Vicente's Cuban Restaurant
Average rating from 7 votes: 3.9 stars
Detroit, MI
- Cuisine: Cuban, Latin American
- Price: Inexpensive ($$$$)
Reviews
First reviewed by loveprincess524
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anonymous
Mar 31, 2008disappointed
I work in concierge, for marriott hotel. I went to check out the place. good music, fun dancing. food was ok, not worth the prices and 11:30 p.m. a group of young kids, came into the reasturant. Young, under age, loud. they did not order food or drinks,just hung out. MY friends and I felt very uncomfortable and left. Nice place, but keep the rif/raf out, or good paying coustomer will not return. I would be afraid to send my guest there.
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Good food/Poor Service
Upon entering Vicente's the two hostesses were warm and polite. Then, however, we had to endure the coldest--most unprofessional waitress, with the audacity to have purple hair. The only thing colorful about her was the purple hair. Otherwise, she lacked business etiqette, the authentic Cuban hospitality described on their website, and her aura was altogether negative. She was not Cuban or Cuban-American, or of Afri/Spanish/Indigenous ancestry; which one would expect of a waitress/waiter in an "authentically Cuban" restaurant. The food was delicious, which made our Vicente experience so-so overall. I would recommend that Vicente's restaurant reconsider who serves their customers, maybe have one the warm & beautiful hostesses to serve instead. I would go back to give Vicente's another chance, but I expect a better service, preferably from an authentic source. In the end, we gave part of our tip to the hostesses!
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1 of 1 users found the following review helpful:
Impressive... but a band would be better!
We came (our first visit) as part of a group of 14 for a birthday party on a Friday night. Our server was the key to the whole experience... his recommendations (especially the tapas) were fantastic! Not to mention the mojitos. I was a little disappointed however, that the fruit mojitos didn't have real fruit... some concentrate or liqeuer. But that didn't stop us from putting away 3 or 4 each! Each of our dinners were great! The freshness and quality of the ingredients was obvious.
We were thrilled that there were salsa lessons... although there were SO MANY people trying to learn that there wasn't enough room to move around without stepping on someone!
My only suggestions would be to have a live band instead of a DJ on the weekends... and possibly hold 2 or 3 different times for (shorter) lessons, so that there would be room for all those who are so eager to learn the fun dances!
Overall, a great place for a NEW experience... great food & drinks... and spectacular people-watching! Can't wait to come back! -
1 of 1 users did not find the following review helpful:
Disappointing :(
After the 4 of us were seated, we had to wait 15 minutes to get a menu and a waitstaff to ask us for drinks. There food was very, very good, however the service was a complete disappontment. We continually had to flag our waitress to get additional drinks, water, etc. She spilt sauce on the table and didn't offer to wipe it up, we had to ask the next time she came around, in ~15 minutes.
Big surprise when we received the bill ....
1) The pitchers of Sangri were $40 each (our fault, we should have asked first)
2) A $12 "entertainment" fee was added (for the general dancers - no mention of this anywhere)
3) A 20% gratuity was automatically added to the bill and there was still a 'tip' line on the bill!
It was fun to go once, but we will never return nor recommend Vicente's. -
1 of 1 users found the following review helpful:
what a beautiful restaurant
I was skeptical about dining at Vicente's, especially after dining at some fake Cuban restaurants in Royal Oak; but the minute i walked in i knew i would enjoy myself with the ambiance, and smell in the air. The food was 100% authentic (surprisingly), and i know this because my mother was from Cuba. Our server was just an amazing person who truly cared about what we thought, and obviously wasn't a corporate trained robot like you normally get. Although i feel if you were a snooty, or uptight person, this might not be the place to go because every time i go there it is always different in a good way, but some people like repetativeness. Salsa night was amazing, hands down. If i could recomend one place to go for any occaision, and not be worried about if they would like it or not, it would be Vicente's Cuban Cuisine. Maria Vazquez, the head chef, came to our table to see how the food was. This shows the loving hearts of the Cuban people.
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1 of 1 users found the following review helpful:
This is real Cuban food
I was very nervous before Vicente's opened. Was it real Cuban food, or "Cuban inspired" like the other restuarants in Metro Detroit? I went with my 5 year old son the Saturday after they opened and was pleasantly surprised. The first thing that struck me was the ambiance- a mix between Miami and old Cuba. The have a dedicated dance floor, so no heels getting stuck in the cracks, and the DJ/Stage area reminds me of a photo of a cafe in Havana. On our 1st visit the waitstaff was a bit nervous and overcompensated. I had the bistec al criollio- marinated steak covered in onions, served with black beans, rice and sweet plantains. My son, being 5 wanted grilled cheese- so a Cuban sandwich without the meat. Everything was delicious. The beans were flavorful without offending anyones palate. The plantains were sweet enough but a bit on the greasy side.
My next visit I went for dancing on a Friday. Unfortunately they only have a few stools at the bar and I got there late so I was SOL, but the drinks made up for it. Everyone should enjoy the cool, clean taste of a well mad mojito at least once in their life. I enjoyed the DJ, but the men simply don't ask you to dance. Which kind of sucked.
The last time I was there I was with a grown up friend- a vegetarian. Despite what the website says- pork chops aren't a vegetarian delight. She did find a tasty herbivore friendly dish on the menu. I had the chicken breast, marninated with onions- I like onions, especially here, they have flavor. Everything was excellent. I did notice that they changed the white cloth to paper, but perhaps that was a weekday thing. Vicente's mom, the head chef, came out and talked to us for a while. Very sweet lady, who shouldn't be allowed to leave, ever. As we were leaving Vicente greeted us on the way out, very nice man, despite some of the bad press he got before the restaurant opened.
All in all I highly recommend at least one visit to Vicente's. You can't beat a restaurant, in downtown Detroit that has good parking and good food.
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