A true Miami institution, Puerto Sagua is the perfect eatery for those who are looking for a homey meal, and traditional Cuban cuisine at affordable prices.
Brothers Felix and Javier Ribero Jr. must have learned their strong work ethic from their father, Javier Sr.
"My father is here seven days a week, 10 hours a day," Felix Ribero said proudly. "He cooks. He doesn't do anything else."
For 25 years, the elder Ribero, 79, has whipped up delicious Cuban dishes at their restaurant, Puerto Sagua, 700 Collins Ave.
Javier Sr., a farmer, left Cuba with his family in 1956 to find a better life in America. "We're a farming family. Very poor," Felix Ribero said. "They think we have a better chance here."
Javier Sr. got a job as a dishwasher in a New York restaurant. He worked long and hard and, in 1968, he and his sons took over Puerto Sagua in Miami Beach.
Since then, his sons have split working the cafeteria counter. Felix Ribero takes the day shift, which begins at 7:30 a.m., and Javier Jr. takes the night shift, which ends at 2 a.m.
Felix Ribero is not at all surprised at the success of the restaurant, which is divided into two sections -- the counter and a dining room.
He rattled off reasons why tourists and locals alike flock to his restaurant. "People like our prices. We have the same cook so the food is always the same. We have the same service."
Felix Ribero, his brother and father carefully monitor the goings-on at the restaurant. "We are always here," he said.
Puerto Sagua is known for its seafood, Felix Ribero said. There are more than 20 seafood dishes on the menu, which is in Spanish and English.
Seafood highlights include the red snapper filet ($9.50 with french fries and salad) and the grouper ($8.95, fried or broiled, with fries and salad). "Our fish is always fresh, never frozen," Felix Ribero said.
Traditional Cuban dishes, such as the arroz con pollo y platanos (chicken, yellow rice and plantains, $4.95) and the bistec de palomilla (palomilla steak, with white rice, black beans and french fries, $6.95) are hits with the customers.
At a recent lunch, Erich Almomacid ordered the dos chuletas de cerdo fritas (two fried pork chops, with white rice, black beans and french fries, $7.25). His wife, Gloria Garcia, had the palomilla steak, and their daughter, Vesires, the extra thick and chunky chicken soup ($2.50.)
Vesires, 3, gave her meal the ultimate thumbs up. (She was too busy eating to answer questions about her meal.)
Moses Monteverde of Coconut Grove stopped by for a bite after swimming at the beach. He munched on the chicken with yellow rice.
In addition to good food, Monteverde said he likes the atmosphere of Puerto Sagua. "Everybody from all different parts comes here," he said. "You have tourists, and you have people who have lived in Miami Beach for a long time coming together in one place."
