Cuban Cafe

This would be my first time at this restaurant. I had the Bistec de Pechuga de Pollo. Let me say that the food was AWESOME… Chicken breast can tend to be dry but they left this chicken breast really juicy. I am Salvadoreño and I love me some black beans and plantains. These plantains were perfect not too hard and not too soft. Real good…
I know usually you start reviews with the service experience but I love me some food. If the service was bad that would be the first thing I would be writing about. The place is not large but large enough.
Now let’s get to the service. The lady that was the hostess/​waitress was extremely attentive. Plus the cook who I also think is the owner came out to see how we were doing. I really enjoyed the experience. Definitely will be coming when I am up here in Bakersfield.

The servings are large and the food is good. Décor is a little quirky, but it’s ok.

Nice place to visit in Bako… there’s so many different restaurants here but I’m unsure if there are any other with a Cuban cuisine. the black beans are good not too salty. More than sufficient portions friendly staff. Small and quaint you probably wouldn’t even think this place was open excluding the «open» signs because there’s hardly ever anyone inside. Respectably priced food and sandwiches. Although the flavored aren’t mind blowing I’d definitely recommend trying

This place is truly a hidden gem. We were traveling through Bakersfield and wanted something different. Who would think you could get Cuban food here? The place was spotless, and even the bathroom (outside, in a separate building) was notable — in addition to a changing table, the women’s room had diapers, baby wipes, baby powder! So thoughtful! We had the traditional Cuban sandwich. Let me tell you, you’d better be hungry! The sandwich was huge. We had the sweet potato fries with it. Both the sandwich and the fries were excellent. We also had a Cuban frappé — very delicious. The hostess was very nice too. The décor was soothing and comfortable. There was a slideshow playing that showed scenes from Cuba. This was very interesting, as I had never really seen pictures of Cuba. All in all, very good, and a nice change of pace for travel food!

This little hole in the wall is amazing! The service is OUTSTANDING. It is a family-​run business, and those are the kinds of places I love to support. My husband had tacos, and I had a vegetarian burrito. You better be hungry if you have the burrito because it is HUGE! It comes with plantains inside the burrito. IT was delicious. This is my MUST GO TO place when in or going through Bakersfield. It is not too far off the 99 HWY.

What a find this was! Thank you Unilocal!We were on our way home to Orange County and decided to eat in Bakersfield. I Unilocaled restaurants and this place came up with a good amount of reviews and a great rating. I agree with all the other five star reviews. We tried the classic Cuban sandwich with sweet potato fries, the Cuban Cabano Torta, fried plantains and meatball soup. Everything was fresh, flavorful and awsome. Sandwiches are large and will easily feed 2 people. Prices are very reasonable, less than $ 10.00 per person including appetizer. My only wish is that they were located in Orange County so I could go back soon. This was by far the best meal we had on our family trip to Yosemite.
I almost forgot to mention the place is very clean including the bathrooms.

Being from Puerto Rico, I was skeptical about any Caribbean food place in town (Mama Roomba). Came with my parents. We tried three different dinner plates and appetizers (Pollo al ajillo, traditional Cuban sandwich, lechon asado, tostones, empanadas) as well as two dessert plates (guava/​queso and flan). The food is great, good taste. Good presentation.
The waitress was very nice and polite.
The location is small, but quaint. Nice and clean.
Overall, good food, nice location, nice waitresses.
I don’t give it five stars, because honestly I think five stars should be VERY far and in between.
I will be back soon with other family.

Coming here 3^rd or 4^th time on my way to Sequoias. I love making this to be a pit stop for lunch and have yet to be disappointed.
What you need to know:
Food: awesome and authentic! garlic chicken is the BOMB and great to share but you may not want to. Side note; this perhaps is not the best option for vegetarians or GF folks.
Service: friendly and polite and Family vibe.

Came in for lunch. Place was half empty. Tried to seat us at a terrible table. Asked for the adjacent. Was told no, we are saving it in case of a large party! Place was half full.
See ya! What’s wrong with operators?

This is Cuban food at its finest! Guys if you want something different this is it! Fresh, hot and delicious and very friendly atmosphere! Won’t be the last!

A second time at this great restaurant;
Had the Lechon platter as well as empanadas to die for — now this is the way empanadas are supposed to taste! Very nice staff and they gave me a slice of cake with my dinner in honor of Mothers Day.
The flan is sublime! Such a great meal — coming back next time I’m in Bakersfield. Wish they would open up s restaurant in San Luis Obispo!

This little restaurant is pretty cool. When I first entered I was shock how small the restaurant was. But like they say it’s not the size the matters but the quality.
I order the chicken ajillo. They definitely aren’t stingy with the garlic. It kind of reminded me of lemon pepper chicken but with out the pepper.
The décor it’s real nice. It has a few OG stuff. The atmosphere is really relax and slow. Well perhaps a bit too slow. It took about 5 – 8 mins to order my food and about 30 or more minutes to receive my food. Once the food arrived it was definitely worth the wait. The 1 waitress that works there is real sweet.
It’s a real mom & pops joint. The restrooms are located outside in the back. They are kept very clean.

Cuban Café is pretty much a ways a way from most people. It’s past the mall and on Chester Avenue in a tiny little building. For most, this is a, uh, pretty ghetto area. Around the corner is a dilapidated house inhabited by dogs. A cholo on the side of the street yelled at me for merely looking in his direction. The parking lot has less than well defined lines. And the entrance to it can be kind of confusing.
Those are all technicalities as far as I’m concerned. The Cuban sandwich here is a benchmark. I ordered the traditional ($ 8) and wow. Cuban sandwiches are like ham sandwiches made out with a grilled cheese sandwich but decided to get freaky with braised meats — and all this was in a panini press. It’s crunchy, toasted bread with a nice warm, tasty center.
The sweet potato fries are pretty run of the mill — definitely would not come here for those. It closes at 8 PM, but like I said, it’s not in a great part of town (there was just a shooting a few weeks ago out in broad day light). I’d come here before 5 PM to be safe. I hope in the future they make plans to move to a better part of town. I can just imagine a disgruntled gang member entering the building and shooting up the place especially since there are only two entrances in a confined space.

A must visit when driving along highway 58.
Good portions, good prices, good flan. Family owned.

Not enough good things to say about the Cuban Café.
I have been here many times and every time has been a great experience. I really don’t even want to write this 5 star review because it won’t be a best kept secret anymore.
I can ramble on for days about how good the food. I am simply going to say you must go! Go now! You will not be disappointed. I am stuck on the Pollo a la Criollo, and it’s amazing.
The staff is so nice, our waitress is always super friendly. The restaurant is very clean, and the décor is fun. Super cozy, place with amazing food.
Why are you even reading this? Go there now!

I am not Cuban, but I do enjoy eating Cuban cuisine. Been to my share of Cuban restaurants all over the country. Cuban Café in Bakersfield, California of all places has been the absolute best!
The restaurant is not fancy so do not expect a romantic fine dining experience. Place is very cozy and seats maybe 40 people maximum. Each visit the dining area has been clean and spotless. Service has been excellent, friendly, and efficient each time as well.
I can honestly say that I have yet to eat any bad entrée so far. Everything rates a minimum of 4 stars to 5 stars plus! Even the little pieces of garlic toast that comes with the meal is yummy! Do you like Mango smoothies? If the answer is Yes, then order their version! You’re welcome!
Some of my favorite entrees are their Pollo Al Ajilo (Garlic Chicken), Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef), Lechon Asado (Roasted Pork), and Bistec Encebollado (Beef Steak). Each of these entrees come with rice, black beans, and delicious fried plantains!
Currently, their Traditional Cuban sandwich with ham, roasted pork, swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard is what I cannot get enough of! I usually hold the mayo. Side of Sweet potato fries pairs with this sandwich perfectly. I will eat half at the restaurant, then have the yummy leftover sandwich the next day. Of course, my meal is not complete without dessert. Their flan is pretty good, but their Dulce de Guayaba con Queso is uniquely delish!
If you want to try some different affordable ethnic food, then give Cuban Café a try! Maybe you will regret it, but I don’t think so! 5 stars plus!!!

My co-​workers wanted to grab lunch but somewhere away from the work area so we trekked on over here. This place opened for the day as we arrived so we were the only ones at this point. The décor is festive with great decorations. The tables/​booths were wooden and fit the décor as well.
As much as I wanted to try some of their beer I was on a work lunch so that is a no-​no! No worries because I do love me some soda. I was swaying back and forth on what to order but when our waitress who was very nice and helpful approached, I picked on a whim and was not disappointed.
I opted for Lechon Asado with a side of Albondigas and good lord that pork was so delicious. It immersed me with the spices of the Cuban culture and the black beans were perfectly cooked with a hint of what I believe is hamhock, had such nice smokiness to it. The deep fried plantains really helped break up the savoriness of the pork and beans so that it did not become overwhelming. The rice was nice and fluffy, exactly how I love it when I eat rice with meat.
The Albondigas was quite amazing too because of the rich deep flavors the broth held and the meatball was seasoned so well. It made me wish I had more room and order a full serving instead of on the side.
Right before our food came we were also served bread but not just a piece of bread. It was toasted ever so perfectly with a smidge of butter, I am not kidding you when I say that was one of the most if not the most awesome piece of toast I have eaten!
I will definitely come back and bring my wife because I know she will enjoy Cuban Café too. I can’t wait to try something else!

I’ve been to this place 3 times. First time, I didn’t even get the chance to seat, but that’s water under the bridge. Second time, we were invited by really good friends for Sunday brunch. We end up enjoying the food, service and overall, had a great time. And that brought me back here for my third visit
For my third visit, I came all by myself (I’m in this side of town for business). This time, I ordered the Pollo al Ajillo, a seasoned garlic chicken leg that has been roasted and fried with side of rice, beans and plantain. A friend had this before so I was curious to try it as well. Surprisingly, I really like the citrus taste of the chicken and it was moist. The garlic and onion on top was a good combination with every bite. The plantain was perfectly cooked as well. Overall, my meal was satisfyingly good!
Like other reviews, this place is pretty small, based on the chair space I think they can accomodate 40 people comfortably. So if you’re planning to come here with a big group better make sure that you avoid the rush hour crowd.
Their only staff is pretty good for holding the dining area running. She’s always smiling and very pleasant. She is one of the reasons why I’m giving them 5 stars. Hope that she keeps up the good customer service.
I can definitely see me myself coming back here in the near future.

Just like last time, the experience here was pretty great. Came with my sister this time and the woman that helped me was the same one from before. She was just as nice as last time. We ordered the same things as my previous visit but with a few additions:
Papas Rellenas: Deep fried potato balls stuffed with meat and cheese. Comes in an order of two. Meant as an appetizer, it is a decent sized ball that can easily be your main meal. The potatoes were seasoned well and are more of a fine dice then mashed. I only wish there were more meat/​cheese inside because it seemed like there was only a teaspoon worth.
Mango Smoothie: First off, let me just tell you that the glass cups they use are really nice. The smoothie was pretty average and you could definitely taste the fresh mango that was used. The smoothie lacked sweetness though.
The restaurant was much more packed than last time, but it didn’t ruin the experience.

I’m ashamed to say that my first visit to Cuban Café was only yesterday.
In my defense it’s completely across town for me, and therefore not on my radar. Now, I’ll be sure to keep Cuban Café in mind when I want a yummy meal.
We arrived around 1145am since we knew about the large lunch crowd. It’s in a not-​so-​spectacular part of town, but don’t let that deter you. Inside the small building is a flavor fiesta just waiting for you!
Our waitress was so pleasant and kind. She brought out our drinks as well as a basket of garlic bread. Warm garlic butter drenched the fresh bread — what a nice start for lunch!
We opted for the torta’s, as several Unilocalers before us have raved about their flavor. I ordered the Torta Cubana. Succulent roasted pork, ham, avocado, pineapple, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, and onions — all topped with signature Cuban black beans. They happened to be out of sweet potato fries, so we instead had regular fries. While they weren’t terrible, they weren’t those magnificent sweet potato fries others have mentioned.
The food was fresh and delicious. Every flavor was perfectly melded into a perfectly crusty roll.
While authenticity can’t be compared locally, we can now hop on a plane to Cuba to taste test — Thanks Obama!