Pasión Cuban

I came here around 8 pm on a week night with a group of friends. I almost wanted to give this review five stars for the food alone (fantastic!) but the service was very awkward. When we arrived, we were told that we would have to wait 15 minutes for service, even though seating was abundantly available on their patio. So we scooted together a couple of tables outside, awkwardly got some water and pop from the bar, and waited to be served. When waitstaff finally came, they brought small plates, which no one used and were brought back upon the meal being served. It was all just very odd and uncoordinated. But the food!
Everyone I was with seemed to really enjoy what they got. I had one of their sandwiches (can’t remember what it was called) with grilled chicken, bacon, and garlic aioli. It was really delicious! I also tried some of my friend’s cubano and immediately regretted not getting it, it was SOOOOO good. The prices are definitely not outrageous for what it is, either. I’d definitely like to come back and try something else on the menu, seems like most of the dishes here are big winners!

I’ve been here a couple of times now. I like it. I had the Ropa Vieja the first time and that was good and worth the money– I had the chimmichurri steak the second time and that was excellent but a touch pricey but that’s ok. Don’t bother with the empanadas — they’re very tiny and stupid, really. Drinks are 10 bucks. Staff is great.

The outdoor seating is wonderful! We got lunch and a pitcher of the blanco sangria. The sangria was excellent and the food was awesome. The waitstaff was very friendly and attentive. I will definitely be back. My only complaint was that it took a little while for us to get waters and our sangria, but not long enough that we were mad about it.

I’ve been here a few times. Twice for private events and two other times for meals with friends. I tell everyone about this place and encourage all to try it. It’s nice to have something different in the downtown area that’s reasonably priced.
— The seating is comfortable.
— The waitstaff are happy.
— The bar choices are extensive and highly creative.
— The outside seating is great and set back off busy Elmwood.
— Parking is usually easy, but perhaps the parking lot could be marked with defined spots.
I’ve had some awesome meals here. I’ve also had some misses, hence the 4 and not 5 star review. I think with time and a little tweaking of the menu all the choices will be equally well prepared and presented.
I still encourage all to try it. It’s at a good price point that makes for a nice meal in a nice environment that you don’t need a special event for.

Didn’t go inside so I can’t comment on how it looked, sat outside in the sun but they had huge patio umbrellas to hide you from it so that was great. Menu doesn’t have alot but what they do have sounds great. Food came real fast and was hot and the service was good as well. The tables outside were kind of small for me and my wife to sit at. The parking lot NEEDS to have actual spots because people just drive up and park not considering space for others. The portions of our food was great and very filling. Kind of pricey tho but worth it. Great for meeting up with friends after work or on the weekend

Just stopped in for a couple drinks and took a glance at the menu, I will definitely be back to try the food! I got the Hemingway and it was the perfect summer cocktail, my friend got the painkiller which came in a fancy plastic coconut lol. We also did a couple tequila shots of course and the liquor selection was great. All drinks were well made with friendly, but not timely, service. The place looks amazing; especially compared to the old Black Swan which reminded me of gothic gentlemens club and Cozumel; great in its own right, but not very well maintained. The patio looks great and the location cant be beat for a night out, very close to Allen and Elmwood. The inside dining area looks very comfortable and open with great décor, and its one of the only places in this area to have its own parking lot, which is convenient.

Oh. My. God. I loved this place! My husband and I were celebrating some good news today and we decided to finally come try Pasion. The prices are a bit high but you’re getting quality food. Our shrimp pinchos were so flavorful. Everything was so amazing.

I visited pasión 2 times this week. I had the Cuban sandwich which was very tasty with cassava chips. The price is pricey. 14 for a sandwich is a bit much. However it was tasty and big enough to share. The Ropa vieja was chewy. Could use extra time in the pressure cooker. However the flavor was good. The morros was tasty however it was not the Morros I grew up on. It had no beans. The tres leche is not a repeat and the flan was disappointing. Very nice staff. However, they take a long time to bring the food.

Their pastiltos con carne are absolutely amazing. The sides are amazing and the chicken was fantastic. You can order any drink you want but it will not be as good as what Josh can make for you absolutely thee place to go for any celebration or a nice dinner. Best Cuban drinks + food combination in Buffalo.

Ever since Cozumel closed down 2 years ago, followed by a very short-​lived Black Swan Lounge which I never got to check out because they closed before I had a chance to… I was quite excited about the seemingly promising Pasion. Sadly, I think it’s just a bit too hyped up.
It was a Friday night, and I already knew that we would have to wait quite a bit based on all the other reviews I’ve read. At 7:45, I called from the house and asked very politely if we could put my name down on the list for a table of 4 since we were going to be on our way very shortly. The wonderful hostess advised that it was about a 45min-​1hr wait but she could put our names down. We arrived around 8:15, checked in with her and she said that we were second on the list so it shouldn’t be longer than another 15−20min. Cool, we ordered drinks at the very overcrowded bar while we waited. Around 8:45, we were starting to get antsy and took turns checking in with the hostess. She kept confirming that we were next in line, but we were watching others who just arrived being seated and overhearing that it’s because they were friends of the owner/​management. Not that we didn’t think about leaving, but then it was one of those «we’ve already waited this long, and by the time we drive to some other place and park etc. we’d probably have a table by then». At last, we were seated at 9:30.
Moving onto the food… we got the arepas con ropa vieja (corn cakes stuffed with shredded stew beef) and the tenderloin skewers with chimichurri sauce to share. Both were good, but nothing to rave about. The prices seem reasonable but the portions are small (or I should say, smaller than what is now a typical portion size in US restaurants).
My fiancé got the Churrasco as his main dish which is a grilled skirt steak. It was lean and flavorful, and came with 2 sides — moros which is a cuban version of rice and beans, and yuca fries (a potato-​like starch but from a root vegetable), they were shaved real thin and deep fried kind of like homemade chips. The menu spelled it «Yucca», which is actually an ornamental plant and do not have the edible root of the yuca, and are commonly confused. I did not point that out while we were there, mainly because I had already pointed out that they had spelled «alligator» incorrectly in their gator bites description (they spelled it «aligator») and quite honestly, we were already on our fourth bottle of wine so I was too drunk to care. Anyway, moving on — my friend got the El Cubano (cuban sandwich), I tried a bite and it was very good, actually better than one I tried down in Miami a few years ago. The other friend ordered the ropa vieja (stewed beef sauteed with a pepper/​tomato sauce) — I tried a bite as well and it was also good. I got the lechon asado (roasted pork with garlic sauteed onions) — I loved it. Some parts were a bit dry, but it went amazingly well with the moros. I got the maduras (sweet fried plantain) as my second side but didn’t really like it at all.
We opted out of dessert because we were full of food (and wine) and it was already 11:30 and my fiancé had to get up for work at 5am the next day! All in all, I would have given Pasion 4 stars if it weren’t for them seating their friends before all the people who have waited for hours. For that, I took off an extra star. Perhaps I’ll change my mind in the future, but I won’t be going back anytime soon unless they start taking reservations. The food simply wasn’t good enough for me to want to wait any longer than 15min — not when there are so many other good eats in Buffalo.

It’s amazing how service can ultimately make or break one’s experience at a place that could easily be a 5-​star experience. I called ahead to ensure that we could get a seat; thinking that there may be a wait on a Sunday afternoon during brunch time. I was advised that they did not take reservations (at least at that time), but that there was currently no wait. Upon arrival, I was surprised that there was barely anyone there.
Entering the front door puts you right in the bar area, which is very contemporary, nice and spacious. To the left is a dining area (I think-​I didn’t actually go over there to check it out) and there is a dining area to the right, which seats roughly 50 people (@12 tables). There was a nice couple seated at the bar when we came in that greeted and welcomed us, and after a brief conversation, offered for me to taste the «Mexican Cake» bar beverage their son, the bartender had made for them. If you’re a coffee drinker, you should see if Shawn will hook one up for you. There was also one other couple seated in the dining area, and no other customers were in the restaurant at the time.
The server, who was pleasant and articulate, came over and introduced himself and we ordered the arepas to start. That supposed to just buy us some time until we were able to look over the menu and get other stuff. The trouble began when we didn’t get approached again until literally 15 minutes later. By then, I had already ordered drinks from the bar. You’d think that would be a sign to the server to pick up the pace a bit since these people are obviously thirsty and hungry… it wasn’t.
A few more customers had come in by this time and it appeared that this server was responsible for all of us. I understand that things happen, and it would have made all the sense in the world, if this was the case, to have one of the two bartenders at least come out and engage with customers if they didn’t know how to serve. After I flagged our server down, I was able to order two more appys. We got the oysters and the gator bites. We should have learned by then that the service was über-​slow and just ordered the entrée too, who would have thought the server would still be inattentive after being flagged down and finding that his customers had already ordered drinks from the bar.
After another 10 – 15 minute wait before being approached again someone from the kitchen brought our appys to the table. I noticed that one of the bartenders had finally come out and filled the water at another table, so it appeared that they finally started working as a team to take care of the diners. Apparently they do not serve any sauces with the aforementioned appys, and they both needed something to complement their flavor. We caught the server’s attention again and asked for a sauce recommendation. He obliged and we requested.
I’m the type of person that cannot eat his food until it is complete. Without the sauce, the flavors were incomplete, but I expected the sauces to come within a reasonable amount of time. Here comes the waiting game again. After about 5 minutes, we saw the guy from earlier bring food to another table. He was dressed in nice street clothes; not like you would expect a server or cook to be dressed. (I think he was an owner). I asked him for the sauce and after a few minutes, the server came back with the sauces. At that time, we ordered our entrée; El cubano.
It took another 10 – 15 minutes to get that food, but at that point, we at least had food and drinks to occupy us. I’m accustomed to eating foods from other cultures and often times in other countries, so I get that fast service is the American way, but not everyone else’s way. I’m fine with that. Attentiveness is the key, and that was what was lacking. Even to just hear «I’ll be right with you» or «how are you folks doing?» would have changed our experience, but this guy really missed several opportunities to get the tip he truly deserved. He still got 15+%, and though I feel like I over-​tipped him, I typically feel bad anytime I don’t tip 20+%.
The food was pretty good. It was all fresh, and I would have much rather spent these words talking about the food than the lack of service, but that’s how it goes. The food wasn’t good enough for me to feel like I need to go back and give another chance, even though there are at least 10 items on the menu that I want to try. There are too many great restaurants in the area for me to justify the risk. Maybe if other Unilocalers or friends invite me, I’d join them, but I don’t see myself making a conscious effort to go back to eat on my own accord.

Visited on a Friday night and was expecting a wait. No big deal. But there seemed to be some issues. The space is great. Updated and modern. Decided to order some drinks while we waited. One bottled beer and one cocktail. The bartenders seemed overwhelmed. There were two, plus another guy I thought was a barback, but then he gave us the beer, so now I’m not sure. He said the other guy had to make the cocktail. From the time we ordered til we got the cocktail, at least 10 minutes. I will say that a glass broke behind the bar during this time, and that only added to the chaos.
We were seated after about an hour. Service still seemed overwhelmed. One of us ordered a beer, while the other 2 of us reviewed the extensive cocktail menu again. It took the waiter a long time to return for that order.
Placed order for food, was told kitchen was backed up. We ordered the cuban sandwich, ceviche, cuban rice and beans and a shrimp and crab cold salad. Everything was very good except the ceviche. Not fresh and unable to eat. The yucca chips that came with the cuban, very good. And the wait for the food to come out didn’t seem excessive.
So because it’s new, I’ll give them some time to work out the kinks. I will return and hope to upgrade the rating after that.

My boyfriend and I were trying to find a place that wasn’t too busy during dinner time in a Saturday, we stumbled upon this place and I’m so glad we did!
The drinks are between 8 – 12 bucks. The cocktails are fantastic! The food was pretty cheap to be honest. We each got a sandwich and we couldn’t even finish them!
I’m super excited to check this place out again in the summer because they have a huge outdoor patio. They also do punch bowls to share that look pretty awesome for some patio drinking.
The bartenders are pretty good at recommending things off the menu and are very into what they do, all masters at their craft. If you’re looking for a bang for your buck but still want that classy flare defiantly check this place out!

I feel I was transported to Cuba, but the fun place not the sad real place. I’d say like Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, but more like the first one. The punches were delicious and I loved the shrimp étouffée and the alligator bites. The desserts were amazing. But Shelby had drank her juice so, I mean, I was content.
Also, meat sweats. Get the skewers. Omnomnom. Two thumbs up.
The first punch is the deepest. Just start at the top and work your way down (that’s what she said) and you’ll be fine. You’re guaranteed to leave satisfied… or schwasted. Cuban style.

After lucking into a pre-​opening sneak peek I’ve been dying to go back, so when my mom mentioned she was at the bar enjoying a few cocktails I got in my car and headed down. Before I even get into the restaurant, I love that they have a parking lot in front. Sometimes trying to find a parking spot can be trying, especially on Elmwood, so it’s great when that isn’t a concern.
Sat at the bar where my mom and her husband already had their meals. My mom had the skirt steak with chimichurri; I tried a bite and it was fantastic. I ordered the flank steak, mistakenly thinking that I’d ordered the same thing she did. Instead I got an artfully presented pile of falling-​apart meat that had been cooked with bell peppers and worked beautifully with the slightly sticky beautifully-​flavored white rice. On the side I ordered the maduros, which even my mom (who doesn’t like plantains) enjoyed. The portion was the perfect size — I was full but I didn’t feel disgustingly stuffed when I’d finished.
The cocktail list is lovely and deserves a more thorough perusal than I managed last night; I tried the Kinky Reggae which was beautifully crafted, if a little sweet to go with my entrée.
Service was good and the bartenders were very friendly, but maybe not as attentive as they could have been considering it was not very busy on a Monday night. My drink sat empty long enough after finishing that I probably would have ordered another but by the time it was noticed I’d already finished my meal. Overall everyone was very pleasant and knowledgeable.
I will definitely be back, and I’m looking forward to coming for a sit-​down dinner.

Wow, this place is amazing. I have been twice now. 1 time for just drinks at the bar and 1 time for dinner.
The first time I went for drinks we were a bit overwhelmed by their drink menu. There is just so much and everything sounds so good it was hard to decide.
The bartenders are very helpful in helping you make your decision. My favorite so far is the Saturn!!! Also their mojitos are very good, probably the best I have had in bflo.
The vibe in there is also very nice. Not too congested, dimly lite, it has the tendency to get a bit loud though.
When we came for dinner we started with the beef pastilettos, little pillowy pockets of beef goodness. For dinner I had the ground beef entrée that had olives and raisins– OMG! So delicious. I ate the whole thing! 2 others had the shredded pork cooked in onions which they also loved and 1 other person had their baked chicken. The server warns you that the chicken dish will take 20 min, which we were all fine with. All of the dinners we amazing. We finished with the flan which j loved as well.
I really can not wait to go back and try everything on the menu, and the drink menu!

Stopped for a snack and a drink while my mom’s iPhone battery was being replaced. The drinks where good. I do think it was one of the best mojito drinks I’ve had in a while! The chorizo sliders were quite delicious! We had a sandwich as well. It was good but messy. The steak sandwich. Nothing to write home about. The chips were the star of that plate but I wanted to dip them in something, but no dip. We sat at the bar and the bartender seemed more interested in talking to another group than helping at times but that’s not world ending.
Can’t wait until warmer weather to sit on the patio with a sangria pitcher!

I’m glad there’s a good, new place in this spot. I stopped in for dinner on a Saturday evening only a few weeks after Pasion Cuban opened and I’m glad I did. First of all, I must say that the staff and owner were really kind and attentive. My companion and I had a ridiculously long dinner and everyone was patient and welcoming despite our lingering. The atmosphere is an improvement over the old «mexican» place that was here — clean and modern. There was good music playing that almost made me want to dance. I felt very comfortable.
I was a bit concerned at first because it took a bit to get served at the bar while we waited for a table but for the rest of the evening, all of the other service was excellent.
We shared an appetizer, Arepas con Ropa Vieja which was fine but nothing special, but we loved our entrees. I had the Enchilado de Camarones which I found delicious. My companion had the Ropa Vieja which he enjoyed. The serving sizes were not small as some other review have stated. He also had one of the desserts, the Tres Leches I believe, which he also enjoyed. All in all, I definitely look forward to dining at Pasion Cuban again.

2^nd time here 1^st visit was just cocktails.
Order the coco Cillin smokey scotch w a coconut finish. Sounds crazy, but it’s the different and change you’ve been looking for.
Ropa vieja dinner was slow roasted steak shredded in a roasted red pepper tomato sauce.
appetizers nothing beat the Cuban traditional pastellios and not those seen at other places. These were a flaky dough stuffed w aromatic meats and light sweet glaze.
Last make sure to say hello to chef Manny. Pasíon soon to be a staple in Buffalo.
Welcome

This restaurant is exactly what Buffalo needs. I was fortunate enough to attend a private event prior to the restaurant opening. I was blown away.
The menu of signature drinks was amazing. Everything from Classic Mojitos to Rum Punch to a delicious Tequila drink. Of course I had to sample one of each and all were totally on point. Delicious and perfectly made. The mixologists behind the bar were awesome! So friendly, warm, and welcoming.
I had the pleasure of meeting the owners who were so wonderful and generous. Also so warm and welcoming! The executive chef was present for almost all of the event when he wasn’t in the kitchen of course. Very friendly, truly talented. A master at his craft. Latin infused Cuban cuisine. He explained what everything was, and even walked around to the tables asking us how we liked the dishes.
Now onto the best part. The food. The appetizer portion of the event consisted of this amazing bean soup with pieces of chorizo. So awesome. I could’ve eaten more! There were also fried platanos. The perfect hint of sweet & salty. Not greasy at all. So yummy! For the main course I tried the Pernil. Perfectly cooked and seasoned! So tender. So delicious. I’m still dreaming about it. If you can even believe it there was a dessert course. Consisting of Tres Leches cake and Flan. Of course I also had to try both of these as well. Lol. The Tres Leches was so moist, sweet, with just the perfect amount of density. If you have a sweet tooth I highly recommend saving room for dessert. The Flan also equally as awesome. Perfectly cooked, creamy, sweet deliciousness.
I can’t wait to go back to Pacion’. This truly is a wonderful restaurant. From staff to food to ambiance. A really amazing experience. Keep up the great work Pacion’!