alma de cuba

fantastic. great mojitos, get the el jefe! food was delicious and theservicewas great. couldn't have asked for a better first-time cuban experience

this is for a series of posts for stephen starr restaurants including: alma de cuba , barclay prime, butcher and singer , continental midtown & martini bar , the dandelion , el vez , jones , parc , pizzeria stella , route 6 [1] , route 6 [2] , & square burger . stephen starr is clearly a dominant force in the philly restaurant scene. and so it's not surprising that he brought in chef douglas rodriguez to be one of the pillars of the empire, as ec at alma de cuba . raised in miami to cuban-born parents, chef rodriguez won a slew of awards in the 80's and 90's, with newsweek selecting him as one of 100 americans that would influence the millennium. designated as a super chef who made latin food haute, he also won a james beard award for rising star. but perhaps more prominent to contemporary foodies, he is the chef-mentor who brought eventual iron chef jose garces to philly. i first dined at alma de cuba a year ago, after the weight of a michigan christmas's week of meals. the gf and i decided to do a sampling of some of the smaller tastes from chef rodriguez. it wasn't too packed when we stopped by before an 8pm showing of elf at the walnut street theater. we were on the 3rd floor, which was more of a private space. breadservicechimichurri fresh pandebono was on offer, delightfully crisp and sweet on the outside with some yeasty cheesiness within. the cl

fantastic meal

we tried this restaurant based on other reviews and it was fantastic! the food andservicewere excellent. there was also a great selection of cocktails. the ambiance andservicewere spot on, but the food was amazing, freshly prepared and large portions. i would definitely go back when in the area.

one of the best meals i've ever eaten!. my husband and i wandered into alma blindly one evening while looking for a dinner spot. it was the best dinner decision ever. from the drinks to the appetizers to dinner, this place was top-notch.servicewas also flawless. our waiter, who has worked there since the restaurant's opening, was amazing. he certainly knew the menu top to bottom and he was just so genuine and kind. we could tell he truly cared about the restaurant and his guests. we will definitely return when we are back in philly.

excellent but pricey. we recently went for the first time. food andservicewas excellent but the prices on urbanspoon were a little low. $50 a person would be about the minimum that you will get away with.
good for a special occasion.

fantastic food,serviceand atmosphere. i highly recommend the vanilla mojito...heaven!

fabulous. the best food we had in philly. the atmosphere is intriguing and inviting. theservicewas superb. but you come for the food, and alma delivers. every dish we had was unique and memorable. try the date appetizer and the old fashioned with cigar bitters

love the food. theservicewas slow, which is nice to group of friends chatting all night while having dinner but not for ppl on business trips who just want to enjoy and experience the food. not a native cuban so i can't say if the food is authentic enough but everything was delicious!!!

great food. eaten here 3 times and the food was greatservicewas good and the drinks were good too.

amazing!. wow! love...love ...this place! we hosted an engagement party for 40 to 50 people at this restaurant.servicewas right on! food was unique and wonderful! we had the private room on the third floor...luckily no one needed an elevator...not sure they even had one. we had all kinds of appetizers and main dishes. everything was served family style. every dish was served beautifully and hot. not sure which was my favorite because everything was delicious and different. the entire dining experience was above expectations! i found it to be very reasonably priced for a city dining experience.serviceand quality of the food was worth every cent.