Escudo de Cuba in Hackney

Great venue, great atmosphere inside, quirky and gives you that latin American feeling with the decor and music 🎶🎵. Great time if a sit was happy hours so we had a few cocktails. The food was delicious- on this visit we shared 6 items from the Tapas selection which was pretty good value for money. I shall definitely return again to try further dishes and outdoor seating as the weather improves.

The food was so delicious that my stomach staged a protest about its limited capacity. The cocktails were so good, they had their red carpet moment going down my throat (this is not a comment on my throat). Also especially good value during happy hour (before 8pm). My absolute favourite is the Hemingway special- I have already started planning my escape to Cuba.

Loved the food. Great value cocktails. Friendly staff. It’s a bit dark, but that’s clearly intentional. Only downside was that as soon as the place filled up the music changed from reasonably non-cheesy Cuban music to full-blown Latin cheese. I heard Mambo Number 5 twice in under an hour.

A fun restaurant and good cocktails. The tapas were a bit hit and miss but overall really good. Very good value. It can get very busy so I would recommend booking if you’re in a group.

Amazing Tapas and Cocktails. Will definitely be coming back.

It was my first time here and I found the food simply awesome, the cocktails were delicious too! Reasonable priced dishes, a variety of choices with generous portions. Good customer service and lovely atmosphere. This is a little treasure, I love this place!

Came here for dinner and a drink. Good food, cool vibe, would visit again!

Everything I come here they give the table I'm on half of the drinks and the others are "being made" for like a whole hour. Love this space but the service is dreadful when busy.

Love this place. Great food and cocktails. This is one of the best spots to visit in the area.

Constructive criticism: The owner has three restaurants and each is close to the other. My family and I went to the one we liked the menu the most. But when we arrived, the restaurant seemed darker than a nightclub hall and I, in particular, need to see what I'm eating. Then the waitress told us that we could eat the same thing at the other restaurant they have, although in that one, the specialty was pizza... But that's what we did. Although my family and I had booked in advance, we later realized that it was not necessary because the restaurants were empty. The owners and workers of these restaurants are Colombians. But if we said that the place was in Cuba, it could be forgiven for the poor conditions it has, because it is in a poor country. But the restaurants in Cuba are much better than these. Plus, being Latino doesn't mean we have to be a mess. The chairs were damaged, all the tables were moving, so all over the floor you could see pieces of cardboard on all the legs of the tables to prevent them from moving. Maybe it was because of the floor, which didn't look very good either. The lamps and crystals were full of dust and although they looked pretty, you couldn't appreciate their beauty very well. Then they gave us some plastic cups to drink from, which were not new, but reused; which I asked to be exchanged for crystal glasses. That was all a real shame, considering that although the food was expensive, it was fresh, well-made and tasty. The food was totally incompatible with the local. The waitresses were very helpful and very patient with me when I complained about the table and the plastic cups. That's why we made an effort and stayed to eat. Those bad details that restaurants have scare away the public, who surely when they enter they do not stay to eat or pass by when they see their unkempt appearance. . I don't know why the owner hasn't made those repairs, but if it is due to lack of money, it is better to sell one to improve two, than to have three in poor condition. Because they lose much more.

Great cocktails, decor and ambience

The best Cuban food restaurant I found in London...✨ They treated us kindly, and if we went before 8 o'clock, it was happy hour, so we got cheap cocktails! The atmosphere is really crazy too..😎 I recommend King Burrito.

Went with my partner yesterday during a Saturday lunchtime. This place was brilliant - would strongly recommend their happy hour.

We really enjoyed the Cuban style food. Great service and atmosphere.

Lovely venue; very empty on a Wednesday evening but as a result the service was excellent. Lovely meal.

This place has a great atmosphere and friendly staff. The food was absolutely amazing best burrito I've ever had and the cocktails were fabulous.

On my to do list! This place looks so authentic!

Great location, great food, great deals on drinks, great music. Warm and friendly staff. It's in my local area and always my go-to eating out venue with family and friends. Love it.

I have been to Escudo de Cuba quite a few times. I always bring family and friends here when they visit me. Once inside you don't feel like you're in rainy and cold England anymore, as it feels very authentic! The music makes you feel like the sun is beaming outside...even when it isn't! The only downside is the lighting is a little low and the floor is uneven so the tables wobble a bit. However, the food is delicious along with the cocktails, which are the best and value for money! I like that the cocktails in 'Happy Hour' (which lasts for 8hrs) allows you to have 2 different cocktails, unlike most establishments! The staff are very friendly and I've never been disappointed so I will always recommend coming here!

If you can have a favourite restaurant in London, this is mine! Incredible vibes, delicious tapas, great cocktails, I can only recommend you go!

Whent there for a drink, not expecting much, just wanted to hear some latino music and was so pleasantly surprised. The service was great, very attentive. The food was YUM prices were spot on... and the drink was wow! I'm definitely going back for the Patacon/platano with pork and the drink has to be the fuego negro! If you like lime, this is the ine for you.

So much fun in here. Happy hour is fantastic and so is the food!

Good food for reasonable price. Nice happy hour. Good environment.

Tasty food not strictly cuban but tasty

Another family run business where I feel comfy like home 😀 great drinks, you get a good amount of quality food, great location - just in front of EartH ! Shoutout to the big boss Marcos who always goes the extra mile to make my experience unforgettable… consistently 😎 Highly Recommend, friends and family approved ✅

Service was bad , waited 25 minutes just for our order to be taken even though it was not busy and they had over 6 staff walking around and it took another 40 minutes for our food to arrive, the food was cold and not once did anyone check to see if everything was OK or if we needed anything else despite us trying to get their attention to order more drinks. Will not be going back there for food again, they own the Latino bar awell 2 doors down but the service is good in there

Good vibes, tasty food with great prices, nice cocktails, staff were very attentive! I’m defo planning my next trip here already! It would be good for a cut little inexpensive date night, although I went with the girls and it was ideal too!

Incredible service, strong happy hour drinks, beautiful food - everything you’d ask for. Thank you especially to our waitress Stefanie(or Tiffany?) ! <3

One of the best Latino bars I've ever been in London

Fantastico posto…buona musica, buon cibo, drinks abbondanti!!!

The food was amazing! The Espresso Martinis were the best I've had. Unfortunately... they brought us the bill twice without us asking for it, even though we were going to order more, and they said they do that 'just in case people leave without paying'. Also, we asked how many cannolis come in one portion and were told one, so we ordered two portions. When they came, there were two per portion and we couldn't finish them. It's a shame because our evening there started off so well but got spoilt. However, as I said, the food was amazing!

Stopped here before a concert at Earth. Had 2 for 1 cocktails which were good. Starters of tacos and quesadilla was ace, main course was a good size but lacked taste (the pork). Service was a bit too quick and always asking if you wanted anything else (a bit too much). Price good I would return but in the day. Also please put some lights on as I could barely read the menu

Great drinks and lovely staff 👍👍👍🌻

Great Latin music and vibes Cocktails and food were great Good outdoor area and make sure you reserve

Rather average food and drinks, plus service pretty slow on a busy Saturday night. Good vibes for a Dalston night out and reasonably priced, good for a student pub crawl.

One of our favourite places to drink on the high street. Good table service and decent drinks on tap. Midweek happy hour cocktail offers are generous and the scran is top tier

I've only been here for drinks/cocktails and I absolutely adore this place. The atmosphere is amazing

Excelente restaurante, quiero destacar en especial la atención de su personal ya que es realmente brillante, su comida es deliciosa. Puedes sentarte en cualquiera de los tres restaurantes y pedir comida cubana, mexicana o italiana. No es fácil encontrar esto! Recomiendo mucho los cócteles 🍸 tienen buenas promociones 👌

The steak was presented beautifully and tasted very nice. Great atmosphere and staff; you really can't go wrong

Great little restaurant a good extensive menu professional polite quick staff nothing is a problem the food is very good very good vibe atmosphere there

The best bar in Dalston and Hackney. The service is stellar! They didn’t have a table available for us in the garden so they built one just for us. Absolutely great! I love their Margaritas and they serve Corona in a corona glass with salt on the border and lime. Spectacular experience! The garden closes at 1 and the downstairs dance floor at 3. The music selection is absolutely amazing although it could be mixed a bit better. Always a great experience

I love this place and when working in the area cannot resist the temptation of their cassava chips. Still as good with excellent service. Can't wait to return.

A restaurant during the day that turns into a lively bar at night! Stays open until 3 am in the weekends with terrace opened until 1 am and then moving to the indoors and underground dance floor. They play good latin classics as well as more modern reggaeton music. Drinks are fairly cheap (9.20£ for a double Gin and tonic is not bad!) and there is also table service outdoors. Really cool vibe!

This has to be the best Cuban restaurant / bar in London. The food is just amazingly delicious. I love Mexican food but this is better. Realistic prices too. There is a great vibe here with South American music and South American staff. Feels like being on holiday. I have checked this place off as one of my favourite places to eat. They also own the pizza restaurant next door so you can sit in both restaurants and eat from either. Great eats

Amazing food and service. And reasonable price for what you get!

Chaque fois que je vais a Londres je fonce direct dans ce restaurant. Le service est impeccable! La nourriture et les cocktail sont délicieux! Et que dire de l'ambiance digne de l'Amerique Latine. C'est de loin mon restaurant préféré. De plus le personnel est bilingue anglais/espagnol et très serviable et disponible.

food is quite poor. service is great tho!

Great vibe, great food and good coctails. I went there with my son and we got 6 tapas and coctails. !Everything was great!

Good, reasonably priced cocktails and open late. However, the music was quite terrible: a playlist of dated cliché "Latin" music like Lambada, Gypsy Kings, Katchupa. Within an hour or so we heard the same songs twice. If a place pretends to be Cuban, we would appreciate some Cuban music.

Randomly came across this place with 6 people on a Friday night. Not many other places had room for this many people at the last minute. They loved a few tables together and then let us move outside when there was space. The food was great, and you can also order from the pizza place next door to the same table. The drinks were great too! Definitely recommend it to anyone and planning on coming back soon!

Stopped here as it was a middle point when meeting friends. I was very pleasantly surprised. The cocktails were tasty and the tapas was delicious. I would definitely return

Great food, beers, and cocktails. Open late most nights. One of the best spots.

Escudo used to be our go to spot for tasty, hearty food. Now that it's a trendy spot with the increased footfall in Dalston the food quality has gone down, and lacks the imagination and passion they once had. Perhaps a change in chef or owners... But the vibe is no longer the same.

The place is very nice, however, for spanish people music is boring and repetitive in the terraza.A bit more of variety wouls be good for staff and customers

We chose to visit this restaurant on the strength of a couple of photos showing the spectacular interior of the bar. The venue, the food and the service did not disappoint! We had the 6 tapas for £30 and that was a proper lunch for two people. Good selection of draft beers and I understand the cocktails are first class. Escudo de Cuba has a cool, attentive, family vibe, and we will definitely be returning. I have the feeling it gets quite lively on Saturday nights.

第一次食古巴菜好特別，食物、飲品水準一流，當日我坐門口比較大風😅😅

Love this place! Always feels so great to be there, staff is very welcoming and friendly! Food is simply delicious, amazing tapas and traditional Cuban main course options. Pina Rellena is my favourite meal, fresh and tasty. We had a great time, can't wait to come back soon, again!

Amazing Cuban and Latin food in the area, great cocktails and deals as well. I think they do dancing in the basement on some days. Always go for the assorted tapas, had incredible lamb chops too.

Great selection of Latin American food and you can even order from the other restaurants nearby.

Excellent food tapas is amazing so was the pizza! Perfect for waiting for Earth theatre to open

Cocktails are good especially at happy hour price and some of the food is quite nice also. Good vibe and not expensive

Great lunch (food is consistently good) in the sunshine. Grill to share and delicious selection of tapas - person delicious. Staff are friendly and there when you need them.

Very cute place in dalston! Lovely food being burritos, pizza and Cuban traditional food. We tried the pizza and burritos. Both of them were absolutely delicious! Good beers and cheap prices for London on tap. Lovely waitresses. Would totally reccomend.

Always love this place. Good portions, great vibe and banging mojitos!

I wanted to be amazed as a Cuban traveling the UK. So here it goes...nice decor, friendly, and good service, good music, however this is not traditional Cuban food. Maybe the locals in London do not know any better. This is semi-Cuban food with a Central or South American twist to it. Quería sorprenderme como cubano viajando por Londres. Así que aquí va... bonita decoración, amable y buen servicio, buena música, sin embargo, esta no es comida tradicional cubana. Tal vez las personas que viven en Londres no saben mejor. Esta es comida semicubana con un toque centroamericano o sudamericano.

BEWARE THEY ARE THIEVES - I went here and they tried taking not £15 but £75 off my card. Thankfully I saw the transaction. Because the waitress didn't care. She typed it and smiled. And thought I would be too stupid to realise. I then had to chase the manager for 20 minutes outside the premises because they flat out refused to give me my money. They said they couldn't do refunds via the machine. I have worked in hospitality. I knew he was lying. So I stood and waited until my money was returned. They then harassed my friends who were still inside and overall a very bad experience that made me as a black woman feel extremely uncomfortable.

What an AMAZING experience! Delicious food and drinks. Such a cozy atmosphere! Highly recommended!🥰 🇨🇺 Thank you for a beautiful evening 🙏🏼

Un endroit vraiment agréable. La nourriture est excellente et assez copieuse. Ambiance latine à souhait. Les cocktails avant 19h sont à 7£ (prendre 2 cocktails).

This place has fantastic food. I've been here on numerous occasions over the years. The decor is a little wild and dark (sorry for the dark photo!), but the music and vibe is fun loving. They have outdoor and indoor seating. Although on a sunny day it's nice to sit outside, I prefer indoors to be away from the madness of the street. The service is always nice and genuine. The food is what keeps us coming back every time! We usually order tapas, 6 for £29.95, which comes with salad and rice with black beans. Absolutely more than enough for 2. If not that we've had the steaks, which are seasoned beautifully. The sides of vegetable and rice with beans too are always on point. The prices are fair too. Highly recommended for a casual date night, or a group of friends.

It’s a vibe! Great food! Cool staff!

I love the versatility of this place. From the tapas sharing plate at lunch, to 2-4-1 cocktails in the evening and downstairs to Tipsy bar into the night! Friendly staff, great atmosphere. Sit outside Alfresco style!

Excellent ambience and vibe. Service was a little slow and it wasn't that busy. However the piece de resistance was the food. All the dishes were well portioned and delicious. I'd definitely go back.

I don’t understand the good reviews, the food was honestly so bad. We got the 6 tapas dishes and there were no good ones. Never had soggy patatas bravas, the cauliflower was way too sweet, calamari was weirdly stringy, and everything lacking salt. Cocktails and service were ok hence the 2 stars. Won’t be back

Great food by Central Americans. As a Cuban, it tasted as if I was eating back in my home town of Miami. Highly recommend

Great ambiance,cosy and worth for for value. Highly recommend to go with a group of friends or for intimate dinner. The paella is by far the best dish, tasty and huge portion.

We visited on a Saturday evening and the place was completely full, as well as the few seats outside, the atmosphere was brilliant, music playing and lighting to set the mood for a nice relaxing drink or meal. We ordered drinks and food. They all came within a reasonable amount of time. We ordered a number of dishes which included Nachos to Share, Escudo Steak and Pollo Con Guacamole. I ordered the Escudo Steak (comes with rice, potatoes, veg and sweet potato fries) and an extra portion of Roasted Sweet Potato & Paprika Fries. It was cooked and seasoned well and everything was delicious, especially the brown sauce (see photo, sauce is behind the rice)! The fries were lovely and crispy. Yum! The staff here are very friendly, polite and professional. I highly recommend Escudo for a lovely meal and experience.

Visité el lugar por casualidad y fue una buena experiencia. Excelente servicio, ambiente y música. Los precios en cóctel y chupitos absequibles

I love this restaurant. Extensive drinks menu with some of the best cocktails I've ever had. The food is very good as well. This time we had the mixed grill platter, so delicious 😋

Amazing food in a proper cubsn looking restaurant. I loved the piña rellena as well as the tres leches cake for dessert! They play latin pop in the background, which was exactly my jam :)

Came here for my mum’s birthday last night and had a lovely time. Staff were lovely, manager was welcoming and the food was so nice, portion sizes were great. Drinks were good, and we got some complimentary shots at the end which was nice. Thank you!

Great service and brilliant tapas and cocktails! Gracias amigos!

Very lively place, nice drafts, cool food but expensive but the service is really nice and the vibe is quite good especially in the evening 👌

Love this place. We've been a few times now and the food is great and so reasonably priced. Great atmosphere, always busy and just always a great place to go for good reasonably priced tasty food!! In the summer they have some outdoor seating too but it's limited.

A lovely atmosphere and vibe. Very good food with pleasant and positive staff too.

I'm inspired to visit Cuba 😊 Friendly, gracious staff

The food, drinks and ambiance are really nice, so as a restaurant/bar it’s great. We came back on the weekend for the downstairs dancing though and were very disappointed that they were blasting Sweet Caroline and ABBA. No Latin music at all. Same music was playing in the bar and kind of ruined the vibe of a supposedly Cuban place

Great food, great service with pictures of Che all over the place!! Thank you guys

Great music, atmosphere, food and delicious cocktails

Came here for some pre-flea market grub and was not disappointed. Some lovely beer on draught and the plantain chips are exquisite! My only mistake was not taking advantage of the 2 4 1 cocktails 🍹

The waiting staff were really friendly but the food is small, overpriced & mediocre. Paid £13.95 for an enchilada that was tiny and not filling & tasted bland. Would go back here for a drink but not food.

Amazing food and cocktails at an affordable price. Staff are so friendly and attentive. Yummy vegetarian options. I went here for some food and drinks with my friends and it was so good I came back to celebrate my birthday here a few weeks later. They gave me a free slice of cake and a shot, which was very sweet. They also were playing really great music both times.

Food is so tasty and the cocktails are first class. Staff are lovely. I loved the decor of the bar inside

Such great food, fast service and amazing drinks.

1 star for the cocktails. 2 stars for the eye candy. Especially the hunky dj Avoid this place unless you like drinking poison

We sat outside which was good as they had heaters. The food and drinks came quickly and yhe food was delicious. Staff were great too. I would go back.

Great bar, with very nice vibes. Food and drinks are very good, and happy hour prices are very good

The food was amazing and very delicious, Anni our waitress was super kind and she suggested some plates and they were tasty! Definitely coming back, they have a dancing bar downstairs they told us is very funny during the nigth, we been there for lunch and it was quiet, they have as well a terrace where you can finish with cocktails very confortable place and quiet to have a conversation after lunch. Good time for couples o friends on Saturdays they want to enjoy time together ❤️

Amazing amazing food, huge selection of cocktails and lovely staff, they even gave us a free shot of tequila! Will be returning 👍

El lugar es muy oscuro, te llevan la comida y no puedes verla.

The food is amazing, the drinks even better and the service is top notch. One of my favorite places and I keep introducing new people to it too😁