Who would expect a simple house in Makati would have the best Cuban sandwich so far in Manila? Pepi Cubano that is! Certainly true to their saying on their Facebook account, I haven’t tried any other restaurants or cafes that’s as good as the Cuban sandwiches from Pepi Cubano. On the other hand, there aren’t really a lot of Cuban restaurants in Philippines.

After watching the film Chef starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergera and Dustin Hoffman last year and seeing a classmate of mine from Up Dharma Down raving about it on Instagram, my taste buds got the best of me and led me to discovering this quaint take out sandwich shop.

Not much expectations though since there are quite a lot of food reviews these days that says the restaurants are pretty good but in reality, it’s alright or not really up to par.

So one lazy Sunday, I decided to take a trip to this hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop after visiting Cartimar. Turns out, you have to order a day prior if you want to buy Pepi Cubano‘s Cuban sandwiches. They deliver too but they charge a certain amount if it’s outside Makati area. So better yet order a lot!

I ordered their Pepi Cubano sandwich and Pollo Ensalada (Chicken Salad) but when we arrived, the salad wasn’t available because it was Sunday. Oh well, the order became two Pepi Cubanos.

After several minutes, their staff came out with two freshly made hot Pepi Cubano sandwiches wrap in simple packaging. The smell of Cuban sandwiches was wafting in the air, tickling my nose and my palate was already itching to taste it.

First off, though I’m not a sandwich expert or anything, you got to have good bread! Their bread was buttery and moist inside but crispy on the outside. The Pepi Cubano sandwiches had ham, chicken, mustard, pickles and butter. So sinful yet so delicious!

One sandwich is already good enough for two people sharing it if you are a light eater that is! They certainly don’t scrimp on ingredients so that’s a plus.

The next time I travelled again to Cartimar, I decided to drop by again at Pepi Cubano to try their other Cuban sandwiches. This time it was the Pan de Guyaba and Media Noche. Though both looks a bit similar on the photos but the one below is the Pan de Guyaba which is basically toasted bread with Guava jam, cheese and butter inside.

Though I was a bit hesitant at first as I’m not crazy about Guava jam, I said to myself, why the hell not and go for it! I wasn’t disappointed as it was sweet but not too sweet and it tasted good with the saltiness of butter and cheese. For those with a sweet tooth certainly, this one is for you!

Media Noche is basically Chicken sandwich, almost similar to the Pepi Cubano‘s but without the ham. It was also filling and quite good since it was once again served hot.

Lately, they’ve added more to their menu and took out the salad so there are still quite a few I have to try on my next escapade to Makati. By the way, they have two friendly dogs in front of their house who are always hanging out there. It’s easy to find Pepi Cubano located at the residential area of the bustling Commercial Business District, as you can see it’s pretty colorful among the bland colored houses at Dian Street.

Another way to buy Pepi Cubano sandwiches is to visit them at Greenbelt 3 Park area during Ayala’s “Love Bites” food fair from February 13-15, 2015. I wish they will start joining food fairs in Quezon City area too!

Also, recently it was named by Esquire Philippines as Best Sandwich for best new restaurants to watch out for in Manila.

Photos courtesy of Pepi Cubano and Ayala Malls 

Video courtesy of Lionsgate Films

For more details, you may visit Pepi Cubano at:

Address: 1651 Dian Street, Makati City

Contact No.: +63921293178

Facebook: Pepi Cubano