caleal
Registered: March 2013
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Fri April 19, 2013
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 4
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Pros:
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fun atmosphere
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Cons:
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slow service, subpar food
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I dined here on a Friday night (4/12). The atmosphere of this place is really fun. We sat on the patio which meant we had a good veiw of the courtyard and the DJ set up there for the night.
The service was excrutiating slow, which was confusing because we'd technically had two wait staff - our official waitress and her helper. The entire meal took nearly two hours, and we'd only ordered two drinks, an app platter to share, and two entrees - and we're definitely not "leisurely" eaters who linger. We sat for a full 20 minutes between our plates being cleared and our check appearing.
The food itself was semi-disappointing. We ordered the Bongos Combo appetizer platter to share. The fried stuffed potatoes were amazing. If I had only ordered a platter of these I'd probably be raving abuot the place. The rest of it was anywhere from boring (ham crouquettes reminded me of freezer cheesesticks) to disgusting (I couldn't finish the yucca cups).
This continued with husband's entree. He ordered the Masitas de Puerco (marinated, fried pork). His pork was so dry he had trouble eating it - especially without the waters we'd ask for about half an hour earlier. On top of that, it tasted as if it hadn't been seasoned with anything.
I had the Bistec Empanizado (breaded fried steak), which was definitely amazing - tons of flavor in the breading. I was not given a steak knife though, and my waitress never showed up so I could ask for one. So it was a bit difficult to saw through with my butter knife. The side dishes were pretty bland as well- black beans and rice and sweet plantains with very little flavor. I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them either.
Overall, I don't think I'd bother going back. The price of the meal was definitely not reflected in the quality of the food or service.
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LizFoley
Registered: December 2012
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Tue December 25, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Dining Plan
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Cons:
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None!
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Food was tasty! Staff was gracious and accommodating.
Just because it's Cuban doesn't mean it's spicy or weird, it's just a little different.
Had a delicious meal -- I had a roasted chicken which was cooked perfectly (not too dry, nor was it underdone).
We chose the churros for dessert which was probably the only thing that could use a tiny bit of improvement. I'd love to see different sauces rather than the traditional vanilla, chocolate, strawberry.
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Sarahlynn
Registered: October 2012
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 7
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Review Date: Mon October 22, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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We got last minute reservations for dinner on a Thursday evening in September. The food my husband and I ordered was very good! I had chicken with sweet plantains. His was a combo of chicken and pork (I think) with fried plantains. The black beans were delicious and I think my favorite part. We did not have dessert. I wish the childrens options had been more varied though. My kids ended up eating pizza that looked like it was frozen and prepared in microwave. I would have given it a high score if not for that.
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dakotarose
Registered: September 2012
Posts: 14
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Review Date: Wed September 26, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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tables on the balcony
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Cons:
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very noisy, rude waiter
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Met friends here for drinks and appetizers. No reservations so we waited 10 mins for a balcony table. After we placed our order, our waiter informed us that most people order dinner. I thanked him for the info, and said that appetizers and cocktails ($9 each by the way) would suffice for us. He said that if we take a table on a Saturday, we should at least order dinner -- the restaurant expects us to. A real charmer, don't you think?
A third of the cafe's tables were empty at 8 PM on a Saturday. I would like to recommend this as a place for drinks and dancing (nice little dance floor) as it has a lively atmosphere. However, they don't want you to hang around and drink up (for $9 a cocktail). Clearly! So why the blaring loud dance club music then??? This place needs to resolve it's identity crisis. Go someplace else where your patronage is welcome.
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bdlfe
Registered: September 2012
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Sun September 2, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 1
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Pros:
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Haven't found any yet
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Cons:
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Limited QSDP options
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We went during lunch to try the takeout options using our QSDP. The only items using an adult credit are sandwiches, entrees are not available under the dining plan. We decided against getting a sandwich since we can get better value at Wolfgang Puck Express on the east side or Pollo Campero.
So I ordered a kids pizza for my daughter using a child credit. They should not bother serving pizza since it was basically Ellio's.
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EpcotMom
Registered: July 2006
Location: Taunton, Massachusetts
Posts: 37
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Review Date: Sun August 19, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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Nothing
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Cons:
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Too loud, lackluster food
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Right from the start, the woman at the check in desk could not find our reservation, which annoyed her. She offered outside seating or we would need to wait. We chose to wait. We waited about 20 minutes, and were seated in a booth near the bar. Our group of 5 adults (three in their twenties, 2 in their fifties) all thought the restaurant was unbelievably loud, music blaring. We were unable to have a conversation without shouting.
Our server was nice, but slow. Another review mentioned 15 minutes to take drink orders, 15 minutes to get them, etc.
We ordered 3 Cuban Tour and 2 Chicken Milanese. The meat was stringy and bland. The Milanese has almost no sauce, an way too much cheese. None of us were impressed at all. The others had sorbet for dessert, which was already half melted and soupy. I had the rice pudding, which was the best thing I ate there. We were on the dining plan, thankfully, because all of us agreed that we would not have wanted to "pay" for that mess!! We will not be going to Bongos again!
I see in other posts that people love the food. Perhaps it is our taste. However, I have a hard time believing that the servers who work there day after day aren't going to have severe hearing problems after being in that environment over time!. The loud music is the worst! We were happy to get outside!!
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Photographer
Registered: June 2006
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 14
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Review Date: Fri May 25, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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Dining Plan
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Cons:
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Bad service, dead bugs, and more
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I will start by saying once I spoke to the manager, our meals were free but how we got to this point was a major headache.
I was on the Disney Dining Plan and my friend was not. I have food allergies and relayed the info to our server. He came back saying they had fresh chicken and plantains they could make me. I had to ask for rice. Our meals came out in 5 minutes, a bad sign considering my meals always take longer to prepare.
My chicken had been washed of its marinade with specs of black pepper (my allergy) left behind. The server took down the wrong order from my friend. She got some other dish with dry, hard chicken. Mine went back and the waiter returned to say the chef would ONLY make me the 1 vegetarian dish they offer, plantains, rice, and steamed veggies. I agreed because I was starving.
My friend complained about her meal but nothing was done. Normally, a manager or chef talks over my allergies with me. I didn't see anyone until after I ate and requested to see him.
I told him everything that happened and he apologized multiple times. I pointed out the 3 dead mosquitoes on our table as well. He comped our meals.
I eat at a Miami chain, Sergio's, without problems. I can also enjoy food at El Pub in Little Havana, and at Cuban restaurants in CA. This was an awful experience. I'll never go back & it's a huge let down since I'm a big fan of Gloria Estefan.
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shellyboo70
Registered: March 2012
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Thu March 22, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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great atmosphere
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Cons:
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Food is wonderful, so are the drinks. Just know that they are truly on "island time" and the wait between order your dinner and receiving it can be lengthy....just enjoy... have a drink, an appetizer and relax.
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Kaits Inside Dish
Registered: December 2011
Posts: 24
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Review Date: Sat December 3, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Fun atomsphere
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Cons:
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None
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As I entered Bongos, a Cuban Cafe in Downtown Disney I had a feeling that I was going to have a blog worthy review to write about. The interior of the restaurant had a warm Cuban feel to it. The walls, which were made of a white concrete were indented with palm trees and plants. Pictures constructed of colorful mosaic tiles were strategically positioned throughout the restaurant and all the windows had colorful stained glass, which added to the warm ambiance. There were also quite a few photographs and painted pictures of Gloria Estefan throughout the restaurant (her and her husband, Emilio Estefan are the owners of the restaurant). The bar, which was made of a bamboo like structure housed bar stools which were designed to resemble traditional Cuban drums. The restaurant was quite spacious with plenty of seating available, there was even a massive wrap around stair case located in the center of the restaurant leading to addition upstairs seating.
After being seated, we immediately began with appetizers. We choose the bongos combo, which was basically a sampling of all the appetizers including Traditional Cuban Ham Croquettes, Cuban Mojo Marinated Fried Pork Bites, Fried Stuffed Potatoes, Pork Tamale, and the Stuffed Plantain Cups which included green plantains cups stuffed with minced beef . I obviously didn't eat any of this but I will admit it did look quite appetizing and had a very appealing smell. Everyone raved about the appetizers and said they were wonderful. We also ordered the Fried Green Plantains which was served with Cuban Mojo.Now this I did try and I can attest that it was incredible. The plantains were served crispy (they are fried twice) and had a very mild taste which was absolutely delicious when dipped in the Mojo sauce, made of olive oil, garlic, and a citrus juice. This is a very traditional Cuban snack known as Tostones con “Mojo”
Bongos also offers live music, in fact we were serenaded by a maraschino band whom sang La Bamba for us! They did an excellent job of singing and playing their instruments. Bongos also houses a large stage stage area where guests can hear local Cuban bands play on select nights.
After picking on appetizers and taking some time to review the very extensive menu, we ordered our entrées. I selected the Plato Vegetariano, which included carrots, broccoli, mixed green beans, Lima beans, and kidney beans, served with sweet plantains and white rice. I mixed everything together and added a splash or two of hot sauce, and it sure was delicious! The veggies were steamed and extremely crisp. Normally I am not much of a rice person, but the rice was extremely flavorful and had an almost sweet taste to it. The fried sweet plantains were absolutely incredible, the plantains had a crisp exterior but had a warm and soft inside, unlike the fried green plantains, these plantains were extremely sweet and flavorful and required no additional sauce to enhance the flavor.
Everyone else at the table ordered Cuban sandwiches. Which came toasted and pressed and served with a side of fries. The Cuban Sandwich came with roasted pork, ham, pickles, swiss cheese, and mustard served on traditional Cuban bread. Everyone seemed to love their meal and said the combination of ingredients gave the sandwich a wonderful flavor. Too full to finish their meal, everyone at the table (excluding myself, I completely cleaned my plate), asked for to go boxes.
Someone also ordered a side cup of black beans and shared them with the table so we could all have a taste. I had to remind myself after about the 10th taste as I dangerously neared the bottom of the cup that the black beans weren't mine alone. I think it was this simple side dish that made me fall in love with Bongos. The black beans were served thick like a soup and had such a vibrant flavor, I suspect this was due to the Cumin (one of my favorite spices) . I could have easily made a meal off of this.
We left completely stuffed and quite satisfied with our meals at Bongos! Definitely a great restaurant to try. It has a great fun and uplifting atmosphere and the food is incredible. The menu is quite extensive and offers a large selection of chicken, pork, and seafood dishes.
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Ninna03
Registered: November 2011
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Sun November 13, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Authentic cuban cuisine
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Cons:
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None!
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This restaurant is so good that we ate there twice during our one week visit!
The first time we went there was on a Monday night and the wait time was minimal. The second time was on a Thursday night and we had to wait 45 minutes, but we knew it was worth the wait.
I have to admit that on Thursday night, I felt like we were rushed thru dinner because the place was so busy. The waitress never even offered dessert and brought the check right away after clearing the dishes.
However, on Monday night they came around with a dessert sampler in shot glasses. It's a great idea because you get to pick a little something sweet without having to order a huge dessert or trying to convince someone to share with you. 
The food is so delicious. I highly recommend this place!
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Wendy Writes
Registered: May 2010
Posts: 22
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Review Date: Tue September 13, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great Evening
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Cons:
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none
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Sorry to see such bad rating for this restaurant. We had a fantastic dinner, 8 people, lots of good authentic dishes, great drinks. Wonderful service. Make sure you give this place a try, we were so glad we did.
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mflannagan
Registered: November 2009
Location: Danvers,MA
Posts: 13
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Review Date: Thu June 23, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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food
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Cons:
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service,noise
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We had been to Bongo's before (without kids) and enjoyed it. Maybe now that I have kids my tolerance for things have changed? We went there with 2 kids and 4 adults. We were informed that the 18% gratuity was included, which is fine. If the service is great I am willing to tip additional. Well, if I had the option to tip and it wasn't included it would have been 10%. One of the worst dining experiences service wise I have ever been a party to. It's so bad that 2 months later my 9 year old son still remembers the waitress' name. It took her 15 minutes to take our drink order. 15 minutes to get the drinks. another 20 minutes to get our food order. You get the picture. Slow, and not really caring about any of it. We saw this happen with all the tables she was waiting on. Then we saw tables that another waiter was taking care of, he had 6 tables (she had 3) he turned them over so quick, he never stopped moving. People who sat down 30 minutes after us, were onto the main course while we still waited and waited for ours. It's a shame, the food is really good, and the drinks are great, but the time that we sat and sat, took away from the potentially good time we could have had.
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MinnieMouseMama
Registered: March 2009
Location: Princeton, IL
Posts: 41
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Review Date: Fri April 29, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Good food
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Cons:
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too loud for conversation
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Let me start by saying that DH is a grad of University of Miami and LOVES Cuban food. He is happy eating here. Our waiter was attentive and the food was good. I had pork and he had the steak with a chimi sauce. Our big complaint is the noise. It's just plain too loud. We had friends with us and it was impossible to converse. When spending $150 for a meal for 6 I'd like to be able to chat without shouting. Some music is fun, this was not!
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musthavedisney
Registered: April 2011
Posts: 16
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Review Date: Thu April 28, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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food is great
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Cons:
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A bit loud
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Ate here for dinner. The food was amazing and came out really fast. That could have been a bad thing if we hadn't finished our appetizers. The band was on so thankfully we were sitting outside so the noise wasn't such a factor. Stepping inside, you had to raise your voice quite a bit to order a drink from the bar. The drinks from the bar were not watered down and quite potent, so there wasn't a need for seconds. There isn't much room for dancing but after all the great food we were fine just sitting at our table and taking it all in. The patio is pefect at night and offers the perfect combination of miami style atmosphere and romance.
One downside: if you're having dinner here and staying at a Disney Resort, keep in mind that this restaurant is located on the West Side so it's the furthest out. The Water taxi's end around 9:00pm and the shuttle buses don't run as often, but they do keep running until about 2:00am. You may just have a longer wait time to get home for the evening.
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foxycurl
Registered: February 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 8
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Review Date: Tue February 1, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 1
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Pros:
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Atmosphere
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Cons:
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Too Loud and Service
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My family and I eat at Bongos every year to kick off our vacation and we always look forward to it. However this time was different. The music was so loud (first time we had been there with live band) that we couldn't hear each other speak. Waitress was not attentive to us at all. Our drinks stayed empty and she never checked on us. My 2 1/2 yr old had the pizza but it had so much oregano on it she wouldn't it, It was way too much for even adults! Our food came out very quick and my chicken was very dry! My husband loved his fish bites but didn't like the sauce that came with it. This was the first time in 6 yrs that I left upset! We will be back because its tradition and we do love the drinks but I hope next year will be better or we will start a new tradition somewhere else.
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