Caliente Cuban Cafe

Reviews

• Dale B.

  star star star star star_border 25 September 2026

  You need to try this restaurant for several reasons.  Caliente gives you a nice out of the way dining experience especially for those wanting to eat down town.  The foos is uniquely Cuban which isn't very common in Fort Wayne.  The team here including the owner is friendly and does a nice job.
  
  As for Cuban food...it's not blessed with much flavor.  The garlic bread side has a nice buttery taste with a hint of garlic.  The slices are thin so it won't fill you up.  The fried salty plantains are unique.  I liked the salt and crunchy texture.  The plantain doesn't have much of a fruit-banana taste.  I dipped them in the special Caliente sauce which gave them some zip.
  
  The rellenos were nice to try. You got two of them with a dollop of sour cream.  The rellenos was moist with a small amount of meat.  These made for a nice small plate however it didn't have much spice to it.  The ham croquettes had a nice taste.  The ham was almost puréed and nicely fried.  The pink sauce accented the croquettes nicely.  My wife had the three tacos with different meats.  All three were very fresh and tasty for a small plate.
  
  We be been to this restaurant under a different fare.  They have remodeled it so you walk right into the bar.  This felt very awkward to be.  We sat in a small two person table that was seemingly squeezed between a wall to our back and left and an aisle.  It felt a little uncomfortable.  This restaurant is small an really only accommodates one large party at a time.  The party sits in the very back of the restaurant.  Because of the unique old building design this large party's noise get amplified like its coming out of a tunnel.  We sat too close to them to make the experience a really nice time.
  
  Overall...you need to try this place!!

• Jessica P.

  star star star star star_border 9 September 2026

  This is a fun little place and I appreciate having Cuban cuisine available in downtown Fort Wayne.  I recommend the Mofungitos.  If you're craving a Cuban sandwich, this is your spot.  The pulled pork BBQ is good, but a bit too rich for me to eat more than a few bites at a time.  I can't say that this is my favorite restaurant, but overall, good experience, good food, and I will very likely return.  
  
  There are a few high-top tables next to the front picture window that make for great people-watching of the sidewalks, or some more private tables towards the back of the restaurant.  It is a small space, simply furnished, and smells of good food.  Framed photos on the walls of Cuban scenery are a nice atmospheric touch.  This would not be a good place to bring a large group, unless there is another much larger room that is not obvious from the front.  It is great for lunch and makes a fun pretty inexpensive date spot.  
  
  I agree with another reviewer that the menu could use some improvement; English descriptions of dishes would be very helpful.  It's easy to ask the friendly servers, but that takes a lot of time and if the restaurant is full then the servers will not have time to do this for every table.

• Teresa M.

  star star star star star 30 August 2026

  Delicious!  The staff is friendly and welcoming! I didn't know where to start my order and guidance was given for each course!  
  
  Sorry in advance I can't tell you the real names for the Cuban dishes but the server will know!  Or just do a sampler !!
  
  Went with a avocado stuffed with tuna- black bean soup- flan for dessert and all were sooo spot on!  They have beer and sodas in bottles.  
  
  Downtown Fort Wayne is very small and walkable.    We parked on the street with ease.  Not sure the meter hours but for dinner it was not crowded at street level

• Lori S.

  star star star star star 28 August 2026

  Delicious Cubano sandwich. The serving of plantain chips that comes with it seemed sparse, but it turns out it was just the right amount. Great atmosphere, and not crowded. Service was friendly and fast.

• Scott B.

  star star star star_border star_border 28 August 2026

  This place replaced the Italian Pizza restaurant that used to be here. The food is soup, salad, and sandwiches. I had the Guacamaya sandwich. It was pretty good. It had pork rinds on it and I liked the crunch. I also had a side of plantain chips, which were bland. I would not order the plantain chips again. I tried the other plantains that were how they are normally made, and they were good.
  
  The menu needs an overhaul. At the top of the menu are two combo options. They have spanish names for all of the side with no explanation as to what they are. They even went as far changing the name of a common french fry to papas fritas. The kids menu has fritas cubanas, which isn't explained.They are small hamburgers (sliders),
  
  The wait time from ordering the food to delivering the food was excessive for sandwiches. It was about 30 minutes. Our entire stay was 52 minutes for three sandwiches and there was only one other table in there.
  
  I think the food here is four stars. The menu and the service time was two stars.
  
  No military discount, however there are 10% off discounts for other stuff. Like the day we dined had 10% off for people who attended the genealogy convention.