This cozy neighborhood café, beloved for its café con leche and Cuban pastries, serves up comforting bites in a welcoming atmosphere that feels like home.
"A 'zombie' restaurant that has come back from closure, offering a nostalgic dining experience." - Eater Staff
"Cafe Tropical has changed ownership a few times over the years, but this 50-year-old bakery on Sunset hasn’t veered far from its Cuban roots. The current menu is still dominated by classics, like their famous cubano sandwich and golden-crusted pastelitos filled with sweet cheese and guava paste. But it's new additions like an excellent BEC on cushiony coco bread, lightly floral orange glazed donuts, and a spicy jerk chicken sandwich that we're most excited to pair with our midday cafe cubano. The sun-lit space is fairly small, with just a single row of tables and a tiny sidewalk patio usually occupied by friends collaborating on a poetry zine. So come early for a guaranteed seat inside Silver Lake’s unofficial social club." - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore
"My typical weekday breakfast is an entire Chemex’s worth of coffee, made from Cafe Tropical’s excellent specially roasted Honduran beans, hand-selected to most closely match Cuban roasts. But when I run out, I take full advantage of my proximity to this Cuban bakery on Sunset. They’ve been around since 1975, and the cafe was recently taken over by the owners of El Cochinito (another of my favorite spots) - and the food is better than ever. My order here is always a guava and cheese pastelito, which is my favorite pastry in the entire city, along with a couple jamón croquetas and a cafe helado (an iced Cuban espresso with evaporated milk). If I’m feeling particularly hungry (or, tbh, drank too many beers the night before), I’ll also add a bacon, egg, cheese, and avocado breakfast sandwich - their version of a bodega sandwich that is highly customizable, and served on their tremendously doughy Cuban bread. -BK" - the infatuation los angeles crew
"Tremendous Cuban restaurant El Cochinito in Silver Lake has a Christmas Eve catering menu involving their crispy, tender lechón asado, congri, and yuca, for six-to-eight ($100) or 12-14 ($180), along with a la carte options for maduros, croquetas, and papas rellenas. They’re also offering a Cuban breakfast package that includes bake-your-own cheese and guava pastelitos, along with a make-your-own Cuban sandwich kit for Christmas Day. Pre-order online." - brett keating
"Café Tropical has reopened with new management but retains its charm. The guava pastelitos and weekends-only sticky bun are standout items. Doughnuts with Seville orange cream are perfect for takeaway." - Eater Staff
