A Cuban Sandwich in Little Havana, with Live Music and Mojitos
Ball & Chain is where a Cuban sandwich in Little Havana comes with a from-scratch mojito and a live band. Ours is the Sandwich Cubano, our top-selling entrée, along with the ropa vieja and the vaca frita.
Served warm and crisp right off the press, with papas fritas on the side, from 11am every day. Eat one at lunch while a live trio plays, or after dark with the dance floor full. There’s no cover, either way.
What’s in Our Cubano
Ask our GM what goes into the Cubano and he’ll tell you he could, but then he’d have to kill you. Trade secrets aside, it would be hard to miss the ham, mojo pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard aioli, pressed on traditional Cuban bread.
Mojo is the garlic and citrus marinade that shows up all over our menu, and it’s what the pork brings to the sandwich. For the rest of the Cuban table, see our guide to Cuban cuisine
Cubano or Medianoche?
Both are on our menu, and they share the same filling. The difference is the bread. The Sandwich Cubano is pressed on Cuban bread. The Medianoche Sandwich uses pan suave, a soft, slightly sweet bread. Medianoche means “midnight,” and ours stays on the menu until the kitchen closes.
Can’t choose? The Cuban Spring Roll wraps the same filling into crisp, golden bites for the table.
When to Come for One
Lunch. From noon to 6pm, the Ball & Chain Trio plays through the quietest stretch of the day: the best time for a long lunch and a real conversation.
Happy hour. Monday through Friday, 4 to 7pm, standard drinks are buy one, get one.
Late. If you’re bringing the family, come before 9: after 9pm, it’s 21 and over. Come for dinner around 7 and you’ll be at the table when the music picks up and the dance floor fills. The kitchen serves until midnight, later if you’re seated, so a Cubano at 11pm is a fair plan too.
A Calle Ocho Name Since 1935
The Ball & Chain Saloon opened on Calle Ocho in 1935. The building has had other lives since then. Ball & Chain reopened in 2014 with a Cuban kitchen, a full bar and live music every day. Read the whole story on our history page.
