Set Your Location >>

La Tropicana Market & Cafe

Map

http://www.voiceplaces.com/locations/directions/locationId:2646838/ View on Large Map
Get Directions

1 person has posted a review, snapped a photo, checked in, or tipped this place. Use your voice!
http://media.voiceplaces.com/8571986.1.jpg

00000 - 00000 of 00000

00,000 of 00,000

5001 Lindenwood Ave. St. Louis MO 63109

advertisement

  • Cuban, Mexican
    Sun 11am-7pm, Mon-Thu 9:30am-8pm, Fri-Sat 9:30am-9pm
    $ $
    cash, check, ATM/Debit
  • Casual attire
    ATM, Catering, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Takeout, Wheelchair Accessible
    Dinner, Lunch
    Live Entertainment
  • Accepted
    Street
Description

Lovers of Hispanic cuisine and ingredients travel from all points in the metropolitan area to this old-fashioned corner grocery and deli. The seating arrangement inside is spartan, although an outside courtyard is available when weather permits. The menu features close to a dozen whole-meal plates of classic Mexican specialties, along with chicken roasted in the Cuban style.








Back to TopRiverfront Times Critic News & Reviews | Write a Review
Back to Top Riverfront Times Awards | Visit the Best Of Website
  • 2011 | Best Whole Roast Chicken

    In a society of chicken tenders and chicken wings and chicken pot pie and chicken soup and chicken nuggets and chicken strips and chicken salad and fried chicken and cold-cut deli chicken and vegetarian chicken, it's easy to lose sight of nature's true intent for chicken: whole and roasted. And nobody does nature's will better than La Tropicana Market and Café, home of the Cuban-style, rotisserie-cooked, crisp-brown-skinned, juicy-meated, cubano mojo-marinated whole roast chicken. And... More »

  • 2009 | Best Takeout Counter (Grocery Division)

    Fidel Castro may have stepped down, but it doesn't appear likely that U.S. citizens will be able to travel to Cuba anytime soon. Oh well, we'll always have Miami. And, a lot closer to home, La Tropicana Market, purveyor of what is quite possibly the finest Cuban sandwich this side of the Mississippi. What, you ask, is a Cuban sandwich? A Cuban sandwich is ham and roast pork and Swiss cheese and pickles pressed between two crusty slices of Cuban bread. Do not dare mistake this for a panini.... More »

  • 2008 | Best Place to Learn Spanish

    Cubans speak a dialect of Spanish that is notoriously difficult to understand. They talk fast, use a lot of slang, and often cut off the ends of their words. Lucky for you, however, if you go to La Tropicana to practice your español you'll mostly be speaking to a bunch of gringos and gringas who, like you, can't tell the difference between a margarita and a mariachi, let alone por and para. Two Spanish practice groups from Yahoo! and Meetup.com get together on weekends at the Latin... More »

  • 2007 | Best Whole Roast Chicken

    Chicken: a domestic fowl developed for its eggs, feathers and juicy flesh. Mojo: Cuba's signature marinade, existing in many variations and subject to the whims of its creator, but often including garlic, jalapeño, scallion, lime, cayenne, cumin, sour orange juice and vinegar. Whole roast chicken con mojo ($6.99) by the Trabanco family of La Tropicana Market & Café in the Southtown neighborhood: a succulent brown beauty that flies off the plate. Perfecto. More »

  • 2006 | Best Cuban Sandwich

    What do you get when you take a stack of roasted pork, baby Swiss, sweet ham, cornichons, mustard and mojito (garlic and olive oil), load it onto a split baguette and press like panini? A naughty, fleeting, forbidden pleasure--like the land the Trabancos, of south city's 30-year-old La Tropicana, hail from. (Also known as a Cuban sandwich.) More »

  • 2002 | Best Ethnic Grocer

    As the region grows, ethnic stores sprout throughout the city. One underappreciated gem of the scene is La Tropicana. Located in South St. Louis, near the intersection of Kingshighway and Chippewa Street, Tropicana is a hidden treasure. Not only does the market provide the fresh produce required for Hispanic and Cuban cuisine -- poblano peppers and cactus -- it serves what it sells. In the back, beyond the stocked aisles of imported foods, beer and wine, is a small café that offers... More »

  • 2002 | Best Ethnic Grocer

    As the region grows, ethnic stores sprout throughout the city. One underappreciated gem of the scene is La Tropicana. Located in South St. Louis, near the intersection of Kingshighway and Chippewa Street, Tropicana is a hidden treasure. Not only does the market provide the fresh produce required for Hispanic and Cuban cuisine -- poblano peppers and cactus -- it serves what it sells. In the back, beyond the stocked aisles of imported foods, beer and wine, is a small café that offers... More »

  • 2001 | Best Mexican Deli

    Conscientious readers are strongly encouraged to adjust their lifestyles, for which read "spending habits," to better position La Tropicana in their lives. What would you need that's unavailable here? The mercado side of the store offers up everything from Yerba Mate Soda to the Spanish-language edition of Motor Trend to Congo Mystic Herb Oil Candles. And while we're on the subject of goods, canned and dry, we're not. We're on the subject of ripe plantains, stuffed yucca, cactus salad and... More »

  • 2001 | Best Cuban Coffee

    Luis Trabanco's eyes twinkle with regularity as he greets and serves customers at La Tropicana, the gem of a Hispanic market he and his family run on Lindenwood just west of Kingshighway in South St. Louis. But he got an absolute glow the day we asked the Cuban native to make us some authentic Cuban coffee, almost candylike in sweetness and packing a kick exceeded only by the one most expatriates would like to give Fidel. ¡Viva Luis! ¡Viva Tropicana! More »

Back to TopUser Reviews & Comments | Write a Review
  • rftbestof
           (0)    (0) Flag

    | St Lous, MO | 149 Reviews

    Cubans speak a dialect of Spanish that is notoriously difficult to understand. They talk fast, use a lot of slang, and often cut off the ends of their words. Lucky for you, however, if you go to La Tropicana to practice your espaƱol you'll mostly be speaking to a bunch of gringos and gringas who, like you, can't tell the difference between a margarita and a mariachi, let alone por and para. Two Spanish practice groups from Yahoo! and Meetup.com get together on weekends at the Latin American market/restaurant/deli just off South Kingshighway. With a Corona or two to help loosen their lips, they talk to strangers in Spanglish about everything from salsa dancing to their latest trip to Guatemala. It's a friendly, welcoming environment for speakers of all levels. Just know that if you decide to try talking to the little old Cuban lady behind the counter it's not just the cervezas that are making things tough to comprehend.

Weekly Ads

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city