Masa Craft Kitchen
Fusion restaurant · Miami ·
Cuban-Filipino American bar food: ube frita, cheesesteak
Cuban-Filipino American bar food: ube frita, cheesesteak
"Unlike most of the spots on this guide, Masa Craft isn’t a sub shop. They’re a pseudo-pop-up living inside of The Taurus in Coconut Grove that serves a mashup of Cuban, Filipino, and American food. But you’re coming here for their humongous fili-cheesesteak. It’s a gorgeous mess of shaved ribeye, sharp american cheese, and queso. Plus, it gets a tangy Filipino spin with adobo sauce. Finishing one in a single sitting should get you some kind of prize, but eating it is an award in and of itself." - virginia otazo, mariana trabanino, ryan pfeffer
"This pop-up has a new home inside The Taurus, where they’re serving a menu that blends Cuban, Filipino, and American food. The most glorious example of this mash-up is the ube frita. It’s made with two smashed patties—one is a sweet longanisa sausage, the other is beef. Then it's covered in banana ketchup, papitas, and stuffed between a purple ube pandesal bun. It has the DNA of a smashburger, a frita, and some entirely new, undiscovered species. They bake those squishy, purple buns themselves—and occasionally sell out. So give the bar a call to make sure it’s available." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino
"This former pop-up has a new home inside The Taurus, where they’re serving a menu that mashes up Cuban, Filipino, and American food. There are two big reasons to go here, and they’re both sandwiches. The humongous fili-cheesesteak is a delicious mess of shaved ribeye, queso, and Filipino adobo sauce. But the best thing between bread is the ube frita. It’s made with two smashed patties—one is a sweet longanisa sausage, the other is beef. It’s covered in banana ketchup, papitas, and stuffed between a pair of purple ube pandesal buns. It looks cartoonish, but it’s not a gimmick. Call it a postmodern frita. It'll make El Rey traditionalists and burger experimenters equally excited about their next bite. video credit: Virginia Otazo video credit: Virginia Otazo Pause Unmute" - Virginia Otazo
"Why did it take so long for Texas barbecue to meet the Cuban protein bar? We’re not sure, but we’re glad that Masa Craft and Farmhouse BBQ – located in M.I.A Beer Company and Beat Culture Brewery, respectively – helped us all make up for lost time with their brisket croqueta. Stuffing a croqueta with smoked brisket would be amazing on its own, but this duo decided to go the extra mile, adding applewood smoked bacon, white wine-sauteed mushrooms, and truffle oil. It’s a savory symphony that you can appreciate without being a french horn enthusiast." - charlie crespo
"Where To Find Them: Hard to say, but worth the effort. Want to hear about the saddest thing to ever happen to us? It was when we learned that Masa Craft was leaving its old kitchen in a Doral brewery just a week after we finally ate their ube longanisa frita smash, which instantly became our favorite thing between bread in the entire city. But even though Masa Craft no longer has a reliable home, it is still in pop-up mode at bars, farmers market, or other random events they’ll post about. Masa still bounces around town serving bulgogi cheesesteaks, croquetas, and occasionally that ube longanisa frita smash. Next time they announce a pop-up, don’t wait until it’s too late." - ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino
