Mambo Tea House

Parking is tough,
I went in for take-​out, I was in the mood for some good Spanish food.
The servers are very nice.
The place is BYOB and every other thrusday they have a live band which one day i might check out .
My order:
2 orders -«Vaca Frita» (pan fried meat) 1: with white rice and black beans and the other came with Moro (rice and black beans mixed)
&
«Masita de Cerdo» (fried pork chunks) with Tostones (fried banana).
First I have to agree with the majority of the reviewers, The Menu is OVER PRICE I paid 55 $
The Vaca Frita was horrible:
First it was very very thinly shredded packed in a small container.
2^nd, The meat tasted and had a fish smell. Either the chef mixed the fired meat in dirty old oil or the meat was old. Some of the meat also looked dry and burnt (I had to throw it all out).
The white rice: dry, needed some salt
The black beans were very good and fresh.
The Moro was dry and didn’t have flavor
«Masita de Cerdo», also a small order. it Wasn’t properly fried. It was like pieces of «Pernil» (pork shoulder).
The chef put a white sauce over the pork chunks. It tasted better than what it looked.
The «tostones», was like eating card board, I had to throw them out
Overall the only thing that was good was the «Masita de Cerdo «however it was a small portion & overpriced,
Its sad, the place has a lot of potential but its over price for the quality and amount of food you receive.
You can get better food for at least half the price all over Bergenline ave in Union City, North Bergen, west New York or in Passaic.

Place is very nice well decorated. Ordered the Cuban mini bites and they were delicious. Empanadas were good too and big compared to other empanada apps elsewhere. Got the Pernil Asado and it lacks a little flavor… Will have to try other dishes next time. One very good hung it’s BYOB!!!

Great place. Good food. Parking a bit of a pain but found a spot on the side streets. Servers seem to lack the ability to smile and be friendly but maybe they are just having a bad day. Overall it is ok.

Wow how much Rutherford changed, like to start off park avenue used to be a ghost town… now it’s what I wish it was when I schooled at felician college… the place looks beautiful, difficult finding parking around there (suprised)…as I walked in i was sat at a booth with chair seating right as you walk in to the left… you know how I do I already knew what I wanted even though I browsed the menu a bit… I went during lunch and to your surprise yes being I used to go to school around there years back… the vibe of the town changed for the better! this restaurant was pretty busy as a good restaurant should… the waitress I had was Pedro, but I was served by the lady at the front who was super awesome …I went with the beef steak, onions, and arroz Moro… and the Caribbean shrimp fried rice… ehh portions were kids meal like but I get it, Cuban restaurant in Rutherford but if I paid for the large (18 $) and it was such a child like portion I would not even want to know what would the smaller version look like… YIKES…okay my only real rant is with the Caribbean shrimp fried rice, it is not that it comes with tostones… the problem I had was they still incorporated maduros (sweet plantains) in the fried rice… I mean how about replacing it with pineapple or maybe crispy pork… after few bites I asked for the rest to go! it kind of put me off like toooooo much plantains! And for that dish being 17.50 $ wayyyy over priced to me for the meal itself … I hate to talk about pricing cause I’ll pay, idc as long as it’s delicious but it really wasn’t the you get what you pay for vibe. I just felt I overpaid for okay fried rice with lacking ingredients that would make it Caribbean… it wasn’t as satisfying as the bistec de palomila I had eaten before hand… all in all I would go back if I had a date maybe? but YES id stear from the Caribbean shrimp fried rice as a choice, it was a let down to me… thank me later! .great service with so so food… I was going to put three stars because I don’t really do bad reviews and I hate hate hate staring any place low, it’s just I feel it wasn’t worth a 40 $ meal combined.

I’ve visited Mambo Tea House in the past for lunch specifically for the $ 7 to-​go lunch special. I never had a problem. The service was always quick. This time I am afraid I can’t say the same thing. I Called just before lunch at 1145am to order for my co workers and I. Nobody answered the first time around. I called a second time and I asked to place an order for pick up ! The guy on the phone, whose name is unknown, told me
That they don’t open until
3pm! When did this happen? Why does their menu say open 11: am to 9:30 pm if that is not the case ?! I told the guy why If the menu says open at 11am. He just told me that the owner sent an email stating that today they will open at 3? If that is not terrible customer service than I don’t know what is. How do you expect to keep your customers if you are closed during random times of the day, especially during lunch .
Mambo tea house, it is only a matter of time until
Another Cuban spot opens in the area.

I’ve been here several times and it never disappoints. Great food and service. The owner is very sweet and attentive. I love that they’ll mix sangria for you if you bring your own wine (the whole town is dry so it’s BYOB). I’ve had the cuban sandwich, a grilled chicken dish and bistec palomilla — all very good. Very cool atmosphere inside as well. Ironically, I’ve never tried the tea.

I’ve been multiple times and it never disappoints.
Get the Caribbean Shrimp Friend Rice and Empanadas!
The owner is lovely and accommodating!
BYOB!

Went because the name was unusual– food was good. I wish they had a liquor license though. sangria that has no liquor is kind of weird.
The food was good. the croquetas were excellent. done with panko instead of the usual bread crumbs, the yuca fries were great and the empanadas were good but not great. The arroz con pollo was excellent and so was my churrasco. I was a little disappointed in the dessert. coconut flan was basically a regular flan with some coconut on top. really?
Service was slow and it took a while for the guy to come back to us. The fact that no bread was served, nothing at first. Usually at Cubans they either do bread or plantain chips. that would have been a nice plus.

I don’t like writing negative reviews, but the truth needs to be told. Visited Mambo Tea House on a Wednesday. We started by not getting any bread, an annoyance, especially if you walk in hungry.
Appetizer:
Shrimp and crab croquettes
They were so bland and devoid of any flavor. Pure stuffing. Not one bite of actual shrimp or crab… not even imitation crab.
Entrée: Palomilla steak
Another disappointment. This is traditionally
a thin cut of steak, but our steak had anorexia.
The seasoning was not traditional. A foreign nation invaded this dish and it wasn’t at all Cuban.
Sides: White rice & black beans
There goes that «bland» word again– this time the beans. A Cuban restaurant with lacklustre beans, sad.
Sides: Moro
These were super dry and hard with an excess of cumin seasoning.
Drinks: canned Materva Soda
The shining star of the evening. Simply delicious.
Too bad they didn’t make it.
The highlight of our dining experience at Mambo Tea House was parking right in front of the restaurant. Will not be returning.

Took my sweet love to celebrate his birthday and treat him to his favorite meal, Ropa Vieja. While the food was good, I’ve had better. Actually, I make better. Highly priced for the quality and lack of Cuban authenticity. The name of the place leaves much to be desired.

Absolutely loved this place. It took awhile for us to try it which was our mistake.
The food and service were very good. The resturant is kind of funky but feels intimate.
The music was really good but our single complaint was the music was just too loud.
We couldn’t talk. We couldn’t hear the waitress.
All and all we really enjoyed this resturant. Just wish the music was turned down a bit.

Just ordered take out and am devouring the best pumpkin soup I’ve ever tasted. Seriously, try it. The pernil is also amazing! My boyfriend ate most of it before I could get my hands on some!
I’ve also dined in the restaurant before and have been equally as pleased. The service and food is always great, coupled with its island ambiance, mambo keeps me coming back. Even if I’m just ordering in.

So I was really excited to come here because I LOVE Cuban food. The restaurant is very cute and cozy. I love the way they have the place set up. On the other hand the food is not great. Like at all… I ordered a skirt steak and it tasted like hamburger meat. Yes I said it. Hamburger meat. And it was 28 $ I’ve had better steak at Noches De Colombia in Montclair for half the price. I was extremely disappointed. Also had garlic shrimp. They were «ok». Nothing special. I had the Tres leches cake for dessert and that was the ONLY item that was satisfying. I’m sure they buy it and don’t make it so that’s probably why. I’m giving 2 star because of the tres leches cake saving this places ass. They are over priced and over rated. I will not be returning here anymore.

Went for dinner with my sister and we had a groupon coupon. We brought wine and had it added to the virgin sangria. As appetizers we had the empanada one chicken one beef shells were good, the filling was tasty were served with an excellent sauce of sour cream, cilantro and garlic. We also had croquettes which were also good.
I had the shrimp fried rice (excellent with pieces of mango and maduros) my sister had the Chicken with rice and beans. both were good.
Service was good, Total bill came to over $ 50 (a bit pricey) but with the groupon (paid 15 for 30 discount) It was reasonable. I will return one day for their early dinner specials and try that out too soon.

Came back for more, and frankly, I think it was better than last time. A busy Friday night, but the wait was reasonable, about 15 minutes.
My sweety ordered the ceviche special, empanadas, fried plantains, while I ordered the vaca frita with moro.
The beef was crispy, pan fried, shredded. It was delicious. Her ceviche and empanadas were outstanding. The fried plantain chips were great.
One more time, apparently, I love Cuban food! Great times at mambo!

Came here on recently for my birthday celebration with some good friends and the food was delicious. We had ordered some appetizers: strawberry mango salad, beef empanadas, shrimp and crab stuffed balls (sorry forgot what it’s called). Then dinner, we ordered and shared steak meal with black rice and beans, tilapia with white rice and veggies. The dinner meal were decent. For dessert, I had Cuban tiramisu and it was ok.
The service is friendly. Parking is metered off street. I would come back again to try other dishes. Recently, I found that they are also on groupon and u get literally 50% off your meal.

Cute place, terrible service so we decided to walk out. First time for me. We paid for what was served.
We arrived shortly after 7pm. The menu looked great and the ppl around us who received their food seemed to be enjoying their meals. We ordered the following apps for dinner: Plantain chips with mojo sauce additional guacamole, avocado salad, shredded beef stuffed in plantain cups, fried pork bites and mussels. An hour later and only after getting up from our seat to get the attention of our server who was one of two servers, we finally got our plantain chips and guacamole absent of mojo sauce. We waited another ten min, paid cash, walked out and just opted to eat at a bar nearby.

Well this place has certainly gotten better since my first time for dinner. Way better.
Stopped in a week or so ago and ordered two entrees for me and hubby as well as the plantains and mojo. Love me the mojo!
Plantains were fresh fried and delicious.
Hubby had the bistec palomilla and I had masitas de puerco. My pork dish was extremely tender and oh so flavorful. The steak was tender and tasty and juicy. Which juicy is hard to do in this cut.
Mightily impressed with the dishes overall.

GROUPON
caribbean shrimp fried rice mango coconut
tres leches cake — killer
shrimp garlic empanadas huge!
first time having a shirley temple
free plantains with Unilocal check-​in
oooooh, oolong teas galore!
EXPENSIVE
So that was my draft. I think it speaks for itself. I can flesh this out further to say that even with a groupon, it was pricy. They do give you A LOT of food. I took most of my dinner home. I loved the ambiance and décor. Service was excellent. Highly recommend the tres leches cake and sampling one of their oolong teas — fresh, mild, delicious. You can even buy a tin of your favorite loose tea from them.
Save your money and definitely go and enjoy!

Came here with some friends on a Friday night with reservations. We felt rushed for the better part of our dinner. Overly salted food all-​around, dry moro, and $ 10 for a pitcher of sangria mix (minuscule amount of fruit, ice, and juice). Come on.
The kicker was when were presented with the dessert menu seconds after we finished our dinner. We asked if we could sit for a little bit first, and we were met with a very half-​hearted smile. We were then presented with the check before we had a chance to even order dessert. We flagged down our server to order some flan and it arrived very quickly, along with the check. After finishing dessert and talking for a little bit, the manager (I presume) curtly informed us that he needed our table for another party. You can have the table forever sir, because we’re not coming back.