So it was a Monday night and the options in this area were limited. This place looked like the best bet. It was! It was really busy though and we had to wait 20 minutes for a table inside. It was too cold to sit outside! So we had the jerk chicken, this was hands down the best jerk chicken I've had! It was deliciously spicy! Also comes with fried yuca which I absolutely love! In Kenya however we call it cassava. Also tried the mango garlic shrimp which didn't have much of a mango taste but were good nonetheless. Would have loved it if there were chunks of mango in there too! The garlic shrimp which we also tried were good but tasted pretty much like the mango shrimp without the sweet element. However the plantains they came with were delicious and caramelized. I don't like sweet plantains but I finished these! For dessert we tried the coconut flan and the quatro leches. The coconut flan was the regular flan with shredded coconut. It was much further than I'm used to but I loved it. The quatro leches was good but I thought it was sweeter than it should've been. However everyone else I was with loved it. More of the flan for me, yay! read more

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While looking for something to eat while in the area we happened upon Tropical Grill. The service was excellent, the food came quickly, and it was delicious. We would definitely recommend the Cheesy Salsa Fries for an appetizer or for a meal. I would love to go back and try more of the interesting options available, as one time wasn't enough to cover the entire menu. The owner (I think) was extremely welcoming to our group as we were from out of town. Fantastic dining experience. read more

Tropical Grill - Jamaican Jerk Burger and Hawaiian BBQ - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

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I swear, it gets better every time I come here. With new items on the menu, I must recommend the Cartegene fly iron steak platter - sliced flat iron steak marinated and charbroiled, coconut rice, plantano picaro, and Spanish garlic potato salad. Simply awesome!! The only reason I give 5 stars is because there is not 10!! read more

Tropical Grill - Cartagena flat iron steak - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Chips & salsa & Tostones Dipper appetizers Delicious! Mango Garlic Shrimp platter highly recommended. Hubby had the Tropical BBQ. Don't leave without the flan for dessert which was perfection! This Puerto Rican gives this place 5 stars for flavor & authenticity! read more

Tropical Grill - Pulled Pork BBQ - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

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Chips and Salsa is amazing. The coconut shrimp tacos are great but the steak has a sweet marinade that is a bit off putting. The black beans and rice are tasty. However the horrible Christian music being constantly played is a huge turn off because it's just so bad. Maybe they could offer a selection of ear plugs on the appetizer menu so you don't have to gag your way through the meal. read more

Tropical Grill - Steak tacos with guacamole. - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

My favorite place for a nice meal with family and friends. Great food but check hours as they usually are closed part of the winter months. read more

quaint restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining as well as take out. expect to wait for your food as every item is cooked to order but worth the wait. menu says no substitutions or omissions but they were more than willing to help me work around my onion allergy. my husband had the best cuban sandwich he's ever tasted and i had a delicious chicken taco salad. we both had unsweetened tea which was also very good. best restaurant chips i've ever had. in fact we took 2 bags back to have the next day when i made lentil stew. when we come back in January we'll make time for lunch here again! read more

Estrella our server, was so nice and thorough. She made sure my order was allergy safe. Always a reassuring feeling. The food is DELICIOUS! Garlic shrimp was just right- not tough nor too garlicky. Montego Bay sandwich. was plenty spicy. However the mango and the slaw perfected the balance. You couldn't stop eating it! Will definitely be making a return trip! read more

I personally frequent this adorable little (and I mean LITTLE) restaurant with its ultra fresh Columbian and Carribean offerings. Cuban sandwich - better than those made by Cuban friends in Tampa FL! The Tropi Chopi Platter - one of my favorites, excellent. Owners are warm and wonderful people. I have a B&B in the area and Tropical Grill is on a very short list of dining recommendations for my guests. Just wishing here...larger dining area and maybe little less cluttered with merchandise? And adult drinks would be a good move, too. Perhaps only brews and bevs with direct relationships to countries on the menu! That said, think the owners are content with the place just the way it is, unlikely to change a thing. JMO: food experience here combined with drink options would warrant 5 stars, thus I'm giving 4.5. read more

Very good! Pricey, but good. I don't mind to pay for good food.... I understand they use fresh ingredients. The wait time on food is a bit slow (at least it was when I went). I know they do a lot of call ahead orders and that can back them up at times. read more

My wife and I ate here for lunch on 2/17/18. The food and service were excellent. As you review the menu they bring you complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa has no heat but very good flavor. After reviewing the pretty extensive menu I decided on having the Cuban sandwich and my wife chose the coconut shrimp platter. I had a choice as as side of cucumber salad or garlic pasta salad. I chose the pasta salad which was excellent. Very good flavors that melded well. The Cuban sandwich was spot on. It wasn't the normal (barely any meat, greasy, panini press concoction.) This sandwich had about 1.5" of meat with cheese, pickle and mustard. It was not greasy in the slightest. As for my wife's coconut shrimp. She said they were the best she has ever eaten anywhere. They don't over bread them and I did have a bite. They were fantastic! It came with black beans, rice and plantains and served with a salsa. My wife chose the mango. I do not usually enjoy sweet meals but this was not overly sweet. It was fantastic. Good enough to take the leftovers home and enjoy again. They also have standard American fare like burgers and fries if you have someone in your party that would prefer that. They have outdoor seating when the weather is nice. One tip. when the weather is nice in the spring, summer or fall...get here early. I'm sure this place gets packed and will have a wait. It is a small, family run restaurant. We showed up right when they opened and they filled up quickly, even though the weather was terrible. We will be frequenting this place a lot. The food and service rival anything in bigger cities, with more restaurants, like Asheville. I almost forgot to mention that this is the only restaurant I have been to that has a 100% sanitation score! read more

My wife and I heard about this place from a friend. We love Cuban Sandwiches but we have had a hard time finding a place here in NC that has a good Cuban sandwich. When are friend told us about this place we had to check it out. From the outside it doesn't look like much. They have outside seating, it was clean. The staff was friendly. You have to order at the door due to this COVID thing. Both of us ordered the Cuban Sandwich. I also ordered a side of black beans and rice. The Cuban Sandwich was really good, a little heavy on the mustard but really good. The black beans and rice was bland, don't know if they put any seasoning on it at all. They give you chips and salsa. The salsa was great, the chips were different colors, that was kinda neat. My wife had some kinda bean thing for a side. She said she loved it. I had some coleslaw, it was pretty good. I would definitely recommend this place. It made this fat kid happy to finally find a good Cuban sandwich I tell you that. read more

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The flavor of my quesadilla was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. I will be thinking about this restaurant for a long time. To bad we live over 300 miles away! The menu is huge with lots of options! read more

Tropical Grill - Shrimp quesadilla it may look basic but whatever was inside was amazing - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

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This place is amazing the food is delicious fell like u eating you grandma's cook the rice and beans amazing

Jamaican jerk chicken platter was wonderful. Chicken was the spice level I like (the chef will adjust to your heat level), came with black beans and rice, plantains, and yucca. All were lovely and the owner was very friendly. read more

Coming from Miami, I can't believe finding delicious and fresh Latin American food in NC mountains. Owners, Sam and Claudia, are very nice. From Arepa, Bollo (both Colombian corn appetizers), homemade chorizo sausage, salad with mango dressing to steak with Chimichuri sauce and coconut shrimp, everything tastes fresh and prefect! Don't forget to try fruit juice eg, Guanabana/soursop (sweet and refreshing!) read more

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SO delicious!!! Ordered take out tonight and everything was perfect, well packaged, and delicious! Thank you for making such tasty food!!

Stop for a full favor meal. The most difficult part will be making a decision about what to order. We ordered the Cuban sandwich and Riviera sandwich. Both had generous portions of meat and layers of flavor. The bread was crispy and buttery. I want to go back for another Riviera soon. We also got an order of Steak Argentina. The chimichuri on top was tangy and just right to make the steak pop. It came with a side salad, coconut rice and black beans and plantains. All was wonderful and it was a ton of food. We are ready to go back because there are so many more items we have to try! The challenge is seating. It is a bit cramped with only six inside tables but the friendliness of the folks makes up for the tight conditions. This will be a go to place for us for sure. read more

Been here too many times to count. Great food n more. Laidback n has the best people. Now we know why we keep going back

My husband and I go all the time and I get the Hawaiian BBQ sandwich and it's amazing with extra slaw. Soooo good I go at least once a week sometimes more as my guilty pleasure. Hubby gets the Philly steak sandwich and it looks and smells amazing! It's by far his favorite too. Service is great the waitresses work hard and always aim to make sure you get good customer service. I will keep going back! read more

Fantastic! Best meal we had in our week in the mountains! Very authentic, not what you would expect in a tiny town. Definitely great place to eat! read more

Got the Philly Cheese Steak and it was greasier than my great grandmas fried chicken!! Couldn't even eat half of it because the grease made me feel so bad!! I would never come back again if it was the last place on earth!! read more

My sister and I had the Tropichopi platter which consisted of pulled pork, black beans and rice, and fried plantains. Amazing! Our friend had the coconut shrimp tacos, delicious! The appetizer was nachos, huge! The wait staff were very nice and helpful in choosing out lunch. They sell items made in Guatemala and proceeds go to mission trips to Guatemala. Portions are generous. Dessert is vanilla ice cream and sweet plantains. Yummy! A must stop if ever in Spruce Pines. read more

Tropical Grill - Late lunch - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Here in Greenville, SC where I live, we have a lot of great food options... but nothing like Tropical Grill in Spruce Pine. It's over the top delicious and the owners treat us like family. I genuinely love those people. And that flan... I've had flan all over the world, and theirs is the best! Tropical Grill is a REQUIREMENT when we're in the area. PLEASE, stop trying to decide if you should go... Just GO! The answer is GO! Nothing else compares! GOOOOO!!!!! read more

If the food was terrible, I would give this place 5 stars based on the service alone. Luckily, the food isn't terrible, but man, I was treated so well at Tropical Grill. The food is pretty great, too. Not something I would expect to win a best in region award, but absolutely not disappointing by any stretch. I was recommended (and ordered) the Asada Colombiano, basically carne asada Colombian-style. Super flavorful, a little tough, but the sides were fantastic. Grilled plantains and some delicious rice and beans. I was even instructed on how to eat it (squeeze the lime all over the meat before you eat it, and take a bite of everything together). I also had a wonderfully-made cafe con leche, which I'm not used to being able to find outside of Miami. Dessert was incredible, for me, but I imagine many people might be put off. I got the quatro leches cake (because who doesn't want tres leches with an extra leche?). It was the sweetest thing I have ever tasted, and I've eaten sugar cubes. Like seriously, if your sweet tooth doesn't have its own sweet tooth, you are probably going to be overwhelmed. Luckily, that's exactly my style. I kinda wish I'd tried the flan, but this was no bad dessert. Just be prepared for the level of sugar involved. Great atmosphere, cute little trinkets to buy, outstanding service, and solid food. I have no complaints :) read more

One of my new favorite restaurants in Spruce Pine! The inside might be small but the food is giant with flavor. The coconut shrimp is by far my favorite. I love the shrimp tacos and their coconut shrimp platter! They are sweet and full of coconut flavor. Totally recommend this place. read more

All I can say is WOW!! My job takes me all over Western NC so often I am in cities I don't know of for lunch. I saw the reviews about this place and thought we would give it a shot. I had the Paradise Burger and it was Ah-mazing!! (Not something you would eat all the time but hey, I splurged) Burger with spicy salsa, guacamole, and fried plantains!! The blend of spicy and sweet was fabulous. One grumble would be the choice of music, as other reviewers have mentioned, it was religious themed which may not be for all customers but one bite of that burger and I was in heaven so it was kind of appropriate! :) Service was quick and efficient. We will revisit this place again for sure!! read more

Tropical Grill - The Paradise Burger - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Ok I wanted to like this place but the time it took to get our food was ridiculous. Once our food arrived the pork was so salty it was almost inedible. The staff is the only reason it gets two stars. In response to Sam, the sign said 30 minutes, no one ever said it would be an hour, and I wasn't told anything about vinegar, I was asked if I wanted it spicy. The idea of Yelp is to voice your opinion, sorry if you don't like it, I'm just describing my experience. And why would I complain? So I could wait another 45 minutes? No thanks. Most of your other reviews are good don't sweat it. And if you read my other reviews you can see I give plenty of good reviews if they're deserving. Edit: I really don't care what your employees told you, vinegar was never mentioned and the sign said 30 minutes. Now you can go on a rant and say I'm a liar just like everyone else that gives you a bad revue. You need to let it go dude. It's one persons opinion, you have plenty of great revues. And now it's one star because you've ruined my good opinion of the staff. If you're this upset about one revue I'm sure they tell you whatever you want to hear. Edit: Hahaha of course you deleted your previous comment. I would expect nothing less. Save your Bible quotes, I've read your responses to other people. You didn't have the balls to leave your comments, you're a spineless nothing. read more

I love this restaurant. I've eaten there twice when in NC visiting friends and the food is always delicious! The fried plantains are amazing! read more

The food was amazing!! The homemade salsa was deliciousness and the service was superb! Do not miss an opportunity to treat yourself when in Spruce Pine read more

So tasty! You can really taste the love and proper preparation on the food! Service was excellent and the owner is so exceptional and kind! I will be coming back to this Resturant when I'm in town again! I love the Cuban Sandwich, y'all about moist and tender! Perfection! read more

Lunch was delicious. Cuban sandwich & empanadas were so good. The owners were very friendly. A must stop if in Spruce Pine.

fantastic tropical menu, tried it many time over the last year. never disappointed from cuban sandwich to jerk burgers everything's is mouth watering good! the staff are very friendly and efficient, they call you back when your carry out it ready. beyond the call of duty! read more

Super bummed. Drove about 5 hours and was looking forward to eating here per the amazing reviews. Got there and were told they were closed because they ran out of chicken, fish and a bunch of stuff. The lady asked that we return at 5pm. I wish we could have because the place smelled amazing, but with two hungry kids in tow we had to take our business elsewhere. Such a sad sad disappointment. In response to Sam, I was looking forward to updating this review on my next trip out there after we got a chance to eat at your establishment. You must have me confused with someone else as I never said Spruce Pine was "not for me". Due to your comment which I found to not be directed towards me, I will still choose to visit your establishment during the set hours and update the review based on your food alone. Not your attitude. read more

Super super good. Had the tropi chopi platter (pork), which was seasoned to perfection. The beans, the pork, the salsa, it was all seasoned wonderfully and complimented each other. Had a young blonde boy serve us, who was super nice and funny. Enjoyed him even though he was shy. The owner (woman) was very nice and asked a lot on feedback, just is rare. Really some of the best food I have had in a long long time, and I'm from New York. 10 stars! The best 12 dollar meal I have ever had. read more

I was very excited to try the tropical grill because it has nearly a 5 star rating. DISSAPOINTING. The service was nice but took for ever to get our food. When we did finally get our food it was average at best. I had a burger which was good but the bun overwhelmed the burger which had very little seasoning. My wife had the Tropical salad and it was poor. The chicken had very little flavor but there was a lot of lettuce, Romain I believe. Not worth the hype. read more

What a delight to stumble across this gem of a restaurant tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina. Most everything about this place is unique, from the brightly colored Guatemalan purses, scarves and painted masks that grace the walls, to the vivid green, blue, purple, yellow and red chips that are promptly served with homemade pico de gallo. Our only regret about the meal was that we could only choose a few plates from the extensive menu. We settled on an appetizer of fried yucca, green plantain and sweet plantain served with guacamole, pico de gallo and the most flavorful sauce called mojo, a perfect balance of garlic, onion, olive oil and spices which even paired well with the sweet plantains. We enjoyed this dish so much that the table next to us decided to try it as well. I was not disappointed by the mahi-mahi fish tacos, which arrived in two perfectly flaky fillets seasoned with garlic and spices and served with tomato, greens, guacamole and sour cream. In reality, the fish needed no accompaniments to enhance the flavor. My dad raved similarly about the coconut shrimp tacos, which quickly disappeared. If I lived near Spruce Pine I would certainly frequent this place to explore the menu further, as many creative and flavorful sounding dishes caught my eye. The restaurant space itself is indeed a bit snug, though there are a few outdoor sidewalk tables that would be pleasant on a warmer day, but the excellent fare is well worth the cozy tables and friendly service. Next time I am in the mountains near Mount Mitchell, I know where to stop for lunch. read more

Tropical Grill - Colorful chips and pico de gallo... mango fruit juice - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

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I had a large party with kids, so they were a bit overwhelmed by us. However, the food all came out good, and we all enjoyed it. The owner came out and she was very nice too. My only suggestion might be to offer chips and salsa free with dinners, and to adjust the drink prices a bit. The menu was huge and solid. read more

I had the Tropical Pulled Pork sandwich. Very tasty. Big. The menu is extensive. I was with a large group, and they took us immediately, and the food was served fairly quickly. I will definitely go back. read more

Wow! This place was delicious. Everything we had from the nachos, to the chicken panini, to the cucumber salad had great flavor! This place did not disappoint! The service was great as well. We will be coming back when we stop through Spruce Pine again! read more

Tropical Grill - Chicken panini with cucumber salad - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

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