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Twisted Taino Restaurant

3.7 (100 reviews)

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TWISTED TAINO RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

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Casual
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Twisted Taino Restaurant

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Empanada
Albert T.

Twisted Taino is a very interesting modern fast casual Puerto Rican restaurant. On our one night in Cleveland, we picked this over a couple of other Puerto Rican places because Twisted Taino had trifongo. We got the following in total: Yuca Al Ajo ($5) - This is a bunch of boiled yuca strips covered in a potent garlic sauce. One piece was a bit stringy inside, but the others were all starchy and had a good chew. If you like garlic you will love this dish. We ended up dipping the trifongo in the garlic sauce due to how good it was. Empanada Bayou ($3.5) - Perfectly fried empanada with a very interesting mix of alligator, crayfish and andouille sausage inside. One end tasted mostly like crayfish, the other end mostly like sausage; alligator is a pretty mild meat anyways. The alligator was overcooked and tough, but I guess it's pretty difficult to get right in an empanada. There was an appropriate amount of holy trinity mix inside and the empanada came with a nice avocado/cilantro/lime/sour cream sauce (probably the Avocado Cilantro Jaramillo). I probably wouldn't get this again, but it was nice to try. Trifongo Rice Bowl w/ Chicharron ($16) - I was initially was pretty skeptical about this one - this seemed like instagram bait based on the presentation, but this turned out to be quite good. It includes a mix of most of the carbs they have in the restaurant - mashed yellow plantain, green plantain, yuca, rice and beans. The sweet plantain flavor really comes out in some areas, and the yuca/green plantain in other areas resulting in a nice flavor contrast. The rice and beans are cooked perfectly. The chicharron has the appropriate fried crispy portions. If there was something I could change about the dish it would be to remove all of the sauces slathered on top - they are pretty overpowering and don't feel like they belong in the dish. Instead, I think the garlic sauce would be much better on the trifongo (and I think it is more traditional as well). This review is only for the food - if I included other restaurant aspects, my rating would drop a point or two. There are a couple of things that people should take into account before going here: 1) The restaurant was completely filled with a heavy layer of smoke the entire time we were waiting. If you are smoke sensitive, avoid this restaurant. 2) They are pretty inefficient. It took 55 minutes to get our order after placing the online order (estimate was 35 minutes) The restaurant was not busy at all - during the 30 minutes we were waiting inside the restaurant, there were only 3 orders picked up. 3) There is no restroom for customers

Les R.

I will go for the tacos next time but I am not sure if I would return. I REALLY wanted to like this place and the food was probably a two but the overall experience and staff bumped it up. I was so excited to try this Yelp find that I drove from downtown Cleveland to eat here (about 11-12 mins). I was browsing through places to eat that had Mexican food and the name caught my attention. I started browsing the pics and saw the Empanadas and suddenly had a craving. Upon arrival, it is a small little shop with carryout and dining outside. There were a few tables in side but you could tell it was more of a To-go place and no public restrooms. I went with the Empanada Trio. I got two beef and cheese and one creole chicken since they were out of the plantain. I was so disappointed with my meal. To me, they had a similar taste to a "feeezer burnt" item that was cooked. Maybe it was the oil it was fried in, or the dough, but it was not good. The better was the beef and cheese but the chicken creole reminded me of the texture of tuna fish with little flavor and was wet. Just eww and was disappointed as they looked better than they tasted. I only finished it as I was so hungry. I may have had a better meal if I would have went for the tacos but it turned out to be a pass for me. Hope you have a better meal and live supporting small business so maybe give them a try, but not recommending the empanadas.

View from street
Evan F.

Came in for dinner a few weeks back...never got a chance to visit these cats when they were in the Ohio City Galley but wanted to support them in their new Parma location. Inside was very smoky, due to all the grilling going on in the back, but was clean and bright overall. You order at the counter, then wait for your name to be called. Wife and I ordered two dishes and split them both...jibaro bowl and their famous quesa-birria tacos. They were backed up a bit, so getting our meal took a minute. The jibaro bowl consisted of pieces of fried chicken along with arroz mamposteao and a side of yucca fries with a ketchup-mayo style dipping sauce. Chicken was on the dry side, but with good flavor. Yucca fries were plump and delicious. The quesa-birria tacos were killer...corn tortillas filled with queso blanco and shredded steak then topped with chopped cilantro, avocado habanero salsa and a beef consume for dipping. Would most definitely return for these bad boys! All in all a very enjoyable meal and will most certainly visit again.

Tripleta Sandwich - Yummo! I also added cilantro aïoli which gave it a a taste of freshness that cut the richness of all that meat.
Beth G.

We ordered an entree, sandwich, kids meal and side. The side of white rice and beans and kids chicken tender meal was exactly what is pictured online; the rest is shown below. The staff was helpful with any questions I had and the owner was there making sure that everything was running smoothly. We ordered to go and it was your standard 20-25 mins since it was made fresh. The place is super clean and a cute indoor and outdoor option to dine. We will return and try more of this super vast menu!

El Cubano
Julie S.

Wanted to visit this place more than once to give it a true review. When we walked into the door on a Friday afternoon, we were greeted with a smile and by a nice young woman who asked us if it was our first time there. We said yes so she helped us with suggestions on what is popular and what is her favorites. This really helped with our decision making because we didn't study the menu before we came here. My friend and I decided to order the el cubano and the quesadilla carne asada with the passion fruit lemonade. The carne asada was so juicy and tender that I told my husband about it which intrigued him to try this place out. The el cubano had very tender pork as well but the mustard wasn't distributed evenly that sometimes I got more of a mustard flavor that over powered the pork flavor. The fries that came with this dish was amazing as well! Overall great first experience which had me coming back again with my husband. Second time around I came here during the week. There were no one in the parking lot except us and the employees. The older woman at the register didn't greet us but just stared at us. I told her that it was my husband's first time there. And her response was ok. Thinking she would help us with some suggestions for him or answer any questions for him, but I guessed wrong. She had her air pod in heand she answered a phone call as he was speaking so she didn't hear anything he asked. He then just decided to order because he was frustrated because the cashier was distracted and ignoring all the questions he was asking. I was super excited to eat the carne asada again so we were going to order tacos, but she said that they were sold out. Definitely unfortunate to hear such sad news since I raved about it to my husband. We then decided to order shrimp scampi tacos and the pork quesadilla. The pork quesadilla was good, but I still personally feel like the carne asada is the best. My husband enjoyed the shrimp scampi tacos and said it was delicious but just pricey for what they give you. Overall, the food is consistent and delicious. They have an area where you can eat there but remember there is no bathrooms so use the restroom before you come here. Customer service was ok. If the younger tall woman is the cashier, she will definitely bring you more business because she's enthusiastic about eating there. The older woman who was the cashier today definitely put me in a mood where she made me feel like I shouldn't eat there. She wasn't enthusiastic about the place and she was too busy taking her own personal phone calls to be promoting their menu.

Twisted Taino - Cubano
Jeff D.

You need to try this spot! Just walking in the door will start your taste buds jumping for joy because of the magnificent aroma. Because things are so well made, you will wait, the engulfing scent making you even hungrier. Don't worry. The wait is worth it! We've tried a pile of things. Everything has been great. Jibaro Bowl, Sancocho, Trifongo, Cubano? Which is the favorite? I don't know! I'm only half way through the exception menu. Safe to say, everything in the future will be good as well. I can't wait for the next visit!

Gourmet Tacos
Luciana S.

This restaurant is located in a food hall (formally the Ohio city galley). There is limited parking behind the building and plenty of street parking. You'll find seating both indoors and outdoors which is nice! You order and wait about 30 minutes before you get your food. The options are nice but we're limited during taco week when I went. I will say the tacos were delicious and I'll be back.

Kumalah J.

In my opinion there are much better options in the area. I came here for taco week to try it out, and I left underwhelmed. I do agree with other reviews that there is problems with, or nonexistent ventilation so you will leave with stinking clothes. This wasn't a dealbreaker for me, but is noticeable if you dine inside. I ordered the taco Tuesday set (3 pork tacos) and it came with a side of corn. In addition I also ordered 3 steak tacos. The steak tacos are not included in the taco Tuesday deal, so it is a $5 up charge, but what I didn't realize is that it also doesn't come with a side of corn. Lessened learned I guess. We also ordered fries. There was a decent crowd when I came, and not sure about how backed up they were with Togo orders but it took 40 minutes to make our order of six tacos plus fries. I thought it was a tad long to what I believe was inefficiencies in the kitchen -- maybe fries take that long? I don't know. The tacos come with a single tortilla -- because of that two of the six tacos disintegrated upon touch. This was disappointing because we ate them within 2 minutes of being served. Overall, an okay joint, but there are much better places that serve similar food so I'm not sure I'd return.

I went the place to lunch with my wife Nice and clean place Food it was delicious and amazing

Front
Steven B.

Was in the mood for Mofongo so I figured I would give Twisted Taino a try. Located in the food galley at the corner of W.25th and Detroit that Sauce the City is now running. Parking is available in the lot behind the building. At lunch time they have only the area near the vendors open, but that was plenty of room. Twisted Taino does not have a physical menu available, so make sure that you pull up their menu online. There is an interesting mix of items on the menu, I choose the Mofongo Lunch with the Creole Shrimp and then added a chocolate Frappe that came free for checking in on the Yelp App. Since everything is made from scratch the food took about 10 minutes, but is well worth the wait. The Mofongo is a generous pile of mashed plantains, dense and mild it serves as a great base for the other flavors. The Creole Shrimp were good sized shrimp nicely cooked with peppers and onions in a spicy tomato sauce. Sided with a fresh salad the meal was very filling and satisfying; I would have liked if they had topped the mofongo with the sauce instead of putting it on the side of the plate, but that is just nitpicking. The frappe was just redunculous, with the tasty drink topped with whipped cream, cookies, candy and a brownie piece. Delicious and over the top in a good way it was a great way to finish the meal. Twisted Taino is taking Puerto Rican food and making it more mainstream in a good way. Nice to see that the idea of the food gallery is still alive and that with some better operators it should be a success.

Empanada Trio
Rita O.

What is in Parma? I wasn't sure, but now I know. A hidden and most delicious small Puerto Rican restaurant. My friend and I were shopping for furniture and had to stop by this little spot to eat, we did not expect the deliciousness of every dish we ordered. I had the Lamo Slatado, my friend a shrimp wrap, we shared the empanadas. The steak was delicious, its spices to perfection. I highly recommend the beef empanadas.

Raw steak

Raw steak waited over an hour Food was not with the wait They don't have bathroom

Criollo Wrap
Nefeterri W.

A must try. Everything is made fresh and with great authentic ingredients. I stopped in right before the location move and cannot wait to see the new space. Opted for the twisted Doritos which are more than enough to share, the criollo wrap, Birria Tacos, and tostones. I have no complaints. The freshness and flavors were top notch. Also top notch, was the service. Everyone is very friendly and eager to answer any questions you may have. Will definitely be back.

Ordered chicken, got pork. Buyer beware.

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2 years ago

The meat was more fat than meat. It was luke warm when served and needed flavor. Never again.

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2 years ago

Love this spot! Great staff always and great food cute atmosphere ! Love the sweet plantains

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5 years ago

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Thank you for your review, glad you enjoyed your visit!

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3 years ago

Absolutely amazing food. So delicious & the flavor of their food is like a party in your mouth!!

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Perfect to go spot! Great service and excellent food. Outside seating has a taste of the caribbean and dynamic interaction with the chef.

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