If you only take one thing from this page: start with the bread. La Segunda has baked on North 15th Street since 1915 and puts out more than 18,000 loaves a day, and a very large share of the Cuban sandwiches in this city are built on it. Some restaurants name it on the menu.
The counters that do one thing. The West Tampa Sandwich Shop calls itself the home of the original honey Cuban, opens at six in the morning and shuts at three in the afternoon, which is a working schedule rather than a restaurant one. Brocato's opened in 1948 and has been a grocery, a meat market and now a sandwich shop in the same family, known for the Tampa trinity: Cuban sandwiches, deviled crabs and stuffed potatoes. La Teresita has been on West Columbus Drive more than fifty years and also opens at six.
The dining rooms. Carmine's in Ybor since 1948, where the Cuban and the deviled crab croquettes are the two orders. The Columbia, open since 1905 in the same district. Soul de Cuba in Seminole Heights builds its menu around the sandwich and slow-roasted lechon. Over on Davis Islands, 220 East names La Segunda on its own menu.
And one that only happens on Thursdays. Station House BBQ in Seminole Heights is firefighter-owned and opens three days a week. Thursday is Cuban Thursday, 11am to 3pm, pre-order only.
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