La Esquina Cubana (was La Guantanamera)

On our way back from El Cubanito yesterday, I spotted this place and made a note to try it. I have no idea why I've never noticed it before as it is minutes from my house, but I'm very glad I did.

La Esquina Cubana



This advertised special looked especially interesting, leading me to have Chuletas on the brain.


I looked all over the interwebs last night and could not find any info on it, so we decided to stop in today on our daily walk. It reminds me a great deal of hanging out in someone's Cuban kitchen - the place was full of regulars who clearly spend the day there, reading the paper, watching the news, eating and visiting. In fact, we saw many apparent regulars get up and fix themselves plates in the kitchen and also bussing their own tables. The kitchen is separated by a counter from the dining room area, but it is a very open space with people chatting back and forth from the tables and the kitchen in rapid-fire Spanish.


We attempted to order a Cubano and a Chuleta special, but the gal behind the counter had not a word of English and apparently my restaurant Spanish is worse than I suspected as one of the regulars jumped up to help us order. Sadly, at 2pm, the Chuletas were gone, but the cook lifted the lids on several dishes she had prepared and our translator explained the options, basically, pick an entrée and a rice (they had white rice, Cuban rice and arroz con gandules to choose from) from what is available and they prepare it for you. I noticed as people came in for takeout, this "show the entrees" routine continued and later confirmed that they do, indeed, have different offerings each day. We selected a particularly attractive Guisado de Pollo (over an equally attractive carne dish, Carne con Papa, I believe) and a Cubano, with several people assuring us we had made good choices and congratulating us on our enjoyment of Cuban food. There is a menu board on the wall, but with the exception of the sandwiches, I'm not sure how useful it is due to the fact that it appears they cook up different items each day. I was able to chat with the owner as I was leaving and learned that Wednesday is ropa vieja day, for example.

Interior Menu Board


Exterior Menu Board


Our food, along with large glasses of water to supplement our colas, was brought to table, although, unaware of protocol, we took our own plates up to the counter when finished.
Guisido de Pollo


I only managed to get one bite of this as the Picky Eater made alarmingly short work of it, but it was really a wonderful dish with tender, juicy chicken and incredibly flavorful Cuban rice. Even the potatoes in this were perfectly cooked, still being firm instead of dissolving into a mush. I could eat that Cuban rice all day, this dish reminded me so much of great meals eaten in roadside cafes and friends homes all over Central America.

minimalist Cubano


I was equally pleased with my sandwich, although it was a bit dry without the customary mustard and pickle. I'm not sure why it was served that way, but I was told by another patron that you can ask for those to be added. YMMV as the owner, who is typically in the kitchen, did not prepare my food. That being said, this was one helluva sandwich - the bread was very fresh, the cheese melty, the filler ham kept to a minimum, the pork was out of control delicious and the whole thing was perfectly pressed. What will keep me coming back for this sandwich over and over, however, was that pork. They do NOT skimp on it here and it is incredibly rich, moist and tender.
Beautiful and generous Lechon


Chatting with the owner when we paid our bill (grand total $14.00), I asked her if she was at all affiliated with the La Esquina food truck and she said no, but that she had previously owned La Guantanamera, mentioned in this thread ,until she opened up this shop 2 years ago. A re-purposed flyer on the counter confirmed this.


Overall, a very enjoyable family owned home style Cuban joint that I'm sure we'll be back to on a regular basis. I'm surprised that it has not been mentioned here before, is anyone else familiar with it?

La Esquina Cubana
3422 W. Armitage
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 384-8800

Seems to be a rebranding or expansion of the Puerto Rican spot, Esquina de Sabor. Several items noted are PR, not Cuban on the menu and some of the spellings (z's for s's) and uses (guisados) are not typically Cuban. Still, looks good.

Yes, there is definitely a Puerto Rican touch here, but I notice that most places in the immediate area add some PR flavors/dishes to the menu as it is such a dominant culture in the neighborhood. Farther west on Armitage, for example, is a taco stand that now has a prominent sign outside their restaurant advertising that they "Now have Puerto Rican Food" in addition to the Mexican fare they've always served.

Not sure about how that factors in at La Esquina, but the Cuban food we had today was very good.

In addition to the PR staples, the name (esquina) and graphics made me think it's connected to the PR place that runs the large food trailer in Humboldt Park. Must be just an homage or they use the same printer.

For reference, the rice cooked with black beans is callel Moros (con Cristianos) or less commonly congri (which is more properly supposed to use red beans in the style of Oriente). Cuban rice served with most meals is simply medium grain white rice, usually sauteed in lard or other fat before boiling. Very similar to some Asian preps, like Filipino.

Unclear if the Moros are described by the menu entries "beans and rice" which would us. mean black bean soup with white rice on the side or "arroz con gandules," which is the PR dish of yellow rice with pigeon peas, prepred similarly to Moros, or neither. The sandwich looks good, but no pickle or mustard is very odd.

The chicken stew dish would normally be called a "fricase" by Cubans. To confuse matters more, "guisado," especially misspelled with a "z," is a Mexican usage. Almost never used as a noun to describe a stew in Cuban dialect, IME. Also, the normal word for street corner is "rincon" for Cubans, in my experience, with "esquina" more common for PR places.

I agree the owners are using terms familiar to the local customers. But I'm not sure Cubans are running the place either. There seems to be a now long running mini fad in the Latino neighborhoods to open Cuban sandwich shops. I'm all for it. The food looks good.

My guess is that as you suggest, the place is describing Cuban foods in local terms, which are more Puerto Rican and Mexican.

I did make a point of asking the owner if they were affiliated with the Puerto Rican food truck of the similar name, and she said, no, they were not.

Ursiform wrote:I asked her if she was at all affiliated with the La Esquina food truck and she said no, but that she had previously owned La Guantanamera, mentioned in this thread ,until she opened up this shop 2 years ago.

Your theory about the printer could very well be correct as the owner disavowed any association.

As to any irregularities concerning food names that are not specifically listed on the menu, please know that all errors are mine. The cook that was manning the counter spoke no English and our translator was giving us Americanized descriptions "chicken stew, beef stew, white rice, Puerto Rican rice, Cuban style rice," (likely under the assumption that we were unfamiliar with any of the foods) so I used the terms I know for the food I had and said "Guisido," etc. Having spent the better part of the last 20 years in Logan Square, I have a mish-mash of Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican terms, which isn't helped by all the time I've spent in Central America. In other words, my Spanish sucks and what I have has been picked up from many cultures. They had 3 kinds of rice on offer, I suspect had I selected the white rice, I would have been given black beans to go with it. I *may* have heard the word congri during their rapid exchange, but can't be certain. With the exception of the sandwiches, this is a point and order place, so no useful signage to rely upon. The understanding that I got from the regulars was that the owner is typically in the kitchen and takes all orders, however, she was out when we ordered. Perhaps she would have used different terms?

I'll definitely go back soon and see what I can suss out, but it "felt" far more Cuban to me than Puerto Rican in terms of customers, decorations, and food. We do have, as you noted, a lot of cultural mashups in terms of food in the area, so I'll be curious to see what others thoughts are on the place. Is it PR masquerading as Cuban or Cuban accommodating the large PR population in the neighborhood? Either way, very good & affordable food from some very nice people, with some of the best pork I've ever had on a Cubano. I look forward to hearing feedback from others who get a chance to try it out.

Ursiform, my comment about "guizado" came form the pork chop sign you pictured not your descriptions...

By the way, the deceptively descriptive carne con papas is an old Cuban cafeteria favorite of mine, seldom seen up here. That's what will get me in the door. Thanks.

Stopped in again today to give the Cubano another shot and to see if I could find out if this is a Puerto Rican or a Cuban joint.

The owner fixed my sandwich, mustard and pickle present today:



The husband tried a steak sandwich and was kind enough to let me have a bite. The steak was very tender and nicely seasoned, the Picky Eater will probably never order anything else from here again.



I had a chance to chat with the owner for a moment and I asked her if her restaurant was Cuban or Puerto Rican. She emphatically replied, Cuban, Cuban! She also let me know that on Thursday, the daily special is a Cuban pork stew.

Another positive experience, next time I will head in on a Wednesday to try their Ropa Vieja and their cafe con leche.