David’s Cafe Cuban Cuisine

I am not a fan of coffee. I don’t like the taste nor does it help me stay awake. If you see me in a coffee shop, it’s for the aroma of coffee beans (which I love). I firmly believed I will never learn to like coffee…
…until David’s Café.
David’s Cuban coffee is otherworldly. I noticed other reviews mention their café con leche, but I was addicted to their cafecito — short, smooth and potent. Omg, my mouth just filled with saliva while writing this review. O_​o

resuelve. you hungry? youll get food here. ²⁴⁄₇. stick to the daily specials.

I’m from New York City and I can say that this place is a disgrace to all that is cuban.
I ordered a simple hamburger and fries and the execution was beyond poor. My burger was undercooked when ordered well done and I could not believe that the server tried to argue with me and say «that how well-​done looks here».
Other customers were also complaining about their food, specifically the cuban sandwiches. This place has the location, location, location, but this will never again be my destination for food or service again.

Not a must go, must eat place, but at least it kills the hunger. Cheap for Miami beach, not cheap for Cuban food. But ²⁴⁄₇ is a PLUS!
Alone? or a couple in a hurry? Eat at the diner section (back right), you’ll also save $ 3-​$ 15 for not sitting on a table. (ex. Pechuga de pollo in the restaurant is $ 15.75, in the diner $ 12.25. excluding tip).
I’ll come back again since it’s a good latin hunger killer, but it’s not someplace to take your significant other for a date. Although, do you like reggaeton? Sit by the Chef and he’ll be sure to make you wiggle your meal down.

Ok — I want to point out something BEFORE you read my review. Yes, I am a cuban girl from Miami that grew up eating home cooked cuban food… but when I order out for delivery, I am very mindful of the fact that this isn’t my grandma’s cooking. I order knowing that the food will not be amazing but will be edible and quench my «cuban food» fix. With that said…
THIS PLACE SUCKS! I ordered a bistec de Palomilla (without onions) and black beans, rice and a side of tostones. From the moment I recieved the delivery, I knew something didn’t smell right… Once I opened the bag, I realized (and I swear I am not exaggerating…) the black beans smelled (and tasted) like they had been cooked in an ashtray. It was disgusting. Needless to say, I didn’t eat a thing. The steak was extra chewy (and they smothered it in ONIONS)…
I feel bad for tourists who come here to try «cuban» food for the first time… I recommend checking out la carreta or versailles on 8^th street — that way they will actually get to ENJOY the taste.

Hands down the best place to get coffee and tostadas in Miami. My favorite way to visit David’s is to go to the window — ventanita — and order my items to go. Most of the servers speak primarily in Spanish, but they’re used to tourists and newbies, so if you only speak English, don’t worry about it. I would say that if you are new to David’s, try to figure out what you want before saddling up to the window, or else you’ll have some fiesty Miamians on your back whispering obscenities loudly in Spanish or just shouting their order over you. The window is meant to be fast, so be ready. ?Quien sigue? = who’s next.
I have also eaten breakfast inside the restaurant and that’s good too. It’s moderately priced and the servers are generally friendly. I always love the mix of people that come through too, so it’s always a fun experience.
*Also, if you’re in the Collins Ave area, there’s another David’s on 11 and Collins that’s recently been remodeled.

Got a cuban coffee from this walk-​up take-​out counter. It was tiny and cost me either $ 1 or $ 2. It was deliciously sweet and strong. Nice!
Alas, since I’m not a coffee drinker, I can’t judge my experience at all, really. 3 stars at best because I don’t know any better.

David’s is the best pick me up on the beach. they have a 24 hour coffee window, and the cortaditos are almost excuse enough to justify the drive from the mainland to the beach in the middle of the night.
The food is average, but the best part of David’s has always been the window counter w the sassy cuban ladies making coladas and cortaditos at all hours of the night. Make sure you bring cash though! they have a $ 10 minimum for credit cards.

Cuban sandwich! YUM.
Strong coffee. Check!
Enough said.

This is where the cabbie took us at 2:30am in the morning when we said we wanted cuban food after hitting the clubs. Inside the diner was all locals — just dudes having a late dinner. We (3 girls) got a lot of unwanted stares when we walked in with our little dresses.
For the amount of food, I thought this place was quite pricey. My side of black beans cost $ 3 and was super watery! Where are the beans! As for the chicken with rice + egg dish that we got to share, it was delicious! Service was lacking — but I would probably not give a ish either if I had to work at a diner at 3am on a Saturday night.

I have to admit my review is partial since I was swept off my feet and brought to this Cuban Restaurant on my Birthday. I’m easily swayed by good food, even more so than good looks, but luckily I didn’t have to choose between the two. I was waiting for someone to take me to eat Cuban food since I landed in Miami.
It was my birthday and after a full night of drinking and dancing, I was so hungry. He brought me to David’s and we sat on the bar overlooking the kitchen. We had a good time, laughing, people watching and drinking beer. Although I read the menu, I let him order for me… in Spanish. *Swoon* Yes, it was rusty… but I was impressed non the less. Even more so by the selections.
He ordered me the Grilled Churrasco (Grilled Skirt Steak with a Chimichurri Sauce), served with rice and beans. OMG — I love steak and this one was cooked perfectly — Medium Rare and juicy as hell.
He ordered the Pechuga de Pollo a la Plancha (Grilled Chicken Breast) that was covered in sauteed onions like the Bistec de Palomilla, but chicken. This was HUGE, I mean both plates were too big to finish but we tried our best.
As side dishes we had the yucca and the tostones. Everything was really good, but I couldn’t bear to eat it all — not that I was about to waste anything. It made some pretty good leftovers the next day.
Mmmm, Miami. I can’t wait for more.

The food is good-​and I only know this because I’ve been here before… just don’t come here expecting quick service… they are generally always busy and understaffed.
This particular visit I had friends from out-​of-​town who wanted to eat something Cuban style — and we happened to be on South Beach… so I figure. hey let’s go to David’s. We waited for twenty minutes before the hostess finally had to come over and take our coffee orders to help out the one waitress. I think she may have been motivated by me saying (loud enough to be heard), «let me get on Unilocal and give these people a negative review»…I guess the hostess knows about Unilocal.
Anyway.we ended up just ordering coffee with Cuban toasts — made no sense to overwhelm them with a real order.

I’m not very familiar with Cuban food. Mostly because there aren’t many Cuban restaurants where I’m from. But I love it! Every time I visit Miami, I don’t want to eat much else but Cuban food! I tried the Mini Frita. It was really good, but too much food for me to finish by myself! The pork is very tender and flavorful. Sandwichito de Palomilla (Palomilla sliders) is not as good as the Mini Frita but good, and also it was too much food. I would suggest two people sharing either of these dishes.
If you don’t want red meat, try the bacalao con dos acompañantes (cod fish). It reminds me of a variant of fish gumbo but better! :)
Do not leave without trying the Coffee con Leche! If anything, stop by just for this!

wao what a disappointment.
walked in late night with my mom. all she wanted was a sandwich with croquetas… meaning bread, cheese and croqueta. nothing too complicated. not only did they do it wrong but they wanted to charge her for the change.
will not be coming back. the service was HORRIBLE

Location — Location — Location — Café con leche —
David’s II located just off Lincoln Road on Meridian. Great Cuban Deli serving up a great breakfast. Every morning we started our day strolling down Lincoln Road people watching feeling the warm sun. Many cafes were setting up for the day trying to lure us into a expensive breakfast. Our gracious hotel clerk from the Doubletree Surfcomber hotel turned us on to this great spot. If you are looking for a good inexpensive breakfast David’s is the place. The hostess each morning was very polite and very accommodating. You can even get a Café con leche to go for your after breakfast stroll.

David’s is a cool Cuban café/​diner just off Lincoln Road. I tried the Cuban sandwich, which turned out to be pretty darn good. They overload the thing with ham, throw some pork and cheese on top of the ham mountain, and finish it off with some mustard and pickles before throwing on the press of glory. Good times.
As with all meals of Cuban origin, I finish em’ off with a café con leche, and David’s knows how to construct a proper café con leche. It’s strong, it’s sweet, and it’s nutty.
Cheers David to a job well done. I look forward to trying your palomila next time.

Café Con Leche did someone say? We are in this area at least twice a week and always come here for their coffee. I really like the outside window, you walk up order your coffee and you are on your way. I do not know what they do to make their coffee but man it is good. Yes, it is strong but so tasty and well just perfect.
Starbucks has nothing on this place, and half the price. The inside café area is your typical run of the mill diner looking décor. Every now and then I do enjoy running in for a good Cuban sandwich. They know how to make a good sandwich. The service is usually mediocre.
Thanks for always fixing my coffee fix. This is where to come if you are strolling down Lincoln Rd. and need a great cup of coffee for a reasonable price.

Nothing makes me feel more at home than a generous helping of palomilla con cebolla, arroz y frijoles, and maduros. This, my friends, is a proper Miami order. David’s doesn’t serve it up the best, but when you’re existing without Cuban nourishment in a city like Philly, you come to appreciate anything with latin origins.
Comparatively speaking, David’s doesn’t reign supreme in Miami, but it definitely gets the job done for a Cuban-​deprived Northeasterner.

Supposedly this is one of the more authentic place for cuban food, but i’m sure there are many others with the same «claim». We went here because it was convenient.
The yucca fries with the avocado and cilantro cool dip was awesome! I smeared it over the dry chicken plate to help with the flavor.
The freshly squeezed orange juice was fresh and sweet.
The sweet fried plantains were unbelievably sweet! i couldn’t get enough of it.
The beef empanadas were ok, i’ve had better empanadas bought off some random cart on the street…
I ordered the pollo — baked chicken and it was so dry, i had to drink the orange juice on top of the water just to push it down my esophagus. NOT cute.
Service was decent. Definitely a must try for beginners who would like to try Cuban food.

At last, a truly satisfying meal in South Beach. I’m sure it’s inauthentic and touristy, but I wanted a good mojito, a satisfying steak, and a café cubano, and I didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for it. David’s Café hit the spot.
The mojito was good, and moderately strong, although at $ 9 each I wouldn’t make it a habit here. The fried yucca appetizer was astonishingly good, if simple, as was the cilantro «dipping sauce.» (Incidentally, why is it that calling a mayonnaise a «dipping sauce» makes it seem so much more sophisticated?) The steak was extremely tasty, although the chimicurri sauce was difficult to detect, and the fries were crisp and hot, although I suspect the potatoes came from a freezer case. The café cubano that polished it off might have been the best part.
Simple, tasty, food, with bright flavors in satisfying quantities. I left happy.