Inside Elisa’s Cuban Cuisine, a new restaurant from the owner of a fan-favorite food truck
Mobile eatery Elisa’s Cuban Coffee and Kitchen has been serving hungry patrons in the Capital Region since 2022. You can often catch the food truck serving cortaditos and Cuban sandwiches to lunch goers in downtown Baton Rouge.
When Katia Torres took ownership of the food truck last year, she began expanding its menu and hours. Her goal was always to bring Cuban cuisine and culture to as many people as she could. Now, Torres has the opportunity to share Cuban food, drinks, coffee and hospitality with even more patrons at her newly opened restaurant Elisa’s Cuban Cuisine.
The restaurant, located at 2627 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., was formerly a po-boy shop and was transformed into Elisa’s after only two months of renovations. Colorful lights and faux flowers cover the ceiling, and murals that depict scenes of life in Cuba decorate the walls.
General Manager Ruth Cuadra says the food truck’s loyal customers had highly anticipated the opening of this brick-and-mortar location.
“Many people who are coming right now are always saying, ‘We were waiting for this place to open, because we tried the food at the food truck, and we love it,’” she says. “So now we have this place, and the atmosphere is all very welcoming and warming.”
Fans of the food truck will be happy to know it is still operating. All the classic menu items and coffees are available in this new space, too, along with many dishes that the food truck could not offer. Cuban sandwiches and other classics like tamales, empanadas and ropa vieja are part of this menu, but so are some lesser-known items that Torres wanted to highlight.
Pork-focused entrees like Cerdo Asado Tradicional which consist of marinated pork served with moro rice and yuca, and Chuleta de Cerdo, pork chops served with moros y cristianos and sweet plantains, are just two dishes that now have a permanent spot on the menu. Another addition is a selection of seafood courses featuring shrimp and snapper, prepared either fried or grilled.
Torres is excited to share these dishes with more people. She says opening the restaurant was like a dream come true.
“It was always my dream to open a restaurant like this one, so people can try the Cuban food and Cuban culture,” Torres says. “And serve a lot more people because the food truck is very limited.”
Torres says she is very grateful for the opportunity to live this dream and mentions the truck’s loyal customers as her motivation.
“It didn’t matter if it was raining, if it was sunny, they would always come and get food over here or in downtown,” she says. “And now that we have this place, the nice environment and everything, they can come and enjoy it the way they deserve.”
Elisa’s is currently in a soft opening phase. While Torres and the restaurant’s staff get ready to operate at full capacity, they are also awaiting their liquor license. The restaurant is equipped with a large bar, and its menu will eventually include cocktails. For now, you can get your beverage fix with one of their popular milkshakes, flavored with guanabana, mango or mamey.
Elisa’s Cuban Cuisine is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day at 2627 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. Keep up with the restaurant on Instagram or Facebook.
