Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine

BOO!!! My colleague told me this location is closed. I walked over there today and indeed, it is closed. Though, I didn’t look for any poster or note. I HOPE it re-​opens.

As I write this I’m smearing green sauce all over my keyboard from the Cubano sandwich I just housed.
I’ve been to Sophie’s perhaps half a dozen time and have never been disappointed. Pernil is my complete weakness, I’d gladly divulge any secret I am holding for it. So with that, their pernil is really good, as is their rice, beans, platanos, empanadas, etc etc. You get the deal. Its a great choice for downtown when I’m feeling like I want a homestyle lunch.
The wait is usually not long and there was no one ahead of me ordering sandwiches. My only disappointment is I would have liked it toasted a little longer. Its not like it was a mad rush, but it didn’t stop me from completely devouring it.

I had decided as noted in my last review for this place that I would stick with the beef and chicken empendas because the pork made me sick. Well looks like I’ll be completely giving up on this place. I just had the beef empenadas and they were no good. Stay clear of this place!

The sweet plantains are well done. I got one of my Fav — the spicy grill chicken. They loaded my plate ($ 10) with rice, plantains ‚& grill chicken. I’m saving the rest for dinner tmrw. They use to be cheap with giving xtra onions, potato n peppers but not nomore

While lacking in ambiance, the service was on par and they make up for it in their food. I tried the cubano sandwich and got it «with a twist» — which is basically the addition of sweet plantains and green salsa. While I’m sure the sandwich would have been great without, the twist is definitely worth trying. It was delicious and I would definitely get it again.

The food is awesome and has never disappointed me! Their locations are growing which makes it feel like a chain but every time I step into one, it’s like going back home and eating my grandma’s food… and at these prices, I will continue to eat here for sure.
Each day they have a different special for roughly $ 10 which include two side dishes… I always get the yuca croquette which is filled with some meat as well.
You know they aren’t messing around with that sofrito (it’s a mix of spices, herbs and peppers used for cooking in Latin America) and their rice may be a little too orange for my taste but my taste buds disagree with me!
Food wise it’s a five stars for a cheap eat with flavor… But the décor is lacking and so I can’t categorize this is a 5 star place… Also… It helps if you know spanish… As they are usually packed and latino based… A spanish speaker usually uplifts the spirits of the servers.
This is not a first, second or third date type place, this is a go get a cheap eat with friends type place, or eat here while shopping go around type place. Or bring the kids for good cheap food. Not for dating, (maybe it’s just because of the décor, but I would seriously question a person that would bring me here on a date!).

I’ve gone here twice, once for take out for lunch and once for an early dinner with a group. Takeout was okay. —Not a good place for large groups.
I was just there last week with a group of high school students and the manager was not the friendliest. The servers and the rest of the staff were okay – granted we had one server for a group of 12. When I asked the manager if someone else could assist the waiter in taking my students’ order, he huffed and puffed and rolled his eyes at me as if I was bothering him by asking this.
The food came out in a decent amount of time, some students enjoyed their meals and others didn’t – typical teenagers are hard to please.
My meal, however wasn’t that great. I got the salmon with a salad and sweet plantains as my sides (you can get up to 2). The salmon tasted fishy as though it wasn’t cleaned with enough lemon or prepared properly overall and the salad was covered in a weird tasting dressing. I had asked for the dressing on the side (since I didn’t know what options they had) but I guess the waiter forgot to put that in when placing the order.
Overall, the experience wasn’t entirely terrible but I wouldn’t go back or recommend it to anyone.

**Takeout review only**
After hearing non-​stop from my coworkers how great the chicken at Sophie’s is, I decided I had to head to Seamless and see what the hype was all about. I was not disappointed. Granted the prices are a bit high ($ 10.75 for a grilled chicken order) but the food is definitely worth it. The grilled chicken was some of the best I have ever had. It was juicy and perfectly seasoned. I had a salad as my side (you can get up to 2 but I opted for 1) and it didn’t even need any dressing. Everything was good and filling. Next time I’ll try the baked chicken and empanadas (both have received outstanding reviews from my coworkers, as well).

Sophie’s is always a reliably good meal. They have table service, and the standard menu.
The pernil with a twist sandwich was exactly what I needed after skipping breakfast. the beef patty was also decent.

Super fast delivery from Sophie’s! I was craving a cubano and they delivered a hot and delicious sandwich that was very filling. Of course I got extra green sauce because I love it. Whether it’s Pernil with a twist, ropa vieja, plantains, etc. I love it. The oxtail is awesome but messy. Prices are reasonable and the line moves quickly. Yum, yum, yum!

I go to Sophie’s to pick up lunch about once a week. I always get the same thing — rice with spicy chicken. It’s consistently delicious. The portion size is large making it one of my most economically efficient lunches out. I am always full when I finish. As advertised it can be very spicy, especially when you get a piece of pepper with all he seeds clinging to it, but it’s amazing because of this special kick.
The service at Sophie’s, at least in the to go line, is always very efficient, though the customer line up process is not. This often works to my advantage, knowing the two line system and getting helped more quickly as the befuddled newbies stand in confusion trying to figure out which way to go.
The cashiers are always friendly and I would recommend this place to anyone who wants a hearty lunch in the financial district.

Delivery here is sooo fast! We order lunch from here sometimes and 90% of the time it’s here in under 15 minutes no matter if we’re ordering lunch for 2 people or 10.
That being said, the food is just decent. I like the Cuban sandwich, but sometimes it’s not always satisfying. The platters, however, are pretty large. They all come with two sides. I usually opt for the Roasted Pork (Pernil) and the Fried Sweet Plantains and Rice. This is a much larger portion of food and is more satisfying, but it really isn’t very special. If I’m having a busy week and I order it multiple times (just because they’re fast and I don’t have much time), I get pretty sick of Sophie’s and can’t order it again for a while.
If you’re in a pinch, though, and need something fast, the speed can’t be beat. Even though the food is just okay, I haven’t found anywhere that delivers with the same speed and consistency in the Financial District.

Despite the long lines and tight space, Sophie’s sandwiches keep me coming back.
My favorite is the «pernil with a twist,» a sandwich with pork, mayo, green sauce, plantains, and fairy tears that is pretty damn amazing. A guava empanada is a great finish.
The lines move fast, but because the ordering section and cashier section all run together, it can still take a while to escape the crowds with your lunch. Those guys behind the counter are bangin’ it out though, so I still have time to enjoy lunch before heading back to the office.
Simple and yummy – what more can I ask for a weekday lunch?

I recently order via seamless the fried pork chops with a side of fried green plantains and beans. The pork chops were tender, but could use a little salt or seasoning. The plantains were plain. The green sauce had a little kick to it, but I didn’t enjoy it.
Luckily the rice and beans were well made and will definitely fill you up.
The portions were large and reasonably priced. Overall you are getting what you’ve paid for. As long as you aren’t expecting gourmet Cuban food, you wouldn’t be disappointed. 2.5 stars rounded by to a 3, because the delivery was fast.
They also have Latin sodas such as:
Columbiana– tastes like a malt cola. It’s OK. Though at 160 calories, I probably wouldn’t order this again.
Materva yerba mate soda– very sweet and tastes like sugarcane. With 40 grams of sugar and 160 calories, you can feel the diabetes kicking in as you drink this.

Bought takeout for dinner on a Friday after work, and it was pouring outside. I’ve been wanting to try this place with a good friend who works in the area, but haven’t got the chance. Takeout was not bad, and read lots great reviews about this place.
They have daily specials which are very tempting delicious smelling food. Friday specials were goat stews and some kind of codfish dish. I decided to try the spicy grilled chicken since everyone raves about this.
This is what I bought for takeout:
Spicy grilled chicken with yellow rice and beans — comes with spicy vegetables as well. Grilled chicken was not as flavorful as I expected and a bit dry and tough, but those grilled vegetables were delicious and spicy. Yellow rice and beans were very good. $ 7.99÷8.99
Small cup of sweet plantains — I don’t like plantains because most of them are dry and flavorless, but this I love! It’s soft and moist and semi-​sweet. Love the texture and the flavor. Almost like regular banana but still had some density to it. Inexpensive, too. $ 1.99
Beef patty — smaller compared to Jamaican ones I’ve had before. This looks more like a medium sized fried dumpling. It’s not greasy at all, and the stuffed spicy beef was so good that packs good amount of heat. $ 1.99
Stuffed mashed potato with beef — similar to the Peruvian kind but with a red breading on the outside that adds a little crunchy texture to the mashed potato. The stuffing was very good as well. $ 2.49
Of course, everything tasted extra great with the creamy green sauce! Love those sauce. They are the same as the Peruvian ones, and equally spicy!
Will definitely come back with my friend who works in the same area. Nice place for a decent lunch since the service is quick. Other food looked really good as well, so have to come back and try other dishes. I think one beef patty and one stuffed mashed potato are good enough for lunch. Great price and super affordable!

I was ready to try some oxtail stew when my server shook her head and warned me, «It’s too soft right now.» I asked her what most people order when they eat there. «The baked chicken is really good,» she suggested. Oddly, it was the cheapest item on the menu. I chose yellow rice and sweet plantains for my sides. I can honestly say that I have a renewed appreciation for chicken now. Chicken is not something I normally marvel over at a restaurant, but this was really good. My Unilocal peers suggested I try the green sauce and I found it to be a perfect spicy, creamy complement to the spices already baked into the chicken. The green sauce was so good I found myself putting more on the rice and eating it like a curry. The plantains were carmelized and slightly crisp on the outside just like I like. What an awesome entrée for nine dollars!

I am a big fan of this chain. Sophie’s serves good Latin food at a very reasonable price (especially for FiDi) and gives you plenty of it. Was visiting my Mom who lives in the area yesterday and she didnt feel like going out in the cold (is it ever going to get warm this year??) so I called delivery from Sophie’s. Considering it was about 12:30 and the place was probably very busy as most places downtown are at the time, the food arrived very quickly.
I got the Tuesday special of Pork Chops in Red Sauce with yellow rice and beans. It was a huge order with 2 large chops and a full plate of rice and beans. Would have liked if there was actually sauce on them instead of the chops having been in sauce but they were still big and flavorful and when dipped in the outstanding home made green sauce they give you for free they were delicious.
My Mom an Italian woman had her very first Tamale and seemed happy with it. I keep making a note to be around on the day they make Oxtail. Love me some Oxtail.

Nice little place: will finish later
Have had multiple times: Papa Rellena/​Mashed Potatoes Stuffed With Ground Beef
One of the best deals in town. 2.90 for a really delicious and filling potato.
Just had: Pernil Especial/​Pernil with a Twist Very good, though kinda small
Would not recommend: Maduros/​Sweet Plantains: Not good, not sweet enough or crispy enough, too bad

A true never fail lunch for me
I order from this location about once a week for delivery to WFC, and it is seriously the fastest delivery ever on the planet. If I order at 11:45 it usually here by 11:52, magically, which blows my mind every time.
The food:
I usually don’t love ordering chicken when pork and beef are on the menu but, my personal favorite here is the Spicy Grilled Chicken with Maduros, black beans, and rice. Chicken is always moist when you get the spicy one and always awesome!
Other things I like here a lot:
Fried Pork Chunks
Grilled Chicken Breast
Steak And Onions
&
Cubano Sandwich — Only had this once a while back, think I didn’t love it, but will need to retry soon.
Overall, if you want a quick and good quality lunch get this!!! It’s cheap for the huge portion you get and the food (unicorn) rarely fails… I have had times of inconsistency but I chalk that up to ordering so often that probability wise it’s bound to happen.

Fast and friendly little lunch spot. Went here with coworkers and got a grilled chicken sandwich. The green sauce on the table was the bomb, and the rest of the sandwich was good. My party said their sandwiches were good as well.
It was a little expensive for such a simple meal. The sandwich alone was $ 9, I didn’t get fries or a drink. It didn’t have anything crazy on it. The atmosphere isn’t cuban at all, but the staff was which is nice. It’s good to know it’s authentic food.
Overall, a good lunch spot and was it was fast.
Atmosphere: ⁶⁄₁₀
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀
Food: ⁷⁄₁₀