Mita’s Cafe Cubano

Almost lost my manners and licked the plate. Best authentic Cuban food. Great prices. It’s more than what you pay for. Very friendly owner. «Oye mi hermano!» LOVE it!

My friends and I decided to try this place, on a whim. We sat down in an small, empty dining room where we were greeted by an unassuming guy eating some cake & watching tv. He quickly handed us menus and began to chat us up.
The menus –handwritten!- were lengthy but offered nothing but authentic Cubano fare. This guy-​the owner/​cook/​server-​offered his suggestions and clearly described what we were about to ingest. He rushed back to the kitchen to make our meals like we were at an uncle’s house.
The food was most excellent and we were all thoroughly satisfied.

I enjoyed the Ropa Vieja plate. It was so good. It comes with white rice or congri and green lettuce as the salad. My sister had the talapia, which she loved!

We stumbled upon Mita’s and are so grateful for the experience! Raul made us feel right at home, and when we were uncertain of what to order (I’ve never had Cuban cuisine) he cooked us two of his favorite dishes. His company alone was worth the trip, but the food was amazing!!! It was hands down the best dining experience my boyfriend and I have had in a long time. To top it all off we had tres leches cake that was simply heavenly and out of this world Cuban coffee. Please do yourself a favor and visit Raul! We will definitely be making trips back :)

Seriously delicious. As new customers, the owner (who has an adorable and friendly watch dog) gave us some samples, which was very generous. Started with an Iron Beer — I could’t believe how refreshing and tasty this was. Then we ordered the ropa viaja with congri rice, which was out of this world — deep, multi-​layered flavors with perfectly cooked, not greasy or overly sweet plantains. Chicken fricase with regular rice was also good — chicken was tender and the seasoning was yummy, but really that ropa vieja Meals were made to go and were super hot, served with cucumbers and little toasted white breads. Owner even made sure to roll the utensils in napkins rather than just toss them into the bag, which was a super nice touch. Will definitely be back to try everything else on the menu!

Great, authentic, home style Cuban food! It’s a small place, but when we were in there he made us feel like family and that he was cooking just for us. Owner took the time to explain everything and he has tons of passion for his food. Must try if you’re looking for some authentic Cuban food!

Raul the proprietor was as hospitipal as they come. The food was prepared fresh to order. I had the lechon asado is was good. Others had the Cuban sandwich which was good. And they said the Cuban steak was ok. The café con leche was good but sweet.

I have only been here twice in 2 years. Both times the food took so long. It was good. But not worth an over 45 minute wait for 1 to go sandwich. Do not attempt to head here for a quick lunch. Only if you have 2 hours to spare. Atmosphere is nice, and I’d like to have tried the coffee but sadly I’ll never have the chance now.

Food was fantastic — worth the wait. If you are not in a hurry THIS is the place to eat some really authentic and delicious food.

My buddy and I stopped at Mita’s Café Cubano for café con leche about 9 a.m., but the door was locked. A man inside waved us off, pointing skyward with his index fingers, then giving us his back. I found out later that bull’s horns mean, «I’ll open at 2.»
An odd start, sure, but I love café con leche, so we returned after a day of fishing, on our way back to New Orleans.
We were glad to see the place open, and as we entered the empty café, I shot the the barista an «hola» and got one back. We spoke briefly in Spanish, introducing ourselves, and I ordered a couple of cafes con leche. Then he switched to English with a sort of «down the bayou» Louisiana accent; a little Cajun, a little Spanish, a lot of something else. I was surprised, but shouldn’t have been. This is America, and St. Bernard grows on people.
The barista puttered with his espresso machine, yelling over his shoulder:
«I like you guys; sit down and let’s talk while I get your coffees.»
«Umm… sure… thanks.»
We were there forever.
While he prepared and served our coffee, there was a great deal of animated lecture, but not much conversation. The barista had a lot to say, and apparently, he just knew we wouldn’t leave. He wasn’t wrong. I really love café con leche. I sipped my drink, watched the show and waited for one of us to finish.
Twenty minutes later, he ramped up, shouting angrily at my nose about the trouble with Ferguson; the trouble with his family; and the trouble with rich people. I think he mentioned other subjects, but I missed some things as I focused on not running away. See, café con leche is hard to find in San Diego and the barista made a mean one, so I had to persevere.
In the future, on my way to fish, I will drive past Mita’s Café Cubano dozens of times without setting foot in the place. But the barista and I parted friendly, if not friends. Notwithstanding his half-​hour rant, he was a decent, sincere, sensitive guy who just wanted to talk. If listening’s your thing, stop in. The café con leche is outstanding.

I feel like one of the pitfalls of eating at an ethnic food restaurant is that sometimes you just have to point at something on the menu and hope it ends up being something you’re going to enjoy. I’ll admit, as an American, I like American food. I’d usually rather go to a place that I know is going to make a good cheeseburger than roll the dice on some immigrant’s version of authentic food from his homeland. That said, Mita’s not just some of New Orleans’ best ethnic cuisine, it is consistently some of the best food I’ve had in the city.
Mita’s is certainly worth the drive out to Arabi. You’re going to be well taken care of and you are not going to leave hungry.

Flavor packed down home comida cuban. Great find in this area. Even had pasteles de guayaba! Hadn’t had that in a while. Loved the tostones, rice, beans, and grilled chicken. Will be coming back to try more on the menu.

If you’ve been to Cuba, you’ve undoubtedly been let down by the island’s cuisine. Turns out, a ration-​based food economy isn’t conducive to any commendable gastronomic traditions, and thus Cuban culinary establishments are best left to the diaspora on the capitalist side of the Straight of Florida.
So, if you’re looking for authentic Cuban food, Mita’s isn’t it. You’ll have to get your pounded-​down banana peel steak elsewhere. Fortunately, Mita’s DOES rival all your favorite hole-​in-​the-​wall joints in Miami’s Little Havana. What it lacks in ambience it more than makes up for in piles of congri rice, bomb café Cubano, massive tostones, and a friendly owner.
I haven’t been anywhere in New Orleans that offers comparable Cuban food. Insert generic comment about conflicting desire to get more business in the door, but not enough that it becomes the next Hipster Outpost.

I loved this place! My friend and I both ordered café con leche and it was so delicious! The owner is so friendly and talked to us for the longest time about his life. There is only two employees, so like other reviewers say, you do have to wait some time but you get excellent food and a great experience.

Really great! Food was delicious. I had the chicken even though I’m a nominal vegetarian. Service was very friendly.

The wait time is horrific, he really needs to hire help. It took about a long time to make our espresso drinks and we are still waiting on the sandwiches we ordered twenty minutes ago. …
Still waiting … In the waits defense the café con letche (some sort of blended semi secret mixture of espresso milk and letche blended into a godly frothy ness was served with a single piece of bread for dipping but upon request he gave us more and I have Never tasted anything so sweet and perfectly delicious) the bread dipped into the café «» was absolutely to die for and has sufficiently held us over on the wait for our Cuban sandwiches .
A couple came in after us and quickly left, they seemed to be regulars and aware that with only one man cooking and serving, the wait would have been too long. Oh foods finally done! Time to drop the cancer stick and eat this sandwich (I have certainly waited long enough for it) .). The sandwiches look weird but they are great, we did have to request water and a check but I can’t complain it was only 22 bucks for two sandwiches and two heavenly café con letche. Worth the wait!

I’ll say this… the sandwiches took a while to come out but they were wonderful when they did! Great conversation with Mr. Ramos too… all about experiencing the food, and taking the time to make sure all the bites are right

now this is quite a wonderful place. Raoul? is the bomb. great conversation, and although we had already eaten? the café con leche? was the best dessert ever. we hung out and had many conversations. I can’t wait to come here and eat.
My man is puerto rican, so talk of traditional cuban dishes and more? had him thinking of his childhood. this is just such a great location, and compliment to the area.
we will be back soon m’dear!

Just had my first Cuban sandwich here and it was tasty. The owner was very friendly. Will definitely be back.

The bf and I decided to stop in last Sat night for a Cuban sandwich. What we got was a friendly welcome from the owner (Andy, I think) who shared his family’s story while making our sandwiches. I was admiring the coffee menu and as I walked away to sit down, Andy must have asked my bf if we drink coffee. A few mins later, I was being summoned back to the counter to try a coffee he whipped up just for me to try. It was called Café’ Cubano and it was a little piece of heaven. He gave me a piece if French bread with butter to dip in it… saying that’s the Cuban way. It was delish as well.
Now to the sandwich. Amazing! Perfectly toasted and pressed. I’m not a fan of too much bread so this was perfect for me.
I look forward to trying more from the menu.