Coco Cubano

Get their burger. Please, please get their burger. This place is great — its kitchen opens late (10pm I think), its bar opens even later. The burger option is just delicious — full of flavour with a great beef patty, melted cheese, etc etc. It’s not super fancy but it’s a nice classic option for a lazy dinner that you’ll regret later, you fatty, but love now. Trust me. I actually have wondered back down here all the way from gate 9 (a trek in my opinion) at 11pm just for it but sadly their kitchen had closed. Would I go here again? Definitely, yes, but let’s be real, I should be eating healthier now.

Yep, perfectly poached eggs is a great way to start the day. With a nice cup of tea. Coco Cubano is perfectly located at the bottom of UNSW. The décor is very cool and the service is equally good. Had a lovely breakfast this time and have had lunch here too. Is a big restaurant and seems to be very popular esp with the uni crowd. Will return.

Ordered avocado on toast — bread was so hard it was impossible to eat and avocado was obviously out of a tube. when I asked for the bread to be cut thinner I was told it comes pre-​cut. Pre-​cut bread? Obviously not fresh and comes out of a frozen packet. Manager only gave a half refund. As a university café, I would have thought they would be kinder and not rip off students.

Come here for a nice lunch if you have plenty of time, and don’t mind the staff bringing out dishes haphazardly. We’ve been a few a times and usually the first dish arrives after 15 minutes, and everyone thinks, «Great, the food’s here.» But the remaining dishes trickle out over the following 15 minutes, which is weird and awkward (no exaggeration — we know by now to keep an eye on the clock).
Prices are higher than the average on-​campus outlet, but serving sizes are generous to match.
The fact that we come back now and against is testament to the quality of the food and pleasant atmosphere.

I’ll be honest, i have mixed feelings about this place, and I think it can be summed up by «style over substance». I have had some good meals there (I love the haloumi burger) but at the same time the prices are too high for the portion sizes, and while the portions suit me, a lot of my friends complain of still being hungry after their meal. The chocolate drinks are massively overpriced for what tastes just like basic chocolate milk. Also a few times I have been there and got dishes with Aioli that was basically just like liquefied garlic. I love garlic but when there’s so much that all other ingredients are forgotten it can kinda ruin the meal.
Another big problem is the waiting time, meals rarely if ever arrive at the same time, leaving people awkwardly waiting til their friend’s meal arrives, or having one person finished by the time the others meal arrives. Roughly half the times i have gone their i have had to wait an extremely long time for the food.
Every few months I will get desperate and lazy enough to go back there thinking it might be better this time, but so far it hasn’t been. I should say some of the staff were really friendly though.

Eclectic place, busy intersection… But good people watching. Charming waiter, tasty cap… But not quite hot enough.

Very happy with the fish & chips ($ 16), and the strong flat whites they have here. Ambiance is also nice, breezy and comfortable, quietish, outdoor seating and the big comfy chairs inside are also a plus.

Extremely slow service
We came here on a Saturday afternoon. Even though it is located within the UNSW campus, the restaurant was only 20% full. You have to grab the menu from the counter and order at the cashier when ready.
We ordered a Cuban sandwich and Fish N Chips, paid, received a table number (in a form of a cuban cigar box), found an empty table and waited…
waited…waited…waited…
20 minutes later, my partner’s cuban sandwich finally came. I was STARVING… and I continued to wait… wait…wait…
6 minutes later, my food came.
Seriously…fish n chips is not difficult to cook !
Food wise: the cuban sandwich was pretty good but my deep-​fried fish fillets were small and pathetic looking… the potato wedges that came with our main were a disappointment as well, it had the «old» oil taste to it? eeeek.
Also, I noticed that «table number» system is very inefficient. Each time something is ready from the kitchen, the waitress walks around with food in her hand, looking for the «right» cuban cigar box. There were times I saw the frustration on their faces when they could not find it. (I dont blame them…). Not sure if other Coco Cubano chains have the same system.
Definitely not coming back… sorry