Cuban Breezes

Best Cuban around, good prices! Has indoor and outdoor seating. Gets busy around lunch time on the weekends. Wish there was another location in Pinellas County. We always stop for lunch when in that area.

The food was decent, although the bread wasn’t what authentic Cuban restaurants carry, yet if I could give –5 stars for service, I would. The server we had was not friendly from the moment we walked in, but the icing on the cake was when I accidentally spilled some coffee. My husband was wiping down the table and our server went to a friend who was waiting on other table, she looked at our table, looks at it and walked past our table several times before my husband asked her if she could wipe it down. Her response was that she had 10 other tables. My husband then said if she couldn’t clean the table we would pay for our coffee and leave. She rolled her eyes, wiped the table, didn’t take the dirty pile of paper towels we had nor the entire area where coffee spilled and then seemed to have assigned someone else to our table. Never apologized, never acknowledged us again, and waited on her tables, which were less than 10. Usually a server will come to your aid, take care of the cleaning and offer you another coffee without seeming bothered. We will not be back nor will recommend this place to anyone in he future.

This place is a delight. It looks like another run of the mill shopping plaza restaurant, but this place was a pleasant surprise. Modestly underpriced food with happy people that have been working there for decades. So friendly, in fact, that I learned something about a few of them while their were so helpful and patient with my questions and inability to choice something to eat. Just food! Just good food!

A great neighborhood spot! The Cuban sandwiches are delicious especially dipped in some Havana sauce. Also can’t go wrong with the empanadas, party papas and the fricase de pollo. The prices are also very reasonable.

As a first timer, the food was delish! A group of us tried vary popular dishes, such as, sampler, empanadas (beef and guava), mango sweet tea, yucca fritters, & lechon asado!

The cuban is pretty good. Not the best I ever had. Not the worst.
It’s open on Sunday. And the servers are friendly. So it’s good for a fix and it’s a nice, clean place.

Been here one time about a year ago; and this time around I noticed a lot more negatives. I guess ignorance is bliss here because I sat at a table facing the kitchen and I wish I wouldn’t have. First of all, the cooks are white guys — not a Cuban in sight. The rice and Black beans are good, but I got sick after eating the picadillo — tasted like it was heated in a microwave. My Mom ordered a steak sandwich which was good; but I watched it get fried, then sit there until the rest of our food was prepped. It should be called American Breezes. My stomach hurts

Been coming here for years. Great hidden gem
And absolutely amazing Cuban sandwiches. Their Havana sauce is out of this world. You Must visit this place! You will not be disappointed!

I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous when I walked in and didn’t see one Cuban or even Hispanic person working here. I would have been totally ok if my bf wanted to jam outta here and go somewhere else. However, we committed to it so we wanted to see it through. We were immediately greeted by a friendly voice and seated towards the front of the small café.
As soon as I looked at the menu I knew it probably wouldn’t be a super authentic experience as I noticed there were burgers and wraps on the menu along with typical Cuban dishes. We started with some empanadas that were accompanied with Cuban sauce (not sure what it was) and they weren’t bad. I ordered the fricase de pollo and my bf ordered the ropa vieja. I liked my dish but he didn’t like his. He said it just wasn’t that flavorful.
I don’t live in Tampa but I’m in town enough to know that if you want solid Cuban food you need to go to a part of town that’s probably not the greatest. You might have to order in Spanish but it’ll be amazing.

Hidden jewel tucked away in Oldsmar strip center. Same ownership as «Gordo’s» in Tallahassee, dead giveaway is all the FSU Seminole paraphanlia (sorry Gators, but you’ll love it anyway). Nice to know you don’t have to drive to Tampa for really good Cuban fare.
…and the Cuban sandwiches… I’ll Havana-​nother, please!
p. s. Go ‘Noles!

This is the best place in Tampa to grab fast, excellent Cuban food. This is actually on my top five restauarants to eat at anywhere and I always make sure to stop here when I’m in the Tampa area. Since I’m only in Florida once or twice a year, I order a lot and eat way too much, but I always walk away feeling like I got my money’s worth.
There is a picture here on Unilocal of a cross section of the papas rellanas. You can see the abundance of flavorful beef filling surrounded by just the right amount of fried, crunchy potato. I know of some Cuban joints that are stingy with their meat filling.
Speaking of meat filing, the empanadas are stuffed to the max as well of yummy meat goodness! The chorizo and cheese is my favorite. Although it is my favorite, I still get a chicken empanada as well as a beef one. The outer shell is soft in the middle, but crunchy on the edges. Any of the apps are delicious and the prices are so cheap for such good food, that you could order one of everything or opt for getting the sampler and the ordering the Cuban bread as well because that is so soft, warm and carby delicious!
I’ve ordered and tasted almost everything on the main menu. It’s all excellent, but of I had to make a recommendation, my favorites are the Piccadillo and the pan con pollo frito which basically translates to «fried chicken with bread» as well as the pollo empanizado, a seasoned, boneless, breaded filet. They claim on the menu that it’s the best fried chicken you’ll ever taste and they’d almost be right or darn close! Tostones are salty and crispy and go fast, so order an extra side of those.
Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. It’s on the corner of a shopping plaza. When you pull up, you might think, «Really? This place is supposed to have amazing Cuban food? «But don’t walk away! You’d be missing out! The interior is plain with a cheesy wanna be grass hut looking bar. It’s clean and there are tvs over head. Service has always been fast and friendly. I’d actually prefer getting my food to go so I can take my time and savor the flavor! And I can order as much as I want without looking like the little piggy I really am!

Came here for lunch on the weekend and was not disappointed!
Ordered the jamon croquettas, cuban sandwiches, yuca fries.
Everything was great. Plus they charge half price on all apps on the weekends!!!
Good prices, good food!

Best Cuban food this side of Havana!
Don’t expect 5 star accommodations but if you want legit Cuban comfort food this may be the place in the Tampa area.
Seriously affordable prices for authentic Cuban food.
A must visit for anyone wanting Cuban food in this area.
Well done!

Came here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and there were lots of families eating here, and almost more getting take out. Seems like a pretty popular and casual spot. I ordered the daily special grouper wrap and steamed veggies. My brother got the chicken wrap. The veggies were definitely heated up from being frozen — they were okay. The wrap was tasty and a good value. Nothing life changing here, but a solid spot to grab a bite when you’re on the go.

Maybe I’m just getting tired of the food at CB. With the exception of the Guava Wings, there’s really nothing new and exciting. The menu overall has become mediocre at best.
For a Cuban restaurant they should really be able to at least get the Cuban sandwich right. It’s not a bad nor a great sandwich, it’s just plain and boring imo. It tastes homemade.
On my last visit I also noticed the service going down. Made the trip right before the lunch crowd arrived to enjoy an early lunch and went ahead and placed an order to go so by the time the meal was finished they’d have it ready for me. Our waitress apparently forgot to place the to-​go order. By this time the lunch crowd had already arrived, meaning I had to wait longer than necessary for my order.
These things happen, totally understand… My only issue was the lack of an simple «hey, sorry we dropped the ball». A good business would’ve taken off a drink from the bill or at least apologize for the inconvenience. Well, I didn’t even get a «have a nice day».
The menu is always consistent, the café con leche is pretty good. The to go cups are nice. Just not crazy about the service (at least my most recent visit) and authenticity of the food.

Jack n’ Jill, went up the hill, to finalize the divorce papers.
Everything was to be split in half, even the home landscaper.
They really loved each other once, but now couldn’t reconcile.
Jack flirted with every girl he saw, and Jill would never smile.
«You know what Jill,» as Jack ran down, «we should go to Cuban Breezes…»
” To talk, and chat, and hash things out, and see what it is that displeases [you].”
«Fine, Jack, I’ll come with you, but this is the last time.»
«Because after this, I’m taking kids, and moving to Anaheim.»
So off they went to Cuban Breezes, but didn’t know what to eat.
There’s hamburgers, sandwiches, and pollo plates, and drinks that are kinda sweet.
The drinks were cheap and food was great and Jill started to laugh.
And after about the 3^rd Corona, their marriage again was on the right path.

This was the closest Cuban restaurant to my dad’s place, so we decided to check it out. It’s definitely popular and does a good take-​out business. We sat at the small bar, and became quickly disappointed to find they do not have liquor (only beer and wine). It took a while for someone to take our orders, but staff is friendly.
I ordered a chicken empanada and lechon asado with rice and beans and tostones. I was hoping for Cuban bread, and it actually comes on the platter, not before the meal, so don’t get disappointed. The empanada was tasty and crispy. I was underwhelmed with my platter. The bread was good and so were the tostones. But the rice and beans and lechon were not super flavorful and sort of dry. I asked for a side of mojo, which made it better. I was also unimpressed with my friend’s ropa vieja.
I might try a sandwich from here, as the bread was really good, and I noticed many take-​out sandwich orders. But I wouldn’t get a full entrée here again.

I like Cuban Breezes. It’s never my first choice, but Westchase lacks choices. When we lived right off of Countryway we frequented CB because it was so close. Now that we live off of Sheldon we are closer to Town and Country where you can find great Latin food, so CB is an afterthought… all except for the Guava BBQ wings! They call me. I give these wings 5 stars they’re so good. I’ve even ordered catering pans of these wings to feed parties and everyone loves me for them.
So, why 4 stars and not 5? It’s not the best Cuban joint out there. It is a place to get a good meal. I’ve found that the actual Cuban fare is hit or miss. One day the Ropa Vieja is delicious and another day it can be tough and bland. It’s just not as consistent as I would like. I wish it were, but since it isn’t I go for what I know will be good every time. Ultimate rice and beans and the guava BBQ wings. Yummy!

Cuban Breezes came very heavily recommended not just from others in the Unilocal Universe, but my golf pals at Tampa Bay Downs Golf right down the street.
Honestly, I would have never seen this place had I not been encouraged to seek it out as the location is really hidden and the signage on Tampa Road is non-​existent.
The menu offers everything I want from a Cuban restaurant and I appreciate the creativity in additional items as well.
One of those is on the pressed sandwiches section of the menu: The Cuban Reuben. I love a good reuben sandwich and this one was quite delicious. (I’ll ask for a touch more thousand island next time, because it was overwhelmed by the other flavors.)
Of course, I added starters as should be mandatory with any Cuban food experience and found the chorizo & cheese empanada and the stuffed potato balls to be delightful as well.
There are quite a few things I wil come back for on future visits and their sweet bread is definitely a big part of that.
Also, their daily lunch specials can be had for take-​out all the way until 4pm in the afternoon.
Now, if only the owners wouldn’t be so shameless about their love for the dreaded Florida State Seminoles. As a University of Miami alum, I always got great Cuban food around the Orange Bowl. Hmmm, last time I went to Doak Campbell, not so much.
Besides, one sign above the bar celebrates an FSU win over the Canes in the «Orange Bowl Stadium» in 2010.
This is where I point out that stadium was demolished to make way for Marlins Park in 2008.
So, four big stars for Cuban Breezes for the great food and service. There’s no fifth star until you actually win as many national titles as the guys in Coral Gables.

I live not too far from here, yet I’ve never visited Cuban Breezes. I had a
voucher to use and decided today would be a good day for take out.
I arrived around 1pm and the place was packed.
Their Cuban sandwich was large but lacking in flavor. There was no Swiss cheese, but white american instead… what?! The pork was roasted, but lacked any real flavor.
I also got a cup of Spanish bean soup and this was actually really good. It had bits of chorizo in the soup, which was a nice touch.
Would I be back? Probably to try another dish and to get the soup again, but I would pass on the Cuban sandwich.