Chris V.
Yelp
Oh, the humanity!
Cubanidad is a local hit that started on the west side and expanded to this more convenient Henderson spot. It's located at the far end of the triangular plaza with such anchors as Trader Joe's and Seafood City; if you see El Pollo Loco, you're almost there.
I first experienced and enjoyed Cubanidad at a Yelp Elite Experience. Tonight, I finally showed up to them as a regular customer since they were running a freebie special for a certain sandwich. I also decided to buy various pastries to see what else they had to offer.
The specified sandwich was the 305 (normally $12.65), aka Miami Cuban. The bread was panini-pressed to a slight char and held the contents without being too heavy. Plentiful pork came with balanced salty, sweet, and acidic flavors from the Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. I did like it, but I preferred the Ybor Original, aka Tampa Cuban, from my prior experience. It's basically the 305 plus Genoa salami, which added a flavor punch.
The sweet pastries are also satisfying. The Guava & Cheese pastelito ($3.95) had a noticeably flaky crust and was full of plentiful guava paste. The paste seems a little grainy for some reason, but it didn't detract from the mouthfeel. It's definitely a great way to scratch the itch for that flavor. The Cheese Roll ($1.00) was good too, and very affordable to boot. It was airy but had enough fluffy cheese, and the sugar atop the outside of the roll was welcome.
However, the savory pastries were disappointing at best. The Beef and Plantain Empanada ($3.95) came with a full chunk of steak but was gray and stringy inside, with not that much flakiness on the outside. I wonder if it might be better in the morning rather than having sat on display all day. I didn't notice much plantain either, which might have helped with the dryness. Meanwhile, the Papa Rellena ($3.95) was pretty fluffy but bland and has approximately the opposite meat-to-potato ratio of the famous SoCal version of this item. To be clear, that means it's starch-heavy and therefore overpriced compared to anything else I've ordered here.
The restaurant is counter service, with a pickup area by a side entrance for preorders. Parking is just fine. Although I took my food to-go, I did observe that the dining counter where I loitered while waiting for my food was clean.
Cubanidad is a decent spot for certain menu items, but I would avoid the savory pastries in general. Perhaps next time I'll look into the entrees or breakfast menu.