El Tropico Cuban Cuisine

It's such an easy spot to stop in and eat. You don't need reservations, and they always are very welcoming. The staff are always super kind and helpful. I have never been disappointed with the food. I want to try the arroz con pollo one day, but they need a 60 minute heads up. It's a dish made for two people. Today, I had the Masitas de Puerco. It comes with two sides. I chose Moro and French Fries. I took half of my meal home since it was so big. For dessert, I had hot chocolate and Flan de Coco. The dining area inside is spacious and clean. The outside area sometimes attracts smokers. Just a heads up, they charge a convenience fee for paying the bill with a credit card.

I walked over here from my hotel, and went back and forth between the Peruvian place down the way, and El Tropico. I find myself in Miami a few times a year, and have been searching for a Cubano that can live up to the one I get at home. I may live in Texas, but there is a lovely cuban man in NRH with a tiny pink sandwich shop that SLAYS. I digress.I actually walked past El Tropico, having decided on the Peruvian joint...when I smelled the coffee. They have a little coffee window connected to the restaurant, churning out tiny little coffees. I normally have one coffee a day, but I had taken the 5:30 am flight to Miami, and that little window was a siren calling me to come and sit. So sit I did.My lovely waiter Eduardo took my order. I ordered a water, cuban coffee, and a cubano. A cuban coffee is pretty much a sweet espresso shot. He made sure I didn't want a coffee drink with milk. I worked in a coffee shop in the late 90s and have traipsed all over Italy, I knew what I was getting into. I was brought the water and the coffee first. And...it was perfection. SO GOOD. A perfect shot. It wasn't too bitter or acidic, it was sweet and balanced and ... perfect. It has been a week and I am still thinking about it. I could go for one now. If I lived here I would come every day.On to the Cubano. It is LARGE. It comes with plantain chips that give a super satisfying crunch. The sandwich was wonderfully crunchy on the outsde, filled with delicious pork, ham, cheese, mustard and pickles. This was no glorified ham sandwich, which you find a lot of. The pulled pork was center stage. And the pickles showed up. They are a wonderful crunch and some acid and sourness to cut through the richness of the meat. It is a hefty but balanced sandwich. My only gripe was that they have Crystal hot sauce. Being a proper Texas lady, I prefer mexican style hot sauces over Louisiana. No matter, I could only eat half of it at the restaurant. The other half I took with me, heated up in the oven so I could get that bread nice and crispy, and threw some Cholula on it. YES! This is the Cubano I have been waiting for! Let me stress, this sandwich doesn't need anything. It is incredibly delicious. I am just a hot sauce freak, and if I can make something spicy, I will. Next time I come in, I will bring my green De La Viuda, and I bet I will polish off the whole sandwich. I may never make it to the Peruvian restaurant.

This is a frequent stop every visit to N Miami!!Hubby gets the toasted Cuban bread and cafe and I get "a meal". The lechon (roasted pork) is seasoned perfectly, very tender, and served with grilled onions. It's heavily packed between the softest, toasted, Cuban bread. The tostones were perfectly crispy as requested. I couldn't get enough of the mojo (garlic sauce)!!! I ate it with the sandwich and the tostones.I had plenty of everything left over for a late night snack!!Thank you El Tropical for being consistent over the years.

Don't waste your time and money here. The food is overpriced and was mediocre, I was extremely thirsty hours later after my lunch and usually it's a sign of lots of MSG. They up-charge you for cheap bottle water AND there's a 4% of "convenience fee" added to your total bill.

I ordered a fresh orange juice, 2 empanadas and cooked chicken for my dog. It took a very long time for anything to come out. After a half hour I got my empanadas but no chicken in sight. The ham and cheese empanada was very think. The chicken one was very dry. The fresh juice was delicious but you can't do much wrong there.I spent an hour here pretty much sit and wait.Service is good but understaffed and there for far too slow. If you come here you'll spend time!

This place has gotten ridiculously overpriced. An item (paella) that was just over $50 a few years ago now costs me upwards of $100 with 2 drinks. And let me tell you, you can't blame inflation when I've priced seafood at the store and prices haven't gone up as much as they are now charging. I don't plan on ever coming back here again. Take the money you would spend here and go to a nice steakhouse, it would cost the same.

Wow I have to admit I wasn't expecting this place to be as amazing as it was. I didn't do sit down I went to the right side of cafe for quick cafe con leche, a Cuban coffee and cortado, it was so amazing my brother got another one just to recall the family roots and we ordered two sandwiches a Cuban and media noche. On point both items definitely the spot while in town .

I've come here many times but never done a review. Today I had lunch which came out as expected. It does take some time during the lunch peak. This place stays very busy. They have many employees. Their prices are fair and they do know how to make good Cuban coffee. Inside they have two bars. One with alcohol and another which is a coffee cafe. Parking is very bad here. Come early.

Every time we visit Sunny Isles we make SURE to eat at this spot. The service is always super friendly & the food never disappoints. Sitting outside is prime people watching & adds to the overall amazing ambiance.

Lawd Have Mercy! We just happened to find this place before we headed to the Marina for our boating day. Everyone knows I love coffee, especially Cuban or Turkish coffee. This lil Cuban spot had some of THE most luxurious & luscious Cuban coffee I have had in years. When you walk in, you are hit by the wonder smells floating in the air. Immediately you can see why this place is so busy. It was packed full of happy customers enjoying every time they have to offer. I got some Cuban coffee and a croissants w/ Dulce de Leche. I inhaled the croissant because it was so good. The Cuban coffee was so good, too. I slowly sipped it to enjoy every drip. I could drink a gallon of that coffee and be happy with life. Next time I have more time on my hands, I want to try everything else on their menu. It all looked great & smelled fantastic. If you are in the area drop on in and enjoy the food, drinks, and smells.