If you are in downtown Tampa and the craving hits for a real Cuban sandwich, Central Coffee & Sandwiches — which also goes by Central Cafeteria — is the place to know. It sits at 703 N Franklin St, and it leans hard into the Cuban-style pressed sandwich and homemade refresher drink combination that makes the neighborhood's food scene what it is.
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The pressed sandwiches are the main event. The 305 Cuban ($14.25) is the classic build: slow-roasted sliced mojo pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. For something with a bit more going on, the 813 Cubano ($15.50) adds Genoa salami to that mix. The Pan con Bistec ($15.50) piles sliced steak, onions, Swiss cheese, fried potato sticks, lettuce, tomatoes, and a house aioli onto Cuban bread, and the Medianoche ($12.90) puts mojo pork roast, ham, Swiss, pickles, and mustard on hot-pressed medianoche Cuban brioche. There is also a Chicken Avocado ($15.50) with grilled chicken, bacon, provolone, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and chipotle mayo, a Poli's Turkey Club ($14.25) with roasted turkey, bacon, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, and chipotle sauce, and a couple of melts: the Tampa BBQ Melt ($15.00) with thinly sliced roasted beef, melted cheddar, provolone, and white American cheese, BBQ sauce, and crispy fried onions, and the Ham & Bacon Melt ($12.90) with ham, bacon, melted cheddar, provolone, and white American cheese and garlic cilantro aioli.
Breakfast is just as big here. The Breakfast Burrito ($13.50) is loaded with eggs, bacon, breakfast french fries, cheddar jack monterrey, fresh pico de gallo, and homemade chipotle. The Avocado Sunrise Sandwich ($11.60) puts avocado, egg, chipotle maple glazed bacon, and cheddar cheese on toasted sourdough, and the Steak and Eggs ($12.95) fills eight inches of fresh Cuban bread with sliced steak, bacon, Swiss cheese, and two fried eggs. There is a B.A.L.T. ($10.35) with bacon, fresh avocado, lettuce, and tomato, and a build-your-own option priced by the add-ons if you want to pick your own bread and fillings. Beyond that, the menu rounds out with salad wraps like Avocado Ranch, Chicken Caesar, Buffalo Chicken, and Southwest Chicken, and grilled burritos in Classic, Crunchy Southwest, and Supreme versions.
To wash it all down, the 100% natural refresher drinks are a signature touch, with the H.M. Strawberry Lemonade and the Cucumber Mint Lemonada both at $5.60. The reviews back up the hype: it holds 4.9 stars from more than 120 reviews on Uber Eats, where customers have called it the best Cuban breakfast sandwich in Tampa and praised the breakfast burritos. The staff gets a nod too, with reviewers describing them as extremely kind and the portions as a fair value for the money.
It is a morning and lunch spot, so plan accordingly. It runs Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. You can order for pickup, takeout, or catering, and it is available on Uber Eats if you would rather have it come to you. They take Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, and Square, so paying is the easy part.
