Great place to drink and dance! The bartenders are the nicest! If you want to learn how to dance the night away, this is it! read more

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Today I celebrated 6 months of being with my girlfriend Tiffany and I wanted to take her some place cool, but not break the bank. Where else do you turn? Groupon! Casona offered a great deal that I couldn't pass up. So we stopped in here before heading to The Funny Bone to continue the evening's festivities. Appearance/Atmosphere: I just LOVE a business with their own parking lot. Lol. It just eliminates the hassle of trying to find a place to put your car while you shop, eat, have fun, whatever. There wasn't much to the outside, but there were quite a few surprises inside. This place is a restaurant, but it's more-so dedicated to dancing, like a night club. There were 3-4 HUGE, wide-open rooms with wooden floors that are setup for you to dance. You walk in from the parking lot right into the beautiful, colorful bar that has a stage setup for live music. If you continue through you walk into the "Hip-Hop" room where that type of music is played. (Later in the evening of course.) To your left is the "Salsa" room! We were there around 5:15pm so there wasn't much going on in them and we were some of the only customers there. Service: The bartender was our server as well so she was fairly busy taking care of the bar rail, but was very attentive to us sitting at a high top. I wish I remembered her name, but she was very sweet, funny and got us everything that we needed. Food: So the Groupon is for 2 tapas and 2 cocktails. I had a Long Island Iced Tea with seltzer instead of Coca-Cola and sour mix. Cutting the carbs where I can. Lol. My lady had a Grey Goose Lemon Drop. Delicious drinks. I'd expect nothing less from a place that's supposed to be a club. For my first tapa I went with their Ceviche Trilogia which is a taste of 3 kinds of their ceviche, each made with a special yellow pepper sauce, rocoto and virgin. It was SO GOOD, lime-y, citrus-y, fresh and the portion was much larger than I had expected. I thought a tapa was a fairly small plate, I was pleasantly surprised. My 2nd tapa was the Picada which were bite-size portions of beef, pork, chorizo, chicken, potatoes and yucca. So savory, succulent and filling! It was huge, definitely not what I think of when I hear "tapa"! Lol. I'd love to try the rest of their menu out. I'm not really into clubbing so much anymore. I mean, I'll dance if Tiffany wants to, but I'd come here for the food! Value: The Groupon was $29.00 (before the extra 20% off I got) that included 2 tapas of any kind and 2 drinks of any kind. Shoot, 2 drinks in a club can easily run you $30.00 alone so that made this deal even sweeter. I don't know what the drinks would've been without the Groupon, but I do know my Ceviche Trilogia would've been $12.99 and my Picada would've been $11.99. The Groupon basically pays for itself before we even get to the drinks... almost. Lol. Aside from that I'd totally pay regular prices for the food that I had. It was absolutely worth it. In conclusion, I like the way this place was setup. Restaurant by day, party palace by night. What more could you want? Brunch, but nobody's perfect. Lol. I'd love to come back here to try some of their entrees and definitely check out the night life! read more

Today I had parihuela soup. It was mentioned as an aphrodisiac. Taste wise I think it was fine. Not outstanding. read more

Casona Restaurant - Parihuela soup - Latin American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Casona used to be La Casona, an establishment operated in the same location. In 2009, the owner, Fabio Caro, sold La Casona and moved to Miami. The restaurant's new owner unfortunately let cuisine fall by the wayside as he poured resources into promoting the place as a nightclub. As a result, La Casona shut down - but not for good! Fabio returned to Connecticut, and brought with him his experiences in Miami at restaurants that focused on ethnic tapas. He renovated La Casona and turned it into simply Casona, a gorgeous space that serves up truly unique, authentic dishes for both lunch and dinner. I arrived to find the dance floor (Casona still moonlights as a popular nightclub) occupied by a salsa teacher and his students! That's right, Casona offers salsa lessons on both Wednesday nights (6, 7:15, and 8pm) and Saturday mornings (9:30pm). Don't be shy, all levels are invited, and prices are extremely reasonable at just $10/class on Wednesdays and FREE on Saturday (what a fun, affordable date idea!). If salsa isn't your thing, Tuesdays at 6:30pm there is ridiculously cheap $5 Zumba! We were seated in the dining room next to two huge booths, which Fabio informed us are filled on weekends with young customers utilizing Casona's bottle service. The table was set beautifully and our waitress immediately brought over glasses and a bottle of water to keep at the table. I love that - I go through water like mad at restaurants, and it's great when I can just serve it myself. To drink, we selected an Argentinian Merlot. It was WONDERFUL and paired beautifully with all of our food. We started with toasty, crunchy bread with Casona's signature "sexy sauce". The taste of this sauce was certainly a sexy thing indeed. Our next course, Piononos, was my friend's favorite (she went back and ordered it for lunch this week in fact) and, after much deliberation, I've decided it was my favorite as well: sweet plantains stuffed with ground beef and Latin spices, topped with sexy sauce. First of all, I loved the presentation of each of the tapas. Secondly, WOW. The sweet plantains were a fantastic contract to the spiced ground beef, and the sexy sauce made them even more amazing. What a unique, well-prepared dish! Next up was a dish the seafood-lover in me was extremely excited to try, the ceviche, made with tilapia! Or as Fabio calls it...Peruvian sushi. Each section of the tray had a different sauce: yellow pepper sauce, rocoto, and virgin sauce. All were wonderful and had a bit of a spicy kick that got to me a bit by the time we'd finished this dish, but it wasn't so much spiciness that it made eating the ceviche unpleasant in any way. The dish was garnished with Peruvian corn - how cool is that? It was so yummy and wasn't even salted, buttered, or anything! The huge kernels packed a flavorful punch. The middle compartment of the tray was garnished with a sweet potato, which tasted so good in that spicy sauce. More yummy contrast! Out of anything I tried at Casona, I'd say the beef and chicken empanadas tasted most similar to other dishes I've tried before, but that doesn't mean they weren't stand-outs. The crunchy outer shell was fried to perfection and not greasy at all. The chicken was shredded, which I prefer so much more to chunks, and that perfectly-spiced ground beef was back again. Fabio called the salsa a pico de gallo, which was a bit odd to me since every other pico I've seen is more chunky and has the least liquid of any salsa variety, whereas this salsa was mostly liquid. I definitely prefer a chunkier salsa, but since the empanadas shape is definitely more conducive to soaking than scooping, the liquid salsa was a good choice. The last dish was the Tostones Rellenos, or fried green plantains stuffed with chicken and shrimp (chicken for Rachel, shrimp for me) and garnished with homemade plantain chips. The plantain chips were the best I've ever tasted (Casona should bag them and sell them!) and the rellenos were again not greasy and absolute perfection. We were too full to finish this plate, and that did not make us happy, but we were going to explode with any more food! We are definitely going to be back to Casona (in fact, my friend's already been back), and it's so exciting to hear that they are having success so far in their revitalization. read more

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I've eaten here before and the food is good. My gripe was with the service trying to use a Groupon. They do not want to honor these and are very rude. They will turn you away if you haven't made a reservation even if the restaurant is empty. The manager came to the table and was insulting. I contacted Groupon and was given a credit. I will never return to Casona. read more

Fun after hours for dancing- 3 different rooms for variety - hip hop, salsa/merengue/bachata in the other 2 rooms!

I came here with my boyfriend for dinner on a Saturday night around 6pm and found the place was pretty much empty. We walked in and the folks inside seemed to be getting ready and setting up the bar area, however we were seated for dinner quickly and our order taken. We shared a pitcher of sangria and ordered entrees, and the food was delicious! However, we were the only people in the restaurant the entire time and we left around 8pm. I will add that everything was nice about the experience however! read more

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Loved the beers ! The customer service was exceptional too! I can't believe I never been to casona until recently. read more

Casona Restaurant - Loved these beers ! - Latin American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Food is AMAZING here!!! Plus the entertainment!! I HIGHLY recommend this gem in the middle of no where in Hartford if you're looking for a night of dinner and dancing. They have live late music at dinner time on the weekends and salsa/bachata starts around 10pm with lessons. They also have another room with hip-hop and r&b music. So if you feel like a change you can swap between rooms! They also have a separate bar area if you ran there just lay low and hold good conversation. You can find more information on their website. They also have parking at the building if you arrive early enough otherwise you will need to park further away. read more

UPDATE: My gf & I stopped here Wed after work (6PM). The parking lot had a few cars, but not many. We walked inside to see 2 people at the bar and plenty of empty seats in the dinning area.... A guy greated us and asked if we had Reservations, we said "No" (thinking, this place is nearly empty) Then the guy asked, "Do you have a Groupon?" And actually, we did, so I said "Yes". He then tells us that we have to call ahead of time for a reservation since we have a Groupon.... WHAAAAAAT? HUH??? I then said, "Can we call right now for a 7PM reservation?" He looks down at his nearly empty note pad and says, "It's BOOKED for the night" (WHAAAT? huh???) There were EMPTY SEATS EVERYWHERE, I mean EVERYWHERE. I asked him again, Can we just call now so we can eat later... and he says NO We walked out. WHAT BUSINESS TURNS DOWN CUSTOMERS WHO WANT TO SPEND $$$$$?????!!!! Our Groupon was for $40 (we paid $20 for it) and we planned to have drinks and desert. UN-F*&KING-BELIEVEABLE! We will never go back, never... read more

Umm..... I can't even describe my experience at this place, but I'll do the best I can. I love Peruvian food and was super excited but I was disappointed. First of all, it was half club half restaurant. The bar scene was popping, but it was still early! Second of all, food was average. We ordered the Lomo saltado and my boyfriend said his cut of meat felt and tasted cheap. I got a fried seafood platter and it was over battered. I didn't like it. The weirdest part of the night was the manager was filming a commercial, we don't know what for, but we were in it. Never saw it though. Weird parking situation and mediocre food makes us pass on this place. read more

Took the kids here to celebrate their fantastic school year. Straight A's all around and for honors and Advanced Placement classes to boot. My dish which were the pork chops were edible in fact nothing was left on the plate but disappointing. Appears they just dusted some old per-cooked chops with plenty of adobo and some lemon or lime juice. My only recommendation is find yourself another restaurant if you are looking for good hispanic food. By the way, the service was good , the setting is comfortable and were seated in a sun room like seating area. Those parts were good. Shame the food was not up to the same level as the service and atmosphere. read more

Casona is the place to go for both great food and dancing. If Latin dancing is your thing, you can go on either Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights and get your fill of Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and more. On Friday evenings they open up the dinning room floor for more freestyle dancing. The dance floor is one of the best in Hartford. Parking is a little tight so it's best to arrive early. On Wednesday nights there is West Coast swing and at least once a month on Sundays you will find a nice mix of Hustle, West Coast Swing, Salsa and more. Occasionally there are live bands but most of the music is provide by DJ's. All of the DJ's are top notch and DJ Louie East is perhaps one of the best Latin DJ's in Connecticut. On Friday nights there is often a live Latin jam session with local musicians and singers as well as opportunity for live Karaoke. Except for rare occasions, there is a beginner dance class before each night of dancing The staff is friendly and courteous. The food is fabulous and the owners are fantastic people. Plan on a leisurely dinner time when dining at Casona as the food is prepared fresh and therefore takes a little longer. read more

We had a great anniversary dinner at Casona's this month. Our server Lauren was great. She was running the bar and tables but still made the time to check on us. Our food was delicious. The mofongo was very moist with a little bit of crunch to it. We both loved it. We also did a mix of the empanadas and they were quite tasty and filling. Overall all of our food was great. We def will be back. read more

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Very unsatisfactory food. The food we ordered had no taste at all. Worst & pricey mofongo my boyfriend ever tried...comparing it with NY city best monfongos ever; this place was definitely a one star. The tostones rellenos were nasty and no flavor at all. We had to be adding salt to all of our food. In my opinion the chef/cook does not try what his making before he serves it on a plate. Definitely a place I'm not coming back to. Food is expensive and the quality of the food is absolutely not worth wasting money for. read more

I love Spanish food and salsa music - if you're fan of any of these then you owe yourself a visit to this establishment. I've been here twice (maybe thrice) on Thursday nights. Their menu offers a variety of Latin cuisine, and their salsa music is awesome. They warm up the crowd with free salsa lessons around 9 or 10PM, and just kill it with some great music the rest of the night. The dance floor was not crazy packed, but it wasn't dead any of the Thursday nights I went either. I almost took a star away for the crummy ambience outside, nothing but gas stations and a sketchy neighborhood. Yet, it seems unfair since they do offer parking (at the very least) allowing for a quick getaway... AND there are far too few places like this in Hartford in general. I give it up to Casona for being a diamond in the rough! read more

Absolutely ridiculous. I reserved a table for 16 on Saturday evening for dinner after an event they were hosting. We waited 45 mins for menus, 1 hour for water, 90 minutes for drinks, 2 hours for appetizers and 3 HOURS TOTAL FOR OUR DINNER!!!! A total nightmare. My guests all received there meals several minutes apart. The owner made lame excuses. 1 cook, we're busier than usual...blah blah blah. Unacceptable. First and last time going there. Happy birthday to me. Oh and my meal was missing several components and the manager didn't know what I was supposed to have on my plate when I asked. Unbelievable, I know. read more

Absolutely terrible! The worst customer service! The bartender with the curly dark blonde hair basically ignored us... Cared more about eating her own food with her fingers then to wait on anyone. She was handling money and then handling cups and straws with her dirty hands!! They charged $3 for a bottle of water! The shots were outrageously priced and were the size of a thimble! My friends ordered food and when it arrived, the bartender set it at the back of the bar and forgot about it! They had to ask about it and by that time, it had gotten cold! I am appalled that they tried to charge $10 to park there AND charged $10 to get in! In today's economy... Good luck getting people to come back to this place! Today I drove by there and watched people getting arrested in the parking lot. That was pleasant. read more

One of my favorite Latin restaurants! I love the recent upgrades to the bar and dining area. The vibe is very Miami. The food is delicious. My favorite is the Lomo Saltado and I usually add a side of sweet plantains. Yum! read more

Made a reservation on open table for January 29, 2021 I received a confirmation email I confirmed and when we get there, there closed. Great way to run a business. Maybe just an idea it's time to shut the website down? read more

First let me be clear that I am not commenting on the food. It could be great but, I didnt go to eat. I went to this place as a recommendation for Salsa dancing. So, my comments are for those who really like Mambo/Salsa/ Merengue/Bachatta, and the occasional cocktail. The good: 1. The place is well kept. It's actually pretty appealing on both the inside and out, and for a nightclub in Hartford, I would say its definitely pretty upscale. Both younger and more mature people would have an equally nice time / feel comfortable here. 2. The dance floor was immaculate and there was a sufficient amount of room to dance. It is probably one of the best in the region. 3. There were quite a few pretty good dancers and plenty of people to dance with. 4. The drinks are descent. They are not watered down but they are not large either. They are reasonably priced and the service is fair and prompt. 5. They have two dance floors so, if you want an occasional break or you are like me and prefer salsa over meregue etc. etc., they have another room for the mainstream stuff. Even this room is pretty good because they mix it up with newer music raggaeton and some old school hip hop / R&B. 6. They people are pretty cool here overall. No drama, just people who sincerely like to dance. The Bad: 1. If you are a guy, you will still get felt up by security / patted down. It is not ultra aggressive and doesn't leave you feeling like you just got groped by an ex-con. Unfortunately, some knuckle heads have ruined it for the rest permanently. Overall, very nice spot to do some salsa dancing! The earlier you get there the better as the floor gets crowded quickly. read more

Love the Latin dishes offered on the menu. It's got a little bit from all over. I've had the Bandeja Colombiana and Churrasco. Loved it!!! I'd go back for those. Ordered the mofongo once but it had like spaghetti sauce (on mofongo???) on it. That ruined it. The food is good but service leaves a lot to be desired. Great greeting, prompt delivery of drinks and after that its hard to catch a server's attention. It took us more time to get our check and cash out than the meal itself. read more

I reserved a VIP over the phone at this place, they held $200 from my credit card, when I got to the place they added the money to my bill and end up paying almost $700, few days latter they charged me the $200 again, it's been almost one month and they keep making excuses to return my money. either the person in charge is on vacations or it won't be there for a few days. BE CAREFUL ! read more

Worst Spanish place. I celebrate my bday there this month. The place was full of 50-years-old dressed inappropriate for a night out. Also, the staff was very rude and careless: the bartenders, the host, EVERYONE! They promised a bottle, and a cake, and what I got was a small bottle of the cheapest vodkA with no free juice refills, and a horrible looking cake. We couldn't finish the bottle 'cause it tasted really bad and did not even touch the cake. Finally, all my guest had to pay for their own entrance. read more

Good Latin food, but I felt my father made it better. I love the night life for dancing.

Haven't been for the food, but my girls and I stopped here for the club. Music was good. They had both the "traditional" music your parents would listen and dance to and the newer Reggaeton and club stuff. Either side was good. You better be ready to dance. The men looked good as hell so I definitely cant' complain. $10 cover?? I mean really read more

Really Affordable Drink Prices And Great Music For Dancing . If you're looking for latin dancing and a lively scene on Saturday this is a great choice to enjoy the night. Will definitely go back read more

I had an amazing experience here last night on Saturday. I booked a VIP table here and the service was epic. They look completely remodeled with great music! read more

I love this place! Great exposure to Spanish culture/dancing. At one point my friends and I just sat down to watch some of the amazing dancers. You don't need to be a professional salsa dancer for this place. Just come with an open mind, body, spirit and let loose! read more

Best place ever!! Can't even begin to tell you how great the food was here. I had the monfongo. It was delicious. Not many complaints other than I wish that there was more shrimp in the dish. But other than that, it was well done and had a powerful and strong and rich flavor. I truly recommend this place for visitors to the Greater Hartford Area. I know I will be certainly going back. read more

The interior make over is refreshing compared to the previous layout and decor.. Large wooden dance floor area.

Went for the taste of Hartford, the place was packed. Service was a little slow, food was pretty good, not great. I had the paella which was dry and not very flavorful. (I shouldnt have expected very much since I have never had good Paella outside of a real Spain-Spanish restaurant) My husband had the Churrasca Argentina - Rib Eye steak with Chimichurri. He thought it was great. Flan for dessert was something a two-year old could have made. Probably a pre-mix Jello Flan doused in Herseys Chocolate Syrup. As we were finishing up our meal the staff was packing up the tables, the DJ's were setting up and they were getting ready to turn the place into a Salsa Disco which I think is the true calling of La Casona. read more

I did not go for dinner, rather I wen to the Salsa dancing and it was a very happening place. The facility is split into with an adjoining bar. One side is where the Salsa dancing was and the other was freestyle dancing. The DJ on the freestyling side was the best I have ever heard doing a great job of mixing some oldies in with latin music. read more

I personally have not dined at this establishment, so I cannot comment on their food. I did attend the night club and was not impressed. Quite trashy, but if that's your kind of thing then knock yourself out. If you are looking for a somewhat classy environment this is not the place to be! # classless read more

Same as all the other Casona attempts. New management, they remodel, then they do great for a while; and then they start falling apart. Especially the night scene. Drinks are not priced reasonably. The floors are filthy. Also, very limited seating. The music is outstanding though. read more

Awful customer service! I called to see if there was waiting list. The man said no but suggested I make reservations. I then asked if he had any reservations left for the night and his answer was "there are several, the first availability being 7:15" I then said ok and went on to give my information for a reservation. It was at this point that he interrupted me to ask whether I'd be using any promotions like Groupon. I answered "yes" and his reply was that he couldn't honor any more Groupons as they already limit themselves to honoring 7 Groupons a day. With that said, I mentioned that my Groupon would be expired tomorrow and thus needed to use it today, unless he would be willing to honor it tomorrow. His response was that I should've planned better and not have waited to use the Groupon on the last day and that now it was too late to use the Groupon $40 promotional value. Again I asked him how he could turn away and refuse customers that minutes ago he had offered a 7:15 reservation. I was supremely disgusted with the horribly rude host and customer service. read more

This is for and drink review only. The sangria has no alcohol at all. Our party ordered it by the glass, half carafe and full carafe and after drinking it all everyone was completely sober. It was all juice. Never buying that again. The empanada dough is corn not real dough and fried improperly as the grease drips right off all the over the place. The filling is mostly potatoes. Awful. The seafood soup for 12$ has no flavor in the broth. I would only come back to order beers and dance. So disappointing read more

I have never reviewed an establishment in my life but please be advised Do NOT come here!! The food took almost two hours only for the manager to tell me that, "they were having trouble with my pork because it was still frozen." They proceeded to substitute my meal with a fatty flank steak. We decided just to pay our $240 bill and leave only to get to our car in THEIR parking lot and noticed we were blocked in by a car that the parking attendant allowed there!! The owner, manager, and club security provided beyond terrible customer service and didn't help us at all not to mention they kept pawning our complaint on the other!! Worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant and I will be sure that everyone knows about it!! read more

I go there to dance on Wednesday nights. The food is pretty good too. One of the few places where you can get decent ceviche. Note that the food is Columbian, not Mexican or Tex-Mex. Service is very friendly and good. read more

The interior makeover is a step-up from before. It's a shame that the service and food didn't keep up. The wait staff is poorly trained. The food was just okay. And the drinks are still served in Dixie cups after hours even though they now charge top shelf prices. They need to keep the drinks inexpensive if served in Dixie cups. read more