Wednesday, January 23, 2013

El Cafeito

1700 North 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 278-2482
Website

Tucked away on lonely Cecil B. Moore is a little Latin-inspired cafe with colorful paint and a nice outdoor courtyard.



You can get a variety of sweets here, but I was looking for coffee and a sandwich.



Luckily they specialize in both.


A cafe con leche.


The Cuban sounded great, so I ordered both the breakfast version, served in wrap form, and the more traditional lunch version, served on grilled bread.


Although the menu didn't mention it, this came with ham (as it should), as well as pulled pork, scrambled eggs, cheese, and avocado. Not quite traditional, but certainly delicious. It was a bit dry, so ask for a side of their chipotle aioli sauce.



The traditional Cubano came on delicious bread, was nicely griddled with more pulled pork, pickles, yellow mustard, and Swiss. This actually came with a smear of the chipotle sauce, but lacked the ham that the menu lead me to believe would be included. Role reversal.



This was an awfully good sandwich, with a great ratio of ingredients, as well as careful construction. I would definitely get it again - but I would also make sure that ham slides its way into the layering.


I also ordered a highly recommended Domincano sandwich to go. I made it nearly an hour before tearing into it, but it did not fare as well as its Cuban counterparts.


Everything seemed to be in place, but unfortunately, there was something very off-putting about this sandwich. I narrowed it down to the salami. Either it was a brand I didn't like, or it had been sitting for a while. At first I thought it might have been the sweet plantain mayo, but I am relatively certain the salami was to blame. I had two independent sources verify my suspicions. Anyway, it comes with American, sweet plantain mayo, lettuce, and tomato on another nicely grilled roll. I wanted it to be delicious, because this place was great otherwise, but alas, I will have to try again soon.



It was a very laid back atmosphere, and everyone working was incredibly nice. I will definitely be back for the cafe con leche and a Cuban, but will be hesitant on the Dominican.


Editor's note: El Cafeito was this close to being 4 cheesesteaks, but the Dominican fiasco really left a sour taste in my mouth, so to speak.

1 comment:

Dirty Duck said...

I've been here a few times and have enjoyed the Domincano. It's ashame it didn't give you the satisfaction when you went. The sweet plantain mayo is really special on that sandwich.