Where can you get a good Cuban sandwich in Columbus? 3 places to try

The Cuban sandwich is the kind of iconic food item that will provoke temper tantrums. Such culinary hissy fits are usually tethered to questions about how “authentic” something is in relation to its purported origins, proper ingredients and ideal proportions.

To this, I ask: Authentic for whom? (My Syrian brother-in-law once told me that every family in Damascus believes they have the best and only true hummus recipe.) Other pertinent questions: Does the thing taste good? Is it fun to eat?

Before unleashing a roundup of local Cuban sandwiches that’ll have you saying “yes” to those last two questions, some backstory seems appropriate.

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Appropriate doesn’t mean set in stone, though — the sandwich’s convoluted history brims with overcooked but under-verified origin stories. Still, a persuasive Serious Eats article by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (which references other convincing Serious Eats articles) suggests that, like many U.S. food favorites, the Cuban sandwich was created by and embraced by immigrants to America before attaining widespread popularity.

Lopez-Alt — a respected chef, food researcher, James Beard Award-winning author and New York Times columnist — believes the sandwich was invented in Florida and “Emerged in the mid-19th century to feed cigar- and sugar-factory workers in Key West, Ybor City and Tampa.”

Some things about the crowd-pleasing sandwich are indisputable. For example, it should contain: pork, preferably roasted and flavored by a citrusy, Cuban-style “mojo” marinade; ham, which some writers ascribe to ham-loving immigrants from Spain; Swiss cheese, which some authors attribute to cigar industry employees from Germany; and Cuban bread or something close to it (like Italian bread or a soft baguette). To cut through the richness, the sandwich should also have pickles and mustard (more alleged German influences).

That's what you can expect from most places, and what you’ll almost always get in Miami, where the “Cubano'' is ubiquitous and deeply beloved. But it's also deeply beloved in Tampa — which includes the historically immigrant-rich “Cigar City” neighborhood of Ybor City — where salami is usually added and attributed to the sizable Tampa-area community boasting Italian heritage. Unsurprisingly, Tampa and Miami are rival cities for bragging rights to Cuban sandwich prominence.

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Both cities widely agree on a defining feature of the sandwich, though: It should be pressed and toasted to crisp the bread and release air from it. This panini-esque finishing touch also melts the cheese and concentrates the flavors.

At the risk of provoking food fights, here’s that list of good Cuban sandwiches. It’s by no means exhaustive — just a reliable little roster — and I’ve avoided “best in show” rankings on the grounds that 1) Some people reasonably believe numbered rankings can be clickbait shaped by subjective taste and arbitrary criteria; and 2) Such people will be less provoked to send me angry emails.

Pablo's Havana Cafe

Multiple locations, pabloshavanacafe.com

No restaurant in Greater Columbus is as dedicated to Cuban sandwiches as Pablo's, and it shows (this is based on the original Pablo’s in Powell; I haven't yet visited the new Dublin North Market branch). The staff in Pablo’s cute two-room Powell space, where tiny Cuban flags grace every table and the Buena Vista Social Club soundtrack seems to often play, even wear T-shirts emblazoned with the sandwich’s recipe. Variations on that classic — plus myriad other well-prepared Cuban delights — are available, but start with the sandwich celebrated on those shirts.

Called “El Cubano” ($11), it hits every Cuban sandwich note with near perfect pitch. Expect a toasted, smashed roll with a cracker-like crunch packed with a boatload of standout pork (properly accented with citrus and cumin), thinly sliced sweet deli ham, melted Swiss, thin pickles and yellow mustard. Pablo’s additionally offers versions enhanced with salami (Tampa Cuban sandwich, $12); and with chicken replacing roast pork (La Cubana, $10); and with everything but roast pork (El Cubanito, $10).

Starliner Diner

4121 Main St., Hilliard, 614-529-1198, starlinerdiner.com

Cuban-leaning Starliner Diner in Hilliard — like long-defunct Galaxy Cafe in Powell that it spun off from — was a groundbreaking Latin restaurant when it premiered in the 1990s. Other than relocating to a larger Old Hilliard space in 2016, Starliner has changed little through nearly 30 years, and that’s been a good thing for this ever festive and colorful place with whimsical food murals, star-shaped clocks and a menu that has always included Cuban sandwiches.

I’d be surprised if Starliner and the Galaxy before it weren’t the first local eateries to offer Cuban sandwiches, but proving that is all but impossible. In any event, Starliner’s Cuban sandwich hasn’t changed much through the decades. Expect a toasted and pressed hoagie roll holding thick slices of griddled pork loin; slabs of griddled ham steak; Swiss melted on both sides (a nice touch); plus yellow mustard and pickles. Called “media noche” after a midnight snack-style sandwich popular in Cuba (this brings up a can of worms I might open another time), it’s $13 and arrives with addictive fried sweet plantains.

Columbus Brewing Company Beer Hall

200 Kelton Ave., 614-274-5199, columbusbrewing.com

Columbus Brewing Company Beer Hall was launched last winter by the venerable local brewery right across from East Market (a former trolley car facility near Franklin Park). Complementing East Market, it has uncommonly attractive old bones — CBC inhabits a dramatically restored 1880s-era brick and wood structure that once functioned as a trolley car repair station. Despite that history-enhanced and scenic framework, this is a modern and stylish brewpub with a slew of great house beers and a terrific patio.

CBC’s Cuban sandwich ($18; served with good blocky fries) is one of the biggest and best items on the new brewpub’s food menu. It’s a nontraditional take on the classic created with updated ingredients that begin with a toasted and compressed Amoroso roll — a beloved Philadelphia-area product famously used for Philly cheesesteaks. This gets packed with slabs of smoky, slightly sweet and attention-hogging impressive ham (not undistinguished deli meat), roast pork with actual mojo flavor, high-quality Swiss made in Middlefield (in northeastern Ohio), plus perky house-made pickles teamed up with pleasantly strong grainy mustard.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: These 3 Columbus restaurants serve a mighty Cuban sandwich