Latina Cafe Hours: See Profile   1972 Fairview St Houston TX 77019 713.521.2611 You might also be interested in these:     Coupons    Cuban Food    Food Delivery    Lunch Specials    Mexican Food Restaurants    Sunday Brunch    ZIP 77019 Profile Description: Latina Cafe was opened in 1968 and maintains an authentic Cuban menu. We have added a select Mexican item menu. The atmosphere is quaint and inviting. We do cater and accommodate parties for any occassion.   Add Review PROFILE Coupon   MY REVIEW: I returned to this cafe after a good initial experience with hopes of having some roast pork and tasty yucca with mojo. I was quick to find out that the restaurant was in disarray the night we visited: they ran out of MOJO!!! How a Cuban restaurant could be in this situation we did not understand. We ordered appetizers and entrees (without Mojo) and both came at an extremely slow pace. When the food finally arrived it was cold!!! We were afraid to send it back at this point, just finished our meals and left with disappointed stomachs. It seems like this restaurant was opened by a family a while back and now is just in total disarray, as if the owners have lost touch or do not care anymore. Both times we visited we noticed that the manager spent more time outside of the restaurant in a vehicle then inside actually helping out with the service or food issues of the restaurant. The saving grace both times during our visits to the restaurant was the sole waiter who made efforts to rescue the operation and was very apologetic. It is sad to see a restaurant with good potential go to waste like this. We hope someone comes to the rescue! NAME: Inner Loop Foodie SUBMITTED: 6/10/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: May/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: It was my first visit today and the food was excellent. There was only one person in there but thats all the restaurnat needs. It is not a place for people in a hurry or aren't flexible.I ordered my food to go and the lady was very polite but couldn't serve me a beer while I waited since she had not done the inventory yet.We worked between the language barrier and I did a lot of pointing at the menu. NAME: r SUBMITTED: 5/22/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/08 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Ambiance is tacky. NOT true cuban food. They get by on simple traditional dishes which are hard to mess up, like Boliche and Bistec Empanizado. But even those dishes were fouled up the last time I was there, the Breaded Steak had a fishy taste (same frying oil?) and the Boliche had fatty chunks that should've been cut off. They ran out of platanos maduros, lemons, limes, and when I went to pay the credit card machine wasn't working! THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE A CUBAN SANDWICH!!!! I could go on, but as a Cuban American living in Latina Cafe's neighborhood I really hope they aren't giving up. WIth such a great location, if the food was on point, that little dining room would be packed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But it sadly seems to be just getting by. NAME: Dante SUBMITTED: 4/2/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: April/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: The food is delicious - truly Cuban! I've been going there occasionally for a few years and it never disappoints. The lemonade is made fresh when you ask for it and you get a huge glass. There is only one wait person but that's all they need since its small and quiet. Great authentic Cuban food and great atmosphere. NAME: linda SUBMITTED: 11/14/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I went to this restaurant because it came up on this site under a search for vegetarian food. I was very disappointed as there are slim pickings as far as vegetarian food goes. Only 4 menu items are vegetarian. One appetizer, two salads, and black beans and rice with plantains. Nonetheless, I made the most of it and chose the black beans and rice with plantains and the avocado salad. Both were excellent especially the taste of the black beans. I will not be back as I am a vegetarian and there are less choices here than at a M*cDonald's as far as vegetarian fare goes (no I do not eat at M*cDonald's) However, I will say that based on the quality of what I had I am certain their other offerings must be very good. Atmosphere was good although they had this one Cuban song on repeat the whole time, which was annoying. When I mentioned it to the waiter he took that one song off of repeat and put on something other Cuban music. The service was just so-so, but not awful, as the other reviews have mentioned. I have requested that b4-u-eat.com remove the listing from the vegetarian category. NAME: Christopher B. SUBMITTED: 3/31/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/30/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I love this resturant! Food was great I had chicken smothered in onions and bell pepper, it was so juicy and spiced to perfection. The sangria not only looked beautiful, but you got a HUGE glass for only 4.95. The main thing that i liked about this resturant, is the fact that I discovered it while driving in my neighborhood, i thought the fact that it was smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood was quite charming. The music was good, authentic cuban son music, awsome. The service was slow, but there is only one wait person, it really didnt need more than one person, it's a small, quiet resturant, perfect for a date. NAME: Xochil SUBMITTED: 3/30/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: i love the food here. the ambiance is awesome and the food is authentic. The service is kind of slow but come on this is not a franchise its is family restaurant. they may owrk on service a bit but the food is awesome. I visit this place twice a week and the food is awesome. NAME: martinez SUBMITTED: 10/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: This place has really gone downhill. A friend of mine and I went for lunch. She specified no onions on her pork chops. I ordered from the Mexican side of the menu, the chicken tacos. We waited about forty minutes for the food to arrive. Hers came first - with onions! I got mine about five minutes later. The so-called tacos were taquitos, rolled up and fried, quite greasy and very little chicken in them. They came with "guacamole" which was extremely salty and a strange yellowish color. I think they only had one person back in the kitchen. Service was extremely slow, and the food just wasn't worth it. NAME: roo1 SUBMITTED: 9/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I have been meaning to try this restaurant for a while now since I often drive by it. I had the opportunity to do so recently and although I was not amazed, I am willing to give them another chance. I liked the ambiance (small, quiet) and it seems like a great place to take someone on a date if you want to have a quiet atmosphere for talking. I tried the fish filet and it was abit too oily for me. I was also surprised to see the small size of the portions considering the price ($8.95 or so). I would have overlooked this except that I was hoping to receive more than 4 plaintain pieces. However, I do plan on going back to try out their Cuban Sandwich. It is possible that fish isn't their strong point but hopefully their sandwiches are. NAME: Armchair Chef SUBMITTED: 9/10/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I am becoming disenchanted with this place. I once loved it; however, the last 3 times I've visited, I've had disappointments. First, the Cuban sandwich is one of their highlights. Both of the last two visits, we were unable to order one because of no pork, and then (yes) no bread. Even when we ordered something else, the service was sooooo slow.... and I'm very patient. Portions are starting to vary... banana chips one time are a platter, the next time a scoop. Chicken dish is one time a nice normal portion, and the next time, it looks like a sparrow. I truly wish that they would get their act together and deliver great service and consistent delivery of menu items. My Mother came in from out of town and I specifically took her here last weekend for banana chips and Cuban sandwich, and I asked right away about the sandwich since I'd been unable to order it the time before, and yes, I was told... no bread. Come on! We left. It was a favorite spot and now I'm reluctant to return. I hope the owner reads this and adjusts things. NAME: Sherry SUBMITTED: 7/11/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I have gone through the reviews and am so surprised about the people who have placed such a negative review about this place. I have been going to latin cafe since i got married and now i have 2 kids who are in high school. We all love this place and go there twice a month. I think the Floridans are very narrow minded and believ ethat only Floridans know the taste of cuban food and no one else does. I have lived in Florida for quite a while and this will surprise some but Cuban restaurants in Florida use canned food a lot anf i know this because my neice works as prep for a cuban restaurant in Florida. I know the family in Latina Cafe and they are very good people, trying to satisfy customer needs. I would say vist this restaurant food is really aesome and feels cozy. NAME: sugarlandeater SUBMITTED: 4/16/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I recently move to the neighborhood and found this place practically across the street from me. I was hoping it would be something that could feed me on those days where I just felt like being lazy. It has turn out to be more than that. I really like the food and it is reasonably priced. I find myself eating there for dinner or lunch a couple times a week now. Though this type of food is new to me, the wait staff knows their menu well enough suggest just the right dishes to try. I also like the fact that it is pretty small and quiet. I hate noisey restaurants with a passion. Being small, they don't have a large wait staff. This seems to get tricky at times when they have to seat people, take orders, bring out food, and ring up the checks. Somehow, they manage to keep everyone happy. I usually write reviews when I have a bad experience (see: A*laddin, B*ibas, A*mazon Grill), but Latina Cafe is a deserved exception. If you haven't tried it lately, I think it is definitely worth stopping in. NAME: Cliff SUBMITTED: 1/26/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Looking at many other cuban restaurant reviews here, I discovered Cuban cuisine and Jay Francis don't mix. It's a wonder how he can claim that this is the best Cuban restaurant in Houston when the vast majority of the Cubans even think the same as I do. Even more baffling is the award given to this place by the Houston Press some years ago. This restaurant has disgraced the cuisine by getting subpar ingredients, charging top prices, making the food taste bland, and changing the recipes to suit American tastebuds (or so they say). I stopped by this place three times during the past 2 years and I have to say that each time confirmed that this is the WORST Cuban restaurant I've ever been in. The WORST. And this is just about the food. NAME: jdnn SUBMITTED: 9/17/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I had always wanted to try this place and had the opportunity to do so today at lunch. I had largely the same service experience as Patrick below; one waiter served the entire room and while she was friendly, she was definitely harried. I started with a "Cubana salad" and I was taken aback by how "supermarket-y" the ingredients were. Julienned strips of packaged cold cut ham and equivalent quality cheese (Jack? mozzarella? couldn't tell, but there was also plenty of Kraft Parmesan) topped a mound of iceberg lettuce, a couple of tomato wedges and lots of canned olives. Oil and vinegar were offered, but adding them to the salad only left a watery mess at the bottom of the plate. My entree was a roasted eye of round with a tomato sauce, rice and beans. The beans weren't canned but were unremarkably prepared, while Patrick is spot on about the Uncle Ben's rice. Now, the meat was slow roasted and extremely tender, and the tomato sauce (of the canned stewed variety) with chunks of potato was satisfying. The three bay leaves I pulled from my entree gave the dish some added flavor. The dish was accompanied by two kinds of plantains: the sweet ones lived up to their name (and were good) while the green ones were flattened, prepared like fried green tomatoes, and were flavorless. My server was friendly, but I was jarred by the check... all this with tea came to about $15. Pricey given the general quality of the ingredients. Well, I'm glad I tried the place, and if someone suggests it on their dime in the future I won't argue, but this is not a restaurant I'm dying to go back to on my own. NAME: Jim A. SUBMITTED: 9/8/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: Sept. 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Small & quant with a mom & pop feel. Found this place on Houston Press’s “Best Cuban”. Food is simple, presentation is neat. Not crowded but just 3/4 capacity may overwhelm the usually one waiter. Try the banana chips with garlic sauce. Be prepared for Uncle Ben-like rice with choice of different types of meats, fried bananas & beans (I always trade for extra rice). The chicken/pollo is not bad but consistency is not always there (sometimes dry, sometimes perfect). I would definitely come back though. NAME: Patrick N SUBMITTED: 6/29/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Very good Cuban food and rarely crowded, probably because it's somewhat hidden in the middle of a neighborhood. Don't order off the menu without asking about the daily special. They now serve breakfast on the weekends starting at 7:30. NAME: KUZ SUBMITTED: 6/23/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/05 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Quality of the food is inconsistent and often over-salted. I have eaten here about five or six times over the past two years and the quality of the food has not improved. The best dishes are their sandwiches and the staple items, such as black beans, fried plaintains, yuca, etc. The meat dishes continue to be a disappointment. NAME: WB SUBMITTED: 5/8/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/05 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Hey this place is awesome. However the place is old but the food and service is very good. The fod has the same flavor as it was when it first opened in 1968. Not many people know about this place cause of its location but this place is certainly worth time and money. the food is very hommade style and has a real touch of cuban flavor. I have been to other cuban restaurants in houston but none like latina cafe. If u are visiting this review to go there, i definately recommend this place. I alos read other reviews on the page for people who had very bad experiences. I am sorry for them. I and 12 of my freinds are going there for years and this place rocks. Try it. NAME: awesomefood SUBMITTED: 4/8/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Wow, I was shocked at how bad this place was. I should have believed the other reviews! We started off with empanadas and yucca, then husband had beef steak, I had chicken soup and salad. Everything was really bad. We will never ever ever go back. Also, service wasnt bad...just weird. Both waiters acted "confused" the whole time. NAME: WLYB SUBMITTED: 3/4/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/05 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I just wanted to say that this place in great, the food is authentic cuban... I'm sorry about the bad experience of the other people who eat there, but but, I whent to another restaurant and the food was japanese, when the waitres came to me I asked her, what part of Japan are you, she laught and said I'm not from Japan, I'm from china, and the cooks are from Salvador, every body here is from difrent countries no one here is from Japan. Whe she said all that I thought well we are in a mix culture country and even if the cook is not japanese the restaurant is, the same thing happened in a mexican place cooks were from central america, and in an Indian restaurant cooks were mexican. Not because of all this I will talk bad about those restaurants. People whom express this way about this places should just stop going if they don't like the place, but what they do is to stop others from experience the good food they have in this restaurant, only because they want others to make them happy, I'm cuban born and raised in cuba and the food is like may mother used to make, the arroz con pollo is not, but I talk to the cook about it and understood her reason, which was: the recipies are the same since the original cubans opened this place and the way the arroz con pollo is made is because we live in USA and 80% of the clientele are white people and mixing the rice together with the chicken is not common in this part of usa. all the ingridients are used the same way as the dish is made and the taste is excellent. The waiter is not to welcoming but I whent for the food. I talk to the owner about that also. everithing else is just like in my moms kitchen. Guys try this food...! NAME: Cubanito-Oriente SUBMITTED: 12/31/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Small quiet place - Cuban food was marginal, pork was dry, black beans were bland, maduros (sweet fried bananas) were too green when fried so they were not sweet and too tough. Tostones (double fried bananas) were OK but a little soft. Cuban food has a taste all of it's own, Pork should be dry but not too dry, with a hint of garlic and oregano. Beans should be tasty but not overwhelm the main dish. The sweet maduros should compliment the rice & beans. Can't recommend as excellent Cuban food - marginal at best. NAME: ibecuban SUBMITTED: 5/18/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I live just down the street and went to that place simply because of the convenient location. I may have been there 3-4 times, and every time I was somewhat unimpressed. The food is nothing special, the service is the same. If this is a typical Cuban food, then I am certainly not a fan of it. One time I ordered beef, and pretty much sure was served pork, so much that dish resembled pork, that I had to argue with the waiter. Of course, he won. Overall, it is a poor quality for such high prices. NAME: Tatiana SUBMITTED: 1/23/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2003 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I had cuban food at this small cafe two or three times, and everytime the foos was great! I was in Florida for two full months. The food there was surprisingly not as GOOD AS LATINA CAFE. The service needs improvemnet, but the food is definately to eat again! NAME: Iton SUBMITTED: 12/22/2003   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2003 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I found this website while browsing for places to plan for my Christmas dinner and am very dissapointed with review submitted by Cook Cuban and El Cohiba. For sure these were written by same person whom undoubtedly lack of taste for great Cuban food. Bake Chicken happens to be my favorite dish and from what I have observed, has been Latina Cafe's best seller. The chicken is so tender and seasoned just right with a little tangy flavor, topped with grilled onion. Absolutely mouth watering !!!. What is that comment about garlic souce pured over plantain chips ?. I always get the garlic sauce served in a small salsa bowl. NAME: bakechicken SUBMITTED: 12/22/2003   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2003 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Excellent authentic Cuban home cooking !!!. I have tried pratically every dishes on the menu. Bake chicken, every Saturday house special roast beef and paella (you are lucky when this dish is on house special)are definitely my favorite. NAME: Lovegoodfood SUBMITTED: 12/22/2003   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2003 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY