Café Cubana

This is a new Cuban bistro located at the corner of Clifton Ave. and Frankfort Ave. right by the railroad tracks intersection on Frankfort Ave. The location was the former locale of Lynn Winter’s “Lynn’s Paradise Café,” the restaurant that achieved so much success that it had to move to its bigger and more accommodating Barrett Avenue location. Lynn’s Paradise was noted for its unconventionality in restaurant theme and recipe creations – they were home to the first espresso machine in Louisville and still today their time-tested unique creations top those of food network “Cook-off” challenger Bobby Flay.

Café Cubana takes a different route. Instead of being known for ingénue, I would declare their restaurant to be the most copy-cat of a restaurant I have ever been to… bar none! Their menu is an exact replicate of Havana Rumba, plus a few unique items. They’ve got miles to go before they score originality points the way Rumba did with its homemade cuisine; nonetheless, with a kiss of luck from the prior building owner Café Cubana has a few pennies in its pot of goodness towards becoming an established local eatery.

Their menu is seemingly the same as Havana Rumba; however, it’s more colorful and visually appealing. The dinner prices of many of the items are either the same or a dollar less, which makes dining on fish that much more yummy. Their grilled grouper with cilantro is what we always order at Havana Rumba. I tried it there last night to be eagerly disappointed – it had no flavor and was under cooked L Two weeks ago I tried the same dish at Café Cubana and was pleasantly surprised, at lunchtime no less, to find it flavorful and delicious! They had fresh salt sprinkled on top and the cut of fish itself was thick and tasted excellent. The sides were very flavorful as well – rice, beans, and some gooey plantains.  At the time I think my mind was surprised: “is this more flavorful than Havana rumba?” I caught myself wondering.

Besides the items being a little dryer than those at Havana Rumba, I would give it a 5/5 instead of 3.5/5 on the fish delicious-o-meter 1-on-1 test. (Maybe I should give both a second try, but for the moment that’s where I stand.)

The interior décor at Cubana could not have been more pleasant. When you enter you are greeted with windows on all sides of the restaurant, an elegant view of the glimmering bar, and a mysterious, winding staircase that goes up to the second floor. I would say that few restaurants could rival the intriguing visual that the Cubana provides.

While the walls at Café Cubana were bright, colorful, and fun, their waitstaff knew no English whatsoever. They were literally impossible to understand… Also, I know that they could afford to have some more clientele. However, their operating location makes that a little bit tough. They need to find a niche environment further from other grand ethnic eateries such as Grape Leaf, Shiraz, El Mundo, and Irish Rover.