National Cuban Sandwich Day – Aug. 23, 2026

Expected National Cuban Sandwich Day Deals

While we wait for official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows that National Cuban Sandwich Day often brings delicious deals. Expect chains like Pollo Tropical and Moe’s Southwest Grill to offer discounts or special combos on their Cuban-inspired items. Local delis and Cuban restaurants, such as Versailles Restaurant in Miami or Columbia Restaurant in Tampa, are likely to feature their authentic Cubanos with special pricing. Supermarkets like Publix might run sales on Cuban bread, ham, and Swiss cheese for home chefs. Even smaller, independent sandwich shops often participate with unique takes or BOGO offers. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as August 23 approaches.

History of National Cuban Sandwich Day

The first Cuban sandwich is believed to be created more than a quincentenary ago by the Cuban Taíno tribe. One of three tribes who inhabited Cuba before the Europeans arrived, they supposedly used casabe bread — which is made from yucca — to create the dish. However, pork was unavailable at the time, so the Taínos stuffed fish and bird meat between the crunchy slices of casabe.

When Europeans — primarily Spaniards — eventually arrived on the island, meats such as pork and ham became part of the native’s diets, transforming the Cuban sandwich into what we recognize in modern-times. Casabe, which was more of a crunchy and thin bread at the time, made way for a doughy, bread-like alternative. 

We thank the Cuban influence in Tampa during the mid-1860s for making the Cuban sandwich what it is today. The sandwich likely originated in the Key West as a common lunch food to Cuban workers who sailed back and forth for employment, pleasure, and family visits. However, history is rather murky of its exact creation in the country, because of the largely undocumented movement of people between the island nation and the United States.

Later on, Miami fell in love with the sandwich when Cuban expatriates introduced the sandwich to the area during the 1960s. The Cuban sandwich became so popular, that there is now a long-standing friendly rivalry between Tampa and Miami. So much so that in 2012, Tampa designated the “Historic Cuban Sandwich” and the “signature sandwich of the city of Tampa.”

Alongside ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard, salami is also included in the Cuban bread recipe in Tampa, due to the area’s large Italian immigrant population. The Communist Revolution also brought a wave of Cuban immigrants to other cities in the country, such as New York, New Jersey, and Chicago, where variations of the sandwich popped up. Even with it’s simple appearance, the Cuban sandwich illustrates that the soul is more important than anything.

How Businesses Can Celebrate National Cuban Sandwich Day