La Cubana Bakery

This place was recommended by a fellow Cuban. Went and bought some pastelitos and the cream cheese had mold half of them. The health department should have a peek around this place

I’m giving this place 5 stars for 2 main reasons, good simple food and great service.

I visited this La Cubana Bakery because my regular Cuban Bakery La Gran Via in Union City was very crowded and lunch was on the run. I can only say that the food I purchased was horrible and below the standards of any restaurant or comparable bakery.
I purchased Croquetas de Jamon, that were so horrible I went back to returned them and did not ask for my money back. They were over cooked on the outside and somewhat raw on the inside. They appeared to have been placed in oil that was not heated right away so they were saturated in oil. The Pastelitios de Carne I bought were filled with very little meat and the taste was similar to old or discarded lard or oil. Finally I carefully looked over what they were calling Empanada Gallegas and clearly these were also on par with the with other two items.
The ham that was used in the empanada was cubed and seemed like scrap ham they used to fill in the meat portion they added two sclices of chorizo that was dark in color. I would warn everybody to go somewhere else if you dont want to have the same uncomfortable experience, that could result in food poisoning. The West New York, health inspectors should look hard into this place.

This small bakery is usually hopping on the weekends, and for good reason as the aroma it is giving off fills the surrounding streets with sweetness. The old signage inside advertises empanadas de guayaba y queso, but there are more like pastelitos (little cakes). I found them ($ 0.70/each) to be a little too sweet for my liking, like many Cuban sweet pastries, but the filling was delicious if a little light.
After purchasing a few of them, the refrigerator caught my attention with a soda I had never tried before. I am a big fan of mate, but not so much of the «Materva» yerba mate soda ($ 1). It served its purpose of washing down the treats, but like most Latin American sweet drinks is too syrupy for me. The people here were sweet though, and despite having to fight other customers to place an order (battles which I ultimately lose since I am too shy about my Spanish to shout), I will definitely return to try some of their other items.