After eight years, Delux - a bistro serving Cuban food by day and French food by night - closed and re-opened as La Cubana Ossington in February of this year. At the time Delux owner Corinna Mozo had already opened her first, and very successful, La Cubana in Roncesvalles Village in late 2013 (I have not been to the Roncesvalles location but I always hear good things about it). A bit about Mozo: She grew up with Cuban food because her father, who spent much of his childhood at his father's diner in Cuba, would often cook Cuban food at home after emigrating to Canada. Mozo eventually became a chef and opened Delux on Ossington Avenue in 2007.
Fast forward to 2015 to La Cubana #2 or La Cubana Ossington (Twitter: @lacubana_oz, Facebook: La Cubana Ossington). The seafoam green walls, patterned tile floors, camel-coloured banquettes and brightly lit signage all give a very retro look to the Cuban snack bar.
Similar to the Roncesvalles location, La Cubana Ossington serves casual Cuban food. The difference between the two locations is that the Ossington menu is much more condensed than the one at Roncesvalles; it has a smaller selection of sandwiches and Cuban plates. Roncesvalles also offer an appetizer/snacks menu which Ossington doesn't (you can compare the menus here: Roncy menu vs. Ossington menu).
Order at the counter then take a seat. Your food will be brought to your table when it's ready.
LA CUBANA BEER ($4)
RASPBERRY LIME RICKEY ($5)
PRESSED CUBANO ($10)
Ham, pork, gruyere, red onion, cornichon, grainy mustard, mayo
THE CUBAN BURGER ($9)
Ground pork, smoked paprika, chipotle ketchup
ACHIOTE ROASTED CHICKEN ($15)
Served w/ rice and beans, plantains and slaw
DONUTS ($5)
KEY LIME BAR ($5)
La Cubana Ossington is a great place for a quick and casual meal. It is unpretentious and inviting, a spot that I wouldn't mind visiting again and again. What's even better is that everything on the menu is really affordable and the plates I had were all quite tasty. Standouts were the pressed cubano (a favourite of mine since the Delux days), the juicy Cuban burger with its soft white milk bun, and the warm donuts served with dulce de leche and cream. The roasted chicken was a bit on the dry side but still had lots of flavour. I thoroughly enjoyed the rice and beans, slaw and plantains that came with it.