Gustazo Cuban Restaurant & Cafe

Found this place via Unilocal.It is the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in the Boston area. We dined tapas style. Ordered empanadas carne Asada, plantains, polenta, cauliflower and the glazed ribs. The empanadas were just ok but everything else was delish.

I have had everything here, and it’s all great
Would rec the churros

One of the best restaurants in the Greater Boston Area. We came back and had the empanadas de carne, the octopus, the guava ribs and for the first time we had the grilled avocado salad. You can really see in the food that the chef knows what she is doing and is very creative. That grilled avocado salad had the smartest execution and amazing flavor.
A must if you like food. Plus you can walk in and is not impossible to eat there like other overrated restaurants.

Everything here is always delicious and fresh and the service is fabulous and friendly. I recommend the empanadas, the salads and the churros with chocolate for dessert. Fantastic addition to downtown Waltham.

Empanadas are not my favorite but I will always try the empanada of the day at Gustazo’s. Plus that little schmear they serve alongside it is a great addition.
But the real star of Gustazo’s are their Cuban sandwiches without a doubt. I always get the Pan con Lechon because they work magic on pulled pork and their pork belly is just perfectly crisp, worked in with the onion and avocado purée — this all comes together perfectly pressed on a baguette — MMM my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Another great is the Cubano. The dijon and pickles paired with the roast pork and smoked ham just make for a great bite.

just came back from gustazo for dinner. i am full and had the best meal i’ve had in a longggg time!
for small plates, we had the guacamole cubano, camarones al ajillo, ceviche de serrucho, and an octopus salad one. other than a bit too much salt on the octopus, all were otherwise excellent. the guac came with a unique banana chips, whereas the ceviche came with sweet potato chips that went great together. the bread under the shrimp was amazing, as it soaks up all the garlic juice from the shrimp on top.
for large plates, we got the puerco asado and salmon al mango. highly recommend the salmon, which was an excellent thick slab of salmon over perfect asparagus and a flavorful black bean, corn, and quinoa salad. it was also a beautiful plate. the puerco asado was solid, but i wouldnt get it again. a tad salty.
for dessert, we got the flan and churros con chocolate. churros and chocolate? what can go wrong!!! because it was PERFECTTT. churros tasted fresh, crispy outside and soft inside… just amazing. the flan wasn’t great though.
overall, a great meal. i was full and the prices are good for the amount and quality of food. i would very much come again, probably on date night with my wife or on a double date.

I’ve been wanting to visit Gustazo Cuban Restaurant & Café ever since I had heard about them in their original Belmont location. They take reservations, so we finally made it here one evening in May.
A public parking lot is located behind their building building which is free after 6pm, but otherwise $ 1/​hr, however, we managed to find a spot right out front. Score!
We opted to share a variety of dishes between our party of 8:
CHICHARRONES $ 9
crispy pork belly, avocado purée, pineapple orange salsa
MEJILLONES CON CHORIZO $ 12
PEI mussels in a creamy chorizo sauce, scallions, rustic bread
CORDERO AL CABRALES $ 14
Slow roasted lamb, Spanish Cabrales cheese sauce, fresh corn, basil
EMPANADAS DE CARNE $ 7
Ground beef w/​sofrito, olives, capers and raisins, served w/​sour cream
COSTILLAS A LA GUAYABA $ 10
Guava glazed pork ribs, hearts of palm-​pineapple purée, pickled beets
TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA $ 7.50
thick Spanish frittata w/​potatoes, caramelized onions, Remoulade
GUACAMOLE CUBANO $ 8
w/​pineapple, cilantro, red onions, sunflower seeds & plantain chips
CAZUELA DE COLIFLOR ASADA $ 10
Roasted cauliflower cazuela with manchego cheese, pistachios and sweet onions
EMPANADAS DE ESPINACA $ 7
Spinach, caramelized onions & ricotta cheese empanadas
MARISCADA $ 25
Seafood stew in a coconut milk-​cilantro sauce with scallops, shrimp, calamari, PEI mussels & clams
BONIATILLO DE COCO $ 9
Boniato root & coconut milk egg custard, toasted coconut crumbles orange segments & cranberry chia juice
I recommend their Chicharrones, Guacamole Cubano, mussels, Mariscada, and the coconut custard dessert. The lamb was too salty. The spinach empanada preferred over the beef variation.
They have a selection of tropical juices $ 2.50 which were rather intense in flavor and could do with a touch of diluting.

No liquor license and YOU CAN’T BRING YOUR OWN.
Food was good, but at $ 72 including tip for two (tapas and one lemonade) it’s priced like a full-​service restaurant and it’s not.

Small plates/​tapas were creative and tasty. Not sure I’m convinced by the Cuban-​inspired Tapas. I like Cuban. I like Tapas. Next time I’ll try the Cuban entrees. Service was friendly. Portions (for small plates) generous. Drinks good. I know my friends have been back but I’m sticking with Tapas places for Tapas.

We were looking over the menu and I noticed a tween-​aged boy swipping across his plate with his finger and liking the food off. Gustavo in Waltham is a MUST try. The textures, flavors and freshness of the food was a party in our mouths. After our meal it took all my might not to swipe away at my own plate.

Such a great find in Waltham. We opted to do tapas style dinner and only ordered a bunch of the small plates. The only thing that I felt wasn’t great was the octopus. I found it to be way too salty. The ceviche and cubanitos are a definite order. I’ll be coming back for lunch when they are willing to give you a full cubano sandwich. And will also be visiting again to try out more of their dinner menu. I’m willing to say that they have the best Flan I’ve tried in Boston. It’s more solid than what I’ve had in the past, but it made me like it more.

Really good salad with palm heart, pork, orange, cucumber, tomato…
I didn’t like the coffee but it was ok.

Christ, I seriously bit into the pan con lechon and said «this is the best fcking sandwich I have ever had» and I have had a lot of sandwiches.
I don’t even know where to begin. The panini bread was pressed to perfection. The pulled pork was succulent and well seasoned. The crispy pork belly added an appropriately delicious crunch. Everything was in perfect balance and my taste buds sang their praises loudly. I can’t believe sandwiches are only $ 10. I want to buy all of them and eat all of them. All day long.
The restaurant itself is small and cozy. I will definitely be coming back for dinner. I ordered my sandwich to go at the counter and devoured it in the car before my chiropractor appointment down the street (no regrets crying tears of joy by myself in the parking lot while eating my sandwich). When I asked the hostess how long it would be, she said about 8 minutes (I love how exact this number is), but I actually got it in 6 minutes. The staff are amazing. Everything about this place is amazing. I’d opt for calling in my order in the future for sure.
Seriously, if the Cubano sandwiches in the movie Chef were half as delicious as the ones at Gustazo, I understand the hype. I get it. I would TOTALLY line up for these.

Updating again. Gustazo is becoming one of my top top favorite restaurants in Waltham. Go for the small plates, as I mention in an earlier review.
Today, I went for Sunday brunch. The clear winner is the Huevos a la Malagueña. You have eggs cooked any way you want on a flavorful need of chick peas, sofritas and spices. It is so filling that you will find it hard to finish.
The Tortilla Espanola was a thick eggy slice of a baked quiche-​like torte. The salad, with quinoa and pomegranate seeds topped with avacado was delicious and not like anything I had before. Yum.
The waitress tells us that the most popular dish was a shredded pork and eggs. I saw it at other tables. Looked delicious.
The restaurant was busy, but service was fast and friendly. I will be back.

This is the second time I visited this place for lunch and it is the best. You can tell that the owners put thought and detail into the business. Just the décor by itself is beautiful. I love the old tin ceilings and the lamps.
This time I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and yuca fries. Also ordered the paprika chips. The fries come with a cilantro based mayo which is delicious. The chips are great and I’m not much of a potato chip fan. The sandwich tasted like the greatest cheesesteak of all time… Everything about it was perfect.
I can’t wait to go back to see what they have for dinner.
Value: 5.0
Foodie: 5.0

I am in love with this place. Almost everything I’ve had has been delicious. I only didn’t like their tostones because they were too dry. Tostones are fried green plantain «rings» and they are on the appetizers menu. The biggest problem with Gustazo’s tostones is that they don’t come with any type of sauce– they are simply too dry. Imagine eating stale french fries with no ketchup. Not good, right?
Anyway, now that the bad part of Gustazo is out of the way, let me tell you about how great Gustazo’s sandwiches really are. I’ve had their Pan con lechon, cubano, vaca frita and Choripan Sandwiches, and by now you figured out that I LOVE meat :-)
These sandwiches are not only greasy but large and very flavourful. Their bread is also very good. Do yourself a favor and go to Gustazo.

Very good restaurant with a fun, somewhat upscale yet relaxed ambiance and very tasty food.
The food is delicious, fresh, and some items really show their emphasis on Cuban cooking such as the black bean soup. Lots of veggie options which can be surprising in this otherwise meat-​centric cuisine.
The restaurant is well located but a touch cramped and the service can be slow although friendly. Fun eclectic ambiance and décor add to the overall experience.
They use good greens in their salads. I notice their breads are very well constructed and sauces make the dishes.

Have been here 2x (1x at the old Belmont location) and 1x at new Waltham location, and both experiences were great.
They now have more small plate options which is more tapas style. If eating w/​group, highly recommended to do family style and share. Favorites among small plates were: grilled octopus, chicharron, guava glazed ribs, croquettes and empanadas.
For large plates, we got: grilled skirt steak (churasco), slow roasted pork (puerco asado), and seafood mariscada. Ide say the seafood was OK, i’de honestly concentrate ok the other proteins they serve. The steak was cooked perfectly for medium rare, and came out very tender.
Dessert: if you are a chocolate person, definitely get the chocolate bread pudding served which is served warm w/​scoop of ice cream. The coconut flan was delicious as well!
Conclusion: Gustazos presents cuban cuisine in a very gourmet fashion with great flavors and beautiful presentation. Ide say their most interesting dishes are from their small plate menus though! Service was also extremely awesome!

Would be 5 stars based on the food but the service was slow in a way that you could tell it was lack of organization not pace of meal. It was like 20 minutes for our churros to come after we ordered them, and It took way too long to get the check. I will say that our server was super friendly and was good about telling us how much food we should order between the small plates and large plates etc. 2 smalls, one large, and dessert was just the right amount of food for two of us. If you go with just small plates figure 3 per person.
We had the pork belly and cubanitos for our small plates; both of them were outstanding. The pork belly was crispy on the outside and served over a pineapple salsa and guacamole. The cubanitos were equally delicious and left me wanted to come back for lunch in the near future.
For our next course we ordered the vieja rojo, which was a braised flank steak in a light tomato sauce served with white rice, black beans, and plantains. Wow… Seriously good flavor packed into this simple dish. I would definitely recommend this meal. It was not too spicy but you can always add heat with a little bit of hot sauce.
For dessert, the churros were a hit. Fried light and served with a thin chocolate sauce to dip.
Only reason for no five stars was no liquor license and slow service, but don’t let that hold you back. I will definitely return soon!

Just right! The lunch menu is either sandwiches or salads — not entirely expected. However, they are very accommodating substituting rice & beans for the bread. Flexibility is the name of the game (true customer service — making the customer happy) when you are in the service industry. Enjoy!!!

Food and service are great here. Coming from South Florida, I love Cuban food, and Gustazo gets it right. The only downside is no liquor license.

Fancy take on the Cuban cuisine!
This restaurant located in Main St in Waltham does not have much of the décor or sitting room, however can compete with it’s creativity and flavor. Did get a filling that some of the dishes were very fancy to note CROQUETAS DE POLLO, MADUROS CON TOCINO, and CORDERO AL CABRALES although last one was a little too salty for my taste …

This place is so good! The service is outstanding and the food is phenomenal! We had the garbanzo soup which was the soup of the day, flan, churros, and dulce de leche crêpe and Cuban coffee. We loved everything! Their menu is varied and very affordable. Would highly recommend

I have only been to Gustazo in Waltham for lunch– and I leave each time wanting to return.
Food is great, staff is friendly .will write more when I return for dinner

Took my cousin here trying Cuban food for the first time and was absolutely blown away. Lots of variety and rich flavours that satisfy. Great service and portions were quite generous. My favourite was the beef empanadas as well as the braised pork. Desserts were amazing too, churros were a hit. Also loved the décor inside notably the historical Cuban films plastered onto the main wall. Highly recommended!

Loved the food here! Amazing favors and good advice about what to try.
They won’t have a liquor license until spring 2016 so enjoy their delicious fruit drinks!

I grew up in Cuba and this restaurant, as one previous reviewer wrote, made his best by enhancing the flavors and not the show. The food quality is amazing with a real and original Cuban flavor. The sandwiches Pan con Lechon y Vaca Frita are to die for. The tostones and maduros are as real as it gets.
I will admit that during my first visit that I was skeptical about the authenticity of the food (no one on the server staff speak spanish), but once I tested the food everything change. I don’t know who is cooking, but they definitely have a great grasp of the Cuban cuisine.

Another lunch at this fantastic Cuban caffe. I categorized this place as my favorite spot in Waltham. The first lunch I got a Lon XX sandwich. I don’t remember the spell, but it is the first one on the menu. I love the cheese and crispy bread. More importantly, the beef is awesome. They do know how to cook beef.
The roasted pork, which I ordered by accident, was kind of oily, and I don’t like it.
I saw people ordered various things and they all looked so delicious, that’s why I had such a good impression of this place. However many of them are on the dinner menu, so I mostly failed to get them. On the other hand, I don’t eat dinner, so I started to hate this place now.
Some waiters are very nice, some could be not familiar with this place.

I’ve been twice, once was fantastic. The second close but not perfect. I’ll try it again and see.

The menu is incredibly unique and I couldn’t make up my mind on what to try; that only shows how exquisite their plates are. They don’t serve traditional Cuban food but coming from the island and having tried every single dish I was ok with their personal twist to every plate.
They have enough vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options on their menu. Their vegetarian small plates, their small plates and salads are not very large in portion so I recommend you ordering a few of each. Their larger plate’s options are a tad bigger but if you have had some small plates before your main entrée this might not be a big deal.
Not all the food will arrive at the same time and will take a few to arrive because everything is made to order (your typical tapas bar)
Its casual yet the ambiance is a little bit more cozy and romantic at night. No alcohol is served here but their coffee & drink section in the back of the menu is pretty extensive.
I will most definitely come back again.

Unique and yummy food. Small plates are teeny. For example two croquettes, two bacon wrapped plantain… they should look at other tapas places like Soleas, Dali, barcelona etc.
On a positive note — food had distinct flavors and it was nicely presented. My two boys loved pretty much everything we ordered. I had come for lunch a couple of days ago and salads and sandwiches were amazing — no complains on taste or size with lunch menu.
Service was very slow. Even though it was a slow night.

First time eating Cuban food so can’t compare vs other Cuban restaurants. Relative to Mexican and Spanish restaurants, the food is very distinct. Flavor are not as spicy as Mexican food. More muted with heavy use of plantains and pork, which I understand is common in Cuba.
The food is quite good but the small plates are very small… smaller than other tapas places. Everything was prepared and presented wonderfully. Even a common dish like guacamole has a distinct spin to it.
The one criticism is the service. We had to repeatedly ask to have empty plates removed from the table And had to physically locate our server to order more plates as we didn’t order enough food initially.

I was sad that Elephant Walk closed down as it was one of my favorite restaurants in Waltham. I’ve been to Gustazo twice. The service was excellent both times. The wait staff is very pleasant and professional. We always do the small plates and they are delicious! A few favorites are the pork ribs, the Cubano bites and the squash fritters. Yum!
This place is great and we will continue dining here. The one and only thing I wish they served is beer and wine. It would be perfect!

En route back to nyc and we stopped for brunch. Still excellent quality and one of the most innovative Cuban restaurants nationwide. They retain the traditional Cuban but enhance for flavor, not show.
Had a side of their «con gris» (traditional Cuban black beans cooked together with rice) and «Con gris» is usually very dry so not usually my favorite, but theirs was absolutely not dry and the flavor was much better than any con gris I have had.
The only problem is they need a bigger sign on the street because not easy to find, but worth the search.

Gustazo Cuban Restaurant & Café — Waltham, MA — 9÷17÷2015
If you use a Garmin, put in the address not the name of the restaurant… They moved about a year ago and some Nav systems don’t have the new address.
The staff is super friendly… Walking in the place looks really interesting… First of all you walk thru a set of drapes in order to enter the dining area. Quite eclectic in design… Tin ceilings… The wallpaper looks like a collage of playbills… Interesting chandeliers hang from the ceiling as what appears to be a large framed print of a square in Cuba… The tables and chairs wooden with a newspaper print design on the tables… Pastel Green and Red paint cover the walls along with a large mirror as you walk in on the left…
Quite the varied menu with both small and large plates…
For tonight’s feast…
Maduros con Tucino… Sweet Plantains wrapped in Bacon… Agave… Orange slices… Crumbled Goat Cheese and garnished with Micro Greens… Seriously…, What doesn’t taste great wrapped in Bacon?!
They don’t normally offer bread but at my request brought out a few slices toasted with chunks of butter… The bread is amazing so if you’re a bread fan make sure you ask for it…
Puerco Asado… Slow Roasted Pork… Caramelized onions… Rice… Black beans… Maduros… OMG! This is absolutely amazing! The plating… The flavour… Wow!
Flan… TraditionalCuban Egg Custard… Rich creamy deliciousness… Mmmmm
Finish it off with a Café con Leche…
My server Ted was great, the atmosphere is eclectic with Cuban Bongo Music playing in the background… Another really great meal…

Once again, Unilocal comes thru! We chose this small restaurant on others’ recommendations and were not disappointed.
The small plates are killer, especially the beet salad, octopus and «Cubanitos». But it was the Estofado de Portabello that brought joy to our vegan hearts… a delicious dish of perfectly seasoned and cooked mushrooms. The biggest treat was the Boniatillo desert, a tapioca like pudding with sauce of chia seeds and cranberry.
The restaurant is small and just BYOB, for now. And don’t let the slightly funky downtown neighborhood put you off. It’s perfectly safe with plenty of parking nearby.
Service (by Theodore) was gracious and efficient as he explained the menu and knew details on each dish. I wish we lived closer so we can return often.

I’ve eaten Cuban food before in Miami, I hear that’s as close to real Cuban food you can get but after having eaten at Gustazo I beg to differ. The food here is just fantastic!
We tried the empanadas, sandwiches, chips and churro. Everything was delicious! They take such great care into making everything.
I loved the pan con lechon, pulled pork with little bits and pork belly, oh so good. The paprika chips were made in house, fried to order. The churro was crispy on the outside and soft & buttery on the inside.
You have to eat here!

I was already a fan of the Belmont location. I went there several times for brunch, lunch and dinner. I was excited when they moved to Waltham because so did I.
Was here today for lunch and everything was just as delicious as I remembered. I got the Pan con Lechon sandwich and it was super tasty. The flavors melded well and it was perfectly pressed. I was a little disappointed it didn’t come with a salad or plantain chips like it used to. I got the Avocado and Pineapple salad and it was simple but fresh and flavorful. Great presentation too.
The service is still kind of lacking. It took a while for the waitress to come back to take our order and the hostess was oblivious. The waitress also didn’t check back after the salad or much after. She was friendly otherwise. The food came out quicker than in the past.
Looking forward to them getting their liquor license as they are no longer BYOB. Will be back soon!