cuban-restaurant-near-disney-springs
Cuban Restaurant Near Disney Springs: Lunch and Dinner on Palm Pkwy
Search for a Cuban restaurant near Disney Springs and you'll still find pages for Bongos Cuban Cafe, which closed in August 2019. The Cuban food you can actually sit down to now is off property. Sofrito Latin Cafe, at 8607 Palm Pkwy in Orlando, is about five minutes from Disney Springs and serves Cuban and Latin lunch and dinner every day from 11am.
Dinner runs until 9pm Sunday through Thursday and until 10pm Friday and Saturday. The menu puts Cuban staples like 36-hour braised roast pork next to Venezuelan, Peruvian and Argentine plates. Every dish is tagged with its country of origin.
Key Takeaways
- Bongos Cuban Cafe at Disney Springs closed in August 2019, and there's no dedicated Cuban restaurant inside Disney Springs today.
- Sofrito Latin Cafe is about five minutes away on Palm Pkwy in the Lake Buena Vista area, with lunch and dinner served daily from 11am.
- Cuban plates share the menu with Venezuelan, Peruvian and Argentine dishes, and each item is labeled with its country.
- Lunch specials run Monday through Thursday, 11am to 5pm, for dine-in and pickup. They're not offered during holidays.
- Dinner goes until 9pm Sunday through Thursday and 10pm on Friday and Saturday.
Is There Still a Cuban Restaurant Inside Disney Springs?
No. Disney Springs hasn't had a dedicated Cuban restaurant since Bongos Cuban Cafe closed in August 2019, so the nearest Cuban plates are off property.
Bongos was the Estefan-owned restaurant on the West Side. Its old listings and reviews still rank in search, so plenty of trip plans end at a restaurant that no longer exists. The Latin-leaning restaurants inside Disney Springs now are Mexican, Spanish and pan-Latin tapas spots. None of them is Cuban.
Sofrito Latin Cafe sits on Palm Pkwy, in the hotel corridor just outside Disney Springs. It's a family-run cafe, not a theme-park venue, and it's one of the few places nearby where a Cuban lunch or dinner is the main event. You'll find the address and map on the contact page.
What a Cuban Lunch or Dinner at Sofrito Latin Cafe Looks Like
Expect Cuban comfort food: 36-hour braised roast pork, a pressed sandwich on Cuban bread, and sides like black beans, yellow rice, tostones and yuca.
The Roast Pork is braised for 36 hours with coriander, garlic and cumin. The Cuban sandwich stacks ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese and pickles on Cuban bread, and it's finished with a tangy Dijon mustard rather than plain yellow. The Media Noche is on the menu too, if you're after the sweeter-bread cousin.
Build out the plate with black beans, yellow or white rice, sweet plantains, tostones, or yuca with cilantro mojo. For dessert there's coconut flan, vanilla flan and tres leches.
Here's how the core lunch and dinner plates break down, using the menu's own descriptions and country tags:
| Plate | What's in it | Country on the menu |
|---|---|---|
| Roast Pork | 36-hour braised pork, coriander, garlic, cumin | Cuba |
| Cuban | Ham, roast pork, Swiss, pickles, Dijon on Cuban bread | Cuba |
| Pabellón Criollo | Shredded beef, white rice, black beans, white cheese, sweet plantains | Venezuela |
| Patacón | Two fried green plantains with lettuce, tomato, white cheese and cilantro-garlic sauce; beef, pork or vegetarian | Venezuela |
| Lomo Saltado | Stir-fried tenderloin strips, red onion, tomato, Peruvian yellow pepper, fries, white rice | Peru |
| Churrasco | Grilled skirt steak with chimichurri | Argentina |
A Latin Restaurant Near Disney Springs, Not Only Cuban
Sofrito Latin Cafe is Cuban at its core but pan-Latin overall, so one table can share a Cuban sandwich, a Venezuelan pabellón criollo and a Peruvian lomo saltado.
That range comes from the owners. Sofrito Latin Cafe was founded by Maria Molina of Venezuela and Carlos Calderon of Peru, and the About page tells the story behind the family recipes. The name comes from sofrito itself, the cooked base of aromatics that runs through cooking across Latin America.
The country tags help with mixed groups. One person can stick with a Cuban plate, another can order the Pabellón Criollo or a Lomo Saltado, and a steak eater can go for the Churrasco, knowing exactly where each dish comes from.
When to Go: Lunch Specials and Dinner Hours
Lunch and dinner start at 11am every day, with lunch specials Monday through Thursday until 5pm and dinner served until 9pm or 10pm.
The lunch specials are dine-in and pickup only. They aren't available on holidays or during the holiday season, so check the menu before you plan around one.
Sofrito Latin Cafe is open daily from 8am, until 9pm Sunday through Thursday and until 10pm Friday and Saturday. The full lunch and dinner menu runs from 11am to close. If you're leaving Disney Springs late on a weekend, the extra hour on Friday and Saturday matters.
Drinks for a Post-Disney Springs Dinner
The drink menu covers Latin cocktails like mojitos, pisco sours and caipirinhas, Latin beers including Cusqueña and Polar, and Cuban coffee for after dinner.
There's red sangria and a Cuba Libre if you'd rather keep it simple. For the coffee crowd, the cortadito and the colada cubana (meant for sharing) are both on the drink menu.
Eat In, Pick Up or Order Ahead
Sofrito Latin Cafe offers dine-in, pickup and delivery, and you can place a pickup order online before you leave Disney Springs.
There's seating inside and out. If the kids are done for the day, order online and take dinner back to the room.
The Short Version
There's no Cuban restaurant inside Disney Springs anymore. Bongos closed in August 2019. For a Cuban lunch or dinner nearby, Sofrito Latin Cafe is about five minutes away at 8607 Palm Pkwy, serving roast pork, Cuban sandwiches and plates from Venezuela, Peru and Argentina daily from 11am until 9pm (10pm Friday and Saturday).
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Sofrito Latin Cafe from Disney Springs?
Sofrito Latin Cafe is about five minutes from Disney Springs, at 8607 Palm Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32836, in the Lake Buena Vista area.
Does the lunch and dinner menu have gluten-free or vegetarian choices?
Yes. The menu marks gluten-free items with a GF tag, including the Roast Pork, Churrasco, Lomo Saltado and Pabellón Criollo. The Patacón comes with a vegetarian filling and a vegan option. Tags can change, so check the live menu, and tell the cashier about any food allergy.
Is there a kids menu at lunch and dinner?
Yes. The lunch and dinner menu has its own Kids section.
What if we arrive before 11am?
From 8am to 11am, Sofrito Latin Cafe serves its breakfast menu. The lunch and dinner menu starts at 11am.
Does Sofrito Latin Cafe cater?
Yes. Sofrito Latin Cafe offers catering for office events and private celebrations.
What's the phone number?
Call Sofrito Latin Cafe at (407) 778-4205.