Vida Resto-lounge - Palm Coast

We chose this restaurant based on its ratings, but we're puzzled by the high scores. The place is nearly empty, and the service is incredibly slow. While the food is quite good, it’s taking an unusually long time for our orders to arrive.

The food was exceptional and delicious, and the drinks were fantastic as well. This hidden gem at Pal Coast offers outstanding service and is one of the best-kept secrets around. With such excellent food and service, it won't stay a secret for long! I've had many wonderful evenings here!

I will never go back to this restaurant. I can't bring myself to give them another chance after the awful service at the bar. I visited on Cinco de Mayo, and while I initially didn't mind the wait after being seated, it quickly became frustrating. Our food arrived, but we still hadn't received our drinks. After waiting 30 minutes for our beverages, I decided to go inside and get them myself. Unfortunately, the female bartender was unhelpful and quite rude. In the end, we chose to leave, paid for our disappointing meal, and walked out.

On a positive note, the plantain chips that were served as an appetizer and alongside the nachos were fantastic. Unlike typical chips, these were long slices of plantains, around 3 millimeters thick. They were delicious!

I found the Cuban dish to be excessively overwhelmed by mustard, which made it difficult to enjoy. The yellow rice had a decent flavor, but it was quite dry. I was really let down by the fact that, despite being a 'Latin' themed restaurant, they didn't offer any beans. Their 'white rice and beans' option is misleading—what I received was actually 'dirty rice', cooked with some beans mixed in. The menu implies that the rice and beans are served separately, but the mix I got barely had any beans. Although the service was commendable and the staff did their best, the owner really needs to reconsider the menu. Also, why not change the name to "Life" in English instead of trying to be Spanish with 'vida'? Honestly, I won’t be coming back. It was quite disappointing.