This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Cortadito Cuban Cafe opened November 2024 at 400 N. 18th St in KCK’s Kensington neighborhood — a Cuban immigrant-owned cafe named after the signature half-espresso, half-milk drink that Karell Martinez says represents his life “divided between Cuban roots and American journey.” Colorful murals by local artists line the walls. Named in KCUR’s Best New Restaurants 2025.

Description

Cortadito Cuban Cafe is a KCK community cafe opened by Cuban immigrant Karell Martinez and his wife Nubia Gomez in Kensington, one of KCK’s most vibrant Hispanic neighborhoods. The name is both a drink (half espresso, half milk) and a metaphor: Martinez — who arrived in the US as a political refugee at 16 — describes it as representing a life “divided between his Cuban roots and his American journey.”1 Inside, murals by local artists Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez tell the story of Cuba through color. A domino table invites guests to linger in the Cuban tradition of community hospitality. The menu centers on Cuban sandwiches, croquetas, pastries, and coffee drinks priced for the neighborhood — nothing above $16.

Last verified: 2026-08-12 · Source: cortaditokc.com official food & drink menu pages, rendered via Firecrawl2 · menu_status: verified · Confidence: High (dish descriptions and prices from the café’s own SpotApps menu; DoorDash order link not used for prices)

Sandwiches

  • Cuban Sandwich (Cubano) — ham, roasted pork, American and Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard; served with chicharritas — $142
  • Sandwich Cubano Cargado (loaded) — $162
  • Steak Sandwich (Pan con Bistec) — steak with sautéed onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise; served with chicharritas — $132
  • Pork Sandwich — Cuban-style roasted pork with lettuce and mojo; served with chicharras — $122
  • Croquette Sandwich — ham or chicken croqueta, American and Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise; served with chicharritas — $72
  • Ham & Cheese Sandwich — ham, American and Swiss cheese, and mayonnaise; served with chicharritas — $92
  • Cortadito Breakfast Sandwich — ham, cheese, and egg; typically includes mayonnaise and ketchup — $82
  • Cuban Toast — toasted Cuban bread with butter — $3.502

Pastries & snacks

  • Croqueta — ham or chicken — $1.50 each2
  • Cuban Pastry (pastelito) — guava — $22
  • Puff Pastry with Filling — coconut, guava, and cheese — $32
  • Stuffed Potato with Beef (papa rellena) — $32
  • Flan — smooth, caramel-topped custard — $32
  • Sponge Cake — Cuban-style sponge cake — $52
  • Masa Real — guava cake bars — $3.502
  • Señorita — layers of flaky pastry filled with sweet strawberry jam, topped with powdered sugar — $3.502
  • Chicharritas — fried plantains — $22

Coffee

  • Cortadito — espresso with frothed milk — $2.502
  • Cafecito (Cuban coffee) — Cuban coffee with sugar — $2.502
  • Colada — a lot of espresso with espumita; made to share — $5.002
  • Bombón Coffee — Cuban coffee with condensed milk — $3.502
  • Cuban Latte — double shot of Cuban coffee with steamed milk — $4.50 regular / $5.50 grande2
  • Americano — double shot of Cuban coffee with water — $3.002
  • Drip Coffee — locally sourced beans from Café Corazon — $3.002

Beverages

  • Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice — $6.502
  • Tropicana Orange Juice — $2.502
  • Mango Nectar — sweet tropical fruit juice made from ripe mangoes — $3.002
  • Guava Nectar — pure guava juice from ripe guavas — $3.502
  • Jupiña — sweet pineapple soda — $3.50 · Diet $3.50 (sweet-tangy tropical flavor without calories)2
  • Materva — sweet, non-alcoholic yerba mate soft drink — $3.50 · Diet $3.50 (carbonated yerba mate, typically sweetened without calories)2
  • Iron Beer — slightly sweet carbonated soft drink with a hint of herbal and spicy notes — $3.502
  • Malta Goya — non-alcoholic malt beverage brewed from barley and hops; sweet, rich flavor, light carbonation, deep brown color, molasses-like taste — $3.502
  • Glass Bottled Soda — cola, diet cola, or lemon-lime — $3.002
  • Bottled Water — $2.002

Sources

Additional coverage: KCUR “Best New Restaurants 2025” (Ritz Dasgupta’s pick) — https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2026-01-17/kansas-city-best-new-restaurants · IN Kansas City dining guide — https://www.inkansascity.com/eat-drink/dining-guide/cortadito-cuban-cafe/

Footnotes

  1. The Pitch KC — “New cafe, Cortadito, brings Cuban flavors and hospitality to KCK” — Confirms: Karell Martinez owner/founder; cortadito-as-metaphor quote; murals by Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez; Cuban immigrant founding story (political refugee at 16); domino table; Nov 16 ribbon-cutting / Nov 19 grand opening. Also: The Pitch KC Sipps (Nov 2024) — thepitchkc.com ↩

  2. Cortadito Cuban Cafe — official food menu () and drink menu (cortaditokc.com), rendered via Firecrawl 2026-08-12. First-party prices and descriptions from the café’s own website. DoorDash order link was not used. Honest names-only: Sandwich Cubano Cargado and Stuffed Potato with Beef publish no prose on the official menu. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35

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On the record — ks.city/registry/cortadito-cuban-cafe · record updated 2026-08-12