The Old Havana

The food was mediocre at best. I was expecting rich black beans and instead got watery beans with no flavor. White rice was hard, even the sweet plantains were hard. Again mediocre not sure why this place gets high ratings.

Excellent service and very tasty food. I had the pork chops with yellow rice and red beans. Delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Finally a place to get great Cuban food in Boston! Very authentic. :) We loved their Medianoche/​Cuban sandwich, their black beans are delicious & the Ropa Vieja was fantastic! My husband is Cuban and thought this place can hold its own to Cuban restaurants in Miami.

I saw this on Unilocal and went there right before they were closing. They had run out of many of their menu items (yellow rice, Cuban steak), but the skirt steak was style available and delicious. The moros (black beans and rice) was a little dry-​again it was the last meal they served before closing-​and the side of vegetables were overcooked, but the patatas bravas (muy picante), was a perfect compliment to the skirt steak. Advice, better to take-​out and eat at home with a glass of wine. The restaurant is simple and basic, and they do not serve alcohol; however, they provide freshly grilled garlic bread buttered on both sides. I couldn’t stop eating it while waiting for my to-​go order…

Glad i tried this place, our food was great, had shredded beef and my girlfriend had fried pork, both were delicious. Our waitress was sweet and courteous and very attentive. The atmosphere is clean but really old school, but that kind of gave it a comfortable relaxing feel. I will definately be back

Delicious. Chicken and rice was worth the wait — it’s a «ready in 25 – 30 minute dish.» Really great service. Friendly staff. Priced just right.

This restaurant is worth the trip to Roxbury! The atmosphere is comfortable and casual, service is friendly and prompt, and the food is incredible. We had tostones as an appetizer — they were crunchy and delicious and weren’t too greasy. I had the fried pork served with Moro. It was sooo good but way more food than I could eat (maybe because I filled up on the garlic bread that they brought out when we arrived, oops). My fiancé had the ropa vieja with Moro, and it was also very flavorful. We also each had a morir sonando to drink. It’s like a creamsicle in a glass and I highly recommend it. We will definitely be back.

Great and cheap cuban food. My boyfriend grew up in Miami with a ton of cuban restaurants, and The Old Havana Cuban Restaurant is on par with the restaurants he grew up with. I’m vegetarian, so there aren’t too many options for me (Cuban food doesn’t lend well to vegetarianism), but the patatas bravas were divine and my boyfriend loved his seafood dish.

I enjoyed their fried pork chop smothered in cuban sauce served with Moro and sweet plantain. For dessert I had the guava cheese empanada and it was very filling.

This was my first time trying this place. I was there kind of in the middle of the afternoon, so it was very quiet. The wait staff was very nice, and I was seated right away. I had a Cuban sandwich– only the second one I’ve ever had, and it was by far the best. The bread was kind of like panini, but even better– nice crisp crust, but nice and chewy also. I had the plantain chips, to keep it real– with the sauce they gave me on the side, the chips really worked well with the sandwich. I ordered coffee with my meal, and I assume what they brought was Cuban style coffee– looked like a cross between cappuccino, because it was foamy on top, and espresso. The taste was really different, but I mean that in a good way. It was served black, but with sweetener. Really interesting, strong coffee flavor (which is what I like) but with an additional flavor– a sort of undertone– that I couldn’t quite place. It provided a pleasant surprise to go with my meal! I’m definitely a fan, and I will go back. As I discover more new Cuban food delights, I may move the Old Havana to a 5 star status.

Great food, great prices, comfy atmosphere, clean and shiny everything, there’s literally nothing not to love about this place. My wife and I were seated promptly upon arrival, and attended to quickly and courteously. The menu has a wide selection of meat, chicken, and seafood, as well as a decent number of veggie options. We split the Havana Tapas appetizer, which included an interesting assortment of Cuban bites we wouldn’t have encountered otherwise, and I got the Cuban sandwich and my wife got the veggie burrito. Both entrees included excellent plantain chips. I can’t say enough good things about each of our dinners — the food was flavorful, warm, and exactly as described on the menu. The servers were polite and friendly. Everything was top notch — highly, highly recommended.

Being from Florida, I’ve been seeking out decent Cuban cuisine for quite a while. I’ve tried some pretty horrible so-​called «Cuban Sandwiches.» Today I actually found what I had been looking for, and I didn’t even have to venture far.
Old Havana’s is no-​thrills, very cheap, and very speedy. I regret only that I have just one stomach; otherwise I’d have ordered way more. The plantains alone were the best I’ve ever had. Don’t let the lack of people in there discourage you, and DON’T waste your time on all the other terrible nacho-​happy restaurants downtown.

Brought my father who is from Cuba here, the food was authentic and the staff was so warm and friendly! I loved that my tostones were not super oily! Portions were a perfect size, and the meal was very affordable I would totally go back again!!!

The best and most authentic Cuban food I’ve had in this state so far, take that from a Miami boy. Awesome. …

Food is excellent. The shrimp in cleseo sauce is awesome! I probably didn’t spell it right but it is a must-​try! Seafood soup was great too! Excellent service! Free refill on plaintains!

Had the grilled salmon with rice, maduros and –amazing– red beans and the fat kid inside me was pushing me to order something else, even though the whole plate was more than generous.
It is kind of easy to miss this place as it has a small entry and barely noticeable windows, but once you walk in you notice the effort to keep it nice and presentable. Definitely recommended!

On a hot, hot summer day after the Samuel Adams tour down the street, I found myself in this gem. I had a great time. The food was fresh, flavorful, and cheap. The waitress was a sweetheart too. I will be back!

My boyfriend and I stopped here after signing a lease for a new apartment just blocks away. I’m so glad we stopped. There was a bit of a wait but things moved quickly and the service was great. I look forward to adding this place into my regular rotation! Oh and the plantains are to die for.

Polite if forgetful service.
A reminder to bring fork, knife and napkins were all answered promptly but the absence is inexplicable in a nearly deserted restaurant.
Croquettes ($ 1.75) are fried well but rather bland. Mostly doughy filler with little ham flavor.
A Cuban sandwich ($ 8.75) takes some time and is obviously prepared with care. The French bread is fresh. The ham sweet. The pork is fresh. Both are layered thinly but neither gushes juices.
The pickles? Sliced so thinly, they are barely visible while offering none of the expected crunchiness or tart kick.
Cheese is a non player.
The overwhelming flavor is that of the copious amount of yellow mustard slathered on both sides of the bread.
This particular sandwich would do well mayonnaise and extra pickles were requested.
Plantain chips are fresh and sweet.
The menu has several other interesting entrees that will need to be sampled (el Diablo shrimp).

«Oh, yes, we have it spicy or not spicy in a Creole sauce, and it’s…» She makes a gesture that convincingly suggests that fantastic flavor awaits me. I order the spicy version. She asks how I want the rice and beans. I ask her to have it made however she would personally have it. As I hand her the menu, I glance down and see an item with shrimp and Creole sauce – $ 22. Yikes. I’m committed, but that’s not a small amount of money. Most of the other options are between $ 12 and $ 14. I hope it’s amazing.
See my full review at my blog:

Called ahead to let them know that 26 college students would be eating dinner there the day before. The owner was extremely sweet and very carefree. Told me not to worry and just to show up (but warned me that certain dishes could take a while to cook). Food was amazing and very well priced. Most of the students never had Cuban food before and they all left very happy. There was a mishap when paying the bill, but she got on the phone with her bank and fixed it immediately.
I can’t wait to go back again… this time maybe with less than 25 people!

The couple that (i think) owns the restaurant are friendly. The food was great and i would recommend this place to all of you.

As a Cuban from Miami, I have to get my fix of home food every now and again. My previous spot was El Oriental right down the street. But Old Havana has topped Oriental as of late because you get better bang for your buck. Although the selection is a bit more limited than Oriental, it’s not noticeably so, and the quality of the food is just as great.
What *especially* puts Old Havana over Oriental is DELIVERY! YES, DELIVERY! Although I take off a star because it’s a matter of catching them at the right time; there have been times where the phone rings endlessly or leads to voicemail even within supposed operating hours. With much less foot traffic than Oriental and much less staff, it does create a precarious dining situation at times (I’ve had to chase down the waitress for water refills or a take out box), hence the other star off. But when I’ve ordered delivery or eaten at the location, I’m always attended graciously.
I recommend the Vaca Frita, croquetas, and breakfast items in particular :) They’ve left me con la barriga llena y el corazon contento

This place was so good, it left my friend speaking spanish after we ate… she don’t even know spanish.
But anyblaze it 420, that’s now what I’m here to discuss.
Their food was AMAZING. It’s also freshly made. So, if you’re starving, do not come here because your plate WILL take about 30 minutes to get to your table. And that was with an empty place.
The staff was very friendly, they made sure we were doing fine, and kept our glass of water full.
I ordered the pechuga de pollo rellena de camarones. The chicken was on POINT. Man that s**t was good. The flavor was very rich. It was nice and creamy, but not overly creamy like nacho cheese creamy, but just right. It’s basically chicken stuffed with shrimp served with fried plantain and rice (rice and bean cooked together).
The rice wasn’t as good, but I could be biased since my mom makes the same kinda rice they make on weekends (its a common central american dish as well as spanish).
They’re vegetarian friendly so vegetarians come check this place out.
Price was right, and service as good. Didn’t see the bathrooms, but they looked clean. Will come back next time I am in Boston.

Man. I’ve never had real Cuban food. I have now. Pretty awesome. Really well-​made and unique appetizers. Good seafood, great aggressive flavors, if you like that. And a very welcoming and friendly environment. Great, entertaining music, great decorations, and the most interesting bathroom I’ve every been to.
Simply a great place. If you’re not able to ever visit Cuba and try some of their food (but Obama is trying to change that now), go here. It’s pretty great.

Old Havana Cuban Restaurant fails to deliver.
We ordered the appetizer sampler and cuban sandwiches. The appetizer sampler was huge, but the flavor was pretty bland. The chorizo in particular just tasted off.
As for the cuban sandwiches, they needed more sauce, more spice, more something. The bread was so dry, it made my mouth hurt. I took half the bun off to balance the amount of filling with the thick (nearly burnt) bread. That helped, but it was not much more appetizing than a bologna sandwich.
The redeeming quality was our friendly waitress. While she never filled our water glasses, she was upbeat, and fun.