Havana

Recommends

hungrygirl1

Joined 4 years ago

Havana... I call it Heavana. I've had lunch here 5 times now and enjoy it every single time... as do the friends I bring here.

I do find the service just a little slow (probably at the kitchen end), and if they had live music I'd just move in.

The usual hassles of parking and Paying thru' the nose in Walnut Creek exist in this area on Bonanza St. too. The parking people in this city are insane, there must be one for every 4 block radius!

If you want to have something a little different, tasty, not overly expensive and listen to some great Cuban music (while drinking their delicious Mojitos of course), this is a great spot. I've had almost everything on the menu (by trying what my friends ordered too) and it's all good.

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mejennings

Joined 6 years ago

Havana is an awesome restaurant all-around. Traveled back to Bonanza Street for lunch Tue 6/30/09 over to Havana & sooo glad I did! I've passed this restaurant many times on my lunch walks in dwntn Walnut Creek & driven by the one in Alameda many times as well...now I'm a Havana fan =)

LOCATION & RESTAURANT: Next to Fujian Restaurant, the view outside upfront looks small, but this place opens up to quite spacious & clean restaurant. Meter parking all over this place, else garage parking on Cypress Ave & Locust Ave (about 1-block South). Color schemes are a tropical blue & green w/ comfy seating tables & booths & a welcoming bar area too. Just sitting here about 1-2min enjoying the scenery of the place, I just loved it...the decor, music, & seating is simply welcoming to anyone.

SERVICE: Great! Colleague & I arrived 5-10min before noon (the lunch crowd) so there was only one other table taken. Hostess/Waitress greets us w/ a pleasant smile & "welcome" upon entrance & let us chose where we wanted to be seated. Didn't catch her name, but this Hostess/Waitress basically was covering the floor w/ greeting, seating, order taking, & follow-up. Other colleagues of hers brought out food to other patrons @ times & also did follow-up. By the time we finished our lunch, this place was decently 1/3 full. Great service all around tho...keep up the good work team ;-)

DRINKS: Havana Mojitos range $7-$9 & are delicious! They have "Mojito Mondays" apparently too (half off). Colleague had De Corazo (Silver Tiquilia, Chambord) & I had De Mango (Parrot Bay Mango Rum)...both were excellente.

FOOD: Fresh, hot, tasty, juicy, & just damn good! The chef is definitely cookin' w/ "cuban" love up in here! We shared the Crab Cakes which were 2 lil' cute palm-fitting cakes that had a nice crunch on the outside yet a soft bite of crab of on the inside; the Pineapple Aioli sauce added nicely to these hot cakes & greenery. My colleage had the "Bistec a la Havana" & I kid you not this marinated skirt steak was served grilled & juicy perfectly...of course I tasted this, so I can vouch my own opinion on this dish. I got the "Chicken Adobe"..the Filipina in me jumped on this 'cuz I saw "adobe" *tee-hee*. It wasn't a Filipino chkn adobe dish, but rather adobe seasoning I believe for the chkn. Another grilled & juicy entree that brings taste satisfaction. All this was scrum-didly-umptous!

Final tab just over $59. Everything we ate & drank gets a recommendation, as well as this location! Would I come back? Absolutely! I'd do this location again & very much tempted to try out the Alameda location now. Patrons next to me on this luncheon enjoyed a salad & a pressed sandwich...I don't think I was starrin' @ the gent's sandwich (that's what I tell myself), but it looked reeeeally good as he enjoyed it. My 1st taste of "Cuban Cuisine" & came out very pleased.

Doesn't Recommend

itzallan

Joined 5 years ago

Friendly service but mediocre food and noisy atmosphere. If you're looking for a quiet restaurant, look elsewhere. The service is friendly and attentive, which makes you feel welcomed and noticed. The food tastes a bit bland, although the portions are adequate. Somewhat overpriced considering the food quality.

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mbhouse

Joined 11 years ago

BEST MOJITOS. Great first date place - went on a Wednesday and was promptly seated near the bar - great atmosphere. Ordered a pitcher of mojitos, and while it seems expensive, considering we got 8 drinks out of it, not expensive at all - best mojito i've had in the east bay. stayed late - well past closing. Met the manager Felix - cool guy. did shots with him. Would definitely recommend - crab cakes were excellent as was the garlic fries. Can't wait to try the entrees.

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eastbayvinny

Joined 6 years ago

Good food, but don't park in back!. Havana has a friendly staff who tries hard to please. The mojitos and tapas were good, although everything was a bit overpriced. The mixed green salad and scallops were nicely done, although the scallop portion was small. Crab cakes were tasty but a bit watery. Desserts (we got the flan and mousse) were nothing memorable. Be prepared to wait a long time for a table on a Saturday night, although some bar seating is available.

Here's the gotcha: do not park in back of this restaurant! I got a $25 parking ticket for doing so and, when i called Havana to ask about this, i was told that those parking spaces are not for Havana customers. There's other parking nearby, so be prepared to pay for it and walk a little.

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natcruz

Joined 7 years ago

Walnut Creek needs more innovative restaurants like Havana!. I love this place! Great lively atmosphere, happy and friendly staff and truly innovative food! I've tried almost everything on the menu, so I was happy to see some new specials on my last visit. The Shrimp Ceviche should definitely be added to their regular line up. To top it all off, their bar has one of the best looking crowds around Thurs. through Saturday night :-) Great spot for groups of singles!

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gavin1711

Joined 7 years ago

overall great dining spot. our friends said to go for the Mojitos. they are definitely the star of this restaurant, but we also found the food to be innovative, well prepared and priced right. plantain crusted halibut stole the show and our waitress was the sweetest around.

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sailing223

Joined 7 years ago

Top notch catering. Havana really blew us away with their catering for our engagement party this past weekend. We figured that our budget wouldn't allow for a spectacular spread, but we were 100% wrong. The food was absolutely fantastic. We had crab cakes and mini cuban sandwiches for appetizers plus ropa vieja w/rice & beans, plantain crusted halibut, arugula salad and a great caramel flan for dessert. What impressed us the most was the great service and special attention to set up and decor. I highly recomend their catering services for any type of occasion.

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asanderson_sf

Joined 7 years ago

More Chimichurri Skirt Steak please!. This was one of the best appetizers I have had anywhere. The crispy shoestring boniato fries really topped it off. I've had chimichurri sauce before but it never looked so vibrant with such a unique flavor and kick. They should definitely bottle this stuff!

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gabriels

Joined 7 years ago

Best Paella in Town!. Stumbled on this place last night and was pleasantly surprised by the vibe and cuisine. Paella was awesome as was the Cuban Sandwich. Great bar atmosphere and everyone was very friendly. I'll definitely be back soon.