Founding cook
Rosa Mendoza
At 87, Rosa still tastes the sofrito every morning. Her ropa vieja recipe was never written down — it lives in her hands and her grandchildren's noses.
Our story
One family, one flame, sixty years.
The beginning
From Havana, with a notebook of recipes.
In 1962, Rosa Mendoza boarded a flight from José Martí to Miami with three children, one small suitcase, and the only thing that mattered: her grandmother's recipe book.
For thirty years she cooked for neighbors out of a tiny kitchen on SW 12th Avenue. Word spread. Lines formed. The Mendoza ropa vieja became a Little Havana legend.
In 2003, her grandson Marco opened the doors of Coco Havana — a love letter to his abuela, and to the island that raised her.
Family first
Three generations of Mendozas still work the line. The recipes haven't changed in sixty years.
Made from scratch
Every sofrito, mojo, and stock is made here, each morning. No shortcuts, no cans.
Rooted in the block
We hire from the neighborhood, buy from Cuban-owned suppliers, and host our regulars every Sunday.
"We didn't open a restaurant. We set a big table and left the door open."
La familia
The hands behind the flavor.
Chef & owner
Marco Mendoza
Trained in Madrid, raised in Hialeah. Marco brings modern technique to his abuela's tradition — and runs the floor with the same warmth she ran her kitchen.