Delicious food from such kind people. I am obsessed with the patacon. Best sandwich ever. It's so…read moreflavorful and with the garlic sauce it elevates it to be one of the most delicious dishes in Gainesville. The location is centrally located, which can make parking hard, but means there is always something going on nearby. The owners and staff are super kind and friendly. They love to chat and can pick up conversation about just about anything.

This is a wonderful place! We happened to find it accidentally but we were so impressed with the…read morefood and the incredible service. I ordered a shredded beef empanada and we shared a plantain sandwich-both were delicious!

The ambiance of the room was quite pleasant, although the building side facing the street could use…read moresome work. I've driven by many times and through the smoked glass it looked like chairs or something else was stored behind it and I though it had closed.The service was very good, prompt but not over attentive! The selection of Beers was outstanding! I had a starter of what was billed as Chupe De Pollo, (chicken chowder), it had very thick broth and was chocked full of chicken. Chicken breast was used and although there was a lot it was very dry and the broth was more like a heavy veloute. It also did not have much flavor. I won't be ordering that a again. My wife and I had Empanadas, mine was shredded beef and hers shredded chicken. I could have used a bit more sauce for dipping. The shell was quite crisp but not greasy. But all and all it was good. Our friend had the vegetarian arepas and let me taste some, it was quite good. She finished the whole dish! We also shared the loaded fries which came out hot with an interesting sauce drizzled over it. We didn't have the bacon on it as our friend is vegetarian. That would have made it even better for me. All in all it was a fun experience and we'll be going back.

Updating my review after another visit to Tinker. It's always nice to have a place in Downtown…read moreGainesville where you can enjoy Latin flavors in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The menu offers a little taste of our culture, and it's a great spot to meet friends, share a meal, have a good coffee or drink, and simply enjoy the evening. Definitely a place worth having on your Gainesville list.

Excellent local lunch spot. I'm from Tampa and I know Cuban sandwiches. Mi Apa offers three--the…read moretraditional Cuban, the Ybor Cuban, and the Key West Cuban. Yum. Good stuff. The place iteself is not fancy, but comfortable and very friendly. Lunch counter kind of vibes. Prices are very reasonable for food of this quality. This will be a regular lunch spot for me--and is close to UF. Highly recommended!

This is honestly very uncomfortable for me to say because I usually have a great experience with…read morethe food and service at Mi Apa. However, I came in on a Tuesday evening, and unfortunately, my experience with our server, Esteban, was very uncomfortable. When we first sat down, he did not come over to ask what we would like to drink. Instead, he stood there and stared at me very awkwardly for about a minute, which made me feel very uncomfortable. After he eventually brought our drinks and food, he did not come back to check on us for almost two hours. Then, right as he saw that we were getting ready to leave, he came over to take our payments. He did not say anything or clarify whether we were splitting the check. He went directly to my friend and had her pay, and we later realized that she had paid for both of us. At that point, it was already very late, so we did not complain or say anything. However, I truly felt uncomfortable throughout the entire experience. It was not just the lack of checking on us, but also the fact that he barely spoke to us, never communicated with us, and never made any effort to make us feel welcomed or comfortable during our visit. I want to emphasize that I have never been treated this way at Mi Apa before, which is why it is unfortunate that I feel the need to bring this to your attention. I have always had a positive experience here, so I hope this feedback can be helpful in some way. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for hearing me out. I hope this helps in any way.

Terrible, terrible service. The lady at the front had such a bad attitude that it completely ruined…read morethe experience. She was unwelcoming and acted like we were inconveniencing her just by being there. The food was mediocre at best. The rice was bland and the pork was dry and hard. Nothing else we ate stood out but I would have considered giving this place another chance to try other items on the menu but after the way we were treated i have no interest in returning. ESPAÑOL Terrible, terrible servicio. La muchacha del frente tenía una actitud muy mala que arruinó por completo la experiencia. Ella no fue placentera y actuó como si la estuviéramos molestando solo por estar allí. La comida es mediocre en el mejor de los casos. El arroz sin sabor y el cerdo estaba seco y duro. Nada más que comimos destacó o nos hizo querer volver. Haría considerado darle a este lugar otra oportunidad para probar otros artículos del menú, pero después de la forma en que nos trataron, no tengo ningún interés en volver.

I recently visited La Cocina de Abuela for lunch. The restaurant is set up cafeteria style and you…read moreorder a small, medium or large portion. You choose your rice, beans, meat, and side. I ordered a large with Ropa Vieja, Yucca, Black Beans, and Coconut Rice. I love Cuban food and the portion was massive, however, I was disappointed. The Ropa Vieja was tender but watery, the yucca was soft but bland and a little chewy, and the beans lacked any seasoning. I liked the rice: savory with a hint of sweetness. The best word to describe the food was edible.

Older review, but found the pictures today. This was from a visit at Daft Cow many months back…read more Also a great brewery. THe food is intereting. You get a burger, with various toppings, on an arepa (corn pancake essentially. The one I got had a pesto-ish may on it, with beef, bacon, and cheese. Exccelent meal. Worked really well with the beer at Daft Cow. Would definitely try again, either from the food truck or one of the store fronts in Orlando.

I do have a thing for a latino food truck! Here is another good find. Did a pickup and took home to…read moreeat. The tequeños were delicious. The pulled meat Empanada also good! I had the Meat Patacon - Grilled beef with artisanal Venezuelan queso smoked ham all between 2 green fried plantain. HUGE! - Look them up patacones at @arepaburgerfoodtruck - It was drizzled with sauce all over which was messy, but also finger licking gooey. The green fried plantain were a a bit thick, but the sauce makes it all come together.

Saw this just opened up and had to visit. I was impressed by the wide selection of sweet and savory…read moregoods. The cashier helping me was friendly and informative. I definitely walked away with more food than I planned to, but I'd say it was worth it. My only critique is the guava pastries were a little dry (easily solved by sprinkling with water before reheating them) and Venezuelan Christmas bread didn't have as many olive and raisins as I expected (it was more like a stuffed ham and cheese roll). However, the soup of the day was delicious and it made me excited to come back to try the breakfast and lunch. The interior is bright, simple, and very clean. There are plenty of tables and chairs that would make this a great spot for meeting up with a friend during the week or getting work done on a weekend (though I didn't check if they have wifi).

I recommend the beef, chicken and chorizo empanadas, tequenos, guava and cheese pastry, and pupusa…read more Great service and food. Can't wait to come back.

Excellent food and phenomenal service. We had the Palomilla…read morebowl, beef on rice with maduros and black beans. The bowl is very satisfying. We ordered the Pollo Asado and you get to choose two sides. We ordered it with yuca frita and maduros. Our friends like their food too: empanadas, Cuban sandwich, chicken soup and their natural juices. We asked our server Diannys about breakfast and she brought us coffee to try it after our meal.

Went through the drive thru and ordered a cheese and guava pastry and a shredded beef (Ropa Vieja)…read moreempanada. I received a guava pastry and a cheese/guava pastry. Returned and advised them of the mistake. They apologized and handed me an empanada. Got home to find the empanada was a vegetarian empanada!! This seems to be the normal at this Mi Apa that I do not find at any other location Either their chicken is cooked from a frozen state which makes it rubbery or some other issue. Either way there is always an issue at this place. Sad to say. The management alway apologizes but nothing seems to get corrected. Anyhow, glad we have other options.

Decent sized restaurant located near Tioga community. The service/food were both decent in my…read moreopinion. Bit salty to my taste buds though. They have happy hours as well as deals on different days, so definitely worth considering to check out on some days. Overall enjoyed the experience!

Been coming to Tinker (both locations) for a few years now, every time we're in town we have to…read morecome at least once! An amazing menu you can hardly go wrong with any choice~ they're all delicious. I've been working my way through the Arepas and their Tinker Special is juat that special. If you want a saucy mess that tastes amazing~ sampling everyone's items I couldn't pick a favorite, but never pass up on their off menu hot dogs, we order ours with pineapple.