I’ve been waiting a long time to write this review, ever since first experiencing the Paseo sandwich back in Spring 2013. Now that it’s been rated #2 best place to eat in the United States by Yelp, it seemed especially necessary to revisit this unassuming spot for the sake of the blog.
Last weekend as a treat my friend and I decided to meet up for lunch, grab a Paseo sandwich, and then go for a walk around Green Lake to soak up the sun. Knowing this place had exploded in popularity since the Yelp ranking, I figured it would be safe to go around 1 to try and skip the main noon lunch rush. Unfortunately, I didn’t factor in that we went on a weekend, and therefore the lunch rush would likely be never-ending. At 1:15 on a Saturday afternoon, the line stretched a solid 40 feet down the block, but we were pretty committed to getting our fix, so we jumped in line.
After a good hour long wait, we finally got close enough inside to check out the menu and decide what to have. Paseo has a fairly wide variety of items, specifically sandwiches and entrees with a few options of sides. Of course I had to have their most popular item, the Caribbean Roast sandwich, aka the Cuban.
After another very long wait (not only was the place packed, but apparently you can phone in an order! Definitely doing that next time to save waiting in line for an hour), we finally got our food. The Cuban Roast sandwich is one of those things where you eat it once, but you think about it (or even dream about it) for weeks after. Piles of slow-roasted seasoned pork, even more piles of sweet caramelized onions, lettuce, jalapenos, and some kind of secret sauce, all on a small baguette, is the good thing that comes to those who wait. If I were larger or had a bigger stomach, I’d crush this thing in one sitting, but sadly I am wee and therefore can make it through maybe half before tapping out. Pro tip: keep the sandwich wrapped up, and peel it back a bit at a time as you eat it, to keep your hands from becoming a saucey, oily, meaty mess.
The atmosphere of the restaurant itself leaves much to be desired; it’s shabby and small with minimal seating. The trick seems to be to get your sandwich, and then go somewhere else to sit and enjoy it. I recommend walking further down Fremont to the Fremont Brewing Co, which doesn’t serve food and therefore has a policy of allowing people to bring outside food in to eat with their beer. I will definitely be back to Paseo for more meaty goodness now that I’ve figured out the whole phoning-in your order business.
Paseo Caribbean Restaurant, 4225 Fremont Ave N Seattle, WA
http://www.paseoseattle.com/Fremont
