Asia de Cuba at Clift

01/02/07

VERY DISAPPOINTED - Food mediocre - not worth the price - not even for half price or 75% off

by kimby126 at Citysearch

Went with my family on x'mas eve with a party of 8.....no special holiday decor - just a sad bowl of candy canes by the hotel check-in desk. We were crammed into a booth for five - three of our party were seated in chairs on the outside edge of our semi-circle booth. The table was waaaay too small for all of the food that we ordered (as recommended by our server), and you would think that they would have timed the food so that each dish would come one at a time....but no - we were frantically dishing out the food onto our plates and passing them around to make room for server to get all of the other food onto our table. He even just handed one of our dishes to my dad & said, here you go, and then left! My dad was left holding the plate until we could make room on our table!!! Service was poor, as we had to constantly ask for more water......no surprise, as with a party of eight, there is an automatic 20% gratuity added on. The food was just mediocre. The appetizers were better than the entrees, but really - how can you go wrong with the deep fried stuff??? Our lamb was COLD, and when we asked the server if it was supposed to be a cold dish, he responded - no, it's not supposed to be cold, but it may cool faster than the other dishes since it's thinly sliced. Then, he left.....no offer to re-do the dish or heat it up.....The duck dish was horrible - gamely and rubbery. We sent it back. After those two incidents, and after we decided not to order dessert, I think they got the hint and the server told us he wouldn't charge us for the duck or the lamb dishes.....All of the other entrees were really mediocre....nothing special. The plus of this place is really the ambiance. Even for that, I wouldn't return for the food, even if the cost was discounted by 75%. We were very disappointed after all that we've heard about this place, esp. since we decided to spend our holiday dinner there.....definitely will not go back.

• Pros: ambiance
• Cons: mediocre food, high prices, poor service

07/01/04

Lunch is insulting

by bryceshuman at Citysearch

Stopped in for lunch only to find the food tremendously overpriced, underseasoned, and cold. They seemed to have a salisbury steak on a bun for eighteen bucks. Upon ordering the cuban steak sandwhich the entirely attentive and competent server asked for a temperature. I ordered Mid Rare, the sandwhich arrived mid well and cold as well. As for my companions they agreed the food was terrible especially after paying 180 dollars for lunch for four. The space is breathtaking, really incredible, I just wish the food was as good.

• Pros: Service, Design
• Cons: , Price

04/05/04

Not worth it!

by toocute at Citysearch

If you don't mind listening to booming hip-hop during dinner than you'll like Asia de Cuba. The food and service are just so-so, but if you're seated at the tables next to the Redwood Room bar you might as well be eating your expensive meal in a club.

02/18/04

Not Good

by spike_92661 at Citysearch

I had a chance to spend over $170.00 for a Valentines day meal at Asia de Cuba. The food was absolutely horrible. The ambiance and service were however good. Just thought I would share my experience with others who are considering dining at this establishment. You are better off visiting for cocktails.

• Pros: Ambiance, Service
• Cons: , Price

01/20/04

so less for so much money

by eacaroglu at Citysearch

we have been there for lunch in connection with the 'dine about town' promotion as a party of six.

The food was probably re-heated, and was presented in a lunch box format. There was a strong smell of overused frying oil in the fried items. I do appreciate that we did not pay the full price, but still, I think this is a disgrace for such an institution.

02/16/03

Overpriced

by bebe55 at Citysearch

Here were my observations:

1) Lousy service - they lost our coat check ticket and then scolded us for being in the coat room. The waitress served us the wrong wine and the host was very snotty and rude

2) Mediocre food - the best thing we ordered was the duck - the ribs, and fish were below par for the prices

3) Overpriced - $11 for a cocktail?! and $30 for valet parking??? Give me a break.

4) Bridge & Tunnel/LA Crowd - annoying out of towners, big sleazy gold-digger singles scene. Early 20s and mid 40s type of crowd. Way too LA/NY - try to be a bit more classy. Thank you.

• Pros: Cool design
• Cons: People, Staff, Overpriced

02/12/03

Simply not worth it.

by oooh_yummy at Citysearch

When I dine out, the most important thing is good food. The food here sounded better than it actually was. They didn't do a great job with the "fusion" of the Asian and Latin dishes. The restaurant was a bit dark where I actually saw a diner turn his menu to a weak light source and peer closely just to read it. The service was decent, aside from the fact that we had to keep asking to have our waters filled and the place wasn't even busy. That's the one thing they should do right. The prices are high, and the food is not worth the money.

11/22/02

What are reservations for?

by przuniga at Citysearch

I would've that they we used to book a time to dine at a restaurant. However, this isn't the case here. I had reservation at Asia de Cuba, but they made me wait for an additional 45 minutes! This put a complete damper on the whole evening. I will NEVER eat here again.

09/30/02

Skip the food and drink

by hadesgal at Citysearch

The food here was nicely presented and sounded good on the menu, however, everything we tried was lacking. Our first selection was a shooter - crab and jicama - but no dressing to bind or flavor. Next was Thai Beef Salad which had some red, sweet, gooey sauce that had nothing else going. Whole fish with crab was tasty but again the flavors were singlular and boring.

Skip the food and enjoy the great drinks.

• Pros: Portions to share, Great drinks
• Cons: Expensive, Forgettable food

09/16/02

Poor service, average food, overpriced

by steko at Citysearch

In a city that has so many better choices, why would anyone go to Asia de Cuba? The one thing that Asia de Cuba has in spades is ambience. The decor is very cool. The bar is great place to hang out and look hip. The restaurant, however, is just not worth it. The food is mediocre, yet priced in the range of Masa's. The service is absolutely terrible. Waitstaff is there when you need them. They were unfriendly and unapoligetic. They took over an hour to process our group's credit cards!

If you have this much money to spend on dinner, I would recommend Masa's. If you're looking for excellent fusion cuisine, try Azie or Slanted Door. There is no reason to go to Asia de Cuba except maybe to check out the decor.

• Pros: Decor
• Cons: Overpriced, Mediocre food, Poor service