New Puerto Rican restaurant opens in Birmingham's Avondale neighborhood: Tropicaleo

  • Posted on: 12 November 2017
  • By: jessica

As you've seen from my Instagram stories over the past year I have eaten a lot of Tropicaleo food at various pop-ups around town. And yesterday, all of my food dreams came true when they opened their doors for their grand opening event! 

As soon as you pull into the parking lot in Avondale, the sense of community is easy to spot. We enjoyed seeing the familiar faces of our neighbors laughing, eating, and having a great time.

The lovely art work on the front of the building invites you in to see just what this spot is all about. The menu board boasts tons of unique entrees with roots in traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. Affordable prices give you a further sense of community, knowing that everyone in the neighborhood can give these delicious options a try.

I took a quick tour of the cozy restaurant and fell in love with the vibe instantly. The back porch area with an adorable walk up bar is really fantastic. And it's just a quick walk through the parking lot from Cahaba. That will definitely come in handy next time I'm having a beer at Cahaba and need to fuel up with delicious food!

I ordered the Cubana with a side of arroz y habichuelas. Ya'll, just look at that lovely sandwich. As I bit into the buttery, lightly sweet bread surrounding some of the most tender and flavorful pork with a nice crunch from the pickle, I fell head over heels in love with this sandwich. It was pressed to perfection and each bite made me happier than the one before. The rice and beans were cooked just right and packed with flavor. 

Tony chose the Pernil Mofongo and you guys know I had to have a bite or two of that as well. The rich, slightly sweet mofongo (mashed plantains) and the juicy, tender pulled pork were a match made in heaven, or in Tony's words, "Yummy town". Both our plates were drizzled with a sauce that was tangy, creamy and really rounded out the meals. 

Owners Isabel and Gabe have created something truly special for our neighborhood. I hope you will go try it as soon as you can. I promise you will be so glad you did! 

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