Glenn Lindgren: Mambo's Cuban Restaurant is very open and inviting with a bright décor and friendly waiters.

Jorge Castillo: Pick a classic Cuban dish from your memory and chances are Mambo's Restaurante Cubano has it on the menu. They also do several new twists on traditional Cuban tastes. The cabana is a boneless, skinless chicken breast glazed with a sauce of lime, garlic and guava.

Glenn Lindgren: You can't go wrong with the arroz con pollo or boliche, a delicious cut of beef roast stuffed with chorizo, and wonderfully spiced. The arroz con pollo came with a generous helping of tender and juicy chicken -- not overcooked, like at many restaurants -- served nestled in a delicately saffron-flavored rice.

Jorge Castillo: Mambo's Cuban Restaurant serves tapas (bocaditos) in the bar, making it a great place to have a drink and a snack.

Glenn Lindgren: Tapas are a tradition in the major cities of Spain, where people travel from bar to bar eating inexpensive appetizer-size portions of Spanish delights.

Jorge Castillo: They have a good selection here, reminding me of the menu at Casa Juancho in Miami. They serve calamari in a creamy sauce with cilantro and just a touch of jalapeno. A great new twist on one of my old favorites and a nice presentation. They also do the Chino-Latino thing here, with something new on the menu each day.

Glenn: If you like fish, you won't be disappointed at Mambo's Restaurante Cubano. They have a rotating list of seasonal favorites such as the pescado frito, a whole fish deep fried, but not greasy. (If you are oil-a-phobic, you can have them bake or broil it as well.) They also serve a great version of soft shell crabs (in season). Though not traditionally Cuban, these crabs are an excellent choice and much better than I've had in Northern States.

Jorge Castillo: They serve a dish that is so classically Cuban, you'll never find it in the menu at one of those Cuban restaurant wannabees. Calamar en su tinta, squid in its own ink, is a dish I remember from Cuba and one that we still enjoy at home. Mambo's version with rice (they call it arroz negro) is served like paella, with black (from the ink), not yellow rice. I know it sounds strange (and looks strange) to most Americans, but you really have to try this dish.

Glenn Lindgren: Still hungry? They have some of the best flan that I have ever eaten.

We Show You How in Two Great Miami Cuban cookbooks:

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