Coco Palm Express

CLOSED! As in, SHUT DOWN! Their last day was October 8, 2014. So now your only choices for Cuban Sandwiches are the OG Coco Palms in Pomona, and maybe Baja Ranch Market on Citrus in Covina. There might be other locations so please let me know where else to go for those.
RIP Coco Palms Express! =(

First time here, stopped by after a busy afternoon running errands in West Co. I used to work valet at the Coco Palm restaurant and night club in Pomona so seeing this brought back memories and ultimately decided to try it.
There was no line so we were helped out promptly. All their food was on display on a steam table and it was tough to pick what I wanted for my combo. I ended up going with lechón, which is slow roasted pork, black beans, friend plantains, and moros, a black bean and rice dish. My wife got the parsley rice, Peruvian beans, ropa vieja which is shredded beef cooked with vegetables and a tomato wine sauce, and the friend plantains. I added a potato ball as well. We were given generous portions and paid less than $ 20 for the both of us.
The meat entrées were very juicy and tasted fresh, the rice was not overcooked, and the beans were soupy and tender. As for fried plaintains, I’ve never really liked them but my goodness they were so delicious! I gobbled them up.
Overall I was very satisfied with the food, the price especially for the amount we got, and service was great. We’ll definitely be coming back, I know I will for sure. They offer online ordering and phone orders too. I can pick up an awesome lunch without the wait. 4 stars because the potato ball wasn’t as good as I expected.

I love trying different foods and one of my fellow employees recommended this place to me. Glad I took his suggestion because I really enjoyed the meal. Definitely beats the typical mall foods.
The worker that helped me was really kind when I told him it was my first time here and he offered me samples of the most popular dishes.

Just found out about this place when on a quest for dinner at the mall. Thanks to the movie «Chef», this cuban restaurant was chosen for thy hungry belly. The cubano was okay but their fried rice and pulled beef were pretty good. Will definitely come back again soon!

OX Tails on Sunday’s.
Don’t ask me why I decided to try OX tails at this place for my first time ever eating them. But, by surprise — they were really good. Full of flavor and the meat almost fell off the bone.

This place is amazing! I have tried various samples of all their main dishes, but for some reason I have to get the ceviche bowl. It’s so good and the price is great as well. It comes with chips. I will continue to eat here at least once a week. And another plus– they have inka cola!

AVID fan of the main Coco Palms Restaurant.
This is absolutely the same food and flavors you get in the Restaurant at about ¹⁄₃ or less of the cost. You like the Cuban food, this stuff is worth the stop… OH heck, it is in the Mall, well nothing else in that Food Court even comes close.
Favorite dish is the Pork… the Ropa Vieja is really good, but this day it was kind of cool not piping hot. However, you are in a food court setting.
Overall, this is a must if in the Mall and you are going to eat !

Had a craving for a Cubano sandwich ever since we saw the movie ‘Chef’ and the first place I normally think of is Portos, but with Coco Palm Express in the mall I can just jump on the fwy for a couple of exits and satisfy my craving…
They do it right making the sandwiches to order using a sandwich press called a plancha grill which is kinda like a panini press without the ridges. It’s made up of sliced smoked ham, roast pork, swiss cheese, pickles, and sweet mustard. I was craving this and they did a decent job but I won’t lie: I like Portos version better. The bread is probably fresher for one, and the ham was ordinary like pressed deli ham; not too bad though for something that I probably held up on a pedestal though…
I was also drawn to the Arroz con Pollo which had a nice saffron hue to it, it had nice chunks of white and dark meat chicken in it with sauteed bell peppers and sliced onions, and petite peas for color. The rice was fluffy and full of flavor with just the right liquid ratio so its not mushy nor do you have hard grains. I would have been satisfied with just a rice bowl portion but I was persuaded to go for an entrée combo whereby I would get a choice of meat, beans, and side on a plate for only $ 1 more…
So I wound up getting a Lechon combo and substituting the arroz con pollo for regular rice. The pulled pork was delicious, moist with just the right amount of fat per morsel. They slow cook the pork shoulder which was marinated overnight for 6 hours using their own orange-​garlic recipe. Reminds me of one of John Leguizamo’s scenes in the movie where he’s prepping the pork on the truck, I’m salivating like a foodie just thinking about it…
The Black Beans were good, even better when you dip the pulled pork in the sauce to combine the flavors. The fried potatoes were disappointing, overly salted, stick to the sweet plantains which are better…
You shouldn’t prejudice against CPE for being in the mall; to the contrary, its easier to get some pretty good food without having to go to the Coco Palm Restaurant in Pomona proper. These guys are easily the best choice in the food court on the 2^nd floor of the mall…
Probably four stars if I had to compare it to a Portos but they deserve five stars for what I had and their breadth of offerings without resorting to the rigmarole of some of the other sit-​down restaurants closeby…

I’m not sure what is so great about the food, but maybe my palette isn’t developed enough to enjoy the little nuisances of good Cuban food.
Coco Palm Express is located in the food court of the West Covina Plaza. Entering into the food court, it was the most intriguing eating establishment there. I was told the food is good and the portion sizes are big versus the price and I would have to agree.
My love and I shared a two entrée combo that includes your choice of rice, beans, and sweet plantains. For our choice of entrees we decided on the ropa vieja (shredded beef, onions, bell peppers, and garlic in a tomato wine sauce) and the lechón (pulled, roasted pork shoulder marinated overnight and slow cooked for 6 hours). For our choice of rice, we chose the arroz con pollo (saffron chicken rice).
The ropa vieja was flavorful, but the tomato wine sauce overpowered some of the other tastes associated with the beef. The lechón was decent, but I felt like it was missing something. The arroz con pollo could have been better. The rice was very dry stand alone but perfect since you eat it along side the meats of your choosing which are very moist. The chicken chunks in the arroz con pollo was overcooked and difficult to eat.
Even though my first attempt at this place was not stellar, I will try it again with completely new flavors as their menu looks to have a lot of different mouth-​watering foods to satisfy anyone’s tastes. Overall, good food and portion sizes for whenever you feel like eating something different.

I’m grateful for Coco Palm Express because now I can get decently-​priced Cuban food without going to Downey and for blowing all the other food court options at this mall out of the water.
The ropa vieja and shrimp plates are excellent, and so are the croquetas and potato balls — you can go no wrong here.

I can’t believe this is mall food! It is very yummy and flavorful. I really enjoyed it. You can get 1 entrée for 6.95 or try all 3 meats for only 9.95. The flan was tasty as well. Customer service was great too. I would definitely recommend this place.

Is this really mall food? I have always seen this place at the mall, and my parents swear by it… If they’re in the area, they’ll always buy Coco Palm Express to go. I usually turned my nose up and never thought to try it. Thankfully, I did! My buddy was in the mood, so we bought some to take back home with us.
Omg, I have never, ever tasted roast pork the way they make their pork. The saffron rice was great, and the red garlic shrimp wasn’t bad. The beans were alright, but I’m not a fan of beans anyway. I found the ropa vieja to be okay (I think I was still thinking about the roast pork), but my friend loved it. The papa rellena (fried potato ball, I guess) was very meh… just super bland. Maduro (fried bananas) were okay… kinda dry compared to the softness I’m used to.
Honestly, I can’t wait to go back to have more of that pork and rice. The best thing of all? THEY HAVE INCA KOLA!

I love Cuban food! It’s hard to find a quick Cuban place. This is a safe place to try Cuban food; authentic, tasty and well priced. I would eat here if it was a stand alone restaurant. The staff is super friendly so ask questions. This will be my regular spot

I’ve ordered online for here ! I love the food, it tastes amazing ! Food came on time and hot ! Stuck at home cause my bf took the car and this place was a life saver and food was delicious !

Far from mall food!
I love coco palm restaurant in Pomona, so how thrilled was I to see an «express» version at the mall! The mall people!
The guy at the counter had no problem giving samples of everything he had available. I said, «you’re gonna fill us up with samples alone» — he replied, «it’s all good that means it’s lunch on me today»
I ended up getting the arroz con pollo, paella style rice with the shrimp (sampled) and he even went back to the chef/​cook and have me a new batch of hot fresh cooked shrimp! And every plate comes with plantains!
I was so impressed by all the dishes, most mall food tends to sit and have only a «one note» style. Each dish had its own unique flavor and spice. Tons of flavor!
Also one free refill is offered for fountain sodas! :)
Next time I’m looking to try their potato balls, the lechon and the paella! I’m also told they do oxtail stew on certain days!
I’ll be back!!! Yummmmmm!
Thanks coco palms for «stepping up» mall food!

POTATO BALLS!
I use to make the trek out to Porto’s for their famous potato balls, but I’m so happy to know that I can now find these babies within a 10 mile driving distance from me! Located upstairs in the food court of the West Covina Mall, Coco Palm Express serves authentic Cuban dishes at affordable prices.
The potato balls are made to order and costs 80 cents each or $ 8/​dozen. But since they are made to order, expect a 15 minute wait. I also had their bistec steak sandwich (around $ 6) that was made to order and it was pretty tasty as well. Although I still like Porto’s potato balls better since the ground meat is tastier and they are bigger in size, Coco Palm Express’ potato balls do make an appropriate substitute if I don’t want to make the drive out. They also have pre-​made desserts like flan, rice pudding, etc that I can’t wait to come back and try soon!

I had a chance to try the potatoe rellena as well as the chicken
and beef empananda today. The empanadas reminded me of
homemade, deep-​fried mahndoos (potstickers). Overall, they
were tasty as well as well perfectly cooked, crunchy on the outside
(for the empanadas) and nicely seasoned in the inside.
My favorite was the beef empanada which contained a tomato
sauce base, not overly sweet and accented with oregano.
My only suggestion for the empanadas are that they need more meat.
I liked the papa rellena, it was infused with a flavor of jalapeño, it
took me a minute to recognize it. Glancing at the color and texture
of the potato ball, I anticipated a panko like sensation. It was actually
soft but the flavor was pleasant and not over powering. I think it is the
gem of this food court in the West Covina Mall (Westfield).
I will go back and try the ropa vieja (shredded beef) or the ropa
fricasé (stewed chicken).

Food court is the necessary evil. When you’re hungry and need food STAT just to keep your feet moving, it serves it’s purpose, for most. Personally, I rather almost starve and hold off than eat some of the undesirable stuff I’ve seen.
So when my mom and I found ourselves needing to waste a few minutes before the doors opened up later on a Sunday, and also found ourselves in the middle of a mid morning hunger, we hit up West Cov Plaza’s very own food court.
The minute I saw the name, I walked right over. Cuban food it says… so I walked up even closer and put my face to see the hot trays of food that were just brought out.
Mmmm… looks good. Oooo, that’s pretty cheap (one dish, with sides for $ 6.75) even by food court standards. A McD’s or a Panda Express meal would/​could run you more. And those aren’t in anyway near the quality or uniqueness. So, I proceeded to order.
First thing I noticed when he was asking what I wanted, and serving it in the to-​go-​to divider plate, was how much food he was putting in there. Nice helpings of the staples and most importantly, the meat which was what I was really wanting! Nomnom meat!
Then after it was quickly rung up and I sat down to take my first bite… my first reaction was… Wow, the Ropa Vieja was super tasty. It’s cooked in red wine sauce and meat was well marinated. Lots and lots of deliciousness was coming out of this. It was like the real thing. Something I totally would order at a restaurant. Loved it! I got my plate with rice and beans and was served with a few of the fried plantains. I really didn’t eat much of those which was a choice and not due to the lack of tastiness or freshness. But the bites that I took of each were good! The rice was perfect, black beans weren’t mushy and the plaintains we nicely sweet.
I am so pleased with this place that I’m going to try to check out their actual restaurant nearing this area. But since this mall is actually a place where my parents seem to like to «galavant» at and based on my dad and mom’s reaction to my leftovers, I’m pretty sure I’ve made them a regular at this food court spot. Might even come out and join them next time I’m in town.
Food court food. who would of thunk it being so good!

Stopped by and got myself the ropa vieja, rice /​black beans and plantains, huge helping for 6.49. Service was good, and the food was notably delicious especially considering it was foodcourt food.
I’ve yet to try their croquettes, potato balls and empanadas which I’ll be sure to sample next time.
So far so good.

It’s not your typical MALL FOOD!!!
service was super nice, they asked if you need to sample anything but since I already knew what I want I skipped sampling. The manager was on site to make sure everything was good.
I had lechon and ropa vieja 2 items combo ($ 8.75)
lechon was very tender with perfect amount of fat. I think I will ask for more onion on it next time. The plantains, rice and black bean were all good. I really couldn’t complain on anything
empanada ($ .70)
soso, couldn’t really taste what the filling was. I think it was fried not baked, but I couldn’t really tell from the dough.
The food court in this westfield mall is very big with comfortable spaces.
As other review mentioned, the closest route to get to the food court is through JCPenny on the 2^nd fl.
(keep in mind, JCPenny closes at 9pm, if you don’t get out before 9pm, you will end to walk a long way to get back to the car)