Habana Cuba Restaurant

This eatery and the entire SoFA Market was quite busy on a Saturday evening. But I was able to grab a quick dinner and enjoy my meal in the outdoor seating area which was less popular with the on and off rain on this day (fyi, the outdoor tables along the windows of the food hall are covered). Ordered from the self-order kiosk, and my food was ready in less than 10 minutes. Service was standard at the pickup counter.

Got the papas rellenas (a mix of beef and mashed potatoes), and bocaditos (cubano cut into pieces). The items I ordered were cooked well and made of quality ingredients, however everything was slightly bland. Nothing a little salt and pepper couldn't fix, so not a big deal. They also give 5-6 choices of sauces on the side for each dish, from habanero ranch to sour cream, I suppose that's meant to help add to the flavor.

Bad attention , bad food, that no Cuban taste , l order 3 different dishes and , and the taste was horrible
Mala atención, para nada el sabor cubano, una mala atención
Lo siento pero esa fue mi experiencia, en el área de la bahía hay pocos restaurantes cubanos , pero este fue mala experiencia..

Habana cuba is tucked inside of a small bustling food court. They specialize in cuban sandwiches and other delicious cuban dishes. When we got there we ordered from the kiosk, nobody was there to take our order.

I've never had cuban food pior to this experience and honestly I was a little disappointed. The lechon was incredibly salty. Some of the meat was very dry and some were quite fatty. I was unable to finish it despite having the rice to accompany it. The yuca frites were crunchy but very tasteless, I imagine it would taste better if it came with something to dip it in. The sandwich however was quite good, the meat was tender and flavorful and the bread soaked up the juices pretty nicely.

If you have a higher salt tolerance than me you would enjoy the food here, but I wouldn't personally come here again.

Food is amazing. We always order Vaca Frita wihich is mouth watering delicious! Empanadas y Tostones are just as good.

Reliably reasonable Cuban cuisine located deep inside Sofa Market just down the block and around the corner from the front of the SJ Convention Center. Service is efficient and friendly. Order up on the touchscreen kiosks, find a table nearby and they text you and call your name out on the loudspeakers mere minutes later when your order is ready. Casual slightly fancy food court vibe with all the other restaurants in Sofa Market all around.

To establish a good baseline of comparison, we ordered the standard Cubano Sandwich (pulled pork, ham, cheese) that every Cuban place seems to offer. We also ordered the Sandwich de Pollo - which is a chicken breast topped with fried onions. Both sandwiches were pretty good if there was anything that could be improved, I feel the roll could have been a little more toasted and slightly crunchy instead of soft on the inside faces. Garnish your sandwich with salsa of your choice. The fried plantains we ordered for the sides were great. Think of them as fried bananas. Way better than French fries for a side IMHO.. a big jug of iced water is right there at the pickup counter if you don't want to order a fancier beverage or soft drink.

Not a bad place for a nice sandwich!

Ropa vieja was really tough and the sauce it came in felt very sour. The other ropa vieja I've had at other Cuban places weren't this sour? Maybe this is their version.

The meat felt hard to chew. I like my meat soften. It was tough and didn't feel enjoyable. Outside of the sour flavor it didn't have much flavor at all. Felt like I was chewing sour rope lol

The rice was ok and the beans were just beans. The star of the dish was definitely the fried plantains all the way. They were sweet and just came out of the fryer. I could eat a whole dish of them alone!

Ordered the Pechuga de Pollo and the Fricase de Pollo; the chicken in the Pechuga de Pollo was very well marinated and tender. The Fricase de Pollo was also delicious, and the stew that it came in was fantastic. I also enjoyed the side of white rice, black beans, and plantains; all were good. The service was good; I ordered it from a kiosk. The ambiance was a stand, but it was appropriately decorated.

3.5 star

Didn't expect this place to be inside the food market, we thought it's a small place if its own. Anyhow, it's almost at the back of the market, self order with kiosk. We came for the Restaurant Week event, so we picked its special menu item.

Their usual specials peaked my interest but too bad a lot of them are sold out already. Not sure if they are not available for lunch or just not available ever.

Service is minimal and we waited a bit for food even though it was pretty empty there and we were their only customer. No greetings or smiles. We did get a lid for the left over as we couldn't finish and there's a sign to encourage dine in order for biodegradable containers used.

The special is good. I think it is slow roasted pork on fried plantains slices. The meat is definitely juicy and flavorful, not a big upgrade in flavor when eating it like a mini slider with the tostones, so I opted to eat the meat first. The salsa is slightly spicy, gives it a kick. The guava juice is very nice, fresh taste. The Cuban rice is rice with black beans and mix in a flavor, I don't like it. Payella rice or Mexican rice would be much better.

All in all, it is Cuban enough for a different experience in food. Just be prepared to endure the urine stinky smell from the downtown.

We were in a rush to grab food and went across the street to the food court specifically for this Cuban sandwich. Tasty #goodeats but hard to photograph and I wish I got a bit value. They don't mention that they also add a couple plantains to the box so we ended up getting them as a side dish when we didn't have to.

Service was fine, we did ask for it to be served there but they had given it to us in to go boxes. Not that big a deal.

It's a good court so it's a little stuffy and crowded but even during lunch I didn't have any trouble finding a place to sit.

Cubano
Plantains

This restaurant is located in San Pedro Square Market. There are street parking available, and one public parking building available within walking distance both require payment. Good place for a quick appetizer or tasty meal. There's a lot to choose from on menu and there are some great options available. The shredded pork in Bocaditos is to die for. The empanadas were tasty and the plantains were spot on. There are two monitors to order and pay for the meal. My order took about 5 minutes or so to get ready. The place is cozy, perfect for gatherings with friends or even a larger group.