Jose’s Real Cuban Food

We will return if it reopens. But in the meantime, I would recommend checking out Mami Carmen’s on south 15^th street east. Also very good!

R.I.P. Jose… so sad to hear of his passing and regretting the fact that I didn’t get a chance to get back down there. I’m sure he will be sorely missed by many.

Might have been great at one time, that is certainly not the case now. From the outside, the place looks like what a dive would look like just before being condemned. Once you step inside, your first impression is confirmed. The place is filthy. My menu, a poorly laminated sheet of 8.5×14 paper had mold actively growing on the paper where the plastic had de-​laminated. The walls are filthy. The sills are filthy. The floor… well, you get the picture. I think this place has been kept afloat by it’s appearance on a TV show years ago. Something bad has transpired since. Guy Fieri wouldn’t eat here if his life depended on it.

Good food, overly friendly staff, once they clean the place up and get back on track it should be a front runner in Cuban eateries!

Jose’s was an awesome divey location!
It was featured on DDD on the Food Network and for good reason. The pulled pork was outrageous, you could absolutely eat that alone with a little hot sauce. The black bean soup, served with fresh chopped onions was warm, gooey and delicious. The beans were cooked just right and not mushy. The rice in the soup was soft with a little bite.
I ended up ordering the classic Cuban with a beer. Everything as great! The cheese was gooey, the ham was salty and the pulled pork was the star of the show.
I’m from Jersey, so my biggest complaint was the quality of the bread, it wasn’t *that* great, but in the long run, it didn’t make the biggest difference in the meal. I still ate everything and was happy with the service.
Fun fact: they have a carry-​out policy. We ordered sangria for the table that went unfinished. We ended up taking it home to finish later in a large soup carry-​out container haha it was so awesome.
My family had fun together, it’s a fun atmosphere.
OH and get the flan. IT’S HEAVENLY!

Finally got around to ordering take out. After reading all the great reviews and seeing it was on DDD, couldn’t wait to eat there. I completely did not expect what I saw. Should have read the negative reviews. They’re not exaggerating. We only ordered take-​out and I was glad cause there was no room to sit and the place was nasty. Food was bland, boring, nothing special. In the end threw out most of it. My dog didn’t even eat the left over black beans. I’m very disappointed. Second restaurant this weekend that disappointed.

Wow real Cuban food at a fair price! Don’t judge a book by its cover excellent food had Cuban pulled pork black beans yellow rice.
Don’t expect cloth napkins and all the fancy stuff reminded me of a truck stop diner but with excellent service great authentic food. Also a plus it appears from all the military photos of the owner and friends it’s a vet owned business and supports service members. Thank you service personnel for all you do and have done !

WOW I had the Lechon Asado with the yellow rice, black beans, plantains and for desert I had the flan. I will definitely be back the pork is so tender and juicy it literally melts in your mouth and the flan was so creamy and perfect. I also had their homemade Sangria and it was amazing as well. I LOVE this place and am looking forward to going back

Real cuban food. cuban sandwich was very pedestrian had no salami or swiss cheese but more like an original cuban. Black bean soup was fine nothing special. Bread on the Cuban was too burnt and crunchy for my liking

This bar far is one of the most Unilocaled spots in the Bradenton-​Sarasota-​Long Boat Key area so with a free from the parental units lunch, we cruised over.
This spot is a total dive and when I read further on Unilocal while waiting for a table, I wasn’t surprised Guy Fieri stopped here on DDD. It’s a little shack that looks like it could use a nice scrubbing. It was PACKED.
They hooked us up with a sample of lechon and it was delicious. Smart move on Jose’s pushing that crack on their eaters. DAYUM. Service was incredible and we were welcomed to a menu of Cuban eats at some good prices.
I went with the Cuban sandwich: a layer of ham, lechon, mustard, pickle pressed on Cuban bread and a Cuban root beer which was a great combo of root beer/​cream soda. The sandwich was good. For the $ 8 it was large, like whole loaf of bread status. I did wish there was a little bit more in between. I know Cubans aren’t supposed to be gigantic, but this was a lot more crunch than anything else. I really had a hard time tasting the filling.
The other people I was dining with that day opted for the #12; the Cuban sampler platter. A little bit of everything with yuca and moros. A lot of food for the $ 13 price tag and I gotta say the lechon was still the star of the show. The picadillo (ground beef) was good and the brisket was a little bit dry. The rice and beans were delicious and the Yuca was totally cooked different than anything I’ve tried before; more like a boiled yuca, but with a gelatinous coating. It was good, intense, but good!
Jose’s is definitely a great pit spot in area and I definitely recommend. Great service, a fun experience and some solid Cuban food at some solid prices.

This place is very small and doesn’t look like much, but the food is delicious. I saw the place on Diners, Drivers, and Dives! The portions are great. I like their Ropa Vieja.

Found this on Unilocal and it just happened to be featured on Diners, Drive-​Ins and Dives so we gave it a shot. SO GLAD WE DID! The good and the service were amazing.. And mostly the Food! We all tried something different, and it was all so good. Must try. (Oh, and the sangria. yum!)

I feel like I’ve tasted the soul of Fidel Castro. The Lechon (Pulled Pork for you caucasians) is absolutely incredible. You taste the soul of the pig. This place is a real treat especially if you want to eat authentic cuban food without having to make a pilgrimage to Cuba.
Very Divey, Very Affordable, Very Cubano.

Jose’s Real Cuban Food is the real deal. The portion sizes are enormous, and everything I had was delightful.
Upon sitting down, the waiter brought us a sample of their pulled pork, which was tender and flavorful. I believe I ordered the Arroz con Pollo, which was of truly gigantic proportions, and amazing.
For dessert, my friends and I split the flan, which was creamy and sweet, yet not too rich. I could’ve eaten the whole thing myself.
Just about every single item on the menu looks incredible, so I’m sure I’ll be making lots of future visits! For, you know, research.

I’m in love
Stopped in very hungry and left very pleased and with left overs.
Authentic? Yes! Friendly and they aim to please. Had a nice chat in Spanish with an older gentleman while ordering, nice experience and if I return to FL I will have to stop in again.

Alright, I am not F’ing around. This is the best lunch I have had in ten years.
You walk in and they say, welcome to Jose’s! They ask you if it your first time there. it was. They brought us a sample bowl of their amazing pulled pork. So frickin’ good. I know I can over exaggerate sometimes, but this is no lie. This is the best pulled pork of all time.
I ordered the pulled pork platter with the black beans and rice and the black bean soup. It makes me sad that I give other places 5 stars, when this place is the epitome of food paradise.
Then place is small, but the service is great. My wife got a Diet Coke and they offered to get her a «To Go» cup on the way out. Who does that?! That little extra stuff makes me wish I could rate it 20 stars.
Seriously, the meal was the best I have had in since I can remember.
Great service, cool décor, AMAZING food = 5 stars!

Food was awesome and the portions were huge! Staff was super friendly and attentive. Would definitely make this a regular spot every time I’m in the area!!!
I used to live in key west and the taste of the food brought me back there again. Definitely can’t get that out in California!

I came here for dinner after watching Diners, Drive-​ins, and Dives on the Food Network, episode Southern Flavors. This is a classic diner, four tables and seats at the bar. A hidden gem in Bradenton. I had the Bistec de Palomilla. A Cuban Style steak, black beans, yellow rice, and fries. Wow, a huge meal that is heaven. One of the best cuban dishes I’ve ever had. Seek this place if your in the area, you will not be disappointed.

Just because I am not a fan does not mean that they will not succeed, and I wish Jose well. Jose’s is slammed with tons of customers during all open hours that claim their food is spectacular.
Triple D did a show there because someone wrote in and said it was good. I disagree. While I am not expert on Cuban cuisine, nor do I want to be… I know when I am not getting the value of food for the price I am paying. And, at Jose’s it is difficult to find much under ten bucks. And, we are talking about rice, beans, and some stewed meat on top people— nothing fancy or expensive to produce.
When I tried Jose’s «Real» Cuban food, I made the mistake of sitting at the bar. The bar is facing the open air kitchen, so you can see how dirty and unprofessionally the food is prepared and served. I am not saying that this is a five star restaurant by any means, but it is not cheap either.
The Boliche is what I chose to order… This dish comes with plantains, rice, and beans.
I watched as the cook/​chef did the following in the open kitchen to make my meal:
1. Broke of a piece of bread, dipped it in some sort of sauce and ate it.
2. Wiped his hands on his pants.
3. Proceeded to take a plastic wrapped roll of meat out of the mircrowave, unrolling it with one hand and plopping it on top of a pile of rice. Yum, plastic baggie meat (aka Boliche) for $ 13.95!
Also, tried the pulled pork that everyone loves so much… it is a salty, wet mess.
I don’t think that this is what «Real» Cuban food is supposed to taste like. But, then again, what do I know, right?

Real is right. It’s also very tasty Cuban food. I was so impressed with the service, kitchen and food.
I didn’t know they were featured on that Guy’s show on Food Network. The employees seem very experienced in running the place like a machine with the number of people coming through. I was greeted right away, educated on the menu, and my food was ready to go in a minute.
They gave me a sample cup of their pork to try as I answered it was my first time there. It was not good in my opinion, but the rest of the food is so delicious. The pork sample was not too tender and with so much fat and oil. The aroz viejas (?) with plantains, yuca, and black beans with no onions was fantastic.
The storefront is a tiny dive looking place few miles from the beach. Has a lot of character.
I highly recommend you try this place for some awesome ethnic food.

5 Stars… this is a must stop if you want real cuban food N of Calle Ocho. They actually know how to make a café colada…(very rare outsde of Miami Dade .)
Top three entrees are: Lechon Asado, Ropa Vieja, and best of all Masas de Puerco Frita (hard to find any longer in Tampa Bay). Oh and for a quick lunch the Cuban Sandwich back bean soup special ain’t bad either.
The flan is weird but all in all an epicurian delight.