If you are from Miami or a few of the other Cuban neighborhoods throughout the country, then you are most definitely familiar with the very famous “Cuban Sandwich”. Being Cuban-American, having grown up in a very Cuban area of NJ, and living in Miami for over 25 years, I have definitely had a “few” Cuban sandwiches in my life. But as with most things, not all Cuban sandwiches are created equal. Here in Miami, you can find Cuban sandwiches almost everywhere, but beware, there are big differences between the pre-made bargain sandwiches found at many lunch counters and coffee windows, and the delicious fresh made to order ones found at restaurants and cafes.
You will also come across places which like to experiment and add mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, pastrami, sauerkraut, salami, and even Thousand Island dressing, or their own version of a secret sauce. While some of these concoctions are really tasty with a twist on the original version, the classic Cuban typically consists of a toasted buttered Cuban roll, with fresh sliced pork, ham, Swiss cheese and pickles (some folks include mustard too). So for those of you that may be clueless as to where to find the best Cuban sandwiches when you visit Miami, here is a quick list of some of my favorites:
Enriqueta’s Sandwich Shop
186 NE 29th St.
Miami, FL 33137
(305) 573-4681
You know this has to be a good pick when it’s the #1 place chosen by Zagat in Miami for Cuban sandwiches. This little hole-in-the-wall, located in the Wynwood area, is a local favorite. And if you’re looking for something really special, try the Cubano Preparado Con Croquetas, basically a version of their Cuban, stuffed with their yummy ham croquetas.
Little Bread Cuban Sandwich Co.
541 SW 12th Ave.
Miami, FL 33130
(786) 420-2672
This is probably my current favorite. Owned by Alberto Cabrera, (whom I have blogged about before, with his amazingly delicious restaurant, Bread & Butter), at Little Bread, fresh-baked baguettes with a good crust get transformed into a Cubano with pork belly rillette, ham, salami, house pickles and red wine mustard. The restaurant’s culinary director, Richard Torres, explains that the secret is in the homemade bread that the restaurant uses and “not pressing the sandwich twice” like many places do. The result, in my opinion, delicious!
Islas Canarias
Various Locations
(305) 649-0440
You know you’ve made it when Anthony Bourdain instagrams your sandwich (in this case another version of the Cuban, called Media Noche) with the hashtag #miami. The secret to their sandwiches is simple….they bake their bread fresh every day in their bakery.
Latin American Cafeteria & Restaurant
Various Locations
(305) 267-9995
Luis Galindo’s Latin American Cafeteria & Restaurant, named for the brother of Cuban sandwich patron Raúl Galindo, is owned by Elias G. Elias, a Lebanese-Syrian man raised in Cuba. It makes one of the city’s best Cubanos. The perfect press crisps the bread’s crust, slightly warms the interior, and compresses the whole thing without flattening it into a cracker. This place has been around forever, I remember eating Cuban sandwiches here, when I used to vacation in Miami as a young girl, before I even lived in Miami!
Ball & Chain
513 SW 8th St
Miami, FL 33135
(305) 643-7820
So, I have not actually eaten here…yet! But a few friends have highly recommended this restaurant, and because their version of the Cuban is so original, I just had to include it on my list. Ball & Chain serves Cuban Spring Rolls…a twist on the obvious sandwich. They claim that being located on famous Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street), where there are numerous restaurants serving the traditional Cuban sandwich, they were needed to come up with something that would make their sandwich stand out among the rest. The result…roasted pork, ham, and pickles wrapped in a spring roll with Swiss cheese, served alongside faintly spiced mustard aioli, perfect for dipping. I must try this one soon!
Well, as you can see there’s a Cuban for all tastes! Have you ever tried a Cuban sandwich? If you have, which one has been your favorite? I’d love to hear…
I have never been to Miami, but I have always wanted to go! Now I know where to eat an awesome sandwich when I finally make it there.
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Oh my! I am leaving this post hungry for sure. Those sandwiches look amazing! I had never really known what makes a Cuban sandwich but I can see why it is loved…
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Me too…. this post makes me want to run out and make a sandwich. Or find a good restaurant. Not sure which.
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Oh man does that Cuban Sandwich look amazing. I love trying new places to eat.
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I won’t be going to Miami any time soon but would love to try some of those sandwiches! They look delicious!
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Wow! All of these look so good!!
http://www.artadorned.com
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I’m going to hide my face because I’ve never had a cuban sandwich before. =X These look really good though!
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I am salivating just looking at the cuban sandwich pictures, I need to recreate my own or visit a cuban restaurant here in the UK
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Oh my, I totally need to try more of these. Islas Canarias sounds like it would be a good one to start with.
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I really like Cuban sandwiches. I would like to try one of the famous ones in Miami.
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This looks so yummy! I have not had a Cuban in years but now I want one
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I’ve never had a Cuban sandwich but after seeing these pictures, it looks like something I’d love to try. Thanks for sharing!
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Oh my goodness I am drooling what a delicious array of sandwiches. x
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I love both Miami and cuban sammies so I definitely need to save this post for future reference. It must have been so fun and delicious researching this post!
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All those sandwiches looked really awesome. I’d eat them all.
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All of these sandwiches look good. We have a local restaurant that make a pretty good Cuban sandwich.
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I never had a Cuban sandwich. All the sandwiches you featured are mouth watering.
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I am not from Miami but I love me a Cuban sandwich. These all look so good.
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I have never had a Cuban sandwich before! They all look so yummy *drool*
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Wow. They look uber delicious that’s for sure. I’ve never been to Miami nor had a Cuban sandwich but now I’m wishing I did. They look great!
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Cuban sandwich looks delicious and it makes me hungry i wish i could have it right now
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This is a great round up of places/ Cuban sandwiches! We don’t have a lot of places like that here in Seattle so I may have to put this on a travel list!
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I love Cuban sandwiches! I’ll be in Miami next month so I definitely have to check these spots out. Thanks for sharing.
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I love those sandwiches. I’m going to have to try them.
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Miami is the place to go for Cuban Cuisine. I think the sandwiches look great.
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I bet in Miami, they are amazing! My husband loves a good cuban sandwich.
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The first one looks amazing! I have actually never tried a cuban sandwich before!
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I love little hole in the wall places! They are ALWAYS the best! I don’t even think I’ve had a cuban sandwich or heard of it before! My dad likes to get cuban chicken. The seasoning is out of this world.
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They all look really good, but I think I would like the Spring Roll the best. I love when someone takes a classic like a sandwich and puts a really cool twist on it.
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Oh my goodness this looks so good. I’m always looking for something different to make my husband. I don’t ever want his meals to become hum drum!!! Thanks for sharing… mmmmm I might make me a good lunch! heehhe
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I live in Key West so Cuban sandwiches I have tried so many I can’t remember although I really like Latin America but there’s not doubt I will be checking each location you mentioned even though I have a new journey as Vegan which is not easy!.
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Hi Idania, I saw your email and I’m trying to respond to you but I’m getting it back with errors, so here is what I was trying to send you.
Thank you so much, I’m glad that you’re enjoying my blog. I had wanted to blog for about 2 years before I actually started. Then one day I finally decided to get started and I basically just began playing around with the WordPress templates and chose one that I liked. Then I just started blogging about all the topics that interest me. That was a year and a half ago! I promote the blog a lot on Facebook and Instagram, so I’ve increased my readership that way too. It’s a lot of hard work but I love it!
Best of luck to you and I hope you keep reading my blog!
Carmen…
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Great post!
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