Coeur d’Alene · Hubbard Street off Northwest Boulevard · Latin American
Cafe Carambola
A tiny, family-run lunch café serving Nuevo Latino tortas, quinoa salads, soups and aguas frescas, and one of the highest-rated restaurants in town.
Opens Cafe Carambola’s lunch menu with current prices. It’s a counter-service café, so there are no reservations.
Details checked November 2026
Price
$
Half tortas and salads from $6.50
Hours
Tue–Fri 11 am–3 pm
Closed Sat–Mon; can sell out early
Parking
Small strip-mall lot
Tight for big rigs; no RV parking
Start here
What to order
The menu is a short list of Latin American lunch favorites: tortas on bread baked in house, big salads, quesadillas, wraps and a daily soup, with aguas frescas and Mexican coffee to drink.
A house favorite
El Cubanito torta
Pulled pork with pineapple salsa, pickles, Swiss cheese, mustard and a garlic drizzle on toasted house-made bread. A half is $6.50 and a whole is $12 on the posted menu.
Pro tip: Get there close to the 11 am opening, especially on Fridays: the line can reach the door, and popular dishes can sell out by about 2 pm.
More to try
- Incan quinoa saladQuinoa, sweet corn, radish, cucumber and queso fresco with a tomatillo-pepita dressing.
- El Peruano tortaPulled pork, sweet-potato crisps, pickled onion and chipotle mayo.
- Soup of the dayA rotating house soup, from $6 for a cup.
- Aguas frescasHouse-made fruit coolers like watermelon or hibiscus, $3.50.
The Carambola story
Latin flavors from a husband-and-wife team
Carlos and Colomba Aguilar run Cafe Carambola, which is named for the star fruit. Colomba, the chef, trained in San Francisco and cooked in Argentina and Cancún, where Carlos worked as a diving instructor.
The couple brought those years in Mexico and Latin America to a small café off Northwest Boulevard about two decades ago. Today they also lead culinary tours to Oaxaca each winter.
Why it made our list
- 4.9 on Google and Tripadvisor
- Fresh, made-from-scratch lunch at low prices
- Vegetarian versions of most dishes
- About 5 minutes from Tamarack RV Park
What diners say about Cafe Carambola
The restaurant report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked November 2026.
How the review sites compare
Average star rating on each site, out of 5
What diners often mention
Fresh foodCubanito tortaQuinoa saladFriendly ownersAguas frescas
Topics that come up most in reviews on Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor. Friday tamales and the summer ceviche get praise too.
Good to know
Price rangeAbout $10–20 per person
Special dietsVegetarian optionsVegan optionsGluten-free options
GroupsCatering available for groups
Scores as published by Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor in November 2026. The weighted score combines all three by review count. Confirm details with the restaurant.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Cafe Carambola
- Address610 W Hubbard St, #110, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
- HoursTue–Fri 11 am–3 pm
Closed Sat–Mon; can sell out early - Phone(208) 676-8784
- OrderingOrder at the counter; takeout available
- ParkingSmall strip-mall lot
Cafe Carambola is in a small strip mall on Hubbard Street, just off Northwest Boulevard between downtown and I-90. The lot is small, so come in a car or the tow vehicle.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Cafe Carambola
Park the rig for the night, then take the tow car in. Tamarack and Coeur d’Alene RV Resort are open all year; Blackwell Island is open April 1 to October 15. Drive times are 3 to 14 minutes, estimated without traffic.
Tamarack RV Park
A shady, family-owned park under tall ponderosa pines in the middle of town, open all year with full hookups and free Wi-Fi.
Blackwell Island RV Resort
A big riverfront resort with 182 full-hookup sites, a swimming beach and boat moorage. Open April 1 to October 15.
Coeur d’Alene RV Resort
A large, year-round park off I-90 in Post Falls with full hookups, pull-thrus and an indoor pool and hot tub.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
A few details before you head over.
Lunch Tue–Fri, 11 am–3 pm
Looking for a great lunch in Coeur d’Alene?
Come at opening, order the Cubanito and a watermelon agua fresca, and see why locals line up.
Thank you to the people behind these photos. Please support them by giving their work a look. The Cuban sandwich and quinoa salad photos are for illustration only and were not taken at Cafe Carambola. Cuban sandwich: Todd Van Hoosear on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0); Quinoa salad: Geoff Peters on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Cafe Carambola unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the restaurant’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, menus, policies and other details are set by the restaurant and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel or book, please confirm all details directly with Cafe Carambola at cafecarambola.com or (208) 676-8784. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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