🌶️ Calle Dao | Cuban-Chinese Fusion in Times Square

🏮 Havana Spice Meets Old Shanghai Nestled near Manhattan's Times Square, Calle Dao's red lanterns and weathered Chinese signage beckon—inside, oil-paper umbrellas hang from the ceiling, Liangyou pictorials adorn walls, while the bar showcases rum barrels and cigar boxes, perfectly blending "Cuban soul with Chinese flair" ✨. Menus designed like vintage newspapers feature fusion dishes like "Cuban Fried Rice" and "Mojo Spring Rolls," sparking curiosity. 🍚 Must-Try Fusions: Cross-Cultural Bites ✅ Mojo-Sauced Pork Spring Rolls ($12) Genre-defying combo: ✅ Traditional spring roll wrappers filled with pork + Cuban black beans, seasoned with lime-garlic mojo ✅ Fried to golden crispness like Peking duck pancakes, filling tangy like Thai pad kra pao Innovative dip: Pair with side guava sauce to balance richness. ✅ Caribbean Seafood Fried Rice ($18) Generous portions: ✅ Tiger shrimp + luncheon meat + corn + peas—shrimp as big as palms ✅ Cooked with Cuban long-grain rice, grains separate like Spanish paella Flavor secret: Soy sauce reduced with rum, salty-sweet with a boozy finish—spice up with table-side habanero sauce. 📽️ Decor Details: 1930s Shanghai-Meets-Cuba Nostalgic elements: ✅ Walls pasted with 1940s Shenbao newspapers, mixing headlines with Cuban sugar ads ✅ Vintage fans beside Che Guevara posters, gramophones playing Deng Lijun-Salsa medleys Photo hotspots: Second-floor window seats frame Times Square neon through oil-paper umbrellas. 💡 Practical Info Address: 225 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036 (3-min walk from Times Square) Avg cost: $30-40 (1 main + 1 snack + 1 drink) Cash bonus: Free "Cuban-style Mapo Tofu" (black beans replace soybeans) Perfect for: ✅ Tired Times Square explorers, ✅ fusion foodies, ✅ retro photography lovers Rating breakdown: 9/10 (slightly salty rice, but creativity and value compensate). Next up: "Rum-Braised Pork with Fried Plantains"—a restaurant that Cuban-ifies spring rolls deserves repeat visits! #NYCFood #CubanChineseFusion #TimesSquareGems #VintageRestaurant #NYCEats