Media Noche Cuban Cuisine

It was OK. I give it a 7 out of 10. Nice and friendly staff and service. The only thing I have an issue with, was the rice that I was served. I don’t know if it was a mistake or if they really serve it like that regularly; but it was not rice, it was a bland rice paste. I’m hoping they will cook it the right way next time I visit them. Other than that, it’s a nice place to visit. Not like most over pretentious, over priced Cuban restaurants that try to pass off the food as being high end culinary cuisine. I mean lets face it, it’s just «Guajiro» food after all.

So good to finally have a Cuban restaurant near me. We shared the appetizer platter that was delicious! We also had the Lechon which was mouth watering and melted in my mouth. Mentioned this restaurant to all my coworkers. Going to come back for more!

So far the best Cuban cuisine in the 626! The food was fresh and very authentic with a great Latin atmosphere. The service was quick and the staff was very attentive. Can’t wait to go back.

I love this place! The food is great, it’s a fun atmosphere, and the workers are friendly. I love their Media Noche and Cubano sandwich. The papas rellebos are also amazing! You must try them. The only complaint is that the service can be a bit slow, especially on weekends so be prepared to wait even more so with a big party. However, there food is worth the wait! And you can always call in your order as well so that is a plus. I’ve already been back several times so I’m happy with their service.

I love this food!!! This is my new favorite place! Low prices and nice people. Food is definitely the best for the price, and it is something a little different than the standard restaurant. How often do you get to have Cuban food? Loved everything about this place.

Was greeted warmly by Sam who was very friendly and informative. Live conga music was enjoyable and the food was delicious. I had slow roasted pork that was flavorful and filling.
I’d definitely go back again.

I took my family here on a Saturday night to try place out. The food was great, the service was a bit off but the staff were very friendly.
First off, I had to really had to sell this place to my family since they are familiar with the little strip mall where Media Noche is located. It is a bit rundown and the parking lot is very dark. After showing them some of the Unilocal reviews, they agreed to give it a try.
We arrived around 6:00. The restaurant was about three-​quarters full. We were greeted as we came in the door and seated immediately. They took our drink orders and gave us some small pamphlet sized menus. Within a few minutes, the waitress returned and sat a full-​sized menu in front of me and told me that it would be easier to read. I appreciate that she was trying to be conscientious but I was Ok with the small menu. Also, it is a bit discouraging to be singled out as the one person at the table that looked so old he needed the large print version of the menu.
We started off with papas rellenas and beef empanadas. After about five minutes they brought out bread and black bean dip. The appetizers did not come for 15 to 20 minutes. No complaints since we ordered a couple of dishes that were supposed to take 30 – 40 minutes. Everyone enjoyed the appetizers. My wife ordered a cup of coffee which never did make it to the table. Since there were only two plates for the appetizers and two sets of utensils for a party of four we had to wave down the waitress to ask for two more plates and two more place settings. She passed by and placed two plates on the table and was gone. I had to catch someone else to get the silverware we needed.
The food came out about 40 minutes after we ordered which was OK since we did not mind the leisurely pace. We had paella del mar, arroz con pollo, sandwich de bistec and the chicken soup. Everything tasted fantastic. Well worth the wait. The portions were generous. We did take some of our food home. I noticed that a lot of the other patrons were walking out with take-​out cartons which tells you they give you a lot of food and people feel it is worth taking home to enjoy later.
To get a refill on your drink required you to get the server’s attention and ask. The check came and it was for a lot less than I expected. After reviewing the check, I realized it was not ours. After getting the server’s attention, she got us the right bill.
My family really enjoyed the food at Media Noche. We plan to return to try some of the other dishes. I am dropping one star for service. All of the staff were nice and friendly but they were not very efficient and required you to keep asking for things.

Delicious food! Churasco it’s a must. Very good service. Live music. Dessert also very good. Love it!

I love everything about this restaurant. I love how flavorful and huge the sandwiches are! I tried the Cubano and the Pan con Lechon. They come with fries. I upgraded to fried plantains for a dollar more. That was a good choice. Abby made me a café con leche, sweetened with brown sugar, that I will crave everyday until I come back. I love how everyone from Abby (the owner), the cooks and the server were all down to earth. Great vibe in here. They love what they do and it shows!

My husband and I came in on a Wednesday night a bit after 7 to have dinner. There was only one waiter (Jesus) and he had quite a few tables to tend, but he delivered excellent customer service! The food was delicious and the portions were great for the price! The papa rellena was very good! The waiter informed us that they are handmade and you can tell! We will most definitely be coming back to this spot :)

All I can say is that this place is
100% LEGIT!
I am so pleased with this spot for 3 reasons:
1.) Because it’s the only Cuban spot locally.
2.) Because it’s as good, if not better than the Cuban spots I used to have to drive a distance to before this spot blessed us with its existence.
3.) The meats are super clean. No fatty or chewy bits.
It’s located in the very back of the plaza so don’t be scared if you don’t see the sign off of the street.

Only an okay experience. While the ambiance, music, and staff were great, there was just a lot of miscommunication and confusion. Our server was new that week but that shouldn’t be an excuse. The food took at least 50 minutes to come out and there were only three other parties in the restaurant. Luckily it was a birthday dinner, we are generally patient people, and we had plenty to talk about. :P
Even though waiting for the food was like watching paint dry, it was pretty amazing. Here’s what we got:
1) Complimentary bread with black bean dip — The bread was a garlic bread and it was so tempting to eat it all!
2) Complimentary fried plantain chips — So awesome with the mojo sauce!
3) Free papas rellenas upon Unilocal check-​in — This is comparable to Portos’ but has a thicker texture
4) Ensalada de Salmón — Usually I do not like salmon because of its fishiness, but this did not have the fishy taste, so it’s a great salmon dish! The blood orange vinaigrette and the mango in it made this salad very refreshing
5) Carne con papa — This dish didn’t seem too special to me but the beef was pretty moist when I tried it
6) Arroz Frito Cubano — Freshly carved pineapple, great tasting fried rice, and extra pineapple pieces on the side! Great dish and the best in presentation of all that we got; I’ll probably try this for myself next time
7) Pollo Asado — This was the dish I ordered. The chicken was so tender and juicy, and the rice was buttery! My dish came with a small bowl of beans and the chicken was topped with that awesome mojo sauce. This was my favorite of them all, of course! :)

(Review based on 4.5 stars)
Located in a plaza behind Little Caesar’s, specifically 2 doors down from T-​Mobile. You will not be able to see this restaurant from San Bernardino Road.
My husband and I decided to make a to go order on New Year’s Eve from this place (since a few other restaurants we had in mind were closed). We ordered:
Soup Of The Day, $ 5.99 prior to tax– When we arrived to pick up our order, we saw the kitchen had just scooped out a bowl of soup which looked good so we decided to get this. The soup of the day on this visit was Chicken. This soup was pretty good, it had some pieces of chicken in it and vegetables. It was nice to have some soup on the chilly evening. It was a nice serving to share among 3 people.
Paella del Mar, $ 20 prior to tax– Takes 30 – 40 minutes to make. With such a long prep and cook time, I figured it would be good to order this because I probably would not order this if I dined in (I don’t think I could wait that long). This dish is good enough to feed 3 people. I loved the saffron rice, as it really had a nice flavor. The seafood was good, just wished there a little bit more. Loved the plantains and onions served with this dish.
Arroz con Pollo, $ 14 prior to tax– Takes 30 – 40 minutes to make. Decided to order this dish as well. This is very similar to the Paella del Mar, in which it is served with saffron rice. However, I thought this rice was little stronger in flavor the Paella del Mar. This dish is also good enough to feed about 3 people. The chicken was good and tender. Also enjoyed the plantains and onions in this dish.
Complementary bread– It was nice of the employee in the kitchen to slice up some bread and provide us some free to go. The bread itself wasn’t incredibly memorable (well I did remember it was rather heavy on the buttery side), it was still nice of her to give us a box of it to go.
— — — — — — — —
(Total= $ 43.59 after tax, prior to tip)
When I made my order, I was told by the employee who took my order that it would be ready in 30 – 35 minutes. My husband and I arrived about 40 minutes later and unfortunately our food wasn’t quite ready yet. So we had to wait about 10 – 15 minutes.
The employee who rang us up was friendly and was having some trouble with his credit card machine. So we ended up paying cash in the end. He was really apologetic about that (he did tell us that he could try running our credit card again after he had already tried a few times, but we decided to just pay cash).
I would love to come back here again and dine in person. The food we had was exceptional and the service was friendly.
By the way, this place does not take Amex. Also there is currently a Unilocal check in deal: 2 free papas rellenas (will have to redeem that on our next visit).

Stopped by for lunch and were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is in a strip mall and has a mom and pop shop vibe going on with salsa music playing in the background. We ordered the pollo empanizado and lechon (served on a bed of steamed yucca, yum!) Both had great authentic flavors and the portions were big. The entrees come with rice and black beans as well as fried plantains. They also include a small bowl of chicken soup which was okay (needed a little more seasoning for my taste) and garlic toast which was really good. The service was excellent and prices were reasonable (average of $ 12-​$ 13 entrees) We will definitely be back.

Came on a Sunday got the pollo asado that I enjoyed when they first open. I waited for a good 30 minutes to recieve a lukewarm chicken they wanted to reheat it for me. The chicken was a precooked disater. If I’m going to wait for a chicken that long it should be fresh and cooked to a proper temp. I’m disappointed but if the owner was here she wouldn’t have let that slide. I’m sad :-/

I came here out of mere curiosity, to really compare the authenticity of this establishment. Needless to say, I was very pleased with the results.
Let’s get down and dirty from the start
FOOD:
I started with the piña fresca (basically pinapple juice). Delish!
Then, I ordered a epanada (chicken and beef). The beef was 5/​10, but the chicken was ⁹⁄₁₀. So, definitely recommend.
Also, they prep you up for the main course with a small soup which was rich in flavour!
For the main course, I ordered the ox-​tail. WOW.
Just WOW! I highly recommend. It was ¹⁰⁄₁₀ delicious. I don’t normally enjoy my meat soft ;)
but this one covered all the basics. good flavor, soft, and aesthetically pleasing to look at! I even ate the bone. Long hair. Don’t care.
THE SERVIVE:
They’re very welcoming. They come and check up on you every so often, but not so much to the point where you’re basically giving them the stink eye to back up off you.
If you want good cuban food, definitely come here.
Sundays is a buffet! Will come back and try this.

The food was delicious! We were greeted by the wonderful music! They had a live performance from 6pm until close. They group was playing Salsa, Bachata, Cumbia amongst many other things.
The service I know could have been a little better but it was a busy night. This is why I didn’t 5 star this hidden gem. It took them about 20 minutes to get us the basket of bread and black bean dip to us. (At this point they had already taken our order) They did give us 2 complimentary empanadas for the long wait which was kind of them. We ordered tostones and yucca con chicharron as appetizers. All the food came all at once! Which wasn’t really what we were anticipating.
I ordered the Fricase de Pollo and my hubby ordered the Torta Cubana. It was all very delicious and the music was just fantastic!
We will be back again :)

I highly recommend this place!
Not only is the food Ah-​maze-​zing the staff is also very nice.
The establishment was also very clean.
I’m looking forward to coming for their Sunday brunch.

Media Noche is now the first place I think of when I want Cuban food — fresh, local, and authentic.
I found this place through the «Hot and New» feature and immediately bookmarked it.
It was our first time eating here, and we got to meet the owner, Abby, who is the nicest person ever.
Location:
Small business located on the corner of Vincent and San Bernardino. Same plaza as the 99 cent store. Plenty of parking in front of the restaurant.
Food:
Lots of variety from starters to mains with meat or seafood. I wanted to try the infamous Arroz con Pollo but it takes at least 30 minutes to make — so plan your hunger accordingly.
Tamales Cubanos:
Tamales with pork and corn. My girlfriend liked this one, which says a lot in her tamale eating history. Tamales were moist and packed full of flavor.
Papas Rellenas:
Must try. Not your typical potato balls (ahem Porto’s). These are freshly made and served with special sauce.
Bistec de Palomilla:
Grilled steak served with salad, grilled onions, rice, beans, and green sauce. Steak was grilled perfectly — everything worked well together.
Flan:
Complimentary of Abby! We were so full but she offered us flan, which was spot on. Great texture with perfectly made caramel.
Last time I dined here it was cash only and alcohol wasn’t served yet, but I know they were progressing so double check on that. They also have brunch on Sundays. Regardless, I will be back for more.

Best Cuban spot I’ve been to yet! So damn delicious! We started off with the fiesta Cubana (croquettes, potatoe stuffed, empanadas, Marquita’s) which came with 6 different dipping sauces… BOMB! It’s a must to get a bit of everything. Oh and check in for free potatoe balls! These are free and a must! Why not, right?! Every bit of it was lip smacking good.
I got the pollo Asada. Be mindful that it’s going to be sweet. I didn’t realize it was until I tasted it. In their defense it did say and orange sauce so I should have known. The chicken was thoroughly cooked with bell peppers and onions.
My boyfriend got the bistec empanizado. It’s basically a breaded sirloin steak. They said they make their own bread for it. It came topped with tons of onions (we should of said on the side since we are not onion people). When we tasted the meat, there wasn’t as much flavor To it as we were expecting. The meat was pretty tender though. The rice and black beans were so good! I ended up eating my boyfriends too haha
This place is a must if you’re into trying new places. Cuban food wasn’t on the map for us but the pictures were so enticing! So glad we came! They also said they have Sunday buffet brunch and live Cuban dancers on Friday nights.

Love Cuban food specially Ropa vieja from this restaurant… Thank Pricila excellent customer service… Lo mejor en comida cubana grasias Pricila exelente servisio