Cafe Havana

Selin Develioğlu

4.0

If you search online, you'd find a lot of tourist and expats review and stories about the night life in Cafe Havana.  Unknown to many, you can drop by for their great food early in the day too as they are open for brunch, lunch and afternoon snacks.  Moreover, the service is quite good during our lunch visit as there as more than adequate staffs ready to assist and serve.Being the only Cuban place in the Metro with expansive Cuban selections,  it is a must try for everyone - of all ages, locals and expats, website or not!After trying out some of their dishes, it makes me want to come back and try some more!

Mzoreta

5.0

Let me preface this review by expressing my gratitude to the LJC Group, and website for an exclusive invite to feast on some of the dishes (17 dishes in total! 😀) from all of LJC's nine food concepts, some of which are yet to be fully offered on their respective restaurant menus starting this September. ♥️ As for Café Havana, we got to try their Pork Chop Cafe Havana, and the lovely Flores de Guyava. This pair was the most distinct of all the dishes we got served with by the LJC team, and for good reasons. The pork chop was a feast for the eyes! The mango relish, lent a fruity, and colorful burst of flavor, which if you ask me, quite compliments the healthy vibe that the quinoa imparts. The porkchop itself was a star on its own. It was savory, and flavorful by itself, but the gravy that came with it made a world of difference. I didn't try it with the quinoa it was served with, but rather, with plain rice, and the pork chop-gravy combination was an implosion of flavors inside my mouth! There's something about the gravy it came with, which made the dish very memorable. Next, was the Flores de Guyava, the most beautiful dish served that day if you ask me. It was stewed guavas with cream cheese, drenched further with the guava sauce it was stewed on. It's a refreshing take, on a rather rustic fruit. The sweetness of the sauce might be a bit over-powering, but the cream cheese mixture should cut through well its sweetness, and tartness. Overall, it was a memorable experience.

Vans Quiza

3.0

This is the first time I've been to a restaurant-slash-bar and luckily, for my first website FC last July 2018 🚩 Cafe Havana wanted to show the customers that they're more than just a "bar", they also have good foods.For the appetizers, we had the Sopa de Frijoles Negros. The soup has a familiar taste, though I can't remember it but it tastes better with nacho chips.For the mains, we had the Spareribs Habanera, Carribean Style Salmon with Mango Mambo Salsa, Carribean Shrimp Curry, Chuletas de Pollo con Arroz Mejicano, and Doble Cara (Quatro Quezo and Jamon Serreno). My two favorites among them (it's a tie!) was their Spareribs and Chicken Breast. I'm not picky when it comes to curry but I am picky when mangoes are part of a dish, especially a hot dish. The different types of rice was quite an adventure for me, but I liked the squid ink rice. The pizzas are average.For the desserts, they have the Guyaba Pie and Pudlin de Pan. I'm not really into these type of desserts but I still tried a little of them. The Guyaba Pie really tasted like guava and the pudding is has a very berry filling.The place very much looks like a pub, and at night, there will be many foreigners going in and out or just staying. The ambiance and the feel of the restaurant is vintage-y (especially the posters). The staffs are nice too. The price of their foods and drinks quite add up.Hoping to come back soon! [Last visited, July 2018]

EatGirl ♡

4.0

I had the opportunity to taste 2/2 of of their new dishes in celebration of the late Larry J. Cruz who is the the person behind the LJC Group during the LJC FESTIVAL OF FLAVORS event.What caught the attention of my tongue is the:> Pork Chop Cafe Havana (P595) This dish is soooooo good!!! The cuban sauce flavors bursting in my mouth partnered with concoction of mango relish, sauteed beans and the lovely texture of buttered quinoa elevates the experience to another level!!!I'm not into sour/acidic tasting food but this is different. :D A MUST-ORDER-DISH I tell you. ;)#Jacexperience---PLEASE LIKE or FOLLOW my ACCOUNTS!!! :D[FB] https://www.fb.com/jacexperience[Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/jacexperience[Youtube] https://www.youtube.com/jacexperience[website] https://www.website.com/jacexperience

Ardi Titanium

4.0

“Restaurant by day. Salsa Place at night”Amazing to discover that Cafe Havana is 16 years strong!Must be their “Havana Vieja” or old Havana food that although has simple preparation relies on wonderful spices that pays homage to its Cuban style of cooking carried over from its rich African and Carribean influences.Last Saturday, Cafe Havana was the second stop to our LJC ZomatoPH Food Crawlin Greenbelt.We were served an 8 course meal as follows:SOPA DE FRIJOLES NEGROS P175Cuban style black bean soupIt looked like our local dinuguan because of its color but the flavors are totally differentSPARE RIBS HABANERA P605Original baked spare ribs served with unique guava sauce.This was easily the favorite of this carnivore website-mom. Whats not to like? The spare ribs were flavorful and succulent. The guava sauce (think chutney) cut through the richness of the pork allowing the palate a brief respite from that sinful porkCARRIBEAN STYLE SALMON-WITH MANGO MAMBO SALSA P635Fillet of salmon with mango and grain mustard sauce served with squid ink rice.The salmon was perfectly cooked. The mango and grain mustard sauce complemented the salmon quite nicely. The squid Ink provided the briny componentCARRIBEAN SHRIMP CURRY P450Simmered in coconut curry sauce with bell peppers and served with fried banana and steamed rice.It was a forgettable dish simply because the Habanera and Salmon were quite strong dishesCHULETAS DE POLLO CON ARROZ MEJICANO P465 Chicken breast topped with sauteed onions and served with Mexican style rice and garlic stewed tomatoes.Same story as the Carribean Shrimp Curry. This dish although ok, paled in comparison to the Habanera and SalmonDOBLE CARA QUATTRO QUEZO AND JAMON SERRANOIt tasted home made which was a good thingGUYABA PIE P165Delicious guava pie served with warm whip cream on the side. A new found favorite, I shall order this againPUDIN DE PAN P160Cuban version of bread pudding. It was so eggy, it tasted like bland leche flanOVERALL, definitely returning with the piggery in tow for lunch and with the hubby for the salsa in the evening hahaMae Catanghal Trisha Garcia

Alina Dian Kartika

4.0

Café Havana is one of the 1st few restaurants in Greenbelt 3. I would remember back in the mid 2000’s that this Latino-Cuban restaurant, the bar would come across as something interesting. Why so?. You would see expats frequent this place and over the years as it developed this reputation where foreigners would come and meet the “dalagang Filipina” of their dreams so to speak. The famous al fresco area became their meeting. But see, there’s more to this Greenbelt 3 tenure restaurant.

Yessy Hendriana Puspita

3.0

The Eatventurers are not big fans of night outs. Our idea of a perfect night revolves around watching our favorite tv series, lurking on social media or catching up our much-needed sleep. Despite this, we are aware of Café Havana’s reputation. But one Saturday afternoon proved to us that Café Havana is not only about cold drinks, lively Latin music and tourists looking for company in a foreign land; it is also about food.We started our gastronomic journey with the Pizza Cubana in Quatro Quezo and Hamon Serano—two flavors in one pizza. The four cheese and ham flavors go well with the thin crust. One of the restaurant’s specialties is the Spareribs Habanera (P605). The baked spareribs was nice but we’re not a big fan of the guava sauce. Like Filipinos, Cubans also love to pair their meals with rice. The Eatventurers got to try their dishes that are served with rice: Caribbean Style Salmon with Mango Salsa (P635), Caribbean Shrimp Curry (P450) and Chuletas de Pollo con Arroz Mejicano (P465). Our palate rejoiced as we ate the Caribbean Style Salmon with Mango Mambo Salsa. It is our favorite dish at Café Havana. The salmon fillets go really well with ripe mangoes and muted squid ink rice. The Caribbean Shrimp Curry is so tasty to the point that the flavors are too overpowering. The fried banana somehow tones down the meal. The Chuletas de Pollo con Arroz Mejicano doesn’t stand out. The chicken breast tasted bland and the Mexican style rice and garlic stewed tomatoes didn’t help either. For desserts, The Eatventurers tried the Guyaba Pie (P165) and the Pudi de Pan (P160) or the Café Havana’s Cuban version of bread pudding. Eating at Cafe Havana made us realize that the exotic taste of guava is not our cup of tea. Although guava has nice combination of sweetness and tanginess, it has some grainy feel that our palates didn’t like. Thankfully, there’s a generous amount of whipped cream to balance the flavor of the guava pie. The meals at Café Havana are pricey but they are hearty servings. The ambiance is also chill and has tropical vibe—perfect for relaxations and conversations over good food and good company.The Eatventurers www.eatventurers.com

Nicq Izumi

4.0

Café Havana is not just a popular Cuban Bar. Not a typical bar where people meet and drink. This is a restaurant that offers hearty Cuban dishes. Honestly, this is my first time to dine and drink at Café Havana. I was hesitant to go inside because I thought that all food was expensive and the place is just for foreign people. Well, I’m wrong. Together with my blogger friends, we started with Pizza Cubana in Quatro Quezo and Hamon Serano. Imagine two flavors in one pizza. My favorite flavor is the Quatro Quezo.For the main dish, top of my choice is the Caribbean Style Salmon with Mango Salsa. I was surprised that Salmon is perfectly matched with ripe mangoes and served with black rice (squid ink). The servings were huge and good for sharing. I’m not a big fan of curry but this Caribbean Shrimp Curry was really interesting. The curry prepared from the scratch no added instant ingredients. It was really tasty. More rice please ☺For the desserts, top of my choice is the Guyaba Pie – guava pie served with whip cream. The strong odor and taste of guava fruit enhanced my excitement to finish it. Very addicting too.SinoPinasEats will definitely go back for another feast!

Jessa Reambonanza Jainar

5.0

We had been invited for a private food tasting of LJC group of restaurants to try out some of their new food offerings of their restos. One of which is Cafe Havana. Some of the food we sampled are:Pork Chops Cafe Havana P595Pork chops served with sautéed black beans, buttered quinoa, and mango relish. Flores De Guyava P185Stewed guavas stuffed with cream cheese on a bed of rich guava syrup. I love the pork chops. It’s tender and flavorful. The side dishes complimented the pork chops well. The Flores de guayava is new for me, for someone who doesn’t eat much guavas, I somehow liked it. The sourness and the sweet creamy taste of cream cheese are surprisingly good. These dishes will be available starting on Sept. 5 so go check them out!

Lynne Cruz

4.0

Cafe HavanaAs a tribute to Larry J. Cruz, LJC group conducted an event of LJC FESTIVAL OF FLAVORS to help raise funds for Cancer patients, I believe this is a yearly event.And in this event new dishes will be added to their regular menus for a limited time, but if customers like it, they'll probably keep it in their menu.On Sept 5, 2018, these two dishes will be available; Pork Chops Cafe Havana and Flores De Guyava.My verdict:PORK CHOPS CAFE HAVANA(served with sauteed black beans, buttered quinoa and mango relish)PHP 595This dish is awesome! I like the mango relish (is it the same with mango enselada?) it is so refreshing. The combination of black beans and buttered quinoa in my mouth is so good ( but i find the quinoa a little bit dry, is it really like that?) The meat is just fine but i want it more tender, like falling off the bones. All in all the burst of flavors in this dish is really awesome. Will definitely come back for this one!Taste: 4.5/5Serving size: 4.5/5Price: 3/5FLORES DE GUYAVA(Stewed guavas stuffed with cream cheese on a bed of rich guava syrup)PHP 185Whoever thought of this dessert is a genius! I love the fusion of flavors which I never thought of for a dessert. This is my first time to taste a guava for dessert, and I loved it! I cannot explain the bitter and sour taste of guava stuffed with light flavor of cream cheese combined with rich sweet guava syrup that makes it an awesome dessert!Taste: 5/5Serving size: 3/5Price: 4/5The fusion of flavors and the combination of different ingredients is the best thing you'll find in their food!So what are you waiting for? Its dine now or never!HAPPY FLAVOR FUSION!