History
Pastelitos came north from Havana through Tampa's Ybor City Cuban bakeries in the early 1900s, where the Spanish puff-pastry empanada tradition was reimagined with tropical guava paste and sweet picadillo. The form spread to Miami after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and entered Central Florida through the 1980s Cuban-Puerto Rican migration waves. Black Bean Deli's counter on East Colonial Drive is Orlando's flagship pastelito source, with guava-and-cheese the canonical order; sweet picadillo and coconut variations follow.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 sheets all-butter puff pastry, thawed
- 200g guava paste (pasta de guayaba), cut into 16 small rectangles
- 200g cream cheese, cut into 16 small rectangles
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)
- 30g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water (for the glaze)
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C / 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Roll each puff pastry sheet lightly on a floured surface to even out. Cut each sheet into 8 squares (16 total, 8 will be bottoms and 8 tops).
- Lay 8 squares on the parchment. Center 2 rectangles guava paste and 2 rectangles cream cheese on each.
- Brush the pastry edges with egg wash. Top with the remaining 8 squares. Press the edges firmly with a fork to seal.
- Cut 2 small steam slits in each top. Brush the tops with egg wash.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes until deeply golden and puffed.
- While baking, dissolve sugar in 1 tablespoon water over low heat for a glaze.
- Brush the warm pastelitos with sugar glaze and let cool slightly before serving.
Tip from the editors. Guava paste in a tin or block (pasta de guayaba) is at any Latin grocery. Frozen all-butter puff pastry beats supermarket margarine puff for texture and flavor.
Where to eat cuban pastelitos
Cuban pastelitos in Orlando
Black Bean Deli ★ 4.6
Black Bean Deli on East Colonial Drive in Mills 50 has run since 2001, with pressed Cuban sandwiches, cafecito and pastelitos from a family counter.
TryCuban sandwiches, pressed cubano, cafecito
Pio Pio Restaurant ★ 4.4
Pio Pio Restaurant on East Washington Street near Lake Eola is the Peruvian rotisserie chicken spot with pollo a la brasa, lomo saltado and tres leches cake.
SignaturePollo a la brasa, Lomo saltado
More places near Black Bean Deli and Pio Pio Restaurant
Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
- Banh Mi Boy Street food, about 550 m away
- Graffiti Junktion Burgers, about 600 m away
- Tori Tori Japanese, about 650 m away
- Pho 88 Vietnamese, about 650 m away
- Shin Jung Korean Korean, about 750 m away
- The Strand New American, about 750 m away
More cities are in research. Want cuban pastelitos covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.