This afternoon I stopped by to order carry out, and was really exited about the food from everyone’s reviews. As I was waiting for my order I witnessed one of the girls behind the counter get into an altercation with a customer. What really was disturbing to me is that she went into the kitchen, came back and threw the sandwich at me. I had to ask the guy in the kitchen to confirm whether this was my order. Who ever the owner is really needs to reset expectations with employees on what customer service and an overall positive experience is. Shame on the girl behind the counter for not being able to conduct herself in a mature, and professional manner. If it wasn’t for the poor experience, I would have given the food a positive review.
Derrick R.
Place rating: 1 Clayton, NC
Put in take out order, wait turned into 15 minutes. Waitress forgot about me. Stale bread, no flavor with Cuban. Better off going to publix for better quality sandwich.
Andre W.
Place rating: 3 Chamblee, GA
The food was pretty good! The server was awesome! ALMOST posted on FB… However. not sure if it was the owner or manager, who happened to be sitting down over seeing the restaurant. but he thanked every patron on the way out!!! AMAZING. EXCEPTFORME… SMH. He had to notice me… with a bright ORANGEHOODIE… NTM. I was the only Black guy there. I was a little generous with 3 ‘s… Customer Service is EVERYTHING! After 88 years A President touched down on Cuban Soil this week… NTM a Black President. I wont be back. IJS.
Angelo S.
Place rating: 4 Brooklyn, NY
Food was really good, pork rich with flavor. The queso dip has hidden gems of spicy sausage! Yum! The yellow rice was OK, the black beans were nothing special. The serving sizes were generous. The Ultimate Cuban with the pull pork is a must try. Coming from Tampa where Cuban sandwiches are staple, this was top notch.
Shane B.
Place rating: 4 Winter Haven, FL
I’ve never had anything here that I wouldn’t order again. Service is efficient and pleasant and the quality of the sandwiches are as good as can be. There’s nothing I wouldn’t recommend but the Mahi stands out the most in my mind. Please allow me to promote my services as a Realtor as well.
Amy J.
Place rating: 4 Tampa, FL
Yummy cuban food. Although this isn’t Miami or Tampa level, they are really good. Got the tacos last time which were very fresh. Meat was well seasoned. Ive never really liked Cubans, but my bf says they are great there. This time I got the mojo pork sandwich. It came with coleslaw, which I don’t normally like, but it went well with the pork. Ladies who work in there are nice, and were apologetic about the food not being ready when I arrived. No biggie though, only waited a few minutes. Love that it’s inexpensive, fresh and close to home. Will be back again.
John W.
Place rating: 4 Tampa, FL
Good food, maybe not traditional, but good. I just moved from Tampa were we have some of the best Cuban food around and this place was as good as several of them. The Cuban sandwich with mojo pork was good, so we’re the tacos. Everything was seasoned well and the people were friendly. Soup was good but maybe wouldn’t order it again, was a meal on its own.
Beth E.
Place rating: 5 Winter Haven, FL
Does not deliver, but I did try their meatball sub when they first started out. I took my first bite and I closed my eyes and relished the taste, it was good! I went again and tried their Cuban sandwich only I had them take out the ham and salami because I am used to eating it that way(it is how it is made in P.R.) and it was good also. I have yet to go again this time I will try the Cuban the Miami way.
Nicole J.
Place rating: 4 Berwyn, IL
Good food. Price is decent! Fast service. I had the Cuban. Bread a bit dry. But I liked it okay. The soup and black beans and rice are AMAZING!
Susan R.
Place rating: 3 Chatsworth, CA
Visiting all the way from California(having lived in Miami for some years) I so wanted to give this place 5 stars. Couldn’t. Why? Let me give you my 3 top reasons I liked it and 4 reasons I didn’t. Yay: 1) waitress was cute, nice, and friendly. Service, therefore, really good; 2) mojo pulled pork sandwich was super tasty; 3) the old dingy restaurant looked rusty and old, like you would expect a real Cuban shack. Nay: 1) not quite Cuban. Not at all!; 2) poor waitress has no idea about yuca, platanos, papa rellena, croquetas, etc.; 3) the only Cuban food there? The beans and the pseudo-Cuban sandwich(yes, tasty); 4) the restaurant’s name is deceiving. In essence, good place for the locals who may not visit South Florida often, or for those who don’t really know about Cuban cuisine.
Lisa K.
Place rating: 5 Winter Haven, FL
Yuuuuuummmmmmm! Awesome Cubans and pulled pork or chicken tacos! Love the building(an old service station) and enjoy eating out on the front deck!
Micky C.
Place rating: 1 Lake Wales, FL
There is nothing Cuban about this place. The Cuban sandwich is barely Cuban and mediocre. The queso is made with ITALIAN sausage and gross with Mexican nacho chips and the black beans and rice tastes like it was out of a can. My friends had«soul» food; collard greens, Mac & cheese and ham. I would expect to find that at Cracker Barrel. The server messed up the checks. It took three more servers to fix it and they still got it wrong. Charging the wrong cards to the wrong bills and then did nothing to try to fix it. The other party in my group had to write me a personal check because they charged my card for my bill and my friend’s(which were no where near each other in value). It took at least 15 minutes to settle and really it was still wrong but by then we just wanted out of there. The server was apologetic. I guess I was expecting authentic Cuban and it was a let down all the way round. I never ever leave bad reviews on Unilocal but if you are looking for authentic Cuban, this isn’t the place. The bill situation I would trust was an isolated incident but still left a bad taste in my mouth. Unfortunately, I won’t be back.
S E.
Place rating: 5 Lakeland, FL
Loved the atmosphere. It was very relaxing and the food was amazing. I could probably eat there everyday. Can’t wait to go back!
Alex R.
Place rating: 4 Celebration, FL
Cuba in Winter Haven? I was very skeptical, but a few coworkers said it was pretty good. So, I came in today with a few coworkers for lunch to celebrate my birthday. I had the pork mojo sandwich. This half sandwich was huge and pretty damn tasty. It had this sweet taste to it. The meat was delicious. Definitely a place worth trying out. Recommend.
Todd A.
Place rating: 4 Winter Haven, FL
The coveted auto body shop has a nice relaxed feel. The menu is limited but the Cuban sandwiches are amazing. The owner has been on site every time I’ve eaten there and has always thanked me for coming in. Sports are always playing on the large televisions and at nights there is occasionally live entertainment on the large deck.
Tony M.
Place rating: 2 Winter Haven, FL
Cuban restaurant? Not so much. As you first walk up to Havanas you get the vibe that you’re in for a great Cuban dining experience. There’s some great murals on the wall and a nice little deck that’s attached to what used to be some sort of auto garage! On the inside, the decorations are haphazardly strewn about the walls with no real Cuban memorabilia to speak of. It was truly just a cliché collection of department store posters. It just didn’t create anything close to an authentic feeling environment. Something as simple as Cuban music playing through the speakers or decorative material other than framed posters would serve to elevate the ambient part of the dining experience. The service was not that spectacular, which is disappointing seeing as the restaurant is not that big, and there were not that many customers. We had to wait for too long between server visits. Certainly needs to be improved, and something that should be easy to do so. On to the food. It really needs to be said that this ISNOT Cuban food. This is American food, with Cuban names. The first thing we sampled was yellow rice and beans. The texture was great but the flavor was really lacking and there was more heat to it than one would typically encounter in rice and beans. The Cuban sandwich was pretty good. The best thing that we had there. The mojo pork was incredibly disappointing. The meat was entirely too greasy, and the mojo was mixed with barbecue sauce! Mojo is a sauce that has INCREDIBLE citrus and garlic flavors, and that was completely masked by store bought barbecue sauce. And there was this mustard slaw on top, the slaw needed a fresher flavor, and there was too much. It totally outshines the pork which is what is supposed to be the star! All in all, a diss appointing dining experience. I have to give it two stars. The food was three stars, but the fact that the service really lacked and that this is not Cuban food has to bring it down a level. Much prove many needed here.
Susan H.
Place rating: 3 Gainesville, FL
Good neighborhood eat! The Cuban sandwich is good and the black bean soup is amazing!
Kevin C.
Place rating: 5 Winter Haven, FL
The food was awesome. The pulled pork, black beans and yellow rice was really good. I was surprised they cook all of the food in house. Then they brought homemade bread pudding and a sample of the cheesecake flan– fantastic! We will be back and we will recommend to all of our friends–
Jen S.
Place rating: 4 Auburndale, FL
Fun atmosphere. Friendly staff. Excellent food!!!
Angel N.
Place rating: 5 Winter Haven, FL
Very good! Lots of choices, fantastic pork, authentic Cuban flair. Will be returning!
Paul H.
Place rating: 5 Winter Haven, FL
Excellent Cuban ! Try some of there other sandwich u will not be disappointed.