Best Central American Restaurant Grand Rapids Near Me

Daili Gonzalez: Deberían decir y poner en internet que no es comida cubana esto es mexicano y le dejaron el nombre para no perder clientes pero nada que ver el Munu es bien pobre no tienen mucho que ofrecer la verdad no me gusto

Rose Black: Disappointed with nearly everything we ordered (small plates, tacos, and signature entrees). That essential Cuban taste just wasn't there. Even worse, the quality of the ingredients was lacking. Maybe it was due to "a new chef" or the fact that it was the last night the restaurant was serving these items or more likely it was because it was the last night the restaurant was under its then ownership, Danzon. We were told it was the last night Danzon would be open as Danzon. It is a shame because I had looked forward to eating here for a very long time. I have seen beautiful photos of the drinks and food. We also ordered drinks. I ordered the margarita flight and discussed that I wanted a sample of each of the specialty margaritas and was told that could be done, instead I was brought back the common "fruity" ones. I was more shocked than disappointed at being misled. But I decided to try them. Each one was worse than the next. I went back and forth between them to try and see if there was any redemption to be found, but nope. They all sucked. They were all very tart and had one dimension of flavor. I like my margaritas one of two ways, either so strong with great tequila(s) that you don't mind about the quality of the accompanying ingredients or sweet with multi-layers and tasty AF. These were neither! And we did make our disatification seen and known about everything. But we were not emotional or unkind about it. In the end, we were comped for one taco, $6, and charged $120±tip for the remainder of a truly regretful meal. Maybe we should have protested more but I felt it was not the server's fault. Positives: The patio seating, friendly/jolly server, free parking, and the "90 Miles" cocktail.Parking: Free and easy access parking lot directly behind the building.

Triple C Aviation: Our meal was spectacular! Michael took exceptional care of our table. Very personal, energetic, and made us feel that he loved his job and believes in the product. I will be visiting Grand Rapids in the future and plan to visit Dazon. Michael and the wonderful staff , plus great food, will be the reason. Very satisfied and cannot recommend this enough!

Helena Calais: What a great experience! I had the Ropa Vieja and a mojito and both were stellar. The server helping me was kind and attentive. The Ropa Vieja was flavorful and tender, and the portion was plentiful. For me, the mojito was the star of the show, it was the most authentic mojito I've had outside of Cuba! I can't wait to come back and explore more of the menu.

Yuri Kazarov: Live jazz evening!

Kelie Kahn: We have been going to this to this place for a bit and it was one of our favorite places to go, however this last time the food was edible at best! It's very obvious that the chef was the best part of the restaurant. They have tried to copy his menu and failed. They americanized the food and now give you melted orange cheese and stale chips. The service was good and the staff was nice but unfortunately that is not enough to make up for how bad the food was.

Adam Piotrowski: Great food, great service, great atmosphere! Amazing drinks to top it off! Love that there is so many gluten free options too.Also, kid friendly 🙂We will be back again!

Jess “Ciesl2ja” Cieslak: Compared to the rest of Grand Rapids, this is very sad food and drink. The house margaritas tasted and looked like Gatorade. We only ordered a couple appetizers and they were also lackluster. A sad Americanized interpretation on Latin cuisine.

Tara Garcia: With its authentic flavors and cozy yet modern atmosphere Danzón definitely exceeded my expectations! A must try!

heloise issartel: What a fabulous experience! Our friends from Michigan has brought us here as we are visiting from France. The cocktails are amazing, I need some of the recipes to try them out with our friends back home.Food is great and service is very friendly.We had a lovely time. Clearly a place to go! A big plus on Friday s they have the jazz band. Michael bubble’s twin was in the room….thx Danzon and crew! 😍😍😍

Myles Billheimer: Delicious food and great service! The mole enchiladas are fantastic! Cocktails are outstanding. I can't wait to come back! I'm from California and have been looking for good Latin food and this is THE place to eat

Garcia02ish: Went for the first time last Friday night really excited after looking over at their menu. We showed up around the time restaurant are completely booked and there was one other table occupied. The waiter gave us our menu and there was one entree that you were able to order. We were extremely disappointed. we ended up just ordering the empanadas which were good and black bean appetizer which were lacking flavor. The drinks were also lacking alcohol and were not great. I have never been to a restaurant that uses pickled jalapeños in a margarita instead of fresh slices.

Emelen Christopher: My boyfriend and I came in around 4 on a Saturday. We were pleasantly surprised to be one of three tables for their dinner service. The host sat the couple in front of us, but for some reason couldn't seat us? We waited probably two minutes before someone else came over to give us a table.The first drink I ordered was a strawberry rhubarb gin cocktail that was on their menu. Ten minutes later, they told us they didn't have the gin, so I ordered a vodka cranberry instead. Another five minutes go by and the waitress tells us they're out of cranberry juice. Cranberry juice! Third times the charm, they actually had sprite and grenadine.The margherita my boyfriend ordered tasted like they forgot to put tequila in it. I ordered another one and asked it be a double. Still barely any alcohol, but at least we could taste it.We ordered their, very expensive, small plates. The empanadas were very dry and definitely came from a freezer. The black bean croquettes tasted like they didn't add salt. The waitress also felt the need to reassure us that the empanada plate came with 8-10 of them, even though we didn't ask. Then we were served 6.The best part of the experience was how quickly we got our check. Definitely wasn't worth the $70 we left paying. Understaffed or not, the owners are in way over their heads. I'll be surprised if this restaurant lasts another six months unless they decide to match price with quality.

Emily Pachla: I wouldn't call this place Cubano. If you're looking for a nice bar, they could probably help you out - although my frozen margarita wasn't blended entirely. But the food isn't authentic and it's very expensive. I got the Arroz con Pollo, 20 dollars for rice, shredded chicken bits, and some plantains - I only went for this dish cus it seemed like the most cuban thing on the menu. It lacked flavor and the plantains weren't cooked very well.

michelle G: Worlds worst dinner- that’s how my friend labeled the Venmo transaction. How does she know,she didn’t even get her dinner. Let’s go back to the beginning, we were aware that restaurants right now are struggling in fact I have been tipping 25 to 30% to show my support. Last night the tip should have been 0, no one did their job correctly. Drinks- Beer was flat and the waitress actually ask our husbands if they were going to share the beer, who does that?Escobar drink was made we think with no Tequila or coffee bitters, margarita flight was good but not for 22$. Food took close to an hour and we were asked twice if we were ready for the bill and both times reminded her we were waiting for food. Quesadilla and Pizza came out the waitress brought some broth out and said it was for the quesadilla we found out later it was for the dried out lacking flavor pizza and was lacking a few of the ingredients. We were then asked if we wanted a couple plates to share and we reminded her again we had two more dinners coming. She then brought out my enchiladas, these had a good flavor But was again lacking a few ingredients. A waitress came back and asked for everything was OK and my husband said not good we’re still waiting on tacos she looks surprised as if she didn’t even remember the fourth order. By this time we were done Eating the waitress came by about the tacos and we just told her to never mind she politely offered to take the tacos off the bill, really? I should hope so lol. $218 later, never again. I should add by the way that the tables had filled out on the patio by us and everyone had been sitting there for at least a half hour more and we’re still holding their menus and had nothing but water when we were leaving. One couple had some drinks but were sitting there for an hour and she hadn’t even taken their order yet. I’m so angry we spent that kind of money on that place and I was so excited to try it.

raquel espina: Worst possible experience. I understand they were short staffed but this way beyond ridiculous. We got seated right away outside. The greeter guy said he would bring us the full menu and never came back. The waitress came out and checked on all the other tables except us didn't even acknowledge that we were there. After 15 minutes I had to get someone's attention just to even get water. They were very unorganized and I think we had three different waiters coming over to the table all at different times asking us the same questions. The one lady said she wasn't even a server she worked in the kitchen and they put her out in the front. They were not very knowledgeable about the menu. They didn't have some of the things that we had about 20 minutes after we had already placed the order. In the midslemof ordering the one waiter just walked away. The Mojito do not have much flavor. All you could taste was Rose sweet lime juice. The tostones were cold and bland and came with like a teaspoon of salsa for about six or seven large tostones. The platano relleno was also cold and was over cooked. We were sharing appetizers. We jad to ask for silverware and they didnt bring extra plates. We also had to ask for straws for the drinks. Then when we got the bill the guy just set it on the table and it started blowing away. Just an all around terrible experience. We should have seen why the other people were upset and leaving and left also. I dont recommend at all nor will i be returning.

Whitney Smith: This was hands down the worst experience I’ve ever had in a restaurant. I never even got my food after 2 hours. The service was terrible. The drinks were mediocre. The food (that did come to the table) was not great. The waitress “comped” my meal that never arrived. Definitely would NOT recommend and will never go back.

C B: Every time I try to order from here lately, my order gets cancelled! After taking my time to pick out what I want on the menu. Then asking my kids & husband what they want, just for the restaurant to go unavailable. Won’t order out or go in again.

Kailey Savona: Food was okay. Leaving one star because of the service which I reached out to them about months ago and never got a reply. The email is *very* long but it details the issues we had:I wanted to reach out about my experience at Danzon sooner but have been very busy the past 2 weeks. I came to Danzon for dinner on Tuesday, November 30th which was my birthday. I was very excited to come in again as I had been once before the pandemic and enjoyed it.I called ahead about a week in advance to see if there would be room for my party of 11 people. I was informed that Danzon does not take reservations but that the heads up is appreciated, and while there was no guarantee, the staff would try to prepare for our arrival. I completely understand this and it's not a problem!When we arrived on Nov 30th, there was only one server/bartender and perhaps 1-2 kitchen staff. Had we known our party could not be accommodated, we happily would have gone elsewhere. It would not have been a problem if we were called that day or even told by the server upon arrival that there was no room for us.The biggest problem, however, was that it seemed there was room to accomodate us but the experience that followed was not great. There was only one other small table of people and 1-2 people sitting at the bar. I would like to mention that our server/bartender seemed like a pleasant person and she was in no way unfriendly to any of us. She did let us know it would take her about 10 minutes to get over to us so we were prepared for a little bit of a wait.We waited 10 minutes and when she didn't come around, we went ahead and placed our drink and food orders with the QR even though we weren't sure that was what we were supposed to do and were given no instructions. We waited a bit longer until about 30 minutes or so had gone by and our server still had not come to our table. We had no water and still weren't sure if we ordered correctly so someone from our group went up to the bar to ask. She did bring water after.We did not receive our drinks for over 1 hour after arrival. We would have understood if the restaurant was extremely busy but it was not. We did not see her making any drinks for a long time.I'd like to emphasize we were completely fine with the wait for our food as we knew we were a bigger group and there weren't many people in the kitchen. But our experience waiting would have been MUCH better if our drinks arrived while we were waiting for food. Instead the drinks arrived at about the same time our food was arriving (about 1.5 hours after we first came in). And some of us were nearly halfway done with our meals before receiving our drinks. It didn't seem like the server/bartender was making any drinks for that 60-90 minutes. We aren't sure if she was new and inexperienced or was trying to avoid having to make us a second round of drinks.My friends and I are all quite patient people so we remained calm and respectful. We believe most other groups would have left without paying for the food ordered since no water and no drinks were brought over for very long periods of time. I wanted to bring our experience to the attention of a manager so that hopefully experiences can be improved for future visitors.I hope this is helpful feedback and please feel free to call me at my number below if you have any further questions about our experience.

Adam Verdoorn: Hugely disappointing. Went for dinner on a Saturday night, only serving small plates no entrees. Ordered 2 jalapeño margaritas and a mojito. No salt or sugar rimmed glasses for the margaritas. Mojito didn’t come out until after the food was served. Mojito had and orange color to it. I’m pretty sure they put triple sec in it. I saw the owner or manager run across the street to buy ingredients for our order. The waitress told us they were running out of everything. We could not order Tostones. The queso and coquettes were good but I didn’t feel much of a Cuban atmosphere. Our table of four ended up going to Yesterdog afterwards because we were still hungry.

Latin King: Overpriced, and the quality and flavor is no good!!!Food: 1/5|Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 1/5 …More

Joseph Bolton: Great authentic Dominican food. Respectable family owned business.Food: 5/5|Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 4/5Recommended dishes Sunflower Tostones Y Maduros, Bohio Criollo, Beef Stew …More

Johana Villanueva: Delicioso, las empanadas estaban muy ricas, calientitas, y pedimos el Jibarito para 2 personas y super deli😋Sin duda, regresaría.

Caleb Befus: Caribbean food!

Milca Velazquez: Everything was delicious, and the service was excellent 👌. I'm definitely going back!Food: 5/5|Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 5/5Recommended dishes Flan De Coco, Fried Plantains Dietary restrictions accommodated Not sure …More

Checo: Food: 5/5|Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 5/5More

ange nitty: It says Puerto Rican restaurant but it’s actually Dominican food! I’m Puerto Rican but I love Dominican food so it worked out! Food was ok, nothing really to brag about. The beans tasted really good with some white rice but the arroz con gandules and pernil needed to be flavored a little better. Very very bland..

Jalina Robinson: Food has always been great, however the service is terrible, was told I could get extra juice on my meat 😂 and that they don’t have potatoes which I know for a fact they do I’ve gotten them multiple times before. Never going back 😊🤷🏾‍♀️

Yanersy Valdes: I’m giving one star to be able to write my review and because I’m a fan of fried plantains and those were good even though they were few for what they charged me for them. I work in all the states and when I got to Michigan I looked for a restaurant to eat good latin food because i'm cuban. I didn’t like it at all, the goat was half salty and with a lot of skin, the red beans (supposedly) had no flavor at all, my partner's leg was dry and bland and the rice with pigeon peas seemed dry and discolored from the previous day. Not to mention that all the portions were small compared to the price they have. Despite the fact that I live in Florida where there is very delicious Hispanic food, I do not consider myself a picky person with food, but I only stated my criteria here so that it serves as a reference for others.

Jackie Radford: I love them.

Laura Casaletto: 2023 and 2022:That meat volcano (Bohio Criollo)still rocks. The volcano part is composed of masa and plantain, some of that fried and then mashed so there are tiny flavorblast crunchies, mixed with spices and lots of ground parsley (all this is guessing) with fabulous sauce "lava," and beef, chicken and shrimp landsliding down the sides. Also peppers and onions. There's lots of other good stuff available too. Great empanadas. But I'm sticking with my volcano. Heads up: you will have a bit of a wait on Bohio Criollo because they make it to order. Worth it. It's a family owned place and I heard about it from another happy diner. There's some wonderful orchids growing in their window. Just another indication of people who do things well.

TwoPeople Talking369: The food and service is absolutely amazing. I've lived and worked in the area for 20 years and can't believe it's been right under my nose all this time. The flavor and tenderness of the meat is amazing!!!Food: 5/5|Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 5/5 …More

Bradley Freestone: Food was very authentic, and delicious. Service was fantastic, and they had a lot of options. All very goodRecommended dishes Beef Stew, Assorted Empanadas Parking space Plenty of parking Parking options Free parking lot …More

Mayra Aviles: Food: 1/5|Service: 1/5|Atmosphere: 1/5More

C T (Cin): I love this place. Been coming for almost ten years and they never disappoint. Their customer service is excellent and their food is even better. My favorite part about this place is the ready to eat food and the empanadas. I lean on this place when we have office potlucks, bring in a bunch of empanadas and everyone is happy. Try it! Their whole menu is BOMB.

Maria Rivera: We found this restaurant after we went to visit Grand Valley University and omg we were not disappointed at all. The service was amazing, friendly and very helpful. The food was amazing. I felt like I was eating back in Puerto Rico. We had some cheese and chicken empanadas. Rice with peril, tostones, some yuca and shrimp. The food was so good and since we were almost 4 hours away, we took home some sancocho and more tostones. We will definitely come back and enjoy some authentic Puerto Rican food. Thank you so much for an amazing dinner.

Lawrence Chavez: I had my first taste of Puerto Rican food from here and it was amazing! The staff was helpful in explaining the dishes and answering our questions, and even offering recommendations. We had the mofongo with beef and the Bohio Criollo. Definitely coming back for more 👍Kid-friendliness: They have high chairs and kids menu for the little ones with a specific taste

Dora Miranda: Antes cocinaban buenísimo pero las últimas 2 veces que fuimos a comer la comida estaba malisima y los empleados discutiendo a toda boca

Ivonne Valle: Wendy, who take my order, was great. 👍Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 4/5 …More

Idriana Velez: Food: 5/5|Service: 4/5|Atmosphere: 4/5Recommended dishes Cuban Rice and Pork, EmpanadaMore

Celiflora Martinez-Sanchez: The lady no has the permit from department of health

Dorothea Lathrop: Always great!

Marco A: Something simple or just to eat some food that's out in the streets. Recommend!

Elizabeth morel: Friendly fast service per great price always fresh I live de carne asada the most. very tasty!Parking: The shop is literally on the parking lot

Gauthier Casanova: C’est magnifique!

Steve LaWarre: Fantastic tocos, and the street corn was amazing. I will be back!

Charity Lovins: Amazing food!! Definitely coming again!

Ryan Carlson: Says open till 10:00pm but obviously not as it’s 9:00pm 👎🏻

Robert Leach: The tacos were off the hook! Best in GR

Yatzii Padilla: best tacos in GR and the agua frescas are amazing.

Michael Bourcier: Amazing tacos! Super fast for a good price. The rice milk was out of this world good.

FURIOUS C STYLES 75: Great place to stop and get you awesome soft shell taco grilled meat yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum always been great since they opened up

Cinthia Rodriguez: Great tacos!!!

Edgar Rodriguez: Great 👌

Yesenia Hernandez: This place is amazing! You won't regret it! She has the best aguas frescas in the world 💖

Tony Troeger: Really good tacos and drinks, but pretty expensive

dalia rodriguez: I love the drinks and tacos ❤ are they only open in the summer?

Money Man: Amazing

juan holguin: Best food ever

Nena Torres: Ricos yogurt con frutas un poco elevado los precios

Patti McConnell: Our company decided to mix things up for annual taco Tuesday and added empanadas to our menu. Because of the construction on Cesar E. Chavez Ave, it wasn't easy to get to, but was it ever worth the extra effort! In addition to the empanadas, we were treated with plantains and rice and beans. Everything was delicious and our employees were very appreciative of the addition to the tacos.

Salma Chavez: La comida deliciosa!Pero el señor viejo que atiende no me dio mi cambio y cuando lo exigí dijo que ya había cerrado la caja, olvido poner mi soda y cuando regrese dijo que nunca la cobró. Nunca e visto un lugar que no de cambio, yo pagué con uno de $20 por 1 empanada, un plato simple y una coca y luego dijo que nunca me cobro la soda ! Muy mal educado ! Si no sabe como cobrar a la gente mejor aléjese de la caja registradora..

Andrea Nobel: Maria was such a special woman. She made my Lucy feel so important, and shared stories that I couldn't get enough of, and wish I could hear more often. She made our usually short, uneventful trip to Sabor Latino a moment in our memory banks that will never be forgotten!! The empanadas are out of this world, I love the chicken with a small but of green sauce on each bite☺️

Frank Pena: The best Dominican food on this area..!Food: 5/5|Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 5/5 …More

Justin Trudeau: The Brinca Cercas Tira Flechas Inditos around Grandville Ave are lucky to have a Spanish alternative to their Central American food. The empanadas are amazing.Food: 5/5|Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 5/5 …More

Lanaesia Green Boyd: I just love it

Maria Vanderlugt: The owner always seems upset she is not very friendlyFood: 3/5|Service: 1/5|Atmosphere: 1/5Recommended dishes Empanadas Beef, Bistek Encebollado …More

shiquiona hobson: Love the service that was given very polite. Rice is my favorite very hot .. I ask for bread and they didn’t make bread but the owner went above beyond to make me some bread with my 🍚 rice . I love her for that … Thank you ..

Junior Jose: Good service 👍Food: 5/5|Service: 5/5|Atmosphere: 5/5 …More

Raymond Quiles: Good food but the service is extremely slow...

Aaron Savage: Absolutely authentic, fast and friendly service. We had steak and Puerto Rican rice and a chicken thigh with Dominican rice, beef empanada, and a chicken empanada. Everything was excellent! The steak and chicken were cooked to order while we waited. The empanadas were available hot and ready to go. We were looking for authentic Latino food, and we found it. We'll be back again soon!

Jose Garcia: A great place to eat, don't don't miss out. I recommend it to everybody.

Joel Sánchez: If you're looking for Dominican food with a great taste this is the place you're looking for. Just come and enjoy. Highly recommended.

Kimberly Atkinson (Sparkle): A hidden favorite gem of mine. They don’t have a menu but they have authentic Puerto Rican food, so just try it all. From beef or chicken empanada’s to stewed chicken or steak and rice. They also have phenomenal limonade and horchata. Don’t know what your ordering? Don’t worry, you’ll love it. They only have take out.

Tanirr brown: Poor service ! They don't care about any customers why would they care about giving us clean food ? Don't eat here also the prices always are different .you can make this home for under 20 bucks which is now what they've been charging

Camille Cave: Great food, it’s a small menu but everything is delicious. Definitely recommend the empanadas!

jeweline brown: Sad to write this I love this place but I’m sad to say that I will not be back due to poor customer service I came in Dominican lady was very rude as I seen her be nice to other racial same as her so sad my favorite place to visit when I come to in town from AZ thumbs down !

GhostDogg Vid's: Love the food

Elmer Marmol: Buen servicio

Gramajo Bonilla: Hermoso lugar y muchas variedades guatemalteca.lo recomiendo

LOST REALES 462: Muy bueno

Emilio Cano: Muy buena tienda

Jose Becerra: Por la buena comida y los productos