Review: Los Autenticos: Easy to Overlook, But Hard to Forget

The delicious chicken noodle soup (above) at Los Autenticos is made from “grandma’s recipe.

by Scott Joseph • photography by Sharon Gonzalez

One of the things I like most about my job is finding great new places to eat and being the first to tell you about them. So I was really excited when I happened upon Los Autenticos Sandwich Cuban Cafe, a small but delightful eatery on East Colonial Drive. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the restaurant has been around for 10 years, four under its current owner.

But no matter. I’ll just assume there are others who love good Cuban food and who haven’t heard of the place either.

Los Autenticos is, in fact, easy to overlook. There are only a few booths packed into a corner space in a nondescript strip center fronting the busy thoroughfare. But it’s bright and cheery, spotlessly clean and visitors are greeted warmly.

I took a seat at one of the booths and looked over the menu. Breakfast is available all day, but I was attracted by the “oven-roasted in the house” pulled pork lunch special, which included rice and black beans and a choice of a side dish. I selected the ham croquettes as my side. I was also drawn to a “side bowl” portion of the chicken soup, which the menu says is made from grandma’s recipe. How could you go wrong with grandma?

But alas: I was told the kitchen was out of the soup. So I stuck with the main order, which turned out to be delightful. The pork was particularly moist (don’t call it greasy, though; it’s the pork “juices” that give it that moisture), with grilled onions and just the right amount of garlic mixed in.

The pulled pork (above) is exceedingly moist and tasty with house-made hot sauce.

What made the pork even better was the house-made hot sauce, served in a plastic squeeze bottle adorned with a piece of tape on which the word “hot” was written. True that. It was, I later learned, made with 13 types of chilies. How they settled on just that number I don’t know, but I won’t question perfection. It was green and pulpy and not just hot but flavorful – it  didn’t sear the taste buds, but excited them.

The beans were good; so, too, the croquettes. And while I was enjoying them, the man who had taken my order (I learned later that he’s the owner) brought over a just-off-the-stove serving of the chicken soup I had requested earlier. How thoughtful.

And how tasty, too. It was a rich broth with tiny bubbles of love on top. It contained hearty chunks of chicken, carrots and celery and plenty of thin noodles. I can’t wait to catch a cold just so I can soothe myself with more of this soup.

It was when I was paying my bill that I found out that the man who had served me, Robert Cruz, bought the restaurant four years ago. He comes from a restaurant family – his parents, he said, had owned some restaurants on Semoran Boulevard – several of which I had actually reviewed over the years, such as Cuchifritos.

They taught him well. He’s running a terrific little spot – one I wish I’d found years ago.

Los Autenticos Cuban Cafe
Where: 7339 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
When: Breakfast and lunch daily
How much: $
Where to call: 407-282-2322