Review: 90 Miles Cuban Cafe
By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 21, 2010 4:00PM
Sometimes, everything goes wrong with an evening out - and you still have so much fun that you don't care. During our visit to 90 Miles Cuban Cafe, we got caught in a torrential downpour. After it ended, we were seated back out on the patio and got caught in another torrential downpour - just our bad luck. We were quickly moved to a great table inside, but had to deal with the inevitable service fallout of moving every customer in the restaurant around, over and over. Despite these difficulties, the experience was great. Everyone was cheerful, the food was tasty and our bottle of rum remained intact and rain-free.
90 Miles Cuban has the atmosphere of a huge, outdoor party. We usually despise patios, especially those with a tropical flair - all fake palm trees, Corona ads and drunken frat types whooping it up. 90 Miles keeps the good parts (the party atmosphere, the joy of being outdoors and a giant pig roasting on a spit) but somehow eliminates all the unbearable bits. Live Cuban music and mojitos add to the fun. They have both a covered patio and a traditional outdoor area - we ended up in the covered patio during the rain. 90 Miles is BYOB, but has an ingenious way to still serve great mojitos - you bring your own bottle of rum, they'll mix it for you and give the remainder back at the end of the night. They also offer sangria (bring your own red wine) but we didn't have the guts to try it.
The food is simple and excellent. We tried a roast pork platter (with the pig that had recently been on the spit taking center stage) with onions, which was one of the better pork dishes we've had recently. Fried plantains were crispy and delicious, and their yuca con mojo (cassava root in a garlic sauce) was the best we've ever had. The menu also offers a variety of Cuban sandwiches and tropical shakes. Our only complaint - and it was minor - was with the service. At times, it was very very slow, so be prepared. On the other hand, with a pitcher of mojitos, a plate of pork and a great party, who cares if it takes a few hours?
90 Miles Cuban Cafe has 2 locations: 3101 N. Clybourn and 2540 W. Armitage. We visited the Bucktown location, about 5 blocks off of the Western stop on the Blue Line. Remember to bring your own rum!