Our first impression was the atmosphere. Café Contigo is first and foremost a coffee house, so it has that community/hangout feel to it, and if there’s one thing Cubans know how to do well it’s community hangouts. The decor and ambiance is great! Weathered furniture, deep tones, great natural light and outdoor eating area mixed with wonderful, authentic music. They also have really great coffee table books of life in Cuba and table games like Cuban dominoes. I already knew I was going to like this place the moment I walked in.

Their Cuban Sandwich is authentic and delicious. The foundation of a great Cuban sandwich is really good, crusty Cuban bread, and I found out from talking with the personable staff that Café Contigo gets some of their baked goods (including bread) from Porto’s Bakery in Glendale. Those in the know, know that is a very very good thing! The empanadas at Café Contigo are also delectable, perfectly spiced and cooked. I dare you to only eat one.

If I had one criticism of Café Contigo it’s that their menu is kind of on the light side. The smoothies are not very authentic and they are missing the most quintessential of Cuban Batidos: Mamey. The lack of a Batido de Mamey from the menu was a glaring disappointment. They could also consider adding other sandwiches, Tostones and fried Yucca fries to the menu.

Still, this place was a great find and I look forward to returning and sampling more of their coffee treats and enjoying more empanadas!