I had a two-hour layover at the Miami airport last week, right around meal time, in the middle of a full day of travel. I needed a place to eat and chill out for a bit before hopping on another flight, and when I saw that there was a Cuban spot with over 170 reviews and a 3.5 star average--solid gold for an airport restaurant--I knew I'd found my dinner. Ku-Va was in Terminal D, by gate 19 (hot tip--if your flight is at D60, which is where they put all the small planes, this is actually a good 15-minute walk from your gate, so budget your time accordingly). It was a nice sit-down kind of place, with plenty of seating and table service. The wait staff was very friendly and welcoming, if a little slow, particularly for an airport restaurant. I thought about getting a drink, but the drinks seemed pretty expensive; there weren't even prices listed on the cocktail menu, which worried me. I didn't want to end up paying like $18 for an airport mojito, so I stuck with the $3.50 Diet Coke. I ordered something called I Love Lucy arroz con pollo because honestly, it's really hard to go wrong with chicken and rice. I've loved probably 80-90% of the cheap teriyaki bowls I've eaten in my life, and this seemed like it was a safe bet, a Cuban food court standard kind of meal. It was okay, not as good as I'd hoped, but certainly edible. The chicken was saffron chicken, and it came skin-on, on the bone, with a mound of yellow rice and some sweet plantains. There was some good flavor here, but the rice was gluey and a lot of the chicken dry. The plantains sort of saved it, though. They were delicious, sweet and starchy, and they added some necessary moisture to every bite. Ku-Va wasn't exactly a gem, but the food was okay and the environment was pleasant and relaxing. It's a viable enough option if you need to get a meal in Terminal D. read more

Oddly good airport food! I was flying back from St. Kitts through Miami and needed my fixe for Cuban food. Knowing I would be in the airport the whole time, I knew the odds were against me. However, after scanning the options in terminal e and reading reviews for Ku-va online, my group of four decided to give it a try. The rope vieja was sooo good. The portion was large though as it came with sides so it is definitely a dish you could share. Everyone at the table loved their dishes which includes salad and sandwiches, so a little bit of everything from the menu. The service was quick which is needed in an airport and the drinks were made well. This definitely hit the spot and I was happy to not have left Miami with at least one Cuban meal. read more

Ku-Va - Mojito - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

If you want an over priced basic breakfast with no imagination, stop here for for your only meal of the day. Since that's what we did! My so called healthy breakfast scramble was literally runny egg white with a sprinkling of chopped onions and tomato. Not sure how they can justify a $14 charge for this! The only saving grace was the friendly and attentive waiter and plenty of seating. read more

Let me preface this review by saying that I work at the airport and leaving once you are here for lunch is nearly impossible. That being said, if you want to eat Cuban food at the airport (or any kind of Latin food, because let's be real, all airport establishments are Cuban owned), then do yourself a favor and go to Kuva. Yes, there are chain restaurants that outside of the airport probably get great reviews, but comparing La Carreta on bird road or 8th street to the La Carreta in the airport would be doing yourself a huge disservice. Why? Because these places whose level of freshness is questionable outside of the airport, can borderline not be trusted on the inside of the airport. If the landmark Versailles had mold in the butter, imagine the airport version which is more costly to stock. So back to Kuva. They have both an employee menu and a regular menu. Both are excellent. While chicken is good, I would steer away from chicken all together at MIA because the chances of it being rubbery are 9/10. The lechón here is delicious. You can swap your sides as you please - I normally go for black beans and salad. The salad is fresh - no iceberg lettuce to be found, and red tomatoes - no white in this salad. The vaca frita is also delicious and ask for it crispy. The service is the best by far and people speak Spanish AND English. It's amazing. They have big windows and nice art, plus a bar area separate from the restaurant. It's located close to security checkpoint one. So if you don't have centurion access, go hang out at Kuva. Oh and yes, you can get your Cuban coffee here too. read more

My boyfriend and I purchased a burger, salad and 2 drinks on a layover and were charged $100 for the 4 items. The salad had none of the toppings that were listed in the description on the menu and it made me immediately sick. I've had food poisoning the last 2 days. Please save your wallet and your stomach and don't eat here. read more

I have a long wait today for my flight so my bestie & I came in for a relaxing time. We sat down in the comfy arm chairs & ordered a the bartender Ximena quickly came out from the bar & furnished us with a drink menu. We opted for a blue martini & mojito. Both were very good. She also asked if we would like something to eat with that & handed us food menus. We chose cassava root fries with cilantro dip. They were delish! Love the ambiance here, soft Latin music under red lighting, before you go back to the hustle & bustle of the airport. read more

Thanks to the Ku-Va personnel that helped us during my wife's health event. They were very concerned, showed emphatic and were very collaborative. Thank you so much. Good bless you all. By the way, the food was delicious. read more

Manager made up a policy that you will not receive an airport employee discount if you're not working on that particular day. Didn't want to give the discount and made it up on the spot. Never heard that one before. Don't come here if you're not in uniform...even with your ID. read more

What a pleasant surprise to find authentic, delicious Cuban food in the Miami airport. Located right across from Wendys, I wanted to tell everyone in the Wendys line to come over and get some real food. After reading a few of the reviews I decided on the ropa viejo. It was mildly warm, but that didn't bother me as the rice and black beans were nice and hot and the the flavor of the shredded beef was delicious. I don't think I've ever had rice and beans that were so good, it wasn't dry at all and cooked to perfection. The perfect dinner after a 6 hour flight. I would definitely return here in the future when stopping at the Miami airport. read more

Ku-Va - Delicious ropa viejo with black beans and white rice. So good! - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

This chicken is awesome. The service is always so quick and friendly. I walked all the way from the E gates just for this chicken.

I've found my way here last two times through Miami. I'm no Cuban expert, but I know the black beans and rice and fried sweet plantains pair equally well with lechón, pollo a la plancha, or fried eggs (breakfast, of course!). Hard to rate the pricing of an airport meal. I know other Cuban options exist that may be slightly more casual (and less expensive?). Maybe not. Slightly overpriced maybe, but within reason for delicious food! read more

Ku-Va - Breakfast of champions! Black beans and rice, fried eggs, and fried sweet plantains. Can't go wrong here. - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

Hello. This place is delicious. We walked by it initially and then looked at reviews of good places in the airport. It got really good reviews so.......Ok, fine, let's try it ! And...... YUM !! We sat in the bar area in the comfy lounge chairs and enjoyed the Lechon de la Sierra and the Filete de Pollo Empanizado. We SCARFED all of it. The mojitos were good, too. Abraham, the bartender was great. If you don't leave here satisfied, you can't be satisfied. LOL. Give it a try. Well worth it. read more

Great Cuban food! I am so glad we ordered the Lechon, it was flavorful and the cassava fries with cilantro sauce was great to share, creamy in the middle and crispy on the outside. read more

I was drawn here by the Yelp reviews... and I was NOT disappointed. I was solo for this experience and I sat at the bar, I received good/friendly service from Yosvanis. The experience was all the more fun because it was during the World Cup, and I was chatting up everyone at the bar, friendly crowd. The front bar has a few televisions, so anyone needing a fix is set. I found the location to be very clean and surprisingly authentic, I was hoping for some decent Cuban food during my visit - and I got it. From a cost perspective, the entrees start at about $12 and are very large, so good value here. I quite enjoyed the pork & onions entree (#6) that was served with black beans, rice and plantains. The pork was good, not too greasy and ideally tender, the onions are not overwhelming, you can easily pick them out. I'm not a big fan of plantains, but these were good! I was not in a rush, but note, the food comes out fast. The bar serves mixed drinks, and beers, I had my first Presidente beer from the Dominican Republic, which hit the spot (X2). Relative to airport pricing, the overall experience and price is good, I will be back! read more

Ku-Va - Presidente beer from Dominican Republic - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

*** Best Cubano food in an airport ever. *** Chicken empanadas were juicy and burger tasty. Black beans and rice were the best; solid sides. *** Service was quick. Ku-Va is a good pitstop. *** read more

I was surprised how good the food was AT THE AIRPORT! Ordered the guava margarita, which was super good. I ordered the two bone in pork chops meal. It was actually really good ! The portion sizes are large. I didn't think I was even going to finish my food when I first saw how big the meal was.... very happy I ate here read more

Ku-Va - Pork chops - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Really good Cuban food -- in an airport? I was a little skeptical but this place is for real. Had fish too and it was fresh and just a HUGE piece. It comes with a green ranchero sauce that was creamy but not too heavy. The black beans were also good and service was friendly and helpful. I will say that I asked for a green salad, and that was a little strange. Big pieces of tomato and just oil and vinegar were offered. But don't let that stop you. My dining companion was recommended the flank steak -- it was huge and delicious as well. One of my better choices in an airport -- or for Cuban food in most places too. read more

After arriving in the Miami Airport, my friend and I had a little time to kill while waiting for our friend. Our first thought was to obviously grab a beverage. Ku-Va was the closest establishment so there we went. I could have stayed there all night! So we went for the drinks, stayed for the food and stayed a little more for more drinks. I started with a glass of the house Sauvignon Blanc. It's a Vendange, which I don't really enjoy, so my own fault there. I really enjoyed my next drink, which was a mojito. My friend's cosmo was nice looking and seemed to be pretty strong. While imbibing, my friend and I both ordered the black bean soup and split the chicken empanditas. They were both very tasty and a great snack. I would have liked to do a little more menu exploration. Our server was nice, but tried rushing us a bit. I guess being in an airport, that's really not a bad thing. Let's just say, I'd go to this place if it was outside the airport. read more

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First off this Restaurant is in the D19ish gate area and it is AMAZING! If you are looking to try something out of the ordinary within an airport for fair prices this is definitely your place to go. The decor was very elegant looking for an airport. All the tables are a white modern feel with pretty flower center pieces. I tried the flat iron steak topped with onions, a double rice (im not a bean person) and the sweet plaintains. I have no complaints about anything, except the steak wasn't medium rare it was more well-done, i liked it nonetheless...im really not picky on that aspect. The flavor of the meat was delicious! It had some sort of lime hint to it. The steak was topeed with sauteed onions. The rice had great flavor and the plaintains were perfect! All i have to say is you could definitely split this dish i could not eat all the rice, if i would've ate more rice and split the steak it would've been a perfect meal for around $15 for airport food. This restaurant deserves to be outside the airport somewhere else where the non-travelling public can fancy it. If travelling thru the miami airport again i will not even think about where I am going to be dining, it will be here for sure! read more

If you arrive to Miami International Airport I would not recommend as they will charge you an 18% gratuity even if your party is less than 6 people. The menu states party of 6 or more get a gratuity added on and we were a party of 4. The manager was very rude and would not remove the added gratuity. He called someone that claimed to be the owner and they didn't care of this add on. He claimed it was something the airport required. So, just want to give the heads up for others arriving to MIA. read more

The food very bad. and service .. SHIT....NO education at all.. and the manager look like she is there just. For her paycheck... read more

I had a lot of time waiting for my flight and I wanted a real breakfast. The food was ok nothing out of the ordinary egg whites with turkey onion and tomato, hash browns and whole wheat toast. The waitress wasn't literally took my order without even saying hello a simple "your ready to order". I got my food and it was incorrect so i asked another waiter who happen to be walking around to see the order I received was egg whites which it wasn't I asked if there was any way he could change it he was nice and took it back, didn't see my waitress for 30 minutes when she asked me if I was ready for the check. The price is average I guess for a sit down restaurant in the airport. Total 17.45 with no beverage cause I had Starbucks lol read more

Ku-Va - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

This is one of the worst restaurants that I have eaten. The breakfast which was supposed to be hash browns and two eggs, is served with a hash brown patty that you could get at Wendy's or McDonalds for a cheaper price. The Cuban toast and the bacon were awful. For being in Miami they can certainly prívese the customers with a better version of Cuban bread. My husband had a bagel that was burnt. I restaurant that care for their quality would had served a bagel burnt. I understand that maybe they don't care because the customers might not come to the restaurant again since it's an airport. I skipped other locations, thinking that since it was a restaurant it would be a better restaurant. But was I wrong. I would have been better off eating at the fast food plac s and it would have been 100% better. Save your money. read more

Wow. Amazing authentic Cuban food. In an airport! I had a brief layover at MIA and wanted to have some authentic Cuban food in my brief time there. We asked a worker at a duty-free shop where we could get some and she immediately directed us to Ku-Va. The service was instantaneous (a must at an airport restaurant) and the food came out quickly. The Cuban sandwich that I got was one of the best I have ever had (I have tried dozens) and my wife's ropa vieja was one of the best she's ever had. As an added bonus, prices were absolutely reasonable. About $12, which is unheard of in an airport restaurant. read more

This four-star rating requires a caveat: For an airport eatery, it's an easy 4 stars. What sets this place apart from most airport places is that the food is seemingly cooked to order and has flavor! It's nothing amazing, mind you, but a nice omelet in the morning before a long flight is so much better than much of the packaged, carb-overloaded crap available in many airports. Our server wasn't all that attentive, but we had everything we needed. read more

This place has become our go-to whenever we come through MIA on a connecting flight. We usually have the Vaca Frita (fried beef). Someone in our group had the Cuban Sandwich. The food is DELICIOUS. Order the mariquitas (plantain chips) while you wait. The pińa coladas and mojitos are also on point. Service is good and decor is cool. The only downside would be the price. It's pretty pricey but when you're in vacay mode it does't matter... right? read more

Ku-Va - Vaca Frita (fried beef) with maduros (sweet plantains), mariquitas (plantain chips) and a pińa colada. - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

Would I give this place five stars if it wasn't in an airport? Maybe. But, is it the best airport food I've ever had, yes! It's no wonder so many airport employees and flight crew were eating here. Fresh hot dishes were lined up for you to view and select: one meat, two sides. If you've got a bit of a layover and are looking for the best food in the airport--here it is. read more

This place was surprisingly good. Is it as good as you would find in Little Cuba? Probably not. But for the airport, this is probably the best place to eat. We ordered ribs, pulled pork and strip steak. All meals were tasty and satisfying. So when you need to eat at MIA, this is the place to go. Order the #10. read more

If you need a table to sit and get some work done for free in the Miami Airport where you can be alone by yourself or in a group and have nobody bother you or talk to you, this is your place. Won't cost you a dime. After 30 years of traveling airports weekly, this one sits near the top of the list for poor service. And they make No apologies for it. In the off chance you are in the airport to catch a flight, consider purchasing a Business or First Class ticket unless you unless you packed food from home. read more

We arrived in MIA in the morning after a long flight from LAX. We had a 2-hour layover and looked for a place for breakfast. Our gate was close to this restaurant, so this was our first option. We walked around to see if there was other restaurants close by. There were a few options; however, we didn't want to spend too much time to find a good restaurant, so we decided to eat here. There were food samples in front of the restaurant. The staff took us to the table and gave us the menu. We waited a while for our sever. I ordered the Miami gram slam (rice, beans, eggs, and plantains), and my husband ordered eggs and steak which came with toasts and hash browns. It took about 15 minutes for our food. Our food looked good, and my food was surprisingly good. Eggs were cooked over easy which I preferred. Rice and beans match very well. Plantains weren't very fresh, but they were still good. I had a bite of my husband steak which was okay. It wasn't the best. Toasts were regular toasts. It would be nice if they were Cuban bread. Hash browns were fresh and crispy. However, the service was slow. It gets even slower when the restaurant becomes busy. If you have a short layover, I will recommend to go somewhere else. The staff was nice, and the prices were okay. The portions were generous. I will come back if I have a long layover and crave good Cuban food. read more

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Not bad there's a sit down or take out I ordered a Cuban sandwich and a fish dinner if I don't know what type of fish that was and black beans and rice Huge portion. Spent $26 with a bottled water A large bottle of Figi water is $9.50!!!!!! But nice that the girl informed me first I'd have flipped!!!! My stomach kind of hurt after a few bites Not sure if it's the food or if I'm just not feeling good. I just found out it was tilapia !!! So gross! I don't eat garbage tilapia No wonder my stomach hurt But whatever It's Miami-miami is gross in every way possible read more

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Died and gone to Cuban food heaven! And in an airport of all places! I had the chimichurri skirt steak and my boyfriend the rope vieja. Both were beef dishes and were perfectly tender and moist. The pesto sauce that came with my skirt steak was a blast of flavor. I wanted to smear it on everything! Black beans and rice came with both meals as well. Gotta say as a person that usually detests beans of any sort, these were delicious. I wish I had room for dessert! At least I ordered a mojito for a little sugar in the veins. Service was fast and attentive as it should be in a busy airport. The bf even benefited from a quick Spanish lesson from the friendly bartender. This spot is an absolute airport gem. I would consider flying through Miami vs. another airport just to have a meal at this place. YUM-O!! read more

Normally I wouldn't waste my time eating at a sit down restaurant in an airport but as it already had been a long day of travel and I had my fill of fast food crap, I decided a standard meal might be more of what I was looking for. Service was adequate, nothing special, the bartender/waiter kind of just wandered off in the middle of the meal and I had to chase him down for the check, so while he wasn't anything special he at least got the order right. The food was surprisingly good, I had the Cuban sandwich, meat was well prepared, fresh and moist. Bread was a nice portion and not overwhelming of the meat. I was also able to taste some of their pork sandwich, that was a real treat, pork was perfectly seasoned and incredibly tender. I wish I ordered this over the Cuban sandwich. All in all if you're tired of the fast food or other little shops and have a long layover give Ku-Va and chance. read more

Ku-Va - Cubano - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

What a disaster! the only good thing was our server Jorge. Other than that. the food sucks. A Salad with non cooked cold Plantains. Asked for some kind of protein and got a look like I had 3 heads. No even ask me what dressing. not an apology for the bad food. my friend's food was cold . Treated as I was begging. The Manager said in Spanish. Dale a esa "gente" el menú de empleado.. not even Good evening, welcome. They suck. read more

Ku-Va - look at this ! Have a little respect for customer - Cuban Near Me - Miami, Florida

Cheapest airport meal ever. If your flying through MIA terminal D, and you want a quick and easy snack with local flavor, stop and get empanadas here. Meat pies for $1.25 and empanadas with beef, chicken, or spinach for $2.45. When is the last time you got something tasty and filling in an airport for such a low price? The spinach one was delicious! read more

MIA is a beast of an airport, and when you're short on time, you had better have a plan. The moment I landed for my recent layover, I pulled up the trusty MIA map and did a little research. Even in airports, I'm looking for the local spots over the chains, when possible. Ku-Va is a Cuban bar and restaurant that I've passed several times in terminal D. It also happened to be very conveniently located next to our departing gate. We sat at the bar and the friendly bartender took our order right away. She also noticed we were craning our necks to watch the 76ers game, and she changed one of the TVs closer to us so we could watch straight on - super thoughtful! My husband ordered the empanadas which came with two pretty large pockets, one with beef and one with chicken. They were piping hot and he seemed pretty happy with them. I ordered the ropa vieja which came with rice, black beans and plaintains. It was a proper meal for only $16 or so, and it tasted like something from a grandmom's kitchen. True soul food and exactly what I wanted. My reason for dropping a star? The server who brought over our plates had his thumb resting on one of my plantains. Dude! Aside from that, we were in and out in record time and were completely satisfied with our selection. read more

Tried it randomly while waiting for a flight. Decided on the roast pork. One thing I have noticed with most of the airport food is it tastes very processed. However Ku-va tasted like a meal straight out of a small cafe in Cuba. If you like Cuban food this would be a place to stop by and try. read more

Read in a few reviews that this place is better than La Carreta. Had the ground beef empanada which was delicious and had me craving more. The cuban sandwich was made and refrigerated, and then put on a panini press without any grill lines. I felt it wasn't made with love. I ordered the mariquitas (thinly sliced plantains that are fried and crispy) which are a favorite of mine when in Miami. However, they didn't include the garlic sauce on the side which left me hanging. All in all, it wasn't my favorite place but I don't get Cuban food in Chicago much. read more

Based on another review I ordered the Shrimp Scampi (aka garlic shrimp). The sides (plantains, beans, and rice) were all very good. Unfortunately the main dish was not. After a long wait, my shrimp were overdone and despite a healthy dose of garlic bits in the scampi sauce, tasted nothing of the garlic. Double whammy bad... Service was also quite slow. read more

One last opportunity for Cuban food. Got the 1/4 roasted chicken with yellow rice and plantains. Thigh and leg. Dry, dry, dry. Hardly could swallow. Located at Miami International Airport. read more