Mambos Cuban Cafe and Pizzeria

They have pretty good Cuban food for Jacksonville. I’ve been here several times and the servers definitely take their time on coming to your table even when they’re not busy, but they are all very nice and friendly. The food is delicious. The mambo combo is a nice sized appetizer to share between two people. The beef empanadas were delicious. The croquetas were just as good except some of them lacked a little filling. I enjoyed the lechon asada. It was a large portion and I definitely have leftovers I’m looking forward to eating later. With dinner prices from about $ 10 to $ 15 the prices are great for the portion sizes you’re receiving. The café con leche is also definitely worth a try if you like coffee. I love the Spanish music playing in the background. Overall I enjoy this restaurant.

Very nice place. Reminds me of many spots I’ve been to between Miami and Orlando. Drove by it plenty times on the relate occasion I ventured by the area. Finally went with my parents and enjoyed it.
The mariquitas for appetizers were great; they come in a big bowl and fill you up by the time you get the entrees. The entrees were good portions ranging from $ 8 to $ 18.

Love love love this place. So consistent with great service. Andres. Well, he’s ok too. Ha ha. Keep it up y’all.

5 stars is an understatement! The food is phenomenal, tastes like my grandmothers cooking! The food was so fresh and the gentleman that took our order was so sweet! We are visiting from jersey and this was the cherry on top, we will definitely be here more during our stay to try out the other entrees!

Fabulous! Cuban sandwich and Cuban coffee… authentic. The entire meal was a treat!
Thanks Andres!

My daughter has been supporting this bussiness because of the kind of customer service they provide for catering. Today we went to eat due to the need to eat sweet plantains. We order a churrasco, chicharron de pollo, mazitas de puerco, empanadas and tostones, and pasta in cream sauce w/​shrimp and vegetables. No complaint about the portions or the dish flavors. My only complaint is that the churrasco was not as tender as i have eaten in other argentinian restaurants. Im not an extreme fan of cuban cuisine because like in most undeveloped countries frying is a way to maintain food poisoning low. Fry food is a large part of the cuban menu. The staff is very well trained and polite and ready to suggest you variations to your order. Prices are moderate and are an average of the restaurant of the food industry. Place is highly recommended to taste cuban cuisine

Great authentic Latin food with good variety of different meals. I tried the «bistec de pollo» (griled chicken steak) with white rice, black beans, sautéed onions, and tostones… it was very good. But my wife had another dish that was delicious! I really enjoyed the music in there, the service was very attentive and the food came out fast. You should also try their coconut shrimp too! Overall, great place and I’ll definitely come again.

This is one Of those authentic mom and pop places that you can never get enough of. Mariquitas are delicious and served in abundance, any of the dishes or sandwiches you choose from is delicious (you can never go wrong with whatever you choose. And to finalize, you can either have a «Cuban coffee» or a Café con leche. I always come back for more!

The following review was published under my byline in the Florida Times-​Union on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015. This is an original, unabridged version of that review.
From the moment I started planning my review for Mambos Cuban Café & Pizzeria, I couldn’t shake one nagging question.
Cuban café … and pizzeria? Clearly one of these things was not like the other.
I felt I knew Cuban cuisine well, from ropa vieja to picadillo, to the complex crusty-​melty contradictions of the Cuban sandwich. But, had I really missed Cuban pizza all of these years?
To be fair, you can get sweet plantains or roasted pork as toppings on several of Mambos’ specialty pies. But Mambos’ owner, Raul Arias, set me straight.
Because of Mambos’ spot on Beach Boulevard, between Hodges and San Pablo, pizza and pasta play well for nearby families with kids, Arias told me. Plus, the restaurant’s head chef used to work at an Italian restaurant back in Boston.
The family-​owned, 8-​year-​old Beaches-​area eatery, which relocated from Mayport to its current spot in 2012, is first-​and-​foremost a Cuban restaurant. The menu boasts a wide range of appetizers, soups, salads, pizzas and pastas, sandwiches and wraps, meat– and seafood-​based entrees and rice dishes, with weekend brunch, lunch and dinner service. The dining room is a casual, colorful and modern mix of tables and booths, with a mural of island icons and scenery gracing one long wall.
My review buddy and I stuck to the Cuban side of the menu one recent Tuesday night. For starters, you’ll find a few samplers and combos to mix and match your options.
Our Mambo Combo ($ 8) included two empanadas (choose between beef, chicken or cheese/​guava) and six ham croquettes, or small, fried rolls. We found the empanadas to be flaky and flavorful, at least with the juicy, marinated beef (the chicken filling came across a bit dry). The one-​bite croquettes were easy to love — think breaded hot dog bites – with a tangy, tartar-​like Mambo sauce for easy dipping.
Our other starter, the Coconut Shrimp ($ 9), gave us eight jumbos lightly battered in coconut shavings and served with an excellent, made-​from-​scratch mango sauce. Served cold, it was a refreshing, sweet surprise.
I figure the best yardstick of a Cuban eatery is its Cuban sandwich. Mambos’ interpretation ($ 8.50; add $ 2 for a «deluxe» with double the meat) gives you a healthy stack of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles between slices of soft Cuban bread, baked daily on the premises. Purists may want crispy, crusty bread, but this was melt-​in-​your-​mouth goodness at its best. I opted for a side of yellow rice and black beans ($ 1.99 extra) vs. standard fries. The seasoned beans, with a strong hint of cumin, were excellent.
My friend’s Pollo de Oro, or golden chicken ($ 11.99), consisted of grilled chicken strips, tossed in Cuban spices and cayenne pepper sauce and mixed with red bell peppers. The tender chicken was more sweet than spicy, although each bite gave a nice kick toward the end.
Arias’ mother and restaurant co-​owner, Gisela Arias Quesada, runs the sweets operation. Every Tuesday, she bakes a Tres Leches cake ($ 5.50) that, at least based on our visit, is not to be missed. The sponge cake was light as a cloud and plenty for two. While we didn’t try it, the flan is homemade, too.
Mambos doesn’t run a happy hour, but you’ll find a fair selection of bottled beers (sorry, no crafts here), red and white house wines, a family-​recipe sangria and mimosas for brunch, sodas, juices and Cuban coffee. Lunch specials run weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include rice bowls, personal pizzas and different signature entrées daily ($ 5 – 8.50).
While I can’t speak to its Italian offerings, the high points of our recent trip to Mambos give me plenty of motivation to dig deeper into that side of the menu. I’ll be back.
Mambos Cuban Café & Pizzeria
13 770 Beach Blvd., Intracoastal West
(904) 374‑2046
Type of cuisine: Predominantly Cuban; Italian pizza and pastas available
Hours: Open daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Credit cards: All major accepted
Bar service: Beer and wine
Children’s menu: Yes
Reservations accepted: Yes; recommended for weekends
Catering: Yes
Price range: Appetizers, $ 4 – 18; pizza, $ 7 and up; sandwiches and wraps, $ 8 – 10; entrees, $ 12 – 19; lunch specials, $ 5 – 8.50

I’ve eaten at Mambo’s since they were first on Mayport Road. Coming from South FL, it is hard to find authentic Cuban food in the far reaches of North FL. While I do not think Mambo’s is the BEST Cuban I have had, I will say they have the best I’ve tasted in N FL.

Excellent food and service! Everything we ordered was incredible! Pizza, pasta, pollo, and pork. Thank you Brian!

We’ve been here many times and are always blown away with the quality of the food. Great Cuban cuisine, large portions and fair pieces.
We have so many favorites we’ve taken to the recommendation from our server, and its always spot on.

I was having my car serviced at Tire a Kingdom nearby and my family met me for a Saturday brunch. Now mind you, I had tried to go to Mambos at the beach and service was so slow I left. It has now taken five years to get the courage to give ‘er the old college try. And I am glad I did and so was my family.
My family is not a cookie cutter family, so we all ordered different dishes. My oldest daughter had the Cuban burrito, which she said was well seasoned and cooked to perfection. My wife enjoyed the Cuban Sandwich, which is one of her favorites, so when she declared it a «winner», I knew we were on to something. I tried the Media Noche with plantains and while the sandwich was good, the plantains were the epitome of awesomeness. My youngest had the Cuban quesadilla with a soup, and she was in heaven.
It is close enough for a return visit, even when my car is not being serviced but consider your options. While the food was fabulous, service can get spotty at peak times and our food came out at different times. But the menu and the favors that the kitchen put out will make you think you are in Havana.

Although it took a few minutes for us to get menus and to have a server stop by, the server was attentive thereafter. Apparently there was a communication issue around who the first person to gather the drink order was.
I ordered the Lechon Asado, a pork dish with stewed onions and garlic, which was really good. I chose sweet plantains along with it which were crispy on the edges, sweet, and very delicious. I also had black beans as another side, although it typically comes with white or yellow rice as well. The black beans were great and well seasoned, where I didn’t have to add anything to them. That is rare, as I find black beans are underseasoned for me at most restaurants.
The menu was a little unusual for a cuban restaurant. There were a number of various cuban dishes, and then also plenty of italian offerings of pastas, pizzas, etc. I have never seen that combination before myself. I would like to definitely see more fish offerings, as the seafood entrees were almost all shrimp, which sadly, I cannot eat.
I was very disappointed to see that the ceviche they show as available on their online menu was not actually on the menu in the store. It is one of my favorite things, so if they did have it on the menu, I would most definitely have ordered it.
Overall it was a good experience.

Food was on point. Buuuuuut if you have a large party like we did THEY WILL NOT SPLIT THE CHECK!!! I mean we had friends walking to the ATM. Come on seriously you can’t split a check!!! Terribly annoyed.

I’m going to keep this one short and simple. The food was pretty good. Not the best I’ve had but it is definitely an acceptable option to satisfy my Cuban food cravings. The sandwiches were decent and the croquettes were fantastic. I would honestly go back just to get a bunch of their croquettas. I really didn’t have much to complain about here other than the service being a little slow and our server not being as attentive as we would’ve liked. It wasn’t busy there at all and I couldn’t help but notice a couple walk out for not being helped for a good while after they were seated. I think the servers can use a bit of a talking to about their service, but it’s nothing that would prevent me from stopping in again. Oh, and there is a Ritas right down the street from here which makes me like this place even more lol.

We came to Mambo’s for lunch because we were craving spanish and ended up filled with yummy leftovers too.
We tried the guava and cheese empanadas which were cheesy and not too sweet. My friend had a lunch special chicken wrap and fries which was more than enough. I had the more traditional masitas de puerco fritas which I imagine means fried pork. I got yellow rice, black beans, and sweet plantains. My order was two portions in one. We both had enough to fill us up and leftovers to bring home.
The waiter was very nice and since there was an issue putting in the appetizer in which made it come out after our meal he gave it to us free.
The menu is very large with lots to choose from as well as lunch specials daily. The inside is light and bright with lots of ample seating. I would definitely eat here again.

My coworker recommended that I try out Mambo’s Cuban sandwich because he claims that its the best thing on earth. Ehhhhh, to be honest, I’ve had better sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but it also was plain. My husband had their beef steak sandwich and the meat was dry. I wouldn’t recommend it. Not worth the money.
Their beef empanadas were pretty good though, and their French fries.

Being Venezuelan I’m pretty hard on any kind of Spanish restaurant. This Cuban place is very good. The staff is very nice and knowledgeable. The brunch/​breakfast is a really good deal and includes coffee. It’s a lot of food and it’s delicious. Lunch is cheap and also tasty. They have several options and I really like the Cuban sandwich. The ropa vieja for dinner is really good. You have to get the Mariquitas as an appetizer!!!

The food here is amazing! I would definitely recommend everyone to atleast try this place once. The beef and chicken empanadas are soo good. I personally prefer the chicken because its shredded chicken whereas the beef is ground beef. If they could make the beef empanadas with shreeded beef I think i would love them even more.
My husband got a sandwhich with pork lechon which was very big and very tasty. it had rounds of cooked onion and they defintely did not skimp on the meat. The french fries that came with his plate were also hot and crispy.
I got the pollo mushroom, which was nice and creamy. My husband said it had to much garlic flavor for him but i personally loved it. The chicken was not tough and was sliced thinly which i think allowed it to really absorb the flavor. I also asked for yellow rice instead of white which was nice and soft. The sweet plantains that came with it were also delicious! I ate those all right up and they were sweet and cooked perfectly. The black beans for me personally needed some salt and additional seasoning but thats just me. They do occasionally run out of things on the menu but thats because they make a lot of stuff fresh in house so when its gone, its gone.
They also offer catering and their catering prices are very affordable. I helped a friend get catering from there this past valentines day and the food delivered was gone, completely gone and demolished! I def look forward to continue to support this local business.