DaFoodie

I hadn’t been to Numero Uno Cuban restaurant in about ten years, at which time my youngest (then two years old) unexpectedly catapulted her little body over the back of her high chair and landed headfirst on the tile floor. We headed back, and I am pleased to say that not only did my daughter not have any more acrobatic occurrences, the food was as delicious as I remember it.

I’m a Cuban cuisine aficionado, and armed with my cookbook called Memories of a Cuban Kitchen I’ve whipped up more picadillo than should be allowable by law. I was glad to see that the items on Numero Uno’s menu contained all of the yummy comfort food that I’m used to, including my beloved picadillo.

Numero Uno sits just a tich north of the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Orange Avenue on Orange near Downtown Orlando. We went for dinner, and the restaurant is not casual but also not stuffy. It’s not large, and the seating is intimate and also pretty dimly lit (but not so much that you’ll need a flashlight to see the menu or your food). There are white cloth napkins, yet the tables are topped with glass and the patrons are able to shove their business cards underneath it - a cool way of networking. I now have a reliable plumber and also a makeup artist in case I ever need them … but hopefully not on the same night.

My youngest wanted the beef empanadas, which are pretty large and filled with moist, delicious ground beef (picadillo). I even saw a few green olives:

We also decided to get a cup of soup, of which they have many types and also come in bowl sizes as well. We chose the garbanzo bean soup (chick peas), and now I have a new craving:

Honestly, I’d wash dishes all night for this soup - it’s that good. The garbanzo beans are not overly shmooshy, and there is also onions, potatoes, a bit of boiled tomato and cilantro, and chicharrón (fried pork back). The chicharrón was chopped up so that you had bits of pork floating around, and also the wonderful crispy crunch of the fried pig back offsets the soft potatoes. If you can’t locate me in the next few days, I’ll be in my kitchen trying to replicate this recipe.

The entrees are the standard meats: beef, chicken, pork, and seafood, and also a vegetarian section. They also offer lamb and beef liver, and have a nice Cuban dinner platter special which includes a few different Cuban specialties in case you can’t decide. My youngest decided on the Numero Uno, which is Bistec Ensebollado (a ribeye that’s been beaten into a thin strip and marinated, and also served with cooked marinated onions):

Very delicious. Continuing with the beef theme, here is my picadillo:

They also have ropa vieja, bistec palomilla and empanizado, pepper steak, boliche (eye round roast stuffed with Spanish sausage called chorizo), and beef stew. My eldest loves chicken, so she got the Pollo Salteado (marinated grilled chicken strips with marinated green peppers and onions):

I really would like to go back and try a platter or some seafood. In addition to their dinner entrees, they have great lunch specials and many sandwiches like a Cuban, steak, roast pork, chicken, or veggie. Side orders are garbanzo beans, white or yellow rice, black or red beans, Cuban tamales, stuffed potatoes, croquettes, fries, corn fritters, and plantains (sweet/ripe, chips, or green fried). I got some mofongo for lunch the next day (come with broth on the side, and also in the shrimp variety):

For dessert, they have regular vanilla and cheese flan, dulce de leche, tres leches, rice pudding, and more. They also offer beer and a pretty decent wine list as well as fruit juices. I definitely do not want to wait another decade to go back!

Numero Uno Restaurant
2499 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32806-4545 
Phone: (866) 495-7187
Hours: Weekdays 11am-3pm, 5pm-9:30pm