Cafe Coral de Cuba

Abso-freaking-loutely the coldest weather I have experienced thus far. -17F, cloudy, windy. There are a few buses that service Whyte Ave all the way up to University: 94, 4, 7, 128, and a few others I’m sure I forgot…. Main story is that I missed all of them and then decided to walk a few blocks to my favorite Cuban place in Edmonton.

Cafe Coral de Cuba is a small, modernized Cuban cafe that serves up some great traditional style sandwiches, red beans and rice, huge empanadas, all for a decent price. Classic hot dishes like Ropas Viejas, Pollo asado, Costillitas de cuba (pork ribs, Cuban style) make this place a nice stop for dinner. And of course you can’t review a Cuban cafe without addressing the Cafe…. Served piping hot espresso, with all the classic characteristics of the old country: dark and syrupy like motor oil, bold, with enough caffeine to put a hop in your step, and your ass in the John, and of course, WAY too much sugar. Hey, it ain’t Cuban espresso if your teeth don’t fall out.

As for the food, I’ve never been disappointed. Today I went with my go-to sandwich, the Sandwich Cubano: Thick slices of pork tenderloin, ham, swiss cheese, an Emril Lagasse_gut busting amount of minced garlic, and mustard on a flaky, buttered and toasted roll. For $8, I can’t find a better sandwich in town… yet.