Cortaditos Cuban Cafe

Delicious empanadas, with light and fluffy crust. The flavor of the chicken empanada was so rich, and ground beef was good. Also had a pastry with guava and cream cheese — left no need to go next door to Diggity Doughnuts for dessert! So happy to have found this.

North Miami, FL native here. When I heard this place opened I literally cheered in the streets banging pots and pans like the Miami Heat had just won a championship. a LEGIT Cuban spot HERE in Charleston? COULD IT BE TRUE?
Went for lunch today. SO disappointed.
First off, before we even get to portion size or price. Let’s address the real issue here. FLAVOR. This version of Cuban food is «dumbed down» for its perceived audience it appears. Under-​seasoned to say the LEAST. It almost felt like the food was made with the thought that «gringos are going to eat this so we don’t have to make it REALLY authentic but we can market it as authentic and therefore over price everything and NOBODY will know the difference (insert evil laugh)»
I ordered the #2. a Cuban sandwich. It was a good size sandwich from a length standpoint, but it was lacking the appropriate amount of pork & ham and was dry. Was also not very hot upon arrival to the table. A cuban sandwich if presented fresh should have crispy hot cuban bread fresh from the sandwich press. This was lukewarm. The sandwich was made properly in terms of pickle, mustard etc. but if I take a bite and a little bit of pork doesn’t fall out of the bottom of the sandwich you aren’t putting enough pork in the sandwich. to top it off the sandwich was $ 12! $ 12…I mean COME ON…
oh…if I thought THAT was egregious, boy did I have alot to learn?
well…I ordered a side of «Platanos». (when I said that word to order them the guy looked at me like I was speaking Spanish, which I now realizze would be super ironic considering I was at a Cuban joint SMH). So lets talk about this side of «sweet plantains». $ 3.50 for 3 PIECES. I need you to think about that for a second. You sliced a banana & 3 of those slices cost me $ 3.50. this is highway robbery masquerading as a side of plantains. They were also not fried properly as they are supposed to be brown or even darker than brown. Not bright yellow/​gold. I mean this is remedial latin cooking techniques we are talking about here.
My colleague got an empanada that tasted like it had frozen spinach inside of it and rice and beans that came out on plates about 6 inches round. Rice and beans on small plates. That should be against the law or something.
Let me explain something to you folks about cuban food, it is supposed to be relatively large portioned. Most cuban dishes originated as peasant food, food that is supposed to keep you full, feed many people & not be expensive. IF IF IF you are going to serve smaller portions, which some of the more upscale Cuban restaurants in North Miami like Little Havana on Biscayne Blvd may do on occasion, the execution is flawless & flavor is so strong you can almost taste the dishes before you take the first bite.
My colleague and I both left hungry. When I leave El Kiosko or Little Havana in North Miami or even Tropical Kitchen in Goose Creek I ALWAYS have to take a to-​go box. That is what to expect from a cuban restaurant that is not putting the «gringo tax» on all of its products and skimping on portion size.
The people were friendly, atmosphere was good but I will not be coming back and I would be embarrassed to take my Miami relatives there. I hate to leave bad reviews and I hope this restaurant improves, maybe I caught them on a bad day but you know what they say about first impressions…2 stars ONLY because deep down inside I want this restaurant to be good.

Cortaditos is the first and only cuban café in the Charleston area. As a cuban american i have been longing for representation here and a good quality meal. Cortaditos is easy to find, very inviting and provides a casual yet progressive vibe to cuban coffee shops.
The café con leche is superb and my favorite dish is their Puerco Asado with black beans and rice and plantains. You have another loyal customer!

Cortaditos is an authentic Cuban café in Downtown Charleston, SC. As a native Miamian with distant Cuban lineage – and much experience with Cuban food and coffee – I certify this place authentic, and worthy of a trip downtown even if solely for your Cuban «fix.» Whether your preferred «fix» is pastelitos, café con leche, or the variety of authentic Cuban hot meals available (breakfast/​lunch/​dinner) you will leave feeling more than satisfied. With its location and its ambience, Cortaditos will make you feel as though you are in Miami. Meeting St is reminiscent of S. Dixie Hwy (US1) in Miami, and Cortaditos’ latin vibes «take me» to Miami upon each visit.
This place comes highly recommended, and should you not have experience w/​Cuban cuisine do not be intimidated… come and try it out, and leave enlightened and wondering why you’ve never had Cuban food before. Having an authentic Cuban café in Downtown Charleston is a blessing and something I did not see coming – but am thrilled.
Recommended:
Breakfast Combos #‘s 1 & 4.
Cubano sandwich
Picadillo
Empanadas

We stopped by after an event for a quick bite and two of us just split the big Cuban sandwich and some plantains. It was enough and it was good!

This place was great, awesome atmosphere and their Cuban sandwich was on point. It’s also really close to my house so it’s very convenient to have an awesome Latin place that close

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!!! One of my favorite places to go in the city! The owner Lisabeth stood there and talked with my friend and I through our whole meal and she is the real deal! Super nice! This is authentic Cuban food, not fusion, not compromised, not Americanized AUTHENTIC! And I loved it! Will be visiting again VERY soon! The Cubano is on point! Go! Trust me you will not regret it!

Only authentic Cuban restaurant in Charleston. Really great lechon and coconut flan. I will definitely go back and visit Lizbeth for some more cortaditos and platanos.

Okay, I’m a little lost here on all the 1’s and 2’s. There are a few needed tweaks here, but acting like the place sucks comes off a tad ridiculous.
The «outrageously overpriced» large Cuban sandwich fed two people. The breakfast one somebody throwing a tizzy on here over having egg on it says it does on the board in large, noticeable letters. It’s very fast to the table and the staff is nice.
Sandwich should have been a bit warmer, chips could use some seasoning. Beyond that I don’t get what all the complaining is about. Pork on the sammich is excellent, by the way.

Came by for lunch with a friend and had an overall average experience. I thought the portion sizes were large, but $ 2 – 3 too expensive, especially for lunch. The cuban was large and tasty, but would have liked to see thinner sliced meats and for it to be heated slightly more as the cheese was not melted all the way through. The beans and plaintains that came with the pulled pork dish were great. I think more seasonings on the pulled pork would have made it better. Also had a spinach empanada. The filling was good, but the shell was definitely lacking.

I have to agree with the other reviews about it being overpriced.
I was so excited to try the Cuban sandwich. I miss eating and enjoying Cuban food when I lived in Florida. The bread wasn’t toasted enough, the Swiss cheese not melty enough, too much mustard, and the pork was tasty but a little too salty. I drank about 20oz of water after I ate half of it. :(

I am no Cuban-​cuisine connoisseur but am happy whenever a new ethnic restaurant pops up on Charleston’s food map. The owners were extremely friendly and clearly passionate about bringing a little of their culture to Charleston. The menu is made up of Cuban sandwiches, pastries (sweet & savory empanadas), smoothies, sweets and of course– Cuban coffee. My Pan Con Timba (guava paste, cream cheese, swiss) was huge in size and came on delicious crusty Cuban bread. I have never had guava paste before and loved the flavor paired with tangy cream cheese. My side order of plantations were also extremely tasty– I would order again in a heartbeat. The reason for my three-​star rating isn’t due to the quality of food, but rather due to the cost. $ 12 for a Cuban Sandwich, no matter how delicious, is pretty steep. The better option here in my opinion is for breakfast rather than lunch, as many of their sammies like the one I ordered are around $ 6 – 7. My recommendation is to come for a morning coffee (like the Cortadito– espresso with steamed milk) and a pastry, empanada or breakfast sandwich. Am curious to hear what others more familiar with Cuban cuisine think of Cortaditos!

Overpriced and underserved. This place is tiny and homely. It’s in a nondescript «shopping center» of sorts– just past a highway overpass.
I didn’t expect much but I can say for certain I didn’t expect to pay what I did for lunch here. I ordered a Cuban sandwich and was shocked at the price. $ 12 for a sandwich?!
The sandwich was huge and very tasty but I would have preferred a half sandwich option– at half the price.
The staff here is oblivious– texting, talking and messing around while they forget to serve you. Our orders were sitting on the shelf getting cold before they realized. They also forgot to give us our drinks, then our straws, then our empanadas– which were also cold.
Meanwhile the owner or manager is sitting within eye sight watching us eat our meal — more concerned about if we like the food than the poor service. «Do you like the sandwich?» Yes. The service? No.
I won’t be coming back here.

I had been looking forward to having a Cuban Restaurant in town for years. Overall, this is a disappointment. I hate to write bad reviews because a restaurant represents someone’s dream. So I truly hope negative feedback is used constructively. First off-​the Cuban sandwich is overpriced. My tab including tax for a sandwich with chips was over $ 13. The most I have ever paid for a Cuban sandwich is $ 9 at an airport in Miami. This should cost less than $ 6. My best Cuban ever, Tampa Florida, $ 3.50. I understand Charleston is getting pricier but let’s put this in perspective — Cypress has a $ 5 burger night… You can get a prime steakburger at Hall’s for $ 12. This establishment is near an overpass and a stones throw from the homeless shelter where I volunteer. Gees.
I forked over the money expecting a stellar sandwich. It was not good. It was very small with too much mustard, unmelted (!) cheese and gristle /​fat in the pork. On the bright side, the bread was pressed and crispy, the ham was fine and the pickles were tasty. Not enough to rescue it. The plantain chips on the side were complimentary but totally stale.
Two stars for outdoor seating, a chalkboard menu, breakfast hours, a donut place next door and my friends’s passion fruit smoothie.
Unless I hear that the prices are halved and the sandwich quality improves, I won’t give this another shot.

I travel for work and love finding random little hole in the wall gems. This is certainly one. My coworker and I both got the Elena Ruz, a panini with turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam. It was outstanding! It’s definitely not fancy but the food is great.

Run. Could be the worse cuban food ever. I lived in the Miami area for 10 years and Cuban food was always a regular part of your diet.
The food is bland as they come. The bread is not even «cuban bread» on the Cuban Sandwich. The sandwich did not sit under the press even long enough to warm the center or come close to having a crunch.
Service wise, everyone that works here seems to be confused. Doesn’t seem like they have any restaurant experience.
I will not be returning.

I went back Saturday, got #7 sandwich to go. There was huge amount of plantain chips, but where is the pork. It was like eating a loaf of crusty bread with essence of pork. On its own, pulled pork is delicious and bread is a very nice crusty loaf. But as a sandwich it sucked, hardly any meat and that was all… nothing else, bead and few fibers of pulled pork, what’s up with that? They run out of coconut flan :(, had to settle for plain flan, was still excellent. How I ended up paying $ 28 is a mystery. I was in a rush and didn’t think about it till I got home.

ATTN Charleston! MUST CHECK THIS SPOT OUT! It’s just like Abuela used to make. I can’t wait to go back!
Day 2 (very next day for lunch):
Had to try the media noche sandwich and was not disappointed. Manny, great job!!!

Menu wasn’t clear on pricing, so we had to question why we were charged so much for our meals. Turns out all the prices aren’t on any of the menus??? WHAT? The owner/​person in charge said that we could have something free of charge since the menu wasn’t clear. That said the food was ok. It seemed more like food truck food than a sandwich shop. I had the pork sandwich and it was nothing to write home about. The desserts that we had were ok. We really just felt like we’d eaten a loaf of bread each.

Simple and to the point! Not much room but that’s because it was packed. Glad to see this restaurant in Charleston!