Havana Good Time

QBola Cuban Pizza & Cafeteria,6728 W Vickery Blvd, Ste 100, Fort Worth. 682-385-9049. Noon-10pm Sun, noon-9pm Mon-Fri, noon-10pm Sat.

Before settling down in Fort Worth over 13 years ago, my husband and I met during college in Florida. He’s a South Florida native, having grown up just outside Miami in Hialeah, a city with one of the largest Cuban-American populations in the country. Though not Cuban himself, he grew up the token Asian kid always getting invited over for arroz con pollo and other Cuban favorites at his classmates’ houses. A food truck outside his high school served Cubano sandwiches and lesser-known Cuban-style pizza. He can salsa dance with the best of them, and even now we find ourselves back in Hialeah around Christmastime celebrating Noche Buena with old friends.

I’m not a native Floridian, but once I enrolled in college there, Cuban cafes quickly became my go-to for late-night eats or hangover comfort. Once work took us out of the Sunshine State, however, Cuban cuisine became near impossible to find, especially here in the Fort, where there seemed to be no room for Latin cuisine that wasn’t Tex- and Mex-Mex.

So, when I got word that there was a tiny café serving Cubano sandwiches and more only 10 minutes from our Wedgwood home, I was ecstatic and more than a little cautious. Turns out I had no reason to be. Located at the very end of Vickery Blvd where it meets up with Hwy. 183, QBola Cuban Pizza & Cafeteria has been quietly serving those famous sandwiches and so much more to an apparently growing Cuban population (and people more in the know than me) for over a year.

The small space is at the end of a micro-strip mall that also contains a Cuban market and an agency devoted to Cuban travel. Clearly there is a market for all of these things that I was unaware of. Hanging ferns and a couple of café tables sitting on AstroTurf provide a warm welcome to the space, and inside, lively Latin music and large photographs of Havana life await. There are only about six tables inside, so it’s clear the majority of QBola’s orders are carry-out, Still, the service was friendly and attentive, albeit almost entirely in Spanish. (Feel free to lean on Google Translate. They won’t mind.)

Though I went to school in Florida and have had more than my fair share of Cuban cuisine, I had never heard of Cuban-style pizza until I told my husband about QBola and watched his face light up. I had assumed QBola was trying some kind of fusion strategy to get more people in the door, but no! I quickly learned that Cuban-style pizza is very much its own thing, characterized by a thick ffy, bread-like crust that likely contains lard, just like the traditional bread used for Cubano sandwiches. The dough is cooked in a hot pan, ensuring crispy edges, and is topped with a light, seasoned tomato sauce, then toppings, followed by a super-thick layer of cheese, usually mozzarella and gouda. The pizzas are personal-sized and can be folded up and eaten like a sandwich if it pleases you.

QBola’s Cuban pizza was, according to my expert witness, textbook, taking him right back to his high school parking lot. The only thing that kept him from finishing it was the fact that he had also ordered a Cubano. QBola’s rendition of the eponymous sandwich consisting of ham and roasted pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles on griddled housemade bread is footlong-sized and perfect for sharing or taking home. It was just as good heated up in the air fryer the next day.

For my trip down Memory Lane, I opted for a classic plate of Puerco asado, tender marinated pulled pork with onions, served with two sides. I chose classic tostones (twice-fried plantain patties) and maduros (sweet fried plantains), as well as an extra side of moro rice (long-grain white rice mixed with black beans), and I ignored the skeptical look on the waitress’ face. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into (and that’s what to-go boxes are for). The plate came out with “QBola”  spelled out in sauce and a tiny Cuban flag stuck into one of the maduros. Even without the flourishes, it was clear the food was prepared with care.

While more than happy with our familiar choices, there is much on the menu yet to be explored, from oxtail (rabo encendido) to ham croquettes and tostones stuffed with ropa vieja (braised beef). We washed everything down with a couple of classic Cuban coffees, or cortaditos, which, given the café’s proximity to our house, may become a habit.

No matter your familiarity with Cuban cuisine, QBola is worth the jaunt down Vickery, and they’re on all the delivery apps if that’s your preference. It may have taken my husband and me way too long to find out about QBola, but now that we did, the Fort feels just a little bit more like “home.”

QBola Cuban Pizza & Cafeteria
Cubano w/fries $17.99
Pizza de Queso $10.99
Puerco Asado plate + two sides $21.99
Platanos Maduros $4.99