Sabor A Cuba Restaurant

Being Cuban and from Miami, I was excited to find this place. It was a quaint little hole in the wall. Empty when we got there. Decor was cute and charming. We ordered the Sampler Platter and 2 cuban sandwiches. Empanada was GREASY and meat didnt even look like ground beef, Papas rellenas meat was also very poor quality, Cuban sandwich was stuffed with ham and pork, but not flattened like a real cuban, was hard to even bite into it. Pricey, probably wont be back if I can find another cuban place. Service was slow, even with us being the only people in there.. more

I had the best Cuban food ever at sabor a cuba the service was very good the waitress made me feel like i was in Cuba it was very authentic (mama is a great cook) the atmosfear is very romantic and the price of the dinners you cant beat I LOVED SABOR A CUBA . more

We read the other reviews before going and weren't expecting much, so we were happily surprised by the food and the service! They could definitely use a busser or two, but we received average service...nothing to complain about, and it did get fairly busy. The food was great, especially the rice and beans. The Cuban sandwich was delicious and my partner's steak was quite tasty. We also tried the croquettes and they were interesting, although good. There may be better Cuban places in Chicago, but the major selling point for us is that it's walking distance from our Uptown condo (and god knows we need nice places in Uptown!) Additionally, the price is really reasonable and it's BYOB! Pros: Great authentic Cuban food, cozy ambiance more

Thought the food was decent, not good. Had the cubano sandwich and found it to be quite average. Highlight of the meal were the black beans. The service was atrocious, we had a rather large group (15 people), were given 3 menus for the table, 10 water glasses, and were yelled at when we asked for another bucket to put our beers in. It took 3.5 hours for us to eat there. When the bill came, we got into an argument with the waitress over whether or not gratuity was included, because there were some mysterious charges on the bill, not really sure if they screwed us or not. Overall, my impression was an experience I would not want to repeat. Much better places to go to throughout the city. I would go to Caro Mio next door 20 times, before returning. Pros: Cheap, Black Beans Cons: Service!!!!!!! more

Wanted so much to like this place; close by to my new Ravenswood Condo; atmosphere looks appealing; and it's BYOB. But, alas, portions were small and uninspiring, sauce for my Tongue in Cuban Creole Sauce tasted like Dung; the black beans side was a small cup of mostly liquid; and service was abysmal -- never got a water refilled, never offered ice for our Sangria (lucky we actually brought a small baggy of ice for ourselves), and though only 2 other tables occupied, took 20 mins to get anyone's attention to get the Check. Sorry, but there are far better restaurants in this genre. (See my review for Cocina Degalarza) Pros: Nice Atmosphere; BYOB Cons: Small portions; uninspiring more

I live about 8 blocks east of Sabor a Cuba but had never been; so when a co-worker suggested a team dinner here, I was pretty excited. We had 6 p.m. reservations on a Friday and the place was already pretty busy; there was a steady stream of customers throughout the evening. The food was quite good! I had the Boliche, which was so tender I could cut it with a spoon. The black beans were awesome as well, and I really enjoyed the plantains. Other members of my party had the oxtail stew (reported as delicious), the grilled pork chops (OK), the garlic shrimp (which was a REALLY tiny serving), and a meal of the tamale/papa relleno/empanada (good). The atmosphere was fun and lively, but our waitress was pretty odd -- she asked us to share menus because they were running short, and only gave 3 of the 6 of us any water because they were running low on water glasses. I also got the distinct impression that she didn't care one way or the other how we were enjoying our meal. Pros: Steak dishes seem to be quite good, delicious beans and plantains Cons: ABSOLUTELY AWFUL service, unable to make a Cuban sandwich more

Love the food here. The owner is quite the talker about Cuba, the yuca encebolla uhhh so good. Thats yuca with onion, and the ropa vieja (shredded meat) was sooo good with the typical white rice and black beans, Finished at the end with a cafe' cubano. Cuban Coffee. Beyond real! highly recommend. Pros: REAL CUBAN FLAIRE Cons: Parking is a bit tedious. more

Been to this place a couple of times. The food is very filling and fulfilling. A bit pricey but worth every penny. The Owner is very nice. Always friendly and welcoming. A great favorite is the Breaded Chicken with Black beans and rice. ( don't forget about the fried platains on the side) Delicious!!!! Very romantic place. Just celebrated my anniversary there in April. Highly reccommended!!! Pros: Friendly Staff, Romantic atmosphere Cons: No Parking more

i've been to sabor a cuba a handful of times, and i preferred it over more flashy cuban places. in the summer it has nice outdoor seating, it's byob, and the waitstaff is always perfectly nice. order the ropa viejo, it's great. more

The service here is horrible. We waited over 1 hour for appetizers while people who came in after us were served promptly. When we respectfully asked the waitress how much longer it would take for our dinner, she sent the owner over. When we explained that it seemed as though we were waiting too long, he literally yelled at us and told us that all customers are expected to wait at restaurants. We were so insulted that we got up to leave, and he shooed us out yelling at us the whole time about how he didn't need our business, then proceeded to slam the door in our faces. This is no exaggeration. I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone. Cons: service, owner, customer relations more

I've been to this restaurant several times. The food is excellent, probably the best in the city, but the service is always TERRIBLE. It's SOOO slow. My biggest issue is that the place is always EMPTY and the service still stinks. I recommend calling for take out! Pros: Delicious Food, Ambiance/music, Location Cons: SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE more

The food is okay...speaking from a Latin point of view but the service is HORRIBLE!! The waitress will ignore you, bring your beverages once you've finished you meal and oh yeah never check on you in between to see if you need anything! When she gives you the wrong bill she'll tell you to just subtract the amount that you shouldn't be charged as if she were actually busy attending to the customers!! They seem to think that they're doing you a favor by allowing you to come in and spend your money there .... and one should be happy they've been priviledged!!! Will NEVER go back. Pros: decent food, fairly priced Cons: , lacks ambiance more

I've eaten there a few times now, because the food is good and I wanted to see if the service would improve. It hasn't. The waitstaff seems like they don't care about whether there are people in their restaurant or not. Each time I have gone, I have waited ages to order, ages for the food, and even longer just to get the check, and for everything I have needed we have had to get up to physically get the waitress. She ignored all motions and signals. They are oblivious! It's no longer worth my patience. If you want great Cuban food and better service, try Cafe La Guardia on Armitage. more

Very good Cuban place that is a great place to have a meal with friends. Very attentive wait staff, very good food, and nice setting. The daily specials were fabulous. Good appetizers. more