El Rey de las Fritas is a landmark and mini-chain of restaurants in Miami, Florida. Their signature sandwich is the Frita Cubana or Cuban Frita, which some folks know as a Cuban Burger.
The Frita Cubana was street food in Cuba sold out of a “puesto,” similar to our hot dog pushcarts. The small sandwiches migrated to Miami in the early 1960s, where specialty shops continued spreading the good word of the spiced burger patty.
Let’s start with the food discussion, and then we can move on to the history of El Rey de las Fritas.
Miami‘s El Rey de las Fritas
El Rey de las Fritas in Little Havana
El Rey de las Fritas – Little Havana
1821 SW 8th Street
Miami, FL
(305) 858-4223
Website – https://www.elreydelasfritas.com
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/reydelasfritas
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/reydelasfritas
Monday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
More Restaurant Locations
In addition to El Rey de las Frita‘s best-known location in Little Havana, there are restaurants in Hialeah, Westchester, and Sweetwater.
El Rey de las Fritas – Hialeah
421 W 29th Street
Hialeah, FL
(305) 863-0880
El Rey de las Fritas – Westchester
9343 SW 40th Street
Miami, FL
(305) 223-9944
El Rey de las Fritas – Sweetwater
10142 W Flagler Street
Miami, FL
(305) 223-7260
El Rey de las Fritas History
Victoriano “Benito” Gonzalez sold the Frita Cubana in Placetas, Cuba, until 1968. Before founding El Rey de las Fritas in 1979, Benito was the chef at Palacio de las Fritas. Many folks don’t know that the original El Rey location was right off Coral Way at 2240 SW 32nd Avenue.
In 1982, the former Fritas Domino restaurant location (1177 SW 8th Street) in Little Havana became available, and Benito snapped it up. His brother-in-law moved from New Jersey to run this new spot while he continued running the original location.
El Rey de las Fritas in Little Havana would popularize Fritas outside the Cuban community. Not long after closing the Coral Way restaurant, his brother-in-law Ortelio left the establishment to open El Mago de las Fritas in West Miami.
The King Must Expand
Benito‘s frita palace would flourish and open another location in Hialeah. But unfortunately, he would pass away in 2005, creating a legacy many Miamians hold close to their hearts. The business was left in his family’s (wife Angelina, son Yamil, daughter Mercy, and her husband Gino) more than capable hands.
Angelina runs the original Calle Ocho location. Mercy and Gino fluctuate between the locations in Hialeah and Sweetwater. Yamil’s restaurant is on a busy strip mall corner in the Westchester part of Miami, where I grew up.
The best!