Bongos?

[LAS321]

Does anyone have any opinion or information about Bongos in DTD? This trip we are trying to be more adventurous and eat at some restaurants we haven't been to before. We also have Big River Grille for dinner and Boatwrights for breakfast on our list....opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Beautybelle43]

I'm also curious about Bongos!!

The sweet & sour chicken and plantains sound good from the menu!

 

[goofygal531]

B.C. (before children ) Bongos was our favorite WDW restaurant! They used to make the best white sangria! Oh, with apples and pears it was so delish I could drink the pitcher! And I'm not a big drinker at all!

This past Nov, we stopped by their take out window and enjoyed some of our favorite appetizers. I love the "Papa Rellena" (round breaded potato stuffed with ground beef creole $0.75). We're Italian, so to us it's very much like a rice ball (okay, switch the rice with mashed potatoes ) I was so happy to discover the take out window!! We really missed dining here!

It's a noisy bar/nightclub atmosphere (used to be 6 years ago) so we've never considered dining here with the kids.

My favorite dinner entree is "Vaca Frita" (Cuban flank steak marinated in mojo and topped with grilled onions served with moro rice and yuca con mojo $15.95) I don't care for anything hot or with heat, this had tons of flavor but was not hot or spicy at all. DH's favorite entree is the "Masitas de Puerco" (deep-fried pork chunks marinated in Cuban mojo served with seasoned grilled onions served with moro rice and yuca con mojo $16.95).

I know they have a child's menu, but it must be for lunch. I wouldn't go here with kids. But I'm referring to how it was years ago. It could have changed.

I highly recommend it. Try the take out window first to see if you care for Cuban cuisine. I had no idea I would love it and I'm not an adventurous eater!

 

[skoi]

We don't have much experience with Cuban food (ask about Middle Eastern or North African and I could give good advice), but we've eaten inside Bongos and at the take out window and loved them both. Our big kids also really like Bongos. Now you have me thinking maybe we should try it out for our next trip.
I don't know a good place for Cuban food where we live.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We tried to eat there last trip and had a bad service exp and ended up walking out, so sadly we didn't get to try the food. I just chalk it up to a few bad waiters (the manager was very apologetic) and I'll try again. Their menu looks delicious.

 

[jog58]

The last five years we have gone to the Orlando area my husband and I make it a point to eat at Bongo's. We absolutely love it. Unfortunately we only eat the same thing because it is our favorite it is called chicharonnes de pollo, which is breaded chunks of chicken breast marinated in olive oil and vinager Cuban mojo sauce and served on white rice. You can either get yellow or green fried plantains with it. It is soooooooooo delicious. The chicken is just seasoned so perfectly. *drools* Anyhoo, my husband is a very picky and plain eater [he enjoys plain cooked chicken with french dressing if that gives you any idea of how plain he is] and he enjoys Bongo's very much. The service is just OK it isn't anything to write home about but we have not had a bad experience and the food keeps me coming back. Hope this helps!

 

[deej696]

I have lots of experience with Cuban food because, well, my mom's side of the family is Cuban. Bongo's is a good restaurant and I enjoy eating there. I agree with another poster in that the Sangria is great, although we usually get the red. I was blown away at the size of the pitcher, it was enormous I am a big palomilla steak fan, and thats what I usually get, which is great. All in all its a good experience.

If you are really wanting more authentic Cuban food, however, I would suggest taking the short drive into Celebration and eating at the Columbia. Its Cuban food at its finest, as well as one of the most historic restaurant names in Florida.....

 

[slenderella]

We went to Bongos for the first time in February 2008. My DH had the Zarzuela de mariscos and I had the Enchilado de camarones. I really liked it, but my less adventurous hubby did not care for it at all. His dinner was like a seafood soup. It had shrimp, scallops, squid, crab, lobster, fish and a few other things . Mine was shrimp in a red sauce. Both were served with white rice and a type of plantain. I don't think we will be going back. Not because of me, but hubby

 

[smep013]

We love it here, mostly because of the atmosphere (no kids with us) and the MOJITOS!!!!! It's now a must on every trip.

 

[Mickey_Man]

Arroz con pollo is excellent, and the sangria is already well documented here. We have only been here for lunch and each time is was actually not crowded or noisy at all. Good place to go - I believe there is entertainment in the evenings.

 

[Todd&Copper]

DH & I really liked it last fall. He had the Vaca Frita and I had the Ropa Vieja and both were excellent. The portiona were generous, and the prices were very reasonable, too. We had some leftover beans & rice for breakfast the next morning.
We went for an early dinner (probably between 5 and 6pm) and it was fairly empty. We were hot and tired that day (we had done Animal Kingdom and the sweltering heat just drained us) and wanted a nicer dinner in a quieter restaurant. Seemed like it would definitely be more noisy and busy later in the evening.
Also, they had a lot of "B.C." [Before Castro] stuff in their gift shop which was a hoot.

 

[dawgfan]

We did not like it at all. The service was very bad. Two waiters got into a fight about one of them bumping into the other and eventually included the bar tender before it was over. We expected the food to be very flavorful. It was very bland. I asked the waiter about this and he advised that WDW does not allow them to spice food too much to appeal to a broader spectrum of people. He then whispered that if we wanted authentic Cuban food we should search elsewhere in Orlando. Another poster here advised the same and to try a place in Celebration. The food at Bongos simply reminded me of cardboard.

 

[Robert P]

After reading these opinions, are there 2 Bongo's at WDW? We must have tried the evil one......

Food was lukewarm and bland. Not not spicy, but not spiced, i.e. needed salt and pepper, at the least. Almost no flavor. Cardboard describes it perfectly.

It was loud! Conversation across even our ridiculously small table was impossible. Service, when we got any, was bad. We were lucky to get any service though, as almost every member of the waitstaff I saw in action was standing around, chatting in small groups, trying to look fashionable. No drink refills, no follow-up on how was your food, no clearing plates, etc....

Bongo's was my first experience with so called "Cuban food", and I was not impressed. Having since tried authentic Cuban food at decent restaurants, now makes Bongo's seem that much more pitiful.

The walk-up window has saved me in a pinch, but going back for a sit down meal at that overpriced tourist trap is not in our future.

 

[deej696]

While I posted in favor of Bongo's earlier, the last two posts are somewhat correct about the flavor of the food. If you want a more authentic Cuban food experience, Columbia is the better way to go. If you dont know the difference between so so and great Cuban food, then Bongo's will be just fine