Okay..this place is super duper cute! *warning* this place may not be for you if you don't like sand! Okay, well there is indoor seating, but it just wouldn't be as fun! Came here for a friend's birthday and she did not warn us about the sand; but I enjoyed it anyways. This isn't your typical sit down restaurant. You have to go inside to order your food. Their portions for the plates (at least for me) is humungo! I couldn't finish mine but my husband devoured his. Since we were sitting outside the food got cold much faster than I can eat it, so be warned. Their draft selection is also awesome! The food goes hand im hand with a beer. On a nice summer day, I would imagine that that is almost a corona like day dream! Great food, great service, super cute atmosphere! Dogs and kids welcomed! Woot! read more

Bongos - Inside menu - Cuban Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The food here was amazing! The service was great and the flavors were sooo incredible! I have been driving past this place for years and smelling the wonderful smells as I walked around greenlake and we finally decided to try it out- this was the best decision ever! I cannot stress enough to go and try this out. read more

This obviously used to be a gas station...but who cares!? This place is awesome!!! You can either eat inside or eat outside with sandy gravel. In my opinion it really gives you the Caribbean feel. I tried the carnitas combo and it was super tasty. It came with plantains which I'm not normally a fan of, but it was really good and fried to the just right degree. Definitely recommend, it was a very different experience! read more

We've gotten lunch delivery a couple of times during the pandemic, and it has been delicious! We can't wait to dine in some day. 5/5 recommend the bucco plate!! So amazing! Not too spicy, plus a little sweet because of the pineapple salsa 3-5/5 recommend the West Indies plate (depending on spice handling skills). I'm not great with spice, so this dish isn't my top choice.. even though I can tell that the flavor is incredible! My husband is a big fan, though! 5/5 recommend their yucca fries. Delicious! read more

They've lasted in that spot way longer than I ever expected!!! Actually good food!!!!

Great food!! Very comforting to me, as someone who enjoys African and latin American flavors. And I love the outdoor seating environment! Very fun, especially during the summer. (Maybe not as good during the winter, but to be fair, I haven't been there during the winter) read more

Love Bongos! Such a unique experience with the sandy patio. Quality food at a pretty affordable price. Couple of items seem to sell out pretty quickly, so it may be prudent to arrive on the earlier side. read more

This is definitely a place you go to that is mostly for the vibe. They have an island theme and they've brought sandy beaches to Seattle, the home of driftwood and rocks. The food was also pretty good but not the best I've had or anything mind blowing but the atmosphere was so fun I'd definitely come back. Parking was a bit of a pain and getting to the parking lot was just as difficult but the experience was enough to make up for it. I will say that I don't know if this is somewhere I'd go during a pandemic just to get take out. I went pre-covid and I would only really suggest it if you can get the full dine-in experience while also being safe. read more

Bongos is one of our go to spots for a great lunch. Always tasty, filling and prompt! Great for dine in or take out. Don't miss the Yuka fries! read more

This place is full of delicious entrees that will give you the kick in food that you never knew you needed. When I visited, they had run out of pork, which was made me sad, but the chicken did not disappoint. Also order a side of Yucca fries to share with your friends. I'll definitely to go back earlier in the day before they run out of pork. The location is just off to the West of green lake. So have a work out, then eat, or eat, then have a walk around the lake. This place is also dog friendly and has sand if you want to feel the sand between your toes while eating. read more

Seriously... SERIOUSLY! The Bongo burger is a gift to humanity and I take everyone I can here. Y'all do Gods work with that. read more

This spot has outdoor seating (only one section is heated), but if you bundle up you can eat their yummy food outside! The 1AM sandwich is to die for, especially paired with a beer next to the fire pit. Not too expensive and the service was quick and friendly. Will definitely be returning! read more

The food here is amazing! Especially the jerk chicken and make sure to always get the yucca fries. Service is always polite and there is a small parking lot. I prefer the plates over the sandwiches, but have friends who always get the sandwich version. You really can't go wrong here. read more

Bongos - Cuban Near Me - Seattle, Washington

These guys should be raided by whatever government agency like the FBI for serving such good food. I have 0 complaints! read more

Bongos - Cuban Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We came to this place with our friends for the first time. We were in the mood for something that would be satisfying, healthy and non greasy. This place definitely delivered, in every area. My husband and I got the Bucco plate which was absolutely perfect because the chicken came with a delicious cream that was not spicy. The plate also came with beans, rice, and coleslaw all of them were absolutely delicious. I personally am not a fan of coleslaw, but let me tell you this stuff was GREAT. We also ordered a side of Maduros which I highly recommend getting, it's absolutely delicious.( To me this was more of a post dinner treat, but I know people also enjoyed this as a side). The only downside to this place is having to scavenge for a table when you have a large party with you. Other then that, this place delivered great food and ambiance. read more

We were craving some authentic Jamaican food and man we were not disappointed. The place looks like a mini shack and since it was a Thursday afternoon, we managed to get food within 10 minutes of ordering. Can't wait to go back soon and try out the rest of the stuff on the menu read more

Best Caribbean food in Seattle. The outdoor patio is the perfect vibe in the summertime.

I had the shrimp po boy and it was amazing. Nothing like a New Orleans Po boy, but maybe better. Sautéed shrimp instead of fried with a nice mango slaw. I asked them to make mine extra spicy so they put some diced jalapeños in it and it was great. I highly recommend and I'll be back for more. read more

Bomb food, bomb music, bomb service. What more can you ask for. I ate the 1 AM Cuban sandwich with a side of Tostones and a Glass bottled coke for under $15. The large portion put me into food coma. You will not leave hungry. read more

Food was excellent and they went out of their way to prepare shrimps as per my kiddos preferences. Great customer service and excellent socially distanced ambience! read more

First off let me say AMAZING. I first came in because my friend does food reviews on tik tok and recommended. My boyfriend and I got the JAMAICAN CHICKEN CURRY and TRINIDAD STEAK. Is was so good, the flavors were amazing. The costumer service was good too. We waited about 30 min for our food but it's cook to order so worth the wait. Can't wait to come back to try more of the menu. read more

Bongos is so incredibly delicious. I have tried many of their entree plates and they are all so so good. The meat is always so tender, the rice and beans are very tasty, but their Tostones are to DIE for. Combined with the aioli.....oh my goodness. I could eat those all day. You HAVE to get a side order of them no matter what you are getting. Ya just gotta do it. It's THAT good. read more

My wife will kill me if she found out that I went to this place without her, lol. I had their Cuban sandwich and it was amazing! The atmosphere inside their patio is super cool too. They went above and beyond to give you a beach type experience. read more

This is some of my favorite food in the world (and I'm picky as hell). I've traveled everywhere so I'm not just saying that. I travel 45 minutes from the South end just to come eat here. I get the Bucco and my husband gets the Desi. I bring any out of town visitors here to eat and I've yet to have someone unhappy read more

Great food and nice outdoor seating! The food is affordable and has great portions. We got the shrimp po boy and the Trinidad steak plate. Both were delicious! read more

The sandwiches and the yucca fries are legit! For under $20 per person you get a sandwich, a side, AND a beer. Everything on the menu sounds delicious, and we'll definitely be back to try it all. The place itself has had numerous upgrades done and looks great. The outdoor patio will be awesome come summer. read more

Why have we not been here before now!? I got the West Indies plate and my first bite brought me right back to the Caribbean where I first had jerk chicken. The sand, colors, twinkle light and smells make this an amazing place to spend the afternoon or evening. I loved the maduros too! I will definitely be back to this restaurant, ready to hang out in the sand in some sandals next time. read more

This is a great location. I love the sand, the boardwalk, and the great food. There was lots of people talking, enjoying each others company. read more

I'm so glad there's a good, quality Cuban restaurant in Seattle. It's a good 15 minute Uber drive from downtown but definitely worth it. I ordered the veggie plate. Those were the sweetest plantains I've had in Washington and the yucca fries were so soft and yummy. I didn't care for the tostones or the coleslaw. Husband's steak was so flavorful and juicy. The only downside to eating inside is that the music is so loud I had to talk loudly for my date to hear me. If you're cool with eating right next to a busy highway, take your food outside and enjoy their beach themed patio! read more

Bongos - Cuban Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Best food in the state, get yourself something of the West Indies variety and it'll NEVER disappoint or be anything worse than 9.5/10. Amazing place, good service, good pricing for quality of food too. read more

The first thing I noticed walking up was the expansive patio setup and the relaxed vibe on the inside. I came in January so the patio wasn't open but I can imagine it's packed in the summer. Ordering was straight forward with a large menu board behind the front counter and combo options if you want to add a side and soda/beer. I ordered the the Cuban Joe sandwich and a side of rice and beans. The sandwich had good flavor with my only issue being how messy it was. Pro Tip: Keep the sandwich wrapped while you eat it. Without the wrapper it will go everywhere! Overall I would say the food was pretty good (3.5 for the food bumped up to 4 for a great indoor/outdoor space) but didn't blow me away. Other sandwiches looked good as well so I will be back to try something different. read more

Bongos - Menu board and front counter - Cuban Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Be still, my heart! Or, is it stomach? Either way, this place is heaven! During the summer, Bongos becomes a world of its own complete with beach sound. Although Aurora backs up to Bongos, you'd never know it - they've done an incredible job with the fence to create a sound barrier and decorating it so it positively contributes to the overall relaxed vibe. Inside, the kitchen is immaculately cleaned. We saw them cleaning at the end of the night and even with working in the industry, I've never seen such a thorough job. The food served up in the kitchen is understated, served on disposable plates, but packs a punch. Each dish has unique flavors that have developed over time as they are slow cooked. If you want to add some heat, Bongos imports unique hot sauce from Costa Rica that's made from Pineapples, Mango, or Coconut. The one critique - Why do they only sell their signature sauce during the holidays? I came in for the first time and was hoping to buy some, only to be disappointed. If they ever include it in their regular lineup, I'll be sure to pick up some bottles. read more

I think I drove by Bongos about a hundred times, almost always saying "I really need to check that place out," before finally going. I'm glad that I finally made it in; I'm also mad that it took me so long to make it in, despite telling myself I need to come in many, many, many times. Stepping into Bongos is like stepping into a small slice of the Caribbean. It's a really nice, relaxing, and 'chill' place for lunch and/or dinner. When we went I tried out the The Desi and The West Indies and I couldn't have been more satisfied with both. The Desi had a really, really good citrus-y flavor. There was a nice, light, sourness to the pork that pair really well with the natural fattiness of it. The pork was super tender. The combination of rice and black beans with it was the perfect bite. There is so much flavor from the different spices used. It's a really hearty plate of food. The meat was tender, juicy and well spiced, the rice was light and airy with lots of flavor, and the beans were creamy, well spiced and had nice flavor too. It's just a really great combination of foods, ingredients, textures, etc. The West Indies was juicy, had a nice light char/grill flavor, and had great spice that wasn't too overwhelming. I'm someone who loves heat/spice and this was a very nice, mild heat level that packed a lot of flavor as well. Like with the Desi, the combination of rice and beans with the chicken is just a great pairing. It's just a great place for a nice plate of food, good beer and/or fruity and refreshing drinks on a nice spring/summer day. The atmosphere makes you want to wear shorts, toss on some sunglasses and act like you're living the beach/island life. It's an awesome restaurant - perfect for summer. Also, if you like fried foods then you must try the Yucca Fries and the Tostones as well. The Yucca Fries have a light fry, a little sweetness, and nice texture/density - the flavor is in between sweet potato fries and normal fries, but thicker. Really good - eating too much can be heavy though. The tostones are also a great route to go too. Pressed thin, very crispy, nice salt. It's a good balance of crispy, salty, and sweet. Really good. Writing this makes me want to go back. So many flavors going on, but it's great comfort food. read more

Bongos has my heart. If you were to attend a beach wedding in the Caribbean and a local family catered the food, this is what I imagine the food would be. Simple, no frills, BBQ style plates and sandwiches can be paired up with choices of sides and a drink. I always get the yucca fries with their creamy and punchy aioli. The pork often runs out by 7pm so if you're in that situation, spicy shrimp and jerk chicken is a good substitute. Friendly staff, good vibes, delicious grub, it's five stars. read more

Bongos - Cuban Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Holy Smokes! I'm not sure what took me so long to visit this place but I will be back soon. We ordered the Bucco Chicken (love), West Indies (pretty good), Trinidad Steak (delicious but they under-cooked the steak and my DIL has a hard time with rare steak. We also ordered the Shrimp Po Boy that won the Oscar on this visit. I loved this sandwich. The spicy shrimp was cooked to perfection and the bread... oh the bread... was heavenly! The place was busier than a mosquito at a nudest convention but they seem to pump out the food at a pretty good rate. You owe it to yourself to try. read more

Excellent vibe and food (for the summer)! Place has a sand pit that feels super beachy and chill, but probably would be less fun in the rain. Has indoor seating as well. Food was delicious. I got the Dessi sandwich and the Maduras and both were excellent. The dessi has a little kick, I added more with their excellent mango salsa. I really enjoyed Bongos and will be back! $5.25 local brews on tap is not too shabby either. read more

First time here, had a great experience. Good, Fast Service and great quality food. We did 2 plates, the indie chicken and a pork. Both were solid. definitely get the yuca fries to balance out some of the sweetness of the entree. read more

Mmm...This place hits the spot when you're craving Caribbenan/Cuban food. My friend and I were looking for a place around the area and decided to come in here since Paseo's isn't open anymore. He ended up getting the Shrimp Po-Boy sandwich and I got plate with the Desi and Ropa Vieja. I didn't get to try any of my friend's sandwich since he finished it pretty quickly! Safe to say he really enjoyed his food. The plate that I got had black beans on a bed of rice. Everything on my plate was delicious, except some of the beef pieces were a little dry. However, the rice and the beans were perfect. I personally liked the Desi (pork) more. The pulled pork was delicious and reminded me of carnitas back down in San Diego. I can't give this 5 stars just yet because of their Ropa Vieja. However, they had great service here. They also have a bunch of other stuff on the menu and I didn't get a chance to try their fries, so I'll definitely be back! read more

Bongos - Plate with Desi (pork) and Ropa Vieja (beef) - Cuban Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I have been borderline obsessed with Bongos for years now. Every time someone mentions the food scene in Seattle I bring up Bongos. Their chicken plates are fantastic- especially the West Indies plate. Their spicy chili shrimp and the veggie plate are both really good too. Their mango slaw is one of my favorite slaws ever and I try to recreate it at home every so often. The outdoor seating is innovative and cute! I love the sand and the bright bold colors. I can not recommend here enough! 10/10 read more

Bienvenidos a Miami..wait...I mean Seattle! hmmmm Oyé I feel like I was back in Miami eating here! I am a very new Seattle transplant, from Miami, well actually from Detroit, before that Orlando, before that NYC, and before that Miami(there are more before that, but let's not get distracted). And I LOVE LOVE Cuban food, well I love food in general, and it is my goal to try everything! They have Ropa Vieja, my all time favorite Cuban dish which is a beef stew where they usually use a type of brisket. I did the sandwich as it was lunch time and I was going hiking and did not want to fall asleep while out on the trail. I decided to do the combo because I read the word tostones and I just kind of had a special moment to myself. It is definitely inexpensive: sandwich, side, and drink came to less than $13 and portions were a good size (see pic). The flavors really were there, the sandwich was hella tasty and the beef was not overcooked! The tostones were just SO DAMN GOOD! I mean how can you not like fried smashed plantains??? I will say that Picadillo is my second favorite dish and I unfortunately can not have it there bc they mix chorizo and beef together (which I have never seen done at any other Cuban spot in Miami and NYC it's usually just beef), and I don't eat pork. Are you there? Yes, you read that right, not a fan of pork, let it go, life goes on. I left there super happy, I even sent my friends in Florida a pic saying that they can't tease me about not having any Cuban food! I would say that was win for me! #ontothenextone read more

Bongos - Outside seating! - Cuban Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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