Mambo House, the new Cuban restaurant and bar at 206 N. Mays St., continues to make news.

Less than month ago, Zagat listed Mambo House among its Top 10 Reasons You Should Drive to Round Rock. This week, the Round Rock section of Statesman.com profiled the venue and its owner, Henry Colon Jr.

Some highlights from the article:

• “Me being a foodie, I like to eat,” (Colon) said. “I didn’t feel like there were many places especially in Round Rock that are really restaurant home-cooked meals and there was an absolute need for some Caribbean or Cuban food here.”
• Unique touches such as placing a single flower on each table, using Cuban wax newspaper, filling walls with colorful Cuban photos and posters and the use of bright furniture are done on purpose to bring the spirit of Latin culture to life. “We want to make it Caribbean and warm and fun,” Colon said.
• Before selecting the specific location for his restaurant, Colon did a study of the area’s demographics. “We tried every single Latin or Spanish restaurant besides Mexican,” he shared. “We tried it and saw how far away it was from here and determined where we thought there would be a need to give people a different flavor.” Colon believes Latin food is not just about sitting down to fill one’s appetite, but rather, an experience. “We try to make people experience what Cuban culture is,” he said. “It’s a beautiful culture. We want to bring it out and let people know it.”

Among the dishes featured in the article are Ropa Vieja, a shredded flank steak in Cuban Creole sauce; Sandwich Cubano, with smoked ham, roasted pork, gruyere cheese, pickles and passion fruit mustard; La Frita, a sandwich with Angus beef and chorizo, crispy potato sticks, smoked ham, gruyere cheese and roasted garlic aioli; Mambo House Paella with saffron rice, olives, shrimp, chorizo, clams, mussels and scallops; and Tres Leches Cake.