This beloved local haunt serves up mouthwatering Cuban classics in a cozy spot adorned with framed Havana memories, ensuring a flavorful dining experience.
"El Oriental de Cuba, a landmark Cuban restaurant that has been a fixture in Jamaica Plain for generations, has shut down. El Mundo Boston reports that Yvonne Torres and Lissette Garcia, sisters and current owners of the restaurant, decided to close the place in part due to struggling to juggle operations with their own full-time careers. “Our family will always be proud and humbled to have been a part of the journey and will treasure all of the happy memories of El Oriental and the positive impact that it brought to Jamaica Plain, and the City of Boston,” the sisters wrote in a message announcing the closure. Prior to the sisters’ ownership, El Oriental de Cuba had been stewarded by their father, Nobel Garcia, up until his death in 2021. For decades, the restaurant was a beloved gathering place for Boston’s Latinx community; a welcoming home for morning cafecitos and dinners of tangy, saucy Cuban sandwiches. It also served as a home for an “immeasurable” amount of political activity that helped shape the future of Jamaica Plain, former state representative and JP resident Jeffrey Sánchez tells the Boston Globe. Over its nearly three decades in business, the restaurant won a slew of local entrepreneurship awards and was a regular sight on Best of Boston lists and Eater Boston’s map of the city’s 38 essential restaurants." - Erika Adams
"The Cuban sandwich at El Oriental de Cuba in Jamaica Plain is compulsory Boston sandwich eating. The exterior is crispy, and the interior is filled with savory pork and tangy pickles dressed with a gooey amalgamation of Swiss cheese and mustard." - Terrence Doyle, Rachel Leah Blumenthal, Nathan Tavares
"The pork sandwich at El Oriental de Cuba is the best one in the city. The exterior is crispy, and it’s filled with savory pork, tangy pickles, and mustard. For a supersized rendition, try the specialty Cuban with both pork and roast beef, slicked with a special sauce, on top of all the regular ingredients." - Erika Adams, Terrence Doyle
"At Jamaica Plain’s El Oriental de Cuba, which has an all-around outstanding menu, one can find guava and cheese empanadas offered as an appetizer. The restaurant is part of Jamaica Plain’s exemplary Caribbean food scene, and the Cuban sandwich is a must." - Karen Wilber
"With plantain omelettes, plantain fritters, sweet plantains, savory plantains, and more, this Jamaica Plain spot will certainly satisfy your plantain needs. Try the shrimp in garlic sauce with mofongo. Mofongo is made with unripe plantains, which are fried and mashed with garlicky oil and pork rinds. It is perfect." - Karen Wilber
