Havana Breeze, 1401 K Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-789-1470, closed weekends, closes early, 5 p.m., Monday through Wednesday [Washingtonian | Yelp]
I resent them for their hours, but I have never been to a bad Cuban place in my lifetime. Except in Cuba, that is.
Update May 26, 2006: A commenter says this place is closed.
Update September 2006: Now the Lima Restaurant.
Yuca, web site, 1800 M Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-785-1177, closed Saturday lunch and Sunday (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp]
Terrible hours, but again another new Cuban place. Has to be one of the better places in the neighborhood.
Banana Cafe & Piano Bar, web site, 500 Eighth Street SE, Washington, DC, just off Pennsylvania Avenue SE, 202-543-5906 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp]
Cuba, Spanish, and Puerto Rican dishes. Not exactly a mom and pop, the place has a somewhat vile yuppie flavor. The Puerto Rican dishes consist of mashed plantains, in various forms, with garlic. The dishes vary greatly in quality. The best ones are good enough to enjoy (try the Puerto Rican ones, if only for novelty’s sake), but not good enough to stand comparison with the real thing. By all means go, especially if you live in the area (few good alternatives), but lower your expectations accordingly.
El Guajiro, 8650 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD, 301-565-4985, right across from AFI (American Film Institute, web site, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD) (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | Gayot]
Update May 15, 2006: Closed
The location is perfect, eat here before or after your movie at AFI. Try the roast pork and beans and rice, duh. Now tell them to bring back the mofongos.
Cubano's, 1201 Fidler Lane, at Ramsey Ave., Silver Spring, MD, 301-563-4020, 11-11 daily (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Bethesda Magazine | Washingtonian | WaPo | Takoma/Silver Spring Voice | Silver Chips Online | City Paper | insider pages | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
There is a flourish of new Cuban places in this area, though we do not yet have critical mass for any of them to be knockouts, as you might find in Florida or New Jersey.
Cuba de Ayer, 15446 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD, 301-476-9622, closed Mondays (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | http://www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/1081.html WaPo (Eve Zeibart) | City Paper | Don Rockwell]
A mom and pop, the Washington Post claims it is one of the best Cuban places around; it is a little out of the way for me.
Cuban Corner Restaurant, web site, 825 Hungerford Drive, near Ivy League Lane, Rockville, MD, 301-279-0310, closed Sunday (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Three Guys From Miami | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
The best Cuban place around, as far as I can tell. Excellent pork and sides. The following is the rule of thumb on Cuban restaurants. The rice and beans are bound to be worthwhile. To have a great meal all you then need do is latch on to one other satisfactory dish. And here that is very easy to do. First-rate atmosphere, and I love the list of all the prominent Cubans on the wall, and the anti-Castro political propaganda. Definitely recommended, and very good for people-watching as well.
Caribbean Grill, 5183 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA, 703-241-8947, usually open (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Mostly Cuban, also they serve some Jamaican items. The grilled chicken is good, but I'm more inclined to order the beef (Ropa Vieja) or the Pork Fried Pieces (Masas de Puerco). But the key to having a good time here is to neglect the entrees and order as many side dishes as possible. Especially the beans, in their various manifestations. Table space here is limited, but don't let that discourage you. Cheap.
