Lazara's Cuban Cuisine, 565 W. Lincoln Ave., is difficult to miss if you're anywhere near 5th and Lincoln. The bright green building, formerly the home of Tio Beto's, features a large outdoor patio and a warm, unpretentious interior.

Until recently, it was nearly impossible to find Cuban cuisine in the Milwaukee area. Now, with the opening of Cubanitas last fall, the recent opening of Lazara's, and the impending opening of Jose Zarate's Cuban restaurant on South 5th Street, Milwaukeeans will have multiple opportunities to sample this rustic and unique fare.

There are three items that are the true mark of good, authentic Cuban food: café Cubano (Cuban coffee, $2), platanos maduros (sweet plantain, $3), and ropa vieja (literally translated: "old clothes"; shredded flank steak with rice and choice of beans, $7.95). Lazara's excelled at all three of these items.

At Lazara's, the Cuban coffee was served in charming espresso-sized cups with patinas that looked as though they had been in the family for years -- the owner and his brother both work in the restaurant -- and was strong and rich. Think espresso with an extra kick.

The plantains were lightly fried and had a lovely sweet taste.

The ropa vieja, perhaps the most well-known Cuban dish, due to its interesting name which refers to meat so shredded it resembles rags, was exceptional. Traditional ropa vieja, makes use of a sofrito, a vegetable sauté of onion, garlic and green peppers, which is the base of many Cuban foods. Lazara's combination of the sofrito, the tomatoes and the well-marinated and tender shredded flank steak was accompanied by a large side of white rice and Cuban red beans. The rice was a little undercooked, but combined with the rich, flavorful beans, the dish was definitely a star.

Other entrees were less impressive. There are different daily specials, so on a recent Tuesday, I tried the arroz con pollo (yellow rice with chicken, vegetables, lettuce salad and sweet plantains, $7.95). The chicken was a little overcooked, and was broken into small chunks, some of which unexpectedly still contained bone. Unlike the rice with the other two entrees, however, the yellow rice was perfectly cooked, and had a very nice flavor of chicken stock and vegetables.

The bisteck de palomilla (marinated sirloin steak topped with onions and served with white rice and Cuban black beans, $7.95), which we ordered on the waitresses' recommendation, was not as tender as we would have expected, and lacked the flavor of marinated meat.

We finished our meal with an order of flan de huevos custard (Cuban flan, $2.25). The sweet, but not too sweet, caramel custard was served over a sauce of rum and honey, and was the perfect complement for a final shot of the Cuban coffee.

Service at Lazara's was a little spotty, but the waitress was friendly and polite, if a little forgetful -- we were served our entrees before we received table settings.

Overall, however, our experience at Lazara's was positive. The prices are reasonable (lunches vary from $6.50 to $7.95, dinners from $6.50 to $12.95), and the patio and the fully stocked bar inside make it a nice, quaint, evening cocktail and appetizer spot.

Lazara's (414-645-CUBA) is open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Limited vegetarian options. Catering available.