It's About Time: Venerable Cuban Sandwich Chain Goes Viral

This Miami Cuban sandwich chain with more than half a century of history is such a hidden gem that New Times is almost hesitant to share its deliciousness with you. However, we must not gatekeep any longer: Sarussi is a hidden gem.

Now with three locations across Miami-Dade County, each owned separately and with a slight variation to the menu, Sarussi Café Subs, Sarussi Subs, and Sarussi Cafeteria and Restaurant sell what some might say are the most delicious, no-frills Cuban sandwiches in the nation — and the flagship has been doing so at its original Hialeah location since 1964.

New Times even named Sarussi Cafeteria and Restaurant the Best Cuban Sandwich of 2019.

While the chain is known for its "Cubanos" (Cuban sandwiches), one location in particular is owned by a Nicaraguan family: Sarussi Café Subs on Bird Road. It whips out meaty and cheesy wraps and sandwiches that are so delicious they've gone viral on TikTok and Instagram.
Creating a Nicaraguan spin on a Cuban classic, this location has become most famous for its Nicaraguan-inspired "Fritanga" wraps and sandwiches.

The sandwich is made with juicy churrasco (grilled skirt steak), sweet fried plantains, queso frito (crisp fried cheese), and a generous drizzle of housemade cilantro sauce and crema. Plus, it's served packed high and smothered between two halves of the restaurant's housemade bread before being toasted with garlic butter. (We told you it was going viral for a reason.) It's also served as a hefty wrap, as featured below in a video by Leslie of @treatyoselfeverywhere on TikTok, who helped shoot the spot to online stardom.

@treatyoselfeverywhere Cuban and Nicaraguen Fusion in Miami🇨🇺🇳🇮 📍9836 SW 40th St, Miami, FL 33165 #cubansandwich #cubanfood #fritanga #nicaraguafood #miamifoodie #miamifood #miamieats #southfloridafood #miamifoodblogger #miamirestaurants #panconbistec #westchestermiami #southmiami ♬ Destination Calabria (Remix) - AJIMUSTANG

Although this is the first time the chain has gone viral on social media, it's not the first time it's seen major press on the screen — and we mean a TV screen instead of a phone or tablet.

Back in 2010, Sarussi Subs on Eighth Street was featured on Travel Channel's Man v. Food starring Adam Richman where he was in search of every major city's "game day sandwich." He ordered the "Sarussi Original," which he described as a "Massive, 16-inch, two-and-a-half pound colossus of baked ham, roast pork, and pickles, smothered in melted cheese and topped with its secret sauce." Legend has it the owners don't even know what's in the sauce. (Therefore, it's truly a secret sauce.)

Nowadays, if you stop by the Eighth Street location, you can order this behemoth (served in eight- and 16-inch lengths) for yourself. It comes with double the ham, double the baked pork, double the pickles, and double the cheese. If you finish the 16-incher — which comes graciously sliced into fourths — on the spot, you'll score a place on the prominent wall of fame above the luncheonette counter.

Sarussi's History Dates Back to the 1960s in Miami

The late Edmond Sarussi opened the restaurant as an Italian pizzeria in 1964 on Eighth Street (Calle Ocho). As more Cuban exiles arrived in Miami due to Fidel Castro, he decided to offer his own version of a Cuban sandwich to the newly arrived exiles who were craving it. But he had a dilemma—he only had a pizza oven, sweet Italian bread, and mozzarella to work with.

Nevertheless, he decided to create his spin on the Cuban sandwich by making it in his pizza oven instead of a plancha (a panini press used for Cuban sandwiches). He piled them high in his own way: ham, pork, mozzarella (instead of Swiss cheese), and a secret peppers- and garlic-based sauce (instead of mustard). He then finished the creation by slathering a layer of garlic butter on top of the bread before putting it in the oven for five minutes. Eventually, Sarussi stopped serving Italian food altogether, and the rest is history — an incredible Cuban sandwich chain was born.

All in all, by eating a Sarussi sandwich, you're eating a true Miami original and a piece of Miami history. The restaurant has changed owners and, over time, has added more locations, but if you're lucky enough to visit any of the locations, you're in for a one-of-a-kind treat.

Sarussi Café Subs (Nicaraguan Specialities Available). 9836 SW 40th St., Miami; 305-551-4855; sarussicafesubs.com. Sarussi Subs (The Man v. Food Location). 6797 SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-264-5464; sarussisubs.net.