Casona

My husband and i have eaten at Casona 3 or 4 times and beside a few minor issues, we have had delightful experiences there. Not only is the atmosphere warm and inviting, but the staff is consistently kind and attentive. The only problem regarding the atmosphere of the restaurant is that it can become noisy on Saturday nights. This can be an inconvenience but to me it's only a reminder of how popular Casona is. Only once have i had a a poor experience with the food. I ordered the pork chop(which is no longer on the menu) and was dissapointed with the dryness of the meat. I spoke to my server, who immediately apologized and provided me with an alternative dish. He suggested the lechon asado, which is a citrus shredded pork served over saffron rice and sweet plantians. To my delight, it was delicious! At the end of the meal, the owner checked in with our table to make sure we were satisfied with our dishes. To me this was unusual because in most restaurants the owner is usually not the one to handle customer complaints. ( I would know because I worked in the business during my college days!) I would recommend Casona to any of my friends and i plan to return soon! Pros: Beautiful decor, flavorful and interesting food, and helpful staff Cons: may have a moderate wait for a table on weekend nights, can be noisey more

My partner and I live in Collingswood and enjoy all the restaurants there. We have been to Casona about a dozen times. Whether it was by myself, with my partner, with a group or at a catered event, every time was a different experience, yet for the most part consistant. When I heard that Casona was being bashed, I felt compelled to speak up. They were slammed for the six months, yet we still received good service and one of the best churassco steaks I've had - even better then some steak places in NYC. I've also been there during lunch when things were a disaster. I let the management know and they apologized, explained what happened, and assured me things whould improve. They did. The Cuban sandwich is amazing. I don't care for salads much, but I know what goes into theirs. The mango and avacado are perfectly ripe and fresh. The salads are nice and big. Desserts and specialty drinks can take too long sometimes, but they are individually plated and decorated for each guest. Due to the owner's resovle, the problems with service have been fixed for the most part. He explained to me that it is hard to really know how someone will perform, until thay are hired. If he sees any lazy or careless behavior he will focus on that person until they either shape up or are forced out. Unfortunately, customer service is sometimes affected in the process. Make reservations early in the week for tha weekend and don't be surprised if there is a short wait even with a reserervation. Once seated, be ready to be there for a while and relax and enjoy your meal and company. Pros: Great open air porch, nice interior, great food, friendly service, responsive management Cons: Lazy service at times, must wait at times even with reservations, lunch can be tough more

My husband and I ate here in June of 2007. We frequent Collingswood restaurants and love the BYOBs and great food there that rival much of what's over the bridge into Philadelphia.\r \r We were excited to try Casona, but unfortunately we were pretty disappointed.\r \r We had a 6 pm reservation for a Saturday night - the best I could get on short notice. That was fine. However, we arrived to a beautiful outdoor porch full of empty tables, but when we asked if we could be seated out there, the hostess told us curtly, in a scolding tone: ""No, I have nothing available."" \r I assumed they were being held for later reservations. Imagine my surprise when they remained empty throughout our meal and were still that way when we left almost two hours later.\r \r A note to wine lovers - you will be highly disappointed in their glassware. I brought a big cabernet that we were forced to drink out of restaurant supply quality, extremely small-sized glasses.\r \r While our appetizers were tasty, we were highly disappointed in the Paella. First, while the menu stated it had octopus and scallops in it, it did not. Secondly, it had grilled shrimp on top. In paella, I believe the seafood is usually cooked in the juices of the dish itself. Similarly, much of the other shellfish - clams, lobster, mussels - appeared to have been steamed and had little, if any flavor. To add to our disappointment, the shellfish, and most especially the lobster was overcooked and dry.\r \r Service was spotty at times. While our waitress was freindly and tried to be attentive, frankly I think she had too many tables to manage.\r \r Lastly - while the latest I could make a reservation on Saturday night was 6 pm, when we left later, the restaurant was still only about half full.\r \r We will not go back. This area has many other places wth better food to frequent, where diners are made to feel comfortable and welcome.\r \r \r Pros: nice setting, pretty porch. Cons: spotty table service, hostess with a constant frown, noisy dining room, glassware more

unlike some, i like to make several visits to a restaurant before i write.\r sometimes one great experience or one bad one can be an anomaly. \r after several visits (at least 5) i would rate casona almost perfect in food, service, and atomsphere.\r because i usually drag along several friends, we get to sample many items\r each time. they also have homemade sauces available if you like to 'spice/season it up' . all\r you have to do ask! (our orders were perfectly seasoned though, but we like to try different things anyway)\r we found our servers very pleasant and some have begun to treat us like family. we especially like: the cuban sandwich, lechon, ceviches, paella, casona salad, tres leches, mojitos; not to mention the sunday brunch menu, the live music nights, the wrap-around dining porch, and the fireplace. i agree with\r south jersey magazine, philadelphia magazine, the inquirer (craig laban), and the courier post-\r all found this restaurant very good to excellent! ! wow! the jury is in!!-casona has proven itself with consistency in the judgment of many professional sources (not just me and my indulgent friends!)\r \r Pros: bodacious bargain byo! Cons: can't really think of any (two hour meter parking is 50 cents?) more

My husband & I went to Casona for dinner on Saturday night with some friends. From the minute we walked into the restaurant it was a very pleasant and warm experience, we were greeted by the very friendly staff and sat within a few minutes of our reservation time. My husband & I do not go out that often without our children so it was so nice to be able to relax & have a great time, which we did. Our Server was great & very attentive to our party (we were a group of 8). He very carefully explained the menu dishes, he also recommened his favorite dishes. We had the cuban spring rolls, the appetizer sampler, ceviche also the Casona salad, everything was fresh & delicious. We aslo had for our entrees the Tuna, the Paella & the Vodka Frita, everything was great. It was a very busy night & the only thing we did have to wait was our desserts & coffee, but our server explained to us that they had gotten alittle backed up at the coffee bar, but it was well worth the wait. When we were just about finished we were greeted by the one of the owners Lawrence Grillo who was sweet & wanted to see how our night was. Did I mention we sat on the porch which made our night even better, it was our first time there & for sure we will go again. We would recommend Casona to our friends & family. Pros: The porch, the service & the food of course more