Kino's

(This venue is closed.) It's a succulent sub-species of Cuban sandwich.

The name suggests "midnight snack," and typically the medianoche ($3.75) is smaller than a full-on Cubano; often it's sweeter, too, thanks to a bread made from egg dough. But before they're toasted in the sandwich press, both are filled with sliced ham and mild Swiss cheese, dill pickles (optional, but vital for crunch), and roast pork — in the case of Kino's medianoche, chunks of pork that were especially moist and tender.

This Latin lunch counter keeps to itself, some distance from busier Bergenline Ave., which helps preserve old-school details like the painted glass above the entryway. On the afternoon of my visit, though, the ladies who served a lineup of Cuban and Dominican standards hailed from Honduras (about the owners, I'm not sure). In a neighborhood with a fast-growing Central American demographic, baleadas may not be far behind.

Kino's
2201 Summit Ave., Union City, New Jersey
201-863-3108

Comments

[Ed_NY]

I was there yesterday(12/27/08) and was extremely disappointed with the 'service.' Two kids working the counter, didn't know what they were doing; they took my order (1 Cubano and 1 medianoche to-go) then it took them 45 minutes to tell me that they ran out of medianoche sandwiches!!! Two guys sitting next to me were waiting for coffees but left after 10 minutes said that the place was under new management...