A brand new cafe and restaurant with century-old ties to Tampa quietly opened its doors in Seminole Heights.
Soul de Cuba Cafe is located at 6428 N Florida Ave. adjacent to other Seminole Heights hotspots like Gulf Coast Sourdough, Rooster & the Till and Trip’s Diner. Its owners describe the eatery’s fare as “Cuban criollo cuisine with Old Tampa and Ybor City sabor,” with a menu that features everything from traditional Cuban eats to Tampa-centric entrees and deserts.
The cafe and restaurant soft opened in late February, but a press release says it will host an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Soul de Cuba boasts a traditional menu of lechon asado, Cuban sandwiches, oxtail stew and the Tampa classic crab shalah, a pasta dish that features lump crab in a Creole-style red sauce. All of its entrees have evolved from longtime family recipes that Executive Chef Roberto Puerto has put a professional twist on.
In addition to espresso and cafe con leches, Soul de Cuba also offers sangrias, mojitos and N/A beverages like teas and juices alongside a Sunday brunch menu of guava and cheese French toast, scrambled eggs with pineapple and plantain hash and Cuban breakfast sandwiches.
While the business itself is new to Tampa, Soul de Cuba has been around for almost 20 years operating its OG location in Connecticut, selling its line of marinades, salad dressings and coffee beans online and “promoting and preserving Afro-Cuban culture” through its food and the community surrounding it.
Soul de Cuba owner Jesus Puerto’s local roots stem back all the way back to Ybor City’s La Segunda Bakery in the early 20th century, where his great grandfather worked as a master baker for several years.
Jesus and his brother, Chef Roberto Puerto, opened the first iteration of Soul de Cuba in New Haven in 2005.
Head to Soul de Cuba Cafe’s Facebook page or @souldecubacafe.tampa on Instagram for the latest news on this new Seminole Heights restaurant.
Soul de Cuba is now open from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and is closed every Monday and Tuesday.
Location Details
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
