We went because of the good reviews. The drink menu was very elaborate, so I’d expected the drinks to be good and they were. The glasses were chilled and rum drinks were generously poured. The garnishes made the drinks even more special. Looking then to the food menu you can tell this restaurant caters to customers having drinks and sharing “tapas”, even though this concept is Spanish not Cuban. The appetizer menu is fairly elaborate and has a strange feature where many of the dishes come with 3 pieces and they advise that you can add a 4th for $3-$4 more. We tried the croquetas and again I associate this with a dish I was frequently given while living in Spain. These croquetas lacked potato and seemed to just have a crust with a ham and cheese cream sauce inside. They weren’t great, but better than the rest of the food. The entree menu was bare bones with several sandwiches (the cubano no doubt) and then there was ropa vieja and arroz con pollo, which I tried and it was horrible. It was like actual “old clothing” shredded chicken similar to what one would get at Filibertos. The rice and beans were completely unseasoned just drained black beans and instant rice it seemed. My wife ordered the Cuban sandwich and this should be hard to mess up, but again there was something like shredded pork on the sandwich and it was so salty that I could not distinguish the pickle or the ham or the cheese, the only other thing I could taste was mustard and a lot of it. As all the food was brought very quickly and at the same time as the appetizer I then noticed the croqueta had similarly been flavored with a generous helping of something like Gulden’s mustard. Everything else had no salt and no flavor so I asked for salt and hot sauce expecting a habanero sauce or something perhaps authentic to mask the blandness and the otherwise overarching mustard flavor. I was shocked that they graciously proceeded to bring two bottles of different varieties of Cholula Mexican hot sauce written right on the bottle that it wasn’t Cuban. It almost felt as if this was purposely meant to suggest I as the customer was treating all Hispanic restaurants as if they were Mexican. Later I had trouble getting a box from the waiter who had disappeared and when I found him looking at his mobile at the bar he stated “you’re going to have to give me a minute”. I had already paid and tipped 20%, but felt as if I was being treated as a bad tipper. In any case, I did not eat the leftovers and gave them to my dog.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Joseph Bucci
Seems like kind of a hip place to hang out and have a drink. Our waiter was polite but not very knowledgeable he floundered on what seemed to be very straightforward questions in regards to food and service. If a server has confidence in himself it's comforting for the patron and the patron will typically have confidence in the server.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 2
Tra Lam
Great cocktail and ceviche. Decoration is beautiful. Service is great.
Ben Grauel
The Cuban sandwich and Mohito were excellent and my wife loved the buffalo cauliflower empanadas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anthony F
Food was decent thats about it. But I've had more authentic and better quality Cuban. atmosphere was pretty nice music was good. The Service needs improvement.. was very poor and unattentive. We also asked for a booth table and was told no when clearly there was 2 booths available. Also felt a bit rushed while dining. Not the best experience being my first time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
nicholas kubiak
Overall a great place to duck into on a hot day for a delicious cocktail. Would’ve been nice if they had some happy hour specials.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jasmine Hegman
Delicious food and drinks! Great atmosphere. Especially when there is a special pop up, great theming.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Johnny Perez
First time at Coabana and I’m already planning a second round. If you’re a Cuban sandwich fan, this place nails it golden bread, juicy roast pork, crisp pickles, and that perfect balance of mustard and warmth. Every bite felt like a little triumph, the kind of sandwich that makes you nod and say, “Yeah, they did that right.”
Our server was the kind of pro you want guiding the table knowledgeable, quick with a recommendation, and totally laid-back. They suggested a carajillo, and I’m glad they did. Fresh espresso with Licor 43, it sneaks up on you with a smooth, sweet heat that rounds out the meal perfectly. It’s not flashy, just honest craft that hits the spot after a long day.
The vibe matches the food confident without trying too hard. It’s relaxed, easy to talk over, and clearly built for real, no-nonsense evenings. If you’re in Phoenix and craving solid Cuban flavors, Coabana isn’t just a pit stop; it’s a go-to. We left full, satisfied, and already planning our next visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amy Kay
This place is awesome for drinks and a good time but not so much the food. Colorful decor, lively vibes, and staff was friendly while we sat at the bar. We really enjoyed our drinks they were made well with the right amount of booze! The food, unfortunately, was not special at all. We ordered the Ropa Vieja and Tostones to share but all of it was so bland with no flavor. The tostones were not worth ordering, beans tasted from a can and the rice and meat had no seasoning. We will definitely come back only for the drinks next time. 🥂
Raymond Reyes
I've had the Cuban sandwhich in more than 30 different cities in various restaurants (that's a low estimate), so far up to June 2025 this is THE BEST! The pork so tender and juicy, it beats Miami's Sanguich. The Cuban coffee was ok, the coffee bean sweet if you like that. Very attentive and courteous staff.
Great bar in downtown Phoenix, that's about it. It was voted Best New Bar of 2023 and that's it, really. Not a Cuban Restaurant by any stretch, it can say what it wants and sell Cuban inspired food which doesn't make it authentic or original. My first clash was with our server, we asked for some limes to go with our water, she acknowledged it and disappeared. It was not super busy but we noticed that they were chatting with a patron or coworker and completely left us to fend for ourselves, I got up and asked the bartender for some limes, he immediately cut us some. Waitress finally came around asked if we were ready and we place our orders, 3 Ropa Viejas, 2 fried Yuccas with rice and black beans. The order came fairly quickly. The Ropa Vieja was soft but had a super kick to it, spicy, anyone from the Island knows that Cubans don't cook or eat spicy food, bell peppers at the most and lots of sazón. The black beans had no flavor, it tasted like canned beans but even when I tried those before they were soft, this was like not cooked at all, super hard. Overall I left disappointed and hungry, beware it is not authentic Cuban food and the service lacks. The bar looked very animated and I am pretty sure I would have gotten better service there.
M
Awful. Service doesn’t exist. If you have a group don’t bother. Food was terrible and made us sick.
0/10
Javier T
Food was decent not that much flavor and make sure they don’t charge you twice because they charged me twice felt like they took advantage seeing one getting a couple drinks
Melissa W
What a great spot for a late night drink. A Cuban themed restaurant/bar, this spot is such a cute vibe. We sat at the bar late night and got a traditional mojito and a spicy margarita. These are craft cocktails with all homemade ingredients and a lot of care that goes into making them personally for each guest. The bartender was fantastic and discussed many different drinks with us. I would highly recommend this for an intimate date or a small group out. This wouldn't be a good spot for a group that's too big as the spot itself is small.
Gary Holloway
Fun Cuban restaurant in downtown Phoenix all the Cuban favorites and you feel like you're in Cuba
We went because of the good reviews. The drink menu was very elaborate, so I’d expected the drinks to be good and they were. The glasses were chilled and rum drinks were generously poured. The garnishes made the drinks even more special. Looking then to the food menu you can tell this restaurant caters to customers having drinks and sharing “tapas”, even though this concept is Spanish not Cuban. The appetizer menu is fairly elaborate and has a strange feature where many of the dishes come with 3 pieces and they advise that you can add a 4th for $3-$4 more. We tried the croquetas and again I associate this with a dish I was frequently given while living in Spain. These croquetas lacked potato and seemed to just have a crust with a ham and cheese cream sauce inside. They weren’t great, but better than the rest of the food. The entree menu was bare bones with several sandwiches (the cubano no doubt) and then there was ropa vieja and arroz con pollo, which I tried and it was horrible. It was like actual “old clothing” shredded chicken similar to what one would get at Filibertos. The rice and beans were completely unseasoned just drained black beans and instant rice it seemed. My wife ordered the Cuban sandwich and this should be hard to mess up, but again there was something like shredded pork on the sandwich and it was so salty that I could not distinguish the pickle or the ham or the cheese, the only other thing I could taste was mustard and a lot of it. As all the food was brought very quickly and at the same time as the appetizer I then noticed the croqueta had similarly been flavored with a generous helping of something like Gulden’s mustard. Everything else had no salt and no flavor so I asked for salt and hot sauce expecting a habanero sauce or something perhaps authentic to mask the blandness and the otherwise overarching mustard flavor. I was shocked that they graciously proceeded to bring two bottles of different varieties of Cholula Mexican hot sauce written right on the bottle that it wasn’t Cuban. It almost felt as if this was purposely meant to suggest I as the customer was treating all Hispanic restaurants as if they were Mexican. Later I had trouble getting a box from the waiter who had disappeared and when I found him looking at his mobile at the bar he stated “you’re going to have to give me a minute”. I had already paid and tipped 20%, but felt as if I was being treated as a bad tipper. In any case, I did not eat the leftovers and gave them to my dog.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Seems like kind of a hip place to hang out and have a drink. Our waiter was polite but not very knowledgeable he floundered on what seemed to be very straightforward questions in regards to food and service. If a server has confidence in himself it's comforting for the patron and the patron will typically have confidence in the server.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 2
Great cocktail and ceviche. Decoration is beautiful. Service is great.
The Cuban sandwich and Mohito were excellent and my wife loved the buffalo cauliflower empanadas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was decent thats about it. But I've had more authentic and better quality Cuban. atmosphere was pretty nice music was good. The Service needs improvement.. was very poor and unattentive. We also asked for a booth table and was told no when clearly there was 2 booths available. Also felt a bit rushed while dining. Not the best experience being my first time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Overall a great place to duck into on a hot day for a delicious cocktail. Would’ve been nice if they had some happy hour specials.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food and drinks! Great atmosphere. Especially when there is a special pop up, great theming.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time at Coabana and I’m already planning a second round. If you’re a Cuban sandwich fan, this place nails it golden bread, juicy roast pork, crisp pickles, and that perfect balance of mustard and warmth. Every bite felt like a little triumph, the kind of sandwich that makes you nod and say, “Yeah, they did that right.”
Our server was the kind of pro you want guiding the table knowledgeable, quick with a recommendation, and totally laid-back. They suggested a carajillo, and I’m glad they did. Fresh espresso with Licor 43, it sneaks up on you with a smooth, sweet heat that rounds out the meal perfectly. It’s not flashy, just honest craft that hits the spot after a long day.
The vibe matches the food confident without trying too hard. It’s relaxed, easy to talk over, and clearly built for real, no-nonsense evenings. If you’re in Phoenix and craving solid Cuban flavors, Coabana isn’t just a pit stop; it’s a go-to. We left full, satisfied, and already planning our next visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is awesome for drinks and a good time but not so much the food. Colorful decor, lively vibes, and staff was friendly while we sat at the bar. We really enjoyed our drinks they were made well with the right amount of booze! The food, unfortunately, was not special at all. We ordered the Ropa Vieja and Tostones to share but all of it was so bland with no flavor. The tostones were not worth ordering, beans tasted from a can and the rice and meat had no seasoning. We will definitely come back only for the drinks next time. 🥂
I've had the Cuban sandwhich in more than 30 different cities in various restaurants (that's a low estimate), so far up to June 2025 this is THE BEST! The pork so tender and juicy, it beats Miami's Sanguich. The Cuban coffee was ok, the coffee bean sweet if you like that. Very attentive and courteous staff.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great bar in downtown Phoenix, that's about it. It was voted Best New Bar of 2023 and that's it, really. Not a Cuban Restaurant by any stretch, it can say what it wants and sell Cuban inspired food which doesn't make it authentic or original. My first clash was with our server, we asked for some limes to go with our water, she acknowledged it and disappeared. It was not super busy but we noticed that they were chatting with a patron or coworker and completely left us to fend for ourselves, I got up and asked the bartender for some limes, he immediately cut us some. Waitress finally came around asked if we were ready and we place our orders, 3 Ropa Viejas, 2 fried Yuccas with rice and black beans. The order came fairly quickly. The Ropa Vieja was soft but had a super kick to it, spicy, anyone from the Island knows that Cubans don't cook or eat spicy food, bell peppers at the most and lots of sazón. The black beans had no flavor, it tasted like canned beans but even when I tried those before they were soft, this was like not cooked at all, super hard. Overall I left disappointed and hungry, beware it is not authentic Cuban food and the service lacks. The bar looked very animated and I am pretty sure I would have gotten better service there.
Awful. Service doesn’t exist. If you have a group don’t bother. Food was terrible and made us sick.
0/10
Food was decent not that much flavor and make sure they don’t charge you twice because they charged me twice felt like they took advantage seeing one getting a couple drinks
What a great spot for a late night drink. A Cuban themed restaurant/bar, this spot is such a cute vibe. We sat at the bar late night and got a traditional mojito and a spicy margarita. These are craft cocktails with all homemade ingredients and a lot of care that goes into making them personally for each guest. The bartender was fantastic and discussed many different drinks with us. I would highly recommend this for an intimate date or a small group out. This wouldn't be a good spot for a group that's too big as the spot itself is small.
Fun Cuban restaurant in downtown Phoenix all the Cuban favorites and you feel like you're in Cuba
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