Buena Vista Cuban Café

This place is fun! The live music was so loud, but we didn't care, we talked in between sets. The waitress was attentive and lovely. The ropa vieja was just right, but a tiny bit salty. Nevertheless you add the plátanos maduros and it's just a perfect pairing. The plantain chips, mariquitas, with sauce were home-made crispy and delicious.Pro/con- There's a big patio with seating on the side street so not so loud, sounds great right?Well...there are people outside smoking puros, and of course the smoke gets everywhere. I guess if you're looking for a place to smoke cigars, it's heaven. But if you're sensitive to smoke it's yu-ky. The smoke does waft a bit into the restaurant but not enough to ruin the meal and great party atmosphere.

I have to come back here and try more things! Came for eat drink HTX. The servers here are really nice and helpful. The plantain chips weee crispy and came with a few delicious sauces to choose from. My main was also very flavorful, I can't remember the name exactly but the meat was well seasoned and even the beans were tasty! They have live music on some days so that would be really fun to come back for.

Ambiance is amazing! Really great for a girls night, date night or a nice dinner with your family! Went on a Saturday night with a reservation and was seated promptly. Reservations are recommended as the place is not huge. The tables are a bit close to one another but it's whatever. The mojitos were strong and delicious. Had the Cuban board as an appetizer since we wanted to try a bunch of them it's a great choice. Entrees consisted of the shrimp enchilados and paella. Both were really good. The band starts playing around 8pm. Very easy on the ears. Great location on Washington Ave where there are a lot of other things happening nearby. Will definitely be back!

Reservation for set for 4 at 7:15 i asked for a nice table as it was a business celebration of sorts for 4 of us. They proceeded to sit us in front of the stage which was ok until the band started and there went any semblance of a convo we could have had. The apps were on point. My paella was soso. The coffee is legit and sonare the cocktails. The cigar roller was a nice touch. Id go back have apps and cocktails only and push for a booth.

Ok... amazing! Live music nights on the inside... a little more quiet on the outside. We ran into an issue with a leak since it had been raining and the staff was so accommodating and were able to move us. We had the tostones rellenos which come in a set of 3 little cups full of flavor! And then for entree's we had the ropa vieja and gaucho with Cuban rice and vegetables. All super delicious we left very full and happy!Will be back for their valentines special!

We went later on a Friday, after 9pm. When we arrived we found out reservations are recommended. It is a smaller place but elegant. There was live music. We were seated quickly. Bartender was attentive while we waited. Waiter took our order. They were out of meatballs (Albondigas) so we got the chorizo instead which was recommended. Hubby didn't care for it. The red wine made it slightly sweet. The plantain chips were perfect. We also ordered the Cuban platter which is an appetizer with a little bit of everything. Service was slow. We waited for refills on our drinks for a bit. We'll give it another try

First time coming here and we had a great experience. We opted to sit on the patio which was nicely decorated for Christmas and quieter than inside since there was live music indoors. We had the croquetas and mariquitas to start with and really enjoyed both. We had one pork, chicken and beef croqueta drizzled with cilantro aioli and the mariquitas were large plantain chips with cilantro aioli dipping sauce. For our mains we had the pan con lechón and the Afro Cuban pork. Both dishes were great and the pork juicy but I really liked the sandwich. The service was a bit slow but our waiter was so nice and offered us complimentary Cuban coffee after dinner which was rich and amazing. The inside decor is really nice and the whole place has a great vibe and atmosphere. We will definitely be going back.

Great food and good ambiance, will be back. The waitress was very helpful with food selection and overall service was great.

We liked it a lot. The food was really good. We had a mixed appetizer that was fun to eat, and shredded beef that was amazing and black rice, a little crunchy. The only thing was the white Terrace and waitresses. All of them, and with a snobby response, admitted they were Cuban. It was interesting how they all put off this vibe like there's a chip on the shoulder thing. I don't know.

Buena Vista is an amazing Cuban restaurant with 100% authentic flavors to everything they make. This is maybe my fourth time coming and it's one of my favorite Caribbean style restaurants in Houston. We came in a Saturday night so there was a live singer and band who were awesome. Everyone was up and dancing, it was very cute and wholesome. I got the Ropa Vieja which is a 10/10 every time. One thing I will say though is out of the 4 times I've been here, my food has only been hot twice. This was not one of those times. I just wish they were a bit more consistent. But besides that, incredible nonetheless. My friend got the Arroz con pollo. It was good, but way less seasoned than it usually is. Again, consistency would go a long way!For drink this time I got the coconut daiquiri and that's only because they were out of my usual, the Pina Colada; which I must add is the BEST Pina Colada I have ever had. Overall love it so so much here. Consistency on temperature and seasoning would be great, but it's still one of my faves.