Arlington Restaurant Guide

Owner, Michael Cordero (Café Salsa, Old Town Alexandria, Bravo's Italian Cafe, Fairfax and previously of Malibu Grill, Annandale and Fair Lakes) has created an exciting, yet relaxing Latin atmosphere at Caribbean Breeze - with a refreshing menu of Nuevo Latino fare that offers customers quite an alternative in Arlington. Choose from a long list of exotic cocktails, or a wide range of wines that pair perfectly with our fare - straight from the Caribbean.

20 Year Veteran - From The South Bronx to the Big Time

Mike has always had the instinct and drive needed for the fast paced, ever-changing restaurant business. As a child of Puerto Rican immigrants growing up in the South Bronx, Mike was introduced to the rigors of working in a restaurant at an early age. Living just two blocks from Yankee Stadium, Mike, an avid baseball player and fan, began working at a local "Mom & Pop" pizza parlor to save up money for bleacher tickets to Yankees games.

Mike's Evolution to the Washington D.C. Metro Area

It has been a fast and interesting path to success since the South Bronx, which didn't always involve the restaurant biz:

15-year old Mike gave up the Mom & Pop pizza parlor and started flipping pizzas in Jersey at Italian Delight. By 19 years old, Mike was the GM, and was attending Stockton State College on a baseball scholarship.

At 20, Mike was on the baseball diamond playing for the Seattle Mariners' Class A Minor League team! Italian Delight made him an offer he couldn't refuse… so he gave up his promising baseball career, and moved to Fairfax, VA where he lead the company's new expansions on the East Coast as President of Operations. He was instrumental in positioning Italian Delight in highly visible, profitable venues including shopping mall food courts - a relatively new approach at the time!