We need a Cuban restaurant in Coconut Grove
Recently, a friend and I have been on a quest to find the best Cuban sandwich in Miami, after all that hoopla in the newspapers and all recently, about Tampa naming the Cuban Sandwich as their official sandwich. It's a shame the Grove cannot even be in the running, as we have not had a Cuban sandwich around here since Havana Grove left. That was in the space that is LoKal Burgers now.
But a spot has recently opened up. Unfortunately, CocoWok, the Asian place has closed, but the place is just right for an in and out sandwich and coffee place. Recently a friend and I were at Sergio's, La Carreta and El Rey de Las Fritas. Any of those places would be perfect in Coconut Grove.
Also, new is the El Rey de Las Fritas food truck, which may be a cool idea for Food Truck Friday at the Coconut Grove Bank lot.
Which reminds me, have you been to Pollo Campero? The best chicken ever! We need that in the Grove, too.
posted by Tom Falco at 8:08 AM
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8 Comments:
I completely agree with you on both the Cuban and the Pollo Campero. Actually, a place like Pollo Campero was very interested in the Grove and ready to make an interesting investment. However, as you might guess the whole deal fell through because the landlord would not go down on its already high lease asking price...
We need a good, authentic Mexican restaurant. The one that was briefly where the Grove Spot is now had issues...
Also a down to earth Cajun/Creole (not fancy) would be nice. Can you say "crawfish"?
Lastly, I sure miss good BBQ
+1 on a good BBQ place! Smoke't on US1 closed a few months back and there's nowhere down here to get decent BBQ. Shorty's doesn't count. Brother Jimmy's is opening up in Mary Brickell, I wish they would have come to the Grove instead!
A mini Latin American Cafe, Sergio's or La Carreta would do very well undoubtedly. In fact anything thought out properly and managed well would succeed in Coconut Grove. A real sea food place like the former Camie's Seashell, a Jewish deli, Jamaican cuisine.... would succeed in the area.
There used to be a great rib place run by Calvin on Grand Avenue called Golden Ribs, it was amazing when he ran it from his back yard barbecue, perfectly prepared, delicious and clean, I used to stop over some Fridays or Saturdays and pick up a full rack, it was the best rib in town, but after he moved into a real restaurant space across the street he closed.
I'm sad to see cocowok go. I was a regular there.
Is the rent too high in a location like that for a low-margin/high volume location like a sandwich shop would be? (though i guess pommes&pannes aka former grovespot would know).
what you are asking for is something like mojito grill in south miami. The owners are actually grovites.
Go ahead and save yourself some time - go to Larios at 79th and Flagler and get yourself a KICK ASS Cuban Sandwich.
I don't think that a Cuban restaurant would succeed in Coconut Grove. Cuban restaurants are, by nature, not expensive. Even Lario's in South Miami is really inexpensive and it is great.
The low volume (Coconut Grove is very small and seems to be shrinking) and the high rents just don't agree with the concept of Cuban sandwiches. Prices are really inelastic for Cuban food.
Agree 100% Marcelo Salup. Not to mention that people in the Grove don't strike me as the type to eat Cuban food enough that a Cuban restaurant would get enough traffic. There's enough Cuban food in Miami and it's ok to leave the Grove to go get it.
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