The Cuban sandwich is a hand-held art form. Thick layers of rich, slow-roasted pork stacked against thin, salty ham, slicked with mayo and mustard (especially mustard). They are perhaps glued together with barely-there Swiss cheese, and studded with sweet, briny pickle coins. And it’s all pressed on soft yet resilient bread, akin to if a hoagie roll and a French baguette had a baby. Though many assume this delicious creation hails from Miami, the Cuban sandwich, or “Cubano” in Spanish, is proudly claimed by Tampa, specifically, by a small enclave northeast of downtown called Ybor City. Here, workers hand-rolling cigars in local factories needed easy lunches. Tampa’s Cubano is a cultural amalgamation of the Latin, Jewish, and European influences converging in Ybor for 150 years, with a regional twist — it adds salami, reflecting its German and Italian immigrant communities.
Ybor City was once widely known as the “Cigar Capital of the World,” still evidenced today by brick buildings — former cigar factories — throughout the neighborhood. Vicente Martínez-Ybor moved from Key West to Tampa in the 1880s to take advantage of ports and the railroad, bringing thousands of workers north and establishing a company town with housing and social clubs. At its peak, over 230 cigar factories produced 500 million cigars annually, the largest of which was J.C. Newman, aka El Reloj, which visitors can tour today and try rolling a cigar themselves.
Ybor’s cigar manufacturers also made beer, opening Florida’s first brewery, Ybor City Brewing Company, in 1897. Although it closed in 2003, Cigar City Brewing honors its cigar history and is now a flagship of the Tampa Bay area, Florida’s craft beer capital. Despite the industry’s decline, Ybor City was revitalized in the 1980s and is now a thriving hub of food, history, and nightlife.
Historic streets, Cuban sandwiches, and cigars
Wander 7th Avenue (“La Septima”), Ybor City’s main throughway, with an eye and ear out for chickens that roam freely and often dart across traffic. Indoor/outdoor bars line the strip where you can pop in for a drink, snack, or cigar. Browse boutiques, have a Cubano and sip a cortadito at Flan Factory, or relax at a cigar lounge. King Corona Cigars and Sterling Cigar Bar feel like a step back in time…