El Oriental de Cuba
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-1876
Phone: (617) 524-6464
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- Paul Gore Street
- Specialties:
- People Watching
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 8am-9pm, Fri-Sat 8am-10pm, Sun 8am-8pm
Message from El Oriental de Cuba
Best Authentic Cuban food & fresh tropical fruit drinks in JP
- Catering for all events
- Authentic Cuban Cuisine
- Fresh Tropical Fruits Drinks
Paid advertisement by El Oriental de Cuba.
Editorial Review for El Oriental de Cuba – by Citysearch Staff
The Scene
El Oriental de Cuba looks and feels like lunch hour at a Havana cafeteria. A lengthy takeout counter greets all patrons, from neighborhood kids to police officers walking the local beat. Scenic photographs of Cuba are perched between snapshots of local celebrities. Ceiling fans hum above the twenty tables, which are graciously shuffled around the restaurant to accommodate diners. Bilingual service is casual and dependable, but not necessarily friendly.
The Food
Aficionados pour beans (black or red) over rice (white or yellow) and add their entree to the mix--like breaded steak (bistec empanizado) served with peppers, green olives and onions, or shredded chicken (pargo en salsa), swimming in a garlicky sauce. The house specialty is the tasty Cuban sandwich, a thin baguette filled with roast pork, Swiss and ham and topped with a secret sauce. Crunchy tostones (fried green plantains) are served with most meals, but try the sweeter maduros, made from ripe plantains.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Know Before You GoThe dessert offering of guava shell with cream cheese may sound odd, but it's a traditional Cuban sweet well worth a try.
What to DrinkFor dessert on the go, try a tropical shake, available in hard-to-find Cuban fruit flavors: Mamey, guanabana, tamarindo, parcha and trigo.
User Reviews for El Oriental de Cuba
02/06/2008 Posted by alideva
The 4.5 stars the editorial staff gace this place is grossly undeserved, but since there isn't an AUTHENTIC Cuban restaurant in the Boston area, they really don't have anything else to compare it to. This is not the place to go if you want a Cuban Sandwich. In fact, this is not the place to you if you want Cuban anything... except the scenes on the photos on the wall. The cooks aren't Cuban. The food is a mash-up of recipes of Latin-American origin. Service couldn't be worse. Sorry guys. If you want good Cuban food, go to El Exquisito on Calle Ocho in Miami.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
06/03/2007 Posted by meatfenway
I have never been in Cuba, therfore I am not sure how the octopus is cook there, but I bet it is nothing close to the huge smelly chunks of cheap and unfresh octopus tossed with rice and lots of oil I got here for $12. It was bad news and I even got intoxicated the next day. They also have "Bacalao" in the menu for Saturdays only and good luck getting that because they don't make it. My wife got the famous cuban sandwich (the specialty) and that was a disaster as well. The two "empanadas" were bad too. Maybe we did not know how to order, but I am not taking the risk going back there. Save yourself a trip !
Pros: Nothing.
Cons: Th ingredients are not fresh, no tables for one person and bad service.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
