Havana Restaurant

"Service was a tad slow but the food was REALLY good, great flavors. My niece ate all her food which we didn’t expect. The Cuban sandwich was great. Great find while visiting the area"

"This is definitely a nice hidden gem. I came in for a quick dinner and was not disappointed. To start I had a guanoabana shake which was fruity, sweet, and pretty unique tasting. I also had their fried pork rib special, which like other reviews had said, was crispy, tender, and satisfying all at once. The ribs were a tad under-seasoned, but with some hot sauce it really hits the spot. Lastly, the service was nice and quick, and the atmosphere was really calm and quiet. Peaceful place to sit and eat. Overall I think the food is authentic and tasty, and I can’t wait to try more food here in the future and would recommend. Beware that they close relatively early though."

"Havana Restaurant is a casual, unpretentious Cuban restaurant in NE Albuquerque in the Daskalos Shopping Center between Fun Noodle Bar and Rent-A-Center furniture store. The largest cross streets are San Mateo and Menaul. The seating, which is solely indoors, consists of half-booths and standalone tables, so patrons in a wheelchair will not encounter any issues. This was my first time trying Havana. The biggest draw to the restaurant was the fried sweet plantains for $5. They hit the spot! They were sweet, not too greasy, and had a slight crisp on the edges. I also had the Cuban sandwich for $11, which consisted of a baguette, ham, roast pork, pickles, and mustard. I would have preferred more pickles and more mustard for more of a kick of tartness and moisture. My love of sauces on food is a personal preference, though - other patrons may not need this. My friend really enjoyed the pork bowl he had, which came with a rice-and-bean combo and fried plantains. The service was friendly and the server, who I assumed was one of the owners, thanked us for coming in. I would definitely return and am looking forward to trying more dishes, especially because of the reasonable prices. I think the restaurant would benefit from descriptions and pictures on their menus, as only the dish titles are listed."

"A hidden gem! I came at 1pm pm Saturday. It was empty when I entered and it took a few minutes for someone to come out to seat me. If this happens to you, be patient, it's worth it. Lol maybe make some noise so someone hears you and comes out. It has a very home style vibe. The decor is actually much more "sit down" than I expected. But everything was tidy and clean. Food took about 10 minutes to come out. I ordered the Havana sandwich and rice and beans. The sandwich was fantastic. Crispy grilled bread with thin steak, ham, caramelized onions, tomato, potato sticks, and a melted mild cheese. Incredibly satisfying and very large. The rice and beans was lightly salted and rich with the flavor of the beans, a lovely complement to the savory sandwich. I also got a Cuban soda called Iron Beer which was really tasty, though very sweet. It kinda tasted like mixing orange Fanta and Dr pepper. They have some other regional drinks too, so be adventurous. Overall the food was fantastic and i can't wait to come back to try something else."

"This was my first experience eating Cuban food and it was soooo good! I had the palomilla steak with rice, beans, and sweet plantains. I also tried the IronBeer (like a fruity, lighter, Dr. Pepper) and Materva (like a cream soda), both of which were delicious. The steak was on the dry side, but I assume that's how the very thin slice of steak is supposed to be cooked. Paired with the grilled onions on top, the flavor was very rich and tasty. I've never been a fan of plantains, but the way they cook theirs has converted me! I believe they are lightly fried, not overdone, and the slight sweet flavor paired well with the flavor of the steak and beans. The plating of the food was nicely presented. Unfortunately the menu did not have descriptions of what the food was (just the names of the dishes), and since I'm unfamiliar with Cuban cuisine, I had to look up many of the items. Not a huge inconvenience, but it took some time before I was ready to make a selection. The interior is clean and bright with nice beach wood ceiling fixture accents. No one greeted us when we walked in and there was no sign to seat ourselves, so we eventually just picked a table and sat which didn't seem to be a problem. It was just one older lady serving all the tables, but she was very nice and our food came out pretty quickly. No complaints! I will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu."