Two different food dictionaries don’t define a Cuban, the pressed sandwich made popular in Tampa, Miami, and other locales where Cuban families have settled since the early 1900s. Normally that might mean restaurants do what they wish with the recipe. Not in this case. Most Cubans — or cubanos — are composed of the same things: a torpedo-shaped roll; a slice or two of Swiss cheese and of lightly cured ham; sliced, roasted Cuban pork called lechon asado; dill pickles; and butter.

But within that sea of sameness, what separates the mighty from the weak is the preparation. And that’s how Miami Café, in the South End, comes out on top. With this Cuban, it’s all in the pressing. You envision a heavy-handed cook behind the café’s tiny kitchen window, laying meat atop cheese atop bread, then pressing the hell out of a sandwich that ends up a third its original size. With each bite of the crusty-on-the-outside cubano, your teeth sink into fillings that have magically become one. Miami Café’s unusual method of grilling all meat separately before making the sandwich means you avoid the raw-deli-meat syndrome that afflicts cold subs; instead, you taste each ingredient. And at $5, you’ll just have eaten one of the South End’s least-expensive offerings.

Available for $5 at Miami Café, 68 Aguadilla Street, in Boston. Call (617) 859-8360.