Though Philly has enough Mexican restaurants and tissue-box taquerias to designate our own Little Puebla, our offerings in other areas of the Latin and South American kitchen are surprisingly scarce. Along the Golden Mile in North Philly you can find a cluster of under-the-radar Columbian, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican cafes, but these spots are largely unknown outside of their ethnic neighborhoods--until now. We’ve got a crop of new and soon-to-open eateries with Latin and South American roots.

Castro may have stepped down, but Philly is stepping up its Cuban presence with Chestnut Hill’s ¡Cuba! joining Cuba Libre and Alma de Cuba next month.

Puerto Rican food breaks out of the Milla de Oro (The Golden Mile) at Café Calao on the fringe of Northern Liberties. I’ve been searching for great mofongo (mashed plantains with garlic, pork and other delicious tidbits) since a trip to Puerto Rico last March. With such a strong Puerto Rican presence in Philly, it’s bizarre that, aside from Cobre, Puerto Rican fare is almost nonexistent in this city. Our loss.

Opening in a few months, Arbol Café (also in NoLibs) has locked down its status as Philly’s only Paraguayan restaurant (as far as I know). Before Arbol, I knew next to nothing about Paraguayan food. The short menu is an education in the land-locked nation’s cuisine, which shares Argentina and Brazil’s obsession with barbeque. Once the weather breaks, the outdoor garden will be an awesome setting for perdilla (grilling), authentic yerba maté (tea made from a shrub called the yerba maté ) and "futbol" games projected on the side of the building.

Speaking of grilling, Chima should join Fogo de Chao as Philly’s third Brazilian steakhouse sometime this year (fingers crossed; delays have plagued the JFK Boulevard opening). Based in Fort Lauderdale, Fl., Chima operates other locations in D.C. and Atlanta. Check out the renderings of the Philly location, from DAS Architects, here.

In other non-Español news, California Pizza Kitchen is bringing its creatively topped pies to our area. The location opened recently on City Avenue and the chain has already shown its neighborhood goodwill by hosting a charity event on Feb. 18, during which all proceeds from dine-in pizzas benefited the Please Touch Museum. And, hey, remember Spasso? That Italian spot in Old City with the homemade pasta, whole roasted fish and more-elegant-than-most atmosphere? Straight from the press release presses, they want you to know they’re still around…just a reminder. My uncle (who has an unhealthy obsession with this place) will be thrilled.