Now with three locations across Miami-Dade County, each owned separately and with a slight variation to its menu, Sarussi Café Subs, Sarussi Subs, and Sarussi Cafeteria and Restaurant each sell arguably some of the most delicious, no-frills, Cuban sandwiches in the country — and the local chain has been doing so at its original Hialeah location since 1964.
New Times even named Sarussi Cafeteria and Restaurant the Best Cuban Sandwich of 2019.
While the chain is known for its "Cubanos" (Cuban sandwiches) there's one location in particular that is owned by a Nicaraguan family, Sarussi Café Subs on Bird Road, and its whipping out meaty and cheesy wraps and sandwiches that are so delicious, that they've gone viral on TikTok and Instagram.
Sarussi's "Fritanga" wrap with churrasco (grilled skirt steak), sweet fried plantains, queso frito (crispy fried cheese), and a generous drizzle of house-made cilantro sauce and crema.
Screenshot via TikTok/@treatyoselfanywhere
The sandwich is composed of juicy churrasco (grilled skirt steak), sweet fried plantains, queso frito (crispy fried cheese), and a generous drizzle of house-made cilantro sauce and crema. Plus, it's served packed high and smothered between two halves of the restaurant's house-made bread before being toasted with garlic butter. (We told you it was going viral for a reason.) It's also served as a hefty wrap, as featured below in a video by Leslie of @treatyoselfeverywhere on TikTok who helped shoot the spot to online stardom.
Although this is the first time the chain has gone viral on social media, it's not the first time it's seen major press on the screen — and we mean a TV screen instead of a phone or tablet.@treatyoselfeverywhere Cuban and Nicaraguen Fusion in Miami🇨🇺🇳🇮 📍9836 SW 40th St, Miami, FL 33165 #cubansandwich #cubanfood #fritanga #nicaraguafood #miamifoodie #miamifood #miamieats #southfloridafood #miamifoodblogger #miamirestaurants #panconbistec #westchestermiami #southmiami ♬ Destination Calabria (Remix) - AJIMUSTANG
Back in 2010, Sarussi Subs on Eighth Street was featured on Travel Channel's Man v. Food starring Adam Richman where he was in search of every major city's "game day sandwich." He ordered the "Sarussi Original," which he described as a "Massive, 16-inch, two and a half pound colossus of baked ham, roast pork, and pickles, smothered in melted cheese and topped with its secret sauce." Legend has it the owners don't even know what's in the sauce, themselves, by the way. (Therefore, it's truly a secret sauce.)
Nowadays, if you stop by the Eighth Street location, you can order this behemoth (served in eight- and 16-inch lengths) for yourself. It comes with double the ham, double the baked pork, double the pickles, and double the cheese. If you finish the 16-incher — which comes graciously sliced into fourths — on the spot, you'll score a place on the prominent wall of fame above the luncheonette counter.
The institution's trademark sandwich comes with the usual sliced ham, roast pork, and pickles, but instead of Swiss cheese and mustard, "El Original" is made with mozzarella and a tangy red "secret sauce."
Sarussi photo
Sarussi's History Dates Back to the 1960s in Miami
Founded by the late Edmond Sarussi, he first opened the restaurant as an Italian pizzeria in 1964 right on Eighth Street (Calle Ocho). As more Cubans exiles arrived in Miami due to Fidel Castro, he decided to offer his own version of a Cuban sandwich to the newly arrived exiles who were craving. But he had a dilemma — he only had a pizza oven, sweet Italian bread, and mozzarella to work with. Nevertheless, he decided to create his own spin on the Cuban sandwich by making them in his pizza oven instead of a plancha (a panini press used for Cuban sandwiches), and piled them high in his own way: ham, pork, mozzarella (instead of Swiss cheese) and a secret peppers and garlic-based sauce (instead of mustard). He then finished the creation by slathering a layer of garlic butter on the top of the bread before putting it in the oven for five minutes.
Eventually, Sarussi stopped serving Italian food altogether and the rest was history — an incredible Cuban sandwich chain was born.
All in all, by eating a Sarussi sandwich, you're eating a true Miami original and a piece of Miami history. The restaurant has changed owners and, over time, has added more locations, but if you're lucky enough to visit any of the locations, you're in for a one-of-a-kind treat.
Sarussi Café Subs (Nicaraguan Specialities Available). 9836 SW 40th St., Miami; 305-551-4855; sarussicafesubs.com. Sarussi Subs (The Man v. Food Location). 6797 SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-264-5464; sarussisubs.net.
