Cuban diaspora builds a restaurant culture (1960s-present)
Cubans fleeing the 1959 revolution settled heavily in Miami and spread across US cities, opening restaurants that carried ropa vieja, Cuban sandwiches, and cafe con leche beyond Florida.
Cuban restaurants multiplied wherever Cuban communities formed, from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles.
Cuban food became a recognizable American regional cuisine, served well beyond Cuban neighborhoods.
La Cubanita's Cuban menu sits in that decades-long spread, now appearing on a Chicago street better known for South Asian and Middle Eastern food.
