Gigi's Cafe Cubano

Gigi’s is one of the last remnants of the days when this area went by the name of Little Havana, and was less of a scene for young people who look like they own tasteful collections of local ceramics. When you first walk into this Cuban cafe, your eyes will immediately gravitate towards the glowing cases of decadent cakes and pastries, but put your annual Headspace subscription to use and channel all of your willpower, because you’re going to want to head straight to the cashier to order one of their perfectly pressed Cubanos, or plates of ropa vieja, which are a MasterClass™ in the balance of sweet and salty. Also, if you come early enough, they might still have a few pastelitos de guayaba queso (guava cheese strudels) and papas rellenas, an excellent, fluffy potato ball filled with spiced meat that rivals the ones at Porto’s.

photo credit: Krystal Thompson