Sunday, September 9, 2012

Bongo's Cuban Cafe - Downtown Disney

Bongo's Cuban Cafe in Downtown is like visiting Havana in the 50's.  Established in the 90's by Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio, this is a great experience even if you aren't too familiar with Cuban fare.  The reservations line is a good idea but this time of year it's not quite so essential.  The staff is almost entirely Cuban and the service is usually fantastic.  More of that in a moment.

The girls at the reception desk are quite nice and hospitable.  We arrived early and were seated right away.  The food was perfect and we loved the atmosphere.  Unfortunately, our server wasn't the best and, while she was pleasant, was not very helpful.  Other servers paid more attention to us so it was still a nice dinner.


Dinner was perfect in every way.  We started with a potato ball with meat stuffing appetizer.  Cuban fried rice and fried pulled pork were also delicious.  The drinks were awesome and the children's menu had a good variety.  I recommend the pollo with yellow rice or the fried pulled beef which is a great choice every time.

The dining room is typically bustly and it's a little hard to hear everybody but not annoying.  The bar area is nice although we visited the dining room and entertainment on weekends is worth filming. There is a small gift shop attached if you're a souvenir hunter.  It's often too hot but this time of year you can sit outside and eat as well as on the balcony overlooking the sidewalk at Disney Village.  At night when the street music is playing and the street is lit the feeling is awesome and you never want to leave.


I give the experience an "A" although our server left something to be desired.  Everything else was great for us so we recommend this as a dining experience and hope to return as soon as we can.