Where to get a Cuban sandwich in the UK
Last updated on 1st February 2025
Finding a Cuban sandwich only in Florida (USA) is a thing of the past. This celebrity sandwich is now global, starring in menus of every continent, not to mention in its own movies (have you watched Chef?).
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The UK food scene is not an exception and has seen many renditions of this cult sandwich composed of Cuban-style roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard (and sometimes salami too!) on hot pressed Cuban bread. And most should know getting the right bread in the UK can be tricky, but you cannot blame locals for trying to find a relevant alternative and, in some cases, to come up with a decent recipe for Cuban bread.
Finish this short intro or jump to the sandwiches:
- Finish Intro
- Cahita, Liverpool
- Cuban Sandwich Factory, Belfast
- Mamacitas Miami Eats, Edinburgh
- About this list
- More Cuban Scran
For anyone in any of these cities searching for “real Cuban sandwich near me”, hopefully one of the shops below should come first every time. After all, their Cuban sandwiches can’t be too distant from the real thing from Miami, Tampa and Key West. Quoting the book The Cuban Sandwich: A History In Layers: “…the Cuban defies major improvement or innovation because, when made with care and quality ingredients, it is already the most fully actualized version of itself…”
Have a look at these UK shops doing Cuban sandwiches.*
Cahita, Liverpool
Location: Duke Street Food & Drink Market, 46 Duke St, Liverpool L1 5ASC
Liverpool is renowned in the UK for its music scene but, what about its food attractions? Sure they have Italian, British cuisine and Latin American restaurants, but I bet many wouldn’t imagine that Liverpool houses one of the first Cuban sandwich joints of the recent times here in the UK.
Right in the city centre of Liverpool it is Duke Street Food & Drink Market, host to many independent kitchens including Cahita. This Latin street food inspired concept has built their offers around the Cuban sandwich, with perhaps the most gourmet exemplar in this list.
The team of Cahita (formerly named Finca) has been a mainstay within the Duke Street Food & Drink Market for a number of years (they established here in 2019, although traded at other different places since 2016). Their Latin Barbecue offer, as advertised in their kitchen is very diverse, but their top product and the reason they started their concept is the Cuban sandwich.
For what they call The Famous Cahita Cubano, they use grilled pork shoulder, roast ham, gouda, pickles made in house, a mojo mayo and sweet mustard. They pack all this ensemble inside a toasted ciabatta roll. The sandwich is served with a dipping mojo sauce. Meanwhile, you can order fries on the side because: why not?
Cuban Sandwich Factory, Belfast
Locations: Botanic Ave, Belfast BT7 1JN – Callender St, Belfast BT1 5BN – St George’s Market, 12-20 East Bridge St, Belfast BT1 3NQ
Chef Carlos was possibly one of the first proponents of the Cuban sandwich in the UK. He lived in different places including Scotland, before settling in Belfast for good. In that city, he founded Cuban Sandwich Factory, which is composed of two restaurants and a weekly pop-up kiosk at the popular St George’s Market.
Cuban Sandwich Factory jealously keeps their recipe for Cuban bread. Filled with mojo lechón and all the usual ingredients in the cubano, their rendition called the attention of Bárbara Cruz and fellow authors of the book “The Cuban Sandwich: A History In Layers”, published in 2022. Cuban Sandwich Factory in Belfast is actually the only UK restaurant that features in the book.
No doubt that the flavour of Carlos’ food is the highlight, but his life story and mantra, which have nurtured his happy restaurants, are what definitely put him in printed editions of the first ever chronicler book of Cuban sandwiches. Find more about it in The Cuban Sandwich book.
A visit to Cuban Sandwich Factory will offer you not only appetising Cuban sandwiches and rice bowls, but also the surroundings of a Cuban jungle, full of paintings, vintage photographs, seashells and beach rocks, some of them brought from the very Cuban sands.
The business slogan “Born in Cuba, Bread in Belfast” pays homage to the journey of exodus and adaptation of a Cuban sandwich that rooted in the streets of the Northern Ireland capital.
Mamacitas Miami Eats, Edinburgh
Location: 128 Portobello High St, Edinburgh EH15 1AH
This young sandwich joint is as laid-back as the name suggests. Mamacitas is the fruition of partners in life and business Callum and Rhiannon. The first one being British and having travelled many times to his partner’s birth town in Florida, USA, felt inspired by the rich Latin food offering there. The result of their vision is a colourful establishment with tasty food in their own neighbourhood of Portobello in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital.
Their offer has plenty of sandwiches, all hot pressed the traditional way and using a Cuban bread of self-developed recipe. You can try sandwiches like Vaca Frita (fried shredded beef), Chicken, vegan ones and even a version of the famous Frita (aka the original Cuban burger). But let’s go to the Cuban sandwich: this one has has mojo pork, ham, Swiss cheese, a spicy mustard and thick pickles.
Mamacitas also offers Venezuelan empanadas, Cuban rice bowls, tostones, and other lesser known dishes such as pikliz (a Haitian spicy pickled slaw). All the food, reminiscent of warmer temperatures and Spanish accents, may be the reason for you to take a bus from the ultra busy and touristy Edinburgh city centre to the more sleepy coastal area of Portobello. Definitely people travel to this shop for all of that, but also for the vibes, the friendly service, and a colourful wall mural of Cuban singer Celia Cruz, the “Queen of Salsa”.
Social account: mamacitas__portobello
*This list is organised in alphabetical order and it comprises only places I have visited and that have been actively selling Cuban sandwiches. Do not discard it may grow in the future. After all, the UK is not small and it is a place for sandwich lovers.
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