I keep ending up at Versailles on Venice for the garlic chicken because it is easy from Santa Monica.
I know that is the default and I am bored of it. Talk me into somewhere else, and tell me what you actually order so I do not just get the chicken again.
El Cochinito on Sunset in Silver Lake is the one that actually got me off Versailles. 3508 Sunset, tiny, white tile, and the cubano is the thing, the lechon asado is citrusy and they press it hard enough that the roll gets that crunch.
I get the sandwich, a side of tostones, and I am done, sometimes the congrí too if I am starving. It is a lunch spot more than a lingering dinner, so go before 1 or you are waiting. I still think about that pork on the drive back downtown, and I have not ordered the garlic chicken since.
Havana Mania on Inglewood Ave in Redondo is the one I actually go to. Get the lechon asado with extra mojo, it is a real plate, not a scene.
Cafe Tropical on Sunset in Silver Lake, get the medianoche and a cortadito. Go in the morning, street parking is easier before the lunch rush.
If you are tired of the Palms default, Mambo's Cafe on Victory in Glendale is the roast pork place I keep going back to. They slow cook it, then hit it on the griddle with a lot of mojo, and you get rice, beans, and sweet plantains with the crispy edges. It is a sit-down plate, not a sandwich, which is the whole point if Versailles chicken is all you have been eating.
La Cubana on Glendale Ave has been there since 1973 and it is the one I use when I am already on that side. Get the rabo encendido, the oxtail actually falls apart, and ask for the yuca con mojo on the side. It is a regular lunch counter, not a scene, and I can be in and out without making a whole Eastside day of it.
Porto's Bakery on Magnolia in Burbank is my cheat answer when I want Cuban and I do not want another garlic chicken plate. The cubano is a real sandwich, the guava cheese pastelitos are why the line exists, and that line does move. Worth the drive from Ktown once, then you will keep doing it.
There’s a brand new place on 2806 E Washington Blvd.. called Ay Papa Que Rico. I never tried it and just drove by, but looks interesting.
Havana Mania In Redondo Beach is good. Try their Bistec Veracruzano or Bistec con Cebollas.
One of the few Cuban places I actually know about and like.