Sophie's Cuban Cuisine • 1997

Manuela Matos turned her dream into reality in 1997, opening the first Sophie's on Greenwich Street near the World Trade Center after selling Peruvian food from carts at Queens soccer fields to fund her vision. The family-owned chain has since grown to ten locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn, serving Cuban sandwiches slathered in their signature green sauce alongside empanadas and shredded beef stew. Order the Cuban sandwich with sweet plantains and ask for extra green sauce—regulars know it's the secret.