LA TROPICAL
About
La Tropical serves Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Latin cooking, and Chef Minelly Amador is the chef behind the menu. The stall is the brand's second Atlanta location. The menu runs to pressed Cuban sandwiches, bacalaitos, mofongo, carne frita, arroz con pollo, and ropa vieja.
If this food is new to you, a few notes. Bacalaitos are salt cod fritters, usually eaten as a starter. Mofongo is green plantain, fried and then mashed with garlic. Ropa vieja is beef braised until it shreds, cooked down with tomato and peppers. Arroz con pollo is the rice and chicken dish that anchors a lot of Puerto Rican home cooking.
You will find the stall inside CTR Food Works at 190 Marietta Street NW, in the atrium of the former CNN Center. Order at the counter, then find a seat in the hall. It is a straightforward stop for a downtown lunch, a meal before a game at State Farm Arena or Mercedes-Benz Stadium, or dinner on a weeknight when you want something warm and filling.