When we say Cubanidad 1885 is small, we’re talking three tables and a few counter seats. It feels like a secret you’ll want to be in on.
Running the ship for the Cuban restaurant is Chef Dennis Martinez Miranda, who previously worked in his family’s restaurant in Venezuela and an upscale Latin fusion spot in Miami. On Cubanidad’s website, Miranda states, “The real secret [my secret] is in your heart—to follow your instincts.”
Those instincts have resulted in some of the city’s best riffs on Cuban food. Flaky empanadas ($2.75 each) are a good way to start—or finish—any meal. The most interesting choice might be ropa vieja and plantain, though the simpler-sounding spinach and cheese is also a standout. The similarly textured Pastelitos Cubanos ($2.50) offer sweet fillings, including guava and cheese and sweet coconut. You can’t go wrong with either.
There are three iterations of the famed Cuban sandwich, if you include the Medianoche (midnight), which you should, because it’s a banger. Smoked ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese and homemade mustard sauce comingle on pressed sweet egg dough bread, which plays perfectly against all those savory items.
You can also grab a filling plate featuring your favorite protein, like the aforementioned ropa vieja ($10)—shredded, stewed beef with an abundance of flavor—along with rice and a side. There are many to choose from, including sweet plantain maduros, sweet potato mash and fried yucca with mojo. Buen provecho, indeed.
CUBANIDAD 1885 3585 S. Fort Apache Road, 702-846-5312. Daily, 11 a.m.-9 p.m
