I figured we would have a pleasant experience at Casa Tino based on the decent reviews. No chance…read more Upon entering an empty restaurant, we found only one other party at a table in the back, and were told that the table we wished to sit at was reserved. The server sat us at another table, next to a blaring music speaker, and when we attempted to move to another table away from the speaker, the server informed us that the other table was reserved. On a Sunday at 4:00 PM, the restaurant was practically empty. There was no request for drinks from the server, who went to the back and did not come out to ask what we would like to drink. We left.

We luckily could not get a table at a nearby popular seafood restaurant and blindly stumbled into…read morethis slice of culinary miracles, an authentic cooked-from-scratch chef's kitchen run by husband and wife wherein every single dish was a trip into another world of hearty fare with deeply layered flavors, with personable individual attentive service as if we were guests in someone's home, all in a cozy small place with an intimate ambiance that could sadly be far too easily overlooked in the back of this plaza but I hope does this family well for 100 years!!

I am a sucker for food trucks. The startup cost is much less than a brick and mortar building, but…read morewith the mobile footprint it is key for these places to have some next level food less they be out like yesterdays news or TikTok trend. I can tell you with great certainty that the quality of service and food will have c222 hanging around until at least circa 2222 long after I am gone. I passed through one late Sunday evening. Was not sure what time they closed. Apparently it was about 8pm on a Sunday and I arrived 5min past. As kind as could be they fired up the grill again to whip me up some of the best Puerto Rican food I have ever had. Disclaimer: I have never been to Puerto Rico, but I now have been to the best Puerto Rican food truck. The cook came out truck side to give me a run of the menu providing excellent insight. After much deliberation I landed on the Mofongo, La Canoa, and a virgin Lavender Margarita. Fortunately I intended to share these plates because the portions was massive, but even larger were the flavors. Mofongo is a classic and a special of the day, but for those who do not know La Canoa is a local dish featuring a baked sweet plantain base stuff full of picadillo de carne, spiced cheese and salad. A combination of flavors completely new to what I had considered to be my experienced palate. These dishes enrolled me in school, drove me to the bus stop, picked me up later that afternoon, and even helped me with my homework they were so good. Sweet meets savory. Soft meets crisp. Daniel meets heaven. The Lavender Margarita likewise was entirely new and the only thing it was missing was tequila which I quickly found on my shelf to take an already incredible variation on a traditional beverage to the next level. I need to hammer down their hours, but had at least tried to provide you all with a view of their menu in addition to a laundry list of reasons to go check this place out!

I am absolutely mindblown. This food was delicious! Restaurant quality. I'd never tried Puerto…read moreRican food and I'm far from disappointed. At first I was a little taken aback by the price given the fact that it's a food truck, but this was better than food I've had at some brick and mortars. I highly recommend and I'd come here again. Que delicia!! Nunca habia probado comida puertoriqueña y no quede decepcionada! La comida tiene calidad de restaurante y no se troca. Es increible. Solo Han estado abiertos 3 semanas. Los dueños sim hermana y hermano. Les deseo mucha suerte!!

Awesome Food!!!! Service was amazing. Cocktails were great. Will definitely be back. Rose pork was…read moreoutstanding.

I ordered the fried pork chops with rice and beans, hoping for a solid, flavorful plate of classic…read morecomfort food. Unfortunately, the pork chops were extremely disappointing--they came out rock-hard and completely devoid of seasoning or taste. They genuinely seemed like they were taken straight from the package and dropped into the fryer with zero prep, no marinade, no breading enhancement, nothing. The texture was so tough it was almost inedible, and there was no juiciness or pork flavor to speak of at all. The server was genuinely apologetic and handled the situation with professionalism, which I appreciated. The owner did come over, looked at the plate, said "oh wow," and then comped half the price of the dish. While the discount was a gesture, it felt more like a quick fix than a real effort to make things right--especially since the food was fundamentally flawed from the start. If you're searching for authentic, well-executed Spanish or Latin-inspired food (especially something as straightforward as fried pork chops), this place doesn't deliver. The execution here falls far short of what you'd expect from a restaurant charging for these kinds of dishes. With better attention to seasoning, proper frying technique, and perhaps a bit more care in portion prep, this could be salvageable--but right now, I'd steer clear of the pork chop entrée specifically. Other items on the menu might fare better, but on this visit, the pork chops were a clear miss.

My friend and I had wanted to head up to North Port for some time to try Puerto Rican Spice. The…read moreonly regret is waiting so long! We decided to go family-style and ordered several different dishes so that we had variety and leftovers to take home. We started with Papas Locas with steak, and they were amazing. The Mofongo with pernil was absolutely delicious and probably my favorite dish of the evening. The arroz mamposteado and maduros amarillos were both so flavorful, as was the shrimp in creamy garlic sauce my friend ordered (shellfish allergy here). We ordered beef, beef and cheese, cheese pizza, and guava and cheese empanadas and all were fantastic. We finished with tres leches and flan for dessert. The flan is made with cheese and some of the best I've ever eaten. Doris is the owner, and she was so warm and inviting and giggled at how much food we ordered. We will absolutely be back.

First, it definitely embodied a mom and pop restaurant…read more The decor leaves something to be desired but its new so I'll hold off on that. The service was good especially since I was in a group of 14 in a place that can only hold 31. The food was great. The flavor of the Arroz con gandules reminds me of my mom's rice, for anyone that knows me, is a great compliment. It was a hair dry and just a bit undercooked but the flavor, great. The mofongo was amazing. The Penil (roasted pork) was on point. The food took a little while to come out but I think it's due to do many orders at the same time. The owner was the restaurant was great and reminded of my grandpa, very friendly and outgoing. I will be coming back

Great Puerto Rican food! So happy I can have a slice of home so close! I've been missing this flavorread more

I went with my sister to eat a Alcapurrias the where yellow not the masa traditional horrible was…read morevery disappointed it's a small place not enough food just some need better service and food. It's a shame

A beautiful lunch experience in every way. The open air interior is stunning, especially nice as it…read morewas a pretty 82 degree afternoon. Fun and friendly server (cute and smiling Gabby) who made our red sangria tableside. Great Cubano sandwiches, tapas (especially the scallops), and yellow rice. That bread and butter...say yes. And the Saint Armand's circle location is so classy. I want to buy the sangria pitcher but will use that as excuse to return next time!

We were not in the mood for a large meal, so stopped in at Columbia for their delicious gazpacho…read moresoup. A cup is $8.00; a bowl is $10.00. I had a bowl. After the soup is poured, there are add-ins: chopped tomatoes, onions, green peppers and cucumbers. There are also some , possibly made at Columbia, croutons. I had all of these added to my bowl. Before the soup was served, each diner gets a fresh loaf of warm bread. It's not a traditional meal, but it is filling and delicious.

Such an amazing place in Sarasota. My partner is Dominican and we have been to the Caribbean…read morecountries a good bit. We were visiting Sarasota and stopped in to grab some late dinner to go. (Para Levar... my tiny bit of Spanish!). Luckily, my partner is fluent and it helps a lot whenever my Español es muy mal. We checked out the reviews and as a long time Yelper my experience told me that some of the bad reviews were not something we would worry about. It's really interesting considering the place is really authentic. Everything we had was delicious. The only tiny thing I would change is a little less garlic in the mojo on the boiled yuca but that's a personal preference and most people would probably love it! I'd ask for it on the side next time. They have a special lunch and dinner every day and I got the special for $9.99. Picadillo with 2 sides (I got boiled yuca and black beans). I added some maduros. My partner got pork chops with 3 sides. Salad, morro rice, and maduros. He also got a tamarind juice which is one of his favorites. While we waited they brought us both a cup of homemade chicken soup. It was delicious. The vibe is so Latin and that's a compliment. I could feel the love and felt so welcome. It was like hanging out at a family party with yummy food. They had karaoke with everyone singing Latin tunes. I barely understood a word but loved it and they had some really good vocalists! The food was delicious! We couldn't finish it all. I had lots of green olives in my picadillo! If we lived in this area we would be eating here every week or several times a week! I only passed on the Mofongo because I was worried I'd fill up fast and didn't want to waste so much food. If I were here a few more days, I'd be going back to try it. If I come back to Sarasota, I'm adding them to my must visit list! Thank you Latin Quarters' staff and the fun patrons for helping make my last night in Sarasota a lovely one!

Wow! I was in the area with family and wanted to have Puerto Rican food. We found this restaurant…read moreby chance and I'm so glad we did. The food was incredible - great reasonable prices, LARGE portions, perfectly seasoned and so authentic. The ambiance was great too - cozy and friendly. I've gone to more expensive restaurants and the food was not as tasty as this. We had the Sancocho, Pastelon, Bistec encebollado, the Canoa as appetizer. They bring you plantain chips and a cup of soup to start your meal. That soup was so amazing and unexpected. What can I say, the food was so good, the wait staff was so nice.... Will definitely be back!

Only reason we came was because the Cuban restaurant was closed. Food an service were just ok. Was…read morenot super impressed with the taste, kind of bland. Asked for maduros and got tostones. Worst part was being charged 10.75% to pay with card. Most likely will not return.

Great food! Great staff! Great ambience! I am happy to eat…read morehere again! Everything was perfect!

We didn't dine in- we actually DoorDash this order to go! And still will give it 5stars! The drive…read morethru was an easy convenient way to pick up our food. Parking lot was full- which is always a great sign at any food establishment! The staff that helped us was friendly Okay- the food- wow!! All decently priced and got more bang for our buck! The Cuban sandwich was stacked with plenty of meat and the bread was nice and toasty/crunchy. Delicious! We ordered the regular combo with two sides. Ropa Vieja- you can tell it was made with love cause the flavors were all there. Yuca was delish and so was the rice. But the Ropa Vieja stole the show.

Fresh food every day! Staff is bilingual and so is the menu choices. Every item is made fresh…read moredaily. Love Cuban food, run over here. Plenty of clean tables to enjoy your meal. Majority of business is take out. They do a great job packing it up for you. One dish averages about $15 which is extremely reasonable and you will probably have leftovers. This place is a local gem and I love that we can customize our order. Don't need to buy larger quantities for our family of 6. Happy holidays and Feliz Noche Buena to all!

ALERT - this restaurant is under new ownership and management. Although this is our first time…read morecoming, we found out the new owner has only been open for 2 months. With that in mind, just note that any photos and reviews before June 2020 are not of the current ownership. This isn't the best I've had but it's certainly worth coming back. We had red snapper, black rice and plantains with a macaroni salad. The owner said they only buy a limited supply of snapper each day since he gets them fresh from the fisherman. So glad we came for lunch! It was piping hot and fresh, lightly seasoned so it was good. The plantains were prepared well and the black rice was cooked perfectly even though it could use more "black". Definitely worth a visit.

The Haitian food was good here. I had griot and diri kolè ak pwa fransè. The place wasn't busy at…read moreall on a Thursday evening so I was a little worried. The food is good but the prices are too high. I will go back on occasion when the craving for Haitian food must be satisfied, but if the prices were better, I would go here at least once per week.