Havana Nights Jazz and Cigar Club

So sad to learn that Havana Nights has closed it’s doors. Such a unique and wonderful place that I only discovered recently and only had the opportunity to enjoy once. Went to see a friend sing in the jazz club and was so impressed. The food, the service, the entertainment, the atmosphere, the menus — all the little details. I couldn’t wait to go back again. And now it’s gone. Such a shame.

I went here while on vacation and using a Groupon. The service was AMAZING! It was the first time in a LONG time, I left a 25% tip. The waiter was helpful, willing to answer questions and excited about the food. The food was just as AMAZING with a steak, that the waiter spoke with the kitchen to get it to the exact likings of my wife (picky eater), a gulf bouillabaisse, which was good, but on the light side, scallops that were fantastic and a Bread pudding, that was amazing as well with cinnamon, raisins and liquor.
I would DEFINITELY check this place out again when in the VA Beach area.

I went here with my boyfriend on a Friday night during their 8pm jazz show. We called to make reservations the night before without any problems. The place is in the Town Center of Virginia Beach. Once we walked inside, we were escorted into the jazz room. The place is dark and cozy, and the seating is very much like one at a comedy club. So it is a bit cramped and your elbows are touching someone else’s. They have a huge tv that plays jazz shows. The menus are on th iPad. Drinks are a bit pricey, but that was to be expected. The cheapest drink we had costed $ 6.00 (the ginger cat), and the most expensive drink costed $ 13.00 (the lychee mojito, which was actually aesthetically pleasing and tasty). My boyfriend ordered the oyster po boy ($ 10.00), which came with fried plantain chips. It was surprisingly tasty, even the cole sale that was atop it. I ordered the Cubano Havana Nights sandwich, aka a Cuban sandwich. It also came with plantain chips. Now, I lived in Miami for 6 years. And I know a great Cuban sandwich when I’ve had one. This was by far the best Cuban sandwich I have had since I’ve left Miami (4+ years). It was toasted just right, the meat and cheese were cooked to perfection, and even the pickles didn’t bother me. Even my boyfriend, who is from California, the Mecca of amazing food, said, «Now that’s how you make a Cuban sandwich.» I tried my best to savor every bit and prolong my meal just so I could lengthen the deliciousness of my dinner. The final tab for an olive plate appetizer, 4 drinks and our 2 sandwich entrees plus 20% service charge costed $ 82.85. Our waitress was good, and she was attentive; I had no complaints on service throughout the show.
Of note, they have live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights at 8p and 10p. It costs $ 10 pp at the time of this review. The jazz is great. The show lasted about 70 mins. There aren’t many dinner/​shows/​music type venues in the norfolk/​VA beach area, and I welcomed this change of pace. The two of us really enjoyed our time, and we are sure to come back for another dinner and jazz show. If you are willing to spend a bit of money for variety or for something new to try, I highly recommend coming here.

Always passed by this place while in town center when I saw a groupon I jumped on the deal. Took my husband here and we both fell in love. The Caribbean room is perfect for date night. The staff was courteous and helpful. Their mojitos are delicious and the food was amazing. It is pricey but well worth it in my opinion.

Came in, seated right away. iPad wine/​beer list, backlit menus were pretty awesome. We were seated in the far back near the kitchen. Waiters were in and out and it was pretty annoying with them kicking the swing door open to come in and out constantly. Ordered the Pinot Grigio, very similar to Trader Joes’s two buck chuck. Appetizer was the duck empanada and I have to say it was divine. Entrée was the 6 oz tenderloin and my husband had the ribeye. Both were cooked to perfection. Side was the charred asparagus, and while it was good. The taste at some times reminded me of the taste of cigarette smoke in my mouth. Which I did not like. Our waiter was Travis and he was splendid. Hope to go again sometime soon.

Another amazing meal. The bread pudding is AMAZING. Sometimes you have to pay to see the peformers, other times you dont. Check with the hostess.

Learned about Havana Nights via Groupon. Purchased the $ 69 option which offered four people two appetizers and four entrees. Very pleased with selection. Up charge was very small for certain specialty items. Our server was friendly and training another server. The trainee didn’t make many appearances and the trainer ended up telling us the specials. He was pleasant and knowledgable. Hostess greeted us happily as well as two men who appeared to be managers or owners.
Nice décor… Very simple and classic. I enjoyed the ambiance of the Caribbean Room. Noise level was low. We could tell others were there on the Groupon special as well. We all kept asking about it in a hushed fashion as to not embarrass ourselves, ha.
HN is very strict about dress code. Three calls to this place and I was reminded each time. Kind of overkill. But I can see why they do it I just would like to be asked if maybe I already am aware of it vs being told about it during every call as if I am four years old.
Our reservation was made the night before we went and space was available. Great customer service in that regard.
Our food — we had bruschetta which was yummy. Three healthy servings. My husband loved the organic chicken but wasn’t so pleased with the Caesar salad for some reason. Just said it wasn’t up to par. Everything is made in house with the salad — my husband said it lacked a zing he’s used to. It had plenty of dressing for his tastes — not too much, not too little. His organic chicken looked delicious and I wish I had ordered it. My dad and I ordered the fettuccini. Small portions in my opinion, however after the fact, I learned that the pasta is made fresh, in house. The portion size makes sense now. For a $ 25 plate I expect more than four shrimp… maybe it was a bad night, but I feel the dish can use more shrimp. .Loved the tomatoes and the sauce. But please more shrimp. In a lot of eateries, I think people are just used to A LOT of pasta when they order it. However in those places the pasta is also mass produced and not made in house so again, this makes a lot of sense to me now. My stepmother ordered the shrimp and polenta and she enjoyed it. She only ate half as her portion was decent. The complimentary bread and butter was yummy. Not too crumbly.
I did not get a refill of tea. I didn’t ask because that annoys me in general and I had ice water to fill the gap. This place is trying to be top notch world class service but it needs some tweaking. I’m Italian so in fairness it’s hard to impress me with pasta, however I did enjoy the texture and the sauce but spoons should be offered with entrees. I’m used to eating pasta the classic way. I just think if you’re going for world class that your prices and service must compliment each other. Our server pointed out the original tab and updated tab. Obviously for tipping purposes. It just seemed kind of weird to me. I can understand from the owner’s point of view that the Groupon brings in a certain sort of deal seeker. Just remember — as you seek the deals, you should tip on the ORIGINAL amount, whether it’s here or Chili’s — it doesn’t matter. However, I’ve been around the world… I know etiquette. Try not to insult your customers. You may want to consider a blurb about it on the Groupon itself, or consider automatically adding in the grat with the Groupon customers if this is a big problem. I’m sure they’ve been burned with tips but honestly a $ 14 tip on the $ 70 isn’t shabby either considering drinks didn’t get refilled and the service was slow. But of course I tipped full ($ 24) because if you can’t afford to go out, then don’t do it — I got off on a tangent but bad tippers annoy me.
Appetizers came quick but food took awhile and after we were all done it seemed like forever to get our check. I had let them know about Groupon up front but they still had to make two trips.
I may try this place again for appetizers and dessert and I would love to try the jazz club with my girlfriends. Thank you for listening and answering my concerns and we will definitely try your place again.

I hate to say it, because I have been a big fan of Havana Nights for a while, but I think they have gotten too big for their own britches. What I mean by that, is I used to walk in there with friends and always feel so welcomed by the owner and staff and I actually enjoyed hearing his story about how he decided to open the restaurant. Last night, I went with my husband for the first time. I was excited to have date night in such a classy place with a quiet ambiance. We waited on the patio until it was time for our reservation. He had to get up twice to ask for service. The owner stood on the patio, and I waved him over like I have done with friends before and he just stayed where he was. I called out to him and said, «This is my husband.» He said he’d met him before, even though I was sure my husband had not been there before… He just wasn’t as welcoming as he once was, however the staff did a good job of being welcoming.
I had a glass of wine on the patio which was very good. We were then seated at our table. Even though the layout of the room was exactly the same as last time, it felt totally different. Instead of the nice quiet library-​like hush I had always experienced there, it was as loud as a school cafeteria. It seemed that most of the tables were talking so loud and being so rowdy, it was hard to have a nice conversation with my husband. The service was not bad, but they were not on point like they were when they first opened.
My husband really enjoyed the beef short rib and I enjoyed the fettucine with shrimp, although mine was a rather small portion. The salad was alright, but I still haven’t really had a dessert there that I really liked.
The prices are pretty steep — $ 12 for a glass of wine. Even though I knew the prices were high going in, I had once felt it was worth it for quiet romantic ambiance and the personable owner’s story. Sorry to say it was just not as worth it anymore…

Came here for some late Friday night live jazz that started the second show at 10 PM. There was also an earlier 8 PM show, which I think they said was the standard two-​show schedule. The room was ‘an intimate setting’ with every seat close to the musicians and decent unless you’re facing away from the stage (as was my seat). The music was a little loud for conversation to continue amongst our party during the performance, but then why come here unless you want to relax and listen to jazz?
The iPad menus were a nice touch, with the back-​light making it easy to read in the low light. However, you had to kind of know what you were looking for since you’re not able to glance over the entire wine list to decide what you would like.
We split a bottle of a slightly over-​priced bottle of Cab Sav even though it was good. Wife opted for the Grilled Skirt Steak and Gorgonzola Bruschetta ($ 15) while I chose the Havana Nights Cubano ($ 13). Both were excellent, but the portion sizes on the bruschetta were inconsistent as three others in our party also ordered it with varying amounts of steak.
Will gladly go back.

One can never complain about the food here. It’s always wonderful! Nice wine selection. good music… nice patio (when it’s warm). Management is very accommodating.

Many of you know that in addition to being the Unilocal CM for Hampton Roads I also run a financial planning practice. Yesterday my group celebrated three years in business (the exact day, too) and as such Virginia Financial Planning had to throw a big party for the anniversary and the first place that came to mind in the planning process was to use the jazz room at Havana Nights Jazz and Cigar Club. Boys and girls, these folks came through big time and made us look like stellar financial advisors as well as experts in the party throwing business.
I spoke with Bert, the GM, on several occasions about how the event would go. While the planning of the event was simple in my eyes (clients come, clients drink, clients eat, we laugh, get drunk and go home) we discussed everything from the musician, the staging of the room, the food, the required staff, etc. Having these discussions made the night go very smoothly. Having to plan events for a living it’s another thing being on the customer side. Bert asked what I wanted on the menu and I basically put the ball in his court. I’ve dealt with Bert before and know to trust him so I basically said you choose on what to mix up for folks. Throughout the event I told him to gauge the room and if you feel we need more of a particular dish just to go ahead and bring it out. I had a budget and if I started to come close to it just let me know. (Twice during the evening Bert gave me a tally of where I stood — food and drinks… oh did we drink — but everyone was having such a great time that I told him to just keep things going.)
I do believe at some point throughout the evening we were well in excess of the fire capacity but everyone was having such a fabulous time we didn’t even think about how packed the place was. Further, there wasn’t a single service issue. It was impeccable. Two bartenders and Bert served all 60+ of us a wonderful mix of all their appetizers and finger foods, beers, cocktails, mixed drinks and shots. Mimosas were being poured two and three at a time. My clients were drunk and just having a good ol’ time.
Justin, their pianist, was responsible for the wonderful background music throughout the evening. His talents should not go unrecognized. He is set to go on tour very soon, too. If you’re asked to have Justin play for a couple hours pay up and support this local musician.
Dana, the owner, gave my clients and business associates personal tours of the Caribbean room (restaurant) and the upstairs private cigar club. It was a nice personal touch and being in the presence of Dana’s hospitality is always a plus. I never get tired of hearing his success in business and the business model he has for Havana Nights. He even gave me a cigar out of his personal collection to smoke. (Thumbs up to you!)
What was great for me was that my guests were so impressed with the venue. They couldn’t stop talking about the design, the layout, the ambiance, the staff… everything. The folks at HN really made this one memorable evening. While my initial thoughts were for this to be a nice small gathering where people stopped by to having a drink it turned out to be one kick ass party. It was a 5:30 to 8pm party. People stayed until 9pm. Many of us kicked it until 10pm smoking cigars. I got home at midnight. I trust that people will be coming back for more.
I’ve never seen a receipt so long in my life but you know what? Every penny spent was worth it.
I recommend this place as a party venue for 30 – 50 people. The jazz room is the perfect fit for you and your guests. It’s cool, modern, romantic, stylish and everything GQ. College alumni meetings, company parties, birthday parties, corporate gatherings, etc.
Havana Nights was exactly what I needed to help my company celebrate three years of being in business.
Thank you for one of the best nights ever.

I visited Virginia Beach for the annual Shamrock Marathon and happened to stay in the Virginia Beach Town Center. I found Havana nights on Unilocal,and needless to say, it did not disappoint. I made an early reservation for four at six. We arrived and were escorted into a small, intimate dining room. It looked like there was seating for about forty people. It felt like I was dining in someone’s home rather than at restaurant. The noise level was minimal and it just made the entire experience that much better. The menus were backlit, which was super cool, and the wine/​cocktail menu was on an iPad. Very nice touch!
Our server was attentive and took our orders, recommending his favorites and house specialties… and then the most amazing Cuban bread was delivered to our table, literally straight from a Florida bakery– so good! I had the tenderloin (medium rare) with chimichurri sauce and smoked potato purée. It was perfectly cooked and exceptional! All of the entrées around the table received the same praise. My mom ordered the oyster stew, which I tried and was seriously out of this world.
We did splurge on dessert and tried the bread pudding, which Havana Nights had just received some good press on. It was almost too good to be true. One of the best desserts I’ve ever had, which is really something from a sweet tooth like me! All in all, a fantastic experience and I would totally recommend!

Can’t complain that this place is on the corner of the building of the Westin– can’t get more convenient then that when there’s a snowy downfall. Honestly didn’t realize how «upscale» it was with dress code and member’s only club, but I wouldn’t walk into any other jazz joint not dressed to the nines. We were eagerly shown the jazz lounge before making it to the Caribbean room (dining area) and were later able to catch a show.
The décor was smothered in palms and Tommy Bahama prints. The hint of Cuban cigars could only be found upstairs.
Started with the citrus olives, nicely refreshing. The shrimp and polenta was surprisingly not overwhelming. Just enough chorizo and lemon to keep it refreshing. The seared tuna on the other hand seemed like too big of a meal for me to handle (but good for someone with a big appetite.) No room for dessert, but plenty of room for mixed drinks. The electronic menus were a little hokey, but I suppose in dim lighting, it helps with visibility.
The regular jazz vocal that performed was cute and entertaining. Good place for a romantic night out.

I am kind of quizzical and suspicious of all the rave reviews. I have not fully experienced this place, but asked for a tour. The place was stylish but still not persuaded I should love it.
CONS
1. Smoking indoors is restricted to the members-​only upper floor, and access’ll run you $ 500 per month. ($ 400 more than the bar at the top of the Hilton on Atlantic.) The pros on that are that it’ll keep out the riff-​raff who don’t have the sense to wear anything but muscle shirts and saggy jeans. The cons is that average white collar won’t be able to get in.
2. Sounds like a little more work on «exceptional-​level» cust. svc. is in order as the poster below mentioned (crumbs, napkins, etc.). Good observations.
PROS
1. Expectations from their customers spelled out. Dress code and no tots. The last thing I need is an infant ruining my dinner. Take it to McDonald’s Playplace, people.
2. VB needs diversity of venue selection, now they can make it more accessible by adjusting their prices.

This review refers to the members only (plus their guests) upstairs club. I’ve never been to the downstairs bar area.
When I think of Havana Nights, I seriously consider quitting my job, buying a pair of tan linen pants and relocating to Town Center so I can hang out here smoking cigars and drinking single barrel.
This place is the apogee of classic swank in HR. It’s like stepping into the late 50s, less June Cleaver, more Mad Men. It’s the only place I’ve found in recent history where dudes are wearing neckties and vests outside of work with no sense of irony.
Plus, there is no better, more personalized service than what they’ve got going on in this club.

This place has it all! Outstanding staff. Superb entertainment. And food to die for. And the best part is the cigar bar upstairs!
This is the type of place that Town Center, and indeed Hampton Roads, has needed for quite a while. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting the area or who lives here and wants to experience a classy joint with the best food around.
My favorite dish so far has been the scallops wrapped with bacon over a bed of white beans with truffle oil. And don’t forget to attend one of their wine dinners — you won’t be disappointed.

Me & My Lady saw the good reviews on this upscaled place up here & decided to check it out.
I must say we enjoyed it from the time we walked in, to the Owner showing us the different rooms & bringing us Cigars to try out on the patio before leaving. Every one was dressed to impress, staff was nice & very polite, relaxing ambience, food & wine were great & the jazz band was a delight to hear. We will be going again & again. Reservations are the way to go.

You know what’s classy, warm, friendly and absolutely cool? This place.
If you’ve read my list of bars in this area, you know that I enjoy drinking on the cheap. Usually you can find cheap drinks at dives and places off the main road. And I love these places. Havana Nights is hardly a dive and it’s right in the center of Town Center. But they still have cheap drinks! …at least at happy hour.
Happy hour is from 5 — 7. Wells are $ 3, Domestics are $ 4, House wines are $ 5, and Mojito and Margaritas are $ 6. Doesn’t sound impressive, but the well liquors are Absolut, Bacardi, Jim Beam, and Bombay! The house wine is a seasonal selection by the sommelier and the Mojitos and Margaritas and are just really really good!
And this is just such a cool place to hang out in. Most happy hours are filled with loud people eating chicken wings, drinking Miller Lights on tap, and hearing how crappy their days were. Sometimes, you want to just relax in a quieter place where you can actually talk to your friends without yelling over a bunch of drunk businessmen next to you. This is that place. Here you can kick back with your friends in the Jazz bar area (which is beautiful and acoustically perfect), listen to some music, have a normal, non-​shouty conversation with your buddies, and guzzle down some $ 3 Bombay G&T’s.
The entire staff is extremely friendly and Dana is more than willing to take some time and show you around the club. Every aspect of the club was designed with a huge eye for detail and specificity. And you feel how proud he and the staff are of how cool this place is.
Give this place a shot one day after work. Like most guys, I wear a tie and slacks to work. And as much as I love to belly up to the closest happy hour after work with my friends to grab a drink, there are lots of times I feel way too overdressed. Havana Nights is the best place to go after work when you don’t want to risk getting wing sauce on your pants.
Really, really classy joint!

I can’t believe I have not written a review on this place yet. The bread… THE BREAD! OMG. I am not a huge bread person but I know awesome bread when I taste it. This place, has some of the best bread, brought in from Florida daily. The real deal Cuban bread. On that note, if you are a fan of Cuban sandwiches, try the Cubano. It is fantastic. Another great menu item is the roasted tomato bruschetta. The roasting of the tomato brings out the natural sweetness and gives it a nice, almost sauce like flavor. They serve it up on that delicious bread I happened to mention earlier.
They make the best damn Margarita I have had. They also make some killer drinks with lychee. If you have not had lychee you are missing out. They make a purée that is used in the lychee drinks and it is absolutely amazing. They also have some beers here that I have never heard of that are great. They have a black ale that is killer. It looks like a porter, has a full bodied taste like a porter or stout but feels like any other golden ale when it goes down. I found it incredible to get that full bodied taste in a beer but not have it feel like I was eating my beer because it was so heavy.
They have an in-​house musician, Justin that plays piano. He is amazing and I found it very relaxing while enjoying my beer.
This place has a lot to offer… especially if you like cigars.

Havana Nights is a restaurant, jazz club, and cigar club. Coming into the club, you immediately notice how each establishment is its own unit. The restaurant is off to the left, the jazz club is immediately to the front, and the cigar bar is located upstairs. Each venue is done on a small and intimate scale. Operating under the quality vs. quantity principle really brings about a personable experience. I believe this is, and will continue to be the driving force behind the success of both Dana Rice (the owner) and Havana Nights.
The Restaurant:
The restaurant seats about 30 to 40 people comfortably and the ambience is business luncheon during the day/​romance at night. Because of the large windows, natural lighting, and intimate setting, this is a great place to bring a cliente or two if you have business to discuss but also need privacy… that same setting however, transitions effortlessly into ‘date night.’ On to the menu – the wine list is impressive and the entrees are chic but not swank. Not typical but not foreign. I’ve only had the «Roasted Mushrooms» which is oysters, shiitake, and cremini mushrooms, two hour tomatoes, sauteed spinach, polenta, and grated cotija. Fabulous meal! And while the dish is listed under the «appetizers,» it was certainly an entrée for me. The portion sizes here are very generous. Prices were also more than reasonable, my meal was only $ 12. Reservations here are recommended during the weekday and required during the weekend.
The Jazz Club:
I haven’t actually sat in the jazz club but I was given a tour by Dana. Just as the restaurant, limited seating but a very personal feel. Because the club is on a small scale, no matter what seat you get, you’ll have a great view of the musicians. The stage is center front and there’s a respectable size full bar to the left. The humidor for the cigar club is also kept here but because its not that big (about 6.5ft x 2.5ft), it doesn’t intrude upon the jazz clubs space. Reservations here aren’t required but they’re definitely recommended because they have live music every night.
The Cigar Bar:
This is a members only club. Membership dues are unprecedented for a private club! Five hundred non-​refundable plus the last months dues, and a hundred/​mo. thereafter with no contract. With that you have access to a rich mahogany humidor that holds about 3 – 5 boxes. The décor is phenomenal! Very posh furniture… java colored, tufted leather, plush sofa’s and love seat’s accompanied by some of the best ottomans to have ever graced your legs, lol… and the walls are adorned with hand paintings of the various tobacco growing regions. No details were gone unnoticed here.
One of the best features of the cigar bar is the live streaming jazz show! You can also order food from down stairs and have it sent up from the food elevator. The drink menu is exceptional as well. They have a number of scotches and wines at all price points, and the best perk of all – if they don’t have something that you want to drink, they’ll send someone to the ABC store to get it for you. No request is too big. While the capacity for membership is 100 (my husband and I were #s 74 and 75), guest of members are allowed.