My wife Yessy and I have driven past Calle Ocho Cuban Cafecito for the last couple of years, always…read moretelling ourselves, "We need to try that place!" Somehow, we'd always miss them because we'd come by a little too late.
Well, this morning we finally made it -- and I'm so glad we did.
After dropping our car off at the dealership for some routine maintenance, I told my wife, "It's early enough... let's see if we can finally catch Calle Ocho while they're open." Best decision we could have made.
We ordered a Café Con Leche, a Cuban Cortadito, a Papa Rellena, Ham Croquettes, and a Cheese & Garlic Empanada. Everything was delicious and exactly the kind of comforting, flavorful food you hope to find at a great neighborhood Cuban spot. The coffee especially hit the spot.
But as good as the food was, what really made our first visit memorable was meeting Fernando, one of the owners.
Fernando is genuinely one of the friendliest and most welcoming business owners I've ever met. The kind of person you could easily sit there and talk to for an hour. I'd honestly come back just to hang out and have another conversation with him.
What really stuck with me was finding out that he had been working since 2:00 AM that morning fulfilling a huge catering order. You would have NEVER known it. Instead of looking exhausted or rushing us through, he welcomed us with a smile, took the time to talk with us, asked questions, and genuinely made an effort to get to know us as customers.
That kind of hospitality is rare these days.
Running a small brick-and-mortar business isn't easy, and when you come across owners who clearly put their heart into both their food and the people walking through their doors, those are exactly the places worth supporting.
Calle Ocho absolutely earned two new customers today.
We'll definitely be back because that Cuban Sandwich is already calling my name -- along with the Lechon Fries and the rest of those empanadas we didn't get to try!
If you're in Rancho Cucamonga and haven't stopped by Calle Ocho Cuban Cafecito yet, do yourself a favor and check them out. Great food, great coffee, and even better people.
Love seeing local places like this thrive. We'll be back soon, Fernando!
UPDATE @ 12:30 PM:
Well... my wife and I came back a LOT sooner than we expected. After our first visit this morning, we couldn't stop thinking about the food, so we decided to head back to Calle Ocho for lunch -- and somehow they impressed us all over again.
This time we tried the Cubano, aka their Signature Cuban Sandwich, and this thing was absolutely A1. The sandwich is loaded with juicy slow-roasted lechon (pork), savory ham, pickles, mustard, and their incredible mojo garlic sauce, all pressed together between Cuban bread.
And let me tell you about that mojo -- the aroma of garlic and roasted pork practically permeates the air when you walk in. If that smell alone doesn't draw you through the doors, you're missing out!
The combination was bursting with flavor. You get the richness of the slow-roasted lechon and ham, the brininess of the pickles, the tanginess of the mustard, and that garlicky mojo tying everything together. We dipped the Cubano in both their Chicano spicy sauce and extra mojo, and that just took it to another level. The sandwich already had so much flavor on its own, but the sauces added the perfect extra kick.
We also got a side of maduros, which were sweet, warm, and a perfect contrast to the savory Cubano. For drinks, we tried a Jupiña pineapple soda and Materva yerba mate soda, which were both really good and something a little different from what we'd normally order.
Calle Ocho Cuban Cafecito is the real deal. My wife and I already can't wait to come back again -- and next time we're bringing our two boys with us. When a place gets you to come back twice in the SAME DAY, I think that says just about everything you need to know.
