Julie's Cuban Restaurant is a place you could totally miss. We've been by it so many times and never saw it until my cousin invited me to join her family for dinner. I don't really understand Cuban food (even after having visited Cuba) but I imagine it's hard to do "fancy" Cuban and thankfully Julie's doesn't try. It's a very nice and homey feel and I think a lot of their dishes would serve better family style instead of a la carte.
We were a large group and got almost all of their mains. I got the Bistec Empanizado which I thought was pretty good. The serving is just way too big for one meal, but that means yummy left overs. At first the piece of beef looks quite bland but biting into it you know a lot of flavour has been introduced to it by way of breading. The Bistec de Palomilla is similar without the breading but with onions instead. My guy found his piece of steak to be a little tough in spots. We ordered some appetizers which were just okay, can't remember too much about them.
We ordered Tortilla Chips con Guacamole while we waited for a few stragglers to arrive. I thought it would be fresh chips, but when I went to the washroom I got a good look in the kitchen and unfortunately it was a bag of Tostitos. Yeah, kind of disappointing. I didn't find any pineapple in the guacamole, which would make it authentically Cuban. Another disappointment.
To drink we ordered the Sangria - just okay, Mojito Cubano - yum! and a piña colada - made fresh and was so very delicious. Someone also ordered the 15 year Glenfiddich which was a complete UNDER POUR considering the price. The quantity was laughable.
We also ordered desserts but they weren't memorable and I just remember thinking "way too sweet" so I'd skip dessert and opt for the piña colada instead ;)
Overall it was nice to try something new in a place that could accommodate my large family and still give us friendly and unhurried service. There were a few things that need to be improved. I'd suggest they remove guacamole and chips off their menu. The mains are quite large so you don't really need to get an appetizer. And instead of dessert try their piña colada!!