Rum Cake Lady Cuban Cafe -Blue Ridge — Restaurant in Blue Ridge

Tampa native here. When I saw a Cuban place in Blue Ridge that had a Tampa Cuban on the menu I had to try it. First, The Tampa Cuban should just be called a Cuban sandwich. There is historical evidence that shows the Cuban sandwich is a product of Tampa Cuban and Italian cigar workers who used spare meat to make a quick sandwich. The traditional Cuban meats are ham, pork, and salami. The fact there are two Cubans and they have to call the traditional one a Tampa Cuban is kind of a smack in the face. I let that go since we are in GA and I cannot expect historical accuracy. With that aside the Tampa Cuban was just ok. I guess I am spoiled living in Tampa and getting to eat the best Cuban sandwiches in the world whenever I want so I was a tad disappointed here. It’s not bad, but the pork was dry, and was more like a pulled pork. The ham was ok, and the salami was decent. A good press and the cheese was nicely melted. I felt it was missing a good Mayo and mustard which made the sandwich feel a bit dry. The Cuban bread was also more chewy instead of having a good tear and crunch. The beef empanada has a good crunch but the meat didn’t seem to have any seasoning . The ham croquets were really good and I’d definitely recommend those. The rum cake was very good and moist. I did have an issue when I was given the wrong bag and then I was somehow blamed for it which really ticked me off since the bag was literally handed to me when I turned my ticket in. They called my number 45 and when I went to the pick up counter an older lady looked at my ticket then handed me a bag. I didn’t know I was supposed to also check the bag for accuracy ( I figured that was the entire point of calling out numbers, checking the number and then handing me the bag). I was stopped before pulling out which I’m thankful for but then the guy said I grabbed the wrong bag ... It literally was handed to me. I would give two stars total for my experience but I’m going with 3 stars because the rum cake was really great. If you’re from central /south Florida and are used to eating the best Cuban sandwiches around, the great reviews might be a bit...

Honestly, I hate leaving rough reviews, but I was SO disappointed here. We got two empenadas (one beef, one chicken), a coffee, a chicken bowl with plantains, and a beef cuban sandwich. The bill came to about 60$, which is pretty steep for two small lunches and an empenada apiece...

Honestly, wouldn't have even minded the price if it had been good, but the wafer-thin beef was a single tough, overcooked piece on admittedly good bread, which is the source of the 2 stars. I asked for pickles on the sandwich and was told they didn't have a button on their register for that... which is kind of an odd way to restrict a basic condiment addition. Speaking of condiments, 50c per container that are barely filled with flavorless chimichurri and sriracha mayo gave the impression this place is scraping every dime out of an order instead of caring for quality-of-service.

They sent two chicken empenadas instead of 1 chicken and 1 beef, which we took to the kitchen window and were told 'okay' and then it was never addressed again, so getting ignored didn't feel great. By then we were over the meal so we didn't continue to pursue the issue.

The chicken bowl was just some rice, chicken, and beans. No chopped tomato or cilantro or onion or any default sauce, and it was frankly bland. Not wanting to waste the $$ by tossing it, we brought it home and added it to next morning's breakfast and spiced it up, where it became servicable.

Finally, my last complaint is the complete lack of ANY kind of self-service station in this restaurant. I had to ask (twice) for a specific number of napkins at the front register to get more than the single napkin sent with our meal, which is hardly a major ordeal but the presence of people ordering meant i had to wait in a very cramped side room just to get napkins while my food chilled in the only dining area, which is just vinyl tarp covering some tables.

I've traveled to Cuba, I'm a HUGE lover of latin food, and I was so excited based on reading the menu, but I can't hide the disappointment we felt eating here. I'm sure there's a good dining experience to be had, but we could not...

I need to preface this review by sharing that I been a repeat customer who’s always enjoyed meals at this location for a couple of years and recommended it to countless others. Unfortunately, my visit on Sunday was absolutely awful. They were a little busy as they had just opened and there were a couple of people ahead of us in line. We quickly saw that the light haired gentleman behind the register was disgruntled as he was impatient and rude to the customers ahead of us. When it was time for us to order we quickly placed our very simple two person order and I asked if I could have yellow rice instead of white in my bowl. The gentleman behind the register snarled at me while yelling “NOOOO we are TOO BUSY to change things and they come premade anyway so NO!!!” I told him what sauce I wanted with it because he didn’t ask like they had in the past and he acted like a jerk telling me he could sell me a sauce. It wasn’t just what he said, but the absolute worst tone and body language with it. If my husband hadn’t of had his hopes set on a Cuban, we would have left immediately. Our food actually came out quickly and the Cuban and empanadas were delicious. Unfortunately, the pork bowl was subpar and the plantains smelled like they had been fried in rancid oil and inedible. There were others there who had placed online orders and were waiting 20-30 mins past their scheduled pick up times. It was clear quality/customer service isn’t a priority anymore. There use to be the most lovely lady that worked the counter and David (I believe the owner’s son) and they are both sorely missed! We will not be returning and will gladly give our business to Dan’s in Blairsville...