Picadillo is seasoned ground meat, most often beef, cooked with tomatoes and regional extras in kitchens from Mexico and Cuba to the Philippines. The extras change from country to country, which is why one cook's picadillo has olives and another's has potatoes. Sofrito Latin Cafe, on Palm Parkway in Orlando and five minutes from Disney Springs, prints a Beef Picadillo plate with no country tag, and this guide reads that row exactly as printed.

Key Takeaways

Picadillo's extras change from country to country, while the Sofrito Latin Cafe row sticks to four printed parts and names no country at all.

Picadillo is seasoned ground meat, usually beef, and its name comes from the Spanish verb picar, meaning "to mince."
Cuban picadillo often adds olives and capers, Mexican picadillo often adds carrots and potatoes, and Filipino picadillo is often soupier.
Nobody knows for certain where picadillo began, though a Spanish dictionary printed between 1726 and 1739 already listed it.
Sofrito Latin Cafe lists Beef Picadillo in Lunch Specials as ground beef, white rice, black beans and sweet plantains, tagged GF / Gluten Free, with no changes or substitutions allowed.
The Beef Picadillo row prints no country tag, though the black beans side prints "(Cuba)", and the menu doesn't print picadillo as a filling in its pastries.

What Is Picadillo in One Sentence?

Picadillo is ground meat, most commonly beef, cooked with tomatoes or tomato sauce and eaten on its own, with rice, or as a filling.

That's how Wikipedia's picadillo entry describes it, calling it a traditional dish in Mexico, Cuba and other Latin American countries, as well as the Philippines. Extras such as raisins and olives vary by region.

Picadillo's meaning is built into the word. It comes from the Spanish verb picar, "to mince," a root that MasterClass also points to in its picadillo guide.

It builds easily into a plate, too. MasterClass notes picadillo can be served as a main dish with white rice, black beans and plantains.

How Does Picadillo Change From Cuba to Mexico to the Philippines?

Picadillo changes most in its extras, with olives, capers, raisins, potatoes, peas or extra broth showing up depending on the country it's cooked in.

Cuban picadillo, according to Wikipedia, often includes olives and capers and may include white wine. Raisins are traditional there but often left out. It's served over white rice or used to stuff papa rellena, empanadas and pastelitos.

Mexican picadillo often includes carrots and potatoes in a tomato sauce and may include peas or squash, the same entry says. MasterClass describes the Mexican style the same way, with potatoes or vegetables such as peas.

Puerto Rican picadillo often features raisins soaked in rum, according to MasterClass, and it's used to fill fritters such as empanadas.

In the Philippines, Wikipedia notes picadillo is also called giniling and is often a soupier stew served with rice. MasterClass likewise calls the Filipino version a little more brothy.

For the bigger picture behind two of those kitchens, see our guide to Cuban vs Mexican food. None of these regional extras are printed on the Sofrito Latin Cafe row below.

Where Did Picadillo Come From, and Why Is Nobody Sure?

Nobody knows for certain where picadillo first came from, but the word was already in a Spanish dictionary printed between 1726 and 1739.

Tasting Table makes both points: the origin is uncertain, and that dictionary already listed picadillo and noted its chopped beef. The entry proves the word is old. It doesn't settle whether the dish started in Spain, Cuba, Mexico or somewhere else, so any single origin story deserves some doubt.

What Does Sofrito Latin Cafe Print for Beef Picadillo?

Sofrito Latin Cafe prints Beef Picadillo in Lunch Specials as ground beef, white rice, black beans and sweet plantains, with no country tag.

Here's the Beef Picadillo row, word for word: "Ground beef, white rice, black beans & sweet plantains. *No changes or substitutions allowed." The row is tagged GF / Gluten Free. No country name appears on it, so the plate isn't labeled as any one country's version.

If you came looking for picadillo with rice and beans, that's the shape of this plate, and it matches the main dish pairing noted earlier. What the row leaves off is just as clear: no olives, no raisins, no capers.

Part of the dish	Often mentioned in sources	Printed on this menu
Ground beef	Most common meat	Yes
Tomatoes or tomato sauce	Usually included	Not printed
Olives and capers	Often in Cuban versions	Not printed
Raisins	Regional extra	Not printed
Potatoes, carrots or peas	Often in Mexican versions	Not printed
White rice	Common way to serve it	Yes
Black beans and plantains	Named as plate partners	Yes, with sweet plantains
Country	Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Philippines	None printed

Beef Picadillo is listed in Lunch Specials as a composed plate. The Sofrito Latin Cafe menu doesn't print picadillo as a filling in its pastries, even though Wikipedia and MasterClass both describe it going into empanadas, pastelitos, papa rellena and fritters.

Black beans also appear on the menu as a side, and the black beans item prints "(Cuba)" with GF / Gluten Free and Vegan tags, a country label the Beef Picadillo row doesn't carry.

The sweet plantains are the ripe, fried side, and our guide to maduros vs tostones explains that side.

The Short Version

Picadillo is ground meat whose extras change by country, and Sofrito Latin Cafe prints Beef Picadillo with white rice, black beans and sweet plantains. The row carries no country tag, is tagged GF / Gluten Free, and allows no changes or substitutions. The menu also doesn't print picadillo as a filling in its pastries.

FAQ

Picadillo is ground meat, most often beef, cooked with tomatoes and regional extras, then served with rice or used as a savory filling.

Does picadillo always have olives and raisins?

No. Wikipedia's picadillo entry lists raisins and olives as extras that vary by region, not fixed parts of the dish. Cuban picadillo often includes olives and capers, and raisins are traditional there but often left out. Mexican versions often include carrots and potatoes in a tomato sauce. The Sofrito Latin Cafe Beef Picadillo row prints ground beef, white rice, black beans and sweet plantains, with no olives, raisins or capers listed.

Is picadillo the same as a hash?

It's close. MasterClass calls picadillo a beef hash popular in Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico. The name backs that up, since it comes from the Spanish verb picar, meaning "to mince." The differences come from regional extras, such as capers, green olives and white wine in Cuban recipes or potatoes and peas in Mexican ones.

Is Sofrito Latin Cafe's Beef Picadillo gluten free?

The Beef Picadillo row on the Sofrito Latin Cafe menu is tagged GF / Gluten Free. The same row says no changes or substitutions are allowed, so the plate comes as printed: ground beef, white rice, black beans and sweet plantains. If you have celiac disease or a serious food allergy, talk with the staff about your needs before you order.

Is picadillo used as a filling?

Yes. Wikipedia's picadillo entry notes it can be eaten on its own, served with rice, or used as a filling in tacos, empanadas and other savory pastries, and Cuban picadillo also stuffs papa rellena. The Sofrito Latin Cafe menu doesn't print picadillo as a filling in its pastries. Beef Picadillo appears there as a Lunch Specials plate with white rice, black beans and sweet plantains.

Beef Picadillo Near Disney Springs: Visit Sofrito Latin Cafe

Sofrito Latin Cafe is on Palm Parkway in Orlando, five minutes from Disney Springs, and Beef Picadillo is listed in its Lunch Specials.

Sofrito Latin Cafe

8607 Palm Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32836

(407) 778-4205

Open daily from 8am, until 9pm Sunday through Thursday and until 10pm Friday and Saturday.

What Is Picadillo? Ground Beef, Many Countries