Despite the name being so literal, The Cuban Place is anything but a typical Cuban restaurant…read more Nestled in the corner of many Hispanic-owned bizes, it is 100% my kind of spot since they have friendly service, solid prices, tasty food, and zero pretense.
While the place looks bigger from the outside, it's actually quite small on the inside. There are a handful of high top seats for 2 with just handful of 4 person tables for an estimated max of 30. I understand the weekends may be subject to a wait and they definitely have the approval of the local crowd. Side note: be prepared to speak Spanish or bring someone who does. The waitstaff will appreciate it.
The menu is quite unique as they list the prices and the grams of each item. The latter isn't particularly important to me, but I have seen this practice in different parts of Latin America. As a result, everything is a la carte and most things are not bundled with each other (#1). Since the prices are noted for everything, things will quickly add up. Luckily for me, I'm all about variety.
The croquetas de jamon was a good start. It was as I like them: crispy on the outside and somewhat soft on the inside. I'm still not sure why I was given ketchup, but it was an interesting touch. I enjoyed a glass of cold guava juice, which was as sweet as it was tart.
I also go to try their version of cerdo asado, in which the meat was soft and quite fatty. It paired well with the tamal cubano, which was stuffed with more of the same pork. The mojo criollo was clutch as a sauce, since it's really applicable to everything.
The true highlight of the food was their congri, which is such a simple item, but was the ideal mixture of rice, beans, and chunky bits of pork. I mixed it with the savory richness of their ropa vieja, the country's national dish. The slowcooked chunks of beef fell apart and the tomato base with the peppers melted into the rice for a quality 1-2 flavor punch.
Lastly, bring cash. While they do accept credit card, there is a fee attached to it. Also consider getting some of their ice cream from the freezer; it seemed to be popular with some of the locals coming through for takeout.
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(#1) No sides with your main, unless one orders it.