Latin American Cafeteria

Great Service. They have the best fried fish I ever tried.

Cuban culture usually seems to do well when it comes to producing things that go in your mouth (cigars, coffee, women) and the Cuban sandwich is no exception.
Granted, those from Philly or New York may promulgate the virtues of a cheesesteak or a Pastrami on rye — there’s certainly enough of those people at Marlins games — but this is Miami and here the Cuban sandwich is king. Or it should be.
Few local signature dishes are as satisfying and few do it better than Latin American Cafeteria. It’s rather unremarkable at first glance, as it’s pressed to about an inch thick and served on a white plate and wax paper. What you can’t see is that each sandwich is loaded up with chunks of Lechon (Cuban slow-​roasted pork), thin slices of ham, swiss, and pickles on some fresh-​baked Cuban bread and that these things are quite thick before going under the sandwich press.
There’s little in the way condiments; just a light coating of butter to keep the bread from sticking to the press. Other (lesser) places might add mustard but don’t bother here. Once the bread is toasted, the meat warmed, and the cheese has melted into a gooey mess each bite coalesces into dense mouthful of flavor. It’s elegant in its simplicity and everything a good sandwich should be: loaded with quality ingredients and unencumbered by things like lettuce, tomatoes, or anything remotely healthy.
There are other options here but why bother? Okay, there are the Maduros — sweet plantains fried in butter until caramelized — that is the perfect side to the Sandwich Cuban. These things are good enough that I briefly considered moving to Cuba until I remembered certain issues like the communism and trade embargos, and I’m pretty sure they don’t have a Starbucks.
Speaking of which, yes they do make a great cup of coffee.

Besides the amazing fact that it’s open ²⁴⁄₇ in the «everything closes by 11» town of Westchester, the place fills a void with their menu where Denny’s does not.
For less than $ 3 I can get a breakfast combo with eggs, ham or sausage, big buttery tostada, grits or fries, and a coffee. I’d get THAT over a Grand Slam any day.
Obviously, if you’re into Latin food — this is a clear choice. Aside from the great tasting breakfast, the sandwiches and dinner choices are not too shabby. My rating here kind of varies between 3 and 4 stars. I haven’t had an amazing dinner there, but the breakfast is magical enough to warrant 4 stars.
My only weird experience here was when the apparent owner of the place cracked down on his waitresses to fill up everyone’s water every 2.5 seconds. No, literally. I would take one sip out of my recently filled up glass and I had someone pouring a sip-​ful of water back into it right away.

Well… I’m trying to rate the one by Florida International University at the intersection of SW 107 Ave and SW 24 St (Coral Way). Why? Simply because it’s a 24 hours establishment and the only one in the vast chain where I’ve actually gone inside.
What is there to say? Good food, good prices. Plus, free serving of buttered toasted bread before the meal.
The chicken steak is huge! I didn’t order it, but a friend of mine did and he liked it. He frequents to the spot once in a while and recommends it to others.
The pan cubano especial sandwich was yummy. Fresh thick slices of ham sliced at the restaurant served with pork, pickles, cheese, in a cuban bread with papas fritas on top. A classic!
The atmosphere isn’t anything stellar and the service is inconsistent, depending on who is your waitress.
But for the food, you could easily ignore those things.
5^th star is missing because the Cuban coffee could be a tad better. Okay okay, I’m picky about these coffee stuff, but you wouldn’t expect any less from a Cuban restaurant in Miami!