Top five Cuban food trucks in South Florida

Cuba’s cuisine has become a symbol of Miami culture. There are island-style bakeries, restaurants, and coffee shops all over the region. And food trucks bring an extra flair you can only find on wheels. These mobile kitchens can be hard to locate due to their mobility and lack of exposure on the internet. They rely more on word-of-mouth.

So, escuchame. Keep reading to find food truck locations in Miami that you do not want to miss.

El Famoso Cuban Truck before opening. Their slogan “popular sabor Cubano…” popular Cuban flavor. (El Famoso Cuban Truck, June 2023, Assessed via google.com)

El Famoso Cuban Truck
2628 NE Second Ave.
Miami, FL 33137
(305) 339-9262

El Famoso Cuban truck, a new addition to the Miami Cuban food truck fleet, is located on the livelier side of Miami. Bringing a twist to the game, a taste of Cuba, not just with their food, but also their environment with high spirits and energies. Occasionally, bands play traditional music from the island to create the atmosphere. Their signature truck design also plays a big part, with historic signature marks like the vintage vehicles and dancers. The truck expels striking homeland colors that catch the eye. From the staple and spotlight of the menu, Cuban sandwiches for $13.50. Included in the lineup: the tamal con ropa vieja for $10.50 and the burger Belén for $12.50. Ensuring the party crowd gets a taste for Cuban flavors in every entree. They operate mostly on weekends around the more active hours of Wynwood.

Bistec con cerdo from Pan Con Timba, served with rice and beans, platanito, and a salad. (Juan Cortes/Caplin News)

Pan con Timba
714 NW 62nd Ave.
Miami, FL 33122
(305) 560-7799

Bringing authenticity to the Cuban food game, Pan con Timba characterizes itself as a strong community asset. Serving traditional dishes to the South Miami community, they pride themselves on bringing a taste of home to many of the area’s workers, with a little bit of homeland timba music. Their specialty, bistec de cerdo with chorizo offers a twist to the standard pork rice and beans. They pride themselves on inserting small pork sausage chops into the pork as it cooks, creating a tasty meal that will leave you wanting more. The dish comes with a side of rice and beans, platanito, and salad. All this for the excellent price of $8.99. The place operates during working hours, Monday through Friday, opening at 7 a.m. and closing after lunch at 3 p.m.

Cuban sandwich from Qbano, toasted bread with butter, ham, and cheese. (Juan Cortes/Caplin News)

Qbano
169 NE 25th St.
Miami, FL 33137
(305) 535-3031

With an international take on the traditional Cuban food, Qbano has reached the city of Miami from the beautiful country of Colombia. A simple Cuban man settling down in the city of Cali, Colombia in the late 70s, turned a start-up business of Cuban sandwiches, to one of the largest sandwich restaurants in Colombia. Now serving Miami, it gives the people different choices of original tastes from the Caribbean island in neatly made sandwiches. Their specialty of course, the Cuban sandwich, comes with a toasted bread with butter, ham, and cheese, all pressed together to give you a taste of Cuba, for the price of $10.20. Cultures collide on the plate, served with a side of Colombian-style fries with salsa de ajo and a choice of authentic drinks and sodas from both the Caribbean and South America. The truck is located in Wynwood, where you can enjoy the colorful city, every day, from midday to midnight.

Cuban bowl with pulled pork, onions, rice, beans, and platanito at Cuban Guys. (Juan Cortes/Caplin News)

Cuban Guys
Various locations

Known to almost, if not all, Miamians for its accessibility and authentic food, the Cuban Guys food truck travels everywhere from Palmetto Bay to Miramar. Their four locations in the area and food trucks have created the fast food of abuela’s cooking. It revolutionized the niche by delivering la comida Cubana to places where you might not find it otherwise. Among the best things they serve is the classic lechon. Cuban Guys serve big portions of pork, rice, beans, and platanito fresh and fast for $7.49. You can enjoy all the juicy and homegrown style flavors all around Miami at events, parties, and at your local food trucks. These trucks can be hard to find. If you have a yen for grandma’s bacalao, call (786) 326-8890 and they’ll tell you where to find them.

Multiple trucks ready for the morning rush at La flor de loto. (Gabriela Salinas/Caplin News)

La flor de loto
10501 NW 138th St.
Hialeah, FL 33018
(786) 582-8277

La flor de loto, meaning the lotus flower, spotlights the importance Cuban culture places on breakfast/ brunch plates. The flower symbolizes purity and strength, drawing a comparison to the Cuban people. Adding the quick and comfortable feeling of a walk-up window coffee shop and a Cuban bakery, La flor de loto gives the Hialeah community a neighborhood spot for cafecitos, batidos or shakes, croquetas, and more. The cuisine feels original and pure, like visiting your local bakery in the hot tropical weather on the island. A taste of Cuba in the morning before work or school will only cost you $1.50. They make it hard to miss out, as they are now available through UberEats to ensure the best customer service. Located on the northern side of Hialiah, you can take advantage of the early operating hours of the business from 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Gabriela Salinas is a bilingual student journalist at Florida International University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Digital Journalism on a pre-law track. She has gained experience in the legal and communications field through internships at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Juan Cortes is a junior majoring in Digital Broadcasting with a focus on sports journalism. As a big soccer and FC Barcelona fan, he hopes to work in the sports broadcasting industry.