COPACABANA CUBAN CAFE
COPACABANA CUBAN CAFE is among the lower-graded kitchens we track. Its most recent inspection on March 19, 2026 put it at 46/100 — an F on our A–F scale.
Inspectors cited 3 high-priority, 4 intermediate, and 8 basic violations. That leaves it near the bottom of Lake County on health score. On the upside, the trend has been improving. Safer, higher-graded options nearby are listed below.
F grade · 46/100 · near the bottom of Lake County on health score
Get directions Call (352) 385-9000
Safer options nearby
Higher-graded restaurants close to COPACABANA CUBAN CAFE, by Florida DBPR grade:
- WOLF BRANCH BREWING CO
Restaurant details
- Health grade
- F (46/100)
- Violations
- 15 total — 3 high-priority, 4 intermediate, 8 basic
- Address
- 320 DORA DRAWDY WAY, Mount Dora, FL
- Cuisine
- Cuban
- Categories
- Cuban restaurant, Bar, Caribbean restaurant, Family restaurant, Restaurant
- Price
- $$
- Rating
- 4.1 stars (2698 reviews)
- Seats
- 151
- Phone
- (352) 385-9000
- Website
- Official website
Community Rating
Reviews via GoogleWhat diners say — our read
People either love this place or they do not, and the ratings show it. Reviews mentioning service average 3.0 stars, so it divides opinion rather than settling it. Serving size follows at 20% of reviews, where ratings average 2.4.
Of the 25 rated reviews, 11 sit at four stars or better and 11 at two or below. If you had to pick one number to represent this corpus it would be 1, the most frequently given rating (10 reviews). Behind those, what it costs is raised in 16% of reviews (3.3 average).
None of that is visible in a star rating: the most recent DBPR inspection graded this kitchen an F (46/100), citing 3 high-priority, 4 intermediate, and 8 basic violations. Diner sentiment and inspection result are measuring different things here, and only one of them is checked by the state. DBPR last walked in on March 19, 2026. Across its inspection history the kitchen is improving, which argues for giving it the benefit of the doubt. That puts it ahead of 1% of graded kitchens in Lake County. The citations behind that grade include food from approved source.
There is no tension to resolve here: reviewers and the inspector reached similar conclusions. The individual reviews are below, newest first, if you want the raw material.
Our own analysis of 25 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →
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Great food parking little difficult but worth it 👍👍
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If you’re looking for authentic Cuban food, Copacabana is definitely worth a visit. The food was fresh, flavorful, and full of authentic Cuban taste. The portions were generous, the service was friendly, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Everything we ordered was delicious, and you can tell they take pride in their food. I’ll definitely be coming back and highly recommend it to anyone craving great Cuban cuisine.
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Poor customer service and terrible food
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Pésimo servicio y no es buena la comida incluso estaba crudo un pescado frito
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This is nothing but basic looking bland overpriced cafeteria food. Do yourselves a favor and eat elsewhere. Atmosphere is nice but service and food sucks.
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We used to come here regularly and the food was great, very authentic. Lots of patrons. We are Cuban descent from Miami and know the real thing. Today Copacabana was a huge disappointment. The black beans were terrible. The oxtail was mediocre. The mojito was so weak, we asked for another shot. It didn’t help much. I think the rum was either watered down or extremely cheap. The Cuban bread was below average and had something that resembled butter but wasn’t. When we left, a couple (latins also from Miami) approached us to ask if we had been to this restaurant before. They had the same issue. They used to go there and it was great but now it was terrible. They said their mariquitas were extremely greasy and they had to send them back. They also hated the bread. They ordered a steak sandwich which they were going to give a chance. Imagine - Their experience was so bad they asked perfect strangers about our experience. I don’t know if there are new owners but they need to get it together. The waitress was extremely sweet and efficient. The only positive experience.
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1 star is way too generous for this place. As someone who grew up on real Cuban food in Miami, this was honestly insulting. Esto esta de….! The food was so bad I actually sent it back and left. No flavor and nothing about it felt fresh or authentic. It felt like they didn’t even try. Just don’t bother. Again.. don’t even bother! Trust me. Save your time, save your money, and go literally anywhere else.
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I stop by for the Cuban coffee. Perfect cortaditos.
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In spite it advertise cuban food it is really no a typical cuban food restaurant, it is more like Mexican
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Forgot to enter the promo! Please send 20% off coupon. Thanks!
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Had the special: Cuban w/fries $10. So good!!!
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Quick service! Excellent server - she was friendly, patient and knew her stuff! The food was good! I enjoyed the Cerviche and Tostones - fresh and delicious! Nice and cozy atmosphere but it was a bit dark inside though.
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Review: Beware of Potential Scams I recently dined at this restaurant and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. We waited over an hour for our food, which was extremely frustrating. There was little communication from the staff about the delay, and we felt completely forgotten. While I understand that restaurants can get busy, waiting that long without any updates is simply unacceptable and greatly impacted our overall experience. To make matters worse, we also had to wait an excessive amount of time for our check. Tired of waiting, we decided to leave cash on the table and exit the restaurant rather than wait any longer. Just as we were about to leave, our waitress finally appeared. Since we had already prepared the cash, we opted to pay that way and declined change. However, after we left, the waitress accused us of being $20 short. My boyfriend insisted that wasn’t the case, and I asked if they had checked the table or the kitchen. In an effort to resolve the situation, my boyfriend retraced his steps and went back inside to look for the missing bill. We explained to the waitress what we had left, but she was insistent that we were lying. When my boyfriend asked to speak with a manager, we were told there wasn't one on duty. After requesting to review the security footage, the hostess eventually came out to say they found the $20. There was no apology from the waitress, and when I asked where the bill had been found, I was told it had been stuck somewhere.…
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Excellent cuban sandwich! Very friendly atmosphere. Definitely will be back.
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This place was recommended for lunch by a nurse at a doctor’s office in Tavares, and I’m so glad we chose it. I originally tried to place a catering order online, but their website was down the day before Memorial Day. I called instead and spoke with Arelly, who was absolutely slammed because of the holiday rush, yet still took the time through several back-and-forth calls to help get everything arranged. Beni even responded after hours to personally guarantee my order would be ready for pickup the next day. Everyone I interacted with went above and beyond to make our lunch happen on short notice. The atmosphere was great, and the restaurant was already busy by 11:30 AM, which says a lot. The food was even better than the service, and that’s hard to beat. I’ll definitely be back and highly recommend this place for both the amazing staff and excellent food. Thank you again!
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Nada nada de comida cubana, la comida estaba quemada, sin sazon, el aceite estaba sobre utilizado . Pedí vaca frita: no tenía cebollas, no limón, no sal. La mesera no llegó a preguntarnos cómo estaba la cena, nos abandonó y luego tuvimos que pedir la cuenta a la cocinera que salió de casualidad. No vallan, es más la comida me hizo doler el estómago
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Zero authenticity. Food is not as described on the menu. We weren't hungry when we left. Meh
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Probably my favorite restaurant while visiting Mount Dora. The food is to die for and the staff are super polite and helpful!
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0 stars!!! The people are terrible the service is awful the place does not look clean. The guys are not friendly!!! I watched the bar tender not wash his hands and making drinks. B careful to much going around to risk sickness. And they pay none of their customers attention at all they just walk around you and ignore you. And then laugh. 0 stars!!
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If I could give zero Stars I would these people are horrible! Uber eats and doordash people customers too! The order not going through your system or you not paying attention to it is not my fault I waited it out and then you kept lying to me about the time 30 minutes goes by and then you told me they just drop it again it'll be still 10-15 minutes and then you tell me because I asked you can you be honest with me about the time that I can leave no horrible horrible service!!!! Paramore about your employees we waste our time to come up there and sit there and wait it's our money too we're on the clock!
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The place has great potential, as it is located in a beautiful, growing small city. Perhaps the employees—who are very friendly and eager to do their best—are simply in need of some proper training. The first round of cocktails fell short, but the second round was prepared very well. I enjoyed the food, though there is room for improvement. We like the overall concept. The music was fantastic. El lugar tiene un gran potencial pues está localizado en una hermosa pequeña ciudad en crecimiento. Quizás sea que les hace falta un buen entrenamiento a los empleados los cuales son muy amables y quieren dar lo mejor de ellos. Los primeros cocteles le faltó y los segundos si los prepararon muy bien. La comida me gustó aunque puede mejorar. El concepto en general nos gusta. La música estuvo buenisima.
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The food is tasty. We enjoyed the Stuffed peppers and Mixed Veggies. The server was not very attentive and got a couple things wrong on our order. The restaurants atmosphere is nice.
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Very bad attention!!!
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Good food, great people.
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Went here for Mother’s Day and we were so disappointed. The food was absolutely disgusting! I wish I could rate it zero stars. Most importantly, when we walked in, there was a huge roach under our table where we were eating. Never again!!!
Overall Score
42 / 100
Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.
Opening hours
- Monday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
- Tuesday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
- Wednesday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
- Thursday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
- Friday
- 11 AM to 10 PM
- Saturday
- 11 AM to 10 PM
- Sunday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
Inspection history
The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.
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March 19, 2026 · Routine - Food
Administrative complaint recommended
3 high-priority · 4 intermediate · 8 basic
- 01 — Food from approved source; safe, unadulterated, sound condition
- 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating) (×3)
- 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
- 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×3)
- 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
- 24 — Storage & handling of clean equipment and utensils; air drying
- 25 — Single-service and single-use items
- 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
- 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×2)
- 53 — Food manager certification; employee food-safety training
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September 26, 2025 · Routine - Food
Call Back - Complied
0 high-priority · 0 intermediate · 4 basic
- 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
- 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
- 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×2)
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September 24, 2025 · Routine - Food
Warning Issued
3 high-priority · 3 intermediate · 15 basic
- 01 — Food from approved source; safe, unadulterated, sound condition
- 02 — Consumer advisory, date-marking & labeling of ready-to-eat foods
- 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating) (×2)
- 08 — Cross-contamination: raw foods separated; food protected during prep/storage (×2)
- 10 — In-use food dispensing utensils properly stored
- 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
- 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
- 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×3)
- 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
- 29 — Plumbing installed & maintained; mop sink; backflow prevention
- 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
- 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×4)
- 40 — Employee personal belongings
- 41 — Chemicals / toxic substances properly stored & used
This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →
Data last updated: March 19, 2026