Critic's Review
I was in the mood for a Cubano, and I'd heard the Carlitos had some authentic Cuban food. I tried Cubanidad 1885 a few weeks ago and didn't care for their sandwich.I had a bit of trouble finding the place; I'd assumed it was in the main shopping center and it's difficult to see the numbers. Carlito's is a free standing building in the southwest corner of the center.
It was after 3pm so the place was dead; part of the plan. I don't want to deal with a lunch crowd and my life isn't on any sort of 9-5 clock. I eat lunch late.
Carlitos Inside
There were people pointing to stuff as there are windowed steam tables with all sorts of hot food; I was ordering a sandwich so I didn't quite know what to do. The register is on the far side; there was an older lady chattering in Spanish ordering for an army in front of me; so I had to wait a while.
Carlitos Inside Wide
There's no printed menu I could find, no web site, no menu on their facebook page and the TV menus were apparently broken.
Carlitos Menus Off
Luckily in the Covid Era they have plexiglass they can use as a menu.
Carlitos Plexiglass Menu
The place has a bakery in house, as most Cuban Cafes do.
Carlitos Bakery
Finally the lady was done and i placed my order for a Cuban Sandwich. $8.76 with tax. It took quite a while to make; a good 15 minutes, which is a long time to stand around.
I opened the box in the car; I wanted to get a taste when it was hot off the grill. I didn't expect the fries.
Carlitos Take Out
I took a bite of the sandwich and ended up eating the fries on the drive home. They were good fries; crispy, enough salt that I didn't need ketchup. No ketchup was provided in the bag.
Carlitos Sandwich Cut
When I got home I opened it up.
Carlitos Sandwich Open
I tasted the pork on it's own; the pork is the difference maker in a Cubano. It was very bland. Just cooked pork. The sandwich was a typical "OK" Cuban sandwich; with authentic ingredients and good bread, but nothing remarkable about it.
Conclusion
This sandwich was better than the one i had at Cubanidad mainly because of the bread, and the included fries makes it a fair deal. Is it worth going out of your way for? No, not really. If you live or work in the area it's a good option for some fuel for under $10.
Comment Policy
Add Comment