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This is my second time coming here - or third? Yet I'm surprised I haven't written a review on it.
I found the food to be decent for Cuban food on the Beach. I still think Tropical Beach Cafe just north of South Beach is better, for quick Cuban fare on the Beach.
The vaca frita here was decent, not the best. The tortilla de platano (plantain frittata for you gringos out there) is a good choice for breakfast (especially with the complimentary bread and an order of coffee).
Okay, the breakdown of PROS & CONS:
+ decent food
+ quick service
+ affordable price
+ quintessential Cuban diner look
+ great people watching spot - inside the restaurant
+ fresh squeezed orange juice
- coffee without sugar being automatically added - so un-Cuban, if you asked me. coffee was okay though (and cheap).
- Cuban bread is toasted - but not sliced and without butter?!?! Again... so un-Cuban! Just can't toast bread without butter. That's just wrong, in any Cuban dictionary you pick up.
Overall it's just okay. If I'm wanting Cuban food on the beach, I probably would come here since there's not really a better option -- at least not until Miami's famous chef, Doug Rodriguez, opens up a new Cuban restaurant (to be called D. Rodriguez Cuba)! And that's a-coming!
I realize there's little to add to such a heavily frequented spot such as Puerto Sagua. But I wanted to mark my territory for the benefit of those SoCal Cuban food lovers who might one day end up in Miami Beach and look for West LA's Versailles-like experience, or vice-versa. Floridans, in the land of burritos, if you want to soothe your craving for shredded pork or roast chicken, look no further than Puerto Sagua's unofficial self-designated sister restaurant. And let me Yelp it for you:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
For those who have no reference to what I'm talking about, Puerto Sagua is a family-style affordable Cuban restaurant. It's loud, semi-communal, without frills in hospitality but the food's out of this fucking world. I had the shredded chicken with veggies, and rice and beans. I'm re-evaluating my relationship with chicken.
The Seafood Paella here was the ish!!
Puerto Sagua was MUCH better than David's Cafe, and the paella was MUCH tastier than Versailles. It's an affordable, quick place that is good for groups, and service is quick and dirty.
- Potato Balls were yummy and bigger than at Porto's in LA. So crispy and yummy!
- Pulled Pork - very tasty, but slightly salty
- Chicken w/ marinated onions - so tender and good
- Rice, Beans & Plantains were all so well-seasoned. Plantains were the perfect amount of tangy
- Seafood Paella - took 40 minutes to cook, but we finished it ALL even though we were full. It came with lobster, clams, calamari, chicken, and tons of spices. The rice was a little too much of a risotto-texture (paella is usually a bit more watery), but that's my only complaint.
I'd highly recommend this place. But be careful when you order the cafe. It's a tiny, mini-me sized cup of espresso that's super-packed with sugar. It'll give you a caffeine + sugar high that'll actually last you through a night of clubbing + after-hour partying.
I been coming here for years... I'm a Puerto Sagua guy. No Versailles for me! This place is so freakin' Miami. I love eating breakfast and having a nice coffee at the counter. I also enjoy sitting the middle of their lunch rush enjoying the liveliness of the busy dining room. When people come to visit Miami, I recommend Puerto Sagua because I've never had a bad dish here. I've tried a large portion of their menu and its all very tasty. I love the way they do their plantains, they always come out perfect. Puerto Sagua is not the best Cuban food I've ever had, but they do a great job and keep me coming back. I consider it a Miami institution. This should be a bookmark in every visitor's yelp!
Due to circumstances we ended up eating at Puerto Sagua three nights in a row. And, each night the food was wonderful. From the oxtail stew, to lechon asado, to the media noche sandwich, to the pigs feet stew, to the roasted chicken, to the tostones and maduros and the cafe con leche was great. The service was very friendly and accommodating. Kudos to Puerto Sagua.
I really wish I went to this place the first day of our Miami visit. This place was really good, and their prices were reasonable. We tried the oxtail stew. It came with rice, plantains, and bread. The whole thing was only $10 and came out in under 5 minutes. The oxtail was delicious. It was fall-off-the-bone-tender, and the stew was thick, like Vietnamese beef stew. The flavor was off the hook too.
The restaurant itself was old and dingy. The bathroom was gross. You had to hold your nose AND your mouth to use it, cuz you could taste the funk in your mouth if you breath with it.
Next time I'm in South Beach, this is probably the only spot I'd revisit. I'd want to try everything on their menu. YUMM!
Guava cake was delicious and very sweet. But let's get to the seafood...
I ordered the marescada (sp?) instead of the paella as my server suggested and it was worth the 45 minute wait. They cook it fresh when you order. I would suggest sharing it with a friend or two, the dish is huge! The paella is made with chicken and seafood while the marescada is made with only seafood. This was some amazing Cuban food!
OKAY..i guess it was my fault but have you seen a californian drive in the city. I want to just take the windshield wiper and hit myself in the face so I got mad at the bf cause he's a total californian driver. so we didn't order the seafood paella! I did get the chicken, rice, beans and plantains. SO GOOD. The place reminded me of a VERY old "cuban" diner (i'm vietnamese..im only imagining old cuban diner). Very misplaced in s. beach. Look at Macc D's tab. Yup for only 2 people.
Must: chicken, rice, beans (really good beans) and plantains w. a cheap bottle of wine. must try place..
CUBAN COMFORT FOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF SOUTH BEACH
With all the high priced hotels and glitzy restaurants in South Beach, it is refreshing to have such an unprepossessing dining option. We were quickly seated at a table and it was fun to see the variety of people dining here. We were surrounded by fashion models, local families, first dates, and even a recent reality television star from Shear Genius.
The menu was extensive so it hard to decide what to order. Maybe the best strategy is to see what comes out of the kitchen and point. We ordered a couple of dishes and shared.
Roasted Chicken
This was enough to feed a family of four. An entire roasted chicken accompanied by black beans, rice, plantains, and a basket of bread. It was very filling and satisfying.
Shrimp Enchilado
A small metal tray held six shrimp in a red sauce with rice on the side. I thought this dish was kind of bland and skimpy for the price. The description of the sauce sounded better than it actually tasted. I would not order this again.
Great place to people watch and enjoy Cuban comfort food.
I'm impressed! ! We ordered the mariscada and the ropa vieja (shredded beef dish), and sangria. Simple, delicious home-cooked fare. Both urban spoon and yelp reviewers are right - this is a sweet little place on Collins that has great food, really homey mom and pop style service and is very very reasonably priced.
What a gem! Almost everything was good, however, didn't order the paella due to the 45 min wait....SO SAD!!!
List:
Empanadas - good but a little cold
Potato ball - good but once again a tad cold
some fried meat and potato thing - tasty but cold
Roasted Chicken - VERY GOOD
Rice and beans - it's a side, but very pleasant
Plantains - Cooked to perfection, great texture and taste
Some fried pork dish - VERY GOOD
Cuban ground beef dinner - very good flavor
Two bottles of wine - Cherry on top of everything.
I think we ordered more, however, the aforementioned bottles of wine kicked my brain around like a soccer ball in a poor 3rd world country. At any rate this joint is a dive, but a necessary one for any traveler that wants no non-sence Cuban meal at rock bottom price. And in regards to portions, well you'll have that face when you walk out the door that only says, "Bed!"
Unquestionably the best place for a cheap good meal on South Beach.
Great atmosphere: sit at the counter and you'll have a old cuban dude sippin' on some soup to your left and a hottie right off the beach in her bikini slurping on a milkshake to your right.
So hang out on the beach, take a break for lunch at Puerto Sagua (try a traditional cuban sandwich with a side of pantains) and then hit the beach again wth a full tummy and some money left in your wallet.
I wasn't terribly impressed with this place. I've had similar food in Minneapolis that was just as good. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. We had the Ropa Vieja and a Cubano. The cafe con leche was good but everything else was just ok.
I have eaten there for years successfully .
I was surprised to find such a reasonably priced, well cooked meal in trendy South Beach.
7 of us had dinner there on a Thursday night. We were seated right away and all left very full and satisfied.
For apps, we got the beef, chicken, and spinach empanadas and the potato balls. I was so excited for all of them, but they were sadly not that good. The empanadas didn't have that much meat/spinach and the bread part could have been more fresh/crispy tasting. The potato balls were also meh...I could have gone without trying those (which is a fairly strong statement for me since I love potatoes!)
I tried the sangria...nothing to rave about.
For entrees, we ordered double of a lot of things and ended up with the vaca frita, ropa vieja, piccadillo and roasted chicken. Everything came with rice and beans. Most of the dishes came with plantains.
We didn't order the paella, which I wanted so badly! My friends didn't want to wait the 45 minutes...sooo saddd...
Okay, so back to the food we did order...
The roasted chicken was a bit dry. The piccadillo was pretty tasty. Other people in my group liked i more than I did. The ropa vieja was good...it was basically a shredded beef version of the piccadillo. My fave was the vaca frita, which came with sauteed onions. That beef was good...and like everything else, came in a huge portion. HUGE. It was something that could have turned out really dry and blank, but it perfectly seasoned and cooked. I want some now!
But for the star of my meal...THE PLANTAINS. I could eat those things 24/7, they were so absolutely delicious! Wayyy better than Versailles plantains. My mouth waters every time I think of those yummy things.
Bottomline: Puerto Sagua is a good choice for reasonably priced, but good tasting food and huge servings. Eat the plantains, I tell you!!
Best when you are blind drunk in 1998 after stumbling out of Warsaw.
If you're in SoBe and want some authentic Cuban cuisine (Mangos is NOT authentic), try Puerto Sagua!
The place was packed when we entered, but we got a table right away. Prices were VERY reasonable, especially for SoBe. The ropa vieja was outstanding, and the pollo a la brasa huge and good. The beans and rice and fried plantains were classic, of course.
The beer / alcohol selection could be better and the place was Super loud. But great food!
Arguably the best Cuban food in Miami. None of the attitude of South Beach, yet its right in South Beach. The waiters are old-school Cubans. Very professional and they earn their tips.
The prices are so reasonable, I think they have kept the same prices for years.
Delish! We wanted some authentic Cuban food and based off of the myriads of Yelp reviews, decided to check this place out. We arrived about 7/7:30 pm and were met with a short wait.
Started off with homemade iced tea. Great and refreshing! We ordered the fish soup which had plenty of chunks of fish, as well as a good broth. And then the entrees. I got the ground beef spanish style, my bf got the shredded beef cuban style. We both asked for yellow rice instead of the accompanying white rice. The dishes were soooo good. The yellow rice was really tasty and perfectly al dente! The fried plaintains were O ... M ... effing ... G good!
Everything was delicious! We wished we had more time (or perhaps space in our stomachs) to try the Cuban sandwiches!
Nice yummy Cuban restaurant, about a block away from all the touristy spots in SoBe. We came here a couple of times (for lunch and then at 1-2am after a night out), and the food was consistently good. It gets crowded, but the service is great and really fast. The chicken here is juicy and tender, and the fried plantains are delicious. The shredded beef is also good. The portions are large and filling, and reasonably priced.
Boyfriend wanted to come here again, and we probably would have if we stayed another night.
Cheap and tasty!
Arroz con pollo, empanadas, plantains, and fish stew.
Had we had one more day in Miami, I would have insisted we return...yes, the food was THAT GOOD.
Well sized portions, filling and GOOD.
$30 for 2.25 people to eat...after that meal, I didn't even mind having to roll out into 90F, 75% humidity.
Dear Puerto Sagua,
Thank you for saving our lives at 2am last Saturday! I was starving because we hadn't really eaten dinner (we had a late lunch) and we'd already been partying on the beach for a few hours. I knew that I didn't really want to wait to get home to have some grub... What to do? Well, thankfully we were parked in the Garage right across the street from you! Fate? I think so!
While the bf and his friend went to grab the car, my friend and I ran across street and hurried inside. I quickly ordered a Media Noche (sans pickles) and an Ironbeer. Mmmmm! YUM. My friend ordered a Media Noche as well, but with fresh squeezed OJ. While we were waiting, we ate a couple of croquettas to hold us over. Within a few minutes our sandwiches were ready and our drinks were already in hand.
Quick, easy service and great late night munchies is what makes me love you so. :) And let me just let everyone know, you were PACKED at 2am. I guess a lot of people want delicious Cuban food late-night.
Thanks a million!
Regards,
SabrinaAnna*
I used to live a couple of blocks away from this place and have always LOVED the food here.… Read more »
This place was a great, off the beaten path restaurant, in the heart of South Beach. But away from the annoying patrons who try to lure you into their restaurants on Ocean Ave. Their menu was posted in the window and you could see that they have everything under the sun and their prices are reasonable. So, I ventured in.
i first sat at the bar. It was clear the waitress had no interest in serving me. I don't think she spoke English very well and figured I was a typical, English speaking only gringa. If only she knew of my stellar Spanish skills...but I figured, what the hell. Why do I want to deal with this less than friendly lady? So I decided I wanted to sit in the crowded seated area, by myself, surrounded by families, groups of friends, lovers, enjoying their time in beautiful Miami. I guess this is beside the point but being a sales person on a work trip can be oh so lonely.
Anyway, back to the restaurant. My server was fantastic. Very sweet and efficient. I ordered the shrimp enchilados (Cuban style) and of course, a side of sweet plantains, my favorite! All very delicious. I loved the rice and beans. Loved them! I also ordered a couple glasses of the house sangria. I have to admit, mine is better but theirs wasn't half bad!
If you're looking for a restaurant that isn't a total tourist trap with outrageous prices, this is your spot.
If your in the mood for some authentic Cuban cuisine try this place! The service was kinda rocky but they were pretty busy for lunch. None the less our food was very tasty and flavorfull.
I had the lunch of the day which was sherrded chicken with veggies (onions, green peppers, yellow peppers) the chicken was very tender and juicy. Also came with black beans and white rice which was very flavorfull for being white rice! My friend Kat had the fried halibut which was very juicy as well. She loved it saying it was very tender and flaky. Beans n rice for her as well. Oh and let me not forget the Yuca Frittas was awesome. So soft in the inside and crispy on the out with this yummy garlic dipping sauce!
A little better customer service and I would have gave it a 5 star! Maybe our waitress was having a bad day!
I was recommended this traditional Cuban joint by a native South Beacher as a place to find good food for cheap. The place is busy, feels like a diner, but is lots of fun. You get great portions for the price. Plan to stick with rice/beans/plantains if you're a vegetarian, but come on, it's a Cuban restaurant!. I went the veggie route, but if I had ordered a meat dish i might have given this review 4 stars since the chicken i sampled was YUM.
The food was decent, a bit salty and plain, but the plantains and the roast chicken were great!
this place has been in miami-beach forever.
i allways thought the food was pretty good
one of the last times my chicken milanese only o.k. (i had a better one somewhere else in miami where it was $5 cheaper)
but the last time i went with 3 friends i did not like my food at all (i had the liver) and none of my friends did either
like davids cafe i feel like its slipping
A nice casual place to go for Cuban food. I had the Pork Shoulder - I believe it was #63 on the menu.
The pork was tender, although a bit greasy. Tasty, but not the tastiest I have ever had. The rice they served with the plate was mixed with beans. I preferred the white rice they served with the shredded beef.
Although our waitress was attentive, the host (an older gentleman with a pot belly and white hair) was not very friendly. He was standing next to me so I turned and politely asked him for some ice water. He looked at me, and without saying a word, pointed to our waitress. You can interpret that however you wish.
All in all, solid food, reasonably priced and they were able to accommodate our party of 8.
I liked the idea of a cheap, bright, little authentic Cuban place stowed amidst the artifice of South Beach. Alas, Puerto Sagua did not fulfill it. The croquettes were fine, but left me wondering (I am still wondering), croquettes of WHAT? The ropa vieja was adequate. The plaintains were bland and too sweet.
Still, service was cheerful, and I'm awarding 3 stars rather than 2 because there's a real chance that the fault lies with me-- I wasn't in a mood to enjoy myself, and Puerto Sagua didn't change that.
Decided to try this place out based on Yelp reviews and the fact it was very close to our hotel on South Beach. Walking in you can certainly tell it's not your typical trendy SoBe restaurant. This place definitely felt more like a diner. We were seated immediately. Walking to our table I couldn't help but admire all the dishes being consumed as we passed. A big 'ol piece of chicken with rice and beans caught my eye. And it just happened to be one of the specials, YAY! The menu is pretty overwhelming with selections, which would explain why no two people around us were eating the same thing.
They started us off with some bread, what can say but Y-U-M! Fresh French bread with butter is ALWAYS good! I husband ordered the Cuban sandwhich, surprise surprise! I think the man orders a sandwhich 80% of the times we eat out. The sandwhich came on the same french bread that was the starter. Genious! I couldn't imagine the sandwhich being on any better bread! My chicken came out, white rice, black beans and plantains all for I think it was $8.95. What a ridiculous amount of food for the price! The chicken was Awesome! Skin on, prefectly cooked. The black beans are the best black beans I've ever had!
Our meal was so good we ate there a second time before leaving Miami. Husband had the Pork shoulder, which he raves about still and I the shredded pork cuban style. Of couse no disappointment whatsoever. We even ordered another Cuban sandwhich to go! Service was fast and efficient!
I absolutely LOVE this place. Too bad it's 7 hours in a plane to get there!!! Puerto Sagua: you should start a restaurant in Portland, OR!
Reasonably priced, delicious Cuban food! The ropa vieja was amazing- very tender and flavorful. It came with a side of rice and sweet plantains that put me in a food coma. Cuban coffee rocks- strong as hell (also has a nice crema) and will keep you up all night!
Nice local spot, attentive and nice service, bathrooms aren't scary.
To quote Kip from Napoleon Dynamite: "I love technology...."
We were in Miami and we wanted Cuban food. Seems easy and simple to do, right? But if you are a tourist and don't know any locals to suggest a place to go it's a tad more difficult.
Our problem was solved thanks to technology! Earlier I posted on FB something about being in Miami, then friends started suggesting cool places to go in Miami, including restaurants.
Yay!
My friend Pat suggested Puerto Sagua, and after seeing the rave reviews on Yelp [more awesome technology] we made our reservation!
I expected it to be swanky and dark, like the other restaurants we'd been to down there. It was quite the opposite, bright lighting, a lot of tables crowded in a giant room and minimal luxury. I didn't mind one bit because we could immediately tell this joint was going to have some authentic Cuban food!
We ordered Paella, a chicken dish and a beef dish. All tasted great but the paella was fantastic! It takes 45 minutes to cook. We were sharing everything so it didn't matter to us that it took longer. We ate the chicken and beef while we waited and drank our reasonably priced bottle of Malbec.
Everything was delicious and the bill was totally reasonable. Our waiter was not very friendly and would disappear for looooong periods of time but it didn't ruin the experience.
Great food- thanks to Pat for suggesting we try Puerto Sagua!!!
This place has an oldskool diner feel. The only difference was that it wasn't an American diner, it was Cuban. Wooden chairs and tables/counters. There were so many different dishes on the menu that we didn't know what to order. Two people in my party ordered item #1 under beef which was the "ropa vieja" which was tasty. I do recommend this dish, comes with rice and the plantains.
I myself had the grouper fish. Why did I order this? Because someone told me to try this particular fish in Miami and so I did. It wasn't too shabby, toss that spicy sauce on the table on it and I enjoyed my food even more so (BTW, that hot sauce is not hot at all). My dish didn't look like much, but it was decent. The french fries that came with my fish was the bomb! Imagine Mc'Donald's skinny fries without all the salt.
I have to say the price here is reasonable and the portions is plentiful. I'm not a regular Cuban food eater but the food here was good enough for me to come back on my next trip to SoBe. Some of the servers spoke minimal English but it was cool, they knew what we wanted.
my first taste of cuban cuisine and i LOVED it!! this place was so delicious. i ordered the ropa vieja and let me tell you, just thinking about it to write this review is making me crave it so badly. it's just too bad it's a few thousand miles away.
the meat was so tender and blackbeans over rice, i'm hooked. i couldn't even finish my plate and i had to walk out of there with my pants unbuttoned. i wanted to keep eating. good thing we packed it up cause it made for great leftovers, even two days later. the bf ordered the chicken and that was really good too. really juicy and full of flavor. YUMMO!!
can someone ship me some more ropa vieja to sf please!
Althought the seafood paella took 45 minutes ( they also had a disclaim on the menu) it was worth the wait. The variety of lobster, clams, etc were all marinated with the sauce and the rice was soaked with flavor.
The chicken we got was super tender not to mention the shredded steak was a delight. I would definitely recommend this place to anybody that is looking for a cuban place in Miami. Also, the price is reasonable which adds another star to review.
3 1/2 Stars
This was my first time eating Cuban food- so please bear that in mind as you read my review. After searching through Yelp, this was the most highly recommended Cuban restaurant in the area. So I had such a high expectation for this place and I was (sadly) let down. Maybe I don't like cuban food because it didn't stand out to me. Most of the food was greasy. The food I ordered were the pepper steak cubes, garlic shrimp, plantains, black bean, and fish. The dish with the most tasteful flavor was the pepper steak (but it was drenched in oil) and the dish that I would not order again was the fish (it was too dry).
I do have to give them props for their late hours and exceptional service. Our waitress was wonderful and very attentive. Overall, great service and OK food.
looking for a quick cuban latin spot on south beach puerto sagua is a good one.
My food was $7.95, my beer ws $4, so this was an insanely good deal and good food....Again, not as spicy as Mexican food, but that's becuase it isn't Mexico it's Cuba...(Cuba is that place right next to Florida, see? Not really near Mexico at all)
Now for all you tourists who get harrassed by the overpriced and tasteless restaurants off Ocean drive you might wanna venture off a few blocks over to 7th and Collins. Now this place is a typical diner that is frequented by cab drivers and locals so if you are all about ambience and finding you a sugar daddy or eye candy then this place is not for your but if its your last day in town and you are broke from bottle service options and fake boobs and want to feel like you are in Havana or at least Lil Havana then this is the place to go.
I have tried the Cuban Sandwiches b4 but nowadays i strictly go for the seafood. The Arroz con Pollo is delish but my fav is the whole deep fried Tilapia or snapper with rice and beans and sauce. The food is great , very well seasoned and cheap. Now if you are a service snob then please dont bring your butt in here cos thats not what its all about after all we all know Miami is a Third world City and is not really a part of the USA and we know outside the USA service is a privilege. The servers are as nice as they can be but if you wait on Cab drivers everyday trust me where is the inspiration.
I also order the flan which is comparable to some of the best flan i have had in puerto rico (yeah i'm bragging) and they have ethnic sodas which are devoid of High fructose Corn syrup... YAYYYYY.
Overall its a fun treat that most snobs will never recommend.
Best place I ate my entire south beach trip. Love how that works--probably was the cheapest meal as well. Shredded beef with some beans on the side...absolutely amazing.
Cool decor...old school diner setup. You could either sit at the bar up front or at a table in back.
You know it's going to be authentic when you're greeted and asked what table you'd like to sit at in Spanish.
I visited this place about 5 times when I was in Miami. Definitely a great place right on the beach!
Miami Beach, FL
Category: Cuban
Miami Beach, FL
Category: Cuban
Miami Beach, FL
Category: Cuban
Miami Beach, FL
Category: Cuban
Miami Beach, FL
Category: American (New)
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