Taino’s Caribbean Fusion

Wanted to try something new, shrimp mufungo was amazing, guiso rice w black beans did not disappoint, fresh side salad good break for the rich dish, def recommend this place

Saw pictures of this place on Unilocal and remembered a cruise we took one year that went through Puerto Rico. The one regret I had while we were there was not being able to stop somewhere and get something to eat so of course when I saw this on Unilocal,and saw the amazing photos, I decided me and the hubby were going here for lunch.
As soon as we walked through the door you were immersed in several fragrant and delicious aromas so I was excited. The waitress walking around asked us to just pick a table so we sat down at one and she quickly brought us silverware and menus and asked us what she could get us to drink. We didn’t see any choices on the menu so we ordered waters to start while we looked at the rest of the menu to see what to order for lunch. (They do offer beer and some other drinks that I saw in a cooler case by the wall but there’s no mention of drink choices on the menu so I assume it’s something you can ask your waitress about and they can tell you what’s available.)
The menu is very simple and to the point. One page, front and back. Since I had already looked at pictures on Unilocal earlier I already had an idea of what I wanted. I just needed to know how it was set up and look at the other choices that were available. I ended up ordering the tostones with pernil. The meal came with 5 tostones with pernil meat on top. I saw photos of a salad on Unilocal but there were no salads on the menu so I asked the waitress if I could have one and she said she’d get them to make me one. My husband went with the churrasco dinner with chimmi churri sauce. It came with your choice of red or black beans and your choice of white or Spanish rice.
As we waited for our food it gave us time to talk and look around at our surroundings. The restaurant in not very big, probably around 12 – 15 tables, with a few seats at the counter where the cash register and the small kitchen line are located. (kinda reminds me of a Waffle House set up) Behind us was a door that lead to a small patio and beside us on the wall were several newspaper articles about the restaurant and the couple who own it that were very interesting.
It did take us a while to get our food but our waitress kept checking on us to make sure we didn’t need anything and we weren’t in a hurry so it was ok. There were several other people in the restaurant that day and I only saw two cooks on the line. What impressed me while I watched the cooks work the line was how the main cook took care and precision on every plate he put food on. I watched as he strategically placed freshly prepared items on each plate and carefully looked at the plate wiping away anything that shouldn’t be there, turning each plate, and making sure it looked pristine before sending it out. You could tell he was a man who took pride in his food.
We finally got our meals and we were ready to eat. My meal had 5 flattened tostones with pernil meat on top and a small side salad. The flavors of my meal were good. The only thing I thought that could have made it better was that maybe the meat could have been a little bit juicier. Eating the meat and the tostones together made for a pretty dry mouthful that called for several gulps of water to wash it completely down. There was a little bit of sauce on the plate that I used but it wasn’t enough. The salad was pretty simple. Lettuce, a slice of tomato and a slice of egg with a bit of dressing. My husbands plate was excellent. The meat was nice and tender and the black beans mixed with the Spanish rice were a great combination.
When we finished, our waitress came and cleared off our plates and asked us if we’d like dessert. Again, there is nothing on the menu so I asked her what they had. She mentioned that they had a tres leche cake and three types of flan. (vanilla, chocolate and I can’t remember the third) I had seen several other customers getting the cake, which was a huge slice, so we opted for two pieces of cake. She brought those out to us and what can you say… it’s cake!!! It was good. Not too sweet it had whipped cream frosting on the outside and I believe a ribbon of strawberry jam inside. It would have been great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but what isn’t great when it’s accompanied by a scoop of ice cream?
Anyways, we enjoyed our lunch and dessert and I was glad that we had finally stopped by to try out this little gem. Our meals were good, we were satisfied and we ate cake. I can now mark this restaurant off my long list of restaurants to try and go search for my next culinary adventure…

Jerk Chicken was dry as leather. He should use dark meat or marinade the breasts and not overcook. Atmosphere is cafeteria like. Waitress very friendly. Chef was not friendly.
Several other customers ordered dishes that looked appetizing and I will give this place one more shot. Definitely has promise and glad diverse ethnic foods are taking root in Tulsa.

I am surprised by the 5 star rating this place has. My boyfriend and I found it to be lackluster. The food was eh, in my opinion. Not bad, some of it was good, I guess. Nothing I felt compelled to eat again. Décor was eh. Server and service was good but the menu was really weird, took a lot of explaining on the server’s part. There was a young child running around in the kitchen while we were there. While I love a family atmosphere, this seemed like some kind of health code violation. Overall I don’t think I’ll be back.

I was a little hesitant at first. Not many cars and only one table at lunch time, but we decided not to judge the book by its cover and I’m glad we did. The food was absolutely amazing. Everything we had was full of flavor. This is one of those hidden gems in Tulsa. Highly recommend if you like Cuban inspired food and still recommend if you don’t.

Wow! I think Taino’s may be Tulsa’s beat kept secret. While the place isn’t much to look at, it is clean and intimate. The food though is worthy of a five star resort. I had the park shoulder over the Spanish style rice, black beans, and the mashed & fried plantains. Everything was delicious. I will certainly be coming back.
The staff was friendly and very helpful. Nice Caribbean music playing in the background makes me want to go South and sit on a white Sandy beach.
If you are near 51^st and Memorial at lunch or dinner time, please stop in. This restaurant is very good and I want them to succeed.

disclaimer: i have never been to the caribbean and don’t know what authentic flavors should taste like but this place was phenomenal. we ordered the shrimp mofongo which came with a side of salad and pernil (a slow roasted pork dish on a bed of rice and beans and a side of plantains). every item of the dishes were cooked to perfection and every bite was so good. i cannot say enough about the flavors. we got these to go and the dishes were still good til the last bite. i’m only in town for a few days but will visit this place as many times as i can before leaving.

Great and delicious authentic Caribbean food that I didn’t expect to find in Tulsa! It’s also a great bargain with wonderful plating.

Would love to give it a five star, because the food really was worth five stars. But there were several things that took away from the experience. I’m pretty sure it’s a new restaurant that used to be a hookah bar. Well I know it was because there’s still decorations on the windows and in the store from the hookah bar. kinda tacky. The sever bless her heart was so sweet but she had absolutely no knowledge of the menu. And I mean no knowledge of it. Soo. How the experience went. We got in and got sat. Got the drinks. The menu was very plain and had no details of anything. So we wanted to ask the server about the entrées and she couldn’t tell us anything. But then she said they have a picture menu that we could use but it was at another table… We had to wait 20 minutes for the menu. Like really you don’t have more than 2 of these menus. And it honestly wasn’t even that helpful. We ordered the food and it came out looking great, and it was! The beef was a little chewy. But the rice and plantains sooo good. All in all we sat there for 2 HOURS. And there was no wait.
Food: Amazing
Atmosphere: Needs improvement
Service: Needs improvement

Read the reviews here and went; simple as that. We were not disappointed. Service was charming, helpful, and guided us to some delicious options. Really lovely food, nicely seasoned, and presented. We’ll be back.

I keep finding all the best gems in town! The food here goes above and beyond, the service is friendly and attentive, the portions huge! The server took the time to explain each dish, taking time to check with the chef on my dietary sensitivities. The food was presented beautifully and the chef even came out to speak with us. My husband was upset about ONE thing; I totally won at date night!

Let me warn you first. I’m a complete dummy on Carribean, Puerto Rican, or Cuban cuisine. So I don’t try to pretend I know this time. Here in Tulsa, because of all the great reviews, I would like to give it a try.
First of all, I missed the restaurant driving north on Memorial. I’m new in Tulsa, so I quickly forgive myself. When I walked in the restaurant, an aroma hit my nose.
After studying menu intensely, I decided on a shrimp mofongo (with the help of the waitress). It was great! The shrimp was fresh and nicely charred and grilled. With the garlic sauce on top, it was like something made in heaven. Very flavorful and delicious. As to the mofongo, it looked a small cake of meshed potatoes. But there were no potatoes, only plantains, which are essentially non-​sweet bananas. I could taste the chunky plantains, some bits of pork, etc. It was very tasty, and I liked it very much. I also enjoyed the Caribbean music while I ate. Quite relaxing.
The décor is pretty homey. Very simple decoration. Nothing fancy. It’s a family-​run restaurant. All the wait staff is very friendly. They all asked us how we liked the food. Probably, we looked oriental, and they wanted to make sure we were okay with the food from another part of the world.
The food is very fairly priced. You definitely get what you pay for. Overall, the décor is 4-​star, and the food is 5-​star. Since there is non 4.5, I would give it a 5 to encourage people like us to try Caribbean cuisine.

So, I’ll keep it short, the food is well seasoned, nicely presented and, most importantly, delicious. I was happy to see a short and simple menu, with just the right amount of variety. The place isn’t much to look at but had a relaxed vibe inside and friendly waiters.
Only reason I can’t give 5 stars was slow service when it came time to take my order and a pretty weak iced tea. Otherwise, totally worth a visit!
Revised: 5 stars, in retrospect, I worked a late day and was hungrier than normal which made the wait seem long If I had friend along with me I wouldn’t have noticed.

The food was amazing! I got the house speciality which was a seafood type soup. Most definitively worth it. I have never had this type of food before. Glad I ventured into this place and gave it a shot. Please come try it — you’ll be happy you did.
My waitress was very sweet and a joy to have as my server. The chef served my food which felt very special for me!
Pricing is very reasonable as is the quantity of food given. I couldn’t even finish it.

Great food, the hype is real, great flavors that I haven’t had in other restaurants in Tulsa

Jerk chicken mofongo. Churrasco with chimichurri sauce. Both were really good. Tostones, black beans (chosen over red beans), and guisao rice (chosen over white?) came with the churrasco and were the highlight of the entrée, actually. Gotta go back and try other stuff. That mofongo was fab. I’d probably not choose either meat next time. Maybe pernil. The server was incredibly nice. Can’t wait for my next trip!

The restaurant is a family run business by a former professional baseball player originally from Puerto Rico. Simple, easy, Caribbean fusion restaurant with basic ingredients and complex flavors. The food was brought out in a timely manner and the owner stopped by to chat multiple times during my visit. I ate the pernil mofongo with achiote spiced rice and beans. The salsa and meringue music playing made me feel like I was in the Caribbean. I fully recommend this gem in Tulsa to anyone passing through.

The food was literally the most delicious food that I’ve ever eaten. The service after our order was taken was almost non-​existent but the food was SO good, that they get 5 stars despite that.

A marvelous meal full of flavor!
The waitress made me feel like a regular. She talked to me as if I were her friend, and I felt very welcomed. You can watch the chef cook, and if you sit at the bar, he will converse with you.
I had the Jerk Chicken Mofongo. It was both flavorful and spicy. I highly recommend it!

I had the jerk chicken and it was amaaaaaaaazing! I’m originally from NYC so I’ve had the pleasure to eat all different cultures of food. I felt like I was at a friends abuelos house. The food is authentic and delicious. I’m sooooo glad there are places like this in Tulsa now.
Do yourself a favor and get the bread pudding it’s wonderful.