I've been to El Siboney a number of times over the years and am finally getting around to writing this review. The restaurant is tucked away on a back street, far from the usual tourist spots, which adds to its charm. The food is authentic Cuban cuisine -- and I say that after decades of living in and around Hudson County, NJ, where the Cuban community is large and vibrant. At El Siboney, everything tastes fresh and homemade, with generous portions and prices that are refreshingly reasonable for Key West. This visit, I ordered the whole fried yellow snapper, served with yuca, yellow rice, and beans. My dinner companion had the Siboney skirt steak, one of the restaurant's popular dishes, served with a choice of sides. Both meals were excellent. Dessert was equally impressive: a delicious slice of tres leches cake and silky vanilla custard that were the perfect ending to the meal. Overall, it was a fantastic dining experience. Dinner for two, including dessert and tip, came to about $100 -- a great value for the quality and quantity of food. El Siboney remains one of my favorite places to eat in Key West. read more

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El Siboney is a must go when you're in key west. The Cuban food here is delicious! We got the skirt steak with shrimp and a grilled snapper. Both were the best meals we had on Key West. Service here is pretty quick and feels like a family-run restaurant. I would have come 2-days in a row if I had the opportunity. read more

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It reminded me of a Mexican restaurant, but just a different menu! Service was pretty quick and attentive. The food was good! We tried the skirt steak and shrimp, and the delmonaco steak. The rice and beans and plantains were delicious. Fried yuca was good, but not a show stopper compared to the other options. read more

We loved it here!!! The service was quick and friendly. My mom got a chicken salad and it was a HUGE portion. I was gonna help her eat it but I was so so full from my entree. I ordered the flank steak with the yellow rice and plantains. It was super delicious and very filling. The steak was tender and cooked to order. Plantains were sweet and soft. Rice was buttery. I wish I tried the pickled onions but I forgot to ask. My husband loved trying the Cuban beer. Overall the food, service and atmosphere were all excellent. I want to try the Cuban sandwich next time I visit. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Flank Steak with plantains $29.95 - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Cozy & very clean Cuban restaurant, excellent flavors and good services. Blackened chicken & el siboney steak were delicious! Definitely a great local gem, in non tourist area. Worth go out of the way for it! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - El Siboney steak, delicious! - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

I was deployed in Orlando, FL but a few of my co-workers decided to drive to Key West, FL for the day. I was told to check out El Siboney Restaurant. The service was impeccable and the Cuban food was very delicious and authentic. I had the fried pork belly with onions and sweet plaintian. When you walk in the ambiance feels as if you're in a Cuban home. When you're in Key West, Florida make it your business to stop into El Siboney Restaurant. They have two locations. To all my Yelpers let's continue to eat our way through the world #foodie4life. read more

Always our first stop when in key west Always friendly service Always delicious food Plenty of gluten free and dairy free options My new favorite there now is the grilled chicken with shrimp, Moro rice mix and fried yuca with their hot sauce So good! read more

Nice family vibe!! Food is authentic as it gets and so is friendly staff!! This is a must when you are here, this place has all the great food! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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It was our first time visiting Key West, FL and we were on the hunt for some authentic Cuban food. We came across this place on Yelp because of the strong reviews, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. The food was excellent, especially the steak, which was flavorful, tender, and perfectly cooked. Every dish we tried had that comforting, homemade quality that makes you feel like you found a true local gem. The service was also warm and attentive, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. In fact, we loved the food so much that we ended up coming back a second time during the same trip, something we rarely do when traveling because we like to try different spots. That alone says a lot. If you're visiting Key West and craving great Cuban food, this place is definitely worth a stop. Highly recommended. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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"El Siboney isn't trying to impress anyone--and that is exactly why it does". I could not have said it better myself. This place is truly authentic. Ordered the skirt steak to share and a side of fried plantains in addition to a sangria carafe to share among us at the table. For dessert we got flan and key lime pie. All solid dishes, great service - a must when you are in KW. I could do without dessert if you're full, the flan is good but not transcendent and the key lime pie is more like a lemony cheesecake consistency that is good but so far not Kermit's level of good key lime. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Skirt steak, fried plantains, red rice and bean soup (not pictured) - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Excellent food and excellent service! The restaurant is in what was previously a house off the beaten path so you likely won't stumble upon this place by accident. It feels very traditionally cuban although this is coming from someone who has never been to Cuba. All the food that was delivered to each person looked very tasty. Can confirm the shredded beef is delicious. I'd be happy to come back here next time I'm in Key West. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Shredded beef with mashed potato and yellow rice - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

AMAZING! We started a walking food tour at Siboney and it was the highlight of our time in Key West. The food we tried was so simple, yet so flavorful. We sampled mojo pork, beans, rice, plantains, Cuban bread, and pickled onions. We couldn't leave without buying 3 bottles of their homemade hot sauce to take home!! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Pork - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

Two years later we're back. Fantastic food great Cuban sandwich and a perfect ham and cheese. Best Cuban coffee in the Keys.

Wow! I am glad I remembered this restaurant 20 years later. I can say the food now was as good as I remember from back then. This is definitely a great place. I had the Garlic Shrimp and it was AMAZING (but you definitely need to like garlic). I had the Moro as my side (black beans & white rice - that looks black). I really loved the Moro too. And the garlic bread they served at the table was delicious. The service is very efficient. I definitely recommend this place! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Garlic shrimp with Moro as the side. - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

This Cuban restaurant is all about the comfort food. Absolutely delicious and filling. We usually do not visit the same place twice, but El Siboney was the exception. We had the ropa vieja, churrasco steak, yucca con chícharon. Everything was delicious! But what took me by surprise, after a week in Key West of trying every Key Lime Pie that I could find, their key lime was my favorite! So go for the comfort Cuban food or the delicious pie, you will not be disappointed. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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So glad we gave this another try! Amazing Cuban food in key west! And I have eaten a lot of Cuban food in my life (live in Miami!) My last review was for takeout during covid so that probably impacted things. The Siboney steak was our favorite - Churrasco style with Chimichurri. We also tried the ropa vieja which had a nice tomato and wine sauce flavor. It was very tender. The vaca frita was also pretty good, more crispy on the shredded beef, though a little dry. Hot Cuban bread with butter is complimentary and tasty, and I don't usually like the Cuban bread! Yellow rice had nice flavor and the beans and plantains were well cooked. They offer you to switch the sides if you prefer, but these are our fave! You pay at the front when you're done. Overall very efficient and good service. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Ropa vieja - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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We came here for quick bite and was recommended by one of the locals and did not let me down!! We had the pulled pork with congri (rice and black beans) OH MY and side of Yucca frita with their house mojo on the side. TIP: you can share a dinner portion, they give plenty food for the price. Service is quick and very friendly. Atmosphere is family oriented and its pretty chill. Overall GREAT spot for a quick bite and keep on with your day. You get your check and pay up front. Awesome personal. Gracias read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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10 out of 10. Sensational service ! When your here your family ! La gente más linda ! The most beautiful people work here! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Store - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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I'm always on the search for the "Best Cuban" (and other Best Of's, but definitely Cubans). I was mind blown with their Roast Pork, Yuka and Tamale a couple of nights earlier, but one of the guys I work with got the Cubano Mixto sandwich so I went back for lunch just to try it. The best I have ever had, hands down!! The bread (which they serve with any meal) is absolutely perfect, and the sandwich is loaded. It was so delicious, I thought about ordering a second one, but I was so stuffed! The place is off the beaten path (which suites me fine) but so worth a visit! And the staff is super friendly! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Cubano Mixto - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

We enjoyed the best Cuban food. It's a casual comfort cuisine, with friendly and attentive service. We ordered family style, so that we could share these amazing dishes: #26 grilled grouper [cooked to perfection], #13 skirt steak [amazing] and grilled shrimp, #3 tamale, roasted pork, yuca. For the sides, we enjoyed the black beans, rice and plantains, so delicious. You will leave feeling full and happy! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Grilled grouper, skirt steak, grilled shrimp, pork and tamale - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

Big portions. Shrimp enchilado was too salty. Beautiful interior. Service was alright. Key lime ‍ pie is not the best. Pulled beef was delicious and rice with beans were good. read more

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Wow just wow , the food here is stellar , now they have wine and beer no hard liquor . However we stopped in and got the whole yellow tail snapper which taste different than the red snapper I don't care for. The whole fish was flash fried topped with pickled onions served with your choice of side. I chose the black beans and yellow rice and it came with sweet fried plantains . My wife had the grouper filet with rice and beans as well. The food is amazing well flavored they did not skip on the portions which I liked . We definitely had plenty left over , hostels the whole fish can be a meal for two . read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Whole yellow tail snapper , the photo doesn't do it justice it's huge - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Hot and flavorful Cuban food! Prompt service with a fun local ambiance. We had garlic chicken, black beans and rice with plantains. New experience for me as I've never had Cuban food before. Delicious! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

El Siboney was recommended to us by a friend for dinner, so we gave it a try on our trip to Key West. Atmosphere: We walked here and thought it was closed at first, but thankfully it was open. We were seated right away. We came at around 5:30 and that's when it started to get busy. This is a true hole in the wall. It is simply decorated and you can tell the focus is good service and food. Restrooms: They had a single stall male and female restroom. The female restroom was nice and clean! Service: All the servers we encountered were so nice and friendly. The food came out quick and fresh! Food: The food was amazing! We're from Tampa, so we were excited to try a Cuban place in Key West. We tried their beef and cheese empanadas as an appetizer, they were both good but our favorite was the cheese empanada. YUM! We split a breaded palomilla. It was plenty for two to share. The portion was HUGE! The food was soooo good. My husband loved the pickled red onions it came with. Also, they welcome you with hot Cuban bread with butter when you sit down. This place was sooo good. You can tell locals like to come here. We loved our dinner here and will come back the next time we're in Key West. The food was soooo good and it felt homey inside! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Empanadas - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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The food is wasn't what I expected visiting Spain where you have abundance of seafood. There is more yellow rice than any protein. The service and staff were fine. The indoor seating is a comfortable environment. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Paella - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

What a great find! The food is delicious especially the Ropa vieja and the shredded pork! Even the rice and beans taste like they were cooking all day. You also must try the sangria that comes with a lime on top! Staff is very helpful and the food came out fast! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Ropa vieja - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

I love Cuban food and it was one pf the major reasons to travel here on vacation. El Siboney was everything that I had hoped for -- cozy atmosphere, laid back vibes, and good food. I had the classic ropa vieja and it was excellent. My wife had shrimp enchilado (n.b. this is not a shrimp enchilada, but rather shrimp in a tomato sauce). My daughter had a grilled chicken dish that was delightful. The only complaint was the steak sandwich that had an off taste to the meat. Aside from this one miss, it was a great meal and I'd happily go back. read more

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Best authentic Cuban restaurant for cheap prices in Key West. It's no frills, not fancy, but the service is fast, so they must make their money on high turnover. So, eat quick and get out! Because I want this little hidden gem to keep their prices low so I will continue to keep eating here! As a local, it's hard to dine out in Key West a lot because you would just blow your budget. So I like places like this that have reasonable prices for locals to keep returning often. There is no liquor menu, but they do serve wine, beer, and sangria. My favorite is the pulled pork. It's so delicious and the fried steak. I love the plantains and the rice and beans and the yucca sides. I'll be back many more times! read more

Some meals feel like a pit stop. El Siboney feels like a pilgrimage. Tucked a few blocks off the Duval Street chaos, this unassuming, family-owned Cuban spot has been a Key West institution since the late 1980s, and let me tell you -- if you skip it, you're doing this island wrong. No neon signs, no Instagram gimmicks, no overpriced "island fusion small plates." Just real Cuban food so good it'll make you rethink every sad "Cuban sandwich" you've ever had in your life. Walk inside and it's pure no-frills Key West: wood-paneled walls, locals chatting like they've been coming here since the Reagan years, the smell of garlic, citrus, and slow-roasted pork curling through the air like a promise. If Hemingway were alive, this is where he'd be -- hunched over a plate, sweating through his shirt, grinning like a man who just discovered religion. Here's what you order if you want to do it right: * Ropa Vieja - Tender, shredded beef stewed in tomatoes, peppers, and onions, served with rice and black beans. It's called "old clothes" in Spanish, but tastes like a hug from someone who loves you. * Lechón Asado - Marinated roast pork, slow-cooked until it practically apologizes for existing and falls apart on your fork. * Cuban Sandwich - The real deal: roasted pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, and mustard, perfectly pressed on Cuban bread that crackles when you bite it. * And for dessert? Flan. Don't negotiate. Just do it. The portions are generous, the prices are shockingly reasonable for Key West, and the service has that warm, efficient "you're family now" vibe that makes you want to move in next door. El Siboney isn't trying to impress anyone -- and that's exactly why it does. It's loud, casual, flavorful, and unapologetically authentic. Every bite tastes like somebody's grandmother has been guarding the recipe for generations, and the only thing missing is her yelling at you to eat more. El Siboney isn't just the best Cuban restaurant in Key West -- it's one of the best anywhere. Come hungry, bring cash, and be prepared to sit back afterward wondering how you'll ever eat Cuban food anywhere else again. read more

We went here twice on our vacation to Key West. Their food, service and prices are great for Key West! I had the Cuban sandwich one night and fish the second night. I would recommend in this tourist town. read more

The steak was very tender and delicious! Although the restaurant was small and packed, the service was quick.

EXCELLENT! From the food to the service. It was windy Wednesday afternoon and the place was packed. We knew right away it was going to be good. I got the grilled pork tenderloin platter with rice/beans and plantain. My wife had the roasted chicken with yuca and avocado salad (whole avocado sliced with onions). Generous portions. Jeremy waited on us. He was super attentive and accommodating. You won't be disappointed. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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So authentic, environment is very welcoming and homey, feels like eating in someone's home! We came in december (while ago yes) for a small bite since we had already been eating all day; 3 people 2 entrees. TV had some trivia playing so that was fun while waiting. They started off with complimentary bread, crispy and warm. Cuban tostada I think? Salad is cheap, fresh, basic (salads in CA are just insanely priced). Conch fritters were greasy but everything else made up for it. Never knew flank steak could be so delicious. Pulled pork was amazing even after we took it home and ate it cold; the onions soaked up all that meaty flavor. So many plantains everywhere and they were good tooo. Portions for everything were huge. Came in full and left overstuffed and with leftovers. So glad we came! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Yumm flank steak. Conch fritters on the bottom just ok - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Love this place. I was here 12 years ago and it was still as amazing. Service was incredible as the staff is so friendly and welcoming. We had garlic shrimp and surf and turf. The skirt steak was prepared perfectly and the grilled shrimp was so flavorful. My son's garlic shrimp was perfect and delicious. My Moro was so good and the plantains were crispy on the edges and soft inside. It would be such a mistake to pass on this restaurant. This is a Key West best of the best! read more

Dined in for dinner on a Thursday and we were able to be seated immediately. Food came out fast and was delicious! One of our favorite restaurants during our 3-day trip to Key West! read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Siboney Steak with Fried Yuca - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Everything was delicious! I highly recommend the meatballs and the sangria was soooo good too!

If you are white, do not go to this restaurant. 6 white servers/restaurant workers came to this place on vacation looking for authentic Cuban cuisine. Everything was fine until the server came to the table. She could not have been more annoyed by our presence. We ordered drinks and our dinner all at once. The younger ones in our group went outside to take pictures. As our food was being delivered, the family of seemingly local patrons walking out and called us "Karan's" and they hope we like our food. Please remember we are all servers/restaurant workers, we didn't do anything except come in and sit down. We left right behind that local family without eating or drinking anything, our girls were still outside. No, we did not pay for no service received. They chased us out recording on their phones like we did something wrong. If you are white, do not go to this restaurant. read more

My group came here twice during our visit. One of my group members wanted a whole cooked fish, on an island surrounded by fertile fishing waters you'd think finding whole cooked/fried fish would be easy, you would be surprised. This restaurant had just what we were looking for. On our first visit, we ordered a whole fried fish at market price with the 3 sides rice, beans and plantain as well as the first item on the menu roast pork with the three sides. The second time we ordered the half roast chicken and the boliche sandwich. The fried fish was well appreciated by my company, and I enjoyed the roast pork. In terms of taste, the flavors were simple and clean. The pork tasted like savory pork, well seasoned, but without flavors one could expect from let's say a Mexican restaurant that served something similar and unlike the excessive fattiness or dryness that can come with American style pulled pork. The sides were similar, yellow rice was nice, well cooked and lightly flavored, beans were the same. Plantain was a nice addition. Our second round, the boliche was great, a nice thick meaty sandwich, I ordered fried yuca, not bad but they did get a bit soft once we got back with our take out order. My travel mate also really liked the half roast chicken and rice. Overall, if they weren't closed on Mondays, we would probably come back again to finish off our trip. read more

Delicious food, adorable ambiance and quick service! We had a great lunch here and would definitely recommend. Their black beans were incredible. read more

El Siboney Restaurant - Cuban Near Me - Key West, Florida

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El Siboney is the place for amazing Cuban food! We asked several locals for recommendations for the best Cuban food and everyone said El Siboney.  These recommendations were right as this was some amazing Cuban food.  Service was prompt and friendly and the atmosphere/decor inside made it feel like you were dining in a family/friends house. Plan your visit because it gets packed! We arrived at 6:00PM and were seated, but by the time we left, there was a line of people waiting.   We started off with a pitcher of their house made sangria, which was delish. A basket of complementary warm buttery Cuban bread was served to the table.  The majority of our group ordered the roast pork with rice, beans, and sweet plantains. The pork was cooked perfectly and the accompaniments melted in your mouth. The vaca Frita was delicious also. Portions were large and the price was surprisingly low for KW.  This meal had the most food and the least cost as any meal we had in KW.  Step away from Duval Street and take a short walk to the local neighborhood for must eat Cuban food at El Siboney. read more