Caoba Restaurant & Take Out

Apparently staying for an hour and a half is way too long when there are empty tables. Ridiculous. But I will probably return because the food is amazing. Oh the struggle.

We stopped at Caoba by chance driving up East Ridge rd. The restaraunt and menu are simple as are the dishes but the flavor is anything but that. The meat practically fell off the bone and I came home with half my food and a full belly. I am excited they offer take out and are open late. I will eat there again, and maybe have room for dessert next time.

My fiancé and I saw this restaurant as we were driving by. It’s really one of those «word of mouth» places because I could barely find it online.
The restaurant looks and feels like a home. Its’ very clean and welcoming.
The waitress greeted us with a bowl of warm plantain chips and a flavorful ramekin full of a ketchup/​mayo dipping sauce. A perfect welcome for any hungry soul.
I ordered the Beef mofongo and my fiancé had the Red Snapper dish.
The mofongo was honestly one of the best I’ve had in a long time. What really made it shine was the flavorful sauce that came with it. When you drench the crispy/​mushy mofongo oxymoron combination with this sauce, it’s truly amazing.
My only complaint was the crispy beef. It wasn’t crispy, it was hard and dry. I could barely chew it. No bueno. It should have never been served.
My fiancé really enjoyed the snapper and I was happy with the flavor and tenderness of the fish, as well.
Although the beef was disappointing-​the service, flavors and prices made up for it.
I would definitely eat at Caoba again. O.k. fine I’ve been back twice already. :-)

We tried Caoba with a Groupon and had a fantastic dinner! I had the roasted pork shoulder and my wife had the tilapia stew. Both came with yellow or white rice and beans. The pork was tender and flavorful, and the broth in the stew was beautifully seasoned. We also had fried sweet plantains, which accompanied the somewhat salty main dishes very well. The yellow rice and beans were noteworthy all by themselves, nicely seasoned rice and garlicky beans that were great over the rice. Topped it all off with a generous piece of tres leches cake!
The dining area is spotless, with music that is festive without being overpowering. Our server was very friendly and efficient, and answered all of our questions about the menu. (In fact, our entrees were two that she recommended.) The price was very reasonable, and we have two delicious lunches in the fridge to look forward to!
We’ll definitely be going back, even without a Groupon!

My husband and I went to Caoba to try something different. It was definitely different. First, the menu is sparse, and if you’ve never had Dominican food (like us) it’s kind of a guessing game. The complimentary plantain chips and sauce that were brought were to die for. For entrees, we ordered the chicken stew and a fried pork dish. The chicken stew was made up almost entirely of bones. About ¹⁄₈ of the dish was edible, which was a shame since the sauce it was doused in was pretty delicious. My husbands pork was dry, chewy, and had no flavor. Both dishes came with rice and beans. Apparently you aren’t allowed to substitute the beans, so I ended up ordering a side of «boiled vegetables» which was ½ a bag of heated up frozen broccoli/​carrot/​cauliflower mix with no seasoning or flavor. The dining room had about 4 other tables filled, a shame for a Saturday night dinner service. I’m sure they are going for traditional Dominican fare, but I think if they revamped the menu and food a bit they could do much better. I most likely won’t return.

My boyfriend and I we’re looking for something different for the night other than our usual Wegmans subs, Chipotle, Wendy’s, and Burger King… We thought about some Caribbean food I remembered my sister telling me this Dominican restaurant…
This was the best food we’d ate in months by far. It has a nice atmosphere, cozy yet romantic. TV’s that play music, very clean bathrooms and throughout the entire restaurant…
I was undecided between the Fried Pork Chops or the the Fried Pork, but the waitress made a decision for me and brought me the Fries Pork. My Boyfriend ordered the Peppered Steak. It was so flavorful with just right seasonings. It came with yellow rice, brown beans, with hot sauce…
Now you’ll just have to go and see for yourself.

Following my visits here, the appetizers outshine the entrees and when I have a craving for those items, I’ll be back.
Pastelillos de carne outshine the chicken ones. I recommend them, but make sure you get the ground beef ones! A tasty start! I’ve also had the mofongo with carne frita. If you get the mofongo, ask for the garlic sauce — it helps moisten up the smashed plantains. Otherwise, the dish will be crazy dry. I had it with the carne frita and the meat was tough. I’ve had really great versions of this elsewhere and in Puerto Rico so I know it can be done really well (crispy exterior, tender flavorful interior). This just dish fell flat. I was bummed. The garlic flavor was bold, which I liked in the mofongo. Although overall it was crazy salty. Regardless of what you get, you’ll be sucking down water to rehydrate.
Dishes worth ordering:
— Pastelillos de carnes — similar to empanadas. The beef is flavorful and the crust is buttery and crispy.
— Alcapurrias — fried yuca stuffed with meat
— Mango juice
— Yuca (put an egg on top!) — similar to a baked potato but a little more dense & fibrous
— Tostones w/​tangy ketchup/​mayo dipping sauce
— Red beans & rice
— Ask for the pickled onions too!

This place has turned into our go-​to spot for amazing food since moving to Rochester. Coming from DC where Carribbean cuisine can be found everywhere, we’ve been struggling to find something that measures up here. Caoba delivers on authentic Dominican food and friendly/​fast service. I’m truly shocked that they aren’t more crowded! My husband and I have tried multiple items on the menu and have yet to try something we haven’t liked. My favorites are the steak and onions and the pork shoulder. My husband is a huge fan of the snapper and the octopus mofongo. You’ll likely have enough left to take home, tastes even better the next day, if that’s even possible!

Very welcoming atmosphere and terrific food. We started with the the Pastillos app and it was delicious. Our dinners were generous portions and very reasonably priced. The beans come in a little bowl and were so good — like a yummy bean soup.
You should try this place! It’s sad to think the chain restaurants that serve factory food are busier than this authentic deliciousness .
Go here!

A few month ago, I was craving some mofongo in a serious freaking way. I saw this place had good reviews and called the order in for take out. When I arrived, I snagged the plastic bag, paid the gent, and trotted out the door merrily to my car.
Usually when I do take out, I go ham on it in the car (NOMNOMNOMNOM) but I decided to be a classy gal and drive the 15 minutes home.
About 7 minutes into my drive, my cell phone rings and I illegally answered it. They gave me the wrong order. I could keep the chicken or come back and get my food. Um– I wanted this mofongo. They said they’d have it for me when I return. Around I turned.
7 minutes later, I return. I hand the bag to the hostess and stand there for a few minutes while people move around. I see her hand a plastic bag to a table.
I ask the manager where my food is. She pulled the hostess and found out she had given my order away TWICE.
I just didn’t understand– how could that happen TWICE? Why couldn’t they get it back?
I asked for a refund. The manager just handed me a twenty out of the register (my meal was about $ 17 with tax and tostones). She also gave me a gift certificate to come back.
I usually don’t refuse free money but I don’t think I can ever go back there. It was absolutely insane.

Went with a groupon to try. Very quaint place. Mufango was delicious as was dulche de leche cake. Would definitely go back. Try it. Different from other restaurants in the area. Support local businesses.

My brother and I live in Irondequoit. We pass by Caoba Dominican chicken almost every single day, our schedules however had made it very difficult for us go to the restaurant.
When we finally found a day conducive to the both of us, we realized that the place was closed on mondays and tuesdays :-(;-(
Then luck shined on us and on thursday we were both seated inside the restaurant for once, instead of our car outside complaining about how we never find time to visit the place.
The ambience inside is excellent, the restaurant is not very huge but it is nicely furnished and the lighting is great.
One problem is with the door to the mens restroom which needs a certain degree of force to push open :-) A couple of patrons including yours truly thought the restroom was occupied cause of this :-P
We were treated to delicious plaintain chips and garlic sauce moments after we entered (please dont fill up on these, no matter how tempting it may seem).
For starters we ordered beef patties which were great alongwith alcapurrias de yuca (stuffed casava coated in batter and fried) which was just okay.
For the main course my brother had the mofongo with fried beef both of which were tasty.
I on the other hand went for the baked chicken with yellow rice and beans, which were as expected.
We topped it off with the three milk cake, except for the cinnamon powder sprinkled on top. (I personally dont like cinnamon a lot, so if you dislike it too, scrape it off the top as our waitress told me in a very sweet way).
You should definitely give this place a visit.

I’ve ordered take out from here a few times and come in person once. The dishes are consistent and more home style Dominican, but yummy nonetheless. Everything is good but my personal favorites are the mofongo con carne frita and the sopa de camarones. In general, it’s nice to see a good Dominican spot besides D’Mangu in Rochester (and the other random spots). Overall, I’ve had good experiences here.

I went here with high hopes… but left very disappointed. A large group of us ordered several items and I was able to try several things. Here are my experiences.
Tostones (fried green plantains) — Good, but a little dry. Remind me of steak fries. Served with a garlic-​ketchup-​mayo mixture which is delightful.
Pastelillos de Carne (Beef patty/​Empanada) — Good… but filling was kinda sparse
Pastelillos de Pollo (Chickenpatty/​Empanada) — ok… filling is lacking, very sparse
Yuca– So good! Make sure to ask for the Pickled Onions and 2 eggs
Pernir Asado (roasted pork shoulder) — DRY
Carne de Res Frita (fried Beef Meat) — So DRY and CHEWY… a leather show would be better
Carne de Cerdo (Fried pork meat) — Worse than the fried beef
Pescado Frito (Fried Red Snapper) — Good, but has a «fishy» after taste
Mofongo con Camarones (fried mashed plantain with garlic) Really the only thing worth orderin (besides the Yuca). The garlic sauce that the shrimp were swimming in was so good. But, the mashed plantain tower was dry.
Sorry Caoba. maybe it was an off evening?

The staff here was super friendly and the food was amazing! I tried the fried pork and enjoyed ever crispy tender bite. It came with yellow rice and beans that were also very good. I had considered a side of fried yucca and am glad I didn’t because for $ 12 I had a great dinner and have enough left for lunch tomorrow so you definitely get a great value here.

My experience here was delightful! The décor is clean and simple. Very open and pleasant.
My bf and I ordered the pastelitos for appetizers. They were 3 big empanada like pastries. Very flaky and nicely seasoned! They also gave us complimentary plantain chips with a good dipping sauce.
For entrée I had the beef steak with yellow rice. The steak was thin… though it did cover half the plate. A bit salty for me but still nicely seasoned. My bf had the Mofongo con pollo. OMG was this dish amazing! I was secretly jealous… but he shared nicely. The plantain rice and chicken mixed so nicely together its unbelievable. The portions were pretty decent size too.
We are definitely coming back here :)

We went for dinner on a quiet Sunday evening. Loved the complimentary plantain chips and mayo ketchup, we snacked on these while waiting for our empanadas we ordered to start off the meal. The empanadas were crispy and the filling well seasoned, very good. For entrees we had the roast pork/​pernil and the steak, both served with yellow rice and beans, very flavorful and delicious! The portions are huge, I had lunch for the next day. Hoping to return and try some other dishes soon!

OmNomNom! I love me some Latin Caribbean food! Caoba throws down when it comes to authentic island cuisine. There was a warm wave of nostalgia with every bite.
I was warmly greeted and seated. Then to my surprise I was presented with complimentary yummy homemade plantain (green) chips served with zesty mayo — reminiscent of thousand island dressing. JUST like my grandparents used to make me! I am Boricua/​Puerto Rican in case you missed my rice & beans face.
This girlfriends day was off to a great start!
Appetizers!
Jan ordered Tostones (mashed and fried green plantains, $ 2.95) that were also served with the zesty mayo. These were large enough to share with more than 2 people. I went with the Pastelillos de Carne (beef patty/​empanada, 3/​$ 6). These were big in size compared to the «empanadas» or beef patties found around town. For a sit down restaurant I found that they were worth every penny.
Entrees:
All entrees come with habichuelas guisadas (stewed beans) and your choice of white rice (long grain) or yellow rice. I cannot begin to express how tasty these beans are. My soul was profoundly aching at the taste of every morsel. It felt like I was being wrapped in a warm blanket of love and comfort. Oh crap, I am writing a review not a tear jerking novel!
Jan had the Bistec Encebollado (steak and onions, $ 12.95) with yellow rice. The steak was huge compared to what I was used to as a child.
I went with the Pollo Guisado (chicken stew, $ 8.95!!!) with white rice. The chicken was beautifully tender! I got drum stick and thigh pieces. They were moist and succulent, naturally because they used the best parts of the chicken (IMFO, in my fatty opinion). The broth wasn’t thick unlike american stews, but rather super savory that balances best with the white rice –mhmhmhm, just like the beans! Though it did not have any potatoes, or at least none were served to me, it did not damper the dish for me.
My only complaint about the chicken stew was that I found a lot of bone pieces, probably attributed to the cutting/​quartering the chicken. So one has to be careful when eating. Hopefully they improve on that. For now, no indulging! Also for those that are like me, and do not eat the chicken skin or the fatty parts in a stew, they are left on so you have to pick them out.
Dessert:
Naturally we went with the Flan de Huevo (egg custard, $ 3.95). I also have to mention that this is made with cream cheese as well, so it is not that Goya jelly like caramel custard flan that most places in Rochester serve. This is better… homemade-​better-​with-​a-​maraschino-​cherry-​on-​top! (I hate them, but it works in this case)
I will definitely be paying Caoba another visit. I am looking forward to trying some Seafood Mofongo (mashed plantains with garlic)! Hopefully they add fried cheese to the menu because it makes the mofongo that much tastier!

Yum yum yum. Definitely a must try. My bf says it’s pretty close to authentic food from the Dominican.
Caoba is hidden from E. Ridge Road, but it’s right next to KFC across from the old Medley Center. The dining area looks spacious, clean and simple. If you’re a Romeo Santos fan then it’s the place to be because his videos were jamming (lightly) on two flat screens. I had to resist the urge to flash some Zumba moves. I should’ve to keep warm because it was chilly inside.

The flavors were so delightful and the portions were big. The tostones (fried green plantains) were like two orders compared to D’Mangu. There were three regular sized empanadas for the appetizer when I expected mini sized. Also, they give complimentary plantain chips with dipping sauce to munch on.
I ordered the steak and onions from the carne section. The steak was thin, cooked to order, and seasoned well with the onions. It also was the size of half the plate! Leftovers for me :) The yellow rice was flavorful and included some pinto beans. It put a smile on my face when I saw my cup of beans that were full of… beans! The flan is mixed with custard so it’s more sturdy. The sweetness was well balanced and not overwhelming. I had a taste of the chicken stew which melted in my mouth. Overall, the food was delicious.
The service was friendly and responsive. The waiter told me that their family restaurant has been open since October 2014. I wish them the best of luck because I’ll be coming here for my Dominican fix.

So far, so good
I ordered the fried pork with yellow rice and beans
The yellow rice didn’t have that scary orange glow color that I hate, it was actually natural looking!
The pork was well seasoned, although a little chewy, and the beans were flavorful but needed a bit of salt. The rice also needed a little salt.
But for $ 10.00 it was a solid meal to go.
The restaurant itself looked clean and well lit, and the service was friendly, although not very fast.
Will definitely order from here, considering how close they are from my house!