Smokies Cuban Cafe

Some tasty doggone food. Always looking for a good Cuban sammicha and who would have thought I would have found one in the Great Smokey Mountains. Lots of fakes out there, but this is the real deal… from the bread to the ham to the pork.
Really enjoyed the Ironbeer soda too… nice way to add some authenticity to the whole deal.
Only negative? No mint mojito soda.

Hole in the wall Cuban café. I had no idea this place was here until a friend told us about it. Small inside but the flavor is all there. Our waitress was so nice and very attentive.
I had a Guanabana shake, croquette sandwich and a side of yuca with garlic. I felt like I was back in Miami. The food was so good!
We will definitely be back!

We stopped in based on reviews and we weren’t disappointed! We ordered to go and had the Cuban sandwich, Pork sandwich, both types of plantains, and both empanadas… Everything was amazing! Such a friendly atmosphere, and if you get anything try the coffee! We had the shots of the Cuban espresso… Best coffee I’ve ever had… And be prepared to be caffine jacked for the next 12 hrs ;)

My girlfriend and I stopped in for some take out during our stay in Pigeon Forge after seeing the great reviews on Unilocal and we’re so glad we did. We got the roast pork sandwich, Cuban sandwich, beef empanada, guava empanada, tostones, and fried plantains. Yea, we couldn’t decide and got way too much food lol but it was all tasty. Definitely one of, if not, the best cuban and roast pork sandwiches we’ve ever had. We had a couple coffees and talked with the owner while we were waiting for our food. The coffee was strong and delicious and the owner was very friendly. Definitely going to have to stop back in next time we are in Pigeon Forge.

Smokies is a small Cuban restaurant in the middle of a Pigeon Forge shopping strip. The food and coffees are excellent! The dine-​in area is small, so plan for a little wait if you come with a crowd. The ropa vieja is delightful, as are the croquettes. The café con leche has been wonderful each time I’ve ordered it, and the guava milkshakes are also exceptional!
Make this a stop on your next Smokey Mountain trip, but do call ahead to confirm hours, especially on holidays.

Over priced, dry pork, really poor quality bread– not even close. The bread seemed like ir had egg in the recipe, it was awful, and perhaps home made. Rice and beans $ 4.75. Yes, by them selves, $ 4.75. Will never return.

Smokies is awesome. Now on our 2^nd month here in the area, we are so glad they are less than a mile from us. Cuban sandwich is as good as it gets!!! And, we are from Miami and Tampa… The guys that run it are «Miami Cubans» and super nice folks; they treat us great. We call ahead and in 10 mins, ready to go. My wife loves the pork dinner, I always go for The Cuban!

This place was good. We were on vacation from Florida and we were missing out Rice and beans. We found this place. At first a bit spectacle about how it looked but I can honestly say this was Home cooked food. No wonder they are from Miami!
Croquettes reminded me of my grandmas and the empanadas were amazing! (Try the guava and cheese)

Delicious!
I love a mom and pop place!
Try the fried plantains or yucca. Perfection.
Call to order takeout to avoid the wait. Their Cuban sandwich is perfect!
Looking forward to coffee and Cuban toast sometime.

Thoroughly enjoyed the food at Smokies! My parents and I shared a cuban, a pork sandwich, a beef empanada, and tostones. The cuban was the best thing I tasted but all of the food was very good. The food took a little longer than expected but I was on vacation so I wasn’t in a big hurry. The only turn off was the extremely loud conversation going on among the staff. If I’m ever back in the area, I’ll be sure to come grab some lunch!

We tried eating here last year and they were closed (Sundays). We made another attempt today and im so happy we did. Its authentic as it gets and the staff is very friendly. We loved the cuban sandwich and fried plantains. The prices are affordable and the resteraunt is clean. Ill return.

Surprised to find this small local dive. One of a kind in the area. Outstanding food and service. Skip the chains and tourist traps and go here. Your tummy and wallet will appreciate it. Empanadas, roast pork sandwich, roast pork plate, etc were all on spot for good Cuban food. And don’t pass on the Cuban coffee, if you like espresso.
We ate lunch here multiple times, but I have zero doubt the breakfast is spot on for typical Cuban/​island Spanish (our hotel had b-​fast). Nothing better than pressed Cuban bread and Cuban coffee to get the day started.
Appearance: it’s a dive, so don’t expect the nicest place. If you visit the restroom you’re gonna see everything they have… kitchen, office, prep, storage. If you’re grossed out by seeing what most places actually look like behind the scenes, don’t.

Ah– MAZING! I’ve never had Cuban food before, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. I ordered the waitress’s recommendation, sautéed shredded beef. So. Good. The beef was a little oily, but still tasty. Perfect little hole in the wall :)
(And a great place to go to get away from all the fried southern food)

Just stopped in my wife had the shredded beef and black beans. I had the steak sandwich. Everything is good and fresh. The service is great and I will be back.
After much travel I have determined smokies is the best Cuban food in the eastern U. S.

We were so happy to find Cuban food on our vacation and even more happy that the food tasted amazing! We ordered a Cuban sandwich, café con leche (lattes but better), guava and cheese pastry, beef empanada, and tostones (fried plantains), iron beer soda and our son had a breakfast sandwich that was just as good. The service was excellent too! We will definitely be back!
P. S. In our opinion the guava and cheese pastry here surpassed the fried apple pies from Apple Barn. :)

I can’t really give less than five ! This a family business through and through ! A lot of love goes into each bite ! We had the beef, beef and cheese, also pepperoni empanadas ! My son had a Cuban sandwich with plantains ! The place only has enough seating for about 25 people ! Device was good and the price for lunch was under $ 30 ! Great change of pace for tourist thing !

Authentic and highly unexpected. When you go to the mountains, you would never think that you would find a Cuban restaurant, let alone a good one. I wouldn’t consider this place a full blown restaurant because they could definitely use some type of extension, but it’s a good spot for a quick eat. The Cuban sandwich was done right, and the French fries were different. Best way I could describe it is a mixture between a curly fry and potato wedge. Had the beef and cheese empanada and although it was good, i think the waitress overcharged me for it. There was sign on their board for specials and it said $ 2.50 for empanadas and she charged me $ 3.50. Noticed that they have Cuban coffee on their menu and other authentic Cuban food items. Definitely recommend for a Spanish food junkie.

Okay, this is awesome stuff. No pics because I ate it too fast. Sorry. But on with the review.
First, the waiter Tony was very patient and informative as this was our first experience. Then, we ordered the Seasoned ground beef with black beans, rice and fried plantain, to split between my wife and I. On the side we had a beef empanada. That was enough for the both of us. We then split a Cuban coffee. OMG!!! The Flan for dessert was great stuff.
My daughter and son-​in-​law were there, as well. My daughter had the same as us. My son-​in-​law had the Cuban Club.
My wife and I went back the next day to take some stuff back to the cabin for every one. When I walked in, Tony recognized me right off. I got 3 beef empanadas and a ham croquet & a beef one. This was the first time we tried the croquets and they were so awesome. While I was waiting, of course I had coffee. Everyone back at the cabin just loved every thing and wanted more. Just our time in the area ran out. Wish we had one in our area.

I ran in quickly after a hot day at Dollywood and got a Cuban sandwich made to go.
It was very good.
I look forward to going back and trying some more of the menu.

I wanted to get something at 4 o’clock to hold me over till supper at 7.
I was tired of the traffic & tourist traps and wanted something that wasn’t from a chain restaurant. I noticed the great Unilocal reviews this place got and I thought I’d give it a try.
We had two beef empanadas $ 2.50 each.
They were homemade and crispy on the outside with juicy ground beef on the inside.
Try the special vinegar garlic onion hot sauce on the table.
A beer would have been nice but this place is very small and its not allowed to serve beer because of their size.

wow tremendo servicio y la comida espectacular y claro la coladita cubana al final…
wow good service and spectacular food and of course the Cuban at the end coladita