Black Bean Deli promised great Cuban food, and it delivered really good, flavorful food. Meat free AND vegan!
I love ethnic food. From Jamaican to Ethiopian, I am always ready to take in the flavors from other cultures. I am pretty familiar with Cuban food, but, honestly, only through the Cuban sandwich during my meat-eating days. I absolutely loved the pressed sandwich filled to the brim with the different meats. But since that time, I haven’t really ventured into Cuban food that much, which is probably why I was so excited to finally visit Downtown Orlando’s Black Bean Deli.
Before getting my mouth all watery and ready, I decided to first check out the menu to see if they even had something that I could eat. They did! There was the vegetarian platter, and, to my happy surprise, vegan empanadas. Oh, and you know that I had to order one of their amazing guava pastries, as well. YES!! I ran, not walked, to Black Bean Deli the following Saturday. Without going into too much detail (I do that on the pictures below) I will say that everything was so flavorful. Although the meat was gone, the Cuban flavor flare was not. I hope you enjoy the pictures!
This is the Vegetarian Platter complete with yellow rice, black beans, plantains, and salad. At first look, I was a little underwhelmed. But by the very first bite, I was hooked! Can I just say that the plantains were so good, and were perfectly cooked. And filling? I was stuffed.
Here’s a closeup of the Vegetarian Platter. All the flavorful yumminess right in your face!
Ohh, the plantains. You may think that these are easy, but they’re not. Not everyone gets it right. But the Black Bean Deli definitely hit it out of the park with these. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Talk about great flavor!
I didn’t go into Black Bean Deli thinking that I was going to order something sweet. But the minute that I saw this guava pastry, I had to have it! I actually ate it first, and was absolutely not ashamed about it. Was it good? It didn’t make it home with me. I cleared the plate and had to talk myself out of ordering another one.
Here’s an “inside look” at my guava pastry. It was flaky on the outside and sweet and gooey on the inside.
Here are the Vegan Empanadas that I was so excited about. They definitely lived up to my expectations. The best part is they are made to order. Can you say fresh! Check out the next picture for a description of what they are stuffed with.
Okay, here is an “inside look” at the Vegan Empanada. It is stuffed with soy crumbles, carrots, raisins, and onions. I saved one for the next day, and it was even better!
