good cuban sandwich, but not the best i've ever had.. we were visiting key west for the day and after the eco center and the uss ingam, we had a hankering for a cuban sandwich. my parents remembered this spot from back in the day when i was much younger, so we decided to give it a try. staff was nice and when we first arrived we got our drinks and they took our order rather quickly, however when it came time to get the check or a refill on the water - there was no one in sight for about 5 - 10 minutes. pretty packed for 3:30 in the afternoon though, so that might have been the problem. my husband and i ordered the cuban mix sandwich along with my mother, while my father ordered the palomilla steak.
the cuban sandwich wasn't quite what i'm used to, but everything was fresh and tasty. i like a cuban sandwich to be more of a pannini style, with crispy bread and warm melted cheese. so needless to say the sandwich was not heavily pressed nor was it hot, it was actually cold with mayo/mustard, lettuce and tomato (weird from what i've had in miami). my husband on the other hand was in heaven with his sandwich.
as for the steak, the portion was huge, my father stated that he should have shared with my mother. i noticed that the steak was more on the well/med well side, rather than the medium steak he ordered. as i believe i saw another reviewer mentioning this problem, i think they should just serve the steak as is and not bother asking about how the customer would like it cooked. he enjoyed his steak, though heavily gristled, the real star for him was the rice and black beans which he kept raving about. i sneaked a few plantains off his plate which were delicious. if you like tostones with mojo, you'll like these as well - just add a sprinkling of salt before you dip because they needed it.
as for the ambiance some reviewers are complaining about, what do you expect - you're not paying for crystal glasses and bone china after all. the meals were served on plates and the sandwiches in diner style hamburger baskets, not paper as another reviewer mentioned. i'd definitely go back again, but this time i'm having pork with plantains or chicken.