El Siboney Restaurant - El Siboney RestaurantEl Siboney serves authentic Cuban dishes and has been recognized as Key West's Best Cuban Restaurant for over a decade. The name is the name of a tribe of Indians found in the Caribbean, and with whom the Spanish fought many battles over land rights and power in Cuba in the 16th century. El Sinbony Restaurant is cozy, informal, inexepensive, and the food tastes great. It's located off the beaten path at 900 Catherine Street off White Street Getting a table on a Saturday night can involve a wait in their small front courtyard/parking lot, but it will be worth it. There's a counter with stools you can sit at, if you don't want to wait for a table. The small, faux-brick-front building and decidedly non-fancy sign are not anything like the swanky, fashionable establishments on Duval Street, and even as you drive or bicycle (there are bike racks on the side of the building) up to El Siboney, you know this is something more authentic. Waitstaff in their red t-shirts and jeans are busy and tired, but pleasant if not as attentive as they could be. By the way, even though the food is authentic Cuban, the waitstaff are from other parts of Latin American, such as Central America. And, the music playing in the kitchen is Mexican. The restaurant was established by a Cuban family, but sold in 2004. The munu offers a large and wonderful array of Cuban food, with of course a desert menu with the sweetest Cuban dishes like Flan and Natilla. Appetizers include Plantanos Maduros which come with an excellent, pungent garlicy and onion sauce for dipping. The croquettes with ham are lethal and irresistable (you wouldn't want to eat them too often if you're watching your weight). The waitstaff will provide you with toasted buttered Cuban bread before the meal, just to get your stomach warmed up to what's to come. Entrees include The Palomilla Steak, which although delicious, was not the correct cut of meat, since it should have been a much thinner cut than what was served. The serving size was so large the meat was almost falling off the edges of the plate. You can hardly find your side order of plantains underneath all the meat. The best thing was Ropa Vieja, which is marinated ground beef with olives in it. Simply the tastiest thing on earth! Both of these beef dishes come with yellow or white rice...the yellow is tastier. And also come with black beans in a side dish, which can be spooned over the rice. El Siboney doesn't take credit cards, but there is an ATM inside the restaurant. . |
