It's elbombazocubanfoodnv dot com. The website is. The restaurant is hopefully getting there.
El Bombazo Cuban Food is a brand-new spot on the northwest corner of Tropicana and Nellis. It appears to be a mom-and-pop joint and was pretty quiet when I tried to visit one of their neighbors for a late dinner only to find them closed. Luckily, these guys were still open to step in.
I saw the Papa Rellena ($3.00) on the menu and had to try it. It's actually good enough that I don't feel the need to drive to SoCal or place an online order. It's crispy on the outside and soft enough inside. The only filling other than potato is well-seasoned beef. The orange aioli-looking sauce on top is probably not strictly necessary, but who can say no to that?
My friend shared his Cubano ($14.00) with me. There was plenty of ham and roast pork, some cheese, mustard, and pickles. It was tasty and not too salty. Unfortunately, there was also a pretty consistent feeling of dryness. Perhaps some sort of aioli could have helped here.
I went for a Pan con Bistec ($13.00). It's a whole piece of pounded steak, with tomato slices, lettuce, and garlic aioli. The steak was generally moist and flavorful, the bread wasn't tough, and the garlic was a strong and welcome note. It would have been perfect if parts of the steak weren't tough and/or stringy.
Each of the sandwich was served with a small side of thick fries. I do like crispy fries, but these fries were perhaps left in the deep fryer a bit too long. They weren't bad, just not as great as they could've been with a little more fluffy steaminess.
I liked the dining area enough. The energetic music was kinda loud but not earsplitting. The black walls weren't as oppressive as you might think. We had to try to call out to the back of house for a to-go box, but at least we weren't in a rush. By the way, there's a small surcharge for card payment, so bring cash if possible.
El Bombazo may not actually be the bomb dot com yet, but they have the characteristic bold flavors of Cuban food and are worth keeping on your radar if you're on the east side. I'll have to try some of their more entree-esque plates or perhaps a dessert some time to see if they have better execution beyond the sandwiches. read more