The flavor of Cuban cuisine is alive and well at this small restaurant but with a big menu of…read moreexquisite Cuban culinary masterpieces. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Cuban Island Restaurant, in Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. Founded in 2010 by Cuban immigrants, Estela Gonzalez-Perez and Manuel Hidalgo, after three years of owning and running a successful food truck by the same name, today in its 16th year as a physical restaurant, Cuban Island continues to operate as a family business using recipes passed down from Estela's grandmother. Speaking of comfort food, I consider the cuisine of Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, one of the most comforting of them all. And here on Williamson Road, in the Hollins area of Roanoke, Virginia, we have a restaurant that though small in size, has gained a National reputation for autentic, home-cooked Cuban staples. I invite you to read my first review of this restaurant which I consider one of my best reviews ever, and to view my photographs accompanying that review to get a better sense of the place and its food. Today, I decided to do a follow-up review of this restaurant, even though I have continued to dine here and order their food through DoorDash. I arrived on an early Wednesday evening to the place, and it was as sparkling clean as ever. Bright and colorful, with a casual, welcoming, and family-friendly atmosphere. One of the walls of the restaurant is filled with framed articles and well deserved awards that the restaurant has received throughout the years. I was greeted by a friendly gentleman who invited me to take a seat and handed me a copy of their colorful menu with tiny illustrations of their main meals and drinks. To drink I ordered a Batido de Mamey (Mamey Shake). Mamey is one of my favorite tropical fruits, and when ripe it is very sweet and creamy. As appetizer I ordered three Croquetas de Jamon. They were so crispy on the outside and so soft and tasty in the inside. And for my main entrée, I had their Puerco Frito (Fried Pork). These are also called "Masas de Puerco Fritas." They are chunks of pork fried to perfection. Where the outside is crispy and inside is soft with the pork natural juices. For the two sides I had Rice & Beans and Sweet Plantains. The food was served freshly cooked, in generous portions, and with its authentic flavors. What a meal! And to top it off, at very reasonable prices. For dessert I had a traditional flan, which was given to me in the original container where it was made. I would recommend that it be turned around and placed on a plate and served this way. By doing so you get a better look of the flan and can appreciate its taste even better. The food was so much, that I got full and still was able to take home part of it, to heat up and have for a meal on the following day. And that is precisely what I did. I highly recommend this restaurant. Once you try it once, I can assure you it will become one of your favorite restaurants and food.

I was super excited to try this authentic Cuban restaurant, especially after seeing all the amazing…read morereviews and seeing that it was marked as one of the top best Cuban restaurants in the USA. I added it to my trip itinerary months ago. After driving for 5hrs on my route, I stopped in. I arrived around 12PM and there were 2 people sitting inside the restaurant. My greeting was lukewarm and I was seated in a cold corner and provided with a menu. After about 7 minutes, no water, no check in. Seeing the staff talking to each other and joking during that time period, I decided to take my service elsewhere. They did not seem like they cared, and I definitely did not want to be eating anyones food who is not genuinely present. It was a nice try. Yall, please implement the Southern hospitality.

Highly recommended. Tasty tasty food…read more Their Papa Rellena is a work of culinary magic and I could live on these perfectly fried potato croquets; stuffed with a beautifully seasoned savoury ground beef. Crack one open and be generous with their signature green sauce. It's just heaven. I've eaten around the menu a bit and I have good things to say about their kitchen overall. Definitely recommend their beef empanadas. And also their bowls. And also fried yucca and plantain. I mean just throw a dart man, you can't go wrong. Their menu is solid and their execution admirable. I really like their flavours and I find myself thinking of that Papa Rellena at least once a week...

Delicious! Highly recommend the red beans and rice and plantains. Servers were friendly and…read morehelpful. Food portions on the dinners are large.

Amazing!! Authentic and pure Puerto Rican food. I know because I am boricua and I can tell…read more Delicious and fresh. Is like tasting the island. My new favorite place.

We like to try foods that are unfamiliar to us, so we jumped at the chance to try some Puerto Rican…read moresnacks when we found this restaurant while in Roanoke recently. We were more interested in some snacks, so we concentrated on the "Everyday Menu" rather than the "Daily Specials" (which were complete meals). We were at a disadvantage as that part of the menu was in Spanish, which we don't speak. We were familiar with the Empanadas on the menu, as these stuffed fried pastries are common throughout Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. We ordered one each of the chicken and beef empanadas ($3 each). We also ordered an Alcapurrias ($3.50), which was completely unfamiliar to us. We found online later that these are famous Puerto Rican stuffed fritters that are commonly sold at roadside stands. The dough is made from a starchy vegetable, either green plantains or grated yucca, then stuffed with a savory mixture of ground meat or pork. The filled dough is shaped into a cylinder and deep fried. Overall, we mostly enjoyed the snacks and, if we were to return to Roanoke, we would return to this restaurant to try more Puerto Rican foods. We can't speak to the authenticity of any of the snacks -- but found that both of the empanadas had a generous amount of meat and were fried to crispy golden crusts. For our tastes, they were somewhat dry and we would've liked to have some kind of dipping sauce to balance out the dryness. We enjoyed the Alcapurrias a bit less as there was very little filling and it was overpowered by the dough. It too was quite dry. Service was a bit slow but, that said, the snacks were freshly fried while we waited. They were also well-priced.

Arroz con gandules and pernil! You have to try this dish if you go. Typical Puerto Rican dish…read more Family run. Small peaceful place to enjoy a lunch, dinner.

Nice vibe for an intimate date or someplace that isn't loud, amazing food with such a variety of…read moretastes.

I've found some good food on low-rent spots at the edge of many towns, but this one was pushing my…read morelimits. Between the people hacking away weeds with machetes outside in the crowded parking lot and the indoor space that had no AC and industrial strength fans blowing just to keep people from melting in the summer, and the takeout container they seemed to have burned some holes in, it was on the sketchy side. The food I took was a vegetarian platter. A corn tamale was tasty, but I kind of wished I'd just gotten pupusas and hopefully been able to get some variety. It's a cuisine worth trying, and there is another similarly named outlet in the area so perhaps I might see if that one is in better shape.

I love this place! Super authentic and the workers are genuine, very homey feel to it, not going to…read morebe your fine dining experience but the food is delicious and priced fairly. Have brought many people here and they all had good things to say!

Finally checked this place out after driving by many times. Very impressed with the decor, service,…read moreand of course the food! I had a arroz con pollo and loved it (chicken fell off the bone and the rice was so flavorful). My husband and I split a slice of house made cheesecake and it was delicious too. Happy we chose to eat here for our wedding anniversary.

Love this place. So happy it's here! Reminds me of a few DC…read moretapas restaurants. Glad to have patatas bravas nearby! Friendly service in a beautiful well appointed space!

Took about an hour and 15 minutes to get our food (party of 10) and the half chicken was more like…read morea smaller chicken breast. But good! Great drinks and good views.

Ambiance-like eating in a dinning hall of a cheap assisted living facility. Bright lights, no table…read morelinen, very high noise level. Service-truly terrible. The server was inexperienced for the kind of restaurant they are trying to portray. Forgot the complimentary starter. Served the appetizers with the salad coarse. We had to ask for bread. Took almost 1 1/2 hours to get our entrees. Yes, she had too many tables, but management needs to assist her. Food-- had the market salad and it was pretty good. The scallops in the entree were way too salty and swimming in this white cream style sauce. The black rice was crispy and hard. Ate several times in Bruno's old location in Bernard's Landing and thought the food, service and ambiance were great. Not so at his current assisted living location. I would never return to this restaurant again.

Taste of the Tropics is in the Staunton Patio Market. They serve smoothies and sandwiches. They…read morehave a chalk board with an evolving menu. We have ordered the Cuban sandwich three times, the last time for a group eating on a porch. Good reviews from the group with raves from one on the bread even if I had to hold the sandwiches in a warming drawer while we had our first glass of wine. They roast their own pork. They are new and growing. Give them a try.