Cuban Revolution

The food was overall decent and was tasty except for the rice and beans that tasted a little bit bland. The music and the environment was cool and enjoyable. Te service was slow from start to finish. I would warrant another trip back here if the service was faster but for being one of a few places that serves food after 10pm, one can’t complain all that much.

This location closed on Sunday April 28^th. The Valley St location is open. Too bad, it was walking distance from my apartment… :-(

The art in the alley is a sight for sore eyes. Imaginative, provoking, inspiring, and alluring. The interior is a bit funky with some bad 80s glass top high top sets. A bit odd.
My food wasn’t great, and the wine was worse. I should have stuck with recommendations of my friends and had the typical fare, but I wanted some seafood and a glass of wine, damnit.
The service was very attentive and sweet, but just not the food I was hoping it would be. Next time, I will take the heed of my friends.

I went here with my wife after The Home Show. I had been here in the past (mostly for lunch) and found the food to be OK and the service to be spotty. This time out I enjoyed myself immensely. Allow me to elaborate.
We started off with the Piquillo Red Peppers for an appetizers and it was the perfect start to the meal. We only got 3 but they were flavorful and we finished them off in about 30 seconds. For my entrée, I ordered the Steak Chimichurri with rice/​veggies and it was perfectly cooked and very tender. The Cuban toast provided was tasty. I forgot what my wife ordered but she enjoyed it and had a good looking glass of red sangria to go with it. I had to settle for a Corona due to a poor beer selection.
I would say the service this time out was average. It does get loud in here, there were some annoying girls next to us that were pretending to be excited about a basketball game. Nonetheless, I’m sure I’ll be back at some point.

This place is so yummy and makes my tummy happy! I love their bottomless chips and mango salsa, portobello mushroom and asiago empanada, and maduros. The place is across the street from a titty bar, so it’s great for a first date! …
The last 2 times we went there the wait staff was kind of, eh. Slow. Not very happy. But it’s all good, because the sound of my chewing blocked out their duh faces and lack of urgency.

Four words. Shrimp and corn chowder.
We had a
coupon and an excellent meal.

Restaurants should really be about the food, first and foremost, and the food here is pretty bad.
I work in the area so I ordered a Cuban sandwich to go and picked it up within a few minutes so it was still hot when I ate (some of) it. I didn’t finish it because it was SO greasy! And I’m by no means a health nut, it was just incredibly unappetizing. The outside of the bread was shiny with grease and it was a struggle to eat because the filling was just sliding out from all the lubrication. It was when I had the thought of «maybe I should go grab a fork and knife» that I decided a sandwich-​the ultimate handheld, portable food– shouldn’t come to this and I threw it out.
I had the rice and beans in a pinch after that figuring they were a safe bet and they seemed to be basically a can of Goya black beans over some totally unseasoned white rice. Meh.
I’ve been in for drinks a few times and the service has been fine. The sangria is tasty. I like their milkshakes… thick and creamy with good flavor options. The décor is unique but doesn’t do much for me. I find it unwelcoming in a cold industrial kind of way.
This is a once-​in-​every-​other-​bluemoon kind of place.

We were very dissapointed with our visit here. My boyfriend & I came to grab some appetizers after our visit to As220. We love the Cuban Sampler (mainly for the ham croquettes!)
The host greeted us very well and seated us. She was quick with our drinks & we started off with the Cuban Sampler of course.
When the appetizers came out we noticed there were no ham croquettes. We called the girl over and asked if maybe they forgot to add them to the plate. No, they ran of out them. I didn’t like that they did not mention this before bringing out the plate. We didn’t get an option to replace the croquettes. We told her the main reason we ordered the plate was FOR the croquettes. She said we could order another plate, but not free of charge.
Really? If we would have known that they ran out of them, we would have ordered something else.
The hostess (who was also taking orders and bringing our food) was coming over AT LEAST every 5 minutes asking us if we were going to order anything else. She was cleaning up the tables, so you could tell they were getting ready to close.
I know customer service, and I have family and friends that own restaurants. You don’t make your customers feel rushed. you let them take their time. It’s part of the business. You wait until they are ready to go. It was about 45 min to closing which was the worst part.
I was not happy with this visit. I will continue to go to Cuban Rev on Valley.

Not much to say about Cuban Revolution. Years ago it was a great place to grab a bite and a drink. Now, not so much. I was there a few nights ago and was not thrilled with my yuca fries or my mojito. Most of the appetizers, in my opinion, taste exactly like the boxed stuff you can get in the Goya freezer section.
Service was quick and friendly though.

After watching the performance of A Christmas Carol on Friday night, my friends, my husband and I decided to grab a bite to eat somewhere nearby the theater in downtown Providence. It was about nine-​thirty at that point, so we figured we had a decent chance of getting a table anywhere we wanted.
Of course, our first stop at Bravo Brasserie (right across from the theater) was a fail– we would have had to wait at least thirty minutes for a table.
My friend K suggested Cuban Revolution right around the corner, noting it would have plenty of vegan options for me! I was excited to try it, especially given the veggie-​friendly reputation bestowed upon the restaurant!
We were seated immediately in a cozy booth, but overall, the restaurant was pretty packed! I loved the décor, as the place was filled with bright, colorful portraits of well-​known «revolutionaries.»
Our waitress handed us menus right away, and initially I was taken aback by the plethora of vegan options. First, they offer a build your own salad or beans and rice bowl option with an endless amount of toppings. I refrained though, only because I had a huge salad for lunch. I decided to order three of their «small plates» in order to make a meal. Even then, it was so tough for me to decide since so many things sounded fantastic!
I started with their bottomless chips and mango salsa. The chips were still warm, super crunchy and perfectly salted. The salsa was amazing as well, and I appreciated how they offered up not one, but two, containers of the epic salsa!
I also tried their sweet potato fries, which were delicious. They were nothing special, so to speak, but they were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and sprinkled with a tasty adobo seasoning. So many places screw up sweet potato fries, but fortunately, Cuban Revolution is not one of them!
Lastly, in honor of even more starch, I ordered their yuca fries. I had never tried them before, and they were quite good. They pretty much tasted like white potato fries, which ain’t too shabby. The best part about them is how nice and thick some of the pieces were!
Next time, I want to try their plantains (both sweet and savory), as well as one of their rice and bean bowls. The fact I can go in «a next time» and not have to order the same thing is pretty awesome for a vegan, since it’s often tough to find variety for vegans on restaurant menus. All in all, Cuban Revolution was fantastic, and I will gladly return the next time I am in need of food while prowling around downtown.

There isn’t anything particularly Cuban or revolutionary about this place, but I’ve come here on a few occasions when I’ve been in the mood for decent cheap bar food and/​or cheap beer ($ 3 domestic bottles, same cost as an iced tea here… huh?). Bar food is fine and dandy in my book, just don’t come expecting for food a la Little Havana, it’s not even close.

After being outside in the freezing cold long enough my date and I decided on Cuban Revolution.
Moment of panic. What if the experience from last time doesn’t improve? Oh, well — dive in anyway.
I was happily surprised, food was all on-​point, service was outstanding and prompt. We decided to have tapas and cups of Ropa Vieja (highly recommended dish, good heavens it’s awesome!)
Definitely become friendly with Mark, the bar tender/​manager. He’s a great guy and pours a great drink.

Short review on this. I went here the other night fairly late looking for food and a drink. I love that this place serves food until midnight. I had a tasty mojito, the house mango chips and salsa, and the chicken quesadilla. Everything was pretty good in my opinion. The guacamole had a nice lime flavor to it– it wasn’t bland. The chicken quesadilla was loaded with tasty fillers and flavor as well. The salsa was pretty good. The chips were the only thing that I wasn’t as jazzed about– they had a stale taste but it could just be the type of corn they use. I’d have to return to be sure.
I liked the atmosphere and design of the restaurant. It wasn’t crowded and it wasn’t empty. I was craving Latin/​Mexican style food so this is where I ended up. I read some mixed reviews– it’s crazy the variety of reviews that this place generates, almost like a split ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ of what I directly read, of good and bad. I did try to order nachos off the menu, which was my sole reason for going there, but was informed they had just terminated that option from the menu. Bummer.
Service was great, prices were awesome in comparison to the portions, the food and drink I ordered felt above average. If I was a local I would definitely return.

I’ve been here to eat twice — once at the other location on Valley Street and once at this one. Both times, the food was bad. The only thing I can say that is good is the chips and salsa (they make a really good salsa — lots of ingredients in it). But everything else I’ve ordered off the menu has been awful. It just lacks any sort of flavor. The last time I went, I ordered the vegi-​santiago. It was a TON of plain white rice with minimal veggies (not seasoned at all even though the menu says its cooked in sauce — there was NO sauce) and cheese. I had to order salsa on the side and dumped it on my wrap because other than that, it was blah. Even with the salsa, I only finished a quarter of it.
I give it two stars because Katrina the bartender is awesome. Also like the décor of both places. But other than chips and salsa, I’m giving up on eating here.

Not bad, not bad at all.
Great service, a very tasty berry mojito and a decent sampler of Cuban appetizers. Overall, pretty A-​ok. Cool vibe (love the website description: «a spirited swanky setting that propels you to tropical 1950s Cuba») and friendly staff.
I ordered a tapas platter of ham croquettes, maduros, tostones, and yuca fries with chimichurri dip, ‘cept they were out of ham croquettes (BUMMER!) and substituted chicken wings (not the star of the meal by any means). The maduras (ripe sweet plantains with sour cream) were supa tasty and I could’ve eaten plate after plate of the fried green plantains with garlic dip (tostones).
Maybe I would’ve given 4 stars if I hadn’t just come from my love Gracie’s right next door (after epic cocktails and a fab cheese plate). Nevertheless, I hope to go back to Cuban Revolution again and try a full meal beyond tapas!

Cuban Revolution’s pretty weak as a food and drink joint.
I dropped by for dinner last Friday. The place was crowded, so I had high hopes. My Cuban sandwich was really wimpy; the meat was pretty thin, the cheese had no flavor, and in general I felt cheated out of a good sandwich. I also ordered a mojito, which was neither strong nor refreshing.
Argh. Frustrating that they took two classics and failed to deliver on both.

Great food, great service, and great prices!!! Needless to say I love it here!
So the pressed sandwiches are great and may I suggest the half soup half sandwich, that is what I normally get because I love their bisque. In addition there are 20 cent wings after 5 everyday this is such a great deal and their wings are fantastic! Another great deal is their $ 3 draft beer and $ 2 bottled beer this price all the time.
While in providence for the weekend I came here for lunch and then after I found out the restaurant that I wanted to go to for dinner had shut down I came back to Cuban revolution for dinner, yes came here twice in one day because the food is just that good.

This was a tough review. The positives: great waiter, $.20 wings were excellent, the pitcher of sangria was cheap and very good. The negatives: the rest of the food was so/​so.
We were in town for a concert, and this place is so close to Lupo’s, so it worked well. I could have eaten wings and drank sangria and given this place five stars. My cuban certainly wasn’t «the best» ever, the signature sausage and shrimp appetizer was oily and extremely garlicky.
We decided to get the red velvet cake as dessert based on the waiter’s recommendation. Big mistake! It was dry, overpriced, and not particularly tasty.
Stick to beer, sangria, wings, chips and salsa here.

So, I think this place is more about the overall idea than the actual cusine. It’s definitely cool, and I love the modern-​Cuban-​hipster vibe, but the food is really only so-​so.
I do love that they make the effort to be authentic-​ish. The steak sandwich is served on mashed & fried plantains instead of bread, they serve chorizo and make a killer mojito. Also, beers are $ 3 and who doesn’t love that?
It’s in a fun part of town, too — Downcity. This area has been in the process of being ‘revived’ for a while, and some of the best restaurants in town are packed in here. Shepard Fairey even painted a mural just outside Cuban Revolution to put a stamp on just how cool Downcity is.
So, come to Cuban Revolution if you’re looking for a great, different place to get a great drink and some decent bar food, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a great night of dining.

With the exception of the negative Unilocal reviews, I had heard nothing but enthusiastic and raving recommendations to try Cuban Revolution from friends, colleagues, etc before I finally managed to make plans to dine here last night. I went to dinner with an open mind. I didn’t expect to be blown away, but I trust my friends, and if most of them love it here, I had a feeling it couldn’t be as bad as some of the Unilocal reviews say…
Although some of the tables are in close proximity to others, the restaurant was not overwhelmingly crowded when we arrived. Service was very fast. We ordered the patatas bravas as an appetizer. It wasn’t bad, but not the best I’ve had… a lot spicier than I expected, and all the sauce had made the potatoes soft. Since they are fried it is nice to still see some of that crisp texture through the sauce if possible. Before we had even finished our patatas, our entrees arrived. Like I said, fast service. I ordered the Fidel, which was their «World’s Best Cuban Sandwich» served with black beans and rice. The black beans and rice were very good. Not overly salty or overly seasoned for that matter, but just right, and saucy enough to absorb into the rice and make it a cohesive bowl of Cuban yumminess.
The sandwich was very tasty! The bread was pressed and perfectly crisp without being dry. The mélange of meats within – roast pork, ham, and salami – were very nice, although salami isn’t traditional from what I can tell. The pickles were crisp, and the mustard and mayo rounded out the sandwich perfectly. The Swiss cheese was not melted at all. It was delicious, but its lack of melting would be my only qualm with this sandwich. Otherwise, it was perfectly satisfying for my non-​Cuban palate. I would order this again in a heartbeat.
Cuban Revolution is certainly not as bad as some of these other reviews suggest. I’m sure there are some dishes that are not as good as others, but this is common at all restaurants. All I know, is that my trusted friends seem to think very highly of this place, and this trusted Elite Unilocaler happens to agree :)