We came to Optimust Hall on a Saturday afternoon and so did a lot of others because it was packed. There are plenty of places to sit so you won't have problems finding seats. I decided on a Cuban sandwich which in my opinion was one of the best I have had in North Carolina. A must try. read more

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I've had great foods in Optimist Hall, and I am always a huge fan of the ambiance and lovely indoor and outdoor seating, but unfortunately Suarez Bakery & Barra was a pass for me. The food took a very long time to be prepared, and was not particularly fresh. I ordered the Cuban Sandwich and yuka fries, which were both very bland and stale... The prices were perhaps some of the best in Optimist Hall, but I would still recommend sticking to the desserts in this stall rather than the meals. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cuban, Yuka Fries - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Love this place! I know they're known for their baked goods but I always get the bowls. The food is always super fresh and tastes great. Also, a $12 pork bowl usually will last me at least 2 meals. The service is quick and consistent. I typically use the online portal to place my order and drop by to pick up. The location is in Optimist Hall and has a walk up station to order or pick up. Optimist Hall can get pretty busy on nights and weekends so I highly suggest the pick up option if you can place your order in advance. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Mojo pork bowl - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Very good Cuban eatery inside the beautiful Optimist Hall food court, which I must profess to be one of the more beautiful and well-stocked food halls I've visited anywhere in the country. I was actually on my way to Botiwala when Suarez caught my eye, and I couldn't help but stop for a cafe con leche (which was excellent). Once I ordered a cafe con leche, then the rice bowl with chickpeas caught my eye too, and well then all plans were off. The chickpea stew itself was good, but the real stars of the show were the delectable pickled onions and Cuban black beans. I do really regret not trying any of the baked goods. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I love grabbing a coffee from Suarez Bakery in Optimist Hall. Today was no different. I was meeting coworkers and got to grab a cafe con leche, iced with oat milk. YUMMY! They also have really amazing looking pastries and donuts and they're huge. A great spot for sweets in OH. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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With the many options nearby, this would have been easy to skip but I am super glad we did not. The Cuban sandwich was delightful. The cheese was perfectly gooey with a great amount of delicious meat. The bread was just crispy enough and not overly soggy as these sandwiches sometimes are. Grabbed the plantains which is always a must, as well. I didn't super care for the green sauce the sandwich came with but it really doesn't need it. And the sandwich itself was huge, always a plus. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I've been craving a really good Cuban sandwich lately. We got this Cuban sandwich from Suarez which satisfied my cravings! I did wish it had some more mustard in it. Maybe ask for more sauce if you're a saucy person who doesn't like dryer sandwiches. Would come back though! read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cubano sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Extraordinarily cool bakery; I wish I had checked it out sooner. They had old fashioned long johns with the vanilla crème, which is so hard to come by and was absolutely delicious. Custom cookies and desserts would be beautiful for parties or centerpieces too. Will definitely be back! read more

Love this spot! Pastries are always delicious. Located in optimist hall. Too much to choose from. Cookies, donuts, brownies. Definitely a treat to yourself read more

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I ordered a tres leches iced coffee and it was phenomenal. The carrot cake and tres leches we're delicious!

No visit to Optimist Hall will be complete without getting some desserts to go at Suarez. Browsing their selections makes me feel like a kid in a candy store! Of course I was far too full to eat any of them at the time, but trust me, they travel well and are just as good later. This trip we decided to try the Strawberry Chiffon and Tres Leches cake. Any time I see tres leches on a menu, I cannot pass it up! It was very good. I love that they have them individually made in containers since that helps to hold in the milk that makes tres leches so amazing. It is very rich so we have ate a little at a time. The Strawberry Chiffon was even more delicious than it was beautiful! I will definitely be getting it again on the next trip. It reminded me of a strawberry shortcake, only fancier. The cake was fluffy and the strawberries and cream were sweet without being overly so. I love trying different items every visit but this will certainly be a repeat every time. It's hard not to want one of each item that they offer. Everything looks so tempting! I can't wait to return and try more. read more

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Great Food & Service! Fantastic food shop with fresh, high-quality products and friendly staff. Everything was delicious and well presented. Clean, organized, and a joy to visit. Highly recommend! read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Café con leche - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We came to Optimistic Hall for lunch on Saturday afternoon. The bakery case spoke to me with the doughnut options. I also saw they had different sandwiches and rice bowls, so gave them a shot. I ordered the mojo chicken bowl and apple fritter to share. The doughnuts and fritters were quite reasonable at under $3. After 10 minutes or so the mojo chicken bowl arrived. It was very hearty, with ample black beans. I appreciated the lime to give it some citrus tone. Hubs and I shared the apple fritter afterwards. It has a good crisp to it and wonderful apple and cinnamon flavor. Definitely recommend. The menu had some fun options. I definitely would love to try more items! read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I had the Cubano sandwich with the Cuban coffee for lunch. For those unfamiliar, the coffee is more like a shot, and that thing powered me for 12 hours. I was so productive! The sandwich portion was generous and fed me twice. Would love to try their baked goods next time as they all looked delectable. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cubano sammie - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Okay so I was feeling a Cuban sandwich today so I had to lookup the best Cuban Sandwich in Charlotte one of the choices I had already tried, so I needed to figure out the hype about Suarez Bakery and Barra, so I decided to drive to Optimist Hall and see how optimistic my choices was...I have to say that it was amazing! Look out Mami we might not have as many Cuban spots in Charlotte, but this place can definitely compete! Service was friendly and efficient! If you are looking for a great tasty Cuban Sandwich and have a bit of a sweet tooth for some amazing pastry, look no further! read more

When I tell you that the croquetas here are amazing...they're amazing. Wow wow wow. I got an order of croquetas with café con leche. It made my whole Saturday. Service was great and quick. Good seating and nice decorations for the holidays. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Croquetas - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

When I first walked by this place, I noticed the dessert display right up front tempting me and everyone else to make a purchase. Not the first thing I would think of for a Cuban restaurant, but it does grab your attention. Suárez Bakery and Barra offers fresh Sammies, various bowls, snacks(sides), baked goods and coffee. There prices are very reasonable and service is swift. About 10-15 minutes during lunch time is good. I decided to go with the Mojo Chicken bowl and added a fried egg. All bowls include black beans, jasmine rice, maduros, pickled onions, and a slice of lime. My son went with the Chickpea and Sweet Potatoe bowl and added avocado. They were both very tasty and filling. I was too full to think about dessert, but later that evening I wish I had. I'll be sure to check out a few the next time. read more

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Upon looking at the baked items, I knew I was in trouble. Everything looked phenomenal. I had the chocolate croissant. It was flavorful, flaky, and delicious. In my opinion, it would have tasted better if it was warm. Other than that, it's definitely worth a stop here at Optimist Hall. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I just ate a next-level cuban sandwich at Suarez! I usually temper my expectations walking into a food hall joint, but their quality of food far exceeded my expectations. The sandwich itself was MASSIVE, the largest I've seen yet. Between layers of crusty Cuban bread, you get a huge pile of ham (off the bone, not lunch meat slices), and delicious Cuban pulled pork. Topped off with mustard, Swiss, pickes and mojo, it was easily one of the best sandwiches I've had in my entire life. Adding to the decadence was the crispy yuca fries on the side. With a perfect crusty brown exterior, and a lack of greasiness, it was exceptional dipped in the accompaniment of green mojo dip. I bought a vegan glazed donut for my son who is dairy- and egg-intolerant. He joyously gobbled it up. It was one of the best donuts I've tasted. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - God-tier Cuban Sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Located inside Optimist Hall, this great bakery is located next to the ice cream and ramen shops on the second floor. They have multiple delicious goods and desserts. My top pick is the cheesecake! It's the perfect personal sized cheesecake. It's sweet, but not too sweet and oh so creamy! read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cheesecake - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Baked goods are definitely my weakness. When I found out that Suarez had an Apple fritter that's dairy free (and other dairy free options) I was in trouble. The fritter is delicious, and I really love their Cubano sandwich. This is a must stop when in Optimist Hall. Like many of the vendors here, you get a buzzer or they take your number when you place an order so that they can notify you when it's ready. The time always goes by because there's so many other stalls to visit, but I normally wait 10-15 mins on a normal day for my food to be ready. read more

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This was a great stop during our visit to the food hall. The counter staff was very knowledgeable and helped ensure we got the best treats for our crew. The doughnuts were very yummy! We ate at the countertop bar on the side and got to enjoy our food out of the noisy main walkway read more

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Five stars for delicious cakes, baked goods and coffee! AND VEGAN BAKED GOODS!! Woot woot!! The coconut cake was so so light and airy. Absolutely loved it. The chocolate mousse cake was delicious with a rich layer of chocolate ganache and loads of chocolate mousse filling. Nothing grinds my gears more than a chocolate mousse cake that only has a thin, puny layer of chocolate mousse. It should be illegal to call it chocolate mousse cake if there isn't at least an inch of mousse in there. :) Neither of these cakes disappointed and I would love to try more. The cookie sandwiches and vegan donuts looked awesome. As did the tres leches cake. So many delicious options. My cafe con leche was wonderful. I was tempted to try the cafe con tres leches, but I might have gone into a sugar coma if I'd done that with the cakes. read more

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I am a huge fan of guava pastelitos and had high hopes for these... but the guava had little guava flavor and there wasn't enough cheese. Too much pastry and not enough filling, disappointing :( read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Guava & Cheese pastelitos - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I was so excited to see Suarez Bakery open a location in Optimist Hall! I came with a friend to get some pastries on a weekend morning. They have a full case of tasty options ranging from donuts to tres leches. I tried the Apple Fritter. I was happy to find that it was full of soft, spiced apple pieces. Plus, it was a large serving. I could have probably shared it. Fair warning the pastries are served fresh, so you have to get there early because they might run out of your favorite! In addition to pastries, it looks like they also sell bowls and coffee. It's a great little spot to try out when you're in the Optimist Hall area. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

How can you not indulge in a Croissant the size of your head and a Cubano? I mean, really. It food is top tier and the coffee next level. If you ever traveled to Miami or Columbia, you'd understand. Trust me and indulge... read more

Tried the tres leches as a dessert after getting lunch from a bunch of places in optimist hall. It was delicious. It's moist, sweet, tasty and the whipped cream on top is the perfect touch. Best way to end your meal from optimist hall! read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Tres Leches - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

This review only hits a few items but all experienced rate as Great on the Yelp scale. The first few are sweet - Glazed donut, Apple fritter, Cinnamon twist donut. Each one tried is exactly as they should be from a flavor and texture wise. The glazed donut in particular really hit home in a good way because I've been craving a good, yeast raised, simple glazed donut for a couple months but kept running into Ob stack els. We only have cake donuts. Sorry we are out of glazed... Thank you Suarez for delivering! The other 5 star item was the Cuban sandwich I had this weekend. Perfect bread, flavorful pork, ham, swiss, pickles. Pressed, hot and crunchy outside, melty, warm inside. Everything one could want from a Cubano. There's so many options at Optimist Hall so may not circle back for another sandwich for a bit but, in time, I'll definitely be back. read more

Always looking for a good Cuban sandwich and found one here. I have heard about Suarez before, but never been able to try it out. It was dumb luck but here they are at optimist hall. I ordered the Cuban sandwich with a side of plantains and they didn't disappoint. Everything was on point with the sandwich and plantains. Taste had a lot of flavors and big serving sizes. I will definitely add this to my list of favorites when I am at optimist. please support this business. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I've been to their original location several times, but they have a couple items at the Optimist Hall location only that I wanted to try. Covid-19: unfortunately there's no way to order ahead of time that I could find. Luckily you can quickly get your food. We came on a Wednesday around 4:30 and I was lucky enough to get the last raspberry croissant. It's half covered in a raspberry coating and then it's filled on the inside with a whipped raspberry filling. Both my husband and I loved it. I was also eyeing the strawberry chiffon cake, but I ultimately decided one dessert was enough. It's definitely worth a stop here at Optimist Hall. read more

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I only had the Cubano but it was delicious! The bread was perfect (although next time I will try the media noche w/ the sweet bread). It had the right ratio of pork & ham to bread with pickles, Swiss cheese and tangy mustard. Go get you one! read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Cubano sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I saw someone at optimist hall with this cake. You don't see too many people who like coconut cake so when I saw it, I had to find out where they got it from I walked around and found Suarez. I immediately purchased a slice. I didn't try it immediately, and waited until I got home. When I say disappointed is an understatement. The cake is very moist but it is lacking flavor AND sugar. It's made with a whipped icing which is not my favorite but I can deal. I am not sure of the baker missed the flavoring or if this cake is purposely made this way but I am extremely disappointed that it lacked flavor. No vanilla flavor, no coconut flavor or anything. It's taste like a diet low fat cake. I definitely had high hopes but this isn't it. If you're a person who loves cakes and grew up eating home made you're going to be disappointed please take my word and choose elsewhere. Because absolutely NO. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Coconut cream cake - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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By far the most authentic sandwiches you will ever have in your life. This place has my loyalty for ever.

Amazing new Cuban bakery inside of Optimist Hall! I wanted to try everything because it all looked so good! I started with something savory and came back for dessert. The service is quick and the staff was very friendly and helpful. I love that they text you the order once it's ready to pick up. I ordered the mojo pork bowl. It comes with rice, beans, 3 maduros, and some pickled onions. It's a pretty big bowl of food and has a good portion of everything. The meat was really good and well seasoned. Everything had really good flavor. I also tried the congri croquetas because I had never had rice and beans in a croqueta before. It was pretty bland and I would have liked to have a sauce to dip them in. Next time I would go with the traditional croquetas. For the pastries, I wanted to try a bunch so I split them with my family. They were all amazing! They tasted so fresh and flavorful. The morning bun was buttery and had a lot of cinnamon. The guava and cheese pastelito was flaky and had a lot of filling. The apple fritter was also very good. My favorite pastry was the chocolate croissant. It was really big and filled with so much rich chocolate! I loved the food here and I can't wait to come try all of the other desserts and the coffee too! read more

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First time in Charlotte in 5 years and I was stoked to see Suarez had a spot for sandwiches and not just baked goods. Ordered a Cubano and the bread was extremely dried out. I was not expecting Ybor City or Havana level quality bread, but this was subpar. I politely asked for a refund, even apologetically as I hate to complain but it was inedible and the one girl rolled her eyes at me before getting the other girl. They offered me another sandwich which I declined because I didn't want more dry bread. I told them I was not trying to be difficult I just wanted a refund, which seemed to be an issue. I even said if they thought a full refund for taking one bite wasn't appropriate they could pick another amount. They decided that $10 refund for a $12.99 sandwich I took one bite of was appropriate. They tried to let me keep the sandwich, I guess because they thought I was trying to get free food? I let them throw it away. Awful customer service. As someone working in the service industry, I am appalled. read more

I recently visited the Optimist Hall location and I ordered the Morning Bun with Café con Tres Leches...what a combination! It was delicious. The Bun was flaky and the coffee was so flavorful. I look forward to going back to try other treats! read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Café con Tres Leches, Morning Bun, Original Glazed Donut - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I wouldn't leave any stars, but I have to admit their "Cuban" is a decent pulled pork sandwich. I'll start by saying half of my family are from Cuba, and I grew up in Miami. My husband and I ordered Cuban sandwiches via Postmates. The sandwiches were still warm, which would have been great if the food didn't have a number of issues. First issue: the pork was pulled and not roasted and sliced. Second issue: I don't know what seasoning they used for the pork, but it was definitely not a taste you would expect from a Cuban. Third issue: all you could taste was the incorrectly seasoned and cooked pork. If the sandwich had ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard, as it should, I wouldn't know. The only thing we tasted was the pulled pork. Fourth issue: the bread wasn't great. It didn't have the crispiness of Cuban bread. And last issue: the price of the sandwich was ridiculously high. It may have been worth it if it was actually a Cuban sandwich, but it wasn't. All in all, we were very disappointed. Thank goodness we had a $23 promotion to use on Postmates. If we'd paid full price for the sandwiches, I would be really upset. read more

I realized when looking to review the Suarez Bakery original location, I had not done a review for this location in Optimist Hall. I actually tried this location first before going to their original location. As this is a small location inside of Optimist Hall, they only offer a few select items. I got the chocolate chip cookie sandwich with an icing filling, apple fritter, and caramel brownie. All of which I brought home. Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich - loved it! So many chocolate chunks in their chocolate chip cookie. I'm a huge icing fanatic, so a cookie sandwich was perfect for me, although I wouldn't hesitate to just get a cookie the next time. Fritter - A good solid fritter. Not my favorite, but a good one that definitely is better if you can warm it up for a couple of seconds. Caramel Brownie - my husband thought this was okay - the caramel was not that strong until you warmed it up for a couple of seconds - which I loved because it made the brownie nice and gooey, my favorite kind of brownie. I loved it! Definitely would recommend if you are visiting Optimist Hall's other tenants and need a sweet tooth fix. If you want more options, definitely visit their Park Road location. read more

When I first discovered OH, I got so excited to see a Cuban restaurant and ordered my main meal from here. It was so good, I came back the next day *awkward smile* The Good: although I'm Latina, I'm not sure I've had authentic Cuban food so I can't speak to that. I can say that what I got was absolutely delicious and my mother, also Latina, loved it as well. We got the Ropa Vieja with an extra side of Maduros and Tres Leches for desert. Everything was FANTASTIC!! The tres leches cake was so good, not too sweet, and very (insert gross M word adjective). The rice and beans had nice flavor and went well with the Ropa Vieja. Highly recommend getting sides of the Mojo sauce if you're a fan of garlic (I can literally drink the stuff). My mom and I split everything and were stuffed so I feel the portions were great. The Meh: nada The Bad: nada again. This place is amazing. Again, can't speak to the authenticity like some reviews mention, but it is DAMN good food. read more

Suarez Bakery & Barra - Ropa Vieja with maduros - Cuban Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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There is nothing that is not delicious. The chocolate croissant is a weekly staple for me and I wish I could have one every day. Top personal favorites include: Chocolate Croissant, Ham egg and cheese croissant, Cafe Con Tres Leches, Tres De Leches, Congri Croquetas. read more

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