Reviews for La Bodeguita del Medio in Palo Alto, CA
I loved this place for many years as a vegetarian. Then I went vegan and hadn't been in quite some time. I tried it again... recently since the start of the pandemic and they now have a couple of really tasty vegan options. And the drinks are deliciousand authentic. Plus the vibe is always super cool and the staff is great. Read more
Dragged my Cuban husband here for happy hour, will not ever return, because the food is not of good quality. (Also, for those... looking for authentic Cuban food, this is not it.) After trying their too salty foods, we puffed up, our eyes are very puffy(like when you eat high sodium ramen late at nite). It was very empty at around 4, but guess they fill up later, because we weretold we have to vacate our table by 5:30 pm. The server really pushed the brand new cocktail that he said was so new, it wasn'teven on the menu, so I gave it a try. It was a watery orange juice. We ordered two items from the happy hour menu (chicharronesand calamari) and from the regular menu the croquetas, empanadas, and yuca fries. We did specify no beans (????we are alwaysgetting, what you're Cuban and you don't eat beans? What you're Asian and you don't eat rice?) Server decided we were just goingto have the empanadas plain, even though I tried twice to tell him we did want the purple cabbage slaw that comes with theempanadas, just not the black bean salsa or coconut sauce (we don't like coconut meat/milk/flavor, although we do like freshcoconut water). The calamari was so incredibly salty, tiny and dry, possibly freezer burn. The amount of salt coating thecalamari burned our mouth, there was just so much salt. The yuca fries were not fried crisp, but soft and chewy. All the sauceswere mayo but the yuca fries came with a thin bbq sauce that tasted like watered down mexican chipotle. The empanadas were verypiggy, I could not eat them due to the smell. It kind of looked like a wet mushy, ropa vieja stuffing. My husband braved therancid manteca odor, tried it and said it was mushy, very salty, and he got some chunks of pure fat. The chicharrones arrivedalong with lemon wedges that we would have liked with the calamari. Rubbery dark pinkish meat, not as salty, would not describethis as chicharrón but as fried pork cutlet pieces. We flagged one of the many employees to can Read more
Seafood Ajiaco was delicious. Creamy sauce with mussels, shrimps and lobster tails.
This place surprised me by the variety of food. They have a good selection of seafood and chicken dishes. Among drinks, J.S.P.M... is one of the best. Quality of service is something that's a huge plus to this place. Authentic cuban food and excellent serviceand this place is definitely a must if you are a seafood lover. Caribbean curry is a must try dish, because the spice level isbalanced to the perfection Read more
Great selection of mixed drinks and craft beers to go with all the delicious food. The appetizers are fairly small, so you... should probably only split between two people. There's so much flavor in each bite and it's impressive the number of elementsthey are able to combine well on one plate. The entrees are very large and most of the people in my group were stuffed by theend of the main course. There's also a handful of desserts as well as post-dinner wines. Cigars are available to top off thenight! Read more
You cannot go wrong with anything on this menu! They're known for their mojitos which did not disappoint and every entree we... tried was phenomenal. Our friend who is a long time guest said it's one of those places you want to order the same thing becauseit was so good but you have to try everything else too otherwise you'd be missing out. Wait staff also took great care of us!Highly recommend the crab cake appetizer as well as the chocolate rum cake for dessert. Will definitely make trips back here. Read more
Excellent authentic Cuban food. It was worth the price. We tried a wide variety from their menu, including dessert. I would... definitely go back again. Read more
Unfortunately, I have to give this restaurant one star. I've had Cuban food in both Miami and LA, and this place was so far off... the mark that there's no comparison. The croquettas had nothing but potatoes in them. The $16 shrimp ceviche was the size of ateacup. The yuca fries were $8 for 6 tiny, not-crispy-at-all pieces. The pork chunks were extremely dry. The only saving gracewas a decent, but not exciting, ropa vieja. The flavor profiles in all dishes was mediocre at best. I could do better watching ayoutube tutorial. Cherry on the top? 5% charge (yes percent) for eating in the restaurant and minimum 18% tip on their defaulttip options. Lol, no. Read more