Cortadito Cuban Cafe

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.

Tier classification

Tier 2 — KC-dedicated, immigrant-founded independent. Karell Martinez arrived from Cuba as a political refugee around 2008 (his father Alberto was a political prisoner for 15 years in Cuba); he and Nubia Gomez came from real estate before pivoting to open Cortadito.¹² Neither is KC-born/raised — they are Cuban immigrants who chose to plant themselves in KCK’s Hispanic corridor. Under the vault’s tier doctrine that places KC-roots as the Tier 1 criterion, this is Tier 2.

Menu

Last verified: 2026-07-25 · Source: cortaditokc.com official food & drink menu pages, rendered via Firecrawl³ · menu_status: verified · Confidence: High (full food + drink menu with prices captured from the café’s own website; drink prices now filled in)

Sandwiches

• Cuban Sandwich (Cubano) — $14⁴
• Sandwich Cubano Cargado (loaded) — $16⁴
• Pan con Bistec (steak sandwich, sautéed onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo) — $13⁴
• Pork Sandwich — $12⁴
• Croquette Sandwich — $7⁴
• Ham & Cheese Sandwich — $9⁴
• Cortadito Breakfast Sandwich — $8⁴
• Cuban Toast — $3.50⁴

Pastries & snacks

• Croqueta (ham or chicken) — $1.50 each⁴
• Pastelito de Guayaba (guava puff pastry) — $2⁴
• Puff Pastry with Filling — $3⁴
• Papa Rellena (stuffed potato with beef) — $3⁴
• Flan — $3⁴
• Panetela Borracha (rum-soaked sponge cake) — $5⁴
• Masa Real — $3.50⁴
• Señorita — $3.50⁴
• Chicharritas (fried plantain chips) — $2⁴

Coffee

• Cortadito — $2.50³
• Cafecito (Cuban coffee) — $2.50³
• Colada (Cuban coffee to share) — $5.00³
• Café Bombón (with condensed milk) — $3.50³
• Cuban Latte (café con leche) — $4.50³
• Americano — $3.00³
• Drip Coffee — $3.00³

Beverages

• Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice — $6.50³
• Tropicana Orange Juice — $2.50³
• Mango Nectar — $3.00³
• Guava Nectar — $3.50³
• Jupiña (pineapple soda) — $3.50 · Diet $3.50³
• Materva (yerba mate soda) — $3.50 · Diet $3.50³
• Iron Beer — $3.50³
• Malta Goya — $3.50³
• Glass Bottled Soda — $3.00³
• Bottled Water — $2.00³

Links

• Official site: https://cortaditokc.com

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” — https://www.thepitchkc.com/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) — https://www.thepitchkc.com/kc-sipps-new-cuban-cafe-opens-half-price-tacos-and-a-korean-inspired-friendsgiving/ ↩ ↩²

2. KSHB 41 — “KCK coffee shop opened by Cuban family in search of political freedom” — https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kck-coffee-shaped-opened-by-cuban-family-in-search-of-political-freedom — Confirms: Karell Martinez + Nubia Gomez as co-owners (husband/wife); father Alberto Martinez Fernandez (15 yrs political prisoner); family real estate background before cafe. ↩

3. Cortadito Cuban Cafe — official food menu (cortaditokc.com/kansas-city-cortadito-cuban-cafe-food-menu) and drink menu (…-drink-menu), rendered via Firecrawl and captured 2026-07-25. First-party prices from the café’s own website (their only online-ordering link is DoorDash, which was NOT used for prices). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸

4. Cortadito Cuban Cafe — official website cortaditokc.com — confirms address (400 N. 18th St, KCK 66102), phone (913) 336-1019, email, Instagram @cortadito_kc, hours (Tue–Sat 7am–5pm), full food menu with prices. (Accessed 2026-06-28.) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷