BRINGING YOU A FRESH, LOCAL TASTE—
Looking for a taste of Cuban cuisine without having to go abroad? Don’t want to break your budget but still want to experience a Caribbean taste? Look no further than A Caribbean Sweetness, located at 1824 East Main Street.
For the second stop on our local restaurant review called “Woffordspoon: serving our fellow students a taste of Spartanburg,” we dined at A Caribbean Sweetness in an effort to continue to find unique and hidden eateries that Wofford students will enjoy. This time we brought a “guest eater,” Student Body President Hank Davis, to further assist us in our eating endeavors.
Upon entering the restaurant diners immediately sense the authenticity with a warm welcome from Cuban native Gaston Rodriguez, owner and founder.Approaching its seventh year anniversary, A Caribbean Sweetness has a lot of customers, mainly at lunchtime and on the weekends, according to Rodriguez.
Opened in December of 2007, the restaurant came to be because the Rodriguez family acknowledged the lack of Cuban restaurants in Spartanburg.
The restaurant has been family owned from the start, and even now, seven years after its founding, Rodriguez’s son is attached to the family business as the restaurant’s chef.
Tucked away on the east side of town, diners have the option of sitting either indoors or outdoors.
Either way, they will get an authentic Cuban feel with the decorations displayed around the restaurant and the true Cuban taste in the food.
Locals and visitors alike favor A Caribbean Sweetness, as it was ranked number one of 276 restaurants in Spartanburg and awarded a Certificate of Excellence 2014 by Trip Advisor.
A Caribbean Sweetness menu contains everything from the Cubano (Cuban sandwich) to traditional tamales to flan and batidos (milk shakes). The specials menu is always rotating so diners have an array of options outside the traditional menu. Rodriguez has the treat f choosing his picks for the day for the specials menu.
“This was my first visit to A Caribbean Sweetness so I scoped out the menu before going and was drawn to the traditional Caribbean choice of Jerk Chicken with black beans, yellow rice and ripe plantains,” says Woffordspooner Ashlee Moody. “My meal was incredible and the owner even gave me tips on how you’re supposed to eat the platter – by using the sweet plantains to cool your mouth from the spicy kick of the chicken.”
“It was my first time going to A Caribbean Sweetness too so I entered with an open mind and empty stomach,” says Woffordspooner Jonathan Franklin.
“I ordered the Reuben and not only left with leftovers to make the experience last longer, but wanted to take the secret recipe for the homemade Reuben sauce as well.”
Davis ordered the Cubano, more commonly known as the Cuban sandwich.
“The Cuban sandwich is the best in town. Two thumbs way up. The food is fresh, made to order and you can definitely tell,” says Davis.
Overall, our experience at A Caribbean Sweetness was one for the books. We enjoyed chatting with Rodriguez our entire meal and hearing about the restaurant’s history. We definitely give it five out of five stars.
Authentic Cuban experience=priceless.— Ashlee Moody and Jonathan Franklin
