Cuba De Ayer Restaurant

This was my second time and my wife's first time eating at this local Cuban eatery. It was a busy Friday night. We shared an assortment of empanadas as our appetizer. Our beef and pork entrees were tasty and portions were generous. Service was friendly and attentive. We will definitely come back again.

Cuba de Ayer was straight fire 🔥! The food hit just right, the vibe was smooth, and the service was on point from start to finish. Definitely one of them spots you pull up to again and again. This was my 4th time and first time for friends and they said they will definitely be back!

Everything was fantastic as usual. I am Cuban and eating here is like eating at my motherEverything was fantastic as usual. I am Cuban and eating here is like eating at my mothers house. Could not ask for a better Cuban meal!'s house. Could not ask for a better Cuban meal!

We drove up to Maryland from Virginia to try out this Cuban restaurant. The scenery and the music was nice. The food on the other hand was not so great. It was eatable. We do not plan on going back. The mariquitas didn’t come with mojo it came with an avacado salsa . The croquettes were good we have had better. The white rice was salty the black beans had too much comino my pernil had a weird taste to it. My home made pernil is way better. Hubby’s masas de puerco had no flavor. Mom’s arroz con pollo was dry. To top it off there was a group of people that arrived after us and they were so loud we couldn’t hear the music very well. This sums up our experience.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

Four of us had a wonderful experience at Cuba de Ayer. Two Cuban entrees - one pork and one beef, and two salads. All commented that the food was delicious. I had the spinach salad with grilled snapper on top. The salad was nicely proportioned with fresh, crisp spinach and peppers, along with avocado. The snapper was grilled to perfection.

Server was excellent.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

This place has been a go to spot for me and my friends since 2011. When the restaurant first opened it was a small Cuban place nestled in Burtonsville. Now it has tuned into quite the establishment! one thing that has remained constant throughout all of these years is the quality of the food. This place has some of the best ropa vieja and plantains I've ever had. The perfectly seasoned beef is tender and pairs well with the sweet plantains. Their home-made habanero hot sauce takes this dish to a whole new level. My only minor qualm would be the portion sizes being on the smaller side. Other than that, this place is incredible. If you're in the area, I would highly recommend dining here!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I have been coming for a few years now and the food always delivers. The waitress was pleasant but appeared inexperienced. We had to ask for things more than once and she brought out our apppetizers with our food.

Had a great time catching up with a childhood friend at Cuba de Ayer. The menu was expensive, everything was delicious and fresh and the service was exceptional. The oxtails were delicious! Highly recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place suprised me, the food was great with favors and doesn't leave your stomach feeling weird, their dessert is peak 😋 but i feel like the vibes would be enhanced during the evening or during events. The only negative is parking is difficult if the place is full and the location itself is difficult to find.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food? Delicious. Big portions. Good savory taste on the meat. The server? Dry. Straight faced. Maybe having a bad day but it felt very awkward and uncomfortable. GOOD FOOD THOUGH.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

I've been coming here since 2006 when they were just a small quaint restaurant. As a direct descendant of Cuban 🇨🇺 parents, and eating Cuban food all my life this restaurant has matched and at times has exceeded my expectations and standards for authentic Cuban food. Up until this recent experience 9/13/25 (19 years later) is the first time we had a moderate experience with the quality control of the food. The caldo (broth) in the Camarones Al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp) was extremely salty, however they did 100% fix it and brought me out another one that matched what I been eating there for years. The Churrasco was sub standard quality cut of meat expected for that dish it was too mushy and didn't cut or chew well. My my wife's Lechon Asado was pretty dry.. However we didn't want to keep returning food so we ate what we had on the table. In the end we chalked it up to maybe they have a new chef back there? Outside of that, the rest of our experience was great like it always is. The Croquettes are authentically phenomenal, Rum Cake, Espresso, service all business usual and I will still keep eating here because it's overall still the best Cuban food I've had in the DMV over the last 20 years that I've been in this area. I just hope this was an isolated experience and if not hopefully they tighten up the standards in the kitchen to match they've been the last 20 years.

The food was excellent. The empanadas were some of the best we’ve ever had. Beautiful decoration and atmosphere.
Recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was very good except for the "maduros" (fried green plantains) which were stale and cold!

Flavorful food. Nice hole in the wall spot with decent prices

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5