Pastelitos are the main event
The pastelito is a square or rectangle of puff pastry with a shiny, sugar-glazed top. The classic filling is guava (guayaba), often paired with cream cheese in the guayaba y queso version. You will also see carne (seasoned ground beef picadillo), queso alone, and coco (coconut). Good ones shatter when you bite in and leave flakes on your shirt. They are best in the first few hours, which is why regulars buy them in the morning.
Pan cubano and the sandwich connection
Cuban bread is long, light and thin-crusted, traditionally made with a bit of lard and baked with a palmetto frond or a strip of dough pressed along the top that leaves a seam. It is the bread behind the Cuban sandwich and the medianoche (which uses a sweeter egg bread instead). Many bakeries sell it by the loaf, and it goes stale quickly, so plan to eat it the same day or turn it into tostadas: split, buttered and pressed flat on the griddle to dip in café con leche.
The ventanita and the savory case
Many Cuban bakeries in South Florida and beyond have a walk-up window, the ventanita, where you can order coffee without going inside. A cafecito is a small, strong, sweet espresso; a colada is a larger serving meant to be split into tiny cups and shared; a cortadito adds steamed milk.
The savory case usually holds croquetas (ham is the classic, plus chicken or fish), papas rellenas (mashed potato balls stuffed with picadillo), and empanadas. Croquetas are sold individually or by the dozen for parties.
Buying for a party
Party trays are a Cuban bakery tradition: a mix of pastelitos, croquetas and bocaditos (small finger sandwiches with a pink ham spread), plus a Cuban cake, which is a soft vanilla sponge soaked in syrup, filled with guava or custard and covered in meringue. Order trays and cakes a day or two ahead, and earlier for holiday weekends and Nochebuena.
Quantities are easy to misjudge. For a party where pastries are a snack rather than the meal, two or three pieces per guest is a reasonable starting point; if bocaditos and croquetas are standing in for lunch, plan on closer to five or six. Ask the bakery to pack savory and sweet items in separate boxes so the glaze from the pastelitos does not stick to everything else, and keep croquetas uncovered for a few minutes after pickup so the steam does not soften the crumb coating.
