Cuban American Cafe

Great authentic Cuban food. Best ropa in town. The empanadas were fantastic as well as the Cuban coffee. If you are looking for a great lunch spot with a very friendly staff then give cuban american café a try. You will not be disappointed.

Some of the best Cuban Ropa Vieja I have had! The meat was seasoned great and there was even some left over to bring home! The bread is amazing and was made fresh that morning. The portion sizes are great and you can substitute sides if you would like. The hospitality at this place is great and I always feel so welcomed. Great downtown location with easy access to get in and out on your lunch break. Give it a try, Peter will not disappoint!

im 0 – 2 for finding good Cuban food in Orlando. Decided to try this place since it was small quaint and often overlooked by most. Seeing the good reviews i figured this would be a home run. Again my expectations were let down. I had ordered the Cuban Special and a side of tostones. The tostones were above average and clearly homeade while the cuban was more bread than anything else The bread didnt taste like it was buttered at all. The meat was lacking. I opened up the sandwhich to see how it stacked up and the meat didnt stack up at all Literally. i didnt taste the ham just the thin layer of roasted pork. The bread itself wasnt great at all and the ratio was way off. I was hoping for that loud crunch when biting into it and it was more soft than anything. It wasnt pressed down hard enough leaving the bread still pretty fluffed. I also got to try the Roast Pork. It lacked flavor in all accounts. The beans werent flavorful at all. The roast pork really needed some mojo to go with it while roasting but didnt taste like it was ever added. The roast was more on the chewy than tender side. Maybe i hit this place on a bad day. One thing i can say is the staff was very nice. The place is already cramped enough so i doubt ill be going back for below mediocre food in a cramped setting.

Unilocal WINS AGAIN!
We were on vacation and in the area and looked at our phones looking for a decent place to eat. And as we were strangers in a strange land, we figured we would have food that is uncommon (or at least relatively uncommon) in our native land (Colorado). The food was wonderful! The only negative was that the location was not too easy to find, which also might be an asset to the restaurant. Small place but great food with barely enough seating. If I am back in Orlando, and visiting the Museum just a couple blocks away, I will be returning.

First time having Cuban food. We were in downtown Orlando and dropped into the Orlando’s Visitor Center and they recommended coming to Cuban American Café for authentic Cuban food. If it wasn’t for them directing us here, we would have never found this place. It’s a small restaurant located in a business building. We had the Ultimate Cuban sandwich, the Authentic Cuban, and the chicken empanada. Our favorite out of the three was the Authentic Cuban sandwich since it was very tasty. The sandwich had serrano ham, sweet ham, and slice roast pork, cheese, and fresh bread that it looked like they baked. The combination of these ingredients made the sandwich very flavorful. The ultimate Cuban sandwich was not bad either. As for the chicken empanada, this was the first time I had an empanada made Cuban style. I’m used to the Mexican empanada and the Filipino style empanada and would not compare this to these two styles. However it was very warm and delicious as well.

The most disappointing chicken empanada I’ve ever had. At first glance, I was really excited because it was quite big and appeared to be stuffed full. When I bit into it, it was almost hollow… After chipping away all the bread that didn’t have chicken, I was left with less than a quarter of what I started with. Turkey sandwich was good.

Hidden away in an office building. Authentic coffee, pastries, and other Cuban staples. They don’t resort to frozen things or jars of pre-​mixed things. They make the food and sauces themselves, with great pride. Wonderful people, delicious food.

I work and eat downtown daily. I try and roll this spot into the lunch rotation to keep things fresh but each time I go there the woman at the register is a clear reminder of why I don’t eat here often. I understand we all have good /​bad days but don’t make your customers feel like you’re bothering them.
I will add a video video of my customer experience next time ago. If this place had decent service, I would give them a 3.5÷4. Sadly they don’t…

Great little Cuban restaurant inside the Fairwinds Building in downtown Orlando. The food is always freshly prepared in this little family owned café. For breakfast they have the Creolle sandwich with eggs and bacon that is totally scrumptious. I love the toasted, buttered, and grilled cuban bread called «tostada», it’s perfect with their cuban coffee for a lighter breakfast. There are guava pastries available too and so tempting.
The authentic cuban sandwich and the roasted pork sandwich are the best for lunch (in my opinion)! The cuban sandwich has a lot of melted cheese and it’s very filling. The shredded pork sandwich is very savory and rich, love them both and always have trouble deciding which one to order. You MUST get the green sauce that the café owner makes daily. I think the green sauce is an extra 50 cents, but it’s a bit spicy and peppery with a touch of cilantro flavor, it’s so good! Seriously — ask for the green sauce if you like a little spice. This café also has empanadas, croquetas, and full meals with meat, rice, beans, and plantains. There is also an assortment of drinks in a cooler, desserts, chips, and candy.
The space and seating here is quite limited, but the service is usually quick so that helps with finding a table. I think most of the tables will fit 2 – 4 people, but there are no tables that would fit larger parties unless you are creative with moving tables. «To go» orders are common here and sometimes picking up your lunch is easier than waiting for a table to open up. Try this place for breakfast or lunch, it’s fab!

Always consistent and I can’t get enough of their homemade sauce. Good lunch specials. Love starting my day with their café con leche. Delicioso!

I overly enjoy finding new restaurants, especially when they exceed my expectations!
I was told by a friend of mine that I had to check out the hidden Cuban café in the Fairwinds building downtown. He said go in, all the way down the hall, make a right, then a left past the mailboxes… Well obviously you can see why I was interested. It was like a map to buried treasure and that is just what I found.
This café is legit. Cuban food, extremely friendly staff and served quick! I went with coworkers on our treasure hunt. Easy to find, you just had to follow your nose as soon as you entered the building. My nose did not disappoint. This is a small little café with a lot of energy. The woman up front (I’m fairly certain she was the owner) was beyond sweet and took the time to give us her list of specials and elaborate on the various sandwich options on the menu board. I had one of the specials, bistec palomillo (flank steak and cooked onions), it came with a side of rice, beans and sweet plantains. One coworker had the same and the other tried the other special, ropa vieja (beef, potatoes, peppers, etc). All three of us could not be more delighted to have found a new favorite lunch spot. Do yourself a huge favor and take the treasure hunt! They serve breakfast too.

Hidden Gem! If you are not a local, this place can be hard to find. It’s in the Fairwinds Credit Union building and there are no signs on the street.
Small, quaint Pro-​Cuban place with tables for eating in (or you can take away).
I had the roasted pork with black beans, rice and plantains. The pork was ohhh so juicy and the plantains were delicious!
Nothing fancy here, just a small café tucked away and serving primarily the employees in the building, but certainly worth the trip!

First time here. Had a roasted pork sandwich which was awesome. Fresh pulled Cuban pork with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Very good and fresh. The lunch platters looked really good too. The staff is very friendly and the coffee was great too.
It was easier than I thought for access with parking under I-​4. Try it. I’ll take pictures next time.

Incredible Cuban dive restaurant, tucked away into the heart of Downtown Orlando. I hit the Cuban-​American Café weekly when taking a lunch break from my downtown office building. From Cuban sandwiches to authentic home cooked platters of everything Cuban, this family run restaurant has everything a foodie could ask for. If you’re looking for a great change of pace lunch spot with nice food this is it. Located in the lobby of the Fairwinds Credit Union building.

I absolutely love this restaurant.
Not only is the food consistently awesome the staff treats me as if I’m family and that is always a welcoming feeling when you visit them.
The pork will melt in your mouth and even though they hate to, they cook my plaintains to death. (Just the way I like them) I do wish they would bring back the red beans on Thursdays but hey! a girl can’t have everything. :-)
Make sure you make it in to enjoy these folks great food. I’ve been coming for at least 7 years and will continue to come.