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    El Guajiro

    5.0 (1 review)

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    2 months ago

    Helpful 13
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    Cuban Island Restaurant - Ropa Vieja entrée. (Shredded Beef with rice & beans, and ripe, sweet plantains.

    Cuban Island Restaurant

    4.7(365 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Cuban Island Restaurant - The left dining area of the restaurant and the entrance to the bathrooms.

    The left dining area of the restaurant and the entrance to the bathrooms.

    Cuban Island Restaurant - Ropa Vieja entrée. (Shredded Beef with rice & beans, and ripe, sweet plantains.

    Ropa Vieja entrée. (Shredded Beef with rice & beans, and ripe, sweet plantains.

    Cuban Island Restaurant - Croquetas de Jamon (Ham Croquettes). Delivered via DoorDash.

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    Croquetas de Jamon (Ham Croquettes). Delivered via DoorDash.

    Delicias Boricuas - Close-up of Grilled Chicken with Yellow Rice and Red Beans and Sweet Plantains.

    Delicias Boricuas

    4.5(15 reviews)
    3.7 mi

    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.

    Photos
    Delicias Boricuas - The Puertorican flag has the names of the owners/chefs: KARYNA and CARLOS on two of its strips.

    The Puertorican flag has the names of the owners/chefs: KARYNA and CARLOS on two of its strips.

    Delicias Boricuas - The Meat Empanada (Pastelillo) from a top view.

    The Meat Empanada (Pastelillo) from a top view.

    Delicias Boricuas - Empanada or Pastelillo de Carne.

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    Empanada or Pastelillo de Carne.

    El Guajiro - cuban - Updated May 2026

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