Da Beef wrote:You can now find a pretty legit Cuban sandwich at GNR Toons in Lakeview. Its a mostly traditional version but the highlight is their always perfectly smoked pulled pork replacing the normal roasted pork used when constructing one. Originally a special but so many came back to eat another that I believe it now has a permanent place on the menu. As always, very good bar food. Might have to head over and tap the Great Lakes Christmas Ale and eat one later tonight.


Cubano Sandwich at Toons

Toons Bar & grill
3857 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 935-1919

gonna second this.

Stopped into Toons on Friday for some H.S. football playoffs and a few drinks. Had the opportunity to try the Cubano and I thought it was great. Nice bread, quality meats. Simply put this sandwich hit the spot.

Was craving Cubans when this thread bumped recently, so I indulged in the ample, yet something-to-be-desired version at Cubanito. Itch not fully scratched, it occurred to me that I had never grabbed a sandwich at my local Lebanese Cuban joint, Nini's Deli. I was a bit let down, though not surprised, that the Muslim ownership of the shop would dictate a halal menu, so I did not find my classic porked- up Cuban. Their Media Noche is their proximation of the classic, though no turkey ham for me, thanks, and the plantains sounded too unorthodox for me at the time. I did not want to walk out on this local, independently-run business, so I stood there befuddled, trying my best to hone in on the right sandwich to fix my melted cheese+ salty processed meat+ toasted bread jones. I settled on the Fried Beef Bologna sandwich from the "American/ Lebanese Sandwiches" side of the menu.


This bad boy did the trick. Wide rounds of familiarly Vienna style seasoned bologna were nicely crisped up. The mess of thick griddled onions definitely elevated this sandwich. The bread was toasted, though not well- pressed and was pretty dry. My other major nit was the inclusion of single-like American cheese, which I am normally a proponent of, though somehow they couldn't melt the stuff (the necessary treatment). Stringy melted Swiss might have been preferred. Overall, a satisfying lunch and happy to support this place.

Nini's Deli
543 N Noble St, Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 666-7767

jimswside wrote:

Da Beef wrote:You can now find a pretty legit Cuban sandwich at GNR Toons in Lakeview. Its a mostly traditional version but the highlight is their always perfectly smoked pulled pork replacing the normal roasted pork used when constructing one. Originally a special but so many came back to eat another that I believe it now has a permanent place on the menu. As always, very good bar food. Might have to head over and tap the Great Lakes Christmas Ale and eat one later tonight.


Cubano Sandwich at Toons

Toons Bar & grill
3857 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 935-1919

gonna second this.

Stopped into Toons on Friday for some H.S. football playoffs and a few drinks. Had the opportunity to try the Cubano and I thought it was great. Nice bread, quality meats. Simply put this sandwich hit the spot.

Thirding this...had it the night before last and although I always enjoy the food at Toon's, I was surprised at what a great Cubano they do.

I was perhaps going to be in Addison today and have been jonesen for a Cuban sandwich, sadly it appears that Sabor Cubano Cafe has closed.

Da Beef wrote:When the Ryder Cup was in town I was doing some work out that way and noticed this place in Addison on Fullerton called Sabor Cubano Cafe.

Sabor Cubano Cafe
101 E Fullerton Ave
Addison, IL 60101
(630) 359-4206

Jefe wrote:Was craving Cubans when this thread bumped recently, so I indulged in the ample, yet something-to-be-desired version at Cubanito. Itch not fully scratched, it occurred to me that I had never grabbed a sandwich at my local Lebanese Cuban joint, Nini's Deli. I was a bit let down, though not surprised, that the Muslim ownership of the shop would dictate a halal menu, so I did not find my classic porked- up Cuban. Their Media Noche is their proximation of the classic, though no turkey ham for me, thanks, and the plantains sounded too unorthodox for me at the time. I did not want to walk out on this local, independently-run business, so I stood there befuddled, trying my best to hone in on the right sandwich to fix my melted cheese+ salty processed meat+ toasted bread jones. I settled on the Fried Beef Bologna sandwich from the "American/ Lebanese Sandwiches" side of the menu.

I think turkey ham sounds just wrong, and I'm very much a pork partisan, but I admittedly enjoy their media noche. It's savory and sweet and cheesy. It usually hits the spot. I like their beef meatball sandwich even better though, but they don't seem to have it that often.

That's what they look like. (Brocato's, Tampa, last week.)

Sweet Willie wrote:I was perhaps going to be in Addison today and have been jonesen for a Cuban sandwich, sadly it appears that Sabor Cubano Cafe has closed.

Da Beef wrote:When the Ryder Cup was in town I was doing some work out that way and noticed this place in Addison on Fullerton called Sabor Cubano Cafe.

Sabor Cubano Cafe
101 E Fullerton Ave
Addison, IL 60101
(630) 359-4206

Sabor Cubano Restaurant Ditches the 'Burbs to Open in Lakeview this month.

JeffB wrote:
That's what they look like. (Brocato's, Tampa, last week.)

Fix the pic or you were never there. Haha. How were the Deviled Crabs? Well anyway here's a place worth the stop if anyone lives in or ever works around the Lake County area.


Grayslake, IL

I decided to try Lulo's as I was already more than halfway there being up at the car dealership up in HP getting something fixed. When I pulled into one of those housing communities in the middle of nowhere I thought my GPS had led me astray but a turn here and there and I was at Lulo's which was connected to some lofts along with some other businesses. It's run by a brother/sister team who are from the area but who's parents were from Cuba. There's an article from a local paper HERE. The sister is culinary trained and uses her family recipes with a few twists here and there. I was in the mood for a Cuban (because of this thread) so didn't have chance to try anything else but it sure seems like a diamond in the country. The sandwich was spot on for what we can expect outside Florida.


Lulo's Cuban Sandwich

The sandwich was well pressed resulting in the bread having a crunchy exterior and the ham was really working with it, definitely not cheap deli stuff, just a nice thick slice. Roast pork was on point and the pickles were legit. It came with some really zippy house mojo for dipping. The sum of it all together made for a winner in my book. Don't know the next time I'll be out this way, but when I am I'll stop and try some other offerings as they seem promising.


The best Cuban Sandwich in Lake County*

*But in all seriousness, probably even Chicagoland

Lulo's Cuban Cafe
970 Harris Rd
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 543-6755

Da Beef wrote:
The best Cuban Sandwich in Lake County

Now you are talkin'.

Ever since, about 15 years ago, there was a place, across the street from the now shuttered Depot AA Diner, where K had my first Cuban. It looked just like that.

Ever since that has been my ideal that I have been looking for. Once had one at the also shuttered Cafe LaGuardia that used to be at Oak Park Ave and North and while filled with high quality ingredients the balance was all wrong. Very tasty and thick chunks of roasted pork, thicker (than deli) slices of ham and long cut pickles.

A simple sandwich intended to be kept simple.

Ursiform wrote:

jimswside wrote:

Da Beef wrote:You can now find a pretty legit Cuban sandwich at GNR Toons in Lakeview. Its a mostly traditional version but the highlight is their always perfectly smoked pulled pork replacing the normal roasted pork used when constructing one.

Cubano Sandwich at Toons

gonna second this.

Stopped into Toons on Friday for some H.S. football playoffs and a few drinks. Had the opportunity to try the Cubano and I thought it was great. Nice bread, quality meats. Simply put this sandwich hit the spot.

Thirding this...had it the night before last and although I always enjoy the food at Toon's, I was surprised at what a great Cubano they do.

I will fourth this, a delicious sandwich. The construction was much better than that of Da Beef's photo.

Da Beef wrote: Originally a special but so many came back to eat another that I believe it now has a permanent place on the menu.

At this time (yesterday), the Cubano is still on the specials board and not on the menu. Bartender mentioned they are getting new menus printed and the Cubano sandwich will have a permanent home on the menu.

Speaking of Cubans at BBQ joints, the sometimes special down at Black Dog in Urbana is swell, too.

A place that truly needs some far north suburban LTH love...

In the past month, I have been drawn to Congri Cuban Restaurant on Rte. 83 north of Center St. in Grayslake. Open since last December--just preceding the polar vortex--Congri has quite a varied Cuban menu, but in my opinion specializes in the Cuban sandwiches and side dishes.

Up thread you will see various incarnations of the Cubano, from an Italian-style loaf to the wafer-thin pressed bread. Congri's Cubano bread is somewhere in between: still somewhat pressed, but soft, pliable, shiny & very tasty. The innards are the standard roast pork slices, ham, swiss cheese, mustard & dill pickles, proportioned correctly resulting in a great taste & overall texture.

Sides of sweet yellow plantains, yucca with homemade mojo sauce, and congri (rice & beans) provide an excellent counterpart to the sandwiches. A recent cream of potato soup was silky and deceptively complex. And the dessert of choice is an awesome coconut custard flan, almost a little bread pudding-like with drizzled caramel sauce. That and a traditional Cuban coffee finishes off a surprisingly strong meal.

No aggressive spices here, just total comfort fare. If in the vicinity, please try it out.


Congri Cuban Restaurant
55 N. Barron Blvd (Rt 83)
Grayslake, IL 60030
847-548-0206

Hi,

Until fairly recently, I was a regular visitor to Grayslake. This friend moved, so I am rarely there now.

What is the chance of two Cuban restaurants in a small town like Grayslake? It might be interesting to try their food side-by-side or has anyone done a comparison already? The other is a da beef post for Lulo's Cuban Cafe.

Chicago's traffic repair issues certainly improves my chances of going there sooner rather than later.

Thanks!

Regards,

Hi Cathy--

I have called Lulo's twice and a recording said the number has been disconnected. Doesn't mean anything more than that. I don't live very far from there, however, and will report back as to whether it's still open or not.

That being said, what I REALLY need to do is check out a Cuban joint down in the city for comparison. It's been years since I used to regularly visit Tampa, which houses a large Cuban population. And I can't quite remember whether the cuisine, aside from the Cubanos, has complex spices or not. I seem to remember that it was fairly similar to the dishes out of Puerto Rico, which is based on pork and various starches. Congri's fare (or what I've tried of it) is definitely not spicy, but it is far from bland, as a couple posters on 'the other' food site have stated about their food. And FWIW, it seems very authentic.

Cuban spices: garlic, salt & pepper, garlic, cumin in very limited amounts, cilantro, culantro, garlic, saffron. Not too complex.

Lulo's, near Grayslake, has closed as reported on its website. However, catering remains available.

While I enjoyed the food, I'm not too surprised given the location and the fact that every time we were there for lunch it was not very busy. Too bad, though, because there's not much else in that area.

The other Cuban restaurant down the road, which we have not yet tried, has a more limited menu than Lulo's. We will give it a try now that Lulo's is gone.

This is documented elsewhere on the Internet, but the LTH Cuban Sandwiches thread should reflect that, in early 2016, a hipster kitchen operating out of a bar is making one of the best, and in certain ways probably the best, Cubans - Beard & Belly at the Long Room. High quality meats and attention to the "theology and geometry" of the sandwich prevail and a number of visits suggest consistency. Their streamlined burger ain't too shabby either. And the Long Room has always been a great neighborhood bar.

Not sure if it has been mentioned anywhere, but has anyone ever heard or tried Cafeteria Yesenia? Its south on Ashland and like 43rd. I drive by it alot and still havent gone in. Gonna try a cuban there soon.

Cafeteria Yesenia
4244 S Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60609

Longman & Eagle currently has a pretty delicious Cuban on their brunch menu . It's not a traditional version, but that doesn't matter much to my taste buds. Consists of Pork Shoulder, Slagel Ham, Zucchini Pickles, Swiss Cheese, Dijonnaise

Pic
https://www.instagram.com/p/BB-idUQH-J0/

I have stopped once at Cafeteria Yesenia and thought it perfectly acceptable (though this was after a few rounds at Stanley's nearby). Definitely worth a try, I would appreciate other feedback. Sampled a Cuban and a Steak Sandwich, both very tasty and hefty.

As long as this thread is active let me chime in with a few from the food folder.

Roscoe Village

Saw this place being blown up on instagram (@chibbqking) and it looked decent enough to try. Well aside from the bread the other most important aspect of creating the perfect Cuban sandwich, along with good ingredients, is balance. Unfortunately this one was all out of wack. The Cuban Sandwich might be the one thing where doubling the pork does not make it better. When doing so it just overrides the rest of the flavors meant to mold together into one. At around $12 it's the most I've ever paid for a Cubano but it does include fries.

Cuban Sandwich on the Northside

AlexAC wrote:Not sure if it has been mentioned anywhere, but has anyone ever heard or tried Cafeteria Yesenia? Its south on Ashland and like 43rd. I drive by it alot and still havent gone in. Gonna try a cuban there soon.

New City

I think it was last winter when I stopped in and I thought it was alright. That said having spent time down in Tampa, where I fell in love with this sandwich, I'm pretty picky and usually just like to make them at home. But that can be time consuming and a spot like this, theres lots of similar places in Logan Square/Humboldt Park, is perfectly acceptable for a case of the craves.

Cuban Sandwich on the Southside

My favorite of these three comes from a Cuban Fusion spot pushing both Cuban food and also pizza. To the best of my knowledge it's just normal style pizza and not the extremely regional Cuban Pizza local to Miami. Too bad because it would be cool to have yet another regional offering in the city even if it's not going to make you denounce Neapolitan or Tavern Thin and so on.

Logan Square

I thought Kerely's nailed the balance process and it was also well toasted. The pork was obviously roasted in house and had some good flavor but the ham was lacking. The latter being a common problem in both Tampa and Miami as well so it shouldn't be a deal breaker. All in all hit the spot right then and there.

Cubano with Fries

Cuba 312
2054 W Roscoe St
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 281-2822

Cafeteria Yesenia
4244 S Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60609

Kerely's Cuban Cafe & Pizzeria
2934 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 394-4040

That is the problem with this Sammy. Once you have the real good ones, disappointment abounds thereafter. Lasagna is similar as are most good foods. That gets tough to navigate some times. That being said, I have a nice pork butt at home and will make my own this weekend.

Born and raised in South Florida. My "Death Row" meal would be a Cuban sandwich, black beans & rice, and fried plantains.

If you're ever in Miami, you have to stop at Enriqueta's which has been around for 50+ years. Enriqueta's serves the best Cuban I've ever had. Also -- not coincidentally -- it's got the best bread I've ever had on a Cuban, too. Also get the mango shake.

I'm definitely a purist when it comes to Cubans, but I really, really dug the "re-imagined" Cuban sandwich I had at the Broken Shaker in Chicago a few weeks back dubbed the "Cuban-ish" (mojo roasted pork loin, seared pork belly, kosher dill pickles, Gruyère, pineapple rum mustard). Both pork preps were very tasty, pickles were great, and I loved the sweetness in the mustard. Bread wasn't quite there, but I would order again and again.

Broken Shaker Chicago
19 E Ohio St
Chicago, IL
60611

Enriqueta's Sandwich Shop
186 NE 29th St
Miami, FL
33137

I had this specimen at the newly opened 90 Miles Cafe in the Lincolnwood Town Center. This is the most expansive 90 Miles cafe yet. It's located in a former Ruby Tuesday's so it's quite large. They did a nice job fixing it up. Hopefully, the area will support this massive Cuban restaurant.



The sandwich was well balanced and nicely pressed with the cheese melted through.

90 Miles Cafe
Lincolnwood Town Center Mall
3333 W Touhy Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
(847) 679-2822

daveandrews3 wrote: Bread wasn't quite there, but I would order again and again.

Is there anywhere in Chicago that does real Cuban bread, like the kind where there are 50 loaves in "Cuban Bread" bags just waiting for you? I'm from Miami, and while I like some of what 90 Miles does, I've yet to find a place that gets the bread right.

whocanitbenow wrote:Is there anywhere in Chicago that does real Cuban bread, like the kind where there are 50 loaves in "Cuban Bread" bags just waiting for you? I'm from Miami, and while I like some of what 90 Miles does, I've yet to find a place that gets the bread right.

Not that I've found.

stevez wrote:

whocanitbenow wrote:Is there anywhere in Chicago that does real Cuban bread, like the kind where there are 50 loaves in "Cuban Bread" bags just waiting for you? I'm from Miami, and while I like some of what 90 Miles does, I've yet to find a place that gets the bread right.

Not that I've found.

Experience tells me that weather conditions and water make this all but impossible.

=R=

Cuban bread isn't even the same between Havana, Miami, and Tampa, though it's all better than any attempts here. But then again, no one really tries it. I had Bit O' Swiss in Michigan make me a large order for a pig roast a few summers ago. (That's an internationally awarded bread bakery that for some random reason I've never figured out has long been staked out by the beach south of St. Joseph.) Good bread but not good Cuban bread. Like I said before, Il Liborio here makes a decent sub for the Tampa/La Segunda style. But that style is a bit more in the direction of an Italian loaf anyway, not the lardy, crackle-crusted Miami style. FWIW, Bit O' Swiss was following a Miami recipe. There used to be a bakery on Armitage near Western long ago that was Cuban-owned and made a decent loaf. Long gone and I can't recall the name....

PS, that's a wonderful, frustrating thing about bread, isn't it? It's more of the place than any other food. Cuban bread is a great example. It's practically trash by midday in its native habitat. Much easier to get oysters to Chicago from Oregon or Nova Scotia, or Tuna to Tokyo from New Jersey than to get a decent tortilla from Pilsen to Brooklyn. That's a good thing.

JeffB wrote: not the lardy, crackle-crusted Miami style.

Yes, exactly. My girlfriend thought it was disgusting and pale and nutritionless (probably true), but ate half a loaf on the car ride home one trip.

JeffB wrote: Cuban bread is a great example. It's practically trash by midday in its native habitat.

Right, the best is to get it warm in a little local grocery. The plancha can restore it, but nothing like just ripping into it fresh. In any case, thanks for the intel. As Ronnie pointed out, and I don't know why I didn't think of it, climate specific foods are their own animal. Good thing my folks still live down there.

I recently had a Cuban sandwich in Brooklyn at a Dominican place that was by far the best I've ever had. With thick roast pork and garlic on it but I think little or no yellow mustard, it was amazing. I know there's not a lot of Dominican places here, but does anybody know if any of them has one like this?

I think that was a one-off. Dominicans don't typically make Cubans any more than Puerto Ricans do. That is to say, a Dominican cafe or bodega in the US might well have one on the menu. The cuisines are roughly the same kind of Afro-Spanish Caribbean, though Dominican is generally known to be a bit more rustic/simple and bland. I'm unaware of any specific DR style of Cuban sandwich, based on trips to the island and in-laws who lived there for many years.

Punta Cana, home of the gyros jibarito, is Dominican, as the name suggests. So is Tropical Taste. Both places have a hodgepodge of PR and Cuban stuff, including the Cuban-American (Tampa) Cuban sandwich and the Puerto-Rican-American (Chicago) Jibarito, along with crossover criollo staples and a couple of typically DR things (sancocho, mangu). I wouldn't expect any revelations, but maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.

By the way, many people find they prefer the Cuban sandwich called pan con lechon more than the composed "sanguiche mixto" known in English as a Cuban sandwich. Pan con lechon can be juicy with a lot of mojo and soft onions, with an Italian beef or Italian roast pork dampness that you never get in a "Cuban". If the pork is especially great, then so is the sandwich. Pan con lechon doesn't usually have mustard (or pickles, cheese or ham for that matter; it's pork on bread).