When you grow up with a mom and an aunt who cook huge, delicious feasts for dinner every night, you tend to grow up to be a foodie. So, when the five of us, plus kids, recently got together for lunch, I knew the restaurant had to be good.
We also wanted to try something new—a place none of us had been before. And after a morning of shopping downtown, Pineapple Ink Tavern fit the bill.
True, the downtown restaurant has been around for a couple of years. But it recently changed up its menu, now offering Cuban fare—harking back to owner Allan Soto’s childhood.
I could feel the difference as soon as I walked in. Vibrant Cuban music was playing overhead—it made me want to dance. Inside, the restaurant is joyful mix of colors and textures: There’s an original brick wall, mustard leather chairs, gorgeous patterned tile, and bright bursts of blue.
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We scored the grandest seating area—a royal blue cushioned circular booth in the front left corner of the restaurant, where we could look out at the restaurant and out onto Broad through those tall plate-glass windows.
The menu—which includes Cuban cigars, natch—is available via QR code. There are shareables, such as wings and sliders, but with a Cuban twist; as well as croquetas (croquettes) of ham, chicken or mac & cheese and empanadas stuffed with picadillo, chicken, pulled pork or pimento cheese (a Southern twist). I love that the menu also still offers a brussel sprouts appetizer, since they figured so heavily in the restaurant’s earlier iteration. There are also a couple of salads.
But all of us looked at the mains. As I read it off, my young daughter immediately wanted the churrasco, a grilled wagyu skirt steak—but it was $28. Instead, I ordered her the pan con bistec, a $12 steak sandwich with the meat thinly sliced, topped with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, potato sticks and garlic aioli.
I had a hard time deciding on my meal. The menu is small but beautifully edited. Along with the steak options, there’s lechon asado, braised shredded pork with rice and black beans; pollo a la plancha, chicken with yellow rice and pineapple salsa; arroz con camarones, a shrimp skewer with yellow rice; a traditional Cuban sandwich; and a double double, its tall burger option with two beef patties, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, cheese and special sauce. The restaurant also offers a special featured dish each week (check its Instagram page for updates!).
I was wavering between the shrimp and the pork, but happily I made the right choice. As our server set down my plate of food, my brother, who’s a big eater, glanced over: “You ordered the right thing—that’s a great deal.”
The lechon asado is a generous platter of pork, super tender and moist, just a little salty, and mixed with plenty of onions and spices. The juices also moistened the rice, adding even more flavor, along with the tender black beans, which were a little smoky and perfectly seasoned. The caramelized plantains added a sweet—but not too sweet—note to the dish.
We deconstructed my daughter’s steak sandwich, and she happily alternated bites of the thin, mild steak with the fat fries, which had a great crunch on the outside. I tried a bite or two, still constructed, and it was terrific—I love that thin, pressed Cuban bread, and the caramelized onion made the sandwich. I also love that the fries are served with ketchup and mayo!
After finishing his shrimp skewer and rice, my big-eater brother gladly finished off the other half of my daughter’s sandwich. But I wasn’t about to share my pork. In fact, I had enough to bring home for a light lunch for myself and my husband the next day.
The new Pineapple Ink Tavern offers an upscale Cuban vibe that’s fun and welcoming. But it combines that with generous home cooking packed with flavor. My mom and aunt would be proud.
Make Your Reservation
Pineapple Ink Tavern
1002 Broad Street
Cost: $12 to $28
Danielle Wong Moores is a local freelance writer who’ll never turn down a shrimp cocktail, sushi or cheese dip. Her greatest food influences are her mom and writers MFK Fisher and Amanda Hesser. Her Dine and Dish column runs the second and fourth Fridays in The Augusta Press.
