Cuban Pete Sandwiches

On my trip to Cuban Pete today I ordered the El Cubano as I have pretty much every time that I have visited. Unlike on previous trips to Cuban Pete where there has been a good amount of meat and cheese on the sandwich, the Cubano sandwich today barely had any protein on the sandwich or anything else; it was 98% bread. I have had many Cuban sandwiches before having lived in Florida but today it just wasn’t what I have come to expect from Cuban Pete. The sandwich gets a star for how quickly it was made for me today, but I suppose it doesn’t take too long to squish some bread and toast it with almost nothing inside it.
I will go back again, but hopefully the next Cubano will have something in between the bread.

The best Cuban I have ever had in Cincinnati. Authentic and just plain good and you get a lot for the price. Love the ambiance of this place makes me feel like I’m in little Havana in Miami.

I got this delivered and they forgot half of the ingredients on my sandwich. An El Cubano isn’t really an El Cubano without the mustard, pickles, or cheese… If I wasn’t so busy, i’d call and complain but instead i’ll just never order from here again. The fries are soggy and limp, not «perfectly seasoned» either. I’m very disappointed.
I am sure the sandwich could be good if it was made correctly, but it wasn’t.

The cincy Cuban was small, very little meat, and extremely dry. The fries were soggy and burnt. Just not worth $ 9.45

Pan con Bistec at Cuban Pete in Cincy was on point. Nelson, the owner, was very nice and welcoming although he doesn’t look Cuban speaks perfect Spanish. Born and raised in Miami the father-​son dual are doing pretty good with Cuban food. Perfect location and fabulous tasting food. They even have Jupiña! If you are ever in Cincinnati you must come and visit this little gem off E. Court Street.

They actually make great sandwiches. El cubano is my favorite. You can probably ask for a half cut at a lesser price if not half exactly. Clean and nice employees. Tipping is digital !

Yummy Cubans! The older lady that works at the cash register is super nice and helpful.

Great coffee! Love this place, I got the Cuban sandwich as well, it was delicious. If you want great Cuban food this place really hits the spot!

THE BREAD! I cannot get over the freshness and crunchiness! I could eat just the bread but there is more :) I got the steak sandwich. It was different from a typical steak sandwich I would have imagined. My first bite had a garlic hint, I’m already in love. The steak was juicy and the whole sandwich was piping hot. Food is 100% on point! Not only is the food amazing the customer service is too! I’m excited they serve breakfast and looking forward to trying it!

The El Cubano is hands down the best sandwich on Court Street. It’s an absolutely authentic some of the best I’ve had this far north. I am always up for the El Cubano but recently I switched to the Chicky Boom-​Boom which is so flavorful that I’m smitten.
Bottom line, this is one of my favorite places to get a sandwich by the Courthouse

So I thought I was going to a new place based on my thinking ahead and bookmarking this joint. Turns out they moved into the old Tom and Chee spot! I liked the place before I even ordered my food! It was so familiar and what I miss most about the «new» Tom and Chee next door. I ordered the El Cubano with fries although all the sides sounded fantastic! I thought I might go to sleep if I got a «real» side. Aside from giving me the wrong meal and having to pull up and park illegally to get my correct order during the lunch rush I’d say this was the best Cuban sandwich I’ve had outside of Miami. It was flat, flaky, crunchy with tender meat and had a picture perfect sheen! The fries were not those typical fries you get from a bar or diner. They were heavy, greasy and delicious. I couldn’t even make it to my destination. The anticipation built up to a point where I had to eat it in the car. I really enjoyed my first experience and the menu had tons of options that will keep me coming back for sure. I recommend this to all the foodies out there! Enjoy!

I am always on the lookout for a perfect cubano. Oddly enough… the best (in my opinion) is still from an ITALIAN place in Chicago. Who would have thought… This one is pretty good though.
5 — bread (perfection)
3 — ratio of ingredients (lacking enough pork and pickles)
1 — no mustard!
4 — overall flavor
5 — cute store, great location, nice staff, short wait time, reasonable prices
This averages out to 3.6, but we’ll go ahead and round up.
To me… nothing else matters at a restaurant when you are a Cuban joint — the cubano must be on point. However, a lot of their other menu items sounded super tasty and I would totally go back for some more delicious food.

This was my first time getting food from Cuban Petes. ½ of a traditional cuban and cuban corn. The food is phenomenal! Will Defiantly be back! Food and staff are great!

Thanks to Groupon I was able to try this place out twice (2 $ 10 certificates for $ 10 total — I’m cheap my man!), once with a Cuban friend from Miami. Both times I was extremely impressed, as was my friend.
First order was a Chickyboomboom that I asked them to load up with extra spiciness and veggies, which they were more than happy to oblige me on. I called ahead on the order, but their estimate on the timing was a little off and I ended up having to wait at the counter for a little bit — not a big deal at all to me, but the staff were extremely apologetic and cool about it (Not that they needed to be by any means). It was so very worth the wait, so much so I forgot to take a picture. What I got for my money was a thick sandwich, a full chicken breast worth of diced up meat, gooey pepperjack cheese and spicy juice soaking down into the perfectly baked bread that was grilled and pressed down hard, making every bite a comfort-​food achievement. The extra peppers, onions, and tomatoes, were bulging out the sides, falling onto the spinach bed I gave it. just the way I like it! I knew next time I had to share!
Fortunately, a friend of mine asked me to lunch about a week later, and I knew just the place to take him. He got the Cubano, keeping it real traditional (and real lazy for a Saturday lunch — this sandwich will put you to sleep with the fat and bread), but real delicious. I don’t really eat pork or ham, but he was blown away with it. «Just like back home man, I gotta tell my people about this!» He said before wrapping up the second half of his food for a second meal; it’s a big and filling sandwich for sure. That’s all that needs to be said!
I, on the other hand, wanted to switch it up and keep it a bit lighter before going into work a night shift, so I had a steak salad. The salad was a little more lackluster than I’d normally prefer, with too much cheese and too many croutons (Not a problem for some people, quite the opposite really), but the steak was so damn good. I really haven’t had steak like that from a quick fix sandwich type joint… ever now that I think about it. The meat was cooked to done, but was not overly tough or chewy, and had a wonderful blend of spices that brought just enough heat and flavor to the salad.
I thought the price was a little too high for just the salad, but with the groupon I got a hell of a deal. Next time I want a giant sandwich to fill the void in my heart and stomach for comfort food, I know where I’m going.

Cute place on Court Street and Main, where Tom+Chee used to be before they moved next door. Stopped in with my boyfriend for lunch — he got the BarBQ-​Ban and I got the Chicky Boom plus a side of Cuban Corn.
I wanna start by saying the bread on their sandwiches is perfect, perfect texture and toastiness! The BarBQ-​Ban was great and I have also had their classic Cuban, very delicious. I didn’t enjoy my Chicky Boom Boom as much, I usually like interesting flavor combos but I felt like there was a lot going on here and the sweet jerk flavor was sweeter than I expected. Next time I would probably get the regular Chicky. Cuban corn was tasty, a little cheesy, and we also munched on the caramel corn that comes with your sandwich.
I would give Cuban Pete’s 4 stars, but I was really grossed out when I took a sip of my water. My boyfriend’s water tasted fine and we realized the ice was the difference. I dumped mine out and got another water with no ice and the bad taste was gone. I hope they will clean out their ice maker!

Get the cubano!
Order at the counter and wait at a table-​type service. I ordered the Isabella– grilled cheese with turkey, guava jelly on toast. I also ordered a side of plantains. My husband got the cubano with fries.
My sandwich sounded better than it was. The turkey was like cheap generic brand and the jelly was missing. The saving grace was my husband’s sandwich! It was huge and soo delicious! I would say go for this choice and not the other more unique options that may disappoint.
Service was a bit slow. I also wished they had some salsa music playing instead of nothing to listen to. If I crave a classic Cuban sandwich, I’ll be back.

Great Cuban sandwiches
Great Cuban coffee
Friendly service
Big menu selection & breakfast all day

The best cuban sandwhich i have ever had! the flavor was rediculously good!
I love that they offer half sizes as well.

The Cuban Pete food truck has been around Cincinnati since April 2014. Their brick and mortar shop opened in April of this year in the spot formerly occupied by the first Tom+Chee restaurant. I haven’t had a chance to see the restaurant transformation yet, but I finally got a chance to give their Cuban sandwich a try at a local event.
The El Cubano sandwich features ham, slow roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayo, and mustard ($ 8 for the full). All of their sandwiches are served on dense authentic Cuban bread. Let me tell you that this was easily one of the best sandwiches I’ve had out of a food truck, and likely one of the best Cuban sandwiches in the area.
The Cuban Pete menu also features the Cincy Cuban, with goetta instead of pork, and the Bar B Q Ban with the traditional Cuban meets along with cheddar, coleslaw, and barbecue sauce. Both of those sound equally amazing to me. There are also a variety of salads and standard sandwiches along with Cuban inspired sides like plantains and corn. I can’t wait to try out more of their menu in the future.

One of the great food pleasures is a basic Cuban sandwich: The crunch of the pressed sandwich roll followed by the tender textures of hot ham and roast pork and melted Swiss cheese, accented by the cool crispness of pickle and the tang of yellow mustard. (Not going to get into the Tampa vs. Miami debate about what else might be added, but, needless to say, it ain’t any of the things discussed in the next paragraph.)
When we moved here in 2007, there wasn’t a Cuban sandwich to be found anywhere around. Eventually, a food truck or two had bastardized versions that didn’t measure up, and then the Moerlein Lager House opened and began serving up a tasty but soggy mess of one on incorrect bread. New York NY deli over in Mt. Washington has a «Cuban Panini» that comes with lettuce, tomato, and onion – nice sandwich, but it ain’t no Cuban. And somebody told us about a Cuban sandwich at a place called Pirate’s Cove, but then I looked up the menu online and saw their «Cuban Classic» comes with «pepper jack» and «roasted peppers and onions» and retails for FOURTEEN dollars. (WTF?)
With Cuban Pete, you can forget about all these other Cincinnati restaurants and food trucks running Cuban-​sandwich interference and get a real-​deal Cuban sandwich. It’s here, and it’s delicious.
Ironically, most of the rest of Cuban Pete’s menu consists of hybridized versions of Cuban sandwiches: e.g., a «Cincy Cuban» with goetta, a veggie «Cuban,» etc., plus burgers, breakfast items, a couple of salads, and rotating specials. There’s not anything else especially Cuban, unless you count fried plantains and Cuban coffee. (I haven’t tried anything but the regular old traditional Cuban, and may not ever…)
Looks like Cuban Pete started as a food truck and still has one. I’ve never seen it. But this bricks-​and-​mortar location is situated in Tom+Chee’s original spot on Court Street, and not much about the space has been changed.
Friendly staff, but I’ve done only take-​out so far.