Latin Soul Cuban Cafe

This used to be my fav spot but it went downhill quickly. I went past it today and there is a for rent sign up and it’s empty :(

I don’t really have a lot that I can say about this place. I thought it was an actual restaurant but it’s more of a take out place with a couple of high top tables.
It also closes fairly early and and was pretty much out of most things by the time we got there. But I went specifically for the empanadas as somebody mention that theirs were pretty good.
Not so much. I probably would have been better off if they had been out of those too!

Fresh food and excellent sandwiches. I had the steak sandwich it was very tasty. I recommend the shredded beef and the chicken chunks platters. All food is mad on the same day and very fresh.
Omar

If you want a legit pressed Cuban sandwich — come here. I became familiar with pressed Cuban sandwiches from the show Chef. This sandwich is exactly as I had imagined it would taste like. I love the crisp from the bread… and then the chewiness of it once you bite into it. This sandwich plus a soda is $ 9… But the sandwich is massive!!! They have 3 – 4 tables to sit down and if you check in with Unilocal you get 10% off!

I recently moved to Bergen County from Boca Raton Florida. While looking for a nice Spanish establishment with foods like I’m used to in Miami
I stumbled across he delicious foods of this establishment. From the empanadas to the roast pork to chicharron de pollo. Don’t forget my world famous rice and beans. This is a dynamite little spot you need to check it out.

Yeah, not sure what in the hell went wrong this evening, but the food my wife and I had this evening was leaps and bounds worse than our previous meals.
Ordered a La Cubanita and regular Cuban sandwich, croqueta de jamon, and papa relleno. Bread was stale and tough to chew, meat was dry, like cooked a few days ago dry, and there was no flavor at all. I had to add season all, and when I opened the sandwich there was the tiniest of tiny «schmears» of dressing on the sandwich. Neither of us wanted to finish our meals. The croqueta and papa was alright. Considering the vast amount of Latin American food around these parts they might have lost a customer.
Hopefully the level of quality can be brought back up to what it was when the business started. Hoping that expansion isn’t the cause of any sacrifice…

Such a hidden gem in Saddle Brook. It’s right next to the Firestone in case you’re prone to missing small places. There are only a couple high tables to sit, mostly takeouts, but still really good. The last time I was there, I was just ordering a bunch of appetizers like pastelles, empanada, tamale, and croquette. Boy, they did fill me up. They also have healthy fruit juices and Cuban coffee. Free wi-​fi and salsa music on the background.

I come here if I’m looking for a quick Cuban fix since American/​Italian lunch food doesn’t cut it for me. This a small café that is GREAT FOR LUNCH TAKE OUT. You can order Cuban coffee, cortaditos, pressed sandwiches, empanadas, croquets and platters that change by the day. The place itself has 3 tables so I would consider this more of a take out place. Most of the time, I order the lechon sandwich, which is basically a Cuban pulled pork with a pickle and mustard on the sandwich (Damn Miami for my obsession!). It’s the only place I know to get quick takeout Cuban in the area without having to travel to Union City or North Bergen (if you know of any other places in Bergen or Essex county let me know!) The sandwich always hits the spot and makes me wish I ordered more. $ 8.00 will get you a sandwich and a canned soda, however an empanada will run you $ 2.50 which I think is a bit much!!! Also, this place does cater.
The only gripe I have a about this place is parking. So come before or after the lunch rush.
Don’t forget to check in on Unilocal to get 10% off your order!

Sadly, this business is now closed. August 2015
Cuban food in saddle brook? Preposterous, right? Nope. The food is fantastic! Don’t expect a fancy place. This is mostly take out but there are a few tables and seats at the counter.
Workers are very friendly and the food is made to order so it is super fresh. It gets busy lunch time so best to phone in your order for pick up.
Beef empanadas are to die for …

My husband and I were feeling lazy last Saturday night, so we decided to stay in and order from Latin Soul. We drive past this place all the time, not sure why it took us so long to try it!
We actually ordered right online and it was delivered within a half hour! Amazing!
Since it was our first time, we decided to pick on a bunch of stuff. So we got: empanadas, croquettes, mojo wings, yuca fries, tostones, a Cuban sandwich, rice and beans and a papa rellena (all for $ 36!!) I don’t know where to start, the Cuban, huge and delicious! You can totally split it between two people and be fine! The empanadas, also huge and stuffed!!! Sometimes you get these empanadas that are tiny and have like a spoonful of filing in them! Not these. They are so big and stuffed to capacity! The yuca Frita and tostones, average! I wish they would give a dipping sauce of some sort with them! They were a little dry (which is totally normal, they are supposed to be), but, other Cuban restaurants that I’ve been to sever them with a garlicky dipping sauce of some sort.
We will definitely be ordering from here again! (They only have two high top tables, so take out is your best option!)
Enjoy!

I wish I got more!
Wanted to try some Cuban food and definitely found the best place to do so. Feels like the place is straight out of Havana!
Great selection of sandwiches and other delicious sounding sides (should have tried the croquettas). The Cuban sandwich is phenomenal and is bigger than it looks. They also have a nice amount of foreign sodas to choose from.
Definitely want to come back and try their pork platter that the girl at the counter highly recommend.
***EDIT***
Finally came back for the pork platter and I got a beef empanada too. I absolutely love this place. Food was great again, and the workers continue to be friendly. 5 stars for me!

I am not an experienced Latin food person and I don’t like pork so I only went for the empanadas. As everyone had stated the parking is rough. It’s a small store on a busy street so pulling out is a feat.
When I entered the store it was really busy, so I had to wait but that was no big thing. When it was my turn they were out of emphanadas but they said they would make more, the people working there are very nice.
It seemed to take a long time to get the emphanadas and when I received them they were too hot to eat so we took them home. I don’t know if it was because they were not hot by the time we got to them but they tasted salty not a good taste and there was hardly any filling plus when we went to pull out this guy started yelling at us in Spanish shaking his fist… don’t know what we did but get in the car… that’s ok I shook my fist back at him… that should teach him.

This place is great! I’ve been here for lunch a few times over the past two months and it’s been a great experience every time. The food is not pricey at all and the selection is very good for a small place. The sandwiches are fantastic and are really, really big for what you pay for. I’ve tried the Cuban sandwich and the steak and garlic fries sandwich and they’re both ridiculously good. They also have empanadas and a variety of sodas fro, the Caribbean. I highly recommend this place if you like Cuban food and want a quick sandwich for lunch!

Great local Cuban sandwich spot!
Only been around for 2 years the owner said.
We enjoyed two freshly made empanadas (turkey chili and a cheese one) piping hot and soo good. Cheese one was the best!
I ordered a standard Cuban sandwich $ 8 with a soda. It’s pretty big for one person but delicious with every crispy savory bite!
Simple, crispy, deliciousness
We also ordered a pork and rice & beans platter. Pork is great rice a bit overcooked beans were good. It came with a plantains as well we got the salt&garlic so good!
If you’re in the area definitely grab a sandwich and try and fit that empanada
pros:
Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, friendly staff, Spanish sodas
Cons:
Tough parking, overcooked rice

This place lives up to the all the hype! I had the pan con bistec and it was delicious! It had the garlic fries and not too much bread and perfect amount of flavor. My fiancée and I also had a beef empanada and a chicken empanada and they were both tasty and fresh. She had the lechon platter with red beans, maduros and rice and she enjoyed it. The can of Yerba mate cola was refreshing!
What intrigues me about this place was that they have a great selection of food, drinks and shakes that I would go back and try– tropical shakes, other platters, daily specials, other imported beverages and other appetizers/​sides worth trying out. They even have tres leches cake!
I recommend this Saddle Brook gem to anyone! Just make sure you get nearby parking as it is limited.

I’m giving them 3 stars because the food is ok. I went today around 4pm and it was empty. Parking is not easy but I parked in KFC parking lot.
Anyway, I ordered 2 beef empanadas and 2 media noches to go. It was like 23 buxs for that. So as I am sitting here eating the empanada, I take a bite into it and it’s not even hot. Is that how it’s suppose to be served? Cold? Whatever, I’m hungry so I keep biting and as it’s falling apart, I pull out a piece of hair! Wtffffff… see picture. Ugh my appetite just went down the drain.
But anyway the sandwich was hot at least. It’s actually pretty good.

This place definitely has latino soul! Cuban soul!!! I sampled some of my dads ropa vieja/​beans/​rice/​tostones and wow… it was like being in Miami. It was a flashback of the best kind because in Orlando I’ve yet to try Cuban food the way abuela did. What a fantastic meal, the steak sandwich was filled with lettuce, tomato, house made fries tossed in garlic oil. The bread was fresh, crispy and total bliss.
The owner was very kind and a total foodie, she uses good quality ingredients and that comes shinning through in the food.
Do yourself a favor and stop by here if you’re ever in New Jersey, amazingly delicious, as well as excellent service.

Food: ⁵⁄₅
Service:6/5
Price: ⁵⁄₅
Would I come back? Umm… YES.
First time trying a Cuban sandwhich… was sooo good!
im from Cali, where we Calians dont usually find cuban food places in our area, so after work hours we decided to come here as a team (group of four).
The cashier lady was very nice and patient with us trying to decide from the delicious menu… she went out of her way to explain the dishes to us as well! even though the places closes at 8PM, my coworkers and i had a meeting and they were in no rush to kick us out… seriously Thank YOU. ⁶⁄₅ for service! superb!
i ordered the media noche, and also ordered the chicken empanada. everything was affordable and ON POINT. Sandwhich and empanada was soft and crunchy, perfectionn i call it.
one of my coworkers ordered a pastry that was made out of cream cheese, vanilla extract, and sugar powder… omg thats bomb too. i wanted to try the tres leche cake, but im on what every girl is on, a… diet. lol
i will be back NJ, i will be back.

Just stopped in after seeing the movie Chef for an authentic Cuban. It hit the spot. Freshly made with all fresh made ingredients.
The staff is so friendly and the owner is amazing.
I would highly recommend Latin Soul Café to anyone looking for authentic Cuban food.
Excellent.

You gotta try this place out… its a small hidden gem but such a great place. I truly love places like this. Great, friendly service! Awesome food! Authentic…
We started out with a papa rellena and a vaca frita empanada… The empanada was bangin– awesome flavor. Then we tried the Cuban (which was the best Cuban I’ve had) and the pan con bistec sandwich came with potato sticks on it… so good too. Then comes the dessert– we tried the guava and cream cheese pastry warm and the dough was so soft… and the ice cream wow the ice cream… you can tell its homemade… I had the manchega and the dulce de leche. Both were excellent… For two people– we paid $ 12 each for all of that… we were full! Small parking spots in the front…
Come here and support this business b/​c its awesome!