ROYAL PALM BEACH — If you want to taste an authentic Cuban sandwich, Vietnamese pho or Jamaican fried chicken, eat local at these village restaurants that cook traditional dishes from Asia and the Caribbean.

Over the last 20 years, Royal Palm Beach's population has not only grown to nearly 40,000 people. It also has grown diverse and is now home to many family-owned eateries that are tucked in the village's strip mall plazas and that serve plates with flavors from decades-long family recipes, the kind that bring grandmothers to mind.

Here are three restaurants, all of them operated by immigrant families.

Casa Santiago: Almost 30 years of tradition and early morning pastelitos

Address: 11150 Okeechobee Blvd.

Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

At Casa Santiago, take a bite into a traditional Cuban Sandwich ($8.50). It’s made with their homemade Cuban bread and stuffed with roasted pork, slices of ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, mayo and sliced pickles. Then, it is toasted to crisp the bread and melt the cheese over the ham and pork.

In 2017, Casa Santiago won an award for best Cuban Sandwich in Palm Beach County in a blind test competition by Project 425, a local veteran's nonprofit.

The bakery and restaurant, hidden in a plaza on Okeechobee Boulevard just west of Royal Palm Beach High School, opened almost 30 years ago and has become a staple for the Latin community in western Palm Beach County.

These guava-and-cheese pastelitos are came fresh out of the oven on July 14, 2025 at Casa Santiago in Royal Palm Beach.

Regulars at Casa Santiago recommend getting to the cafe early in the morning to indulge in their pastelitos, which are flaky, sweet and filled with beef, cheese, guava or their signature treat: guava and cheese.

Fair warning: The pastelitos are usually gone by 11 a.m.

Wash down the Cuban Sandwich or the pastries down with a café con leche ($2.99) or a Cuban colada. The servers brew it in a traditional Espresso machine and usually top the cups with milk foam flowers and hearts.

Casa Santiago also serves other signature Cuban dishes such as lechón, or slow-roasted pork; ropa vieja, or skirt steak; and Palomilla steak, thin sliced steak with onions.

Pho 16: Vietnamese Pho and Thai Milk Tea

Address: 11963 Southern Blvd.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Monday. Closed Tuesday.

Customers at Pho 16 in Royal Palm Beach are enjoying its new rare steak and meatball pho, served in beef broth with rice noodles and fresh herbs as garnishes like this one served on July 11, 2025.

At Pho 16, located on 11963 Southern Blvd, order the rare steak and meatball pho ($13.95). And if you dare to taste a unique drink, order the Thai Milk Tea ($4.95).

Owner and chef Kim Huang bought the Vietnamese diner two years ago and now serves traditional pho with eight protein options including brisket, tripe and shrimp.

Huang said the rare steak and meatball pho is prepared with a beef broth base, rice noodles, thinly sliced meat and handmade meatballs. The bowl is topped with cilantro, Thai basil, mint and bean sprouts. The tip: Squeeze a lime wedge in the broth, pour a generous amount of Hoisin sauce and a splash of Sriracha, then dig in.

The Thai Milk Tea at Pho 16 in Royal Palm Beach, seen here on July 11, 2025, features a bright orange color and is made with black tea, spices and condensed milk. It has a creamy texture and a sweet and slightly spicy flavor.

The Thai Milk Tea features a bright orange color and is made with black tea, spices and condensed milk. It has a creamy texture and a sweet and slightly spicy flavor that makes it a refreshing energy boost.

Pho 16, which is in the Crestwood Plaza, also serves other Vietnamese classics such as: shrimp and pork egg rolls, vermicelli noodles and grilled pork rice platters.

Bull Top Taste: Jamaican fried chicken and homestyle oxtail

Address: 1241 N. State Road 7, at Okeechobee Boulevard.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed Sunday.

Customers have long enjoyed the spicy fried chicken (right) and the oxtail (left) made fresh to order at Bull Top Taste on July 11, 2025. These dishes are served with a side of a secret, spicy sauce.

At Top Bull Taste, first-timers should order the customer’s favorite: the Jamaican fried chicken ($12). The crispy and juicy chicken is topped with a tangy hot sauce and accompanied with steamed cabbage and rice and beans.

Area residents also frequent the restaurant to order oxtail ($19.97) which chef Delroy “Fada Bull” Blake marinates for over 24 hours in a secret blend of spices, following a recipe he brought from his family in Jamaica.

The oxtail is Bull Top Taste's in Royal Palm Beach best seller. Seen here on July 11, 2025, it is served with salad and a serving of Jamaican rice.

Blake and his wife, Shernett, opened their first Top Bull Taste restaurant in Royal Palm Beach in 2011 and now have four locations in Palm Beach County.

The casual eatery is also known for their affordable lunch specials ($7.99) that clients can order from the hot food bar to take in to-go containers stuffed with jerk chicken, curry goat or cow feet.

“A Taste of . . . “ is a Palm Beach Post series that aims to highlight the county’s lesser-known culinary gems and the people and families behind the food. Tell us what area and restaurants you would like to see us write about next!

Valentina Palm and Francesca Abarca are journalist at The Palm Beach Post. Email them at [email protected] and [email protected]. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: A taste of Royal Palm Beach: Decadent Cuban sandwiches, savory bowls of pho, even oxtail