The people who work here are the sweetest folks around and the steak cuban sandwich is TO DIE FOR!!!! I mean, seriously, slit your wrists good. Â I literally hum and swing my feet around in bliss when I eat it. Â Flavorful and filling, everything you want in a steak sandwhich! Â The cafe con leche is tasty as well.
Review Source:Best Cuban sandwich I have had yet. Â Drove all the way from Skokie after seeing this place on Chicago's Best. Â I love this place. Â It is a hole in the wall, but damn good.
The steak sandwich was just ok. Â I am basing my review solely on the Cuban Sandwich. Â It made me want to slap my mamma. Â Ooops, I always want to slap my mamma. Â ;)
Best Cuban sandwiches in Chicago PERIOD. Closest you'll come is on Calle Ocho in Miami.  Owner is extremely nice and welcoming. If it's your first time she'll offer you free empanada.. TAKE IT!!!! They are  goooood!!!!!  They are too generous with meat in all if the sandwiches and empanadas. No skimping here.
I'm Cuban, so trust me. This place is the Real Deal.
The place is a total shack dive.. but the part of its charisma.
Empanadas can phuck a b!tch up.. and you know what can really phuck a b!tch  up? A case full of empanadas..OooKAY?
You do not eat meat? Cool ,they have options for you. You do not eat red meat? Awesome, they got chicken boo. You do not eat anything fried, meaty, greasy, more than a hundred calories..then hoe you better find another corner cause Cubanito ain't the place for you.
I mean how can you not love this place? You got steak.. you got big booty women on a mural... you have the best cafe con leche you will ever sizzzurp in yo life. Their steak sandwich is to die for. Whenever a sandwich has steak and potato shoe strings on it I think they just killed the competition. Iron chef who? Enough said. Now, their empanadas are not small and they are not huge either, but I swear one will get you full. They are perfectly greasy and stuffed with plenty of meat.. no skimping here honey boo boo! Â Their empanadas get treated with the utmost care.. they have their own heating pad so they are always warm! They have other items but I will keep to the ones I have tried. Cafe con leche is a must, swear best coffee I have ever laid my lips on. Â Lines on weekends can be a drag, but you can always call ahead and use credit cards here.
If you are about this life, then come get some
If you're in doubt of whether or not to go, just go! It's only $6 per sandwich but it's packed with flavor and meat. Well, at least the steak sandwich is... A co-worker told me about this place and when I got my first sandwich it was AH-MAZE-ING!!! Each and every time the different sandwiches have been awesome. A plus is that the cashier women are super friendly. You'll also get a DVD selling guy that will try to sell you something, but just decline if you're not interested and he won't bother you.
Review Source:I came to this spot and split two sammies. The Cubano and the Steak. The former was fine but nothing special as it lacked any real discerning flavor, just sorta blah bites. The Steak on the other hand was overly seasoned in some sort of taco spice. While it was good it really wasn't anything to write home about either. I also had a bite of an Empanada which was the best part of the meal, since the crust surrounding the meat was soft and flaky. I can't imagine that I will ever come here again.
Tip: There is nowhere to sit, so be prepared to sit in your car.
Enjoy Suckas'!!!
One morning, my husband was walking my dogs and decided to walk to this place for some coffee and sandwiches. I have a Shih Tzu and a Cocker Spaniel. My husband tied up the dogs outside, he goes inside, the owner of the place greets, he places his order and suddenly she starts asking him if he was a "maricón?" (In Spanish, it is a derogatory term for Gay) Who does this??? The thing is, she didn't stop - she kept harassing him about it. My husband was annoyed with this and tells her that this isn't something you should ask anyone in that manner.
The next day, my husband and I walk the dogs again in the morning and we head over to the place (it was one block away from my home). We were going to give her a second shot, maybe she was just having an off day or he misunderstood.
As soon as I walk in with him (without saying a word), and in her most obnoxious voice, she says, "Oh, you brought your little girlfriend to prove you are not a maricón?"
I was blown away with this response, we did NOTHING to this woman and she was being so insolent to us for no reason.
Please don't support this place! There are PLENTY of other Cuban places (Marianao, 90 Miles, Senor Pan, TropiCuba) that serve sandwiches and coffee and they don't treat you like crap for no reason. I guess she also has a problem with homosexuals.
To-go'd a chicken empanada and an egg,cheese,ham sandwich this morning.
Empanada- A++ = flavorful moist filling and doughy shell
Sandwich- B+ = basic breakfast sandwich. Good eggs, not great, mild flavor gooey cheese, very good bread, and good texture, but not very flavorful, ham. Overall big portions and cheap. It would probably be awesome with some sort of creamy sauce and slightly better ham and cheese.
I will definitely come back for another flavor of empanada.
I might try a meat sandwich next time instead.
So being it's Sunday and "Lazy Mode" had set in, we debated as to what to eat for Lunch. Choices were either Chinese or Cuban/Puerto Rican Food.
This place grabs your attention if your on Pulaski because of the drawing on the wall of a Lady with a very round curvaceous behind. "Que Rico!" translates to "How Tasty." Â So I Yelped the info and called in to order our Sandwiches. First off, the lady that answers the phone is practically rushing me off, I am barely beginning to tell her what I want and she's like "OK that's it, bye." Rude!!!
So I send my Bf to pick up the food (we live 3 blocks away), and I'm just eagerly waiting, hungry, just reading the reviews of how good the sandwiches are. When they arrive, there was no delicious aroma coming from the bag, so we finally sit down and get ready to eat and my Cuban Sandwich looked like it had a huge chunk of dry plastic stuck on the sides. There was way too much cheese for my taste, excessively if i may say. The sandwich was just OK, not much to it. My Bf and daughter ordered Steak chopped sandwiches and they weren't satisfied either. The meat was just bland, and the sandwich was really dry. The Cafe con Leche was excellent! Loved it!!!!
I was disappointed because all the positive reviews this place received about having the best Cuban sandwiches in the area, I'm afraid they did not cut it for me. Marcelas Cafeteria on Fullerton & St. Louis has delicious, mouth watering sandwiches and more, go there for a Cuban or Steak or jibarito sandwich that won't let you down!
The  people there are friendly but this place is about and small and awkward as it can get but it does serve a mean empanada. My friend and I originally went there for the Cuban sandwich but were more impressed by the beef empanada. The sandwich gets a 4/5 while the empanada gets a 5/5.
While the sandwich was ultimately imbalanced in our opinion, the empanada was perfectly seasoned and filled with delicious slices of beef. Â
So do yourself a favor try their beef empanadas. If you decide to get a side of bootleg dvds that is up to you. Just don't forget a drink to wash it down.
If you disagree with me, please remember to not drink and post..
Who would have thought an Italian joint (Panino's) makes a better Cuban sandwich than a Cuban place?
Hole in the wall - literally. Go just to pick up food there is nowhere to sit.
GET THE EMPANADAS!!!
These are the most delicious empanadas - STUFFED with deliciously spiced meat. I'd go just for those again.
As for the Cubano... Panino's version is still my favorite.
I am a vocal opponent of the Cuban Sandwich. For many reasons really but mostly because I live in Chicago not Miami and all the Cuban Sandwiches I have had were not really good. (I have tried a lot of the too!) Here in Chicago, I believed, we are simply not meant to make a good Cuban - Jibarito? Yes Tacos? Yes. Italian Beef, Hotdogs, Cheeseburgers? Yes, yes, yes! A whole list of great sandwiches are made here on the reg. Just not a good Cuban one.
This was my belief until yesterday's lunch at El Cubanito. We live right around the corner from this place and I have been wanting to try it since we moved in (That rediculous hand painted "Que Rico!!!!!" did its job I guess).
My girlfriend ordered the Cubanito and a bottle of water. I ordered the Steak sandwich and a Cafe con Leche. We traded halves of each sandwich so we could get a good samopling of both. Â The streak sandwich was great! served with lettuce, tomato, and crspy french fries on top of a bun. It was well seasoned without being over powering. The Cuban was easily the best I have ever had in Chicago. Hands down! It is served on a substantial piece of bread. Not too much mustard and the pickles were perfectly crunchy. The cheese was well melted and it was not greasy!! All in all I may be a convert to the Cuban sandwich after eating at this place.
El Cubanito is decently priced, I paid 15 bucks for two big sandwiches and two drinks. The staff was real friendly and accommodating. The atmosphere is lacking a bit, but that's not the reason to come here - You come here to eat Chicago's best Cuban Sandwich!
MMMM...que rico!!
A guy I used to work with ate here religiously. Â Not only that, but he ate here religiously - at 7:30 in the morning. Â A Cuban steak sandwich every morning. Â Walking into work groggy, irritable, and not in a mood conducive to smiling and saying good morning to everyone I pass, I'd invariably see my coworker scarfing one (or two) of these sandwiches every freakin' morning. Â Months turned to years and ultimately I made a connection - that Cuban steak sandwiches reminded me of those crappy mornings (looks like someones got a case of the Mondays!)
Well, I thought it was unfair for me to not try out a Cuban sandwich from this place based on my somewhat irrational reasoning. Â So, the other day a buddy from work (no, not Mr. Cuban Sandwich) stopped by El Cubanito for the first time. Â I ordered a steak. Â While we waited, the guy at the register gave us little cups of soup on the house, and told us it would help us "warm up", since it was really cold outside. Â Well, that's just delightful! Â So was the soup...I'll have to get a bigger cup of that stuff next time. Â The overall attitudes from the employees here was exceptionally upbeat and courteous, as if I was a regular customer or maybe even a relative.
So we took our food to go since it's damn near impossible to eat inside that shack of a dive. Â Unwrapping and exposing the steak sandwich was quite the event - two slices of French bread LOADED with steak. Â But not the kind of steak I've ever eaten. Â It's like shredded or pulled steak, with a unique flavor and texture. Â Top it with their special sauce, cheese, and lettuce and tomato, and I was all in. Â Very good stuff. Â When I finished the sammich, there was still another sandwich's worth of meat in my tray. Â This, I gave to another coworker, who really liked it.
These are definitely not your Mexican skirt steak sandwiches or anything similar to any steak sandwich I've had before, so I'm glad I've got an additional steak sandwich "dimension" to my arsenal. Â If you're into Cuban sandwiches, or maybe just indecent spray-painted advertising, it would behoove you to head to El Cubanito.
HEY! 90 miles,take out your note pad and take some notes. Cause THIS, is where it's @!
I cant say enough for places that have a dive like feel to them, yet deliver nothing but superb product. When my girl and I came here, it was crammed like a can of oil packed sardines. Best part, there was a guy selling bootleg movies and CD's at a little table on the inside. He barely spoke english and was blasting Brittaney Spears.
The empenadas will scream at you the moment you walk in. OH, Â make sure you dont almost knock someone over when you push the door open. We tried the grapefruit and cheese, which was devine. A bit sweet, so split it witha friend. They have shrimp if you ask for it, which seems to be a speciality.
Their cuban sandwich was good, but my girlfriend got their carne sandwich and it was DA BOMB! The guy on the flattop was cooking more eggs than I have ever seen one man handle, so perhaps this place has some good breakfast sandwichs or just ask for some egg on your sandwich.
This place is a hidden gem and a foodie must. El Cubanito gets my vote for best sandwich shop in the city.
So it's pretty sad because when I lived in this area I never tried and drove past it on several occasions and told myself "eh I will try it some day" Â Two years later now that I live near Elmwood park is when I finally freakin had it!!!
So my friend decided he would pick up some food one Sunday afternoon and bring it back home for us to eat, to my surprise he ordered me a Steak sandwich and when i opened the container the sucker was HUGE!!! he knows me so well I am a big fan of potatoes and for the sandwich to have shoe string like potatoes on it was to die for!!.. Â The meat was sooo tender and full of flavor and I couldn't stop bitting into it.!!
After devouring half of the sandwich I was full!!! and boy oh boy was I happy, and to my surprise when I asked "where did you get these" Â he told me "oh right there by pulaski and wrightwood" my jaw dropped!!
Holy sweet baby this was by far one of the best steak sandwiches I've ever had, besides my very own lol.. I must say I look forward to trying it again!! Â Just wish they stayed open later during the week, since I don't get out of work until 5 :(... But on my next steak sandwich crave on the weekend I will definately be going there!!!
Don't let appearances deceive you. Â El Cubanito knows how to make a killer Cuban sandwich. Â
My wife and I visited this local dive, and we probably would have never done some with Yelp's guidance. Â We decided to order two sandwiches and split them: the Cuban and the Steak. Â Both were simply perfection and a great value. Â The flavors of the meat were wonderful, and the bread was grilled with precision.
I recommend taking food to-go and eating nearby or in your car (like we did). Â The store is very small inside and only has very small counter to eat at.
Man do I love yelp! Â There is no way I would have ever stopped at this place without the enthusiastic reviews and I am so glad I did! Â
The place is tiny and kind of dumpy but when I walked inside the smell was incredible! Â the chef was busy prepping some sliced beef on the griddle and it made my mouth water in anticipation.
I ordered the cuban sandwich as what I thought was their specialty but had to have some beef too so I chose the beef and cheese empenada. Â The empanada was the best I've ever had. Â It was just chuck FULL of beef and though I really couldn't detect much cheese, I just didn't care because it was so delicious. Â The cuban sandwich was also very good. Â
I can't wait to try some of their other dishes!
The big booty mural adorning the front of El Cubanito is a hard act to follow. How could a sandwich possibly stack up to such a piece of art? Well, they come as close as humanly possible.
The menu isn't diverse and the service might be a tad slow but they make a mean sandwich. I'm torn between the traditional Cubano and the steak sandwich (with shoe string potato chips on top!). Both are muy delicioso crunchy meat bombs. They are good enough to paralyze me from trying the other sandwiches on the menu in fear of them not being nearly as great.
Empanadas are very solid for a restaurant that doesn't "specialize" in empanadas. The hidden gem was the ham croquette. A salty smooth ham injection I was administered straight into my veins.
El Cubanito is pretty small with only room for a couple of stools. It can get pretty packed when the orders aren't coming out as quickly as they are taken. Â But the staff & clientele interaction will keep you entertained while you shuffle around and wait.
NOM'd: Cubano Sandwich + Steak Sandwich + Ham Croquette + Empanada
I learned about El Cubanito by a complete accident. I'm a south sider, but teach at an elementary school not far from where El Cubanito is. After a long, hot day of setting up my classroom, 2 friends and I were looking for somewhere to grab some food. Enter El Cubanito.
Not gonna lie: the main reason we stopped was because the guy friend I was with said "Let's go THERE," indicating the restaurant with a huge painting of a well endowed woman on it. I thought it was hilarious, so we stopped.
Let's just say this was the best accident I've ever had. THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. I mean...just amazing. I had the steak sandwich and a chicken and cheese empanada, and I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I can't wait to go back and try other things on the menu.
As far as the menu, there are not many things on it. It's simple, and allows you to order what you want quickly. And the restaurant is tiny. Like two steps from the door to the counter tiny. There are a couple stools to sit on inside, but a bootleg DVD guy was sitting there, so I didn't sit. However, he was hilarious and we had a pretty funny conversation in Spanglish.
There is a parking lot, and I wish I would have known this before I drove around looking for street parking. All in all, El Cubanito is a great little place for Cuban sandwiches, and I highly recommend.
After waiting for a table at Lula Cafe for 45 minutes for brunch, we decided to go over to El Cubanito for some cuban sandwiches and empanadas. The tiny standing room only restaurant was packed and everyone was speaking spanish, but the woman behind the counter quickly flipped over to English when she saw us. Â She was friendly and helped me decided what empanadas to try, a chicken and a beef.
We ate the empanadas while standing outside on the sidewalk waiting for our sandwiches. They were really great, flakey and flavorful, especially when covered in their hot sauce.
We all got cuban sandwiches after a short 10 minute wait and went back to the hotel to eat them. The bread was perfectly pressed, pork was moist and tasty. Â It was a seriously good cubano. Â It came with a side of hot sauce, which I didn't notice until I was done. :( Â
Really the only downside was the lack of seating. Â I am sure the cubanos would have been much tastier had it been devoured seconds after coming off the press, rather than 30 minutes later upon our arrival at the hotel.
Decided to give these guys another shot as I was starving and conveniently driving down Pulaski one day. I tried the Cubano and i'll admit it was a pretty good sandwich. The ham, cheese, and pork on french bread pressed to perfection makes for a tasty sandwich. And I ordered a Beef Empanada and was given a Ropa Vieja one by mistake. While the Ropa Vieja was good, and the staff is down right pleasant and hospitable, I have to knock off a star based on my 2 visits due to the following:
1) The aforementioned wrong Empanada.
2) The first time I came, asked for a steak sandwich, was given steak and egg in error.
3) I requested no pickles on the Cubano, and my first bite into it, what do I get a mouthful of? Pickle!
So heres the breakdown:
Customer Service: 5 stars
Attention to detail: 1 star
Steak Sandwich: Disappointing
Cubano: 4 stars
Empanada de Ropa Vieja: 4 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 due to constant order taking errors.
Love the staff, but they need to work out the kinks when it comes to getting orders correct.
One of the things Yelp has done for me is expand my horizons as far as grub is concerned. Â Without Yelp, bless its cotton socks, I would have never experienced El Cubanito, 90 Miles, Mexican street food in general, cupcake(s) and countless other things. Â
After being bowled over by 90 Miles, Cuban grub is now on my radar and has a handful of my bookmarks. Â El Cubanito seemed to rank very high (4 1/2 stars), so I made the jaunt out there one day to taste it for myself. Â
The drive out to El Cubanito is long and gritty. Â El Cubanito itself is a gritty hole in the wall. Â I almost wanted to turn right around as soon as I broke the plane of its portal. Â It's a little scary on its face. Â I clenched my jaw and ordered a Cuban and a 24-ounce American Coke. Â While I sat on one of the two or three stools to wait, an older guy threw a couple or ten DVDs on the counter in front of me. Â "Da Town. Â You seen that one, mang?" Â He was a hard sell kind of guy. Â I just don't buy DVDs, especially pirated DVDs. Â "Check it out, HD, mang." Â No, thanks. Â
I took my grub to go. Â The Cuban sandwich is huge. Â You'll have to be very hungry to finish it in one sitting. Â It was very good and probably bigger than 90 Miles' version, but I think I have to give the nod to 90 Miles relative to El Cubanito. Â It could have been the ambiance or company that put 90 Miles top for me. Â Still, El Cubanito is right on 90 Miles' heels as far as taste goes. Â It's just a bit too far out of the way to be a destination and lacks any ambiance or warmth to stick around. Â
The Cuban sandwich is 4 1/2 stars. Â Since grub is paramount, I'll give El Cubanito four stars.
Small in size, small in price... BIG on flavor!
Let me break this down into two reviews:
1st review: Treat yourself to an empanada and a coffee. You'll thank me next time you see me. I really like the ropa vieja con queso. I've never had one like that until I came here and wow is it good. Really, this place gets 5-stars for this little combo of deliciousness, on its own.
2nd review: This place is small, but it does have a little bar with stools for 2-3 people to share. I ate a Cubano with fries here and the atmosphere was worth the price of the sandwich, alone. I really enjoyed my sandwich, and listening to the workers banter with all the customers was hilarious. They could get rich teaching workers at other food places to enjoy (or at least look like they enjoy) what they're doing. Maybe you have to keep an up-beat, energized attitude when working in such a small space... or maybe they know they rock at their job.
P.S. The mural painted on the the front is hilarious.
OH MY GOD.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.
Sometimes I shake uncontrollably.
Then I remember the sweetness that is El Cubanitos Steak sandwich.
It comes with a fork.....go ahead ask me why?
So much delicious meat just falling out of the sandwich.
The flavor just sticks with you. And the owner is a sweet heart...
"see you tomorrow" as she says when you leave...
I wish!
I'm sorry to say that I did not love this place. We went after Mr. Brent W suggested it, I can't put it all on Brent though--I heard plenty of good things from people on the street. I don't even know how I begin conversations with street people but that's besides the point..
I've driven down Pulaski MANY of times! My uncle actually lives three blocks away. I said to my husband "I can't believe we've never seen this place" and then when we drove PAST it, I said "I think it was that shack next to that creepy restaurant/bar." So we came back around, pulled into the alley and parked in the empty lot next to the tiny shack.. I couldn't believe there was a place smaller than Marianao's!
I came here to try the steak sandwich, I don't like the cubano so I can't comment on that one. The best way I can describe the steak sandwich is: add mustard to a Great Steak and Potato steak sandwich BUT toast the french bread and remove the cheese. Even though this sandwich HAS cheese, I couldn't taste it. And to describe the egg and steak sandwich, add egg to the above! Yes.. that's what it tasted like. Dry-ish steak, mustard-y taste.. just not my thing, I guess. If I had to pick one over the other, I'd go with the egg and steak.
I think all cuban sandwiches have a sour flavor and tasty meat but this place just didn't deliver a good tasting steak sandwich. I know that's hard to believe, based on the MANY great reviews. My best advice is to take your taste buds down there and see for yourself. But for $6, you could spend a couple cents more and go to 90 Miles.. or save some of that money and head to Marianao's (that's what I'll be doing).
I will say this: the cashier was super friendly and the parking lot was convenient. Will I be back?? Sadly, no.
PS. The soda was a rip-off. Ok, I'm done.
I found myself craving a steak sandwich big time, so I decided to hit this spot up. And I am glad that I did!
This place makes an awesome steak sandwich! It's loaded with chopped meat, and is very flavorful. Best sandwich they make, in my opinion. I usually go to Mariano's to fill my steak sandwich needs, but this place has gained the top spot in my book. They are more friendly than Mariano's, also.
Be careful exiting the parking lot/alley to Pulaski during rush hour. The traffic can zoom by very fast and with no parking on the street during this time, the cars can zoom by VERY close! And the regulars that drive here will enter the parking lot/alley fast, too. I've had a few close calls...
I didn't even know this place was here! It's literally 2 blocks from my house - i'll have to stay away or i'll be 3000 pounds.
Anyways, found it from some reviews on here and sent the hubby to pickup lunch in the pouring rain. Oops. We both had the steak and it was really good! The bread was excellent - and it did kind of taste like a philly or something similar. I got a ham and cheese for our little one and she had about 5 whole bites. It was jam packed with about 3 layers each of ham and cheese.
I also had the cafe con leche which was tasty but kind of sweet. I'm assuming it's supposed to be.
Great little spot to grab a quick bite for lunch or whatever. Hubby said it was very small with a small parking area as well. Oh and they take debit which is good too because we hardly ever have cash.
Yay for the steak sandwiches here! VERY good. Â I always drive by this place and have wanted to stop by forever and finally did twice in the last couple days. =) I think the lady who takes the orders is absolutely entertaining. I laughed the whole time there and everyone seems to be regulars here too.
It's nice to see they make the orders right then and there when you order and good to know you can call in and place an order so it's ready when you come in. Â I'll def b back.
I had made a cubano sandwich at home a few times and they had always turned out really well, but it was time to try one made by someone who knew what they were doing. Â So, off to El Cubanito I went. Â I ordered a cubano and waited....I was slightly shocked by how long it took, but then I looked in the back and realized they were making them all fresh, which when I thought about it I was obviously happy about. Â
The sandwich was very good. Â I wish there had been a bit less meat on it, but otherwise it was really amazing. Â I would definitely go back to try some of the other sandwiches.
Read some of the reviews on Yelp!
Decided to go today for lunch and it did not disappoint! We loved it, very authentic steak sandwich perfectly flavored. The staff was very friendly and invited us to return. Don't blink when you drive by you'll miss it!
Family owned and operated and it shows!
Rick
I absolutely love this place. The owner Laritza, is a real darling; there's not a more infectiously sweet women working in a restaurant anywhere! Â Her energy fills the tiny room where these magical sandwiches are made. Â A visit here to have her whip up an absolutely perfect cafe con leche is reward enough for making the trip!
But oh, the real treat is in the sandwiches being constructed by Laritza's husband Alberto! Â Several Cuban sandwich varieties are available on the small menu. Â "The Cuban" of course is a standard worth trying (pork, ham, pickles, mustard, mayo, cheese, etc.) Â If you want a bigger meal, the steak sandwich is loaded with finely chopped beef (think philly steak) that's seasoned and moist and hard to resist... Â you'll smell it from their little parking lot next door. Â All sandwiches share the most important ingredient of any sandwich in my opinion- El Cubanito's perfect, crispy, fresh bread! Â Bravo for serious sandwich places like this that get bread right!
For desert I order an extra sandwich- the Timba! Â It has many of the expected desert qualities; thick slices of magically sweet guava paired with buttery, flaky, crispy bread... makes perfect sense. Â In sandwich form, with melted creamy cheese this thing is stunning!
This place reminds me of why I choose to deal with the negatives of city living, it's an absolute gem!
Ay Papi, this place rocks the best sandwich per square inch of customer space in the world.
The building is meager in a meager area of town, but the service and sandwiches can not be beat. In my experiences, Cuban joints aren't customarily what I would consider speedy. This was no exception, but the one thing that was different was that the workers talked to the customers the whole time. The same lady called me, "Papi" and "Nino" in the same conversation. I finished my cafe con leche before the sandwiches came, but I didn't feel slighted in the least.
We picked a Cuban and Pan con Timba (cheese and guava). Both were awesome. They were smashed thin with the fillings appropriately gooey and rich. The Cuban features all of the standard fixings, but the mustard and pickles gave it an amazing acidic quality to balance the cheese and pork. The Pan Con Timba was a fascinating mix of the sweet, but not oversweet guava and a smattering of the cheese. It was a great lunch dessert.
The star of the show is most assuredly the bread. They take their time and crush it on the plancha. Perfect. Next time, I might call ahead, but having a coffee with the crowd has a charm that I can't explain.
I am gonna go ahead and agree with Maya C's review, with one minor clarification. Â Describing this place as a "hole in the wall" is an insult to things that could've been covered with toothpaste the day before you moved out of the dorms.
I ordered 2 sandwiches, a cuban and a ropa vieja, one of which I had for lunch once i got it home, the other, I had for dinner about 20 minutes ago. Â They were both delicious, even reheated. Â The highlight of the trip, for me was the Cafe con leche, which rocked my whole world.
I heard about this place on Chicagoist and had to check it out.
Location-wise, blink and you'll miss it. I went there on foot with a friend of mine and we walked right past it. And on the inside, this place is TINY. You're taking this to go.
So anyway, we ordered our sandwiches, and about 8-10 minutes later they were ready. I literally could have walked out of there without paying, because the cashier (owner?) never charged me! He handed me the sandwiches and this conversation ensues:
Me: "I never paid."
Him: "You didn't pay?"
Me: "No."
Him: "You want to pay now?"
Me: "Um...... yeah."
So that was weird. Anyway, the sandwich was a four out of five star Cuban -- the flavors are nicely balanced, and at $3.75, the price is right. It's within reasonable walking distance from my house, so if I'm in the mood for a Cuban again, I know where I'm going.
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