The Cuban opens in Patchogue

With plenty of rum, color and bling, The Cuban joins the swelling restaurant scene in Patchogue following its grand opening Wednesday, Feb. 27. 

The sprawling 154-seat restaurant is on the ground floor of New Village at Patchogue and has been a year in the making, according to director of operations Al Vila. It is the sister restaurant to the original The Cuban in Garden City, which opened in 2016. As in Garden City, Tropicana-style shows featuring costumed dancers and live drummers will take place on Friday and Saturday nights. (There is no dance floor at this location.)

Whereas The Cuban in Garden City has palm trees outside and a clubby vibe inside, the Patchogue location has tons of tropical color inside, from fuchsia banquettes and pops of gold and turquoise to a faux Havana street scene painted onto the wall.

Both spots share a mojito-dense drinks list and a menu of Cuban and Latin-fusion dishes, cooked by single-moniker chefs Gabriel (who's moved over from Garden City) and Jesus. Appetizers ($8.50 to $11.50) range from empanadas and the cod fritters known as bacalaitos to chargrilled octopus (pulpo a la parrila) as well as three kinds of ceviche.

Larger plates ($16.40 to $29.50) include the iconic ropa vieja, or Cuban-style braised and pulled beef, plus lechoncito (roasted pork shoulder with pickled onions), several steaks, a seafood sancocho stew with lobster tail and scallops, and a pernil-stuffed Cuban-style sandwich. Smaller versions of some of these are on a two-course, $10.50 lunch menu. On the drinks menu, rum and tequila rule, with mojitos and margaritas a theme, augmented by a mango rum punch and other cocktails. Beer is served by-the-bottle, rather than on tap.

Owner and CEO Willy Martinez, a Cuba native and tireless restaurant entrepreneur, owns both locations (though he has partners in Garden City), as well as a constellation of Margarita's Cafes across the island; another Margarita's Cafe is due to open in Long Beach this spring, said Vila, and by the summer, a third Cuban is to open in Rockville Centre.

For The Cuban's grand opening, the 50s-era cars parked outside the Garden City location will make appearances on Patchogue's Main Street, and there will be a midweek Tropicana show, as well as complementary shots.

The Cuban is open daily for lunch and dinner. It is on the ground floor of New Village at 95 W. Main St., in Patchogue; 631-714-5626; cubanny.com.