Jorge Castillo: It seemed a shame to mix the frijoles with the yellow rice, which has a delicate flavor of its own. I guess you could ask for white rice for the beans if you want to be a traditionalist.

Glenn Lindgren: Having said that, you do get a very good Cuban meal at the Havana Sandwich Shop. Step up to the cafeteria-style counter and order a Cuban sandwich, nicely put together with good helping of meat, cheese, and pickles on fresh pan Cubano.

Jorge Castillo: The Havana Sandwich Shop makes an excellent boliche sandwich with thinly-sliced beef, green peppers and onions.

Glenn Lindgren: I also liked the pan con bistec. A good Cuban steak sandwich smothered in grilled onions and shoestring potatoes.

Jorge Castillo: The frijoles negros, yuca and plátanos maduros, are good, basic staples that help round out your meal.

Raúl Musibay: Despite the name, you can get a lot more than a sandwich here. They serve boliche and picadillo and a couple of Cuban steaks -- the Milanesa is very good, breaded and served with tomato sauce.

Jorge Castillo: The Cuban-style tamales are very good. In fact you can put together a pretty good meal with a couple of tamales, empanadas, croquetas, and an order of frijoles negros from the "Sides" menu.

Glenn Lindgren: The Havana Sandwich Shop does attract a crowd at lunch here, so go early or later if you can. With the amount of business they do here, expansion plans can't be long off.

Jorge Castillo: Wash everything down with a true Cuban soda. They have Malta, Materva, Jupiña, Coco Rico, and Iron Beer. Or order a delicious batido (shake) the mango and fruta bomba are especially good.

Raúl Musibay: If you'd like to try cooking some Cuban food at home, the Havana Sandwich Shop has a small grocery with many Cuban favorites in stock.