I am really not sure what to make of this place. I love love love the idea of it. Good Cuban food with a mojito bar and live music and dancing on the weekends. Â Sounds great right?
That being said, I've had some great food here. Anyone who knows me, knows I am completely in love with Latin food. Add black bans, plantains, and rice to any meal and it is amazing to me...I will stand by this every time I say it but those three things are always and will forever be the best food I put in my mouth...so the food is great, and the first time I came here, the waitress was so amazing! She gave me great suggestions and was so friendly! The second time I came here, the food was still good (I'm pretty sure I got the Pan con Lechon), the waitress wasn't as great as I was hoping, and as I had raved to my friends about the food and service here I was expecting great things.
However, and this is probably no fault of Mambo's (I'm sure just a few too many drinks), but it's just something that turned me off of Mambo's on the weekend nights, my friend and I were walking by on a Saturday night, and the second after I said I wanted to go there one night, a huge fight broke out right in front of the restaurant/bar. And I mean huge! A taser was involved at some point (and not by the popo). I just remember thinking that yea that was scary as hell, but I do still want to try it one night! Crazy maybe, but might make for some good stories.
But I will just rate based on my experiences. Good food, hit or miss service. But I can't wait to go back when I'm home for a weekend in the summer time.
Some of the best Cuban food in Jacksonville. Great environment, on Fridays and the weekends they have live music and dancing which is wonderful to watch even if you dont want to partake. The food is fantastic. My personal faves are the Ropa Vieja, Pan con Lechon, sweet plantains and my #1 ham croquettes. If you havent tried Mambos I highly recommend going there. Great to go with friends, their Mojitos are fantastic and they have pitchers for the whole table if needed. A must try!
Review Source:Over priced drinks/liquor/beer, average food, and average bar atmosphere. I was there on a Saturday night and it wasn't that busy. 20-30 people maybe and most of that was from our group? Not sure I'd go back just based on the over priced alcohol. I had a Caesar salad, bon cristo(?) sandwich, and a pitcher of sangria... total bill 50ish just for me... also our waitress was terrible.
Review Source:My stay here in Jacksonville was short but one of the places that I got to try in the 2 months I was here was Mambos. I've only been to another Cuban place...and that place wasn't really Cuban but instead a place that called itself Cuban but which had a menu that was mostly Spanish. I am happy to say that I did not find that here in Mambos but actual Cuban food.
Cuban sandwich seems to be everyone's favorite and I can see why. I loved all their sides (sweet plantains, yucca, yellow rice). Also a good place for Friday or Sat night dinner. They usually have some live music / Santana look alike playing :)
I haven't been here in a while... I guess I've been hibernating from the beaches... anyways, I just saw that they are opening a new bistro and pizzeria on Beach Blvd. I guess it's time I pay them another visit soon. Â Anyways, for a while I was going to Mambo's like EVERY week. Â My loves are: pan con lechon and the mojitos. Â They used to (maybe still do) have dancing lessons every Tues night, which was pretty fun :) Â I absolutely love the staff here. Â One time I was on a bad date -- the staff kept checking in on me. Â I love them for that :)
Review Source:Checked out Mambo's today for lunch. First off, great decor and atmosphere. Waitstaff was welcoming.
Lunch consisted of a cuban favorite, a cuban sandwich with yellow rice/beans and a classic mojito. Â All in all, loved the meal and especially the mojito.
Would recommend this place and expect to pay $12-20 for dinner entrees.
Solid cuban food, good location, nice ambiance. The prices are reasonable for the generous portions you receive.
We've eaten at Mambo's three times for dinner and once for a late lunch and were pleased with all four visits. We purchased the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> deal the first time.
The cuban sandwich is delicious and filling. My boyfriend and I both love Mambo's ropa vieja and sweet plantains with the black beans and yellow rice. We've have had the lechon asado (roasted pork shredded and grilled with sautéed onions blended with our homemade mojito sauce) which was good. Tostones are good and the guava sauce was yummy. Have dinner then wander across the street to Green Room Brewing for a cold beer.
This is a quaint and festively decorated restaurant, I had drinks and appetizers here last week. Â The menu is extensive and there are a lot of options (sandwiches, entrees, etc.) Â I tried the sampler platter, shrimp tostones, and marinera paella. Â My favorite was the fried yucca (quite surprising, since I normally don't like yucca.) Â Oh, I should mention that we had a pitcher of mojitos, a nice big pitcher which served 4 of us for $30. Â The mojitos here are pretty good, a bit on the tart side, though. Â The night we were here apparently is salsa night. Â Mid-way through dinner some salsa instructions cranked some music and people started dancing. Â It was fun to watch and the music wasn't too loud as to be overbearing.
I debated between 3-4 stars, overall the food was good and the atmosphere lively. Â I will definitely come back to try some other things on the menu.
Not my first trip to Mambo's and, although previous trips were a bit disappointing,  like a moth to a flame , the lure of a Groupon was too much to resist and so another visit  to Mambo's was made.  My wife and had had a late lunch around 2:30 and were surprised there was only one other customer when we arrived. Not sure what that means. This outing we tried the Empanada Duo appetizer and were quite pleased. The two chicken empanadas were warm,  crunchy and very tasty. Sometimes a good start evolves into a bad ending and this was the case this afternoon.  I chose the deluxe Cuban sandwich for my meal and it was  predictable and featured generous portions of pork, ham ,cheese and pickle.  I paid extra for black beans and yellow rice and they were quite good. My wife chose Pollo ala Mambo which must mean chicken breast sans flavor. Basically it is a chicken breast covered by a mountain of sauteed onions and, per the menu, cooked in a white wine sauce.  While it sounded interesting, it had almost no flavor and was disappointing.  if you had told me it was tofu, I would have believed you. Sides were black beans and rice and fried yucca. Again quite good. Bottom line: not sure if a return trip to Mambo's is in the future but you know how hard it is to resist the pull of the Groupon ......
Review Source:Was in the area after the lunch rush and decided to stop in. We were seated at our table quickly, but waited five minutes just to be greeted and give our drink order. We waited another seven minutes for our drinks and neither our drinks, nor our waitress came by again, we decided to leave.
The menu looked good, sadly I may never know if the food is good or not.
Tired of burgers?
Sick of pizza N wings?
"Hey mambo, mambo Italiano hey hey mambo mambo Italiano
Go go go you mixed up Siciliano
All you Calabrese do the mambo like-a crazy with the
Hey mabo don't wanna tarantella
Hey mambo no more mozzarella
Hey mambo mambo Italiano try an enchilada with a fish baccala
Hey goomba I love how you dance the rumba
But take some advice paisano learn-a how to mambo
If you're gonna be a square you ain't-a gonna go anywhere
Hey mambo mambo Italiano hey hey mambo Italiano!"
Things to try:
Traditional Paella for two (or Marinera for the Italiano in you!)
Pollo Al Ajillo
Lechon Asado
Try Mambos...and leave singing a new tune...
The entertainment was great... The guitarist really made the mood. Â Unfortunately food is not fresh. Â Ordered their special paella and seafood was not fresh which is really disappointing at $30. Â In fact it was served with clams still closed ( ie not fully cooked). Mojitos were good. Lecoen sandwich was really good. Of course plantains are awesome.
Review Source:What on earth!! I loved their Mayport location, so I've given the new, purportedly upscale version in Jax Beach 3 good tries before completely giving up. Â The food is substantially the same quality, and pretty good. The problem?? You are almost guaranteed to wait for it for at LEAST an hour. Â I timed them once at approximately 140 minutes. Â (That comes out to 2 hours and 20 minutes.) This was after several complaints, one assurance it would be "just a few more minutes", and then a 40 minute period where there wasn't a server in sight, despite relatively empty tables. Â So I'll still go to the one in Mayport at lunch now and then. Â But the Jax Beach version could implode tomorrow and I wouldn't care even slightly. I won't be returning ever.
Review Source:I love Mambo's. I come to Jax beach regularly for business and I've never been disappointed by a meal at Mambo's. It's as good for a meal by yourself as it is with a party of ten.
Everything pork on their menu is delicious. The appetizer with pork and guava sauce makes a really nice combination.
The only time I tried the Ropa Vieja it was unimpressive but by no means bad.
They serve breakfast on the weekends. The price is very reasonable and the food is delicious.
Their menu mentions a breakfast buffet on Sundays, but as far as I can tell, they don't do the buffet anymore.
Looks like they definitely got they're act together. With he mixed reviews, I was a little hesitant to venture in to give it a try having seen another place already come & go.
Well, I found a deal on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a>, so I was willing to give it a go and I'm very glad I did. I went for the cuban sandwich with a side of black beans & rice. The sandwich was well toasted & the meat perfectly stacked. The beans (mixed with my rice) were seasoned well and served as the perfect side to my hand held entree.
Top the night off with two Cuba Libras & I was feeling mighty fine.
My fiance and I popped in based on a last minute decision and I'm glad we did. Â I didn't really have any expectations probably b/c I thought it would only be mediocre cuban cuisine but we were pleasantly surprised. Â First off the service was awesome and drink specials were great. Â I got the special of the day - a stewed chicken and it was oh so good. Â The chicken just fell off the bone and the stew broth was so good I was sopping it up with the plantains! Â As far as ambiance I felt like there could be more going on but perhaps it's more happening later in the night. Â
I'm excited this place opened up and even more excited that it's worth going. Â Jacksonville needs more ethnic cuisine and this is definitely at the top of my list. Â Looking forward to going back soon and give you all an update.
Boy was this a site for sore eyes... We were visiting Florida and craving Latin Caribbean cuisine. We first tried Mambo's Cuban Cafe but unfortunately it was closed.... Than I looked up on my phone if there was anything similar close by. To my delight this place was a 5 minute drive away and owned by the same people. I dont think Ive ever eaten so much in one sitting. First I started out with the black bean soup. The flavor wasnt overpowering so I liked it as an appetizer. My wife and I enjoyed the tostones also.Which came with the mojo sauce which I think is cuban. When I eat tostones at a puerto rican restaurant they usually serve it with a sauce made of ketchup and mayo. We also tried the croquettas which were awesome! I can eat those all day. I tried ordering the pernil and they said all the meat wasnt done because the night before they had a large party which ate most of the meat up so they had to re-marinate everything.
I told them I came all the way from Chicago and they made an exception. Â Boy I'm glad they did because it was awesome. It came with a side of white rice and black beans and also fried plantains called maduro. YUM! I had all of that with a mojito which was pretty good. For dessert I had the tres leches cake. Wow that was so moist and rich. Along with a cafe con leche which was ok. My wife had the flan. Good stuff. If were ever in town again I'm definitely hitting this place up!
Had a great time!! In town to visit my brother-in-law who took us out for dinner...loved it!! The food, the service and the atmosphere all tied in together to make a great experience. Â And we got to dance some of the calories off afterward to some great music...bachata and merengue. Â We will be back!
Review Source:I have been to both of their locations. Â This is the only place to get good Cuban cuisine at the beach. Â The Ropa Vieja and the Picadillo are my favorites. Â Save room for some flan for dessert. Â A co-worker says it reminds him of growing up in Miami. Â They offer Latin dance lessons on Thursdays. Â Friday night turns this place into the only Latin inspired nite spot at the beach. Â Great crowd and even better music. Â The managers stay on top of everything ensuring everyone has a good time.
Review Source:I took my wife and 2 kids to this restaurant today. Â We got there at 5 pm. Â Although the place was two thirds empty, it took them 10 minutes to seat us. Â Nobody came to get us drinks or take our orders while we sat there for another 15 minutes and watched the waiters just jabbering. Â We were so disgusted by their inattention that we left. Â Only go there if you are planning on spending the whole day waiting for these guys to get their ducks in a row.
Review Source:Ok food. Terrible service. They messed up 3 things with our order. And the manager went around offering free pitchers of sangria to all of the table except ours. At first we thought he hadn't made it our table yet, then he went to the same tables he had already visited and offered refills. Won't be back.
Review Source:i'm gonna guess that the other reviews must be the staff at Mambo's, maybe. My boyfriend are not picky eaters in the slightest and i have to say this was the worst food we've eaten all year. I hate when people give terrible reviews but this was a pretty bad dinner. First, we were one of 3 other tables in the restaurant and it took awhile for our waiter to greet us. We thought, ok, lets not take this as a bad sign. So, we ordered a combination app and the croquettes tasted strongly of cardboard packaging and quite freezer burned. My BF's Bacardi and coke was flat but we didn't say anything. Then we placed our order and they were out of what i ordered and i was informed of this about 12 minutes after the order placed. My skirt steak tasted oddly gamey and the weirdest thing was my BF's ketchup was extremely fishy. We thought maybe it was the oil his fries were cooked in but it was the ketchup. Anywho, i think that location must be cursed because nothing lasts there. Finally, our waiter noticed our food was hardly touched and asked if it was any good. I politely told her it was alright and she offered us 20% off our check which was pretty cool but i unfortunately won't be going back.
Review Source:Visited MCB this past Saturday night with the fam. Â My big bro and sister-n-law have visited a few times already and have had nothing but great things to say about it. Â I was excited to try it. Â I never visited their Mayport location but it is always nice to see some Latin presence in the restaurant scene in Jax. Â Pollo Tropical does NOT count either but that's another story for another time. Â MCB was right on. Â This is the BEST Cuban cuisine in all Northeast Florida hands down. Â There were five us and we all had nothing but praise from the minute we walked in to the minute we left. Â The food, drinks, service, and atmosphere were on point. Â
We started with some drinks and I went for the original mojito and it was the best in town next to the one I have had @ One Ocean in NB. Â The Presidente Light was cold and was on special for $2. Â
For appetizers we went with the tostones with pulled pork & guava sauce. Â I don't even really like tostones that much but these were not to thick or to thin, just right. Â They also brought out Cuban bread which was toasted and had just the right amount of butter. Â We had four servings of this. Â It was just too good.
For the main meal we choose the Bistec Empanizado, 2 of us went with the Masita de Puerco Fritas, Lechon Asado, and Pollo al Ajillo. Â All of the meat was juicy and plentiful, the yellow rice and black beans tasted delicious and the maduros were very tasty. Â The Bistec Empanizado was just right too, not to heavy or too light on the breading. Â That can make or break that dish. Â
For dessert we shared the Caramel Flan and the Tres Leche Cake. Â Not as good as mom makes but pretty close. Â Service was awesome. Â Britney(sp) was on her A game and could have not been more attentive or polite. Â They had live music on which added a perfect touch to the ambiance. Â Looking forward to heading back there again soon. Â I hope it can stay around much longer then the two previous tenants. Â Strongly Recommend!!!
We all started off pretty excited about this place. Â It's something new and different on 3rd St in Jax Beach in a prime location. Â I went in with a party of 3 at noon. Â They offered breakfast or lunch. Â One of us chose lunch and the two others, chose breakfast. Â As soon as the waiter (Mike) approached us, he informed us we would be the last table for brunch since they just stopped serving. Â We were going over the menu and mentioned that the cafe con leche came with most of the breakfast items and we were looking forward to enjoying it. Â Mike immediately advised that despite the fact there were at least 5 servers there, and the restaurant was half full, he was the only one avail to make the coffees and they take a long time, so we would have to be patient. It took 20 minutes for us to receive our coffees and an additional 15 minutes to receive our food that we had to ask twice to be checked on. Â There was even a point where Mike would walk by our table with his back to us so he didn't have to make eye contact because we were obviously getting impatient waiting over 30 minutes for a sandwich and 2 bistec de caballo. Â By the time we received our food, we needed more coffee. Â Mike was obviously annoyed and put out by our request for another coffee and we were once again advised that it would take a while. Â We finished our entire meal and still did not receive our coffees. Â Finally, he brought them over and we asked why did we have to wait so long and he advised that not only does it take a while to make, but that our two particular coffees took extra long to make. Â I know this sounds ridiculous, but I promise this is exactly what was told to us. Â We finally received our check, but even though Mike walked passed us several times while we were trying to hand him our credit card, he did not take the check. Â We had to bring it up to the bar and then it took 10 minutes from that point, for them to run the credit card because the bartender was unable to do it. Â There seemed to be a serious lack of management on the floor. Â There was only a very young hostess and no one in charge which I believe is a necessary component in a new restaurant at noon on a Saturday. Â Additionally, while we did not partake in the buffet, at no point during the 2 hours that we were there, was the buffet table serviced or checked on. Â Overall, this was extremely disappointing and we will not go back. Â Hopefully, something else wonderful will take over this prime location.
Review Source:Bored of the usual fare, my partner and I headed out to Jax Beach on Friday night and gave Mambo's a try. We were not dissapointed. We stepped inside and were immediately seated. The inside is cozy and dark but inviting enough for either a date or family dinner. Live Cuban music was a nice touch to go with the relaxed atmosphere. There's also a bar area that started getting busy as the night progressed.
We ordered the fried yucca as an appetizer. The mojo sauce that came with the dish was the best I've ever tasted. Fresh, flavorful and very authentic. For the main course we ordered the palomilla steak with grilled onions, tostones, black beans (side), black bean soup and yellow rice. The steak was nicely cook but a bit bland. I was glad I had the mojo sauce to add some flavor to it. The black beans as a side were really good. Tostones were delicious and not too greasy as can happen with fried food. The only dish I didn't enjoy was the black bean soup; it was way too thin for my taste and again, lacking in flavor.
For dessert we ordered a slice of tres leches and man was it GOOOOOD. Moist, milky and sweet. It was perfection. The cafe con leche was also very enjoyable; super strong and sweet so prepare yourself if that's not how you take your coffee.
Overall, a really good place to check out. Good service, relaxed atmosphere, right next to YogaBerry.
So happy to see them in Jax beach. I loved the one in mayport but the hours were short, and they were closed a few times when I wanted to visit. They are pretty new and the staff is a little disorganized at times, but nice. I love the flavors but the presentation of even a sandwich was a little sloppy. The bar is nice but odd, shifted really far away from the wall it makes me feel like I am in a warehouse, accentuated by the supplies stacked on shelves that should not be in sight.
They had music, but it was some kind of two man Jazz thing, not Latin, I was disappointed. I hear they are or do have latin music at night.
Keep getting better, I love your flavor, and would love to see this place replace the lack of places in Jax beach for 30 something somewhat cultured non deadbeat adults to hang out at. Also, can you open at least a window to get real cafe con leche in the morning?!
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