Bongos Cuban Cafe

We came here for lunch after a recommendation from some nice couple in the buses in between parks. We were excited to try the food. While we had no problem with the service or end product, it just wasn’t as great as we imagined it. The Cuban sandwich was great and their pork carnitas was good (although a bit dry). The cocktails were refreshing after coming in from 100 degree heat. We enjoyed what we had, but for the price we paid, we’ve had better from around Disney Springs.

My review is based on the Bongos Express. We got the midnight sandwich and the kids chicken bites. The total came to appx $ 25.90. The kids portion was HUGE. It had about 6 good size chicken fingers and fries & was more than enough for an adult. The spices on the chicken were really good and had a slight tang to them. The midnight sandwich, which was basically a Cubano on sweet bread, was fantastic. It was served hot and panini pressed. I would highly recommend this place. The only thing I didn’t love was that the wait was extremely long to place your order. We went on a day that it wasn’t even very busy in the Springs, either. The staff was so friendly about it and apologized, but it was at least 20 minutes before we got to the counter. I also wish they had someone cleaning the tables outside, as it was a bit of a mess out there.

We REALLY wanted to like this restaurant. With excellent recommendations from a trusted friend, various good online reviews, and a promising and mouth-​watering menu, we were very much anticipating a great dinner here.
We made reservations weeks in advance for the earliest available time on our selected day — a Monday — and were able to only get 7:15 PM or later reservations. No problem — we figured that this restaurant was probably so popular and busy that we were lucky to get those.
After walking by a couple of times while window shopping to kill time, we noticed that the restaurant didn’t seem too busy from what we could see from outside so we went in to ask the hostess if we could be seated early. No problem — the restaurant wasn’t particularly full at all and they were able to seat us right away — about a half hour early.
The menu was exactly as seen online, and we were definitely looking forward to our dinner. In terms of atmosphere, it was an interesting mix — spicy, fast-​tempo, high-​energy music with a Latin beat juxtaposed with a largely empty, very quiet dining room.
We ended up ordering chicken «nuggets» and fries for the kids; my wife ordered the shredded chicken dish highly recommended by our server, and I ordered the vegetarian dish — a «vegetable stew.»
Our table was spacious enough, but was dirty when we sat down. When we pointed it out to our server, she quickly returned with a wet towel to fully clean the table right.
After we had placed our order, we flagged down the server and asked if there was still time to put in a quick appetizer order since we were quite hungry. She assured us that there was and that the appetizer would be out right away, so we added an order of fried plantains with cuban mojo dipping sauce.
Less than a minute after taking our appetizer order, the entrees showed up (obviously sans-​appetizer) at our table. The appetizer showed up a few minutes later. Below, I’ll give our feelings about each of the dishes.
First, the «chicken nuggets» we ordered for our kids. This dish overall was really quite good. The nuggets were actually small chicken tenders which had evidently been hand-​battered and fried in the kitchen. My wife indicates that they were moist, tender, and flavorful — great little pieces of fried chicken. The french fries they came with were great. Definitely top-​notch fries, with a delightful light and crispy exterior and a moist, soft interior.
How good were those fries? If I put them up against the fries we got at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain in Manhattan, these fries from Bongo’s would win every time. That good.
We were really looking forward to our adult entrees but they totally disappointed us. My wife’s chicken was mediocre at best; she liked the onions on top, but the chicken was absolutely nothing special. It came with white rice and black beans, both of which arrived cold at our table; we just didn’t bother sending it back for warming. Total miss on this dish.
As a vegetarian, it’s not always easy to find really good food, especially when it’s not pasta. Well, the good news here is that the meal was pasta-​free. The bad news is that it wasn’t very good either. The best thing about the vegetable stew was that the vegetables were obviously fresh and of high quality. The negative, however, was that it was very plain. I’d describe it as potentially «cuban comfort food» — bland, a bit filling, and not objectionable. The rice and beans — including brown rice this time — were served on the side, and like my wife’s they were room temperature at best. The stew — with a mild tomato-​based sauce — was bland but properly cooked including the potatoesand green beans which could have been easily overcooked in a dish like this. The black beans were creamy but relatively bland and flavorless. The brown rice was properly cooked, but served at the same cold room temperature as were the beans.
So, why two stars you ask? The highlight of this meal was the late-​arriving appetizer of plantain chips and mojo dipping sauce. Really, it’s the mojo dipping sauce. The plantain chips — which were strips of fried plantain, were again totally lackluster. They were plain but should have been salted while they were hot right out of the fryer, and were served at room temperature — these should have been served hot. But that mojo dipping sauce — it was great. It made the plain cold plantain strips into things of delectable beauty, and I took that sauce and put some on my cold beans and rice to make them sing. I’d buy that sauce by the bottle.
Was the dinner worth over $ 70 for a small 2-​ounce container of mojo dipping sauce? Heck no! That’s why I awarded 2 stars. But that sauce was the star for sure.

It smells really good and the fries were ok, but the chicken caesar sandwich was… not caesar at all. It lacked taste and was dry as a bone. I won’t go back.

Hosted my friend’s birthday party here recently and I must say I was very nervous about how they would handle our 26-​people party. But they were very accommodating! They set up our table right by the stage so we got to enjoy the awesome band and energetic dancers the whole night. I loved how they got us all up dancing and participating. I was also very impressed that it did not take as long as I expected for all 26 dishes to come out. Our waiter Sebastian was friendly, patient, and super awesome for splitting all those checks. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because I’ve been spoiled with good Cuban food living in Orlando, but the food here did not disappoint at all.

Came to eat here because it was gloria estefans restaurant and being that i am a fan, i figured why not. We went on a monday night, service was relatively quick and employees were nice. Food was delicious, we ordered the bistec empanizado, which was filling for one person. I reccomend this restaurant for a good cuban meal that tastes like it was made at home.

This restaurant was recommended to us by our Über driver so we gave it a try. Live music and dancing while we ate. We had the whole Cuban experience inside the restaurant which was pretty cool. Were seated immediately upstairs. Ordered the guava bbq ribs and the so called «world famous» shredded pork. The guava bbq ribs were very flavorful and really good in my opinion. Got me craving ribs the whole entire trip (but now I’m so sick of meat, you don’t even know). Quite messy though if you don’t like eating ribs with a fork! The shredded pork was not flavorful… but still something I could eat. Both dishes came with rice!
Wouldn’t exactly come here again, but it was definitely something to try! Our total came up to about ~$ 50.

Me gusto la comida, el ambiente alegre y el servicio. Tatiana nos atendió y súper amable. Pedí un mojito y riquísimo. Por 1ra vez comi «vaca frita»
Y la carne estaba deliciosa. Si quieren reír y disfrutar de una cena amena, vengan aquí.

My family and I finally made it to Downtown Disney at around 9 pm and not many restaurants were open. However, this place was and definitely seemed inviting!
Our waiter was incredibly nice and worked with our family since one of us was vegetarian and to find vegetarian items in a Cuban restaurant seemed difficult. When we finished ordering drinks and appetizers, he promptly came back with our food and helped us in suggestions for the meal! We ordered the plantain cups stuffed with shrimp, plantain chips, an avocado salad, and ribs with guava-​bbq sauce.
Overall, a wonderful place to visit. Our waiter was always on his toes with his service to us! The food was really good. However, I’m not too sure on the authenticity of the food because I haven’t had experience with authentic Cuban food besides sandwiches. It can be a bit on the pricier side, but for good food, great company, and wonderful service, it is definitely worth it to splurge a bit!

At a busy time in Disney, this place had no wait, and we got a nice table out on the patio. We came for appetizers, but the entrees coming out while we waited were looking very tasty.
I had a passion fruit lemonade which was delicious, but super sweet. My husband had an upgraded rum margarita which was super strong, but the server warned us — he loved it. Fresh mint and limes were nice in the drink.
We shared an avocado salad and the beef empanadas. Both appetizers were tasty and fresh. The sauce that accompanied the empanadas was sweet and delicious.
We had an overall good experience here. The food wasn’t out of this world, and of course the prices were «Disney» size, making our bill over $ 50. The food was fine, service was fine, and the prices were a bit high.

I’ll start first with the positives. The atmosphere and decorations of the place are very nice and fun. Great location in Disney Springs. The plantain chips were awesome, $ 2 up charge instead of fries. Our waitress was very sweet and had a genuine smile the entire time.
On the the negatives. Walked in and the hostess took 10 minutes to seat us, kept coming back and telling us to wait a second. Another hostess tried to seat us and the other one running around wouldn’t let her seat us. I was charged $ 6 for an Arnold Palmer, I could’ve gotten a full cup of lemonade and a full cup of iced tea and made two for the price they charged. The sandwich was very dry and ‘commercialized’. Not very much taste, mustard overpowered everything else.
This isn’t a gripe but more a reminder, you will be paying Disney prices for your meal so expect it to be a little pricey.
Overall I probably wouldn’t eat here again as I would much prefer other food spots in Disney springs, but it’s always worth a try!

So full of «meh» on this place. The building is beautiful and when you walk in there is music and dancing that you can watch from an opulent staircase. The atmosphere is fun and busy, the food is the opposite. Tried Bongo’s on a Saturday night with a group of friends celebrating a birthday.
I had a virgin piña colada and my husband had a mojito. The piña colada was good, not too sweet and very delicious. Not like it was from a mix, it was really good. The mojito my husband had was automatically upgraded by our server to «large» (he didn’t ask us) and served in a souvenir glass we wouldn’t have wanted if we knew it came that way. We didn’t have a drink menu when asked for a drink order, so a bit shocked to find out one mojito is $ 25, wow, but it is Disney property. Annoyed the waiter didn’t give us a drink menu first or say anything. We live here and don’t want the dumb souvenir glass. The server was weird and didn’t answer half the questions our group asked about menu items. I don’t know if he had some issues, or it was a language thing, or if he was just being rude. He just looked confused and was really a poor communicator with the table. Instead of answering questions he would just nod and not reply. Sometimes he held up his hand as if to shush us. Seriously.
For food starters we tried the crispy pork bites. The little cubes of pork were okay, a bit chewy like pork jerky, but satisfying to chew. The pork came with grilled onions and lime wedges, but no sauces. This could have used some type of sauce. For an entrée I had the award winning slow roasted Cuban pork that is served semi shredded on a bed of sautéed onions, and comes with a side of black beans and white rice. My husband had the skirt steak, also with sautéed onions, and black beans and white rice. The steak was so terrible looking, it looked as if the meat had been boiled in a pot of water. Check out the photo, I’ve never seen a steak that color before. We were not offered any sauces, despite what the menu described, so I asked our server for a side of mojo and chimmichuri sauces to go with our meal. About halfway through dinner the server drops off several of the sauces on a plate for everyone at the table and walks off while we are trying to ask which sauce is which and also that we needed drink refills. I found the food really bland and the slow roasted Cuban pork seemed like it was from a crock pot. I found the texture overcooked, and the meat was super oily and the flavor so bland. The mojo and chimmichuri sauces were very vinegar-​y and I found them both unappetizing. The bed of sautéed onions with the pork was overwhelming the dish and way too much onion flavor. The black beans were also bland and overcooked, but I did enjoy the white rice a lot. The white rice had a nice simple buttery flavor. I could have just made this rice at home though, nothing special about it.
In general this is a visually pretty restaurant, but not ever planning to go back. There are so many places in Orlando with amazing Cuban food that are also a way better value. This is not one of those places. Prepare to be disappointed by the bland food and poor service. I hope others have a better experience than we did.

This review is just for Bongos’ quick stop stand and not the restaurant as a whole. If I was able to give bongos 2 ½ stars, I would. I said it was a 2, my S. O was more generous and gave it a 3. But I’m the one writing the review, so 2 it is!
Stopping by for a quick bite to eat while walking around in Disney Springs, my S.O. ordered their Midnight sandwich, which essentially a regular Cuban sandwich on sweet bread. I had a bite, and it was nothing special. The fries weren’t too bad, but again, nothing special.
I went with a beef empanada, fried sweet plantains, and a mamey smoothie. I had never heard of the mamey fruit before, so I decided to give it a chance. Even after drinking the whole thing, I still can’t describe the flavor. Mango-​pumpkin-​ish?
The empanada wasn’t terrible, but after cutting it in half, the inside was disappointingly low on beef filling. That ground beef tasted almost identical to when you buy a taco kit at the grocery store that comes with a taco seasoning package. Not that it tasted bad, but I’ve definitely had better.
The plantains were disappointing the outside looked more fried than they tasted or felt — it looked as if they were plain old non-​fried plantains painted to look fried.
I’m glad my experience there was only with the quick-​service counter and not a full dinner that would have been a lot more money. I won’t be back the next time I’m at Disney Springs.

This is a nice and lively place in a major tourist trap so expect high prices, trendy people, etc.
With that said, I was pretty happy with the food and service. Our waiter was nice enough. We ended up sitting outside because there were no tables inside.
I grew up a big fan of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine so I was excited when I found out about her ownership /​involvement in the restaurant chain!

This review is for the express window. The service was terrible. The staff obviously didn’t know what they were doing and didn’t care about the customers waiting in line. The two women waiting right next to us left angrily after waiting for a long time when there were only a couple customers ahead of them.
The shredded beef entrée wasn’t bad. The Cuban sandwich could have been better.

I’m giving the celebrity owned «Cuban» restaurant 1 star, purely out of the kindness of my heart.
For the 1^st time, in over a year, I sent back a dish I ordered & did not care to eat anything else. Or maybe I would’ve cared to eat something else had my sever been more attentive to my table of 10 (celebrating my daughter’s 2^nd birthday in Orlando) But then again, why would she ever approach our table again after taking our order, if her TIP was already included in our BILL & we had no knowledge of it; she was getting paid whether she served on us, or nahhh.
We ordered 2 appetizers: The «Black bean Hummus» & «Plantain chips with Garlic sauce». To be entirely honest, the black bean deliciousness & whoever the bartender was this Friday night (mixing intoxicatingly yummy drinks!) were the reasons I even gave this place a star. If I had only gone for drinks & probably sat at the bar, the possibility exists they would’ve stood a chance at 2 or 3 stars.
I ordered the «Stuffed Plantain Cups» (Tostones Rellenos) as a meal. My hubby went for the «Traditional Ceviche» & for my daughter, I selected the «Homemade Kids Croquetts». It was late night, we were mildly hungry & figured that would come out quickly. What could go wrong, right? WRONG! 45 minutes later, no server in sight, our food arrives at the table & we do the whole «Who ordered this? & that?» Passing the plates around. It gets better… everyone’s food arrived, EXCEPT my daughter’s meal. & guess what? It took me 5 minutes to find my server & an additional 15 minutes to eventually receive her food.
The day-​old tostones were the size of tiny teacups and filled with: 1 sad mini Shrimp drowning in a greasy red sauce made with red bell peppers (camaron enchilado). 5 strands of dry Ropa vieja & the most underseasoned & overcooked minced Beef (picadillo) I have ever sunk my teeth into. I was so dissappointed, I returned it immediately. We ordered «Moro» for the table; absolute disgust — not a Bay Leaf in sight. Blasphemy! My daughter’s croquetta’s tasted like the ones my mom use to buy from the frozen aisle at Sedano’s; even fried you could taste the ice & cold ham. She took a bite out of it & spit it right back out :-/​
*SIGH* Once the bill came & I caught wind of the ridiculous tip I had to leave for a server whose name I didn’t know until I received the check; well, let’s just say that was the icing on the cake. We had 4 appeteizers, 4 entrees (everyone was sharing), 1 side, a kids app & a round of drinks = $ 400+. $ 110 of that just for «service». You know when I saw her the most though? When she came to get our cards to charge us. No «Thank you. How was your meal?», «Sorry about the food you returned.» or even «Have a goodnight» But as soon as i put my pen down from signing, she reappeared quicker than i’d ever seen, to retrieve the booklets from the table, open them & check if additional tip was left. Laughable.
Unfortunately, Bongo’s was a FIRST & LAST for me. Sorry, Mrs. Estefan.

After a long hot day walking the parks there was no better place for dinner than Bongo’s. We arrived at prime dinner time and were seated immediately. I was starving and one second away from biting someone’s head off so we ordered drinks and a few appetizers. We went with the maduros (sweet plantains) wrapped in bacon, platain cups filled with shrimp, pulled pork, and ground beef respectively. All were good and kept me from killing everyone in my group.
The mojitos are strong and well balanced, not sweet. At $ 36 for a 45 ounce that is meant to be shared, it is very much worth it.
For our entrée we all chose different ends of the spectrum and we equally satisfied. I opted for the grilled steak topped with fresh onions and cilantro and a lime. The squirt of lime made all the difference. I requested my sides to be arroz morro (white rice and black beans mixed together) and sweet plantains. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long while. As my second drink i went with the red sangria which again was strong and not sweet just how I love them!
The performers walk around each table and are super friendly. There is a live band and live dancing. They even mentioned a congo line which I was super excited for but never saw.
Overall, a great spot for dinner the staff were all so polite our drinks were refilled often and we were checked on constantly. My only complaint is that it was a bit pricey but considering the area and quality the price is necessary.

Is been a while since I’ve been to this place. I’m always with friends who had bad experience with them. To tell you honestly I like this place the first I was here and probably that’s like 4 to 5 years ago and I enjoyed it maybe because of the music that was playing or my friends that were with me.
Originally arrayed at the bar die to the long wait. All table were full but I’ve noticed that the tables on the second floor wasn’t even taken. And when I’ve noticed that some table were available I asked one of the hostess if we can move to a table. It’s just right to have a table for a party of four than sitting at the bar.
Ordered the Cuban style steak. It was okay but I can tell you this the rice that comes with the steak ate amazing. Maybe this is the only thing I could say superb for this visit. And maybe the server who took care of us. Coz he is not really our server, he just took responsibility of us because we made our orders at the bar!
They are kinda expensive with the kind of food you’ll get.

The atmosphere at Bongo’s is nice for a night out. There is live music, dancers, salsa, and a lively environment, which makes them my choice for dining at Downtown Disney.
The ceviche is great and one of my favorites is the tostones with mojo. My date was able to get a vegetarian platter, but if you’re vegan be sure to request no butter on the vegetables (they’re covered in it). The pork is good, but the meat is a bit fatty for my taste.
Come on our birthday for free flan!

For our last day in Disney, we still had one table service to use as a part of the Disney dining plan. We didn’t have much time since we had to catch a flight in the afternoon, and Bongo’s happened to open at around 11. They also happened to have last minute reservations. So that’s how we decided on Bongo’s.
Bongo’s is probably the best value if you have the Disney dining plan. Parrillada de Mariscos (Skillet of Seafood) counts as an entrée. Worth $ 40, it has filet of fish, clams, mussels, jumbo shrimp and a lobster tail with a garlic lime butter, served with yellow rice & fried green plantains. There’s also a similar option but instead of the butter sauce, it’s a tomato based sauce.
Everything was very flavorful, but not overly salty, like I’ve found most Disney spots to be. It’s definitely more than enough food to fill up two people.
Another good value here is the Corona. For $ 14.99, you get a 24 oz and a souvenir glass beer mug! And yes, I know it was only 11 in the morning but as they say — it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!

Lo mejor que tiene en mi opinión es las mesas de afuera con vista al lago y las disfrutas en un día soleado, no tiene muy buen servicio, los platillos son abundantes y eso compensa un poco lo caros que están pero el sabor no es lo mejor.

I was so excited to try this place out, but the food was horrible. I had the burger, which was very much like a McDonalds 99 cent burger, but worse and a lot more expensive. Everyone else I was with was disappointed too. The Cuban looked like it was straight out of the freezer to the microwave.
The setting is about the only thing worth a positive note. The restaurant looks extremely beautiful and inviting. That’s the only good thing I can say, sorry.
My advice is simple, do not waste your time. Food is horrible and way over priced.

No recomendable si se busca comida cubana rica. Fuimos a cenar ya que el ambiente se veía entretenido. Pero la comida no acompañaba al lugar. Pedimos una sopa de frijoles negros, que resultó ser exactamente lo mismo que los frijoles que venían de acompañamiento de los otros platos en un bowl muy pequeño. La carne estaba muy seca y poco sabrosa, y los plátanos fritos que venían de acompañamiento, no tenían sabor.
La comida cubana es conocida por ser sabrosa y bien sazonada, nada de eso se vio en este restaurante.

Un cubanito caliente y puro, rico!