Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

Tropical Bar & Restaurant—A Taste of Cuba Comes to Boone

Story by Sam Calhoun

Tropical Bar & Restaurant Owner and Executive Chef Joey Munoz is bringing the taste, ambiance and entertainment of Cuba to Boone. He opened his restaurant in the Marketplace Shopping Center at 783 West King Street on September 15. Photo by Sam Calhoun Even as snow blew sideways outside in Boone last Tuesday, Joey Munoz’s restaurant had the ambiance and smells of an island eatery, conjuring visions of palm trees, surf and sand, and easily distracting patrons from thoughts of snow, wind and ice.

Situated in downtown Boone, Tropical Bar & Restaurant is located in the Marketplace Shopping Center at 783 West King Street.

Munoz is the owner and executive chef of the restaurant that opened on September 15 and specializes in authentic Cuban cuisine. Tropical truly is a family business—recipes are from Munoz’s mother and grandmother, and Munoz’s parents and brother work at the restaurant full time.

“We wanted to bring the true Cuban experience to Boone, not a watered down version of it,” explained Munoz, who recently relocated to the High Country from Miami, Fla. “We saw what sold in Miami, what Cuban restaurants served in Miami, and then brought that here.”

More than four decades ago, Munoz’s parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba, moving directly to Miami where Munoz and his brother were born. Munoz grew up dancing to salsa music, eating hearty Cuban meals and learning about Cuban culture from his parent’s friends.

After high school, he enrolled in Florida International University and graduated with a degree in public relations. Munoz then enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Orlando, nurturing his love for Cuban cooking. His degree from Le Cordon Bleu landed Munoz a job at Disney World where he worked for some years before starting his own special event catering company called Creative Food Concepts. The company was—and still is—a hit, providing catering for movie premiers, private parties, cocktail receptions and corporate events.

A few years ago, Munoz and his family started vacationing in the High Country. They collectively decided to build a log cabin in the region as a vacation home.

“We were just building a cabin up here because we loved the atmosphere and the people. We had no plans to move here permanently,” said Munoz.

While walking around Boone one day, Munoz stopped by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce to chat and better get to know the town. Once chamber employees found out Munoz was a chef, they went to work convincing him to stay, alerting him to available spaces downtown. Munoz discovered an unexplored niche in the High Country restaurant scene when he found out that the closest Cuban restaurant is in Hickory. One week later, he signed a lease.

“I’m a Boone-ite now,” laughed Munoz, whose parents and brother relocated to the High Country to help him run the new restaurant.

Ten weeks later, Munoz is at the helm of a 100-seat restaurant and in charge of 30 employees.

Munoz and his family designed the authentic menu.

“Cuban food has a lot of meat and potatoes—very hearty,” said Munoz. “There’s also a lot of pork dishes as well, and our side specialties, plantains and black beans and rice.”

Pork, steak, beef and fish dominate the menu, accompanied by a long list of authentic Cuban side dishes, including four flavors of plantains. Vegetables are noticeably scarce—typical with most Cuban menus, according to Munoz. He knows, however, that Boone has a large vegetarian population and is planning to add a vegetarian menu in December.

“The flavors of Cuban food are robust and hearty; everything is marinated and seasoned for hours,” said Munoz. “A big misconception is that Cuban food is Mexican food, but it’s not—far from it. Cuban food uses a lot of herbs, lots of garlic, but it’s never spicy. In Miami, you see, there’s not even hot sauce on the table in the restaurants. Our food is flavorful—not spicy.”

In addition to food service, Tropical also hosts Salsa Night every Friday from 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.. Munoz and his parents—not so much his brother—dance all the time to salsa music, so they thought they would share another taste of home with customers.

Salsa Night started two weeks ago and already the event is drawing 50 to 70 people on average. The night begins with beginner salsa instruction from 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., and then continues with an open dance from 12:00 to 2:00 a.m. The event is held in the largest room of the restaurant where Munoz installed a sound system and lights to assist with the mood. Salsa Night is free and features discounted mojitos—a mixed drink consisting of white rum, sugar, lime, carbonated water and mint—for those who may be a little reserved about getting on the dance floor.

“The Salsa Night has been a really nice experience,” said Munoz. “It’s different for this area.”

Munoz is more than happy to provide Boone with an escape from the culinary norm, especially when it involves cooking the food and teaching the dance of his native culture.

Tropical Bar & Restaurant is located in the Marketplace Shopping Center at 783 West King Street in Boone. The restaurant and bar are open for lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and for dinner from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed on Sunday. The bar is open for Salsa Night every Friday from 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. For more information, click to www.tropicalbarandrestaurant.com or call 828-264-4601.