During a rare visit to Fort Lauderdale, I wanted to find a good Cuban sandwich near Sawgrass Mills. Don Carlin certainly filled the bill. It's a nice family-owned restaurant with a friendly and helpful staff. The menu looked exhaustive, but I was only interested in the Cubano. The sandwich was great, no doubt about it. My wife had the Fish Sandwich and she said it was also good. For sides we ordered Sweet Fried Plantains and Fried Yuca with Mojo, both recommended by our waitress. They were delicious and I am stuffed! Based on my afternoon, I'd say skip Sawgrass and spend more time at Don Carlin. read more

See all

Don't be swayed by stip mall shopping center location, the restaurant is cute inside! I ordered ropa vieja (shredded beef in tomatoe sauce) with arroz (rice), fréjoles negros (black beans), and plátanos maduros (fried ripe plantains). My lunch companion had masas de puerco (fried pork chunks), arroz (rice), fréjoles negros (black beans, and plátanos maduros (fried ripe plantains). Both dishes were great! The service was excellent as well. The food was served a few minutes after ordering. The staff checked in on us a few times. I recommend you try this restaurant if in the area. read more

Don Carlin - Masas de puerco (fried pork chunks), arroz (rice), fréjoles negros (black beans, and plátanos maduros (fried ripe plantains) - Cuban Near Me - Sunrise, Florida

See all

Tried a new Cuban cafe for my morning coffee in the center of the Windward Isle Plaza. Nothing fancy inside or unique except for a super modern dual coffee machine. The counter girl was very friendly and brewed me a fresh San Martin espresso which I sipped at the counter and tasted great. They open for lunch at 11am and stay open late until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The daily special was listed as Oxtail and boiled Snapper. They offer Don Carlin Cocktails including homemade lemonade, mojitos, pina colada, margaritas and house sangria. Noticed the manager organizing the restaurant and greeting customers as they entered the restaurant. The main portion of the bathroom did not have a lock although did include a secondary room with a locking mechanism. Both rooms were clean and basic. read more

See all

I was in town on business and wanted to have some local cuisine. It's always a good sign when you arrive and you're the only person visiting from out of town. I don't think I heard anybody else in the restaurant speaking English. My server was attentive and very polite. She took the time to visit me at least three times during my meal, and was actually engaging in conversation as well. I went with a simple meal of pork cutlet with beans and rice, with an empanada appetizer. All of it was delicious and very well seasoned. The room is not flashing, but it doesn't have to be. This is meant to be a comfortable family friendly setting for a good meal at a reasonable price. At that they succeed perfectly. Would most definitely come back read more

Don Carlin reminds me of eating at my grandma's house. When you walk inside, it's not much, but you don't need a vibey look to serve authentic food. The employees all greet you with a smile and offer bread on the house. I love it when restaurants do this, remember grandma's house? Right when you walk inside, they immediately want to feed you. Because this is Cuban food, I definitely had to try the ropa vieja with black beans. Honestly, three letters... one word... WOW. It's such a great blend of flavors; one does not overpower the other. Also, pairing it with a natural pineapple juice definitely hits the spot. Again, this place may not look flashy. I always say, you come to a restaurant to eat, how it looks is secondary. This is my official Cuban spot forever!!! read more

See all

The staff, service, and food was excellent! I found a Cuban restaurant that blows all their competition out of the water. I will be back with reinforcements on my next visit. read more

Amazing Cuban food !!! My go to while back in Broward County, Florida. Beef Empanadas & a Coffee read more

Don Carlin - Empanadas - Cuban Near Me - Sunrise, Florida

I was over the chain Cuban food, and wanted some authentic food that felt like grandma was cooking in the back. I was shocked that in Sunrise this hidden gem was here! It is definitely a hole in the wall , don't let the location deter you from the savory food. It a very casual spot, they have been around for 20 years. I was on the hunt for Ox Tail, Don Carlin delivered ! They have Ox tail specials from Tuesday-Sunday. Everything was so savory, and the service was great food came out in a timely manner! Everyone was very attentive and accommodating to my bf dietary restrictions . The Mamey milkshake was delicious ! I can't wait to try more food from the menu. Overall, please do yourself a favor and check this place out ! read more

See all

Home cooked by GRANDMA! I was pretty amazed stopping by this little hole in the wall. I didn't expect much of it because I don't typically go out for Cuban food being Cuban myself. I made an exception for this little hole in the wall. We were instantly greeted and felt comfortable. It got full VERY quickly. As we browsed the menu, we noticed regulars stopping by and being greeted by their first name by the staff. That's when you know, they're regulars and the food is bomb. The Cuban food was as close to Cuban as it can get, in the streets cooking for people. It had a very home cooked taste that you don't typically find in the "Cuban" chain restaurants many know of in South Florida ie La Caretta, Latin America etc. What surprised me the most was, I saw the cook coming out when the restaurant was packed and everyone was eating. Of course, you cannot guess who it was? IT WAS THE GRANDMA. Yup! No lies. A , what appeared to be a 60+ year old grandma COOKING the Cuban food by the book. She puts Nitza Villapol to shame. Jk Cubans know who that is. A part of me was grateful a grandma was the head chef because only a grandma would still cook with that much care for masses in a restaurant. The other part of me, the granddaughter side, wishes she would rest. Either way, I'm grateful she was cooking the food in this restaurant. For that alone, I would come back to that restaurant and recommend it to others. If you are looking for authentic Cuban food, Don Carlin is the place to go. Service was fantastic , food was great, restaurant was cozy but not fancy and the prices were still reasonable for this day and age. read more

Don Carlin - Cuban Near Me - Sunrise, Florida

See all

Medianoche is very yummy and so is their cafe con leche. Customer service is very great

Seems like the family was looking for a change of scenery and taste tonight. Brainstorming where we should go; we unamiosly decided on Don Carlin! Going inside, there was a good amount of people seated, but we were seated rather quickly. Tonight we had 1x cuban pot roast and 1x churassco steak cooked medium rare. Going into my review, the food and service was excellent. The pot roast came in a savory cuban inspired red sauce; the beef was flaking off the fork, and came with creamy black beans, fluffy white rice, and nicely charred plantains. The churassaco was well seasoned, very tender, and came with fluffy moroz rice and nicely charred plantains. Moreover, the servers were very friendly and offered free wifi! Overall, we always enjoy the quality of both the food and service at Don Carlin and happy to give our experience tonight another 5/5! read more

Don Carlin - The churassaco was well seasoned & very tender, also came with fluffy moroz rice, and nicely charred plantains! - Cuban Near Me - Sunrise, Florida

Amazing Cuban food. Loved it! Try the Spanish white beans and Platanos Maduros. Service was personable and fast.

OMGOSH!!!! This place is absolutely AMAZING!!!! We were close by visiting family and saw the great reviews and why not enjoy some good food. Needless to say we we quickly found out why people love this place. It's a small restaurant but it's both intimate and large enough to host many parties. We ordered our food and our server (Mario) was absolutely amazing. We scouted the menu and made our choices. The biste empalizado was a great portion as well as delicious. The chicharrones de pollo were excellent. All of our food tasted fresh, delicious and the portions were an excellent size. The maduros were also delicious and the rice and black beans were awesome. Tuesday & Friday special is oxtail and it's great. Funny story my wife loves oxtail but she didn't see the special and ordered something different. When we finished our meal and she saw what the special was was bummed she didn't try it out. Our server was so kind. He brought us a small sample for us so she can try it. Needless to say this is the reason why this place does as amazing as it does. What a kind gesture. We'll definable be back. read more

See all

This place is a good place to stop in during your lunch break which is when I've gone. The food is always good, the servers are kind, and the ambiance is always good. They are fast and the prices aren't bad for what you get. read more

Food was good service good prices ambiance just regular nothing fancy. Clean establishment. You won't be disappointed

Definitely not fully authentic Cuban food. Items are sold stating they're something and they're not the same food that is authentic to the culture. read more

Hit or miss with this restaurant. Better Cuban food further south. Had the Chicken Creol, rather bland. Wife had the pork chunks which were on the greasy side. Also they charge you 3% additional to your check if you don't use cash. Just another way to pad the bill. Won't return read more

No on who is eating here and leaving and good review is Cuban and/or knows what authentic Cuban cuisine tastes a like. Came for lunch & ordered Picadillo and Roja Veija. The sauce for both dishes tasted like chef boyardee spaghetti-o. The maduaros were not ripe and undercooked. A few bites was all we could stomach. If you want authentic Cuban food drive down to Miami. read more

We're visiting from California and Yelped cuban food near us.. we came here and very glad we did. Very good, clean food.. Mario was excellent in hospitality and service!!! Thank you to the staff for being so helpful! read more

See all

We were looking for some good local Cuban food near a relatives house and we found this at Don Carlin. We arrived a little early for lunch and so glad that we did. Were seated right away and for us the food choice was obvious. Lechon Asado. We also saw that there were empanadas on the menu also, yes please. The empanadas were ok. However the Lechon Asado was really good. The meat was tender and had great flavor. It was accompanied by plantains and Moro rice. Both were as good as the pork. I chose wisely. The service was really good. Our waiter was attentive but not overbearing which is always a good thing. I would definitely return when I am in the area. Please support this business. read more

Don Carlin - Cuban Near Me - Sunrise, Florida

We started off with fried plantains and garlic sauce, so delish. I had the lechon asado which comes with white rice, black beans and sweet plantains The pork was good, however I would have liked more of a sauce, garlic or otherwise. My friends all enjoyed their meals. There is plenty of parking. read more

See all

I came with a friend, and we ordered the palomilla steak, the yellow chicken rice with cheese, and a side of boiled yuca with mojo. The service was good, and the food was satisfying. I liked that the yellow chicken rice was not too dry, and I especially liked the plantains. They were caramelized very well. I recommend you try the plantains. However, the mojo sauce on the yuca was not what I expected. It tasted too sour. I have had yuca with mojo at other places, and I prefer a deeper garlic taste than a tangy one. Next time, I'd like to try the fried yuca instead. Overall, I have not tried many other Cuban restaurants, but I enjoyed this one. The environment was welcoming, and it felt like I was enjoying a meal at home. I would recommend it. read more

See all

WOW -- incredible Cuban food at reasonable prices with super friendly service and an old school homey vibe. This hole in the wall gem delighted all of us, including my very hungry little man, who went to town on the palomilla steak. I was bowled over by the ropa vieja (neither too salty nor too sweet - perfect!), and hubby gobbled the lectin asado. We all left incredibly full. Keep in mind: CASH ONLY - I would have had to leave if hubby wasn't flush that day we will be back! read more

Food was good, the service was very good and was greeted very kindly. Was clean and a good crowed of people!

Don Carlin has great food, large portions, quick and friendly service with and a family atmosphere.

I had an amazing time here at Don Carlin! The food was just amazingly made and very rich in flavor. The service was very kind and accommodating. The ambiance was also very calm and very welcoming. 5 stars. read more

Yesterday a group of 18 had lunch here. Our server Mario was excellent. Personable, efficient, attentive, all the above! Each entree came out at the same time and the food is delicious. You can tell the management is excellent and the employees work together as a team. Prices and portion size perfect. A wonderful experience! Thank you Don Carlin! read more

Don Carlin - Cuban Near Me - Sunrise, Florida

My order of garlic shrimp was mistakenly served with a red sauce. When I alerted our waiter to the error, he became visibly annoyed and unpleasantly demanded the plate back. The replacement dish arrived, it was clear the kitchen had simply washed the red sauce off the original shrimp and re-plated it as shrimp with garlic. The poor service and dishonest food preparation were too much to bear, and though I didn't want to cause a scene in front of my family, I will not be returning. read more

The food is good but definitely watch the workers. We ordered for pick up and they gave our order to someone else so they called that person back to come bring that food back and grab their order. Then I watched them re bag the food that had left the restaurant and try to give it to me like it hadn't happened. They didn't say anything to me other than "oh it's coming" as if it's being made still. I like this place and we order take out often but after this I'm not sure I'd be back or if I could recommend it to anyone. Just be careful read more

Amazing little hidden gem If you want authentic and true to form Cuban food , then this place is the place for you No fancy reinterpretations No fusion Just traditional awesome Cuban food The pork lechón is the best in Broward.... Not enough recognition for this place but I kind of like that it stays a hidden gem for the locals. They will always have my service Everyone is always smiling and I would go just for the ambience read more

The bad reviews are false and disingenuous as this place offers and delivers great, authentic Cuban food at reasonable prices. The majority of Cuban restaurants in Miami are either no longer authentic or are just relying on past accolades and are now offering greasy, tasteless piles of food. The dishes, including the ropa vieja, are consistently excellent, the black beans are properly made, and the boiled yuca with garlic and onions is exceptional. Even the flan is first rate. This is a true hidden gem in Sunrise. Skip the over-hyped, underwhelming Miami places and come here, even if it is just for a cafecito (which also is top notch). read more

I have been coming to Don Carlin Restaurant for a long time. I love the food. It is like homemade food and it is delicious. The staff always greets me with a smile. read more

yummy yummy when in doubt the cuban sandwich or the chicken sandwich . i always come here whenever im in sunrise nice little shop been going here for years real passion fruit juice and mango juice read more

Don Carlin - chicken sandwhich + fries - Cuban Near Me - Sunrise, Florida

Cute family vibes. Servers were attentive and not overwhelming. We had Lechon Asada and Ropa Vieja. YUM!! Definitely what I remember from my grandmas kitchen. Finished it off with a colada. great quick bite without sacrificing flavor or freshness. read more

Service was quick and friendly for a to-go pickup order. Not the best tasting Cuban food for south FL - everything was just okay. The yuca had zero flavor. read more

This is an easy review. Definitely one of the best Cuban restaurant I have ever eaten at. We started out with a couple of appetizers, a chicken empanada that was stuffed so full it was like eating a meal in it self, not mention how good it tasted. We also had fried sliced plantain with a garlic & lime sauce on, fantastic!! For lunch my wife had a salad, super fresh, French fries and black beans & rice. She said it was one of the best beans and rice she has had. Her cafe con lettche was really good too. As for me I had a Cuban sandwich and a side yucca con mojo. The sandwich was out of this world good, but the yucca stole the show! It was that good! I've had this place on my radar for quite some time. I just don't know what took me so long. I have no doubt we will be eating here again. read more

See all

This is one of my favorite go-to spots for lunch now. The food is absolutely incredible and is, most importantly to me, always fresh and consistent. I've never had an issue here. So far, I've had the picadillo (my regular order), the ropa vieja, sopa de platano, croquettas de jamon (excellent!), the croquetta preparada, etc. and it has all been delicious and fresh. Now, one of the absolute best things about this place is the coffee. If you love cuban style coffee, then you'll love this place. The coffee here is amazing and, in my opinion, tastes much better (and costs less) than the coffee you can get at any of the local cafe's and coffee shops. All in all, if you want some great Cuban food, or even if you just want a cuban coffee, you don't have to go all the way down to Miami to get that; just go to Don Carlin! read more

Came in from Texas on a business trip to finally eat some Cuban food! This place came highly recommend by the hotel staff and it did not disappoint! Thank god I'll be back to wrap up the Stanley Cup so I can make it back to this place!! Ropa Vieja Black Beans and Rice Any recommendations will be appreciated when I come back in a week. read more

Went for first time & tried their lunch special. I had the. Bistec palomillo & the food was very tasty & decent portion. The server was very attentive. I recommend going. read more

Yummy food.Friendly staff. Family ambiance. And affordable. Flavor is consistent. We love it here.