Where The Other Magic Happens!

I chose the Cuban Sandwich, black beans and rice. This was a good sandwich. The roast pork was juicy and flavorful. It could stand up to any sandwich from Tampa. Of course it helps when you are in the State of Pork.

I'll start by saying I forgot to review on my previous visit, which is a shame because that experience was a lot better than this one. Sure, the restaurant looked a little grimey last time but the food and service were excellent. Fast forward to present day: It's a sunny Saturday evening in downtown Cedar Rapids, but this place with a patio is not busy. It's been recently renovated. They've added a bar(? and the dining space has been updated. There appear to be 3 employees working and as I walk in, they're all GLARING at me. After they all finish dealing with the one other customer in the store, one of them seems to wander my way, all the while looking at me like she has no idea what I could possibly want. I tell her my take out order, but because I have a coupon she has to get the other two employees back to help her. The wait for my food was reasonable, no complaints there. But even handing my food, the guy was grouchy and almost shoved it at me. Like I said, we got our dinner to go and it did not disappoint. My plantanos maduros were way better than last visit. The Cuban sandwich was excellent as well. My boyfriend is obsessed with it. It's so simple, yet so flavorful. The bread! The meat! I don't really even like pickles, but they are crucial here! Just get it as it is trust me. Based only on service, I would not go back. It felt like they didn't want customers in the restaurant. Unfortunately, I'm a sucker for delicious food... take out it is!

Uneven quality and service but the good stuff is AMAZING. We went in on a Saturday afternoon and got the medianoche sandwich combo and the ropa vieja with plantains. The medianoche was AWESOME. (Seriously, if you like Cubanos, it's time to upgrade to the medianoche and this place is a great opportunity to do that. The plantain side was awesome, especially with the sweet sauce they give you in little containers. If you're a spice fiend, the aji (hot sauce is also awesome and VERY spicy. Unfortunately, the ropa vieja was more peppers than beef and tasted like nothing. It was really disappointing. The rice and beans were also pretty flavorless. We later confirmed with some friends who live here that the thing to do is to go in and order a medianoche with a side of plantains, probably to go. You won't regret it!

Really, really good. My cubano didn't have pickles on it, but forgivable as everything else was delish.

I discovered Cuban good in Florida and was so happy when they opened up here. The Cuban sandwiches are so good and my new favorite is stopping in at market for a cafe con leche and empanada. The empanadas have the most unbelievable flavor and this is the only place I can find true Cuban coffee