A sign on the door reads: "Thanks for your patronage for the last five years."

We regret the passing of this wonderful family-owned business and wish the owners all the best of luck in the future!

Glenn Lindgren: We had a hard time finding this restaurant. It's located in nearby Naperville, a suburb of Chicago. The restaurant is very impressive with a lot of brick and stucco and the interior is nicely decorated with some beautiful paintings and pictures of Cuba.

Jorge Castillo: They have some wonderful appetizers. They have empanadas stuffed with lobster that are so flaky you'll wish you had room to eat several.

Raúl Musibay: The signature dish here has to be the ropa vieja. They do everything right in this entree: tender meat, flavorful sauce, and just the right combination of spices.

Jorge Castillo: They also serve Hatuey beer, a real Cuban brew.

Glenn Lindgren: Another great choice is the camarones al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce). Many restaurants that try to cater to a non-Latin clientele cut way back on the garlic. When we eat this dish we WANT to taste the GARLIC. The Copa Cubana goes all out, and the result is truly amazing.

Jorge Castillo: We don't always order paella when we're eating out. For one reason, we make a pretty decent paella at home. The other reason is the preparation time. However, the paella at Copa Cubana is worth the wait. It's easily big enough for three people and comes loaded with chunks of lobster, shrimp, clams and a mild white fish. Some freshly steamed mussels would really make this dish sing.

Raúl Musibay: They have a complete line of Cuban sandwiches here. Of course everything comes with frijoles negros and your choice of tostones or maduros.

Jorge Castillo: A very good dessert is the chocolate cake with mango sauce, a real treat.

Glenn Lindgren: One last thought. Avoid the nearby Samba Room which is just another corporate attempt at developing a "theme" restaurant. Do you really want food that is more Nuevo Latino than Cuban (meaning they can't get anything right), prepared by a staff of "chefs" working off of recipe cards? Copa Cubana beats the Samba Room by a long Bauta mile.

We Show You How in Two Great Miami Cuban cookbooks:

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