Old San Juan Cuban Cuisine

The food here is orgasmic. Ive never left a restaurant feeling this way. I did not know the mouth could experience such complexity. As the buttered bread, ham, chorizo, and cheese entered an orgy in my mouth, I felt the tears rushing down my face. This food was amazing. This food was my love.

Hands down the best place to get authentic Cuban food in Lexington. The ropa vieja is always stellar, the Cuban coffee is delicious and it’s always a great place to stop and grab a Cuban sandwich. To make it even better, you always feel like family when you’re there. You can’t beat it.

Been here several times.
The food is really good, confort cuban food eith good sizes and good prices.
The owners is a couple that work together at the restaurant.
The place is simple and feels like a home restaurant

My favorite place. They use olive oil and everything is fresh and handmade. Meat is bought fresh from SAMs club and it is very very clean. It is not fancy but very wholesome and fresh.

I dropped in today for a classic Cuban sandwich — roast pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, and mustard. I was disappointed as it was unremarkable.
I’ve had another which was worse at AZUR. That sandwich was dry as sawdust.
At least the actual Cuban restaurant was somewhat better.
I’ve never understood the draw of plantains, so I didn’t bother with those.
I tried a shrimp and chicken dish which was quite bland. I brought it home to add spice. It may be salvaged with some heat.
We’ll see.
All is not lost, as I like to say.
The beef empanada was delicious.
As was the Cuban espresso. SWEET &
STRONG.
I’ll drop by again just for that and try another beef entrée.
It’s run by a lovely couple and I like supporting local family business.

Great little hole in the wall. Sort of disappointed I didn’t find this spot sooner. The sweetest little old Cuban couple run the place, prepare the food, and serve you. I speak a little Spanish and the lady enjoyed talking about the food and explaining all of the pictures on the wall. Will definitely be returning whenever I’m in town.

It’s like dinner at your abuelitas house. Try the great sandwiches, my favorite is the revoltillo. It’s huge and served on homemade bread. My husband gets the ropa vieja. It comes with rice/​beans, and plantains. Finish with the flan and a coffee con Leche and life is good.

This place is fantastic. The food is terrific; everything we ate was ¹⁰⁄₁₀. The food is authentic Cuban food and hand made. Cubanos, empanadas, Carne con Cebolla — everything was delicious. Plus, the owners of the restaurant are so incredibly welcoming and sweet; it feels like you are eating at your grandparents. The restaurant is incredibly clean and has an awesome vibe. I just wish more people would eat here! The food is great, the prices are fantastic, and it is just a terrific dining experience. I would eat here once a week if my waist line could stomach it. Check this place out!

Great authentic food and a great family. Highly recommend the Tripleta and chicken empanadas. The tripleta is the best sandwich I have ever had. Support your local restaurants.

Recommended. Old San Juan reminds me of Latin American diners and cafes in New Jersey that serves up homestyle Cuban comfort food. The selection of sandwiches and entrees is limited, but the portions are large and satisfying. Old San Juan is hosted by a kind and warm older Cuban couple whose hospitality shines through their earnest service, down to their efforts to communicate with their customers in broken English (something I can appreciate as someone who had to learn English as a second language). There’s also something deliciously underrated about a simple, inexpensive Cuban coffee with milk on a cold day, which can be enjoyed at Old San Juan with their free Wi-​Fi. The shop is well lit and clean, with booths, tables and diner-​style counter seats. Sweet treats are available like quesitos with cheese and/​or guava and tres leches cake (their version is more like a pudding). Great place to bring a laptop and get some work done on an afternoon, and though there aren’t a lot of outlets, there aren’t a lot of patrons either between lunch and dinner.

visited this spot right after the holidays, the folks here were oh so friendly, I loved the platanos maduros (one of my favorite preparations). Certainly be prepared for the slower pace or life here. unfortunately, my whole party (3 out of 4 of us), was sick after eating here, like I was sick ALL night. Maybe we over did it on the fried foods, but I can say that I have a good ability to put away some plantains. However as cuban centric fare goes, I can’t say I’ve every been a fan. Tried to order red snapper, sorry we’re out, tried to order yucca, sorry, we’re out, it’s been busy. Are you feeling lucky? well are you? good beans and plantains, but I was oh so sick.

Small hole in the wall. The sitting consist of 3 booths & 3 tables. Owners don’t speak very good English, older folk. Ordered the Cuban & fried plantains. Seems very clean. Better have time to burn, it takes a while. The Cuban was slightly above average. The bread was decent & the quality of meat is questionable. The fried plantains were decent. For $ 14.00 I would go else where.

I have food poisoning, and I believe it’s Old San Juan’s fault. My wife and I ate there yesterday and felt the food was mediocre at best. The Cubano was the worst I’ve ever tasted. I immediately began to feel ill after leaving the restaurant. I continued feeling worse as the day and night progressed. I spent all night with little sleep, getting up and down to visit the bathroom. This place is horrible, unless you want crappy food and enjoy being sick. Avoid Old San Juan at all costs! Eat there at the risk of your own health!

I lived in south Florida for many years so I know what real Cuban food tastes like. This is close. The owner couples are from Cuba and they seem nice. I recommend pan con lechon (Rico!) and café con leche!!! Too bad they don’t serve mojitos though!!!

Terrible. Husband ordered 2 Cuban sandwiches. The place smells of mildew and the bread smelled and tasted just like the restaurant smells. The bread was not toasted, barely warm, and the meat tasted old and slimy. Truly disgusting. Took 1 bite and tossed $ 16 in the trash.

Second time here and it’s still great! Sari joined me this time and we both enjoyed our meal. Sari ordered the Carne con Cebolla (Steak Tips and Onions), I had the Chuleto de Cerdo (Pork Chop). I was planning to order the Carne de Cerdo Asada (Roast Pork) but the owner suggested the chop instead, and it was a delicious suggestion.
Sari’s beef was nicely seasoned but sliced on the thin side and a little too well-​done for her taste. (I was surprised to see sliced tips, I expected sirloin tips.) On the other hand, my chops were excellent. They looked like boneless rib chops, ½ to ¾″ thick. Tender, succulent, and oozing flavor.
The owners were warm and welcoming like my previous visit and their baby daughter has a smile for everyone. The owner’s recommendation was spot-​on both times I’ve been here and I think next time I’ll bypass the menu and ask her to surprise me.
We finished with flan and tres leches cake (both were decadent), and cuban coffee for me (tasty but not hot enough).
Our second dessert arrived when we learned that a stranger had already paid our bill! The timing was good as I barely had time to yell thank you as he walked away from the restaurant.
I increased to $$ because dinner entrees average $ 11. A Cuban sandwich runs about $ 8 so you can eat well for $ 10, too.

Unfortunately, I have to update my review. It seems as though old San Juan has changed ownership, and not for the better. It’s still decent, just not the over the top great place it used to be. The Cuban sandwich is still good, I’ll stop by if I’m in the area and hungry for something other than the usual fast food, but it’s not great. I feel like if subway made a Cuban sandwich, it would be similar to what they’re selling. The piccadillo was an old favorite, it isn’t bad now, but it’s kind of blah. Same story with the black beans.
They still have a great selection of unique sodas (get that friend you don’t like to try Malta Goya) and its nicer inside than previously.
It’s not bad, and I’m trying not to be too critical, but it’s not outstanding like it used to be.

I am a Mexican American and proud of both cultures. This was my first time at this place and I absolutely loved it! I have to say I love eating and I am very picky with what I eat since I count my calorie intake.
Food: we had the Cuban sandwich which was one of the best sandwiches I have had! The sandwich quality reminded me of Mancinos at Georgetown. They make their own bread and it was delicious. Then we had the Cuban burger I have to rate it a 4.5 on a scale of 5 due to the meat not being the same size as the bread. But either way very tasty and I would recommend it. To follow came the dessert. We had the flan and a cheese pastry. The flan was phenomenal! Great texture and taste. Not too sweet but sweet enough. The pastry was a 3. For drinks we had pineapple and grape fruit sodas.
Service: the service was wonderful. The couple were very nice and welcoming.
This place is must!

Great food and a low price. It’s run by a family so don’t expect some 5-​star wonderland experience and you surely won’t be disappointed. They have lots of great drinks in the freezer and places to sit. I had the vieja ropa which was very flavorful and came with a huge bed of rice and fried plantains. If I’m ever looking for a place to have a laid back meal this is high on the list.

Love this place. I found it by accident a couple of years ago and can’t get enough of it. It is a mom/​pop owned cuban joint that you would more than likely pass up unless you were specifically looking for it. The cuban couple that own it are the only ones that I have seen working in here. The place is spotless. You can get a variety of pressed sandwiches, plantain chips, random odd flavored Jarrritos sodas, beans, rice, etc…
Stop in if you get a chance and I am sure you too will fall in love with this place, its food, and the nice lady that will take your order and ask if you want «piquito jalapenos?»
Love love love. Be aware that each order is made fresh. You will wait a bit longer than subway. But it is so worth it. ENJOY.