Portland, OR
For Cuban in Portland, the local food press points to Pambiche, Cubo, and Palomar. Picks from Willamette Week, updated July 2026.
Editor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Willamette Week. Updated July 2026.
Pambiche · Kerns
Pambiche has served Cuban food from its colorful Northeast 28th Avenue building since opening on Valentine's Day 2000, and Willamette Week named it a Restaurant of the Year. Owner-chef John Connell Maribona built an authentically Cuban space, and the Kerns-area kitchen remains a fixture for Cuban classics and pastries.
Cubo · Hawthorne
El Cubo de Cuba turns out faithful Cuban standbys on SE Hawthorne Boulevard, including mojo pork plated with rice and black beans and a Cubano on a toasted baguette-style bun with ham, pickles, and Swiss. Willamette Week frames the cooking as a solid, unfussy take on Cuban comfort food.
Palomar · Nob Hill
Ricky Gomez's Palomar blends Cuban cooking with New Orleans, and Willamette Week highlights dishes like a frita cubana, a medianoche sandwich, and mojo-grilled lechon asado with a sharp garlic-citrus sauce. The food menu was researched in Miami's Cuban diners, and the restaurant moved to Northwest 23rd Avenue in 2025.
What’s your #1 Cuban in Portland, OR?
Rank your top five and be the first to set Portland, OR's local ranking.