Any great Cuban restaurants in the LA area?

[curry_junkie]

Does anyone know of a great Cuban restaurant anywhere in the LA area? I grew up in Florida and really miss good Cuban food. I've tried one place in Costa Mesa (the name escapes me) but it wasn't very authentic.

[PaulF]

I think the answer is:

No.

There are no great Cuban restaurants in Los Angeles.

But there are lot of good ones.

I favor El Rincon Criolla because (1) I live nearby, (2) the food feels homemade.

I coincidently ate there last night. I had a Cuban Sandwich, my son the vegetarian had rice, beans and plaintains. I had a mixed fruit drink, too. 18 bucks, 21 and change with tip. Not bad.

And they were playing some groovy salsa music the whole time. And there were couples inside, and families with kids and some older folks, too. Very homey.

But, not great,

Good though. Real good.

[bulavinaka]

How can one duplicate South Miami or Cuba in LA? I guess asking for great in LA is all relative... I'm just happy that we even have enough choices to consider a place like Versailles to be mediocre. This has to say something about our town's Cuban offerings...

I'm with you - El Rincon Criollo for their homey atmosphere and food... too bad they don't have a dance floor!

[David Kahn]

El Rincon Criollo (note spelling)
4361 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230
310-391-4478

[PaulF]

Ooops ... my bad.

And I'm not kidding when I say I'm not sure how to pronounce it either.

[mumblycj]

Portos bakery and restaurant in Glendale and Burbank makes some great and authentic Cuban sandwiches, pastries and cakes. Don't let the lines scare you away, they move fast.

[mawf1977]

I second two already mentioned. La Floridita is amazing for dinner and dancing. It's surprisingly pricey, but very good. La Cochinita is great for just grabbing lunch. They don't have medianoches which are my favorite, but their cubanos are decent. Also, Portos Bakery in Burbank and Glendale have really yummy sandwiches. You can even order ham croquettas in your medianoche which I find pretty delicious. They also have an amazing array of pastries and a smoothie stand with Guava smoothies. I'm from the Tampa area. I also miss the Cuban food! It's hard to find, but it's out there.

[curry_junkie]

Thanks for all of the recommendations - looks like I've got several places to try out!!

[David Kahn]

I'd add El Cochinito (3508 Sunset Blvd., [phone]) to the recommendations you've already gotten. Just a little hole-in-the-wall, but I really like their roast pork, straight up or sandwiched. Good other stuff too. I think they close kind of early (maybe 8 p.m. or something), so probably not the place to scratch your midnight Cuban food itch.

Also, there is (or at least was) a Cuban place downtown in Little Tokyo. Haven't tried it myself; maybe others can be more informative.

[RicRios]

Cuba Central
114 S Central Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
[phone]

I'd rate as one star ( on a scale from zero to three ).
Very busy at lunch, never been there for dinner.

[themirthmobile]

i spent four months in cuba, but i can't say that actually qualifies me to determine what is good cuban food. the food that was available in cuba seems to be completely different from what is popular on the menus here in LA. however, i have been to El Cochinito and thought their lechon asado (roast pork) was excellent and i can't wait to go back.

[graffitipassion]

I can't vouch for the food, since I haven't eaten there, but in BURBANK there is a place called Mambos on Victory Blvd. Its always packed at lunch, but a friend told me when she went there at night it seemed to be a facade for some other type of business. They were shoo-ed out around 8pm.

Also, in BURBANK, I'd like to second Guantanamera. Its a bit pricier than Versilles, but much better.

[Ernie]

La Cubana in Glendale. Great Cuban food and family-owned since the early 70s. I especially like their lechon

[Will Owen]

On their website: "La Cubana is closed and will reopen at a new location very soon." And that notice has been up for a while...boo hoo hoo...

[WildSwede]

I second the La Cubana rec. Good to know that they are closed - did not know this. All that right after they went through an extensive renovation... hmmm....

[lil mikey]

I don't know about a GREAT Cuban restaurant, but I agree with Das Ubergeek that El Criollo is very good.

I also had a delicious Picadillo a la Criolla at El Floridita yesterday for lunch. It was a tasty meat sauce with spices and tangy green olive slices. It was served with rice, black beans and plantains. I like how they bring a big bowl of black beans, make a dent in your rice and then spoon the beans over it.

They also have music here at night. Johnny Polanco plays Monday nights.

El Floridita
1253 Vine Street (At Fountain)
Hollywood
[phone]

[lil mikey]

Baracoa in Atwater is also very good. I like their talapia with fruity salsa on top and their ribs, which are very slow-cooked... the kind you eat with a fork.

Their chicken with rice lunch is also good, but they sell out of it quickly.

[Cinnamon]

I've been to Versailles and El Rincon Criollo and Little Havana in Manhattan Beach. All serviceable but nothing like the flavor and perfection of what South Florida has to offer, in my opinion.

Another poster mentioned not having had the fish at El Rincon Criollo - I have, and it's pretty good, savory and very oniony.

I'm curious too - of the others mentioned here, or ones not mentioned, can anyone equate anything here to S. Fla. Cuban?

I still occasionally dream about the most wonderful cuban toast (butter/oil, a little mojo criollo - somehow - made on a sandwich toaster/press - topped with guava jelly). That was from somewhere off Alligator Alley ages ago.

If you do decide to go to Versailles, bear in mind there are several. I know the one on Venice gets a lot of business. I think it's at least a shade tastier than the one around Manhattan Beach. The No. 1 pork platter is good, in mojo criollo with onions and of course black beans and rice, and plantains.

[kare_raisu]

This cuban toast sounds fantastic. I never have had it. Is the mojo crillo that garlic marinade? What an interesting combonation with the guava jelly

[Cinnamon]

Yes, though every mojo criollo I've had is pretty soupy, so I don't know quite how they did it so as not to mush-out the cuban bread (it was somewhat hoagie-roll shaped, but flattened on the grill, not all that much unlike a panini). Maybe a way to approximate it would be to make a panini w/Cuban bread liberally fresh-garlic-buttered and then apply guava jelly afterward between the two halves and let it melt in a bit. I may have to try this.

[katkoupai]

There's a Versailles in the San Fernando Valley on Ventura Blvd. I haven't been there in years, but my brother and I used to eat there. I remember the salad came out with no dressing, just vinegar and oil, which I had to pour on myself. I believe the platanos and the black beans were quite good. I think my bro ordered the bisteca, but I can't remember. Anyway, it was a place we enjoyed in the past.

Versailles - [phone] - 17410 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA

[bulavinaka]

I don't know authentic since I've never been to Cuba and my stay in Florida amounted to a stopover in MIA plus a nite at the Hilton... I can tell you that Versailles is well known around the LA area, with quite a few branches - three that I know of - but I think you'll get mixed reviews on this place. IMHO, it's great if you've never had "Cuban" cuisine before, but I found their meats to be oversalted.

I live in the Westside of LA. With that, there is a small place in Culver City called, El Rincon Criollo, at 4261 Sepulveda Blvd, about a block south of Culver Blvd. I personally find it has a more home-cooked feel than Versailles, which feels corporate in comparison. The have the requisite pork and chicken dishes with a good balance of lemon and garlic. Their plantains, black beans & rice, and homemade bread are nice touches, and they do make shakes and juices there as well. Their specials have included seafood which I personally never got around to as I find their regular menu items hard to resist. I don't know if these are good signs or not, but the place is very simple and English is often a second language there... I haven't eaten there for a while so I'd check on other posts via the "search" function if you're interested. I have a feeling that "authentic" to you may be hard to meet here in LA, but who knows - if it's out there in LA LA land, then a Chowhounder has found it and you can read about it.

[ajbinla]

Forgive me in advance for not knowing the name of this place--but I'm hoping some hound out there will know it! Stumbled into a great little Cuban place, on I think Olympic? and Alvarado? area---maybe. It was in a strip mall on the south side of the street. Anyone?

Also, Versailles isn't bad, and that is from the mouth of my Cuban partner at work...

[Das Ubergeek]

Versailles certainly isn't the best we have to offer here -- try El Criollo on Fulton and Victory in Van Nuys or Guantanamera in Burbank.

[TastELA]

ll Colmao Restaurant

2328 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90006-4077 ph: 213.386.6131
very authentic, casual restaurant, much better than Versailles.

[TastELA]

I'm pretty sure it is; if you are heading south on Alvarado you make a right on Pico Blvd. and there's a little mall on the left side. seedy area but security guard in the parking lot.

[TastELA]

Il Colmao Restaurant

2328 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90006-4077 ph: 213.386.6131

Much more authentic, full of Cubans eating good food.

[ajbinla]

I think this is the place I was in...Strip mall on south side, and very unassuming? I would like to go back. Thanks....AB

[anothernotch]

Sounds good, I'll have to give El Rincon a try.