Cortaditos

Cortaditos in Union City Is a Haven for Cuban Americans | Eater NY

"Inside their humble Park Avenue storefront in Union City, I found Cortaditos—a Cuban cafe opened by Adam San Miguel and Andres Carrillo in November 2021—that has quickly become one of the town’s most popular spots. Their espresso offerings stand ready to slake even the most ardent caffeine addiction: the cafe con leche provides a richly flavored, perfectly warmed boost—Starbucks could never—that won't immediately dilate your pupils, and the signature Cortadito bon bon (hand‑shaking espresso over condensed milk) is a crowd favorite. Beyond the coffee, the menu includes hot sandwiches, a breakfast sandwich of a fresh butter croissant stuffed with scrambled eggs, a strip of bacon, and salsa, and pastries like tart pastelitos de guayaba y queso and quesitos; the empanadas are on the dry side but richly flavored. The interior competes for attention with a wall‑sized Havana street mosaic and a technicolor portrait of Celia Cruz, while four motorized windows evoke Cuban ventanitas by turning the exterior into a stretch of high‑top seating that spills coffee smells and bilingual banter onto the street. True to its roots, most staff are foreign‑born and receive generous supports—language lessons, gym memberships, and help setting up homes—and every afternoon around 3 p.m. the baristas perform Cortaditos’s conga ritual as both team‑building and customer entertainment. The business grew out of the owners’ prior nonprofit and bakery collaborations, and after opening in 2021 they began scaling with a December 17 opening at the American Dream shopping center while pledging to keep investing in their workers as they grow." - Jennifer Doherty