Cubano's, White Tablecloth Cuban on Ramsey Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring

[JPW]

Last weekend Mrs Jpw, Peanut and I re-visited Cubano's after a long absence. What struck me first of all is the contrast with Mi Rancho across the street (and yes I know one is Mexican and one is Cuban). Where mi Rancho is a neighborhood cantina, Cubano's is the elegant hotel restaurant. You can almost picture yourself written into a spy novel set somewhere in Havana in the 1950s. As a result you pay a little more than you typically would in a Latin restaurant, but it's worth the trip.

With white linen and heavy flatware, the plastic covered menus are somewhat incongruous. But the menu's numerous delicious sounding dishes set expectations fairly high. The mojitos, which appeared at a speed only to be explained by assembly line construction, started out with a hell of a punch, but mellowed into a more than passable version with the proper backnote of mint as we perused the menu. Forgive as the exact dish names escape me, but my pork "lechon" -- essentially shredded barbecued pork butt was well cooked and tasty with a hint of citrus: Carolina style Q gone Latin. Well cooked tostones came with a beautifully tart and spicy dipping sauce. But the star of the night was definitely Mrs JPW's foil-steamed red snapper. Cooked perfectly with a hint of lime and served with steamed veggies.

The service gang clad in their "black and whites" performed very smoothly (with a small hiccup or two) and were more than accommodating of Peanut. Definitely a place to move into our regular rotation of local SS dining.

[blakegwinn]

Having just moved in a few blocks away in August, I was extremely excited a few weeks ago to discover they do takeout...

[scj32]

My wife and I have been loyal to this place for awhile and have been surprised that it does not get more attention. On our last visit, I also had the Pork Lechon. My wife loves the same snapper dish and Fricasse de Pollo. The Bistec Palmilla and Bistec Empanizada (kind of like a cuban chicken fried steak) are always delicious. There is not much to boast about on the appetizers other than the plantain chips with mojo sauce.

[blakegwinn]

My wife and I have been loyal to this place for awhile and have been surprised that it does not get more attention. On our last visit, I also had the Pork Lechon. My wife loves the same snapper dish and Fricasse de Pollo. The Bistec Palmilla and Bistec Empanizada (kind of like a cuban chicken fried steak) are always delicious. There is not much to boast about on the appetizers other than the plantain chips with mojo sauce.

The Tostones appetizer is my favorite thing on the menu I think. Either my girlfriend or myself always gets the Lechon so we always have at least one order.

[DonRocks]

Forgive as the exact dish names escape me, but my pork "lechon" -- essentially shredded barbecued pork butt was well cooked and tasty with a hint of citrus: Carolina style Q gone Latin.

On our last visit, I also had the Pork Lechon.

Either my girlfriend or myself always gets the Lechon so we always have at least one order.

Wow, no posts about Cubano's in over six years (!), but nothing but good things to say about it.

I'm not sure who lives in the townhouse at 8706 Ramsey Avenue, but whoever it is may just have *the* most convenient walk to three restaurants of anyone in the entire DC metropolitan area. On the corner of Ramsey Avenue and tiny Cameron Hill Court, the front door is literally a ten-second walk to Cubano's, Mi Rancho, and Tastee Diner, all three of which are on the *other* corners of Ramsey Avenue and Cameron Hill Court, making it about about a 10-20 yard walk, door to door. It's an interesting sight to behold, for sure.

I ordered a Sandwich Cubano (supposedly $14.95) with house-roasted pork (the lechón that everyone here is raving about), baked ham, swiss cheese, mustard, and pickle, and got a side salad instead of fries. While I waited for my carryout sandwich, I enjoyed a Presidente ($4.95) and struck up a pleasant conversation with a gentleman named Emmanuel. This was while the restaurant was almost entirely empty, between lunch and dinner service. When the check came, I was only charged $8.95 for the sandwich (which I assume is the lunch price).

I took tiny nibbles of everything just so I'd have a good picture of what it was like fresh and warm, then saved it for lunch the next day. There was actually no swiss cheese on my sandwich, but a touch too much mustard. However, the lechón was bountiful, and was surely the same roast pork you'll get if you order any of the various entree permutations. The salad was surprisingly good with a mix of dark greens, in what was most likely a red wine vinaigrette - the perfect foil to this sandwich.

This was definitely not a classic Cuban sandwich, but was very good nonetheless. And Emmanuel was a really nice guy.

[mtureck]

Love their Ropa Vieja. Gotta go back soon.

[Heather]

I've been a couple of times in the last year, with my friend who moved here from Miami. The food is OK, but so wildly overpriced for the quality that we haven't been back in months. The Cuban coffee was the real deal, though.