Making Cuban Tamales

When most Americans think of Tamales, they think Mexico. While those can certainly be delicious, Tamales are also a staple of Cuban cuisine and very different. The Mexican version is made with dried corn flour, typical ingredients and spices added in the assembly process and steam cooked.  Our version is made with fresh ground corn seasoned with classic Cuban ingredients including Sofrito and assembled cold in semi-liquid form and then cooked bain-marie to a firm consistency.

Both processes are complicated and labor intensive, and almost never done in-house, especially the Cuban version, which is why it’s been off our menu for years. Until now.

We have been experimenting for months and have made the commitment to a 100% traditional and in-house process. We think the result speaks for itself and are confident that our customers will agree!

Traditional Cuban Corn Tamal
Chicken or Pork – wrapped & steamed in a corn husk topped with pickled onions and romesco sauce*.   10.00
*contains almonds

Martes ~ Tuesday

Rabo Encendido  22
oxtail Stew

Pollo Asado  16
roasted half chicken

Miercoles ~ Wednesday

Carne Guisada con Papas 15
stewed beef, potatoes, peppers and onions

Pollo Asado  16
roasted half chicken

Jueves~Thursday

Picadillo  13
Havana-style ground beef

Pollo Asado  16
roasted half chicken

Viernes~Friday

Masitas de Cerdo  15
fried pork morsels

Pollo Asado  16
roasted half chicken

Sabado~Saturday

Rabo Encendido  22
oxtail Stew

Pollo Asado  16
roasted half chicken

Domingo~Sunday

Masitas de Cerdo  15
fried pork morsels

Pollo Asado  16
roasted half chicken

BBQ Guava Wings   15
guava BBQ sauce, blue cheese dressing, celery, carrot sticks

Gazpacho Con Jaiba 18
chilled yellow tomato gazpacho, crab meat salad, cucumber, mint, vidalia onion

Coliflor a la Plancha  12
charred cauliflower, horseradish salmorejo, arugula, manchego cheese

Empanadas de Bacalao (2) 12
cod, olives, raisins and potato stuffed empanadas, avocado sauce, pickled cabbage

Yuca Brava 12
fried yuca, Spanish chorizo, spicy aioli, manchego cheese

Guacamole Caribeño 15
hass avocado, mango, toasted coconut, cilantro, jalapeno, lime, tomato

Vuelve a La Isla  17
octopus, shrimp, pacific cocktail sauce, avocado, jalapeño, lime, orange, cilantro, fried plantains

Taquitos de Atun* 18
sushi grade tuna, cabbage, sesame, soy lime, jalapeño

*Consuming raw or undercooked seafood or shellfish may increase your risk of foodborne illness.

Los Clásicos
The Classics are served with choice of two sides unless otherwise indicated: Rice, Beans, Boiled Yuca, Sweet Plantains

Churrasco  35
grilled skirt steak, chimichurri

Ropa Vieja  22
shredded flank steak, black beans, white rice, sweet plantain (no sides)

Lechon Asado  20
roast pork, arroz moro, boiled yuca, pickled onion (no sides)

Camarones Enchilado 22
creole style sautéed jumbo shrimp, peppers, olives, onions

Pollo al Ajillo con Espinaca 22
boneless chicken breast, garlic-cream sauce, sautéed spinach

Cuba Meets The World

Filete de Pargo  29
red snapper fillet, quinoa, black lentils, mint, roasted poblano-almond pesto

Chuletas Encebolladas 22
grilled marinated pork chops, sautéed onions, fried potatoes

Arroz Chino Cubano  22
Cuban-Chinese style sautéed rice & vegetables with grilled shrimp

Pescado con Chutney de Piña y Mango 27
pan roasted blackened salmon, coconut rice, mango-pineapple chutney

Pez Espada en Escabeche  28
marinated swordfish, peppers, onions, olives, potatoes

Empanada de Pollo  4.50 ea
turnover filled with chicken

Empanada de Carne  4.50 ea
turnover filled with ground beef

Cubanada Empanada  5 ea
pulled pork, ham, swiss pickle, garlic mojo

Vegan Empanada 5 ea
curried cauliflower, potato and edamame beans with mango-pineapple chutney

Papa Rellena  5
flash fried ground beef stuffed potato

Croqueta de Jamon  3 ea
flash fried smoked ham & onion croquette

El Cubano  11
pulled pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickle with garlic mojo

Pan con Bistec  12
thin steak, lettuce, tomato, onions, potato sticks

Pan con Lechon  10
Cuban-style pulled pork with garlic mojo

Media Noche  10
roasted pork, ham and swiss cheese on sweet bread with pickle and garlic mojo

Cuban Reuben  12
corned beef, braised short rib, swiss cheese, pickle, mojo

Fried Chicken Sandwich*  12
bacon, tomato, avocado, peperoncini, jalapeño aioli on toasted brioche bun, served with french fries

Veggie Cubano Sandwich  10
grilled portobello, grilled onion, swiss cheese, pickles, truffled mojo

Caesar Cubano con Churrasquito  25
grilled skirt steak, kale, romaine, Caesar dressing, fried chickpeas, manchego cheese

Chicken Chopped Salad 22
lettuce, crispy tortilla, roasted corn, onion, pinto beans, cherry tomato, horseradish creamy vinaigrette

La Isla Salad  16
roasted beets, baby spinach, mango, avocado, onion, honey crisp apple, pecans, blue cheese, champagne vinaigrette

chicken 5 / shrimp 7 / skirt steak 9

Sopa de Pollo med 6 – lg 8
Homemade chicken soup with potatoes, carrots, celery, corn and cut spaghetti