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Padrino's Cuban Cuisine
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- None
13 reviews for Padrino's Cuban Cuisine
I have a 7 month old baby girl and often times I am so tired to cook. Tonight was one of those nights. Hubby ordered the usual Vaca Frita with Moros and Maduros! I decided to change it up and order some Camarones Enchilados!
I am always so pleased with their food, their service and the live guitarist is a very nice accent to the restaurant. I have never had to wait to be seated and if I order out the wait for pick up is no more than 15 minutes!
Padrinos always saves the day in my house! And as a Cubanita, I know what good Cuban food tastes like...this for sure is delicioso!
Padrinos gets 2 thumbs up!!
Great service, with tasty food. Hopped in after a downpour and wasn't disappointed. Try the plantain chip app w/ garlic dip. Out of this world good and hold well as leftovers.
This was the first meal I enjoyed when I first moved down to South Florida 7 months ago and I gotta say I was very impressed. It was my first time eating Cuban food and with their buffet, I was able to sample several wonderful-tasting cuisines.
Now that I have been down here a bit longer, I have been able to try a few other Cuban restaurants, but they have been no match to Padrino's.
I'm not an expert on Cuban cuisine, but I've had it before. I'm a huge fan of the pickle and mustard on sandwich combo. But this time I decided to try out a traditional Cuban rice mixup dish. I forget what my dish was called :-( . I mixed it all up with the beans and rice and man, it hit the spot. My date had a rellenos dish that was simply amazing, and not like anything I'd had before (that I could remember, at least).
The yucca and plantains were definitely the best I've ever had. I've been raving about this place ever since I got back to the philly scene.
So I'll admit it, I'm a spoiled little Cuban American princess when it comes to authentic Cuban cuisine. My abuela's cooking will put any restaurant to shame, and if you don't believe me, just smell my shirt after I leave her house. I promise, your inner goat will come out, and you'll start shamelessly chewing my sleeve in the hopes of getting a taste of the tamale en casuela or bistek de pollo empanizado that has left it's mark on my clothing.
So when you invite me out for Cuban cuisine, you should automatically anticipate the inevitable "Abuela's is better" that will escape my lips. I have found, though, that Padrino's, while admittedly not being quite up to par with the delicious fare I'm used to at home, is fairly authentic and undoubtedly tasty. I haven't had a chance to dine at Padrino's for dinner, but my boss happens to be a huge fan, so we often gather here for lunch meetings or staff appreciation lunches. Everyone is typically happy with what they order, and the service is nothing to complain about.
The basket of bread that starts your meal will whet your appetite and have you saying "bye bye" to your New Year's resolution to swear off carbs, fat, calories, and flavor. If you opt for the lunch buffet, you'll find that you really get a bang for your buck. It boasts a hearty salad, choise of black bean or chicken noodle soup, platanos, rice, and a couple of the featured entrees of the day. The tilapia with mango salsa is my favorite, so I always go for the buffet when I see that it's available. I recently ordered the shrimp salad, and I almost fell out of my chair when I tasted the shrimp. I won't even mince words with you...it was the best shrimp I have ever tasted: blackened to perfection and sinfully succulent.
For those who live or work in the Plantation area, Padrino's is a great choice for lunch or dinner when you want a great meal that leaves your stomach and your wallet pleasantly full.
Now, perhaps I m writing from a rose-colored perspective, but we have eaten at 3 of the Padrino's family-run branches of Cuban restaurants every year that we come to Florida. (We usually go to the Hallandale location - but the Plantation location which is newer and slightly larger is even nicer.)
The fish (get Tilapia if they have it) is delicious and for lunch the Black Bean soup and rice are always perfect. The sweet plantains are so yummy.
They are family-friendly, inexpensive and such good food.
Coming to South Florida, my family wanted to try something that represents this area. Of course, Cuban comes to mind. Thanks to Yelp, advice is only a few clicks away. This is the first I've had Cuban food and boy was I impressed. Padrino's is a very nice sit down restaurant and the prices are very reasonable. We had the skirt steak, lamb chop, and baby back ribs. The portions were huge. Everything was very flavorful. the meats were all tender. The ribs were fall of your bone and the flavor was fantastic. We got plantains, cassava for sides. The garlic-onion dipping sauce was great and comes with complementary bad breathe. The service was also very good. Overall, great good and a great experience.
I thought the food was really good. And inexpensive!
The ABSTRACT:
-good food on the pretty cheap
-live guitar music (on the night I went)
-nice, casual interior (comfortably dim lighting, greenery, ceiling fans)
-friendly, efficient service
-must go again (but want to eat in Miami too)
I'm no Cuban cuisine expert nor have I been to Little Havana, but I really enjoyed Padrino's. After walking up and down Las Olas looking for a casual place to eat, I really felt grateful for Padrino's. A lot of the other restaurants looked catered for much older folk who wanted to sip wine and people-watch. I just wanted to eat and eat on a budget.
I found Padrino's to be a really casual, pleasant restaurant with good food. I am really glad i took Lindsay W.'s suggestion to visit here.
FOOD
Authentic? I have no idea how this place compares to some joint in Miami. The food at Padrino's seemed really carefully prepared and well-presented. I ordered the lechon asado, which is basically chicken and pork with onions, with sides of rice, black beans, and plantains. The pork was exceptionally tender and so was the chicken. Although the meats were good, the flavoring was really subtle and really needed that a generous squeeze of lime for me to savor it. The rice was also subtly flavored. Everything was nice...and well, subtle.
DRINK
I also ordered a mojito. It was $5 and quite good. Just enough liquor and sweetness, but my boyfriend didn't like it. I found it really refreshing. This was my first time in South Florida, and with the humidity and all, the mojito hit the spot. I noticed other tables ordered their sangria, which I really, really wanted to try just based on the popularity that night.
ATMOSPHERE
Casual, family place. Definitely not a young, nightclub scene even though there was live music and a busy bustle. There are families with young children (some crying) and older adults just chatting. But overall, not disruptive to my meal. I kind of like noise anyway and really appreciated the casual, clean restaurant here. There was soft lighting, some greenery, and ceiling fans. I didn't feel hurried.
PARKING/LOCATION
As for it being in a strip mall, there are pluses and minuses. There are tons of parking spots, but it's annoying leaving and entering the plaza just to get to Padrino's in the corner.
Being from LA, parking is always the "must-ask-must-know" question. I can't go anywhere without knowing where to park. Padrino's parking situation earned a gold star in this category.
FiNAL THOUGHTS
I would highly recommend Padrino's. The food in no way felt heavy or greasy. The flavorings were subtle and clean. And the food seemed carefully prepared. A dinner with a drink, tax, and tip would probably set you back $15-20...incredible. Especially since the waiters and hostesses were nice and efficient. I waited about 5 minutes for a table on a Saturday night. With that kind of wait, I will definitely eat at Padrino's again, but I really want to try the places in Miami next time I'm in South Florida.
The food is the deal, here. Dont be put off by the big parking lot in a strip mall, or the big noisy room. Lots of latino families come here for the real thing. Food is outstanding, service is OK, atmosphere is busy, noisy, kid-friendly, with lots of "extended families" eating, talking, and hanging out.
Try the usual Cuban favorites like ropa vieja, or the twice-grilled pork. Besides the favorite platano-frito (fried sweet bananas) and the ubiquitous black-beans-and-rice, try the fried or boiled yucca, and the pale-green chayote. Muy sabroso!
I ended up eating two meals here while I was in Plantation. The food is really pretty good, and the prices fairly reasonable. I had the skirt steak one night, and the paella the next night. I really enjoyed the Paella, but it is a HUGE portion - probably sharable...
I didn't try the desserts as I was way too full.
Only downside was the service was a bit.. confusing. We ultimately ended up with extra sides as opposed to being shorted, but it was still a little confusing.
Stopped by and checked this place out with my cousin and her two daughters as the weather completely opened up and we needed some quick shelter. Very friendly staff. This was mid-afternoon so service itself was a tad slow. They make a really tasty Mojito here, top notch. I had the lechon asado with tostones, very flavorful meat and the moros were very good.
Would definitely come back here.
I've eaten here several times over the years, both for lunch and dinner. The service has always been good to excellent. The food is decent - not as yummy-greasy as the hole-in-the-wall places around Miami, and probably not even as good as La Carreta. But given the location, it's an eminently acceptable destination for a Cuban food fix. It can get pretty packed at lunch - go early, and partake of the buffet if you're hungry.
The atmosphere is lacking in this place, but the food is good with incredible prices. It's not the best Cuban food I have had, but they have some tasty dishes. I recommend the slow-roasted pork.
