Cuba Libre Latin Cafe Bar

In all honesty I was surprised to see half the Menu contain the word Mexican vs Cuban. I did however enjoy a great Mojito!

Closed…
:(:

I finally ate here, sadly.
Whoever owns this place is a genius because they must be raking money in hand over fist. Food cost has to be non existent as each plate comes with your protein (bland but cooked well), white steamed rice (no seasoning), friend plantains (mine was a banana, i called bull shit), and some stewed black beans with a little garnish… all this for only 17 dollars. Chips and salsa, not so Cuban AMIGOS. Mojitos were good but so packed with ice you get 5 sips out of a glass and have to reorder from… well we didnt get a server, just the bartender who had to make the painstaking journey from bar to table every time i took 5 sips out of my glass. Skip this place, with the plethora of good food on Vermont you would be remiss in spending your hard earned here.

I always get a little nervous when I go to the doctors. Not from the exam or procedure, but because of the questions. The worse is «Do you smoke?» Like do you mean have I ever? Or do I everyday? Because I do smoke when I drink, but then I drink a lot. So is it still social smoking or am I just a smoker. If I say no will he know I’m lying? Will he put in his chart, Mike N. diagnosis a smoking liar to be prescribed nicorette and morals?
The magnitude of this problem wouldn’t be so bad if my friends would stop having birthday parties at Cuba Libre. I smoke more here compared to anywhere else (2^nd would be La Cita). For the reasons of 1) The patio is a decent size with ample tables and seating. You might have to share, but hey good conversation openings. 2) It gets packed when there are events inside. The collision of bar and dance floor people makes for ill walking conditions. 3) The bar service, as nice and cool as these guys/​gals are, is just slow. Thus, I spend my time outside smoking. Smoking and ultimately lying (deal breaker).
Street parking takes a bit of patience; however they do offer cheap valet. 3.5 stars for this venue. I just wish the design wasn’t a giant studio and bar service was a littler snappier. Other than all of that I’ve always had a decent time.
p. s. Ran into apl. de .ap here a few months ago. He said his friends ditched him. To which I responded, yeah I never liked Fergie anyways, but really Taboo left too? No he said. My other friends. Hahaha I laughed. You don’t have other friends. You’re the Black Eyed Peas. Friends Smiends. This story had no weight on my review rating.

I don’t want to hate Cuba Libre, because their drinks are usually pretty alright and their happy hour quite often hits the spot. Complimentary chips and salsa may deserve the credit there as I am a simple man but I digress.
However Cuba LIbra last night may have firmly landed itself a spot on the short list of Places I Do Not Like and the credit there goes to a certain douchebag bartender.
This is a review about that douchebag bartender.
We had spent all day drinking fantastic and free caipirinhas at the release party for *Total Sao Paolo* (gritty and youth-​oriented guide to the city by the same name in Brazil), and later that night, the thirst for another one struck. We stumbled up Vermont to the usually reliable Cuba Libre, walked up to the bar and asked to see that little drink menu.
The bartender informed us that they didn’t have a drink menu.
Funny, because though my blackouts are frequent, I’ve been there enough times to remember ordering drinks off of one. Making the bartender a liar. But anyway.
So we ordered two caipirinhas, easy enough. The bartender produced the drinks and the bill and disappeared. He had charged me $ 12 for the drinks, and then upsold me another $ 1 a drink for a top shelf liquor upgrade, obviously, without asking! Not only that, but they were disgusting. He had just dropped a few limes in the bottom of a rocks glass with (I’m hoping) cachaca and club soda. For $ 13, is it too much to ask that you put some fucking sugar and do some fucking muddling in my drink? I tried muddling with my straw but there was no saving that glass full of garbage.
So, to make a long story short, that bartender is a douchebag, and if you decide to tempt fate and go to Cuba Libre post-​happy hour, get your hands on a drink menu with listed prices and try to avoid the douchebag. He’s pretty easy to spot. He’s the one that looks like an absolute douchebag.

Cuba Libre… come here for drinks. Small quaint place, nicely decorated, has an outside patio to smoke. The bar has a cool lighting and the bartenders are all pretty helpful.
The mojitos are really good! Not the BEST I’ve ever had, but definitely worth trying. Also, they make a delicious capirinha!!! (Brazillian alcoholic drink). I haven’t been to many places that serve this so it was a treat.
The DJ last night kinda sucked… and there were some creepers on the dance floor, so be careful of those guys. They cut off the music early too. I would come back here for drinks again, but other than that I don’t see myself coming here regularly.

my frens from the bay area came to visit and we wanted to got the Dresden because we wanted a lounge-​type to go. when we entered the Dresden, it was super crowded and wasn’t feeling it. therefore, we walked across the street to Cuba Libre. What caught our eyes was the bright multi-​colored awning. The place wasn’t crowded that night but they did have some customers. We decided to sit outside in the patio area b/​c the night weather was great.
The only drink menu we saw was the little drink special topper at our table. it was a great selection of drinks. the favorite drinks of the night was the strawberry lemonade martini, watermelon mojito and mango mojito. if you know me, i don’t like drinks that are über strong. i like drinks that disguise the taste of the hard liquor. the strawberry lemonade martini was great. it was a very easy drink just get carried away w/​. my other frens ordered the mojitos. The mango mojito was super sweet but still good. another fren of mine ordered the watermelon mojito and it tasted so refreshing. like the type of mojito you would drink if water wasn’t available or something you would drink at anytime of the day. it was that good. as for the other drinks, honestly, i do not remember how to spell it and it wasn’t all that great. oh yeah, do not bother ordering the lynchee martini.
7 drinks and the bill came to 62 dollars. the mojitos made up for it. the service was ok. could have been better. would i come here again. sure… since it wasn’t crowded, it was just a chill night for us just to hang out, talk and have some casual drinks.

Best. Mojitos. Everrr.
Sexy bar, sexy bartenders. I came here for a friend’s birthday bash. The ambiance is very nice.
Hot damn. I really want to come back and actually try the food.

Cuba Libre is a curious case of style over substance. Cool place, good drinks, decent food. Liked it, didn’t love it.
Mostly it was curious because there was a DJ spinning to an empty restaurant on the inside, but the music wasn’t streamed to the patio, where people were sitting. Hmm.
And for a place with chic décor, why play THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA on FX — with commercials — on the plentiful flat screen tv’s? It was just distracting and cheapened the concept of this Cuban bar/​restaurant (which is cool!) (I’m not dissing DEVIL — LOVE that movie — I just HATE restaurants that play TV when they’re not sports bars!)
The bf and I were going to a housewarming party in Silverlake on a Saturday night and wanted to grab a quick bite beforehand. Il Capriccio and the sushi place next to it were PACKED — people were waiting outside for tables. Cuba Libre was empty, minus a few tables on the patio. Cool, let’s go here.
Service was quick. Chips and salsa were plentiful. Very good guacamole. I ordered chicken fajitas (I know, it’s not Cuban) and he ordered a skirt steak (more Cuban). Food was decent. We both ordered mojitos, which quickly disappeared. Bill was over $ 60 (including tip) for two drinks, one app and two entrees.
I’m glad I tried it, but I’ll only have apps and drinks next time!

After having a great tapas dinner at Cobras and Matadors (see previous review), what better way to end it than by coming to this Cuban lounge to socialize since its just around the corner.
This bar is really cool and chic. They had a live DJ spinning tunes and the bar counter was lit up by lights which made for a great atmosphere.
I can only write about the virgin Mojito that I ordered which was pretty tasty. Some in our group wanted to order dessert but there was some hassle with ordering it from a restaurant next door as they shared the same kitchen but they would have had to order and pay for it there and then just bring it over to eat it. Although, our waiter was trying to accommodate us I think he was told by the manager that he couldnt do the leg work for us so the girls passed on the idea.
Nonetheless, Cuba Libre has an eclectic vibe to it and I will definitely come back again to try some of the food next time.

Cool!
U you should visit because:
Beautifully prepared dishes.
Awesome drinks.

I came here last night to meet up with friends. I remember when Cuba Libre used to be Pepe’s and on Tuesday nights they had a party which played intelligent hip hop and people would battle each other on the dance floor, pop rocking and break dancing. It was a complete dump, but it was also quite fun and attracted all the old school B-​Boys and B-​Girls. Now it is completely re-​made and renovated. It’s quite nice and the patrons sitting at the tables looked very clean cut and intelligent… minus the hip hop. Pepe’s has matured to freeing Cuba.
What the hell did Fidel do to Cuba anyways? Annoying.
The mojoito was the best mojito I’ve had in my life. The White Lychee martini was very weak. I wouldn’t suggest buying one. It’s a waste of money. For my first time here, I was content. It was more than the company, it was the the vibe that you feel once you’re inside. I do, however, have to come back and eat the food. I will update again, once I get the chance to.
One last thing, valet is only $ 2.50. Anywhere else is $ 5 bucks…

For artsy bar photo shots, Cuba Libre is the place. For any other kind of shots, I’d pre-​game it at home and wander up and down Vermont before I made Cuba Libre a destination, which says more about CL than it does about my alcoholism. Their self-​titled cocktail is a sort of half-​assed mojito, but their actual mojitos are very tasty. The menu is all over the place, a sort of weird Cuban fusion, but the fries are more than adequate for bar-​food cravings.
Servers are extremely hit-​or-​miss. I’ve been ignored here more times than my ego wants to admit, and not just on packed comedy-​night Mondays. It seems so deliberate that I wonder if they’re trying to cultivate a Fred 62 we’ll-serve-you-when-we-fucking-feel-like-it vibe, which only works for hipster diners like Fred’s, if ever.
Lastly, the restrooms have charm (don’t judge me for my cute-​powder-​room fetish!), but I saw the most giant waterbug that I’ve ever seen here in a women’s bathroom stall one nightmare-​inducing night. Lots of ups and downs, but not a terrible place to end up if you get too intimidated by the folks at Bar Vermont.

I was really not too impressed with this joint. The 5 – 7 week long Happy Hour and $ 5 mojitos look good on paper, but don’t waste your time. I had about 4 of them and wasn’t even buzzed. Seriously, it was mint water… I mean, that’s nice my breath was fresh, but I can buy a bottle of mouthwash for $ 3 at rite aide that will last me for a month long happy hour every night before sleepy time.
We ordered every appetizer and none were that great. The empanadas were too bready and had clearly been previously frozen and just thrown into a deep-​fryer. Don’t give me that shit! My relatives were raised in Argentina and I know a good empanada when I eat one! (BTW, my Aunt Mary makes the best Empanadas criolles in Athens)
The only good things were the good looking Panamanian waiter, proximity to mi casa, and the free and plentiful chips and salsa.

Hmmmm, I thought I had written a review of this place when I first met Yuka I. before she left Los Angeles for San Francisco. I came here specifically to meet Yuka the day before she was leaving or came here a few days or something. I’m not much of a drinker but ordered the martinis to try the specialties and a little bit strong but there was a lychee martini Yuka made, it sure was sweet and strong. I also had dinner here too. The service here was excellent the first night I was here and the staff was attentive. Slow night while I was sitting at the bar.
I came here again the second night for Yuka’s last night and it was open mic night. So I couldn’t find a spot at the bar. I found a seat outside in the patio area and couldn’t really decide what to eat. So I remember Yuka recommended the fried rice Cuban style so I got that. It certainly had a little bit of Chinese flair to it with beans for the Cuban flair into it. The waitress was a bit occupied and took my order, someone else brought my order and that was the last I saw of my waitress.
Later when the open mic night ended, the bar cleared out. I sat down and ordered another martini to try. As I was enjoying my drink, that’s when I saw the waitress the most. Seems like a cool place to hang out. Just a hit and miss with what kind of service you get. The guys behind the bar was great too. They got most of my tips and Yuka too.

First let me say that this bar is kinda in the middle of nowhere… there isn’t much else near it all the way out on vermont except for Machos Tacos which I wish we had gone to afterwards!
It is a restaurant during the day, but we went for a friend’s birthday at night, so I can’t comment on the food at all. But at least I can say that the drinks are very affordable which is a nice change of pace!
Shots of patron were only $ 11 each! I have never been happier receiving my bill before! ha ha. But watch out for their pomegranate specialty drink… I like fruity drinks, a lot, ask anyone… but this one was WAY TOO SWEET. Amanda and could barely finish them because our mouths were almost stuck in the sour puckered up position!!!
The décor was nice — blue walls, lots of mirrors, but if our birthday group hadn’t been there, there wouldn’t have been much of a party. We basically were the customers there that night. But it was a nice relaxed atmosphere and the bar tenders were nice and made all of our drinks pretty quickly, which always leads to a good time! Oh and there are tables outside too for those of you who like a chance to hang out in the wonderful air of LA heh

Honestly, I wanted to like this place… that is, until the clock hit 1:40.
Some friends and I came out for some lounging and libations. Being a Cuban-​themed establishment, I ordered the highly acclaimed $ 8 mojitos. They were definitely tasty and not too strong. Though my drinks brought out the Asian Glow, it didn’t bring out the Asian Ho. I was also hooked on the free chips, served with a slightly sweet marinara-​esque salsa. To liven up the atmosphere, a DJ was spinning hip hop inside the restaurant/​bar.
After a few rounds of drinks and bottles of wine, my friends and I were having a good time. However, about 5 minutes after our waiter announced last call (around 1:30), the owner/​manager came out and started grabbing drinks OUT OF OUR HANDS.
Seriously, WTF??? It was so friggin rude. He vehemently argued that they were going to get in trouble, but most of the drinks they were grabbing were glasses of water. Who are you kidding? Nobody is going to ticket your ass for drinking WATER. But then he made it obvious that he wanted to kick us out when he specifically told us «I have better things to do than wait for you guys.»
Ummm…yeah f*cker. We have better places to spend our money at too.

What a beautiful bar!
There looked to be a great selection of rums but what fascinated me more was a really great collection of tequilas.
I ordered the Mulata which was a dark rum drink. It was definitely a tasty drink but so small for $ 8. I had to have another, haha.
We got to the bar fairly early and there weren’t too many people yet so when they started clearing the floor of tables, I knew it was going to get busier. We left before the DJ came in but it looks like a fun place to go dance.
I’d like to also try the food here. It must be good if I saw the bartender and the waitress wolfing down fries. Ha! Oh, and the waitress was extremely hilarious in chatting with us. Very friendly and wacky which I loved because it dispelled the angry hipster stereotype.

Great décor, wonderful food, and a hottie bartender named Brent.
Add to that the wonderful company of Shauna and Christopher, and you’ve got a five star night.

Update: 03÷13÷08
Yes! We finally open the doors of new ‘Cuba Libre” this Friday! Mmmm, the menu looks great! Hopefully you guys will like our transformation and support us! I’m sooo excited!
Rumor has it that Sundays will be the Mojito & Cuba Libre night! I will organize an event to invite you guys for the crazy mojito night!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -
COMING SOON! COMING SOON! COMING SOON!
Hello, everybody! My beloved crew at Tiger Lily and I have an important announcement to make :)
Tiger Lily is getting a brand new look, brand new kick ass concept of Cuban/​Latin café bar, and the new name of «Cuba Libre Latin Café Bar»! Opening within next 3 weeks tops!
Here’s a little peek of what’s coming at Cuba Libre:
–Great Latin/​Cuban food for great price! Appetizers between $ 3 — $ 10, most of the entrees under $ 18!
–Happy Hour! ½ off appetizers and drink specials!
–Sooooooooo many different kinds of Mojitos! Mmmm, I love it, but it’ll be a lot of work for me to make them for you, because Brent and I will hand craft every single drink from scratch! Come on and make our arms tired :)
–Great place to meet people! We’ve always been famous for the family vibe :) Once you come here, you are our family! Come meet your other family members!
–Live Latin music! Bosa Nova, Salsa etc… it’ll be fun!
Cool laid back vibe, very «Silver Lake/​Los Feliz». Just a fun place to hang out that’s hip, kind to your wallet, delicious food that you want to eat so many times a week, fun drinks.
I will update you guys with new pictures, menus, event schedules very soon!