Cocina Fusion Reviews
Reviews
4.9 out of 5 rating
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4.9 out of 5 rating
192 Reviews
99% recommend it
Awards
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![Matthew]()
Matthew G. Sent on 06/01/2023The Dream Caterer
You can’t get a better caterer for your wedding than Cocina Fusion. Not only does Cocina serve the kind of food you would find at a highly recommended restaurant, but Juliana is a superstar organizer that will make your wedding a breeze.
THE FOOD
Cocina Fusion’s food produces that “wow factor.” Our guests couldn’t stop raving about it, with some even requesting recipes. Several guests gushed over both our appetizers (burrata, mini chicken arepa, mini shrimp cocktail, beef empanadas) and our dinner (chef salad with strawberries, chimichurri steak, blackened chicken with mango salsa, Cajun potato wedges). My now-wife and I were not surprised. We were extremely diligent (and borderline OCD) in our search for and research of potential caterers: We read through the websites, wedding-website profiles, and reviews of at least 300 caterers in the Chicagoland areas; we spoke with dozens of recently wedded couples; we had in-depth interviews with over a dozen caterers on our short list; and we went to half a dozen taste tests. Some of the food that we tasted was equivalent to sub-part elementary cafeteria food. And most of the food we tried and heard about can best be described as “ok.” However, Cocina Fusion’s food was a revelation. It was just that much better than all the other caterers.
THE SERVICE
Cocina Fusion was incredibly flexible and gracious with all our appetizer and dinner requests, essentially making from scratch appetizers and dishes that we really wanted but that were not on its ordinary menu. Juliana was also extremely accommodating in allowing us to change our minds multiple times regarding some of the appetizer selections and entrees, as well as the table design. And perhaps most helpful, Juliana is one of those people that just has it all together. Her attention to detail and diligence gives you the invaluable comfort of knowing you are in the best of hands and simply don’t have to worry about the food service at all. She knows all the right questions to ask you, the venue, and all your other vendors. With Juliana at the helm, you know your appetizer and dinner service will run smoothly. And for the cherry on top, Juliana will go out of her way to make sure that you get to try each and every appetizer, and that you have the opportunity to eat dinner.
Exceptional food, exceptional service, and an overall first-rate experience. Unless you can hire Bobby Flay as your caterer, you would be crazy not to hire Cocina Fusion for your wedding.Cocina Fusion's reply:
Matthew and Emily! I have no words other than a BIG SMILE on my face after reading your review for my business. Cocina Fusion is not great just because of me but because of the great team we have built to run the events front and back of the house. Thanks for pushing our menu to offer new items. Congratulations to you both and please share pictures when available as every detail was beautifully planned. Juliana B. -
Diane Sent on 04/20/2024
12/10 experience with Cocina Fusion!
Working with Juliana and the Cocina Fusion team is one of the best wedding planning decisions we made. They were flexible and so easy to work with. I felt like Juliana really cared about making sure we had the best day possible - in planning the menu she gave us great recommendations in making our selections and offering ideas to balance our priorities. Everything we served was truly phenomenal - our guests are still raving about the feed 2 weeks after the wedding.
Juliana was very responsive to any questions we had throughout the process and her team was on top of everything day of. Highly recommend! -
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Patricia G. Sent on 10/10/2023
Excellent Caterer of Latin Fusion
Juliana and her team at Cocina Fusion were excellent in every measure. Her email communication is prompt. She anticipates issues and is proactive in resolving them before they become problems. The event staff was professional, personable and fun. And the food!!! Rave reviews. Heard from many guests (even the foodies) that meal was delicious and "best wedding food ever." We had the Chimichurri Steak, Chicken Poblano, Rice cake, tower of vegetables, fusion (arugula) salad and Churro Cart. Vegetarian was Stuffed Poblano Pepper. Appetizers :spinach & cheese empanadas, chipotle meatballs, bacon wrapped dates, mushroom cups with goat cheese.
The venue had its challenges for Juliana, her husband (the chef) and staff but they never complained and made it work.
Could not recommend more highly.Cocina Fusion's reply:
It was a pleasure working for your daughter’s wedding! I’m glad we had the opportunity to cater to their special day. Gracias! -
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![Sarah]()
Sarah Sent on 11/03/2023Best Wedding Food Ever!
Cocina Fusion is the “best wedding food I’ve ever had, hands down” as commented by MANY of our guests! My husband and I worked with them for our August 2023 wedding. Juliana was great to work with from start to finish. She is always quick to respond via email so it was easy to set up our initial tasting, which was enjoyable, comprehensive, and fun! She also had great advice and answers to all our questions about timeline, how to do wine and bar service, allergies and dietary restrictions, and more. We had two other meetings with Juliana which were much appreciated – one meeting to select linens and do a table mock up, and another at the final vendor meeting. She worked so well with our coordinator and other vendors and was so great to work with throughout the way.
The food and service were outstanding. We went with the corn and cheese empanadas, mini crispy chicken taquitos, and plantain chips with grilled shrimp for our appetizers, the fusion salad to start, and the chimichurri steak, chipotle chicken, and stuffed poblano pepper for our entrees, accompanied by cilantro rice and baked plantains. After the ceremony there was a tray of appetizers waiting for us in the bridal suite, as well as our two signature cocktails, so we could get a quick bite before mingling at the cocktail hour! And at dinner, the staff made sure to ask before clearing my plate, as I had gotten pulled up quickly after dinner service. Everything was delicious! The ceremony and reception spaces were set up beautifully (there is so much behind the scenes work that the catering team does that goes unrecognized!) and service went perfectly. The bartenders were great too! We got so many compliments on our signature drinks (as well as the food, obviously!). I cannot recommend working with Cocina Fusion enough! -
Veronica G. Sent on 10/15/2023
Delicious Food from an Amazing Team!
My husband and I worked with Cocina Fusion for our wedding in August at Loft Lucia. Julianna and her team were amazing to work with from the very beginning of planning to the tasting to the day of! Their staff on sight during the wedding day were professional, efficient, and courteous. They especially took great care of us during the wedding day as the bride and groom, ensuring we had plenty of appetizers, dinner first and a drink in hand. We loved that we could serve Latin-inspired/fusion food at a reasonable price for our event. Our personal favorites from our menu included the short rib empanadas, chimichurri steak and the churro cart with ice cream for dessert, which was a massive hit with our guests. We highly recommend!!! -
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![Zach]()
Zach B. Sent on 10/06/2023Amazing bang for your buck
The team at Cocina Fusion is full of rockstars! From the moment we got in contact with them, through tastings, planning, and the day of, our service was incredible. Not only is the food amazing, but the people were so nice and made us feel heard throughout the process. They were flexible and accommodating of our requests, and they were very responsive to all of our questions. I would recommend Cocina Fusion without any hesitation. -
Sam Y. Sent on 08/12/2023
Incredible wedding catering experience with Cocina Fusion
My wife and I could not be happier with our experience working with Cocina Fusion to cater our wedding! First and foremost, the food was AMAZING! Every single appetizer was absolutely delicious, our short rib barbacoa was one of the best short ribs we've ever had, and we heard rave reviews from every single guest we spoke to about the meal and food service - multiple guests said it was the best food they've ever had at a wedding! Providing delicious food for 140 guests can't be easy, but Juliana and Anaxi made it happen! Juliana was an incredible partner to work with throughout the planning process, always extremely helpful and responsive, and the tasting was one of the highlights of our wedding planning process. They provide plenty of options to choose from so every couple can find something suitable for them. They are also extremely flexible when it comes to allergies/restrictions and helped us accommodate every single guest. We also used Cocina Fusion's rentals for our charger plates, flatware, linens, and napkins, and it was absolutely stunning. Everyone on the team was extremely nice and made sure every guest had everything they needed! We are so thankful for Juliana, Anaxi, and the team for providing such an incredible catering experience! -
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![Tamara]()
Tamara B. Sent on 05/31/2023The Best Catering Experience - Amazing Food and Team!
We are so thrilled we chose Cocina Fusion as our caterer for our April 2023 wedding! Great communication from the very start - Juliana's attention to detail, responsiveness and professionalism made Cocina Fusion one of the easiest to work with out of all our vendors. Juliana and Anaxi made us feel very welcomed and prioritized at our tasting, and the food was AMAZING - I'm still drooling over the bacon-wrapped dates and the herb and butter salmon! The serving staff was awesome - I so appreciated that they brought a tray of appetizers up to the bridal suite for us as soon as we arrived at our venue, to make sure the wedding party got to eat! You're in the best of hands with Cocina Fusion!Cocina Fusion's reply:
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to review our business and your catering experience. Congratulations! -
![Ele]()
Ele H. Sent on 02/28/2023The BEST food, drinks, and TEAM!
The Cocina Fusion team are an absolute class act. From first quote to wedding day, Juliana and her team were absolute professionals - responded promptly and clearly, and were always willing to work with my husband and I to make our vision a reality. Multiple of our guests came up to us at the wedding to tell us that it was actually the BEST food they have ever had. I loved how easy they made the whole process. I have already recommended Cocina Fusion to multiple of my close friends, and I know you cannot go wrong with this amazing company! -
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![Steven]()
Steven Sent on 12/27/2022If you want your guests to enjoy your wedding...
One thing people always take away from a wedding is whether the food was good, bad, or forgettable.
We went to a friend’s wedding loved the food, so we looked into using the same caterer. From scheduling a tasting before the wedding to the actual day, our experience as Cocina Fusion's clients was well thought out and stress-free. Juliana and the team actually care about their customers which shows in the customer experience and the food. Rave reviews from our guests about the food–that's a W!
I’ve been to hundreds of weddings (I was a wedding DJ) and I can easily say Cocina serves the best food I've ever had at weddings.
Here's what we ended up going with:
Appetizers:
Bacon wrapped dates with side of roasted red pepper tomato sauce
Spinach & cheese (V) empanada (the only thing that wasn't gluten free)
Mini crispy chicken taquitos
Entrees:
Chicken: chimichurri chicken: chicken | chimichurri sauce
Beef: herb butter steak: grilled steak | herbs & butter
Vegetarian: poblano pepper | green onion | corn | zucchini | roasted red pepper coconut cream sauce & sides
Sides:
Mushroom risotto cakes
Grilled vegetable tower: yellow squash, eggplant, zucchini, balsamic glaze
We’re so happy Cocina Fusion catered our wedding. Everything worked out perfectly with them!
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