La Rosa

I overheard the name La Rosa at a gathering in an art gallery. If you can picture this setting, you know that this might be a pompous environment with pretentious people and tall tales, but if you keep your ears open, something interesting may surface. And this was the case with La Rosa, which was described as «a nice restaurant where I take my clients for lunch». Coming from someone on the inside (if you know what I mean), I somewhat respected the tip.
A quick intro to La Rosa. I had stopped here before, one time when I was craving Arroz con Pollo, but unfortunately you have to wait an hour for this dish to be ready, and I didn’t have time on that occasion, so I fled. I had this place in bookmark for a while, and then I found a Groupon that offered 40% discount. Not bad, even if I always steer away from Groupons for restaurants because in my eyes it means the restaurant is sinking. But I bought it regardless, taking this marketing plot as a sign of my impending visit.
First the good. I ordered a chicken steak, my two other companions ordered palomilla steaks. My chicken steak was flavorful, soft, very well cooked. It was grilled well and it had herbs that are rarely found in Cuban cuisine, yet it was pretty good. It was a twist. The palomilla steaks were soft and really good (that’s the info I got).
Now the bad. For sides we got rice and beans, and tostones. The beans were really good, very well cooked and al dente. But the rice was terrible. How can a place that sells rice and beans every day have terrible, old, reheated and almost stale rice? Is the chef stoned? How could he send that out? These are $ 16 and $ 18 dishes, at least make the rice daily. And the tostones were definitively not made in house.
With that said, I really enjoyed my meal, except for the rice, and this is a big hiccup in our relationship. I also had a chicken soup and a flan. The soup was good, fragrant, a little better than other places, but the flan tasted like a crème brûlée in conical shape. Not crazy about that either.
Call me crazy but I am making plans to go back, because I want to try the Chicken Cordon Bleu, and to finally order the Arroz con Pollo, and I don’t care if there is a Groupon around (or maybe I do?). I hope that La Rosa reads this and corrects the I care/​I don’t care attitude regarding what comes out of the kitchen, because the food was good enough to be one of Miami’s better Cuban restaurants.
Oh! Yes, service… well, a little bit relaxed and all over the place, a little bit too informal for a place that wants to attract better clientele. I mean, nothing terrible, but definitively not top notch.
If and only if… (sigh)

If you are looking for delicious Cuban food, this is the place to go. I hadn’t been here in many years and decided to go after a family function. The ambiance is excellent, not like regular Cuban joints in town. There is also a lady that plays the piano beautifully. I highly recommend coming in and trying this place out. Portions are huge and very delicious.

We went by recommendation of Gilberto. I tried the Filet Mignon and was SO GOOD! my husband had milanesa chicken was SO GOOD AND ENORMOUS!!! (Seriously 2/​3persons can eat of that!) and finally as dessert we had Arroz Con Leche D E L I C I O U S ! You have to eat here!

I echo the many reviews below that recommend the lamb shank. Great flavor, melt off the bone. This place is very legit — most customers speaking Spanish in large groups. I’d give it five stars but the staff weren’t the most welcoming of a single diner. I asked to sit at the bar (they don’t have one), because it’s less awkward when alone. The owner or his dad complained in Spanish under his breath to his son: «he wants a bar…» Clearly I wasn’t deterred — glad I wasn’t.

Not as good as most reviews say. My grilled fish was over cooked and it was served with frozen style steamed vegetables.
The service and the fried platanos served for free as an appetizer were good though.

Hands down best service and food I’ve had in a long time from a restaurant I found on Unilocal.The server was great, food was amazing. And the lava cake was the best I’ve ever tasted. This place doesn’t look like much on the outside. But when you walk in its a totally different experience. Definitely give them a try. Ask for Manuel. Excellent server and great suggestions.

A little more expensive than other Cuban restaurants in area but has a more upscale and ambitious menu! The whole deep fried snapper was awesome! All the sides were very good Also. Vaco Fritos, fried beef with onions and spices was delicious. Flan for dessert perfect! Coupon for $ 10.00 off at
. They even have a piano player to add ambiance and plenty of parking.

Went today and got up and left after waiting 45 minutes for a chicken cordon blue. When ask what was the wait, we never got a straight answer. Not even from the Manager. It’s a shame as this used to be a reputable restaurant.

Muy buen servicio y rica la comida, a pesar de ir con groupon, todo estuvo bien, gracias

If you want authentic Cuban food, you must visit and partake in eating the most delicious food you’ll ever consume. The Skirt steak is my favorite and the Chicken with yellow rice is my second favorite. And don’t forget to ask for their famous frozen lemonade, totally awesome. You won’t regret coming here with your friends and family. Free parking is available.

You will pay more for dinner at La Rosa than a typical Cuban Restaurant but the food is outstanding. We went on a Saturday and had the Roast Pork which was the best I have ever had in a restaurant. The pork was extremely tender and came with crispy skin that was delicious. Rice and beans were perfectly cooked and also delicious. Prices here are double what you would pay at a typical Cuban Restaurant in Miami but the quality food and the charming piano player playing live music makes it worth the trip. The only wrinkle was the service which was largely inattentive but the food and the atmosphere made this an establishment that I will definitely return to.

This is a hidden gem that recently had a complete remodel inside, they will be here for another forty years. It’s worth a stop if your in Miami and very close to the airport too. Best roast pork with crispy skin !

My friends and I wanted to try authentic Cuban food and Unilocaled this place. Lucky for us, it was close to our hotel!
We came for lunch and were seated immediately. At first, we were pretty much the only ones there but by the time we left, the place was beginning to get packed. The décor is elegant and the atmosphere is relaxing, inviting, and intimate.
Bistec a la Milanesa o Empanizado — Absolute yumminess.
The flan for dessert is also a winner.

Tonight our party was craving for Rabo Encendido.
White rice, plantains, salad. Vaca frita, moros, plantains.
Crema Catalana to close the menu.
The rabo was delicious. A newcomer asks us what we were eating and we recommended the dish to him.
They loved it. So was the Vaca Frita,.
However, i liked the Crema best.
The piano player, have a vast repertoire of old songs and played very well.
A very enjoyable dinner with family.

Great food, great live music, great cocktail drink…
Plan on getting poor service. We called to make a reservation and they said ok we got you down, but never asked for our name/​number/​how many in our party etc. Once we got thee the place was empty (mY e that’s why they did not ask for the previous). However the food and music made up for the service!

They are very generous at giving the dish. I ordered a rosa seafood platter for two. It comes with thee large lobsters and some other seafood. The reason why I give three star despite of this is that their shellfishes are hard to bite! I feel like I am eating a lobster grandma!!!

I feel that this is the only place in Miami th as t has an English speaking waiter. The waiter was very friendly and appeared at the table many times to accomodate our needs. The instant my cup was out of water, he was there to refill it.
The atmosphere is very Cuban. There is a piano in the middle of the restaurant and people play it, providing live music. The lights are dim and the Cuban music warms the mood as food is eaten.
I ordered the Monday special: veal steak tips. I ordered them medium rare but they came out well done. However, the meat was very tender and easily chewable. The rice with beans were mediocre. Nothing was special about it. I also ordered the toscones. They tasted like plantines and had no taste overall than the fried crispy taste.
I came here because it received 4.6÷5 stars, however, this restaurant was not THAT good. I would give it more of a 3.5÷5 stars. An average meal overall.

I had the best Cuban food this afternoon along with the best mojito. The service is excellent and the waiter spoke English fluently! A rare find in many Cuban restaurants in Miami’s Cuban neighborhoods.
I had the lamb shank with black beans and rice and my wife had the shrimp creole with a side of steamed veggies. We were stuffed, the portions are ginormous. The place was packed at 2 PM with many families with well behaved children on a Sunday.
Easy to summarize, after looking for 15 years after my go to place for Cuban food closed (Lila’s in Westchester), La Rosa is now my place! Way to go! Paradise found!

So I like Cuban food I got pork chops stuffed with sausage and cheese my friend got the three pound fried snapper which was huge portions are big hair but the food is tasty and wasn’t a big wait we came in around 10pm I would return good food

estuve el pasado jueves de camino al aero puerto y puedo decir como Cubana que Le comida estaba buenisima. Y disfrute mucho de la musica Cubana en director al piano

It was just ok. Nothing to write home about.
The décor inside is out dated. The service was good. They have a full bar with several different bottles of wine.
We started out with fritura de bacalo. It was very salty not my cup of tea, My mom had the whole fried snapper with moro and sweet plantains. The moro was with red beans not the traditional black beans version. It had a weird taste to it wasn’t into it. I had the churrasco. It was cooked to med and tasted ok. I found the menu prices to be over priced. I doubt I will go back.

Well. Our table cloth was dirty even though we were the first customers of the day.
$ 8 heart of palm salad was literally canned hearts of palm, unseasoned canned or frozen peas, and a couple strips of canned/​jarred red bell pepper. I’ll post a picture of this ridiculously overpriced salad.
1.75 for a can of coke/​diet coke
7.50 for the cubano
6.50 for the media noxhe — exact same sandwich. No sides, nothing. Just a sandwich. Served with ketchup.
Only good part of the meal was the free plantain chips at the beginning.

Mui Bueno