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Havana
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
Merchandise Mart (Purple Express, Brown)
Grand (Red)
Clark/Lake (Pink, Brown, Green, Blue, Purple Express, Orange)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
15 reviews for Havana
There are two types of restaurant management philosophies: wanting to say yes and wanting to say no. Havana Grill wants to scream "yes" at the top of its spacious lungs.
The former Mambo Grill space has come along nicely. Much more muted and stylish, Havana was nearly empty on Thursday evening with 3 or 4 people at the bar and no more than 3 tables in the dining room. A poor turn-out even by recession standards. But the true measure of management is whether the restaurant treats the few patrons it has with the utmost attention rather than pretend its poor attendance is a mark of exclusivity.
Anyone who has tried to order egg whites at Twisted Spoke or make a substitution at Orange understands the "no" philosophy of management. This discipline teaches that we have more than enough business and if you don't like our menu please make room for those who do. Spoke, Orange, the Soup Nazi and virtually every restaurant in the UK make for exhibits in the first camp. In the second is the Gibson's family of restaurants, Red Light and now Havana.
The selected appetizer for the evening was chips and guac with the probability of ordering more since we were a party of 3. No more was needed. For $6.95, Havana gives a mountain of chips, 2 different salsas and a healthy heap of guacamole. Great start. Until we ran out of guac while still looking at a slightly smaller chip mountain. The server happily refilled it and didn't charge us anything. THIS is what service is all about. Do wait staff not realize that nickel-and-diming customers will always reflect poorly on their tip? Whereas this kind of thing could easily double the jar. And this wasn't all. My two companions, in no mood for giant entrees wished to order from the lunch menu where all the goodies like enchiladas and quesadillas hide. No problem. Happy to accommodate. And we were happy to be accommodated and tip accordingly.
The food itself was a winner for two out of three dishes and even the third was probably a winner save for my personal prejudice against sweet sauces with cheesy dishes. I had the Chiles en Nogadas which were - get this -really spicy! 9 out of 10 chilies will be so oven-neutered that virtually no hints of capsaicin could survive so this was a refreshing little nip. However, that sweet sauce bathing them - I just could not find the complement. But the other two diners loved them and accused me of not being open to variety. Perhaps but much better did I like the portabella quesadillas which were filled with thick, meaty chunks of the venerable fungus, not like most places where they presume that just because the mushroom will be covered in cheese, its own quality does not matter. And the best dish of the evening was the enchiladas. Perfectly seasoned and huge, their great taste made one want to ignore sharing-etiquette and grab larger portions before anyone saw.
Also worthy of praise is the peach daiquiri which was absolutely delicious. It could have been just a little stronger though but then it probably wouldn't have tasted as good and I would not have had 5 of them. (Yes I would have.) The Mojito, however, was so sweet that drinking it quickly could very well have caused a sugar high which makes for a contradictory effect with booze. And the key lime pie - although not spectacular - was worth every penny of the $4.95 it cost. All told, Havana is a great deal with excellent service. We be come again soon.
Love,
http://Mealschpeal.com
Oh God! You must have a guava mojito. It goes down like juice. I came here just for drinks with a friend. She wanted to sit at a table. the staff was cool about it. They also gave us bread to munch on. We didn't partake in it. I didn't eat here but I read the menu. Similar to the Cuban restaurants that I went to in Miami when I lived there.
The staff was really sweet and kind. I loved the decor as it reminded of what I know of Cuban decor.
I was tootling around on Opentable, looking for a place to make lunch reservations last week when I found Havana. Or, rather, found the place where Mambo Grill used to be. I cannot tell you how relieved I was that there was a cheap cuban restaurant in the area again! I really loved Mambo Grill for a lot of reasons, but location was probably number one. Number two was that I could get in and out of there for $30 or less for a nice business lunch.
Havana is an improvement over Mambo in a few ways. First, they have updated the decor quite nicely. It feels much more modern and open now, even though the layout is generally the same. Secondly, they streamlined the menu, so it's a lot easier to make choices now.
My friend and I both had the Torta Cubana, and while I was expecting a pressed sandwich, it was served on a brioche roll. It was nevertheless delicious, with juicy roast pork, ham, and a slightly spicy chipotle mayo-like condiment. The fries on the side were a slightly strange mix of sweet potato fries, potato fries, and (I think) yucca fries. They came with a little dipping size chimmichurri that was really really tasty.
I need to go back at night just to make sure the margaritas are up to par.
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why Baby Jesus, WHY?!? What did I do to offend you so? I'm sorrrrryyyyyyyyyy!
The only reason why I'm coming in with 3 stars for Havana is because their wait staff is excellent! In addition (and despite the small size of the establishment) they were able to accommodate a party of TWENTY (20) people, all with different taste buds. Based on the suggestion of some then verified on Yelp, I suggested Havana to my boyfriend's family for a pre-wedding dinner. I felt like a superstar! Beautiful decor, exotic menu and accommodating staff to serve such a large party?! DING DING DING - Michelle was a winner!
Then the food came. I hoped that it was just me who hated my food since most of the party thought Chili's was spectacular. NOPE. I was wrong. Everyone was complaining about God awful the food was. I had the Pork Chops w/ Apricot sauce. Verdict? Burnt, slightly bland and over cooked. I was destined to find one good dish so I began sampling other dishes. The pork loin dish also had over cooked pork and the Coconut Curry talapia also over cooked with too much sauce. Appetizers were passed around. Egh, pretty average as well.
DING DING DING - Michelle lost the battle to impress her future vanilla in-laws.
This restaurant is new so I hope that they just need to work out some kinks. Again, GREAT service!
MISC: Valet is available for $12 and the bathrooms are located down very narrow steps
I came here with Beth T. and Alan K. to celebrate my initiation into the grown-up world... a job.... and they were awesome enough to take me out for the night!
Great mojitos! After the first pint we were thinking mmm.... another? Okay!
I got their salmon which was fairly good, but nothing spectacular. Their guacamole on the other hand was super yummy. I've tried making guacamole at home before, yet for some reason mine always turns out too chunky and/or runny (yes, it can be both at the same time, trust me) and just... funky tasting. I wonder what they use to season this... anyway, it was really fresh and tasty, so I kept picking at it with my fork even after the empenadas were gone.
Mmmm, now I'm craving their another one of their mojitos!
Yummy empenadas and some of the best quacamole in the city. The mojitos are nothing to dismiss either! On my second trip here, I had as great an experience as the first. The service is top-notch, the space nicely decorated and all of the food wonderul. My halibut was perfect with a sauce that was just short of too spicy--ie perfection.
Can't wait to go back!
I'm trying hard to really like this place. If I had gone just for drinks I would give this place 4 stars, but we ate there and I think that's where they lost a star. It's not that the food is bad, it was just alright for me. The drinks however, were amazing.
I ordered the Guava Mojito, as recommended by other yelpers and it didn't disappoint. I'm not a fan of fruity, girly drinks so I was a little weary at first with this one because some guava juices can be intense, but to my surprise it was tart with a little bit of tang combined with the lime. It was quite delicious. I could have ordered several more, but it was a weeknight and didn't want to look an alcoholic compared to my other friends.
The food was alright, it wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't great either. I'm used Cuban food that is dominated by savory garlic based sauces, citrus infused onions and basted meats topped over black beans and rice. However, this seemed more like Spanish food than Cuban. I had steak for dinner, but nothing yelled out Cuban...it was steak and french fries - which were a variety of sweet potatoes, yucca and taro. My husband had carne asada, which again, to me at least, is Spanish. For some reason both our steaks were warm, not hot, but warm - almost like it had been sitting out for awhile. My friend had the pork loin, which looked good, but it was over powered by the amount of mashed sweet potatoes.
Like I said, drinks 4 stars, food 3!
Overall, I'd give this place another try, but unfortunately when a place is just "ok", it's hard to convince my husband to give it another go.
Ok, I have never eating at Havana. I had to comment, however, on a restaurant that, from what the reviews of those who have eaten there indicate, is anything but Cuban. Why hang Havana on the front of your eatery and then barely give a nod to the fabulous cuisine of Cuba? Tortas? Chipotle? Fish tacos? Cubans don't even use tortillas. Pretty lame, I'd say. They can keep their River North ambiance; I'll stick to little hole in the wall authentic Cuban restaurants like Café Cubano in Oak Park.
Two VERY important words:
Guava. Mojito.
$8. Fabulous cocktail for a decent price, I love.
Good assortment of appetizers, which was how we chose to dine. Fried plantains? Addictive. Sweet, crispy and light and accompanied by a warm black bean dipping sauce and a fruity salsa, they were delicious. Crab cakes were spicy and well-portioned. The sweet salsa was the perfect complemented the cakes well. Our favorite, by far, was the chimichanga. Fun to say, and even more fun to eat. Truly. Served with a warm, creamy sauce, they were lightly fried and stuffed with chickeny goodness.
I like the decor, but think they could turn the lights down a notch to make it a bit more date-like.
Good menu, something for everyone on here (including you veggies) and the drinks are stellar.
Remember: Guava mojito.
When the embargo is finally lifted, I will make the trip.
Until then, I will visit this pleasant little restaurant in River North.
I was quite impressed with the empanadas-- light, flaky, savory. Wished I had ordered nothing but these, but my entree was fab, as well-- the fish tacos. For 8.95, you receive three HUGE tacos AND guacamole AND beans. What a deal, no?
Service was fantastic. The only con about place? It is WAY too bright. I call this type of lighting 'ugly lights lighting'-- there's just no way to look good under such brightness. Turn it down, please.
Regardless of how I look, I'm definitely coming back. Just too good to pass up.
We went here after we learned of a 3+ hour wait at Frontera Grill down the street. Not having been to Chicago too much we didn't want to wander too far away and stumbled upon Havana. That, and seeing a sign for 1/2 priced Sangria on Tuesdays ($15 instead of $30) made it an easy win right off the bat.
The place has nice tall ceilings and has a well lit interior. The empanada appetizer was killer and the Carne Asada entree was also very good, if not a little different than what I had in my mind. Overall, the meal was great, and the venue is nice, new, and fresh.
Havana was just ok, the menu is murky, it has mexican aspects, cuban aspects, and other latino aspects but not very focused. Our menu was for dinner but they stuck in the lunch menu too, we assumed you could order the lunch menu for dinner too but i just thought that was odd, what, you can't print out a new menu for dinner?
The appetizers that our group shared were all good (chips and guac/salsa, fried calamari (very good), chimichangas (okay)
The mains were not good. The enchiladas we ordered were extremely dry, it was as if they had barely any sauce on them, the chicken inside was dry too. Other members of our table ordered different items, some of which came with french fries that looked like they were from Burger King. Odd and not very Cuban if you ask me.
I thought the variety of the menu could've been better too.
The drinks were iffy. I had a guava mojito which was just okay, the capirainha was very good though. Probably would not return, not with the likes of Mercadito and Xoco just around the corner.
Mambo your way to Havana- the newest addition to the line up of restaurants that have opened in River North as of late.
This Pan-Latin eatery is that perfect place to spice up your night (or lunch) with its menu full of tasty foods from our neighbors to the south. They also have a fully stocked mojito bar so throw out all those preconceived notions of what a mojito is and let their bartender mix you up a delicious treat! Some options are a guava infused mojito, a strawberry caipirinha and a Brazilian "margarita" made with cachaca. The manager also told us that they have mojito happy hours so you can try to find your favorite at a reduced price.
The menu, while simple, has many recognizable favorites such as empanadas, plantains, carne asada but then also puts a nice spin on things like a Cuban salad (grilled chicken on plantains) sauteed plantains, and even a great tasting vegetarian dish of stuffed portabella mushrooms with sauteed vegetables.
We tried a little of this and that and it was all delicious! The guac and chips were a huge basket of tri colored chips served with two kinds of salsa and chunky guacamole. We sampled the carne asada (served over beans and rice, the stuffed portabella mushrooms and the shrimp salad. All were very good!
The service was also spot on! Our server, Colleen, was patient and helpful and the manager, Noe, went out of his way to make sure that we had everything that we wanted.
The interior is a bit stark (love the lights over the tables, though) with booths along the walls and tables down the center. Huge floor to ceiling windows that open to Clark Street make this place inviting enough to pull you off of the street.
But if that isn't enough to get you to try Havana, consider this. Dinner for 4 with drinks was only $100! Amazing!
So the next time the lure of Cuba calls to you, think Havana. No. Not that Havana. This one. Right here in our own back yard serving up some great Pan-Latin food and mojitos that make you swear you actually might have made the trip.
Havana is a great new Cuban restaurant in River North! I planned a dinner here for a group of 6 friends on Sat night, and we all left very happy. I hope more people discover this new little neighborhood gem instead of immediately choosing one of the Bayless places across the street or Mercadito. Havana is significantly less expensive, and has a great menu and ambiance.
DRINKS: I had heard about this place on http://UrbanDaddy.com, saying the mojitos are fab. Well, the mojitos are FAB!! I usually don't like to order mojitos because they aren't that strong and can be too sweet...but not the mojitos at Havana...probably some of the best I've ever had, and 2 was plenty! I didn't order the house one, I got the special one at the bottom of the menu made w/the dark rum (they don't have their website up yet so i can't give you exact names). Everyone else at the table was happy with their drinks, all made pretty stiff.
FOOD: I had a cup of black bean soup and the pollo empanadas. The soup was good but nothing special (served its purpose to warm me up!) but the empanadas were amazing! Usually empanadas have a hard, super fried crust...not these babies...soft, flaky pastry shell with melt in your mouth pulled chicken inside. And they were not small...order comes with 2 and I was satisfied between this and the soup (and this girl can EAT). Two friends ordered the carne asada, which I tried and it was good, but not great...I've def had better at Carnivale and a few other places. The meat was not that tender and was overcooked, but the pound of guacamole they slather on top helped save that dish, which was served with tons of black beans and rice. Another friend ordered the tilapia, which was recommended by the waiter, and he literally gasped "oh my God!" when he took his first bite, which led me to taste it. It was probably one of the best fish dishes I've ever had...whatever the yellow sauce was that was allllll over it, was just heavenly. Masked any kind of "fishy" flavor (I'm not a huge fan of fish) and the rice paired with it perfectly. Another friend ordered a vegetarian dish (I don't know what) that had tons of mushrooms and cheese...this dish was phenom! I loooooooooove mushrooms, so next time I go to Havana, I will be ordering this. She also ordered a side of plaintains, which were an entire plate full, and they were warm, super sweet and cinnamony...like a dessert.
ATMOSPHERE: nice cream and brown hues throughout, dark wood bar, very small space great for intimate convo and dates, cozy booths and classy decor, sexy ambiance, wonderful location at Clark & Hubbard.
SERVICE: this was the only part lacking...although the place is so tiny, somehow our waiter was always MIA. Our water glasses stayed full from the bus boys, but our drinks came out probably 10-15 mins after we ordered them, AFTER they had brought out my appetizer (bean soup). The guy was nice enough and made great recommendations, he was just never around and when we asked for things, it would either take forever to get it, or wouldn't come at all (like the extra tortilla chips I asked for to eat with my soup).
Overall I really enjoyed Havana, and so did my entire party, so I will be back soon.
Went here for lunch during work. It was amazing! The burger is off the hook -- and I really hate saying that phrase.