Oya Cuban Cafe

Had no idea that there was Cuban food in the area! I accidentally stumbled upon this place while I was in Malden. This place is just a few minutes away form the Malden Center T stop and there’s also plenty of parking in the area too.
The restaurant itself is pretty small but it’s very comfortable and modern. There’s also an artist that plays live music in the corner. However, I thought it was a little too loud. It was a little difficult hearing people speak at the table.
Oya Cuban Café kicks off your food adventures with a basket of warm dinner rolls. The remind me like little baguettes, crisp on the outside and warm on the inside. We ordered the beef empanadas and the mini Cuban sliders for appetizers, both of which were pretty decent. Each dish comes with 3 each. The beef empanadas had this tomatoey flavor and were filled with cheese, not what I had expected. With the sliders, the kitchen used the dinner rolls for the bun so I wish they used something else. For my entrée, I ordered the Arroz Imperial con Maduros and it was amazing! Each bit melted in my mouth. The dish consists of pulled chicken and rice, and a giant layer of cheese on top. Oh! And if you like plantains, the dish is filled with them! I can’t wait to come back and explore some more items =)

When I go to Cuban restaurants I hold a high standard. If it doesn’t come close to my abuela’s cooking then it’s no good!
This place is… Excellent!

You can see from the other reviews, this place is pretty popular, for good reason.
Bread– fantastic, crispy rolls served piping hot with a garlic butter.
Mango juice– Latin– American style fruit juice (no added sugar, a little more watery than you may be used to). Extremely refreshing, highly recommended.
Empanadas– perfect. Flaky crust, extremely flavorful beef and cheese filling. The appetizer comes with three empanadas, and after 1.5 I was starting to get full
Arroz Imperial — signature arroz con pollo. Extremely cheesy and full of pulled chicken. Topped with fried plantains.
Shrimp paella — also a rice dish, but with more of a spicy (not hot) flavor than the arroz imperial.
Everything was absolutely delicious. The live music was delightful. Best date night in years, we will most definitely be back.

Excellent. First time dining there tonight. Service was great, polite, attentive and easy.
Menu is nice. Food was delicious, powerful flavors with a nice presentation. Nice atmosphere.
I love a good Yuca fry, and these didn’t disappoint. Also the glass of rosé I ordered was nice– a little more robust than your average rose.
This place is A hidden gem!

This place is classic! The food, the ambiance, the music. It’s quaint, modern, clean and perfect. Love it! We need a Cuban dance night!!!

Wow, this place is great. I can’t wait to come back! We got the lamb and another dish that was recommended by the waitress. I think it was Arroz Imperial con Maduros. I asked what was most popular and she said this one was. And I can see why. It was freaking DELICIOUS. The cheese, chicken, plantains and spices (but not spicy) were just out of this world. The ratios were perfect, the cheese did not run out before the rest (which is a totally rational worry of mine).
Very clean, very nice staff and good location in a more quiet section of Malden center.

What a find.
Great, delicious food. Very friendly service, and not super expensive. It’s a little out of the way, being in Malden, but the drive out is worth it.
It’s a little slow at times, but that doesn’t take away the from the super festive environment. Really fun place.

First and foremost as a chef personally, I have very high food standards.
I had the pleasure of dining here one night with a few of my favorite colleagues (3chefs, 3servicemangers). Everything from the rolls we received when we we’re seated thru dessert was fantastic.
We started with the Empanadas de Carne, they were very flavorful almost enough by itself. Then it came time to order dinner. How can I not order a Cuban sandwich at a Cuban restaurant, definitely worth it!!! Was the best Sanyo have ever ate! Nice tender pork with a great ham, Swiss, tangy mustard sauce, fresh pickles on nice baguette pressed to perfection. That’s worth the trip alone!!! My colleagues ordered the balsamic lamb chops that were grilled to perfection, and very flavorful. We also ordered the Arroz Imperial con Maduros, very flavorful and delicious rice casserole, by far the sauce its served in is «heaven on a spoon»… That brings us to dessert, we ordered one of each, bread pudding is by far the best I’ve ever tasted. With dessert definitely get the Leche y Leche. From 3 Chefs to Chef Roberto thank you for serving us a great meal from start to finish!!!

Great food, live music was very soothing… I would recommend this place and would love to come back and try some other dish

This is a tough review to write because it’s going to make me very hungry. Oya is an all around incredible experience. My friend and I randomly stumbled on it a while back just after she had moved to Malden. We immediately made plans to come back with our significant others because we were so excited to have found it!
Everything on the menu is made with quality ingredients and is filled with interesting flavors. Ive tried the Arroz Imperial con Maduros and the Rancho Guajiro, both are variations of meat and rice with different spices and vegetables. It’s all so filling and delicious.
I can’t really speak to the authenticity of the food as I’ve never been to Cuba, but it definitely feels authentic in there and the staff clearly know what they are doing.
We finished our meals each time with the Cortadito which is hands down the best cup of coffee i’ve ever had! I’m not sure if they’ve gotten a liquor license yet but they didn’t serve alcohol the other times I was there. For me to go to dinner at a restaurant that doesn’t serve alcohol says a LOT about the food.

My wife and I love this place! We normally eat in once a month. The food is amazing and the staff are really friendly and accommodating. The dishes come out looking like something out of Top Chef or one of those other cooking shows, but the prices and reasonable.
The restaurant isn’t huge which is actually quite nice. It allows for a more intimate dinner. The venue is nicely decorated with Cuban art and paintings. Added bonus is the older gentleman who plays Latin music and serves as a one man band lol! This guy plays keyboard, while shaking the maracas and singing. He plays everything from bachata, salsa, merengue, etc. He definitely adds to the entire ambiance of the restaurant and gives it that extra wow factor! If your feeling generous go ahead and tip this guy, he certainly puts on a mini show, providing great entertainment with dinner. I always go out of my way to support small and local business and Oya is a no brainier for good food and a great experience.

Decided to check this place out after reading all the Unilocal reviews. I should start out by saying that I am by no means a Cuban food expert.
We sat at the small, but cute bar. We did not have a reservation but the place filled up pretty quickly which was to be expected on a Friday night. They had a gentleman playing live music.
I ordered the half chicken which came with rice, beans, and plantains. My husband had the slow roasted pork which came with a different rice, onions, and plantains. Both of us enjoyed our meals. I thought the flavors of my chicken were great.
I would definitely recommend giving this place a try especially if you want to try something a little different.

This little restaurant was amazing. Service was impeccable. The pork belly and scallop appetizer was done to perfection. Pork belly was crispy caramelized and not fatty at all. The scallops were seared and tender. The Cubano sliders came three to a plate enough for a full meal for me. The Cubanos’ Cuban rolls were grilled crisp stuffed with delicious roast pork and ham. Ended the meal with best Cuban café con leche I’ve had outside Miami. And there was live music! Will definitely go again soon! Hoping there will be some salsa and bachata dancing to the live music next time. Love this place!

Absolutely authentic 100% gourmet Cuban food. This coming from a cuban that his family had one of the most successful cuban restaurants in Tampa FL. The owner and chef cooks in front of you. He came out to greet us and shared his story. This is thee flavor of Cuba in such a beautiful atmosphere.

Upon returning the second time, the waitress recognized me immediately and said welcome back. Perhaps she had mistaken me but I ran with it because she made me feel special.
Qué rico (delicious)! They start you off with bread and butter. Their additions to the flavor of the butter is amazing! I’ve been here twice for dinner and got the pork belly scallops appetizer. It doesn’t disappoint and is a must.
The entrees I’ve tried were the lamb and arroz imperial both of which I’d get again.
The lamb was tender and flavorful. The arroz con maduros paired well with the rest of the entrée.
Friendly, attentive service and the touch of live Latin music adds to the feel of a wonderful dinner. You can’t help but smile at the one man band and notice his enjoyment too. The music inspired me to go salsa dancing afterwards to end the night!

When my friend invited me to Malden for dinner I was worried. As Unilocal usually does, it saved me from my fear and found me a few worthy places to dine at. Their phone was down from a recent snow storm but I was able to find out they were taking reservations through their website from their facebook page. Within an hour I had the owner emailing me a confirm for our reservation. And it only got better from there.
The food here is fantastic. It tasted like comfort food, but was different then food I’ve had in the past. You can’t go wrong with the Arroz Imperial con Maduros, I would say it’s like a Cuban lasagnae. The serving is ridiculously huge and you will eat until you explode. It comes with fried plantains putting the dish even more over the top as I love fried plantains. My wife had the shredded beef which was just OK, she did love my dish though. We also shared a couple of appetizers including the pork belly/​scallops (great), mini cuban sandwiches (just ok), and mariquitas con salsa (plantain chips, free with Unilocal check in!, these were suprisingly really good!). The wine seemed to come from a wine cellar the way it was poured from small bottles and it had great flavor and smell.
I also loved the live music here. It was more like background music but the musician was talented. It wasn’t too loud and you could easily hear your companions.
Between the music, service and food I felt like I escaped our crappy winter for a few hours. This is truly a hidden gem of Malden AND Boston and shouldn’t be missed. It’s one of the best in Boston, not just Malden, with a Malden adjusted price tag.

Very delicious food.
I came here last night with a friend after discovering that a few of my Unilocal bookmarks are located on this street.
I pretty much created my own dish and substitued a few items and created a cheesy risotto with shrimp and grilled veggies. It was very flavorful and entertained my tastebuds. I also ordered their special juice (pineapple & mango). The consistancy was all pulp and ice. It was super sweet. Not really my thing, but still good & satisfied my sweet tooth.
The food took about 25mins to be served but we didn’t mind because everything was super fresh (no heat lamps involved).
Bonus: Our server was very sweet and personable & there was live music. I love establishments that play live music! .
Amazing experience & great food for all you foodies looking for your next review!

The moment I catch word of an authentic Cubano and its sweeter sistawich, the Medianoche, moonlighting around Exchange Street, I’m Malden. I’m all in. Did that work? No. Is the lunch menu alone worth the drive? A million times over, yes.
Every budding café should emulate what Oya is doing: walls adorned with icons of Cuban culture bathed in sunlight during the day, transitioning seamlessly to cloth napkin and vested service at night, both times soundtracked by plucked strings and staccato vocals. The lacquered, dark woods and adorable half-​bar carry from lunch to dinner, and should they decide on a brunch option down the road, hell, the dining room works for that, too. It’s the snuggiest of snugs on a mostly sterile strip of downtown Malden.
And the food! Cuban cuisine has an unfair advantage of being entirely too delicious, so the all-​encompassing array of seafoods, meats and soups make for an impossible initial decision. It’s okay, young padawan; you’ll be back again. Trust your instinct — or trust me and get the Sandwich Cubano: roasted pork, ham, Swiss, pickles and mustard on slow pressed Cuban bread. Sided by either steak cut fries of a tangy citrus vinaigrette tossed salad, this authentic $ 10 Cuban takes top honors in Malden, top honors north of Boston and saving only another four or five go’s-at-it for consistency, a photo finish to the current reigning champ, El Oriental de Cuba.
It’s simply perfect.
Her Medianoche (BBQ drenched pulled pork, thinly sliced chorizo, melted Swiss on a soft sub roll; $ 8) looked more like a meatball sub and left the sweetness to the sauce rather than what’s traditionally found in the bread, but it too emerged as a more than satisfying feast — I finished the other half 10 minutes ago!
And no matter how overstuffed the ‘wich, both were plated beautifully. Chef/​owner Roberto has something going on — something real and wonderful and necessary. Whether for the Ropa Vieja, the cream of malanga root soup, the Chicharrones and Vieiras (yes, crispy pork belly and scallops) or another run at that Cubano, I am salivating at the opportunity to return.

Fine dining in Malden? Yes my friends Oya Cuban Café is the real deal. Completely blown away by this hidden gem tucked away on the back streets of Malden. This place is elegant with a real Cuban feel to it. The service was fantastic. The husband and wife chef/​owners Maybe & Roberto even stopped by our table to talk with us about our experience and the food (in the business we call this a «table touch»). As of our visit they were still working on their liquor license but the bar setup looked great, can’t wait to return for some Cuban cocktails next month.
Their menu was excellent and there are so many items we wanted to try but we will have to return to try more. Here is what we had:
Mini Sandwich Cubano — No frills just 3 mini delicious Cuban sandwiches. The thick cut extra crispy fries that accompanied them were also awesome.
Bistec Encebollado — The marinate on this steak was perfect as well as how the steak was cooked. The steak was perfectly tender. The patacones, which are made from plantains, have the taste of french fries and the rice and beans combo was a nice compliment. What really impressed me was how the dish was plated, it was like a little work of art. The chef obviously cares not only about the taste but the presentation.
Arroz Imperial con Maduros — To simply describe this dish I would call it Latino Lasagna. Rice, pulled chicken, small bits of carrots and corn cooked in a tomato sauce with Cuban seasoning that is all neatly enclosed in a case of melted cheese. It comes with a side of sweet fried plantains.

As much as the blue collared raised immigrant child in me hates to admit, I love fine dining! Unfortunately Malden’s definition of fine dining is usually table clothes in a pizza joint.
When I heard Oya was opening up in Malden, there were tears of joy as I regularly stalked their website and drove by the location until finally they opened up.
Needless to say it did not disappoint! The interior is beautiful and modern yet cozy feel.
My boyfriend got Ropa Vieja — (Braised Shredded Beef with Sauté Red Peppers, Onions, Garlic, and Sofrito, Served with
White Rice, and Tostones. 15) and I got a cuban sandwihc.
Both were great but next time I’m ordering the Ropa Vieja, it was delicious and tender and everything I love about Cuban cooking!