Los Pinarenos Fruteria is a fresh produce market in Little Havana stocked with tropical fruits and vegetables such as avocado, mamey, guava, and malanga. These are very common in Cuban cuisine. In the movie Chef, Los Pinarenos was featured as the market place where Chef Carl takes his son to purchase and learn about the Cuban ingredients he later uses for the food truck menu.
In addition to its array of produce, this longtime establishment serves fresh pressed juices. On the Little Havana Food Tour, the tour stops here for a taste of guarapo juice. This juice comes straight from the sugar cane, which is plentiful in Cuba. The owner peals and presses the sugar cane fresh for the tour. In the meantime, the tour guide showcases various produce and explains that the guarapo juice contains only ice and no other additives. This is how Cubans drink this sweet drink.
A tray of iced guarapo juice samples is passed among the tour group. Essentially, this sugar cane juice tastes like a blends of sugar and water, but there is also a pleasant, nutty taste due to the fiber of the cane. Sugary, indeed, but not too much. It is perfect and refreshing.
This site uses Google reCAPTCHA V3. Read the privacy policy and terms of service for more information.
