly staff, music, FOOD Cons: nothing more

I planned a Bday party for Vday 08' mainly due to the live music that was to be there for the holiday (told to me by the Manager Roberto 3 weeks earlier when i reserved) He told me my party could order anything from the menu but when we got there we had pre-printed menus on each plate for $50 pp. At 9 p. he tells us that the band got caught up in San Diego & are not coming. :( but one of the workers told me he knew earlier that week they were not coming. Needless to say this was the main reason a group of 20 of us came. I was very dissapointed and sorry that I chose this place to come, not one of my guests will return. One server actually told one of my guest that they were doing us a favor when she complained about her bill being overcharged! Wow never heard of that before. Please consider this review pple I read in prev. reviews the manag. & servers were rude IT IS SO TRUE after that who cares about the food which was so-so the only thing everyone liked was the rice and beans lol! So my hubby's special day was ruined. Pros: website is interesting but misleading Cons: Managment not confident of staff, very annoying tone more

My girlfriend and I drive by this place often, so we decided to try it out this past weekend. The staff were very pleasant, and we were seated right away on a Saturday night at 8:00 with no reservation. The prices on the menu were average for a nicer restaurant: $15-$22 per plate for the entres. I ordered a pork dish and my girlfriend ordered a chicken in orange sauce, along with a pitcher of their homemade sangria. The food arrived in plenty of time, but the servings were very small for the price. My pork was also very dry and came with no sauce (the menu said it was cooked in "Cuban sauce") and her chicken in orange sauce had a faint hint of orange, but otherwise was a very thin piece of chicken breast. The rice was ok and the plantains were good, but there were only two small pieces with each of our plates. The sangria was tasty and was a nice match with the food. Then the bill arrived... $73.78. Seemed very high for two plates and a pitcher of sangria. I doubled checked and the pitcher of sangria was $36. I asked the waiter because a I thought it was a mistake and he said that was the price. So if you're interested in average food, expensive drinks and nice atmosphere, La Bodeguita de Pico is your place. Me? I'll be eating elsewhere and going to Catalina's or the Baked Potato for my latin jazz fix. $36 for a pitcher of sangria??? Ridiculous. Pros: live music, nice decor Cons: overpriced drinks, small portions more

My friends and I went for a girl's night out on Saturday night at 7pm. Immediately upon arriving we noticed that the restaurant had no hostess. After standing around for 10 minutes, a guy wearing a Sopranos t-shirt asked us if we needed any help. We were seated 45 minutes later right across from the kitchen entrance. Ten minutes later the guy in the Sopranos shirt asked us if we had ordered yet, and we told him that we never received menus. When we received our food, we were EXTREMELY disappointed. The yellow saffron rice was hard, the chicken was cold and bland, the pork was chewy and dry, the plantains were shriveled and tough, there were red beans in the black beans and the mojito tasted like toothpaste. To top it all off we ended up paying $130 for food we fed to the dogs. We ordered an entree to go and the staff forgot to include the beans in the order. The staff also ended up throwing out food we intended to take home to the dog. Terrible, overpriced food. The live band was good though. Pros: Good live music Cons: Awful food more

After reading some reviews for this place, I made a reservation for 12 people for a birthday celebration - the staff was extremely friendly and they had everything already set up when we got there. It's a very small and quaint place - the decor was minimal, but pleasant. My biggest complaint would be the lighting - it was dimmer than "romantic lighting" dim would be. The food was pretty good, but it was my first time having Cuban food so I can't really compare it to anything. One of our dishes took really long to get on the table, but they compensated with free dessert for the person - and it tasted very good. There was a big surprise at the end of the night as we were leaving - they handed all women roses! All in all, an awesome experience and worth trying at least once! Pros: Friendly and efficient staff, delicious food, good dessert Cons: Very dim lighting making it difficult to see what even is on your plate. more