Mojitos Restaurant & Rum Bar

Had dinner here last night and had good service, our appetizer and entrees were served w/in a reasonable amount of time. The food was mediocre though and pricey. The "live salsa" band that playing was weak :( This place wouldn't be my first pick if I wanted Cuban food with a lively atmosphere.... Pros: Nice looking restaurant Cons: Expensive food and drinks more

Have dined at the is restaurant twice now. The mojitos are good. The ropa viega is my husband's favorite and mine is the paella. Wonderful! The food and drinks are quite expensive though. Wouldn't order appetizers as the portion are tiny and not worth it. I think we had the samosas. I would have been better off getting one more mouthful of paella. The souffle isn't any better. Service is only fair and the food does take a while to arrive at the table. Pros: Ropa Viega, Paella, ambiance Cons: service, cost...too expensive for what you get more

My very first restaurant review because the experience was that bad. First of all, if I'm going to pay $12-15 for a mojito at a restaurant named Mojitos, then it should be the best mojito I've ever had. I know at least a couple other places with much better mojitos for about half the price. Secondly, the food took over an hour to come out. And when it did come out, half the plates were cold, and the other half did not warrant the price for the dish. Granted, we had a party of 13 which might be a bit bigger, but we've had many birthday celebrations where we've had large groups and the food and service was much better. I ordered the mojito chop and it was only slightly warm, and pretty dry. And all the while, the waiter kept coming back and asking if we wanted more mojitos. Sorry, not worth it at that price, and not on an empty stomach. We did ask for water which took 2 or 3 attempts each time to get a refill on that. And the waiter trying to be funny or attempting to use humor to feed our empty stomachs at one point, said the water would take just as long as the food to come out. We weren't really amused. We were discussing whether we were going to In n Out or somewhere else to grab a bite after we leave this place just as one of the assistant waiters asked us how our food was. I hope she got her answer from the silent response from our table. From the other reviews, it seems like some have had a good experience here. We definitely did not. The only good thing about being there was being there with good friends. Needless to say we're going to tell our friends NOT to go here. And I hope this never happens to anyone else. more

My friends took me to Mojito's for my bday dinner last nite and the restaurant had great ambiance. Our server was very friendly & helpful. He recommended the mango mojito and the Chiliean sea bass. Both recommendations were absolutely delicious. My friends ordered the salmon, halibut, & shredded beef w/ rice and all were scrumptious!! We were having a wonderful evening until I found a strand of hair hidden under the sea bass. The server offered another entree, but I had already lost my appetite. The manager apologized for the incident and comped the entree. I had a great time w/ my friends, but I don't think I'll be going back to Mojito's. Pros: service and atmosphere Cons: surprises lurking in entree more

Read about Mojitos in the guide at the hotel, read a couple of reviews on this site (negative) but thought, it is in walking distance of the Marriott so we gave it a try. We were so glad that we did. The cuisine is wonderful, and the wait staff were attentive, pleasant and polite. We had the Crispy Goat Cheese Salad with pears, candied walnuts and greens, Caprese salad (fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced avocados) absolutely wonderful and the dressings are all made at the restaurant and are delicious. Entrees: Grilled Halibut served with a cuban sauce and garlic spinach, Crispy Chilean Sea Bass with mashed plantains and corn salsa. Topped it off with an espresso, couldn't have been better. Highly recommended. The food is mouthwatering. Everything wonderfully fresh. When we started ordering the waitress asked us if we wanted to order their special chocolate dessert that takes 45 minutes to cook, it sounded wonderful, but we opted out. Maybe next time we will go for it. If we are in this area again, we will definitely make it destination and would highly recommend it to anyone staying over, a great place to have a delicious dinner. Pros: Great Food, Great Wait Staff Cons: None that I could see more

if you love authentic food and environment try this place, the food is one of a kind. very authentic Cuban food, service is great at a fair ... more

visited on father's day for brunch. restaurant was not busy. service was ridiculously slow. took 45-50 mins to get our food. waitress was not familiar w/ the menu. we asked a question about an entree and she had to go in the back to get an answer. ordered mostly breakfast food off the brunch menu. eggs benedict was supposed to have hollandaise sauce - it did not. the menu says 2 eggs - only had one. also ordered cerviche - menu says it includes avocado - it did not. ordered orange juice - assumed refills were free - was not told otherwise and they charged me $4 per refill. ordered scrambled eggs on the side and they charged me for an entire entree-was corrected, however, initally incorrect. bad service, bad experience. do not recommend. Pros: ambience Cons: food, service, more

My husband and I frequent this restaurant all of the time. We love it so much we held 2 of our corporate christmas banquets there. My husband's favorite is the pallomilla and mine ropa vieja. The servers are extremely friendly! more

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES. THE FOOD WAS THE BOMB DRINKS WERE GREAT THE SERVICE WAS FUN. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. Pros: SERVICE more

My girlfriend and I went in on a Friday night before seeing a show at Pantages. The service was prompt, on it but not in your face. The peppercorn salmon was unreal, and my gf had the chicken with the blue cheese mashed potatoes which were out of this world. Great music playing, nice ambiance. Highly recommended. Pros: Food, Mojitos Cons: None. more

This is to inform all of our customers that I sold the Pasadena location in April 2007. The new owners are in the process of changing the name, menu, hours, and prices. Also, the website listed above is only for the Melrose location which I am proud to own and operate. We serve the famous Mojito created by me featuring the fresh sugar cane juice and fresh mint. The Melrose menu is the true Cuban and New Latin Cuisine that we made well known and respected by the best critics in LA and having been serving for over ten years. Come and visit us for Brunch on Sundays and get your true latin experience. Thanks for being loyal customers. Xiomara Ardolina Pros: Mojitos Cons: Restaurant sold more

I say "expectations" because this is the highest-rated restaurant in the Pasadena/Valleys area by the LA Times. I've been to Xiomara twice because it's more of a special occasion place, but I've been to Cafe Atlantic many times. Both times at Xiomara, once for my birthday, was perfect, and actually much more affordable than I expected. I can usually only finish an appetizer anyways - their appetizers are great, filling choices. Good service, very friendly, nice atmosphere, romantic and not crowded. We did have reservations - I would recommend it. I like the story of Ms. Xiomara coming from Cuba to open this place. Another great choice is Cafe Atlantic. Pros: Excellent, familiar service, wonderful ambience, romantic. Cons: Not much - parking is always a hassle in this area but we park on the street and walk a few minutes. more

I have been to this restaurant several times since late 2005. Went on a Sat night w/ a large party. Place is famous for mojitos w/ fresh ingredients. Heard that there was recent change in management. Food was still good but service seems to have suffered. Bartender was not that nice, a little snobby and they did not know which champagnes they had run out of. Waitress was really nice but I had to ask for water twice and a few other things. Not horrendous but for the price, I expected much better service. They did not take our appetizer plates, even after they brought our entrees. One guy in our party literally had to hold his appetizer plate in one hand b/c they brought his entree and failed to take the appetizer plate! Mojitos took a long time to come out. Otherwise I thought the food was great, chilean sea bass was awesome so was the Churrasco. Try shredded duck appetizer, it is very delicious. In summary, great food, average service. The Boudin de Pain is a chocolate bread pudding souffle w/ coffee cream to top, it is AMAZING, one of the best, not to miss. Order in advance, takes 45 minutes to cook. Pros: Food, Ambience, Dessert Cons: Service, Parking more

If you're into watching people walk through the restaurant to get to Cafe Atlantic (yeah, the entrance for the cafe is through them), then this is the place for you. First, we were at Vive next door having cocktails--planned to have dinner there, but apparently on Friday nights, it turns into a club, hmmm...whatever. So, we saw Xoimara a few doors down with a few people in it--looked decent enough. Came in, the Waiter/Host asked if we had a reservation, and when we said no, the gentlemen proceeded to say, "uhhh...We'll try to fit you in". Mind you, it's practically empty. We were seated immediately. My friends ordered the Salmon, Lamb and Seafood Paella, while I had the chicken with Saffron rice (horrible, too bland)--they all definitely outordered me. They seemed to like their meals, except my boyfriend didn't like his salmon too much either. The service was nice, but I was really put off at the initial attitude. The bill was about $200.00 for four including wine, so that wasn't too bad, but I definitely would have rather spent that somewhere else. But the kicker is all those walking through the restaurant getting to cafe atlantic, I was like, "Damn, we should've gone there!" I wouldn't go back or recommend the place at all. Pros: Attentive service, somewhat romantic Cons: The food more

Next time you're looking for drinks in Old Town, skip the clusters of corporate restaurant crowds on neighboring Colorado Blvd and try this Carribean gem. Robust tropical flavors tantalize tender meats in unexpected but delightful combinations. WHile the ambience is rather unremarkable for such a colorful menu, the mojitos made with fresh-pressed sugar cane make up for it. Pros: Mojitos, Carribean Food, Quiet Cons: Ambience more

I went to Xiomara on Valentine's Day 2006 (just starting to get into the writing reviews thing now - too many inaccurate reviews on here by people who've only written one review and it's overwhelmingly positive --> hello, advertising) and was fairly disappointed. Maybe it was simply the Valentine's Day menu and not a reflection of the usual menu items, but the food was expensive and mediocre, at best. The mojitos didn't impress me, which I was most disappointed about, and they were quite expensive too (I think they might have been 11 dollars). Part of the mojito problem is style - some places make them sweet w/ a lot of mint, others, like Xiomara make them with more lime/rum flavor. I like more sugar to soften the alcohol, personally. Anyway, the ambience is nice, but I don't think I'll be heading back anytime soon. Maybe I'm cheap, but as soon as the average meal on a menu starts running upwards of 20 bucks, I'm expecting some pretty damn tasty food, and Xiomara didn't cut it. Pros: attractive interior Cons: food mediocre, expensive more

I don't understand why these reviews imply that this restaurant was even decent. The Mojito SUCKED!!! The food SUCKED!!!! I cannot believe they would charge money for this so-called food. Don't take anyone you are fond of to this place. The staff was nice and the chocolate souffle was great but not worth the trek to Pasadena or the price. Pros: Nice servers Cons: Food was horrible, drinks were horrible more

Just had lunch at Xiomara and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and the mojitos. I had the spicy duck ropa vieja which wa... more

The food on Valentine's Day was excellent. The service was intolerable, indifferent and careless. * No food, water or drinks for 45 minutes while sitting at a table * No waiter or waitress for 45 minutes * Drink orders eventually arrived (after we got up and looked for some assistance); they were wrong * No manager (actually, the waitress and concierge weren't sure WHO the manager was!) * Food was brought out to us before our cocktails even arrived, which we expressed (as we sat down 45 minutes earlier) was not what we wanted. We wanted to have cocktails and then eat. * Told that the manager would speak to us shortly. As we left an hour after we got our cocktails, we had not met the manager, who was now busy. * An indifferent staff that did not seem to care that they were ruining a Valentine's Day drinks/dinner. Pros: good food, valet parking, good ambience Cons: bad service, bad drinks more

Went to Xiomara this past weekend. While the food was good, it wasn't great and it certainly wasn't worth the price. Also, I wasn't too impressed by the mojitos. The atmosphere was a little stuffy and the restaurant was practically empty at 8pm on a Friday night. Maybe this place was better a few years ago. more