CUBANA CAFE

110 Thompson Street (btwn Prince & Spring)
[C, E to Spring; 1, 9 to Houston; N, R to Prince]
www.cubanacafeelchulo.com

Popped in here with Trevor on the way to Little Italy. Well, we think we were on our way, but then I practically fell down the stairs of this underground restaurant. From our limited sidewalk view, we were able to see bright colors - always a good sign in a restaurant. Well, a restaurant that's not a chain of some kind - McDonald's red and yellow don't count. Anywho, we came downstairs and scored some soup - spicy seafood soup for me, savory chicken soup with avocado for him - for $6.50 each. Between that, the avocado side ($2! when was the last time you got an avocado side for $2? Never. That's when.), the sauces on the table (one was green, one was red, both were delicious) and the unlimited baskets of bread, we got pretty full for a little less than $10 each. And, we strangely felt like we were in Cuba, thanks to the color, decorations, cramped style and low ceiling. But then, our waitress was a willowy, Sarah Lawrence/Tisch student type, so the illusion was destroyed. Oh well.