This article was written in the week Don Ramon Restaurant Celebrated 25 Years in West Palm Beach with a week long party during October 2015.
When you live in Florida, you will find it easy to experience a culture that has transformed the lifestyle of this state for decades now. Cubans have brought to the State of Florida: cigars with their distinctive flavors and aroma; a rum which is among the best in the world with a smooth but strong flavor; a passionate and spicy way to dance that is a mix of the sensual Salsa combined with more complex rhythms; and best of all, a God-sent culinary tradition.
In West Palm Beach, there’s a name most of us know very well: Don Ramon Restaurant. Located on 7101 S Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, FL 33405, this restaurant that opened 25 years ago in 1990, is an exceptional landmark of the Cuban heritage in our area and a boon for local foodies who like to try the best of the island’s fare.
Don Ramon restaurant’s appeal is no secret. This is the place in West Palm Beach where you come for tasty, traditional and popular Cuban specialties like: ropa vieja and vaca frita. The restaurant is downright charming, affordable, and with an all-around consistent menu. It is the place where families convene for that arroz con pollo and fried plantain or maduros children love so much. It is where servers treat you like family and smirk at you as if they have known you for life.
This is the peculiar authenticity Don Ramon Restaurant has manage to embed into the community throughout these 25 years. Run by husband & wife Juan and Dina, the restaurant serves delectable Cuban dishes for lunch and diner, and every Thursday through Sunday, it transforms into a lively atmosphere that takes you back to the good Old Havana days with music and dances, being the ultimate destination to truly savor a Mojito, a Daiquiri or a Cuba Libre.
Last week, Don Ramon Restaurant celebrated 25 years since it first opened its doors in 1990. Dina Rubio, co owner of the restaurant said: “It has been years of great sacrifices, but it has been a wonderful experience getting to know generations of families; parents who have come in with their children since they were very little and now we see them grown ups and still enjoying the very tasty food we have served to them throughout the years. It is encouraging to see a community grow with us. I am very grateful to God this restaurant has become a landmark in our city.”
While she brings food to the table and cheerfully talks to patrons, her husband Juan is a one-man show entertaining the audience behind his keyboard, singing and skillfully playing a repertoire of the best and most famous Cuban rhythms ranging from Guaracha, Son, to Cha-Cha-Cha or Salsa.
Now that they have achieved the 25 years anniversary milestone, the restaurants is heading into a new era. “We want to look more modern in all aspects while still preserving the tradition and values upon which we have built this successful business in West Palm Beach. We are living different times now and it will be a wonderful experience moving ahead to evolve yet not losing our authenticity.” says Dina.
Don Ramon Restaurant celebrated 25 years of authentic food & culture and it was a celebration of family bonds with local patrons and visitors, a recognition to the Cuban cultural diversity built from Spanish, African, French and Asian influences and to the immensely variety of the Cuban Cuisine that has exquisitely delighted so many people in 25 years.
The restaurant planned a week-long celebration offering each day a different delicacy. From famed empanaditas, calamaris to Mango rum shots and a special menu for kids, Don Ramon Restaurant paved its way to a jubilant Grand Finale on Saturday night with mojitos, music, dancers, and Cuban cigars being rolled on the spot.
Photo Archive: The Way Don Ramon Restaurant Celebrated 25 Years…
(click on the photo to enlarge it)
There has been a stiff competition among Cuban restaurants to dish out the city’s best representation of the Island’s cuisine. Don Ramon Restaurant has inserted strong as the go-to destination to whet your appetite for Cuban Food in West Palm Beach and the place that leaves you craving for more delicious meals.
“Dina and her husband have done a super job”, said Maria Brunet Heeter, a patron who participated in the celebrations with her husband. And so we echo her words: “Congratulations to Don Ramon”.