Texas Cuban

I was so excited to try this food truck. I went twice and they were closed. Finally, someone posted they were closed for good.

It’s closed. I noticed the trailer was off the lot — hoping they had moved for a private party or event. Now Hey Cupcake (also an amazing trailer) has moved into the spot. Searching the web shows that Texas Cuban closed. Good bye, old friend, I’ll miss your free Saturday Lone Stars most of all!

Sadly the Texas Cuban is no longer open. We went on Monday and called them because they were closed during business hours and got the message that they are no longer in business. I coudl not be more heartbroken, that is always our go to when we have someone in town and we want to impress them with Texas fare. You will be so missed!

I have had this place on my bookmark list for awhile. It is conveniently located in my neighborhood as well so I really have had no excuses as to why I haven’t tried it. The bf and I were riding our bikes the other day and were a bit hungry so stopped by Texas Cuban to grab a bite. I am sure glad we did and that I could finally knock this place off my bookmark list. We ordered the classic Cuban to share, but I wish I had gotten my own! I was surprisingly impressed! The bread was warm and crunchy and they give you a nice cut of meat in your sandwich. The pickles are also super crunchy and delicious! The sandwich is not greasy like some places and packs a lot of flavor. Overall a great sandwich, though I still think Toasties’ Cuban sandwich has a hand above Texas Cuban. I will definitely be back to have a whole sammy to myself! They also have picnic tables outside and a nice big grassy hill if you want to bring a blanket and enjoy a little picnic on a nice day.

Bland and greasy food. There are plenty of better sandwich places in Austin to go to.

A poor excuse of a Cuban sandwich. I wouldn’t even consider it anything close. I was served a mediocre sandwich that I could’ve made myself. Not only was the food horrible but they like to rip people off as well. When we had asked why our sandwich didn’t come with the rest of the meal, they said they were on their SXSW menu which just meant them raising their prices and offering less food options. I’m surprised that this trailer is still even open.

Tried this little gem out today for the first time, so glad I did. We had the EL cubano sandwhich with a side of tostones. The serving size was great and so very tasty, could eat the tostones all day. Guys in the truck are super sweet and service was great. Saturdays you can have 2 beers on the house which hey who doesn’t like that. All in all great place to eat, picnic tables to sit at or grab a blanket and sit on the grass. We will be going back soon, perhaps next Saturday.

Great sandwiches! My great grandparents were cuban so i’ve tried many different cuban sandwiches… These are so good!

I was in the neighborhood and read about Texas Cuban on Unilocal.I had a hankering for maduros, the yummy sweet caramelized plantain that usually comes with the famous Cuban sandwich, and black beans. There are food trailers popping up all over town, for some reason this one stood out.
It is located inside a strip-​mall parking lot on South Lamar. I’m always looking for accessible places and what could be more accessible than a parking lot? As I rolled up to the trailer, I realized there was no clear path to the window. I saw a couple of muchachos and yelled, «Hey do you guys work here? And one of them walked over to me and said yes how can I help you? I asked him if there was a way that my power chair could get up to the window to see the menu. He told me the owner is actually in a wheelchair, which quite frankly made want to try this place even more. Manual chairs there, not a problem, power chairs, not mine. I think his name was James, forgive me if I am wrong and this was a few weeks ago. He said wait a minute, watch this! He ran over the large menu next to the order window, and ripped it off the side of the truck. He brought it over to me with a big grin and said how is that for curbside service? You had to be there, it was an awesome moment. Thank G-​d for Velcro!
There are 2 versions of the traditional hot pressed Cuban sandwich. The one we all know, pork or ham, mustard, Swiss cheese and a pickle called El Cubano at Texas Cuban. Their other version, which I ordered is called Media Noche. The difference is the bread as the Media Noche uses sweet egg bread which gives the sandwich just a hint of sweetness, which I think complements the sour pickle beautifully. And they don’t use ham, they use juicy, fresh, pork tenderloin marinated to perfection and cooked and chopped into bite sized awesomeness.
The sandwich comes with a side and I had the maduros. The sandwich was humongous, so for me it was 2 lunches. Sadly, they ran out of black beans. They must be really good which means, I will have to go back and ask an employee to rip down the menu for me one more time! The only reason I am taking away one star, is because there were no black beans so I reserve the right to change my rating in the future.
PS
can we please do ½ Stars?

Place seems to suffer from consistency issues. Have had both great sandwiches here and mediocre to below-​par sandwiches.
How to know its a below-​par day: tenderloin is dry; sandwich not pressed well (which doesn’t allow the flavors of the different ingredients to come together); excess bread; and waiting close to 20 minutes for a sandwich.

I am new to Austin and have been doing my due diligence in checking out food trucks and restaurants in and around the city. I have been to about 15 or so food trucks so far, and I can say hands down that this is the best. It also beats out every restaurant I have been to so far. The staff is down to earth, the music is great and the Cuban is something special. If you took a regular Cuban and made it 10 times better, you would get the Texas Cuban.
They may or may not have named Cuba after this food truck, I am not sure. Go check it out, right now. go.

Favorite is El Cubano. Love the free beer Saturdays even though I don’t drink beer I just think it’s a nice touch. Like the Mexican cokes in the cooler. Papa rellenos are great! Love this Cuban sandwich and will take it over Havana any day!
The Texan Cuban! You get my vote. The only reason I gave you 4 stars is because of the wait. Sometimes you have to wait for something great!

A friend and I watched the new Jon Favreau film «Chef» last Friday and decided, for reasons that hopefully aren’t too much of a spoiler alert, that we NEEDED some Cuban sandwiches in our mouthholes ASAP.
After doing some Unilocal research, we decided to try The Texas Cuban food truck, and we are quite pleased that we did! I ordered El Cubano (your regular Cuban sandwich), and it was VERY good. Just the right amount of mustard and pickles, which for me, can sometimes be overpowering. Another perk? FREE LONE STAR on weekends! You just grab one from the cooler!
This place loses a star because they don’t have regular soda (read: Diet Coke) for purchase so that’s a bummer. Free beer is good but sometimes I want my Diet Coke! It also takes a bit of time to get your food: we waited 15 minutes and we were the only people there at the time… But it was worth it and we weren’t in any kind of rush. Also you’ll have to park on the street, which wasn’t too bad for us but I could see how the street could fill up quickly.
SO, if you want a Cuban sandwich, try this place! The little drawbacks will not keep me away!

I was excited to see a Cubano place near our new house so we thought we’d share a Cuban the other night for our picnic at a nearby park. Let me just tell you that it took 27 minutes between the time I ordered and received my Cuban sandwich. I had read previous reviews which mentioned longer-​than-​average wait times and decided to ask the cashier/​sandwich maker what kind of wait to expect. He replied «10 – 12 minutes, tops». So either dude needs to buy a watch or be more realistic about his sandwich making speed.
Once I did receive the sandwich, my husband and I noticed it was somewhat dry and poorly seasoned. We much prefer the Cubano at Toastie’s which is ready in about five minutes. It’s a sandwich miracle!
There are very few food items worth waiting a half hour for and this one certainly doesn’t fit the bill; I won’t be back.

So good! Hubby and I split the Cubano. It was his first Cuban sandwich and it will definitely not be his last! Food took about 10 minutes to prepare, even though we were the only ones there (but they do warn about this). We had a nice meal on the picnic tables outside the trailer, and then we went to Town Lake to run it off. We’ll be back for more!
Side note: no bathrooms in the area except a 7 – 11 that’s a few blocks up.

My family and I happened to be driving by Texas Cuban one afternoon and the truck caught our eye, so we decided to give it a try. (Quick Background: I studied a semester in Cuba, love Hispanic food and I’m Latino)
They don’t have a wide menu but what they DO have is very good. We ordered an «El Cubano» and a «Simple Burger.» There was a few people in front of us so we figured the wait would be slightly longer than normal (especially with a few signs on the truck saying good food takes time, we appreciate your patience) BOY THEY WERE NOT LYING! No kidding, I think we waited about 20−30min! After about 20 min, the lady asked me «what was your name?» After I told her she apologized and said «5 more minutes, sorry.» (We still feel they just forgot about our order) About 10 min later, out came our food. I immediately noticed the Simple burger (for my daughter) had no french fries, just 3 small maduros (sweet plantains) instead. I asked what happened to the fries because the menu clearly says FRIES and the cook provided an answer that I still don’t quite understand. He did say he’d make some but it would take a little while so I declined because we were already starving, late to our next destination, and a bit annoyed at waiting for so long.
Aside from this rant above, the food itself was good. Everything tasted fresh, even though the Cubano was very small and I left hungry with $ 18 less in my pocket.
Bottom line… The service was terrible, the food was good and the prices were too much. Everyone’s experience will differ. this just happened to be mine. All in all I was disappointed because I REALLY wanted to love this spot. It’s in a good location, free beers on Saturdays, & the owner Hector (in the wheelchair) is very friendly and hung out with us while we waited so we had a good time in that aspect).
NOTE: The ²⁄₅ rating above if for the service. I give it a 3.5 for the food and a ⁴⁄₅ for ambiance.

As I’m munching through this expensive lunch 12.99 for croquettes and the Cubano. I’m noticing the delicate construction. Yet i don’t taste any intricate flavors. The pork, while looking appetizing, was dry and under seasoned. The pickle is just a regular dill. The cheese is hardly noticeable except the fact that I’m not a fan of Swiss, pretty sure Cuba would cry a bit seeing this. And now for the bread. They need to purchase someone’s family recipe for Cuban bread. This tasted closer to sweet Italian bread. Also not Cuban.
Moving onto the fried croquettes… at first bite i was punched in the face with onion and salt. Bite number two was worse than the first. Now we come to the toasties, tostones. Just not my cup of Cuban tea. Dehydrated, batter fried and sea salted. Textured like an under cooked steak fry. Starchy.
All in all not what i was expecting. I worked with a Cuban chef and this fails in comparison. If i hadn’t been banned from that truck I’d come running back after this experience. The sandwich is pretty. Looks don’t fill you up unless you’re Peter pan in neverland. Looks are deceiving.

Technically, I did not try the food. So should I really be writing a review? Maybe not. But, I’m irked by the Texas Cuban trailer. So, I’m going to write one anyway.
If I show up during your regular business hours, you should be open!
I do consider it a faux-​pas when a business posts their business hours on their website (and Unilocal) and then does not abide by those hours. Especially when they’re not super close to my home and I’m making a trip there just to try the food.
I will be back, though, because I have a Google deal to burn. And because I liked the ample picnic tables provided by your trailer at which I enjoyed my delicious Phoenicia falafel last night with my pup in tow. And I do intend to update once I have actually tried the food.

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
~ Ernest Hemingway
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I secretly desire to legally visit Cuba before it becomes open and overrun with American tourists and retrace the steps of Hemingway by way of his favorite local cafes and watering holes.
Feeding that desire is my romanticizing of Ernest Hemingway sitting in his favorite watering hole in Cuba. I imagine him drunk on Daiquiris, smoking Cuban cigars, kibitzing with the locals, and collecting fodder for his memoir. While I never really pictured what he was eating, a Cuban Sandwich comes to mind.
No one knows for sure if the Cuban Sandwich originated in Florida or Cuba, just that it was originated by Cuban’s. With its origin up for grabs, suffice it to say, the Cuban Sandwich is a staple from history that has been enjoyed by farm and cigar factory workers over the years and has made its way to Austin and into the hearts of a whole new generation.
This little trailer on South Lamar serves up a Texas-​sized Cuban sandwich, aptly named the Texas Cuban. It serves two people according to the menu, but I do think it could serve 6. I ordered the Cubanito which is half of the El Cubano (which is half of the Texas Cuban). So in case you are confused: Cubanito=Smallest; El Cubano=Middle; Texas Cuban=MF Big-A$s Sandwich!
They make the Cuban sandwich in it’s basic traditional form with a slight twist, it has provolone. It also has Swiss cheese, juicy roasted pork tenderloin, ham, pickles and your choice of mustard or mayo. The traditional Cuban calls for mustard, but if you want to spice it up, they have a horseradish Boars Head mustard to give it a little kick. All if this is served on Cuban bread which is pressed and lightly toasted in a plancha. This is similar to a panini press without the grill lines.
The Cubanito for $ 5.50 is a meal in and of itself. The pork was tender, pulled apart easily and oh so moist. The heated combination was not overpowering, but the perfect blend of ingredients on a crisp toasted bread. For $ 1 more you can add either Tostones (Plantain chips) or Maduros (Sweet Plantain Chips) on the side. I opted for the Tostones, which were slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was kind of like having a pressed plantain cake. They were tasty and a perfect pair to the Cubanito.
They have just a few sandwich offerings. In addition to all the Cuban sandwiches, they also serve the Media Noche, which is almost the same as the Cuban except it is served on a garlic egg bread (similar to a challa). They also offer Cuban and American burgers and a nice grilled vege sandwich with roasted zucchini, yellow squash, onions, mushrooms, red bell peppers and provolone.
You can chose from a handful of sides or starters in addition to the plantain chips including black beans, fries, Cuban croquettes, and papa rellenas as well as non alcoholic bevvies like Zico, Dublin Dr. Pepper and Mexican Coke to name a few. BYOB if you want to have more of the Cuban experience here. Perhaps after a libation or two, you too may imagine Hemingway in just such a place for a little Cuba in Austin.

After countless friends telling me to try this place I finally got around to it last Friday. Took the girlfriend here for a lunch date, figured it would be perfect since they have a sandwich for 2.
We ordered the Texas Cuban with Mayo, Mustard, AND Spicy Mustard, we figured it was the best way to get the full experience. With 2 Texas Teas (huge bonus to them for keeping it local).
The sandwich was huge, I was skeptical that the sandwich could feed 2, even commenting to the girlfriend that if it didn’t fill me up that I would rant about it in my Unilocal review, luckily it was perfect. I dunno how the people of Cuba came up with this delicious mound of meats on top of 2 perfectly pressed crunchy yet soft pieces of bread but Texas Cuban does it correctly.
I will not knock the plantain fries because they tasted fresh but they were not my thing.
I will also note that this place gets 5 stars from me all the while making me eat their sandwich in 104 degree heat. That is a culinary achievement.