Sunrise Cuban Market & Cafe — Restaurant in Key Largo

3/10/25—-A Post-CrossFit Feast: When Hunger Meets Cuban Comfort Food After surviving a brutal CrossFit workout on an empty stomach—not eating for 19 hours—I was beyond hungry. Some people do intermittent fasting; I call it accidental survival mode. But hey, I like to work out on an empty stomach, so no regrets... until the hunger hit like a freight train.

Thankfully, this Cuban café was just a one-minute drive from the gym. Perfect. No need for long decision-making—just food, now.

First Impressions: Buffet Style & Spacious Seating As soon as we walked in, I noticed a buffet-style setup with hot, ready-to-go meals lined up. A tempting sight for someone who just burned more calories than they had in reserve. The place was spacious, so we picked a table further back to settle in.

It was getting close to 11 AM, but my stomach didn’t care—it was breakfast time for me.

The Order: Enough Food for a Small Army I went for: ✔ Scrambled eggs with French fries (brought most of them home) ✔ Croquetas (because Cuban café = croquetas) ✔ Tostadas (because why stop at just one carb?) ✔ Coffee (of course) ✔ Orange juice (which I saved for later like a true planner)

My husband? He got an omelet, then immediately complained it was too much food—as he always does. So, we finally made a pact: from now on, we order one meal to share. (We’ll see how long that lasts.)

I also ordered boiled yuca con rabo encendido (oxtail stew) to-go—because the wise traveler knows, always think ahead.

The Atmosphere: A Gathering Spot for Hungry Workers As we ate, we noticed construction workers filing in, one after another, filling up the place. That’s always a good sign—because if locals, especially hardworking laborers, eat here, the food is legit.

Service: Friendly & Full of Stories Then there was Mari—so friendly, so talkative. She told me my name is very popular in Cuba, which made me feel honorary Cuban for the day.

Final Thoughts: Worth the Trip? Everything was delicious, the coffee was strong, and the service was warm and welcoming. Plenty of parking, great home-cooked flavors, and a good spot to fuel up.

Would I go back? Absolutely. Will I drive 30 minutes to get here while hosting guests? Highly doubtful. But if you’re in the area and craving authentic Cuban food, this is the place.

Wise Words to End On: "A good meal after hard work isn’t just food—it’s fuel...

If you love microwaved meats look no further. This is your jam read no further. If not, read away folks. This spot is an adventure. Not like a goonies adventure but more like a trip to the DMV. This was, by far not only the worst Cuban food but the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had. Walking into this joint I thought, this is my kind of place. No frills, pics of the food and menu looked great. Sat down and ordered the fried pork chunks with a side of rice and plantains. Service was slow which I try to be patient with. I’ve worked in service for years and give these folks a break. It’s hard work. However, in the next hour the food hadn’t arrived. No check in by a server for drinks etc. More than an hour later the entire dining room had turned tables when our “food” arrived. It was beyond inedible. First off the pork chunks which were advertised as similar to lechon was a MICROWAVED slab of tough as nail pork with some microwaved onions on top. Never touched a grill. The sweet plantains were so hard you could hammer a nail with them and colder than my ex wife’s soul. My buddy ordered a Spanish tortilla. It was some French fries with scrambled eggs on top. We tried no more than a bite of the meat and after chewing it long enough to read the entirety of War and Peace we turned to the plantains, I think I chipped a tooth. Is this used to build hurricane proof structures? The rice…. My god, it’s rice! How does one knacker this? It was completely cold, somehow mealy and crunchy in a bad way. After about 15 min after we asked for the bill the server asked if we wanted a to go box we politely declined and said we were sorry but the food was absolutely terrible. She laughed and walked away. Until then we hadn’t issued a complaint let alone a bad look to the service. I have never, ever, not once not left a tip at a restaurant. We left zero tip and left just happy to put the...

Absolutely amazing. Do not miss the chance to get the best Cuban food in the keys. Friendly and accommodating service. Amazing food. We always come here on a keys trip. I see some comments about a microwaved sandwich. I want to be really clear about what I saw. The food is fresh. The Cuban bread is authentic. I did see a microwaved sandwich in use but it was used at a low power to lightly warm the internal meats of the sandwich for a few seconds at a low wattage before the AMAZING sandwich being pressed on a hot griddle. The bread came from a well stocked bread bin. The establishment is a MARKET not a restaurant. I got exactly what I expected. Delicious and clean market food. It’s not stale or old or microwaved. It is an efficient process I would equate to what is likely in a food truck - or you know…a market. But enough about the process. Let’s talk about the food. Hot, delicious, clean and made with love. The absolute best in the keys. Nothing tastes this good. I also highly suggest the cafe con lech. Finally, let me say, I’m white, I don’t speak Spanish. I’m sure I give off tourist, because I am. Every single employee was kind, helpful and accommodating. If you want to go have good authentic Cuban food that is served quickly with love, you need to go to this place. I’m really sad to see people placing expectations on a place that is, exactly what it says it is. Thank you sunrise cafe for serving us every time we are in the keys. We love you. Also parking was great. We come with a small trailer and had zero issues. SUNRISE CAFE AND THEIR STAFF...