Mambos Cuban Café

Finally got a chance to stop by and try Mambo's. We ordered our typical order to share when visiting a new Cuban place: Ham Croquettes & a Media Noche. Hubs upgraded from French Fries to white rice & black beans for an additional $2.00. The Croquettes come 8 to an order, but they are half the size of traditional ones. The server confirmed they were from a restaurant supply but they were perfectly cooked crispy, the filling had perfect hammy smokiness and I would order these every time. The sandwich arrived full of sliced ham, juicy shredded pork and oozing of mustard. Along with sliced pickles inside, there was no chance of calling this sandwich dry, it was classic and delicious. Hubs apparently enjoyed the rice & beans, because when I looked up the bowl was empty, LOL We never, ever order dessert, especially at lunch, but we decided to get a Flan. Just wow. Perfectly set, creamy custard with just a slight sweetness. So light that I don't feel guilty at all. It was a perfect finish. Our server was sweet as could be, everything came out hot & fresh & nicely presented. The atmosphere was light, bright, open and clean. My only teeny complaint was that the upholstered booths need to be repaired or replaced. I was wearing shots and my legs were being pinched the whole time. Looking forward to trying dinner sometime in the near future, and I'll be sure to wear long pants, just in case, LOL

- Debbi Rigdon -

Huge portions and delicious! I almost forgot to take pictures, because we were eating and enjoying our food so much. We had the Cuban Fried Rice with Pork, Arroz con Pollo, the Cuban wrap, tostones, sweet plantains, and papa Relleno. The portions are huge and the food is good and authentic. We will definitely be back!

- Nicole Dellairo -

The staff were so helpful. The place was cozy and the food was so beautiful & delicious. They got the black beans and white rice perfect. I love me some coconut shrimp. Once I i was finished, I though I was going to order one more - but nope - I had to eat the whole black beans and rice and got stuffed. My girl's order had the black beans and rice. I tried it and got a side for me, that's how I got my portion. Song through Mambos. You'll love it!

- John 13:7 -

Food was great, service was on point. Overall enjoyed my entire experience here and even the Cuban coffee was on point .

- James Hoel -

This is a great find in Jacksonville. Food was perfectly prepared. Highlights were: Cuban Sandwich, Cuban Burrito, Pollo Ajillo. Either sides of fries, plantains, or rice and beans are recommended. You won’t go wrong at this place. Clean and inviting store. Service is excellent/friendly. Certain we will be back!

- Michael Cloin -

Nice place to eat authentic Cuban food. Very expensive though. Coffee: $5? Crazy! Small slice of flan: $7.50? Outrageous! The nerve of the point of sale ticket to have a blank for tip when it's automatically factored in the total bill. $77 for two is way too much. I'm not paid a NFL player's salary.

- Gilbert Nichols -

Pleasant music, friendly staff, the place is easy to like with its diverse menu but, you really have to like the meat aspect of Cuban food, especially pork. The new Cuban cuisine is not happening here, this is more traditional. With European influx to Cuba, it's easier to find healthy and lighter dishes there. At Mambo's, there's not much for our vegetarian friends, two sometimes three dishes but the preponderance of meat in the kitchen does tend to carryover to the other food, a bit of a smoky meat aroma in the flavor. But, all in all, what they do they do well

- D G (ConsumerGuru) -

Amazing coffee. The papas rellenas were a great start and the plantains were cooked perfectly. Our server was so kind and helpful when explaining everything and the atmosphere was great. I will definitely be coming back.

- Gabrielle Mevers -