Cuban espresso shot pulled with sugar (the cafecito), then pulled long with hot steamed milk. Tampa's morning ritual on every Cuban counter from West.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Cafe con leche arrived with Cuban immigrants to Tampa in the 1880s and has run on every Cuban counter in the city since. The Cuban method (the cafecito): pull espresso through a stovetop moka pot, dump the first dark shot over sugar in a cup, beat with a spoon until pale brown and frothy (espumita), then top with the rest. Cafe con leche extends this with steamed milk. La Teresita on Columbus Drive has poured cafecito since 1972; Versailles in Miami serves the same. Tampa's daily Cuban coffee culture is the longest-running unbroken food tradition in the city.
Common allergens: Dairy
Tip from the editors. The espumita (sugar foam) is the Cuban touch and what distinguishes a real cafe con leche from a regular latte. Don't skip the sugar-beating step.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
La Teresita on Columbus Drive has run a Cuban counter and dining room in West Tampa since 1972, owned by the Capdevila family across two generations.
Order: Palomilla steak with yellow rice and black beans.
Tip: The counter side runs 6am to midnight Friday and Saturday; the dining room takes reservations next door.
Etto's on East Seventh in Ybor pours classic Cuban coffee, cafecito and cafe con leche for the Ybor walking crowd through the day. A steady neighborhood draw.
Signature drink: Cuban espresso colada
Cafe Don Jose on West Columbus Drive runs a working-class Cuban counter with cafecito, pastelitos and Cuban breakfast plates for the West Tampa crowd.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche
La Segunda in Ybor City has baked Cuban bread daily since 1915, with 18,000-plus loaves a day and the palmetto frond baked into the top loaf for steam.
Worth the queue: Long Cuban bread with palmetto frond
Mauricio Faedo's Bakery on North Florida Avenue bakes Cuban bread, breakfast Cuban toast and deviled crabs daily, with the family running it since 1955.
Worth the queue: Daily-baked Cuban bread
More cities are in research. Want cafe con leche (cuban coffee with milk) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.