Club Cayo Coco

I’ve never eaten at Cayo Coco but this used to be our go to place for birthday parties back in the day. It was never packed so it was perfect for our group to take over. The DJ would take requests and that was awesome.

I’ve lived in the city for years and have visited more restaurants than I care to recount. But Club Cayo Coco is one of the few places we revisit over and over again. The food is wonderful. Both our main courses were cooked perfectly and had excellent flavor profiles. The service was excellent and quite friendly. And you can pretty much always get a table. The atmosphere is trendy but NOT pretentious. Good value for what I spent and I will gladly come back here again. Simply a GREAT restaurant!

So we went on a week night. It wasn’t busy at all. But it was great for us as we had the entire 2^nd floor to ourselves. Sat at window. The restaurant is very cozy. Loved the look of the place. We had amazing service but then again, it wasn’t busy. Our waiter gave us some good suggestions. We went with the tapas and ordered maybe 7 – 8 dishes. I’d say, 2 of them I would order again. The food came fast which made me think that some of these dishes must had been prepared ahead of time rather than prepared fresh. The squid was our favourite. They have a big martinis list. We tried a few and they were yummy. I’d return for the drinks. And perhaps to try out the paella.

I was drawn by the claim that they have the best mojitos. Not true. And nobody comes here. And they charge cover for an empty bar? Good thing I had great company. Nice bartender. Friendly enough staff, but there a million (literally) places I would go before going here again.
Thank goodness for places like these that give me a reason to hand out one-​stars…
Oh, the place had a funny smell too.

My gfs and I were looking for a tapas place and CayoCoco came up on the search. We decided to check it out since we were in the area.
This place was AWESOME and I LOVE the crab cakes! =)
These are some of the items we had:
— bread with dips: bread was served warm and soft, the red dip (I think pico de gallo) was really tasty, also served with a white dip (maybe garlic?)
— crab cakes: best crab cakes I’ve ever had, crispy on the outside, soft and super crabby on the inside
— marinated mussel dish: seafood was very fresh and dressing was perfect
— mushroom dish: very flavourful and fresh
— seafood paella: I think this is one of their signature dishes, the tables around us ordered this as well and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Loaded with lots of seafood and presentation was great
— mojitos: defintely the ‘best mojito on this side of havana’ as stated on the front board of the restaurant — highly recommended!

This place is a complete shit show.
My friend fondly remembered a nice meal at this place, so we booked it. Upon arrival she realized this wasn’t the same place, but we ventured in anyway as we were starving and beyond caring. I wish we hadn’t.
The menu has a nice looking selection of Spanish tapas. Everything sounds good on paper. Unfortunately, everything we ordered was clearly prepared in advance and then reheated as they brought it out. It came out way too fast.
The service was a hot mess. There were 3 waiters working feverishly to serve all the tables. Clearly they had no manager on hand, because the waiters were not assigned specific tables and they all tried to tag team everything. As a result, we were asked 4 – 5 times if we wanted to order drinks, if we were ready to order food, if we wanted the bill, etc etc. The waiters were so busy they forgot many of our requests for drinks, etc and we would have to ask again and again.
We tried 5 tapas — a stuffed pepper, a chorizo and potato dish, a tortilla espanola, a red pepper salad and the crab cakes. The food was incredibly mediocre. Nothing was disgusting, but nothing was outstanding whatsoever. Meh. The price point is ridiculous considering the food quality.
5 tapas dishes, 3 mojitos, tax and tip amounted to $ 85. I could have had a really good meal elsewhere for that price. FML.
Oh, and the bathrooms are ghetto.

I’ve never written a review before but I had to after my experience at Cayo Coco.
My boyfriend took me to this cute little restaurant for my birthday dinner and it was absolutely AMAZING!
We walked in and were lead to the second floor for our dinner. The décor was a nice Spanish style and the ambience was warm and cozy.
The server greeted us and took the time to explain the menu items and make suggestions (since we never had tapas before). There were so many choices (even the pickiest eater would be able to find something). He was very attentive, cleared all the dirty dishes right away and filled our drinks before even noticing they needed to be refilled.
These are the dishes we ended up ordering:
Bread with pico de gallo and garlic dip — the bread was fresh out of the oven and the pico de gallo was one of the best I’ve had
Jamon Serrano — started off with this dish of Serrano, grilled red peppers, olives and melon. Great combination of ingredients
Garlic Mushrooms — basic but very tasty dish and the sauce was flavourful but not too garlicky
Crab cakes — the best crab cakes I’ve ever had, hands down! It had huge chunks of crab, not cheap filler a lot of other places use
Wild poached scallops — these scallops were delicious! I didn’t know scallops were available that big!
Lamb with lemon — lamb was super tender and flavourful
Stuffed calamari — great presentation and stuffed with even more seafood, very yummy!
Paella — cooked perfectly with so much fresh seafood. Presentation was perfect
Mojito — I’ve had mojitos in Cuba and these are almost like the real thing. All that was missing was the sun and a nice whitesand beach… I agree with the Toronto Star who calls it: ‘#1 Mojito this side of Havana’
The service was pretty much perfect from the moment we walked in to the moment we left. Even the owners/​managers came by our table to wish me happy birthday and make sure everything was good.
Overall, my first time experience here was amazing (food being my favourite part!) I would definitely give it an A+ and highly recommend to family and friends.
My only complaint? I live outside of the city so I don’t think I will be able to visit Club Cayo Coco on a regular basis. But I’ll definitely have to go back before my next birthday!

Was sent to Toronto on business for two weeks and found this place. I was so impressed I went twice. The food was, on average, EXCELLENT. I would consider giving this place 5 stars had their drinks not been so abysmally awful.
While not everything on the menu is a home-​run, the food is truly top-​notch. At times, the food is stellar. The service is fantastic: attentive, but not so much so to be annoying. Ambiance is great; the décor is tasteful and classy while deftly avoiding pretentious. You can tell they worked hard on creating a great dining atmosphere. The waiter said this place has been open for business for 6 years (as of June 2011) and couple this with the fact that the restaurant does not get great foot traffic (it’s kind of out-​of-​the-​way on a low-​foot trafficked side-​street) they must be doing something right.
The drinks, unfortunately, are awful. They have a tremendous martini list. From memory, they may have … 20 martinis? 25 maybe? With names like «Cuban Kiss» and «Salsa Dancer» they sound quite amazing. Unfortunately, they are HORRENDOUSLY watered down. Don’t think of me as someone who insists on strong alcohol, because I’m not. When I say watered down, what I mean is that there’s no flavor. True, you don’t taste alcohol. You also don’t taste flavor as well. They are 2oz to start with (i.e. 4 sips) but they taste like semi-​flavored water. They could very well be the worst martinis I’ve ever had in my life.
They boast the «best mojito this side of Havana», as voted by the Toronto Star. I come from New York City, and can say with certitude that this is NOT the best mojito this side of Havana. In fact, it’s not a particularly good mojito. It’s an OK mojito. It mostly suffers from the same problem that the martinis suffer from: it’s watered down. Not only is it not very alcoholic, it’s also not very flavorful. Less water, more rum, more sugar, and the mint needs to be muddled more.
On a side note, if the owner reads this: please disable automatically playing music on your website. It might seem really cool to you, but it’s very 1995, and websites that automatically play music just plain suck. Annoying as hell.
OK, so on to the food.
The bread they serve gets an A. It’s a perfect bread for tapas. Kudos on serving it warm!
Stuffed Mushrooms: B+
Very good. Would’ve preferred them to be slightly more spicy. Maybe a bit more garlic. I think another reviewer commented that they were very good, but totally forgettable. I think that’s a good description.
Spicy Potatoes: B
Reading through the reviews, I noticed this was one of the most tried dishes, and it’s unfortunate because it’s one of the weakest dishes. There’s nothing spicy about these potatoes. They should be called «Not Spicy Potatoes». They have good flavor, but are a bit on the dry side. They need to be more garlicky, but even more importantly, they need to be less dry. If the chef reads this, please throw in some more olive oil. Throw in some more cooked onions. Anything to make these potatoes not so dry! You have a perfect bread, and if there were more sauce/​liquid, these potatoes could be a B+ (of if you decided to make them spicy as well, an A-​). As it stands, you should definitely skip this one.
Spanish Meatballs: A–
Spectacular. One of my favorites. Great flavor, great consistency. My only criticism is that they needed to be served with a bit more sauce. I asked the waiter for more sauce, which he happily brought, but it was obviously tomato sauce, not the sauce the meatballs were cooked in. If the meatballs came with more sauce, they could easily be an A.
Spanish Sausage in Red Wine: A+
Perfection. Spicy chorizo. Copious sauce, perfect for dipping their phenomenal bread in. Great garlicky spicy flavor. It’s their best tapas. Do not think of coming here and not ordering this one!
Lamb with Lemon: A–
Excellent. Lamb chops which are just the right size for tapas. The meat is tender and very nicely flavored. I’m not a huge fan of cooked pineapple, but the pineapple was not overwhelming.
Garlic Shrimps: A+
As with the Sausage in Red Wine, this is the perfect tapas. Four large, expertly flavored shrimp in copious sauce, perfect for dipping with their phenomenal warm tapas bread.
Marinated Seafood: B+
Very good. I wish it had more juice for dipping like the garlic shrimp did. I don’t remember any scallops or shrimp, but it’s entirely possible that my wife ate them. (I just asked and she said she ate shrimp, but doesn’t remember scallops)

The way I define my experience at Club Cayo Coco is to use the description, «ODD». Great interior décor as experience thru-​out the Entertainment District regions. The Bar area on the first floor looked nice while the second floor made for better Meal consumption area.
I’ve always thought enjoying Tapas is social and enjoyable but for reasons unknown it seemed to be less so here. Maybe others will get better pleasure but my story here was opposite.
The Food were slightly disappointing as we ordered a few dishes to start. That’s when the notification of 2 items pp was given as we acknowledge the staff’s words. We weren’t ready to order all at once as we wanted to take moments to converse as in Tapas culture, but the staff seemed over anxious at times for us or wanted to kept us aware. It didn’t work well as interruptions happen quite frequent until his objective was ending completion. Nice staff but some rookie mistakes, thats all.
The Food just didn’t excite as we began to narrow down to the one or two Tapas that we preferred and just got those again to accomplish the 2 item/​pp satisfaction of the establisment. Spicy Potatoes ($ 5.95), Stuffed Mushrooms (($ 6.95), Cod w/​Parsley Crust ($ 8.95), Fried Oysters ($ 12.00), Crab Cakes ($ 9.95), etc…
Desserts were also ODD because Churros were no longer offered at the earliest hours of the Saturday Evening. I really wonder how many more customers they disappointed that night if they open til the early Morning hours.

2.5 stars
Coming to Club Cayo Coco with high expectation, I left disappointed at least I have excellent Tapas serving companion for the night.
We stopped by for an after dinner snack. yes people can snack all the time. afternoon, Prue dinner, midnight!
The interior is nice and cozy. or you can say it is a little especially when I got stuck at the corner…
Spicy Potatoes (5.95)
— worst dish of the night, the sauce itself is not spicy tasted like something from the jar.
Stuffed Mushrooms ($ 6.95) and Cod w/​parsley Crust ($ 8.95)
— not bad but forgettable
Crab Cakes ($ 9.95) 2 orders and Cod w/​parsley Crust ($ 8.95)
— One of the better Tapas dish we ordered for the night.
Fried Oysters ($ 12) 2 orders
— though quite good but it is too pricey!
We did not realize that there were a minimum of 2 items per person and desserts does not count! It was not mentioned in the on line menu, but so be it… since it might be the first and the last time I will come here.
Cherri and Molten Chocolate Cake are both good choices. I think I like the dessert much better than the Tapas they offer.
I find most of the tapas dishes they have are deep fried and I felt I am eating pub’s food and they just jacked up the price by putting fancy Spanish name on it!
Service here was a little spotty. especially our waiter was as clumsy as me and kept knocking down everything…
Almost $ 30 with tax and tips per person with no drinks!

To me, having tapas is like eating small appetizers without the guilt, because of the size. At Club Cayo Coco, there are more than 40 tapas items on the menu. Talking about endless choices of yummy little things.
Don’t let the tacky orange coconut-​palm tree out front deter you. By contrast, the interior of this adorable Victorian style home is quite classy. The chic, formal European style seatings and décor make it a nice spot to share good food with a group of friends and family.
Arriving early, we practically had the entire place to ourselves. One of the staff greeted us warmly as soon as we reach the second floor. Man, that was one long set of stairs! Out of breath and hungry, we didn’t waste any time ordering seven delectable tapas.
Our waiter recommended Chorizo al Vino, Chorizo imported from Spain in red wine, garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs. It was delicious with the right amount of saltiness in the chorizo itself. The red wine sauce was perfect for dipping a piece of bread into. Thumbs up!
Gambas al Ajillo, shrimp sautéed in olive oil, garlic, white wine, parsley & seasoned butter. The shrimps were superbly cooked. The sauce, however, didn’t wow us. A little bit more garlic and salt would turn this baby into bread dipping heaven.
Pollo Abobado, chicken braised wih garlic, onion, dark soy, and bay leaf. There was no distinctive flavor in this dish. The chicken was tender, a buttery pungent sauce would make it even better.
Albondigas Caseras, Spanish meatballs in tomato sauce. This puppy came out HOT. Yes, we like it hot! The meatballs were moist and tasty. The tomato sauce was awesome. Delicioso!
Banderillas Moruras, charbroiled beef marinated in garlic, paprika & cumin. The beef was charbroiled to perfection. Nice flavors from the grill and spices. This dish would be a hit if the beef was more tender and juicy. The cubes of skewered beef were on the chewy side for us.
Medallones de Cangrejo. The crab cakes were well seasoned. Crispy on the outside and packed with moist, flavorful crab meat on the inside. Yum!
Papas Bravas, spicy potatoes. The sauce needed a bit more kick. The potatoes were a bit undercooked. If they get this right, easily, this baby would be one of my favorites.
For the desserts, we ordered Churro and Molten Chocolate cake. Churro was one of the best we had in Toronto. It was crunchy and sprinkled with a good ratio of sugar and cinnamon. The molten chocolate cake, it’s chocolate! Of course, it was good. I recommend ordering the churro and molten chocolate cake combo. Here is what I want you to do, dip the churro into the warm melted chocolate. Heaven!
Service was excellent. The waiter was knowledgeable about the menu and made awesome recommendations.
Despite a couple of misses, we still feel that Club Cayo Coco is a great place for tapas. A tipsy little blue bird also told us that the mojito here is to die for as well!

Nice place — great décor. Restaurant consists of 3 levels, and we sat in the dining area which was cozy and nicely decorated with just the right amount of light.
We had a pitcher of sangria, which was great if a little over-​fruited.
We ordered tapas: The spicy potatoes and Spanish meatballs were amazing! The stuffed mushrooms were also pretty good, very rich and creamy. Wasn’t as crazy about the lemon-​glazed lamb, nor the vegetarian crêpe which could have been a bit more densely packed. Still, very flavourful.
For dessert we had the truros which were incredible – warm, soft and filling.
I definitely want to come back to experience some of the other tapas available, and I wouldn’t mind trying one of their main courses either.
My only major criticism was many of the tapas came in odd numbers, making it difficult to share.