Taina Cafe

Had a
certificate for the Taina Café. Tried to go 2x, both on Saturday nights.
First time when I tried to place my order they had no steak, no lamb, no chicken. um basically no meat. There was a fish dish. «So sorry» he says, «we didn’t get our delivery this weekend».
Tried again almost a month later and still half the items on the menu weren’t available. At least they told us up front this time. Returned the certificate. Won’t even give it a chance — they blew it.

Actually, I beg to differ with all the negatives. I found the food to be excellent. As well as the service, loved the ambiance. I enjoyed the drinks, only wish they had an happy hour… drinks little pricey. Definitely going back with a group of friends.

Great food! Good Service… But I did not like the Reggaeton Music on the Background. Maybe some latin Jazz.

Sitting here now at happy hour wishing, if not for the company that I were somewhere else. First the happy hour drinks are served in plastic party cups. Ok for an outside dive bar but an indoor midtown café? Also do they use alcohol? Granted they are cheap for midtown, but still. The first round of happy hour food served. Wings were hot on outside bone was cold. Which means they are precooked and then frozen. Tasted like it. Also just fried BBQ sauce onside. Nachos were ok no salsa with it. Guacamole was good. Sliders and fries very good hard to mess that up. Second round of wings, no didn’t do that on purpose we order chicken fingers, were better but just below ehh. Did I mention the service. I would maybe give a pass in that it was very busy on a Wednesday night but reading other reviews guess I can’t. Waiter is clueless. Is there a paper strike so no napkins available? Do they have utensils? Spill ice on table and leave it there for guest to pick up with all those napkins they didnt bring? Overall this is ny I expect to pay more than I should but with all the competition and places to go not sure how this place stays open. Well just got bill charged non happy hour price for some drinks corrected upon request, but in with whole experience. By the way service included in bill so no room to tip down. Figured how they stay open conjoined with hotel next door. So tip being included is at least understandable most countries don’t tip like USA. Overall stay away to many good places in NY.

I was surprised to see so many bad reviews on here because we had a really great time at Taina Café.
Ambiance/​Service: We went here after a Sunday matinée show and were surprised that we were one of only two couples in the entire restaurant. Because of that, the service was excellent. There was a bit of a language barrier, but I felt that the server was more than happy to ask questions and clarify to make sure we were ordering what we wanted. The atmosphere itself was great! I love the big cushioned bench seating and the open windows. The bathroom was clean, albeit heavily perfumed.
Drinks: I had the sangria and my hubby had the mojito. The sangria was sweet and very strong. There are only a few miniscule pieces of apple in the sangria, so if you like lots of fruit, this isn’t your drink. The mojito was surprisingly good, light, and refreshing. It didn’t taste like it was made with that awful syrup most places in Manhattan use to make mojito, but was made with fresh crushed sugar and lime the way it’s supposed to be.
Food: I had the baked plantain with the cod on top and it was DELICIOUS! the plantain was soft, sweet, and perfect consistency. The cod was a little heavy on the cream, but overall good. I also had the empanada trio. I loved the cheese empanada the best, but the chicken and steak empanada were also very good. My husband ordered the seafood paella was was delightfully surprised at its size.
Overall, this place is entirely overpriced. We found a
gift card which made it worth it, otherwise I’m not sure we would come back.

First, the food: It was ok. If you’ve ever eaten at a better-​than-​average deli or better yet, a bodega, you know what to expect here. Of course, since this is a midtown restaurant, not a bodega, chances are you’re going to be extremely disappointed.
The service: Awful. They weren’t understaffed either, just disorganized, inattentive, and surprisingly overwhelmed considering it’s a small restaurant. Everyone around us was suppressing laughter and barely containing their comments disparaging the staff. My row bonded over desperately trying to get our «unlimited» sangrias/​mimosas refilled.
Background: I came here for brunch on a Sunday. I had a group deal but I was excited when I sat down and saw that their brunch menu is prix fix, simple, and includes unlimited drinks (mimosas or sangria). Here was a place in the city you could bring visiting friends to for a nice brunch after a day of shopping and being a tourist without breaking the bank.
The Sunday brunch menu is fixed at $ 30. After getting our salads (my date’s plain greens tasted like they’d been smothered in Canola oil with a dash of salt and maybe some lemon) and perusing the selections we braced ourselves for less-​than-​stellar food. We should placed the bar lower.
Verdict: Don’t skip, avoid.

Pretty restaurant but spotty and inattentive service. Language barrier when trying to order and waitstaff seems very uncomfortable and timid. Food is just okay but not a very good bloody mary, so definitely skip that. Forgettable restaurant experience, hopefully they improve with time.