Sandy’s Cafe wins popular vote at Key West Cuban Sandwich Throwdown

Sandy’s Cafe won the popular vote at Key West’s fifth annual Cuban Sandwich Throwdown, a result that showed how a simple neighborhood food contest can deliver real visibility for Monroe County eateries.

The throwdown was held Saturday, April 25, 2026, at noon at the Green Parrot Bar, 601 Whitehead Street, where local restaurants, food trucks and independent chefs lined up Cuban sandwiches for attendees to sample and rank. Sandy’s Cafe finished second in the judges’ vote, but its first-place finish with the public underscored how much local loyalty matters in a city where visitors and residents alike are drawn to foods tied to Key West’s Cuban heritage.

That cultural pull is part of the event’s business value. Cuban sandwiches are not just another festival item in Key West, and the contest turns a familiar island staple into a visible showcase for the restaurants behind it. For places like Sandy’s Cafe, which says the Santiago family started the business in 1954 and still runs it from 1026 White Street, the throwdown offers more than bragging rights. It puts a longtime local name in front of a crowd that paid to eat, vote and compare notes, the kind of exposure that can carry into the slower months when island restaurants work harder to keep tables full.

The event’s format helped fuel that momentum. Advance coverage said a $20 donation allowed attendees to sample a dozen or more sandwiches and vote, a setup that makes the competition feel part tasting event, part neighborhood referendum. The Green Parrot, a long-running dive bar and live-music venue, gave the contest a distinctly Key West backdrop that fits the island’s mix of tourism, nightlife and small-business culture.

Keys Weekly said the 2026 throwdown raised nearly $3,500 for Sigsbee Charter School. The fundraiser was created by Marcia Weaver of Frita’s Cuban Burger Cafe, and earlier versions benefited The Learning Center of Key West, adding another local institution to the event’s record of support. In a town where food often doubles as identity, the annual throwdown has become both a civic ritual and a measurable boost for the businesses that keep Key West’s dining scene in motion.