Best Cuban sandwich? Try these Cuban restaurants for a traditional handheld favorite
National Cuban Sandwich Day is Aug. 23.
The Cuban sandwich actually doesn't come from Cuba — it's a Florida thing, invented in Tampa.
In about 1890, it started in the Ybor City neighborhood, where Cuban, Spanish and Italian immigrants worked in cigar factories and ate the hand-held meat and cheese sandwich.
It's a combination of ham, pork, Swiss, pickle chips, yellow mustard and soft butter on traditional Cuban bread. The Tampa way includes salami, but the Miami-style doesn't.
Here's where to find 10 of the best Cuban sandwiches on the Treasure Coast.
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MARTIN COUNTY
Quetzal Super Bread Bakery & Café
Jose and Rosemary Medina opened the small takeout cafeteria in a strip plaza in the Golden Gate area of Stuart in 2013. The bakery-café is popular for its fresh-baked bread.
Address: 3168 S.E. Dixie Highway, Stuart
Phone: 772-600-7460
Online: Facebook
Old Havana Nights
Vivian and Hector Garcia of Port St. Lucie, a husband-and-wife team who moved from Havana to the U.S. about 25 years ago, wanted to bring a taste of home to the Treasure Coast at their first restaurant. The Stuart restaurant serves handhelds, including a “fat Cuban sandwich.”
Address: 763 N.W. Federal Highway, Stuart
Phone: 772-210-2976
Online: Facebook
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
Mervis’ Café & Grille
Ivel Sierra’s parents and grandparents, all born in Cuba, moved from Miami to West Palm Beach in 1970 and opened a convenience store with Cuban food. His grandfather named it Mervis’ Grocery after Sierra’s mother. Sierra’s brother moved the cafeteria-style restaurant to Fort Pierce in 2001. Sierra took over in 2008, helped by wife Ivelisse and sons Evan and Ethan. The Cuban bread comes from a Miami bakery. Sierra created the Cubanada, with all the traditional Cuban sandwich ingredients stuffed inside an empanada.
Address: 402 S. Fifth St., Fort Pierce
Phone: 772-462-6600
Havana George Cafe
George and Zaida Quesada opened their well-decorated hole-in-the-wall in The Galleria of Pierce Harbor in Fort Pierce in July. He’s from the Santa Clara area of Cuba; she’s from Peru. The couple blends their cultures by using Peruvian spices, herbs and peppers in Cuban dishes. Their Cuban bread is homemade and fresh baked.
Address: 100 S. Second St., Fort Pierce
Phone: 772-607-8180
Babalu’s Cuban Cafe
Cuban-born Lester Marcio, whose nickname is Babalu, opened his Port St. Lucie restaurant in 2018. He has expanded his menu and added a walk-up window similar to Versailles in Miami. His El Cubano is a traditional Cuban sandwich.
Phone: 772-207-5165
Port Saint Wich
A lack of Cuban restaurants in Port St. Lucie inspired Camaguey native Eduardo Garaeex to open his takeout restaurant in 2018, serving authentic Cuban coffee, sandwiches and traditional pastries from a Miami bakery. His Cuban sandwich is made to order, so the roasted pulled pork and Swiss cheese are always fresh.
Phone: 772-266-5152
Sazon Latin American Grill
Sazon Latin American Grill in Port St. Lucie opened in 2022, and its menu features traditional Latin-inspired dishes such as mofongos, empanadas, fried yuca and sandwiches, including a Cuban.
Address: 8573 U.S. 1, Port St. Lucie
Phone: 772-446-9878
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
The Wave Kitchen & Bar
The Vero Beach oceanfront restaurant inside the Costa d’Este Beach Resort & Spa features fresh, locally sourced seafood and produce. The menu includes Cuban specialties from the Estefan Kitchen Cookbook, written by hotel owners Emilio and Gloria Estefan.
Address: 3244 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach
Phone: 772-410-0100
El Cubano B.Y.
Boris Nunez and Yaneis Borges opened their takeout cafe in 2017. The "B.Y." comes from the couple's first names. They’re both Cuban and moved from Miami to Vero Beach in 2009. They wanted to bring their Cuban flavor and experience to the area so other people could try it.
Address: 2040 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach
Phone: 772-480-3481
Online: Facebook
Las Palmas Cuban Restaurant
Luis and Edna Gonzalez opened their Sebastian restaurant in 2009, originally on U.S. 1. They since have moved west to The Shoppes of Sebastian. He’s the executive chef and she’s the general manager. He’s from Puerto Rico and she’s from Old Havana in Cuba.
Address: 1451 Sebastian Blvd., Sebastian
Phone: 772-388-5188
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at [email protected]. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Best Cuban sandwich? Try these Cuban restaurants for iconic handheld
