What I'd Order at a Cuban Restaurant to Lose Weight

I live in Miami, so I eat Cuban food all the time. The meat is incredible. The sides are where you choose.

John Schaefer, fat loss coach for 27 years · Updated October 2026

Type your goal weight and every order below shows how much of your calories and protein it covers. Same math I use with clients: goal weight x 12 for calories, goal weight x 0.7 for protein.

What do I order?

Tell me where you're eating and your goal weight. I'll tell you exactly what to get, with the calories and protein.

Want me to email you your numbers? Your calories, protein, carbs and fats for your goal weight, plus this page so you have it at the table.

Answers are estimates from published nutrition data, not medical advice.

What I order

Pollo asado or lechon asado

Lunch style

Salad and black beans, skip the rice

700calories55gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 39% of your calories and 52% of your protein for the day.

Palomilla steak with rice and beans

Carb meal

Your carb meal, a few maduros if you want them

1,000calories55gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 56% of your calories and 52% of your protein for the day.

Ropa vieja

Lunch style

How I order it, the calories and the protein are in the Eating Out Playbook, along with 60 other chains and 25 kinds of restaurants.

See the Playbook ($7) →

The move: Pick rice or plantains, not both. And count the croquetas. They go fast.

Skip these

Cuban sandwich950 cal
Maduros, side350 cal
Four croquetas450 cal

Drinks: Cafecito is about 50 calories with the sugar. A mojito is about 200.

Estimates for a typical restaurant portion in the US. Treat them as a close guide.

How I fit any restaurant into the day

Protein firstEat the protein, then the vegetables and fats, then the carbs. You're satisfied before the bread matters.

One carb meal a dayBread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fries. Keep the big carb hit to one meal. On a night out, that's dinner.

Zoom out to the weekFat loss runs on your weekly average. One dinner out is easy to absorb when the rest of the week is steady.

The Eating Out Playbook

Every restaurant you go to, already figured out.

60 chains and 25 kinds of restaurants, including every cuban spot. Search the place you're going, pick an order, and see how it fits your goal weight before you sit down. Works on your phone, $7 one time.

Get the Playbook Free: my numbers

Quick answers

What is the healthiest thing to order at a Cuban Restaurant?

Pollo asado or lechon asado: Salad and black beans, skip the rice. Around 700 calories and 55g of protein.

What should I skip at a Cuban Restaurant when I'm losing weight?

Cuban sandwich (950 calories), Maduros, side (350 calories), Four croquetas (450 calories).

What about drinks?

Cafecito is about 50 calories with the sugar. A mojito is about 200.