Cafe Mangu (Reported Closed)

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mylenebh

Joined 6 years ago

Great food, great service. We found this restaurant online a few months back when my SO was craving for Carribean food (he is from that area). We were impressed with the food so on a trip to Austin last week, we made it a point to stop by again. We were not disappointed at all.

The complimentary Mariquitas (fried plantain chips and garlicky mojo dip) were great. Cruncy and appetizing, but not heavy. We ordered Queso Frito (pan fried chunks of fresh cheese with Salsa Criolla) as an appetizer. It was not too bad but we probably could have skipped it. He ordered the same Lechon Asado (tender pork shoulder marinated then slow roasted and cider wilted onions) as last time and it was really tender.

Being a shrimp-lover, I ordered the Camarones en Salsa Criolla (shrimp in a tangy tomato sauce with garlic, onions, peppers and capers). It was awesome! Very flavorful but not too rich. I still liked the dish I had last time, the Camarones al Ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce). That was a simpler yet flavorful dish.

Each came with 3 sides and all were excellent. I especially loved the Maduros (fried ripe plantain).

The portions are huge and the prices reasonable. We could have easily split a meal had we wanted to same thing. Of course we had to get dessert, so we ordered the Tres Leches cake. It was excellent except for the whipped cream on top (seemed like icing to me), but I easily scraped that off.

This restaurant is on our short list of favorite restaurants and from now on a must-stop to or from Austin or San Antonio.

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blueakuma

Joined 6 years ago

Great Caribbean Food. Although our waiter was blonde and blue eyes and seemed a lil bit on the ditzy side and most likely she doesnt speak spanish our experience was pretty darn good and we will be going back. The place is family owned and you can see them working the tables, the cashier and the kitchen. The ambiance is very nice, good merengue playing on the backgroung makes you wanna dance and the people diversity was great, i saw a chinese couple as well as a hindi and a korean couple, some latin families or just friends hanging out for some drinks and appetizers. The food was more than great, fresh with lots of taste... the mojo and chimichurri sauces were awesome, home made fried plantains very thinly fried up were placed at our table as soon as we ordered. You get three sides on every plate, you can pick from salad, soup or traditional caribbean sides like platanos maduros, tostones (patacones), yucca frita o hervida, mariquitas, etc.

I highly recommend the Churrasco Argentino, not like your average texas piece of meat. The Vaca Frita is awesome as well as the Ropa Vieja. Do try the Tostones and Longaniza if they have any cause they seem to go by fast...

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nana_bee

Joined 7 years ago

Paella to die for. Finally after a long search I have found the place the does Paella right! Great place family friendly with good food.

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bethlin

Joined 6 years ago

Amazing food, don't miss it. in Pflugerville, of all places. Called Cafe Mangu. My husband's Puerto Rican friend clued him in to this place at lunch. He took me for dinner and I think I may have actually died a little from foodie happiness. It's called Carribean food, but it focuses mainly on Puerto Rican, Dominican and Cuban food. I've never had Carribean food, but DAMN this stuff is amazing.

I must recommend the Tostones y Longanzia - fabulous fried plantains and sausage - for an appetizer. Then eat whatever the waitress tell you to. Drink what she tells you to - although their Margaritas are refreshingly NOT sweet and the Caipirinha is to die for. Then get the Tres Leches for desert. (She will probably tell you to get this if you ask.)

And it's a small enough place that if you gush about the food to your fabulous waitress, she'll bring over the owner and might even comp your dessert.

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austin_sommelier

Joined 7 years ago

Simply Fantastic!!!. My wife & I went to Cuba Libre and loved it! Having Lived on the west coast for years, we've become accustomed to great food. And, Cuba Libre has great food! We had a shrimp appetizer, seasoned pork and shredded beef (ropa vieja) for dinner, and tres leches for dessert. Each item rated a perfect 10 in my book. And, the portions were so huge, it was enough for two meals each. Our waiter was excellent as well. The only drawbacks were the limited parking and the "ordinary" interior. That said, the food is so good, you won't even notice the few quirks!

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wendydendy

Joined 8 years ago

Great food, great service. The garlic tilapia was incredible! Also had the yellow rice with plantains and sauce. Robert was our servr and he was wonderful! Very nice place, nice environment. Hubby had the slow roasted pork with sauce with black beans rice and yucca. All was yummy! We will return!

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dumeril7

Joined 7 years ago

Recommended, but there's room for improvement. My wife and I ate at Cafe Mangu last night. Overall, I was impressed. Service was excellent; fast, attentive and friendly. I had the Churrasco Argentino, which was very good. Wife had the Lechon Asado, which was good, but not perfect. I think it could have been roasted a few more hours so that it was even more falling-off-the-bone. Plantains were great; I like 'em soft which is how they make them. I also had a Caipirinha, which was a little disappointing -- not like the Brazilian variety in which they thoroughly mash the limes so its fresh and kind of pulpy. I'm very glad to have found this restaurant because its good, its reasonably priced, and its just a lot more interesting than the usual chain joints in that part of town.

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allyrou

Joined 7 years ago

Too Bland to be Real Dominican Food.... Having grown up with Dominicans most of my life and after several trips to DR, I have a great sense of taste for their food. So when I heard of this new restaurant, I was so excited to finally have some homemade food, once again. The cafe is small and cute with merengue playing in the background, but the biggest disappointment was the food. I had the Pollo Asado. Both the chicken and rice were extremely bland, and the platanos were too soft. I thought I had found a little safe haven for my Caribbean fix, but I'd rather cook my own at home.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review by Citysearch Editors. Located near Tinseltown and serving large portions of Caribbean fare like paella, chicken with garlic sauce and tres leches.

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qbxtx

Joined 7 years ago

Caribbean delight at the right price. Mangu hits the spot and doesn't hit up your pocketbook. The meals are delicious and extremely affordable. It is wortht the drive to get away and enjoy authentic caribbean food. I love caribbean food and Mangu doesn't dissapoint. Also enjoy the mojitos, they are spectacular.