The service was good it's definitely a local spot for friends to meet up! The food not so good it was mediocre scrambled eggs and the ham thrown in there after the fact. Cafe con leche also not too good the Cuban coffee was so weak there was no way to make it darker. read more

The BEST Cuban breakfast in Carrollwood!! Been going here for years and it never misses!

Dropped into CaféCaribe for a quick pick‑me‑up while my pup was getting pampered next door at Bark Suds, and I'm so glad I did. The place feels like your favorite neighbor's kitchen--buzzing with locals, warm smiles, and the smell of fresh coffee. I grabbed a café con leche (silky, bold, perfect) and a breakfast sandwich that hit every comfort button: fluffy egg, melty cheese, and toasted bread. Simple, but great food done right. Service was super‑fast, the vibe was homey and the coffee alone is worth a detour--even if you don't have a dog to groom. Consider me a new regular. read more

Live in Wesley chapel.grew up in Tampa.was in Tampa for insurance agent and looking for devil crabs.he sent me here.the devil crabs are huge.woo hoo.the service was terrible.i was there for 25 minutes and stood around.SO,if you do business here order take out from home or eat in.my tip should have gone to the cook.i will go back but order ahead. read more

Came here today to try something new for lunch. Cafe Caribe is a cafe that specializes in Latin foods for the most part. I got a bowl Of Picadillo which consisted of ground beef, yellow rice, black beans and sweet plantains. The wife got a Cuban Sandwich. I was pleased with my meal both in portion size and flavor. Since it was closer to noon when we arrived the place was packed but we were able to get a table in the back and were served right away. The atmosphere is nice and homey with pictures of the family that owns the place on the walls. The prices were very reasonable and overall we were pleased with our meal and will certainly be back . read more

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The definition of a family owned neighborhood cafe. Walk in and seat yourself wherever a table is open, or sit at the bar and wait for your carry out order. The ladies will quickly come to your table for your drink order and anything else needed once you are ready. My goal here was to try one dish I have never had before but something light and under 5 dollars if possible. Even though I love a cafe con leche, that hot milk and my stomach just don't agree, ask for an American Coffee with cream if you want to keep it simple. Wanting something light, yet filling, I decided on the Caldo Gallego Soup and a Greek Salad. Save a few dollars by ordering the combo versus ordering them separately. This white bean soup is full of collards, chorizo and small bits of potato, the flavor is mild but well seasoned so you appreciate the ingredients, and is definitely a comfort food. The Greek salad is a nice portion despite it being a small, heavily topped with thick feta, onions, green peppers, olives, and a scoop of potato salad hiding at the bottom of the bowl. The meal comes with a generous chunk of lightly toasted and buttered Cuban bread, and ohhhh that bread is addictive so be careful! The portion size is very generous, especially if you are on a budget, they also have several full menu items at $5.00 and less, so yes, you can find something to fill your belly here without breaking your summer budget! The staff is friendly all around, I observed diners who you can tell are regulars chatting it up with the staff, and others who were just running in to pick up a Cuban Sandwich greeted with a smile, light conversation and quick service. I was pleased with my experience, especially dining alone (though that never bothers me) . The food was delicious, well worth the money, and I had a nice serving of bread left over to take with me. So if you find yourself in Tampa needing a family friendly place to stop for breakfast or lunch, check out Cafe Caribe! Enjoy Unnerved Traveler read more

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Every thing . Service. Food. Atmosphere. Cuban cuisine/ coffee... water and waitress... ambiance. Conversation with patrons

Good local spot for breakfast, daily specials and Cuban toast along with cafe con leche. Spanish food for lunch and don't miss the Spanish bean soup! read more

This place just isn't good based on my first/last experience. Stopped in because my normal coffee spot up the road was closed and I needed my espresso fix. Didn't even spend 10 min here and it was aweful. Walked in and went straight to the bar area, woman behind the counter had tips spread out all over the counter and didn't even acknowledge us. Cool, grabbed a menu myself and another girl finally showed up from the back. Ordered an iced mocha latte and cheese pastry. I promise my drink was just chocolate syrup and warm milk with ice... I didn't taste any espresso in it... not even a hint. The cheese pastry was stale... I just can't recommend this place :( read more

Cafe Caribe - Asked for mocha latte... got chocolate milk apparently. - Cuban Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Didn't receive what I asked for. Sides were left out of the order. And we ordered directly on the phone. $60 for 3 people was not worth it.

Fine, fast, satisfying! Experience: seated, served, fed and enjoyed as fast as i could make the food myself. Don't be fooled though, the deceptively simple breakfast will leave a rich, high-end taste after you're done. My family loves this place. The food: Bacon cooked to perfection. Cuban bread... made with absolute perfection. I love the latin culture and food and really feel at resolve when eating the food prepared for my family and I today. The eggs were juicy and perhaps not my favorite scrambled eggs but that is absolutely fine. A wonderfully wholesome Cuban cafe that you must try. So happy to start the morning like this! Lived in Tampa for 5 years and this is one of those places that make you want to leave the house more. To think about: the way covid has affected the community has led to some increase in prices but i assure you it is worth it. Other than the prices, everything was very thoughtful here. I am in peace read more

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I went to this restaurant for the first time Saturday the 13th of September. I will NEVER go back. The scrambled eggs that I ordered looked like flat pieces of God knows what. No flavor whatsoever so thank God for salt & pepper and that didn't even help. The coffee thumbs down. Don't waste your hard earned money. read more

Our waiter was great, super friendly and helpful. The food was okay flavor wise. The only thing I'll say is the price a little pricey for the kind of food. But def worth a try. The portions were good. read more

Cafe Caribe - Cuban Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Been here a few times now. Food is delicious! It's family owned which is awesome. I got the lunch special with rice, beans, chicken, and plantains. It was $9 and my leftovers lasted me two more meals. read more

What a find!!!! Sunday morning in carrollwood all the breakfast places are hopping, including Cafe Caribe. My girlfriends and I wanted a nice quick, home cooked breakfast after our workout and this hit the spot. We were immediately greeted and able to pick our own table. All the prices are super reasonable and all the breakfast options are customizable. All the food was home cooked, our fast and with a nice Cuban twist. We had pretty much a little of everything and it was so tasty. We will be back soon! read more

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Great value and friendly service. Came here for breakfast on a weekday. I ordered the Caribe special: eggs, sausage, bacon, and potatoes. Tried the chorizo from my friends plate and it was a little too oily and salty for me. Their cafe con leche is pretty good and is included with the breakfast special. Will definitely be back to try lunch one day. read more

Cafe Caribe - Cafe Caribe Breakfast Special - Cuban Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Couldn't be happier with the service, price, and food. The Cuban is insanely good. Highly recommended. read more

Only $6.50 for this "Delicious Combination" of Rice and Beans with Sweet Plantains! This cute little breakfast and lunch spot has a nice selection of vegetarian options on the menu, including appetizers, omelettes, wraps, sandwiches, desserts and beverages the staff is polite and location is cozy, clean, fairly priced and well worth the visit; next time I'll save room for dessert Vegetarian friendly! Plant based options! read more

Cafe Caribe - Rice & Beans with Sweet Plantains - Cuban Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Solid Cuban sandwich during my brief visit to Tampa, super friendly staff, and their cookies looked delicious but we were in a hurry. Check it out, it's a bustling diner, family friendly, and super affordable. read more

I've been here a few times and each time has been above average in taste. Picadillo- Absolutely delicious. This was not overly salty which is common in restaurants picadillo but this was flavourful with Pugh dehydrating you! 5/5 Yellow rice- this was an optional side. It was great, paired well with the picadillo. On its own, it was a little dry....maybe I didn't get the freshest rice. 4/5. Black bean Soup- this was an optional side. Delicious on its own and on top of the rice. Not overly salty also. 5/5 Salad- this was an optional side. This was not very flavourful with whatever dressing they provided. 3/5 Spaghetti with Jaiba sauce (daily special)- I was not a fan of this. It was fishy in flavour. I would not take this again. Luckily it's not permanently on their menu. 2/5 Mofongo with shrimp in sauce- I don't know why I expected this to be mixed in with the mofongo. The shrimp was "seafood boil" in flavour, which is not my favourite. The mofongo was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and came with butter with garlic in it. It came also with this cold soup/broth which I had no idea what to do with it. I drank it and did not like it. I then poured it into the mofongo and it added a little bit more flavour but I did not add the whole thing. I'd probably get it with pork the next time.3/5 Ropa Vieja Sandwich (no picture)- it was a good sandwich but the meat was a bit tougher than I would have liked. But the flavour was there. 4/5 read more

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I always order delivery for breakfast or the bacon egg and cheese on a Cuban and a cafe con leche. Hits the spot every time.

First time here and it was amazing! Everything was great, the food, the service, the atmosphere was very old school diner! A lot of regulars for sure. Everyone knew each other. We came for breakfast and it was so good we decided to take home some sandwiches for lunch. The cafe con Leche was perfect! Will post pictures of the sandwiches after we get them. They have great prices. Next time we will try the mofongo. read more

Why 4 stars? Because this is a great neighborhood spot. --- --- --- I can't believe it took me so long to visit a place in my neighborhood, but I finally stopped in to Cafe Caribe. I'm not sure if it was because we visited on Black Friday, but we walked into a PACKED house and completely did not expect that. We only waited a few minutes for a tables to clear before we were able to scoop up some seats, but it was a bit hectic. I didn't love that it was completely up to customers to snag the tables as the emptied because it led to customers walking in and immediately taking a table when there were multiple parties waiting. But we fortunately got our table a few minutes later. We visited for breakfast and though I was craving a breakfast sandwich on Cuban bread, that's what my wife ordered and I wanted to try something different than what she got so I opted for a breakfast bowl. Her sandwich was definitely the better option of the two so that's what I'd go for next time. I definitely enjoyed my mango smoothie, which was very sweet, as well as my cafe con leche. Speaking of the cafe con leche, my favorite part of Cafe Caribe was the smell of Cuban coffee completely saturating the building. To completely the meal, we ordered some cuban toast and a guava and cheese pastry - both were solid. The next day, I wanted to try their lunch so I opted for a Cuban sandwich with yellow rice and black beans. I liked the rice and beans but the Cuban sandwich was just okay. The pork was so salty that it overpowered the whole sandwich. Next time, I might opt for the breaded steak or maybe some mofongo. Cafe Caribe is a super affordable restaurant. I felt like we ordered a ton of food for breakfast and the total was $22. I tend to choose quality over quantity with restaurants these days, which definitely results in some pricey bills that add up over time. Cafe Caribe was quite refreshing with how inexpensive it was. We'll be sure to pop in here from time to time when we're looking for a cheap and convenient meal in Carrollwood. read more

We ordered vegetarian, our order was homefried potatoes and two egg and cheese sandwiches. When we received the order our sandwiches had bacon on them and they were burnt (see pictures). I actually bit into the bacon because it was hidden in an omelette style egg, and for that alone, I'm very angry about what has transpired. To be fair, the homefried potatoes were stellar and the people in our party who ordered Cuban sandwiches seemed to really enjoy them. I just can't get passed eating meat when ordered vegetarian. I should only give 1 star, but everyone else seemed to like the food. read more

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This restaurant close at 3 pm at weekday that I only can visit at my off day. They even open at Christmas Eve until 12 noon. We got there at 10:50 and they are very busy. We have ordered the lunch special with grilled steak sandwich and soup. We also added a breaded steak sandwich for the lunch. This is good Latin steak sandwich since they pay attention to make the edge of the meat seared well. This will release the meat burn taste. The soup is Caldo Gallego. White bean with collar green and tiny piece of ham. I believe the soup is meat base and they are good. The breaded steak make you feel hungry. They are very good. I like the floor is service by a young group of waiter and waitress. They are fast and effective. I wish there is restaurant like this with affordable price in New Tampa. read more

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Food was good coffee amazing, a little issue with the waitress that took care of us but the business owner of manager took care of us properly after. read more

Cafe Caribe - Menu - Cuban Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Don't be "egg"static to try out the Cafe Caribe Breakfast special because the scrambled eggs taste worse then the freeze dried eggs you make going camping. If you like thin and raw cooked microwavable bacon then this is the place for you. The cafe con leche and buttered cuban where the only edible and desirable choice to eat for breakfast at this establishment. Please come in to enjoy the coffee and great conversations with family or friends. Also, they only use disposable cups, dishes, and plastic utensils for you. Service is ok when you get the check you have to go to the counter to pay. read more

Just realized I gave this place only three, yet I continue to come here time after time and have yet to be disappointed. Cafe Caribe is not ihop, first watch, or even waffle house, nor do they claim to be. If it's one thing for sure, is it's consistent, and if you read any of my reviews, that's the one thing that I am far and away the most picky on. The thing that I enjoy the most about Caribe, is the simplicity of the place. maybe it has to do with my own personal taste. The food is nothing over the top, the portions are just right, the coffee is very good, it surely beats most of the popular breakfast chains in the area. The service is always friendly and speedy. Prices are right where they need to be. Again, consistent from all angles. read more

This place is so good!! It's kind of a hole in the wall mom & pop type of restaurant but the prices are very fair, everyone is friendly and the food is delicious!! Love the media noche sandwich and mango smoothie. 10/10 read more

Clean, fast service, convenient location, and hot café con leché. They also have a lunch buffet, but it's not everyday. Call ahead. It was pretty busy upon arriving, with almost every table and booth occupied. But, we snagged one of the last tables open--directly in front of the chilled-drinks 'fridge. Their menu has been updated once more (see photo of breakfast menu posted). Our waitress took our orders quickly and the wait for our order wasn't long at all. I usually stop in for breakfast, especially when I need some Jet Fuel (café con leché) in my veins. This visit was no different: 2 egg breakfast with potatoes, Cuban toast and my cup of Jet Fuel...check! Their Cuban toast isn't crispy, but more limp than I like my toast. My friends were skipping breakfast and ordered lunch of piccadillo, rice, black beans and fried plantains. It looked and smelled good, and they weren't complaining so I can say everyone at the table enjoyed their meal. So, it's a good spot to meet with friends in the Carrollwood area and get your Cuban cuisine fix outside of West Tampa. Their prices are reasonable so it won't take a lot of denominations of dead presidents to enjoy your dining experience. read more

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Good Cuban food, but the service- especially any time after their breakfast rush- is really sub par. Can't show up in a hurry on off peak hours or it will take 1 hour or more for a Cuban sandwich ( even when empty). That's just crazy excessive and it's all the more frustrating because you know they can (and do during busy times) do it much faster. Wish they were more consistent, but they don't seem to care. read more

I have always ordered them on Uber Eats. I always get the chorizo, over medium eggs, house-made fries which are basically diced potatoes, and American cheese. Quick, convenient, tasty breakfast option. read more

Love the cafe con leche and the breakfast sandwich delicious and good to get you going in the morning

This place is quick, and the breakfast special is amazing!! And they make the café con leche perfect. Ask for It lighter or darker, whichever you like best and they will do It! read more

Cafe Caribe - $5.95 Cafe Caribe Breakfast Special - Cuban Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Came in for lunch during the weekend. They are only open til 3pm. We walked in and sat ourselves at a booth. The tables already had the menus so we started looking through. Server was fast to greet us and get our drinks going. When he came back with the drinks (literally a minute or 2 later because the drink fountain was directly next to us) he asked if we were ready to order. I said no, just needed a few more min. He walked away and a different server came up and asked if we were ready, I felt rushed so ordered the mojo pork sandwich. I asked if it came with fries or a side-no so I got a side order of tostones. Food came out relatively quick but everything was lukewarm in temperature. My sandwich which is described on the menu as having mojo pork, sautéed onions and cheese only had dry pork inside. Nothing else! The Cuban bread was buttered but overall dry and bland. The tostones were large and the plate had a decent amount. There were not salted and the tiny side of garlic sauce was quite overpowering. Almost like straight garlic paste. No one came by to check on us after dropping off our food or to see if we needed a box or refills. You pay at the front counter and the cashier was friendly. Overall I would never return or recommend. read more

Cafe Caribe - Mojo pork sandwich and Tostones with Garlic Sauce - Cuban Near Me - Tampa, Florida

i love this place i have been going for years. the food is pretty good and cheap. its simple and the cafe con leche is to die for. the only reason im giving it 4 stars is because i wish there was music and i wish there was more options for people like me who dont eat beef or pork. they do have lunch meat turkey for the breakfast meals but turkey sausage or turkey bacon would be a great addon to the already large menu read more

Cafe Caribe - breakfast bowl - Cuban Near Me - Tampa, Florida

After moving to Tampa 25 years ago, Cafe Caribe quickly became one of our favorite breakfast and lunch places. We have yet to have a meal we didn't like. My husband is hooked on the $5.99 breakfast special (2 eggs, a meat, Cuban toast, and cafe con leche), while I love the lunch bowls (white/yellow rice, beans, and a meat -- my choice is pulled pork). The Cuban sandwiches are great, too! Cafe Caribe is one of the few Latin cafes that will make decaf cafe con leche. I pick up one every day on my way to work. The cafe con leche is THE BEST! To those who in their reviews 'complained' that the coffee wasn't sweet enough, the bacon wasn't crispy enough, or the toast wasn't done enough, just ask. They will happily prepare the items to your specifications -- if you let them know. They can't read your mind. read more

I come here because for some reason HubbyStanks likes it a lot. It's okay, but there are better breakfast options out there in my opinion (especially a the nice new one right next door). The reason I'm not crazy about this place is because they don't make cafe con leche or cortaditos the traditional way. They make it like coffee and you sweeten it yourself. Technically that's not the way it's done and it takes away from the taste that I can get when I'm in Miami. I will say that they make excellent pancakes. However, today there was something foreign in one of my pancakes. I wasn't sure if it was pieces of hair or fibers from whatever they cleaned the griddle with, but it wasn't worth it for me to turn it in. I'll be back and I'll probably order more pancakes with corned beef hash and eggs over medium the next time HubbyStanks wants to come in. I also have to mention that this place is inexpensive. If you want a basic breakfast you'll get that here. I've never come in for lunch. Maybe if I do I'll be blown away and up my rating, but for now I'm a patron who thinks this place is okay for what you pay. read more

I had the large pressed Cuban. This sandwich is exceptional! No shaved deli pork on this one! Nice chunks and shreds of fresh pork. Thanks for the quality. Nice portion of fries as well. I'm a new fan. read more

Cafe Caribe has grown from a little Latin coffee shop into a respectable sized Spanish American and Greek! restaurant. They've expanded their seating area and their table service is outstanding. The menu has matured a bit. They have a great selection of traditional Cuban breakfast items, salads, pitas, and entrees like picadillo, ropa vieja,, and shredded pork. The ropa vieja is outstanding. I tried their large ropa vieja sandwich. Seriously, it's enough to feed two adults. It's bread and ropa vieja. No frills, just the way I like it. The ropa vieja (shredded beef) is very juicy and well seasoned. If you are tired of chain restaurants and want to try something a little more "homey", give Cafe Caribe a visit. Come hungry. read more

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