Loved my experience at La Caribeña! I brought my family and we all had a great time. The Puerto Rican food was like mom made it. The service was outstanding, our waitress got it all correct even though she didn't speak English and my Spanish was limited. She took the time to get it right! The music and the atmosphere brought me back to my childhood and eating at my grandpa's old man's club in the Bronx. read more

I did a carry out order and was greeted right away. Very laid back atmosphere. Not very crowded. Nice place to to sit and have a drink. Parking around the place is street only. read more

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Had huevo ranchero. Very good. I enjoy their spicy green sauce. Always enjoy meals here. Try to eat here a couple times a month.

I love this restaurant. 100% one of my favorite Caribbean restaurants in the city! The food is so good and the vibes of the restaurant remind me so much of the islands. Also, if you are able to try any of their fresh juices, please do so you don't miss out! The passion fruit juice is to die for. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Food was good! I had mofongo con carne and a limeade. The ambiance is very fun--lots of great decor here. read more

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This was the new restaurant of the week and what a good choice. The decor is definitely tropical with colorful walls, murals and the hanging grass. There is a language barrier with the two people who couldn't understand English or speak it very well so I had to point to items on the menu to make my order. Service was lack luster because after my food was delivered and eaten I still waited for some to give me a box and the check and the place was not even full, see my pictures of empty tables. They have a bar but I don't know if they have drinks because he didn't understand me asking about alcohol/cocktails so in frustration I said agua, lost sale. I ordered the beef empanada and the Dominican stewed goat with rice and pigeon peas that comes with a complementary macaroni chicken soup. The soup looked good but was only ok because the noodles were cooked way past mush and had a gel texture which was weird. It had next to no chicken except for three tiny scraps and some cubed potatoes so I didn't have much hope for the rest of my food. My food came in a timely manner and looked great. The beef empanada was crispy cooked to order and super thin compared to other places. honestly it was super average compared to the last one I had from another place that wasn't thin as quesadilla. Now for the rice and goat stew, finally we get to the good stuff. The goat stew was bone in style so you have to get your hands in it and eat like a primitive person because of all the irregular shapes like eating chicken wings. The goat stew is in a tasty seasoned brown sauce for the most part with tender meat, not hand trimmed so you get some cartilage/fat which is great texture and flavor. The rice was cooked al dente and not mush that was seasoned nicely and my best side option choice for my liking. Overall the food had its up and downs and the service was not up to par but I liked most of it, the $20 price point could have been more with a cocktail if it were not for the language barrier, I'm in the city of Milwaukee and not a foreign country so they lost a bigger sale. This place has potential but in the end it's a 3 star experience on my visit and the visit is the visit for this review, read more

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Wow, 10 years since last review? Food is still pretty good, although a bit inconsistent over the past 10 years, and now they have more competition, so I can't say this place is the best anymore, but I still think they are among the best for Puerto Rican/Caribbean cuisine. I like the remodel, which includes new light fixtures with brighter lighting, and they have more staff on hand, so the service is better. They also added a pick up "window" with heat lamps to keep food warm at the entrance, for carry-out orders. I still recommend this restaurant. read more

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Food was delicious. Not pictured here but the limonada Wow ...Definitely recommend it. Staff was very nice and helpful in making suggestions. They had great music playing read more

The colorful building is painted with the countries flags represented on the menu. Inside you quickly forget you are in Milwaukee and get the impression you are somewhere in Latin America as you sit in these cool looking booths. The food is great and the service is friendly. I enjoyed my arroz con gandules, with grilled chicken. Definitely a spot to try out when you are in the neighborhood. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Stopped by for dinner on a Thursday. It wasn't too busy and staff were very nice. The interior was very fun and lively. I got the mofongo with fried pork chop. I've had mofongo once before at another restaurant and this one was okay. The pork chop was delicious. I'd be interested to try more dishes. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I just had to leave cause a roach was crawling up the wall right were we were seated !

Thank you to another Yelp Elite for recommending La Caribena. I came here on a Friday evening with our family of 6 around 6pm. The restaurant had a few diners but the service was extremely slow and our server was a bit rude. She told us she didn't speak much English so there could have been a miscommunciation. There is a bar but no alcohol was being served. I'm not quite sure on the details on that. We got alcapurrias (porked filled fritters) and tostones (fried plaintain) as shared appetizers. I thought both were good but I would skip the tostones as many of the meals come with some type of plaintain side. I got the Pataconada - the portion size was gignatic and it reminded me of a deconstructed burger. It consisted of grilled plaintains covered with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded steak, cheese, and then drizzled with a few sauces. It tasted great as leftovers the next day. The rest of the family got a mix of dishes and they were all very good but the winner was the Bistek A Caballo! We all agreed after sampling each other dishes that this was the winner in terms of flavor! I'm willingly to come back to La Caribena and hope the experience is smoother next time. read more

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Food was just ok. There were multiple flies buzzing around the table while eating. Prices were fair.

Horrible to go service, do not order to go!! The to go bag was leaking oil because food was so greasy, the oil that the empanadas was fried in was old. A Cuban sandwich does not contain wilted brown lettuce or tomato. They didn't even bother toasting it, soggy bread plus hardly any meat. I'm not sure if this place is Colombian, Dominican or Puerto Rican because if it's any of the above they don't represent the culture of any of them. The pernil left me feeling sick with all the oil, sitting for days I bet....not fresh, didn't bother even touching it!! Empanadas are see through and soggy in oil, never drained, restaurant kitchen frying rule 101. Back in the day, I was a customer here and la caribeña held it down...this time, if I could do 0 starts I would. The only thing right the manager did was give me back the money for an item that I ordered that was never in my to go bag. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - SANDWICH CUBANO soggy and no meat - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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The food is good if you miss home a little, ok music and clean tables, but be careful with the check, they include the tip and then the machine asks you to tip AGAIN. read more

Wow! I was searching for good Puerto Rican food for my boyfriend and this place totally fit the bill! Super-cute, cozy ambiance. Great music. And the food ...?! The food was awesome. Simple, yet flavorful, authentic and delicious! I've not had fried fish like this since I lived in Mexico! Socially distanced with plexiglas partitions, too. It's probably helpful to bring along someone who speaks Spanish. All in all, a terrific experience! Highly recommended! read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Chillo frito - whole fried snapper - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This Mister goes to La Caribena for lunch regularly but dinner last night was my first time. The inside is super cute! Very tropical decor, plenty of tables for large groups and even photos of all the Brewers players that get their food fix here. FYI, they no longer serve alcohol despite the Yelp check in offer of a free shot. They do have a nice selection of tasty juices or soft drinks. We started with empanadas ($6 for 4 giant ones) - you choose chicken or beef. We had a mix and the chicken was good but the beef ones were AMAZING - go that way. My only wish on these would be for a dipping sauce but whatever man - they're completely delicious. For dinner we both had the #2 plate ($8.50) which is choice of meat & Puerto Rican rice. We opted for stewed pork which was porky, tender, crispy, fatty all kinds of tasty. Our server (a super nice young man) recommended mixing the meat and rice and adding some sweet plantains - the combo is absolutely perfect. A mix of flavors and textures - it tastes like someone's Auntie is in the back making sure you don't get skinny. If you have been, definitely check this warm, welcoming, tropical gem out. The flavors are outstanding and the hospitality Is genuine. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Pork with arroz con grandules - amazing - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Alexandra was a fantastic hostess. The hospitality was wonderful and the food was fresh and delicious. Thank you.

It was my first and last time going there . I had ask for a tamarindo juice and it didn't had the sweet and sour tasted it was more sweet and water down . so I ask if I can get different one and the server ask me why then say she can't take out because they bring it out already so I need to pay for it and pay for the next drink . and also I didn't know you we pay for water now . I ask for a fillete de coco and I got one tilapia cut in two pieces. They saw my face and one of the sever that was by the bar couldn't stop looking at me . My other cousin ask for the same thing but she wanted to change the arroz con gandules because she can't eat it for health issues and they couldn't change it at all and get charge the side for something different but as soon my brother ask for chivo(goat stew) with no rice for tostones that wasn't a problem change it . The Cubano sandwich tested like weird with the American cheese and the ketchup and mayonnaise . The boys like the Chivo (goat stew)We ask the server to separate the order and she say I can't y il we go to the front then they can and I know the reason because of the tip y'all add extra and she was looking while we were was paying we had to tell her can you please stop looking while we putting our pin .. never again . Don't get me wrong the food was okay but the service is a NO for me . read more

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My husband and I went there on New Year's Eve. I ordered Monfongo with pork. The plantains we're bland, soggy. The pork was dry and hard. There were no juices or sauce to top it off. My husband had the jibarito and was the same. I'm Puerto Rican and from NYC and this restaurant put our food to shame! I make a better Monfongo at home! I will never go back there and I wouldn't recommend this restaurant. It isn't authentic. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Show this to the cooks. This is how you make Mofongo! - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Our waitress was super sweet and the food was amazing! I have no complaints! If seated in the booth the menu is hung on the wall (big enough to read)! Picture is Pataconada and on the top left Empanadas! Will definitely be coming back soon. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Food was okay. Took a long while for the waitress to take our order. Prob won't return.

My co-workers order to go from here pretty frequently and I have been pretty jealous. Yesterday it was my turn. For under $12 you get a lot of food. The mofongo had pieces of chicharron, and fried platanos in it and was perfectly balanced with the right amount of stock and salt. The carne frita was bits of pork fried and seasoned. It almost tasted like steak. It was so delicious! I hope be lucky enough to order from here again. It's pretty close to my work. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Oye como va! Lucky for me and lucky Nishan happen to find this location with Yelp. I was using the safari version on the smart phone to find out yesterday that the international supper club UYE was about to start in a few hours. I came in a few hours early to avoid the traffic. I got a chance to meet the owner Edwin and manager/server Ismael of this new restaurant. After talking some time I notice many parallels to another local restaurateur. They have come a long way from the original location they have such great pride in how they have cleaned up and remodeled the original location. The work was well worth the effort to provide an affordable taste of Columbia, Honduras and Puerto Rico. I'm usually a picky eater however I found many things that I would be happy eating here. First course was a beer and a FREE check in shot. The second course was a complimentary hearty soup filled with flavor. Rick sprung for a variety of appetizers that were Tostones chicken empanadas, spider something?? And alpacharias they looked like a burned burrito. But they tasted delicious. I had the Mufungo Perrnil (pulled pork shoulder) . I also had a little taste of fried pork and goat. I'm sure they the cooks knew what they were doing, as these were very good. Special thanks to Rick Rodriguez for arranging this great event. I'm ready to return soon to try more of meals here when I crave a meal from south Fl. Special Thx to Edwin and Ismael for hosting the Intl supper club group. Food 5 Ambiance 4. Great decor. Request the big table for big families or groups. Service 4 Location 3 Value 4 30/ 2014 read more

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Great carne frita, good rice. Excellent service, fair prices.. great garlic flavor to the pernil.. check em out!

Twas the night before the first day of spring...and eating Latin American and Caribbean cuisine amid hammocks, thatch covered roofs, and sunset murals reminiscent of a certain unnamed 80s movie set in Miami seemed like the perfect way to say goodbye to the polar vortex. Like a lot of downtown/eastsiders, I'm sometimes clueless when it comes to other parts of the city. I drove around the Southside on my way here and was amazed that I had somehow never been on many of the streets! And having never really had Puerto Rican food, Im glad we all got to try this place out. The menu is extensive but for the uninitiated, there's a lengthy English description along with a picture to accompany each dish. We started with about 4 different appetizers. Personally the sliced fried plantains and empanadas were my favorite. All reminiscent of a street vendor food--all very good. Our server explained the menu is a mix of Latin American and Caribbean dishes, with an emphasis on Puerto Rican and Dominican dishes. All meals started with an bowl of a very filling chicken noodle soup. For my meal, I chose breaded (fried) chicken with the deep fried plantain "ball". Excellent excellent fried chicken. Whenever I decide to go vegetarian, the carnal allure of fried chicken is the one thing I cave on, and this was awesome. A juicy flavorful (very different spices) breading, and juicy chicken inside. The plantain ball reminded me of a plantain thanksgiving stuffing if that makes sense. Everyone's dish looked great. The shredded pork and pork shoulder looked and tasted great. I tried some yucca, which was starchy and garlic y and I'd probably go with that if I went back. The strawberry margarita I had was very sweet but I personally love a foo foo drink. By the end of my drink I decided there was also a decent amount of tequila in it as well. Bonus: The margaritas was $6, most of the meals were $10 or thereabouts and I had dinner for the next night. If you're looking to try something new, give this place a try. It was a great introduction to latin American cuisine. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Mofongo with breaded chicken - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This place took me to the island Puerto Rico! The tropical atmosphere and deco is very Caribbean and relaxing. The menu is incredible! They have a multitude of dishes and that spread across Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, and South / Central America. I ordered a dish with juicy fried meat (carne frita), round ball shaped plantains containing garlic and chewy pork rinds (Mofongo), some sweet fried plantains (Amarillos), and a side of traditional white rice and beans (Arroz con Abichuelas guisadas). To top it off with my favorite non-alcoholic malt beverage (Malta Goya). The service was fast and great! read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Meal for a King (food description in my review) - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I went here again after giving the 5 stars, I wasn't happy that they charge me a service fee on top of my tip. Without knowledge of this, I asked for the receipt and notice it, I did not mentioned anything to them because I was with my daughter and didn't want to make it a big deal, I learned my lesson, will start cooking at home for now on. I won't be back. Good food but I won't over pay by having them charge me a service fee and on top of that gives me an option to tip as well on their card reader after the fact that they took 15 percent of a service fee. read more

Excellent restaurant, excellent attention. I felt like on the beach a tropical delight. I recommend them to the 100%

I'm full blooded puertorican and know good puerto rican food. This was the best puerto rican restaurant in milwaukee. I'm from Chicago where there are alot more puerto rican restaurants and places to eat. But in milwaukee there is only a handful and this place is definitely the best. U get complimentary chicken noodle soup. Which I never had at another puerto rican place here , chicaor my puerto rican island. Food was good. Alot Of sabor. And great service. Definitely will be back. Highly recommend read more

Had the Colombian bandeja paisa. Delicious. So much food for $15. Will be back next time I visit area

Good food. Slow and rude service. The worse, they charge their tip in your bill. Total scam. Never going back again.

The food is delicious and the interior is adorable. Definitely a favorite restaurant in Milwaukee. I always get the mangu which is to die for. It's authentic and worth taking note of. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sooo good! Everything was delicious I got the Bandeja Paisa deff a cozy spot the waitresses were pretty helpful to you could tell they were having a lot of fun. There is no liquor either just a heads up read more

Stopped there last minute for dinner. The food was off the hook. The service was fast and the waitress was so sweet. I will definitely come back. The ambiance made me feel like I was in Puert Rico. Such a cute restaurant. Love love love it. read more

Maybe service is irregular or inconsistent but so far I've always gotten very good service in two languages. I've enjoyed the Puerto Rican, Dominican and Cuban dishes, there's a variety here not found elsewhere in the Milwaukee area. Maybe more importantly, this is the only Puerto Rican restaurant that is a nice dine-in place, all the others are really just take out or hole-in-the-wall places. The decor here is festive, Caribbean (well fittingly, right?) and clean. By Puerto Rican restaurant standards the service is fast (meaning it's only kind of slow), but more importantly friendly and inviting. I do like eating in a Borinquen restaurant that is full of people speaking Caribbean Spanish and playing Rican music, it's a food plus atmosphere thing. I can't recommend a particular dish, I'm working my way through the menu and I am yet to find a plate I didn't thoroughly enjoy. In terms of the sides, I do prefer their rice and mangu over their mofongo. I only wish I could have a rum and parcha before my meal. And maybe that it was always hot outside when I came here. read more

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I like the Bandeja paisa but they have a nice selection of other things. Service is slow though and they almost never pick up the phone for placing to-go orders. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Bandeja Paisa - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Mofungo. English translation: "More fun. Go!" As in, I guarantee you will have more fun here than at most places. Just go and find out for yourself. Me and about a dozen other Yelpers had the pleasure of dining here recently. We were rewarded for our check-in with a free shot of tequila. I was greeted by the bartender with a handshake and felt instantly welcomed. I suppose a few Dominican cervesas didn't hurt either. The restaurant definitely has a Caribbean feel to it. The only things missing were the sun on my face and sand between my toes. And now the food: Our host for the evening, Yelper extraordinaire Rick R., made one awesome appetizer selection after another. Most things were plantain based, and all were new to me and beyond me remembering their names. All were very delicious; savory and sweet all at the same time. Most of us had Mofungo with different meats. I had the shrimp in garlic sauce but was able to sample the pulled pork, the deep fried pork, and the shrimp in tomato sauce. All were great, but I did not regret my choice. At about $13 an entree, it was a great value. All entrees come with a chicken pasta soup as a starter. Stuffed to the gills, we passed on desert. The restaurant is a little tucked away, but not too hard to find. Head west on Mitchell to 17th street and look left. It's right there. Although we all made a few tongue in cheek comments about the neighborhood, we were all relieved to find out cars where we left them. Apparently several of the Brewers love this place. If it's good enough for Jean Segura, Martin Maldonado, and Aramis Ramirez, than is good enough for me too! read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Mofongo con Camarones - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Here we grow again.. I love Spanish food and I thought, based on the reviews, that I would love this meal. Not the case.. I ordered rice, fried chicken and fried plaintains. Basically, because I did not see beef stew on the menu. This was beautifully presented, but definitely not the flavor I was expecting. Rice was dry, the chicken was cooked..over cooked. I gave the stars because the ambiance was actually very nice and the waitress was very attentive. I asked for Edwin, but we were told that he wasn't in. I probably would have given an extra star for meeting him since he had such an inviting message. Sorry this was a thumbs down and not a repeat for me. read more

La Caribeña Restaurant - Inside - Latin American Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Excellent food. Good selection. Friendly staff. Good atmosphere. Price was moderate.