La Cubana

Wife and I dropped by late Saturday afternoon. The restaurant isn’t large and can fill quickly. We opted to be seated straight away at the bar area overlooking the small diner style kitchen.
Loved watching both chefs move fluidly around each other never seeming to have a moments break. Alot of attention to each dish and without taking a bite, we could see our meal was going to be delicious.
We ordered Chorizo Empanadas ($ 7) and the Habanero glazed fried squid ($ 8)for starters. No complaints. Small portions but enough to make you lick your lips for the main.
We chose the Molasses roasted pork shoulder ($ 15) and the Guava BBQ beef short ribs ($ 15). Again we watched both dishes prepared and thoroughly enjoyed the show! Both dishes were outstanding. The meat was soft and tender and the accompanying rice and red cabbage slaw fit perfectly. The portions were the right side of generous but not too much. We more or less licked our plates clean.
The two staff members who ran the tables before 6 were fabulous. Great interaction and always kept an eye on drinks. More staff arrived at 6pm as the restaurant went into full speed from that point.
We loved the bar seats and felt we got a dinner and a show! Highly recommend this place and the bar seats if you are a fan of how the kitchen runs!

I quite enjoy the patio here in the warmer weather. I’ve eaten here three times and meals were quite good. I’m a sucker for their cubano sandwich. Food has been consistently good. I wouldn’t say it’s life changing, but definitely worth visiting for sure.

Great food, beautiful retro décor, and varied menu. Have returned several times and sampled several menu items: most recently, we had the bean and cheese empanadas and the chips and salsa, all of which were incredible. The fish sandwich was terrific! I don’t seem to be able to stray from the periodista, as far as cocktails go. It may not be traditional Cuban cuisine but it’s delicious nonetheless.

Second time here in the past 6 months and I will continue to return here. It’s a smaller place but in the summer has a patio out back that can seat plenty. Try everything on the menu, everything
Except the plates are under $ 10. The drinks are fantastic and the coffee is even better. The staff is friendly and attentive without being annoying. A little taste of Havana in Toronto.

Recently visited Roncesvalles from NYC and my airbnb host recommended this place. My friend and I were tired and hungry after a whole day of touring Toronto so we decided to head home and eat in the neighborhood. IT WAS AMAZING. I had the short rib platter and my friend had a vegetarian dish– we both loved it. We wanted to come back and have it again but it was closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas. We were very disappointed and are still searching for a good cuban place to match this one back in nyc. Add a beer to your meal– it will be worth it.

This place is the best. I love their classic Cuban sandwich — the best I’ve ever tried — and the really nice décor. The beer is good, the yucca is crispy, the squid is spicy, and the service has always been good. The prices are really reasonable, too. It’s small and sometimes has a wait, but thats the nature of the beast. You can see much of the food prep area, so you know it’s clean. Overall, it’s really excellent.

Came here with my friend last week to this quick diner style joint. When we came in, we were seated immediately. Since it was our first time, the
waitress is very kind and explained the menu thoroughly.
Cuban food is kinda spicy haha. We decided to share 2 items as recommended by the waitress. We ordered the guava bbq beef short ribs. It came with slaw, rice, beans, and tostones for $ 15 and we also had the black bean soup ($ 6). We couldn’t really taste the guava flavour but the shortribs were very tender. If you can’t handle spice, be careful as there are peppers hiding in the slaw. Soup is not bad either; the white sauce in soup is a little spicy.
Dinner is ok… Heard this place is better for breakfast so maybe I’ll come back then!

Their Cuban style coffee is unreal! Definitely best for lunch/​brunch.

I’ve eaten here on two previous occasions, once for dinner the other brunch. Brunch was definitely my favourite, the food was tasty, the café con leche delicious.
I went with 3 friends on a Sunday around 6pm, there were two staff serving. On arrival we were seated at the counter. I’ve eaten at many restaurant counters… The Lakeview… The Stockyards… Here at La Cubana, the staff prepping and cooking did their best to avoid eye contact or converse. After 20 mins we still hadn’t been acknowledged by anyone and decided to leave. On the way out the waitress apologized and said it was their busy time. I pointed out that they should have more staff working but what I found really annoying was the staff ignoring us at the counter. Anyone who is employed in this type of business knows you at least engage your customers. I’d have waited another 20 mins if a smile, and some chit chat had been provided, as it was Roncesvalles is packed with bars and restaurants so we moved on to the next.

I went during Brunch on Saturday, the entire menu was not available. What i ordered tasty but not unique,

Bear in mind that there isn’t exactly an authentic Cuban cuisine.
The place itself looks good and one feels like in a movie. The food options is very limited and meat-​free dishes do not abound.
The roasted shrimp ($ 15) I had was not fresh at all but it came with OK rice and beans, fried plantains (2 big pieces) and coleslaw– nothing fancy nor hard to do right. Still, everything was pretty plain.
You can get much more quality and flavor for $ 15 anywhere else.
The waiting time to get our orders taken was unnecessarily long. Finally, for some mysterious reason we could not get separate checks.
La Cubana should hire more staff, branch out on dishes and flavors and definitely expand their bar, as it would be a great addition/​complement/​source of clientele for this restaurant.
To sum up, satisfied but never again.

Really did not enjoy. Got the grilled shrimp plate (15 $) and the shrimp was burnt and spicy (after I had asked if it was spicy and she said no). Overall this place had split reviews at my table, 2 loved it and 2 (including me) hated it. Maybe I would’ve liked their traditional sandwich but based off of this meal I would not try it again.
Also our food took a really long time to come and after we got our meals our waiter was put on another section so we had no service for the rest of the meal and had to find someone for the bill. No one checked on us or asked if we wanted desert or anything else.
Overall try it for yourself, but this was not for me.

Early lunch before leaving TO. Affordable price and good size sandwiches. We had traditional, chicken and short rib. All were very flavorful. The cabbage slaw is a good side to share; wasn’t a big fan of trontones.

Went to La Cubana on Roncesvalles for lunch today and ordered the Chiote chicken sandwich and I must say I was very impressed. The chicken was pulled and slathered in a delicious sauce. There were avocados and tomatoes in the sand which as well.
Overall very good! I would definitely return.

This was the first time I’ve ever had cuba food and It was quite delicious! This small restaurant is full of energy and a friendly staff. While waiting on our table, one of the cookers offered us some plantain chips he had just made since he over heard how hungry we were.
The patio is a small intimate setting, like eating in someones backyard on a summer night. This is definitely a good date place to take someone.
The portions were small for the price they were asking for, but they were bursting with flavor. I would recommend the Guava BBQ short ribs, so tender it just melts in your mouth and the Habanero glazed calamari (best calamari I’ve had to date.) I found the appetizers were better than the entrees. The appetizers were full of complex flavours while the entrees were very one dimensional.
Overall, This place is good to have a good food and some drinks. But if you’re waiting more than 15 mins for a seat, I would say go else where.

I came for brunch on Saturday with some friends. The décor style is kind of retro diner, but with lots of pastel colors. The staff were very courteous and professional.
We started with the donuts, which were piping hot and perfectly covered with the right amount of cinnamon and sugar. I ordered the pork belly with pineapple glaze and eggs. The pork belly was roasted so tender that the layers of meat fell off one another, yet the skin was still crispy. It was heavenly. The sides didn’t let the pork belly steal the spotlight though. The portions were generous and the varied textures between the rice & beans, slaw (kind of spicy), and tostones made for a powerful brunch combination.
I will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu!

The staff was very genuine and passionate, something I don’t encounter too often at most restaurants, and the food was outstanding. There was a short wait to get a seat but it was well well worth it.
I’ll be back…

The server was very nice In tune with the style of the place ! It has this lovely vibe like you are traveling back in time with the music from pulp fiction. I got the grilled fish sandwich with avocado and diced pineapple on house made milk bun. The grilled tilapia has a nice smoky flavor fresh off the grill but sadly is under seasoned. But the worst part is the bun it was very dense seems the moisture just trapped inside the bun and made it sort of gummy texture like under baked and it might be better if it were put on flat top and buttered it. Flavor wise since it was under seasoned made it taste bland. Maybe add some mayo would work …
Cappuccino was excellent.

Looking for a unique breakfast? This is the place to go. Come early because a line up starts forming by 10:30. A quaint little restaurant with a old school ambiance.
The Cuban breakfast includes tender shredded pork. The chorizo hash is a crunchy and tasty combo. The best, however, is the pork belly, perfect sear and great seasoning.

Soy enamorado con La Cubana, although I have never been there. La Cubana reminds you of a 50’s diner with warm color scheme, fixtures, fares and vibes! Keep in mind this place doesn’t take reservations, but the wait nonethless is worth it! Just be sure to give them your tel# and they’ll text you once your table is ready. Since the front of the restaurant was jam packed with patrons waiting for the their tables, we decided to walk along Roncesvalles and check out the neighborhood.
I ordered their Cuban Beer Pilsner with a twist of lime and a glass of water! no need for a jug this time :(
For the food fare we ordered two apps:
–Chorizo empanada: not your traditional, looked like a tart pie, topped off with raisins. quite a delight
–Tostones Rellenos with Beef Picadillo, this was delish, lots of stuffing, perfect crust on the outside.
Main! I had their Guava bbq beef short ribs with rice/​beans and ensalada on the side, presentation was beautiful, colorful, taste was bang on! the meat was tender, and overall perfect melody of flavors. Their portions were satisfying, and the prices were quite reasonable.
If you’re in Roncesvalle and happen to get the Cuban travel bug, or looking for something different, check this place out. buen trabaja!