This Miami Cuban restaurant has a meatless frita. Try it and your abuelo will disown you
Sergio’s is taking a new spin on the classic Cuban frita — and it’s meatless.
Yes, you read that right.
The Cuban hamburger is going vegan.
The mildly spicy and sometimes messy dish is trading its beef (and sometimes chorizo) patty for a plant-based one.
But don’t panic. The Cuban staple is still available with meat. There’s just an alternative veggie option now.
The meatless patty, made by Beyond Meat, has 17 grams of plant-based protein and doesn’t have any soy, gluten or GMOs, according to Sergio’s. Each order comes with two mini frita sliders.
The plant-based fritas are served with onions, crispy fried potato strings and ketchup, topped with a “vegan bun.” It’s also part of the restaurant’s La Flaca menu, which includes healthier and more diet-friendly alternatives to classic Cuban dishes.
While some might say it just sounds wrong to have the words frita and meatless together, Sergio’s says they aren’t “afraid to change the status quo” while staying true to their authentic Cuban flare.
“Our La Flaca menu in 2008 provided healthier alternatives for eating Cuban Food,” said Sergio’s CEO Carlos Gazitua in an email. “It only make sense to expand our current menu and include more vegan options as guest change their eating habits.”
Gazitua said the restaurant has also noticed a “significant amount” of customers are eating less meat or are becoming vegetarian.
About 20 percent of orders placed at Sergio’s cafe concept at Florida International University’s main campus alone are vegetarian or vegan, he said.
“These are statistics that we cannot ignore,” he said.
Besides giving customers a new and “fun” option to try, Sergio’s is also trying to keep pace with the healthy food and plant-based trend that appears to be forming.
Last year, Forbes said millennials were one of the “key drivers” of the plant-based food movement. Miami also made the 2018 Top 20 list for the best vegan and vegetarian cities.
Sergio’s in good company.
Vicky’s Bakery began offering a vegan version of their Cuban bread several months ago. Little Havana’s hip Life House hotel also recently opened a “veg-forward” café, Parcela, which has a variety of plant-based options, including vegan pastelitos.
Fast food giant Burger King, whose headquarters are based in Miami, has also seen success with its Impossible Whopper, a plant-based alternative to its meaty Whopper. Though, the company is in a legal battle with a vegan who claims their Impossible Whopper is covered with meat residue.
The meat-free frita is available at all Sergio’s restaurants and cafés, with the exception of the restaurant’s non-traditional stores in Hialeah, FIU and Miami International Airport.
To find a restaurant near you visit sergios.com.
If you order
What: La Flaca Plant-Based Frita
Where: Sergio’s Restaurants and Cafe.
Cost: $10:50, this might vary by restaurant and is subject to change.
Need to know: If you want the frita to be completely meat-free, you’ll have to ask the waitress or cashier for it to be prepared in an alternative method.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 11:47 AM.
