Azucar Cuban Cuisine

I should have run as soon as I saw that this place was empty at 8:15pm on a Saturday in January. The pleasant hostess sat me outside in the great weather on a nice street across from a biergarten. You could hear live music coming from the place on the corner. Nice vibe. Before leaving, the hostess asked what kind of water I wanted and I said tap is fine. Then the waitress came over and I tried to order a drink but she could not understand me. I speak perfect English but that didn’t help since she couldn’t speak or understand English. I mean, not a word. I had to show her where «Rum Collins» was on the menu. After the drink came she tried talking to me but we could not communicate at all. She grabbed the hostess who said she was trying to explain the specials to me, including mussels. I said I just want a Cuban sandwich.
When my meal was delivered, I asked the waitress for some water. I know she understood because I said «agua» and she replied «water.» The water never came. Halfway through my meal, I was done with my cocktail and had absolutely nothing to drink. I also had no napkin or utensils. My hands were greasy from the sandwich and I couldn’t understand why the waitress never came back — if not with the water, then at least to see if my meal was all right, or if I needed another cocktail. Nothing. I eventually grabbed a busboy who brought me water. As I finished my meal and got up to go to the bathroom to wash my hands, finally the waitress remembered she had a patron. (I was the only one there.) I was livid by that point and just asked for the check.
On my way back from the restroom I told the hostess that this waitress was simply not ready to be waiting tables, and recounted all the things she did wrong: (1) no water; (2) no napkin/​silverware; (3) no return to the table to see if I wanted a second drink or anything else. The hostess thanked me for telling her and apologized. I left a 10% tip which I never do, even with bad service. But this was more like no service. The lack of service ruined my meal, which was actually pretty tasty. I liked it more than the Cubano at Versailles in Little Havana that I had the day before.

I went for the first time this past Friday after Tarpon Bend happy hour. The ladies are free and men pay $ 10 cash only. They play spanish music off course, most was cuban music (salsa and regeton). I was there for an hour and didn’t have any drinks. I would go back only in a group.

WARNING. They will try to play you, especially if you speak limited Spanish.
Visited this restaurant last night with a friend. We’d had a pretty big lunch earlier and wanted only appetizers. Our waitress told us she was Cuban and spoke to us in very fast Spanish. My friend and I both speak a bit of Spanish so we were able to order our food with seemingly no issues. We both pointed to what we wanted just to make sure we were clear. My friend ordered the Gambas al Ajillo, Empanadas Carne, and Maduros. I ordered the Masitas de Puerco, the mixed salad, and tostones.
The food was good. Clearly appetizers– small portions. We enjoyed our meal and the bottle of white wine that was 50% off. The waitress disappeared… she did not check on us even once after she brought our food. We drank and ate and chatted for a while before we realized that we were the only ones left in the restaurant. The fans had been turned off and the lights shut down. So you’re closing, where’s our check?
Finally, we get the bill. Seventy-​five dollars, but how? The waitress charged us for the full meal version of our appetizers, that’s how. $ 20 instead of $ 15 for my pork, and $ 26 instead of $ 10 for my friend’s shrimp. My friend calls the waitress over to discuss the discrepancy. The waitress says she thought we were ordering the entrees. But we pointed to what we wanted on the menu, and it wasn’t on the entrée list. And we’d specifically told her that we weren’t super hungry because she initially suggested the bistec and we both said no thank you, we just want appetizers!
She tells us there’s nothing she can do. We ask to speak to the manager; conveniently, the manager isn’t there. The waitress calls another woman over. This one speaks English and understands exactly what the issue is but she basically just shrugs and walks away. My friend gets upset and walks over to the bar where other staff members are just sitting around drinking. When she asks for some assistance, they all look at us blankly. One man tells us the manager isn’t there. That’s it.
The waitress comes back to the table and tells us that we can come back tomorrow to talk to the manager. But what’s the manager going to do after we’ve already overpaid for our meal? She says she can’t change the bill and there’s nothing she can do. This went on for a solid half an hour.
So we’re like… whatever. All these people in here and NONE of y’all know how to fix this? We paid what we actually owed and left.
The whole ordeal killed my buzz. We know what we ordered and we know how much it cost. Why all the drama? To pocket the extra 20 bucks? That’s pretty ridiculous. The food was delicious but I would never recommend this place to anyone.

$ 2 Mojitos got us in the door. Realized once we were seated that their Cuban Sandwich beat Bobby Flay’s. Shared guacamole, fried pork chunks tapa, and ½ of the famous sandwich. Guacamole was good but portion really small for $ 10– pork was tasty and sandwich good but not as flavorful as expected-couldn’t taste the pickles at all. Would come back often if local.

Pa’ Fuera! Pa’ La Calle! Tírenlos pa’ bajo que son un peligro arriba!
I unexpectedly and randomly ended up here during a fun night while celebrating a girlfriend’s birthday. I had no idea this place even existed! We walked right in to meet our friends and the DJ was jamming playing El Gran Combo. Instant mood changer! I can’t tell you the last time I went to a place where they solely played Latin music. What I can tell you is that none of the places I ever did go to looked this good. Azucar is beautiful and fitting of it’s Coral Gables location. The space is large and separated into different sections: bar, bar tables, lounge seating near the dance floor, dance floor, and a dining (more private) area towards the back. Bamboo leaf fans, dramatic lighting, and natural finishes give it an elegant tropical feel. I love the very authentic «Cuban sayings» posted on their walls. They remind me of things my parents would say while I was growing up.
We hung out mostly by the bar or on the dance floor. I sipped on a guava (of course!) mojito and enjoyed the music. The DJ played a great mix of old/​new school salsa as well as some (very new to me) Cuban reggeaton songs (I only just learned about this genre very recently. I’ve been in Broward too long!). They also did a couple of short hip hop sets. I was surprised no one on the dance floor knew what to do to «The Wobble.» That was actually funny. I was having a wobble party all by myself. That’s OK, this place is all about SALSA! Just typing up this review and reliving it makes me smile!
There crowd that night was of all ages. From beginner to advanced, dance levels were all over the place. I loved watching the couples on the dance floor that did all the cool tricks! Dying to learn how to do all of them. 2014 to-​do list WILL involve salsa lessons. Don’t tell the hubby, he hates dancing. Ha!
In typical Cuban fashion, some men congregated in the outside seating area to smoke cigars and «talk smack» about politics, sports and whatnot.
I really want to go back and see if their menu is as authentic as the rest of Azucar. I’m not sure if they can pull it off though. Whenever a restaurant tries to make Cuban food ritzy it leads to one big fail. If they can keep it simple then they definitively have the whole package. The jury’s still out on that one and I am on the quest to find out.
I love knowing that this place exists for when the mood hits.
Dale! Try it. Nothing but fun!
UYE anyone?

So after waiting for a table at Tarpon Bend for over an hour, my girlfriends and I decided to give newbie Azucar a spin and we’re so happy we did. Azucar was a hit!
First off, on Thursday nights they have complimentary Cuba Libres (rum & coke for the gringos). Not only were the cocktails complimentary, but they were very good. No water-​downed freebies at Azucar. Major brownie points in my book.
As for the food, it was all delicious. I got to sample the chorizo stuffed meatballs, mariquitas (plantain chips), tamales, and gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce). Everything was very good. My favorite though were the meatballs. Next time, I’ll have to try one of their entrees. Everything on the menu sounded great. It’s Cuban food taken to a whole new level.
Not only were the drinks free and the food fantastic, but Azucar has live music almost every night. The band playing inside was excellent, and our waitress (the wonderful Ivette) told us that on the weekends the place is filled with people dancing the night away. If you haven’t checked out this Coral Gables gem, you’re missing out. Who needs Tarpon Bend? Not me.

Azucar!!! Me fascina su ubicación, diseño, ambiente y su música la califico de FENOMENAL porque lo mismo tiene el sabor auténtico cubanos, con ritmos de troba, boleros etc, como todo el compendio de la música actual bailable, llena de energía, lo mismo en español que en inglés. Solo en mi opinión, muy personal, creo la comida debe ser menos grasosa, y tener mas entrantes. La atención es esmerada. En general, la experiencia de visitar este nuevo restaurante es muy agradable, lo hemos visitado tres veces mi esposo y yo, e incluso hemos compartido también con amistades deseosas de disfrutar un rato agradable, y les ha fascinado. Siempre le estoy dando publicidad a este restaurante. Debo añadir que es super limpio. En realidad, necesitábamos un sitio como este en Coral Gables. Ojalá y en el futuro puedan enfocarse mas en la parte gastronómica. Felicitaciones al dueño por lanzarse en una aventura tan riesgosa como esta. Mis respetos!!!
Muchas gracias.