Little Havana

Ive traveled to a few places around the world & this tiny place downtown NY has by far the best Paella & Sangria I’ve had in my life. The service was impeccable & the place was clean. Tight seating, so if you dont mind talking to your neighbors, its a cool little place.

Although loud, I found the atmosphere romantic and service very friendly. My boyfriend’s order of salmon was somewhat plain but good and fresh-​tasting. My order of black beans was ok and the kale lentil soup was delicious. It’s small but not distractingly so. Amusingly, you have to walk through a few steps through the kitchen to get to the tiny bathroom.

I came to Little Havana for dinner the other night. What a great experience. While the place is small, it does not feel overly cramped. I never got the feeling that people were listening to our dinner conversation, which does happen at more pretentious places in the area.
The sangria? Delicious. One pitcher quickly turned into two.
The food? Delicious. Pulled pork was great.
The service? Also very good.
Little Havana offers authentic Cuban at affordable prices.

In an area with plenty of restaurants it can be a challenge to decide what to eat but if you want Cuban, Little Havanna is a good choice. It is a quaint small restaurant probably seating the most 20 people. But having a late dinner on Sunday night (9pm) we didn’t have a problem considering we were pretty hungry.
The host is friendly giving us time to order, very casual atmosphere. I was looking forward to the roast pork but they were all out since it is one of the more popular dishes there and for good reasons! We started out with the pitcher of Sangria. I’m not Sangria expert but we didn’t have a problem finishing it (I’ve had some that was just plain awful). The dishes are neatly presented without any fanfare. It is just simple homecooking and I like that. We order the Ropa Vieja and the Picadillo which had a delicious Cuban tamal side. I think we both enjoyed the meal considering the clean plates after we finished.
I think we will be coming back!

It’s intimate, cute, lovely, quiet, a great date spot, using very good ingredients — yes, it’s all that. But the food is just very underwhelming, uninspiring, lacking compared to many other Cuban places I’ve tried. I can’t even place my finger on it — the expectations were too high to be matched, the meal — not memorable.
February 1998 NYTimes review by Eric Asimov they have posted on the window (you can find it online at NYT) — which actually mentions using lighter ingredients than traditionally oil-​heavy Cuban preparation, which may be responsible for my preference toward the latter in Cuban food — is a fun way to see what the über-​local inflation has been like, since almost all the dishes he mentions are still on the menu. Shrimp seviche: $ 8.50 -} 14.50. Market salad: $ 5 -} 9. Lentil soup: 5.50 -} 6.50. Filet Mignon: 15 -} 24.95. Chicken breast: 10 -} 15.25. Sauteed shrimp: 14 -} 17.95. Roasted pork: 12 -} 16.95. The total for this «basket» is $ 70 -} $ 105, or exactly 50% (1.5 times), over 13 years, or about 3.2% compound interest. That’s got to be very decent — low, actually — for this neighborhood.

Really lovely atmosphere. I felt out of place in jeans.
Good was really lovely. My friend got the steak and I had one of the combination taster plates. We were both really pleased with our meal. The only downside was that I asked if my order had any bell peppers in it (I’m allergic) and was told no, but they were all over the place in the sauces and the sausages. I paid for that meal later that night.
The plantains both sweet and fried are phenomenal

As a huge lover of Cuban food, and pretty much anything spicy, last night was truly a treat. So I deem «Little Havana» worthy of popping my Unilocal review cherry.
Nestled deep in the West Village, this spot is easy to miss unless you’re on a mission for Cuban. We were greeted at the door by our waiter and right out of the gate, I was visually and aurally transported to Cuba — which is probably accredited to A) the beautiful murals adorning the walls and B) my date being Cuban, and speaking exclusively Spanish with our waiter. AYE! We sat at one of the maybe 10 tables in the entire closet of a space, which may turn some people away, but for me, it only added to the coziness and comfortable vibe Little Havana exuded.
For appetizers, we split a Cuban tamal, with their special house sauce drizzled over it. We also got the tostones and chorizo w/​onions. Everything was amazing. The waiter was very thorough on explaining how the food was prepared and even where in Cuba each plate comes from. My Cuban friend was quick to interject where she saw it apropos — which created a pretty cool back-&-forth all night between the waiter and our table.
Off to the races with our entrees. I ordered the Bacalao (cod fish) a la Vizcaina and she had the Ropa Vieja (which even I know means «old clothes»). I questioned her choice until it came out and she let me try it. Oh yeah– apparently every Cuban dish comes with white rice and black beans, which is what I found to be the biggest difference between Cuban and Mexican food (the latter is normally served with tomato-​based rice and refried beans… I can do either one)… I can’t say enough about these dishes — so damned yummy.
We ate so much, we didn’t save any room for dessert. Do you think that stopped us from getting two desserts and splitting them? Hell no. We shared the flan and the guava with cream cheese. We were actually just going to get the guava, but when my date explained to the waiter that nobody makes better flan than her, he decided to try and show her up. Result: free flan. And no, I haven’t had her flan yet, but let me say that if her flan is better than Little Havana’s, it’s some really good flan. The guava with cream cheese was something I’d never had before, but it was equally awesome and I highly suggest it.
We decided, based on the past few nights of debauchery, to lay off the alcohol, but apparently the Sangria is some of the best in the city. Nearly every table in the place (all within arms-​length) had a pitcher perched on it. When I come back, and I will come back, I’ll have to dive into the Sangria.
First Unilocal review out of the way… Maybe I’ll write another one this year.

I was actually going to give it two stars based on what my experienced but my wife’s meal and the very friendly wait staff swayed me. The restaurant is small and intimate, a great date spot.
My wife ordered the shrimp ceviche which she absolutely loved, it came perfectly marinated over a bead of salad.
I just ordered an entrée, the veradero rice which is a Cuban version of paella that contains chicken and shrimp. The dish came out beautifully however lacked flavor. Chef may have forgot to add salt to the dish, but it was underwhelming as a whole.
My wife ordered the taster menu which she loved. The maduros and tostoens where amazing as well as the cuban tamale…
The waiter was incredibly friendly and talkative and I suggest going on a Thursday night if you can as it is is not that crowded and yuo can enjoy his company as well!

I worked in the area for over 6 months and would order lunch from this place at least every other week. I tried most of the menu and I can’t think of a time I was unsatisfied.
The only thing holding this place back from 5 stars in my eyes is they are very slow and seem to have difficulty approximating time. Countless times I would go to pick my food up after the said 15 – 20 mins and I would have to wait 10 or 15 mins more, kind of frustrating when you’re at work.
I don’t know how the sit-​down service is as I’ve never eaten here, always take out.

Small, friendly, family restaurant with great intentions. And a quaint room with a delightful exposed brick wall. But I got sick. I did. Couldn’t have been anything else. Sorry.
And that’s too bad, because the arroz con pollo my friend had was AMAZING. And the pork medallions another friend had were out of sight.
I had the lentil soup, which was extremely hearty (and had kale in it — love). Yet, my ropa vieja (even before I got sick — and not that this is necessarily what got me sick) was just OK. Even though it was the dish suggested by the beautiful matron who greeted us with such grace and took our order (and then, my guess, disappeared to cook?), I really didn’t care for it — it fell flat. Not a very rich flavor, just a pile of slow-​cooked meat that didn’t have the feel, taste, or texture of something slow-​cooked.
So two stars for my food and subsequent experience, but four stars for the experience and my friends’ food.

Went here on a Tuesday night for dinner. I’d give it 3.5 stars if possible. I had the salmon with rice, beans and plantains, my girlfriend had the ropa vieja. Both were good and nice portions, but lacked any amazing flavor or uniqueness to get me to return any time soon. Felt the same about the flan and chorizo appetizer.
The waitress was very friendly. All that with no drinks came to $ 45 plus tip.

First of all, the Unilocal map is incorrect. I found myself walking on Hudson looking for Cornelia Street. This place is actually right by the W4th subway stop, directly across from Po. And the place is not called Little for nothing. It seats 16 people with 3 tables for 4 on one side of the wall and 2 tables for 2 on the other. The waitstaff is the most friendly ever. Never having been to Cuba, I can’t say whether that’s representative of Cuba or not but our waitress was so friendly and so full of happiness that Elliot couldn’t help but get happy from talking to her. The fact that he spoke enough Spanish to chat only made her all the more lively.
Elliott went with the Arroz Con Pollo with a side order of plaintains and I went with the Ropa Vieja and a tall glass of the house red sangria. Both of our dishes were good and we cleaned our plates up. The plaintains were sweet and ripe and were delicious.
When you step foot through the doors of Little Havana, you are basically getting your passport stamped. It’s as though time had stopped for a little while. Service is as slow as you’d expect in Cuba and this is not the place you want to go to if you’re rushing. This is where you come to escape from the rest of Manhattan.

1 waitress, 1 bus boy and 2 cooks, a simple meal took us about 2 ½ — 3 hours to complete. K. and I finished our pitcher of sangria before the first appetizer came (about an hour) There was a lot of waiting and yes it is home cooking and may be tooooo home cooking for me. The prices are not cheap for the mediocre food that I could have prepared myself at home.
Ceviche with jumbo shrimp — This was more like a green salad with a few shrimp and was not ceviche as I was anticipating.
Chorizo appetizer — The sausage was good but not something I can’t buy at whole foods and pan fry at home.
K. had the Traditional Cuban Ropa Vieja — (shredded skirt steak with white rice and beans) — This was not any better than some decent street food we’ve had in the past.
I had the Picadillo a La havanera (cuban ground beef with black beans and white rice W/​Tamal — I think I made this at home before and I think mine was better…
The portions were not big in my opinion, it was enough to fill us up but not the normal portion you expect when at a restaurant. Dinner came on an appetizer sized plate, very «homey».
The waitress was very nice but the dinner just took too long and the food was just not worth the wait. You can have the same type of food for ¹⁄₃ of the price @ larger portions in Queens (Jackson heights).
One thing I thought was odd was that the bathroom was in the kitchen, you must walk into the kitchen and pass the cooks to get to the bathroom. That was a first for me, but not necessarily a bad thing. At least you will know how clean the kitchen may be.
Lastly my verdict for Little Havana– I say pass.
:)

Tiny restaurant on Cornelia Street. This restaurant is family-​owned and run, so it is authentic. They only have 4 two person tables and 3 four person tables. It is a very small place and can get packed quite easily. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table on Wednesday night at 7 pm. I can only imagine how packed it gets during the weekends. The bathroom is through the kitchen, in the back. It is quite small, the sink is above the toilet, that is how small it is.
However, this place is lovely. The décor of the restaurant is very warm and intimate. They have a huge mural on one side of the restaurant wall and mirrors on the other side, probably to create an illusion of a larger space. The wait staff is ridiculously pleasant, they are very professional and accommodating. They do not rush you and let you take your time. However, since this is family run, it is somewhat slower than other restaurants, be prepared to wait about 20 minutes for your entrees.
When you get your entrees though, you will be glad you waited. Each dish is perfect. My favorites were the «Mixed Fresh Vegetables
Served with pasta and garlic (vegetarian) — 13.95» and the «Tostones (Green Plantains).» I ordered the mixed vegetables simply so I could get my daily fill of veggies, but this dish turned out to be my favorite. The vegetables are truly fresh and crisp. It is tossed with fettuccine and tomato based sauce. It was delicious. I am just sad that I had to share it. The green plantains were really good. They were sort of like latkas, but much lighter. They were not oily and only had a hint of a plaintain taste. This would be a good appetizer. It was also accompanied with a spicy sauce, try it!
The sangria was okay, nothing too fancy. It was $ 27/​pitcher. We got about 8 wine glasses out of it.
Overall, a very pleasant and fulfilling evening!

I just had dinner here with my boyfriend. It was delicious! I loved it and plan to go back soon. As advertised, it’s very «mom and pop» style cooking, which I appreciate.
The portions are pretty generous. The atmosphere, cozy and warm.

This is only for brunch. We were a large group of gals, for brunch, in a private room, and got excellent service and food for a great price (more food than one can eat in one sitting plus sangrias/​mimosas and apps for less than $ 30pp!).
Get the cazuela. It’s 3 kinds of sausage in a sizzling bowl with eggs on top.

8 of us came herer on a Saturday evening. We came early and were seated right away.
Décor: This is a tiny restaurant (table of 5 or 6 with 1 wait staff), with cute vintage décor. I would not recommend it if you have a party of over 10 or 12, unless you can secure a table beforehand.
Food and Drink: We had a pitcher of Sangria, and it was good. The ladies liked it better than the guys, because it was more sweet than booze loaded. Food was good. The Bacalao, Ropa Vieja, and Varadero Rice were good! Maduros were awesome.
Desert: Limited selection of 2, and we ordered the Guva with Cream Cheese. The Guva came from a can, and the cream cheese was.umm.philly?
Important NOTE: Do not wear nice coats unless you plan to dry clean right after. All of my friends’ coats smelled like fried chicken. and we had to go out to a live show after! I got to hug my favoriate artist, and I bet he thinks I worked in McD by the frier.
Our waitress was nice and sweet.

This is one those places you walk past a dozen times and hope to try one day because its a nice little hole in the wall restaurant with nice ambiance. I came here with a friend and it was a perfect place for a nice quiet conversation and not so busy and loud that you can’t hear each other. The service is pretty slow since there is only one waitress, cook, and bus boy… but, that allows people on dates to really have some great conversation.
The food… the lentil soup was terrible (which is why I didn’t give 5 stars) BUT, the Roja Vieja was excellent and the flan to finish off was one the better flans I’ve had in my life.

The secret ingredient in my muffin-​top: ropa vieja.
That’s Cuban-​style skirt-​steak, my friends, and years of overflowing out of jeans have taught me that ‘Cuban-​style’ is codespeak for Lard-​infused. I, like all red-​blooded Americans, covet ‘Cuban-​style’ food, and, in particular, ‘Cuban-​style’ cuisine of the country of Cuba.
Ropa vieja, which belongs to that excellent class of melt-​in-​your-​mouth meats that include, notably, 100% of Bar Jamon’s menu, is done aiight at Little Havana, served alongside the obligatory ladles of black beans and rice. While the conscious gut thanks smaller portions (read: caloric content) than the Mother Of All ‘Cuban-​Style’ Cuban Food, Café Habana, its superego craves more delicious steak, less filler food.
The real winner, though, was the chorizo-​and-​onions side, that left prosperous orange grease smears on the white china, the tablecloth, my blouse. Wash it down with an inarguably satisfying sangria, and, if your muffin-​top is feeling a little flaccid, a wedge of the fully-​loaded flan.
~30 pp for three courses, one beverage, which was a bit of a buzz kill.

Unsurprisingly, Little Havana is a small little restaurant with excellent Cuban food. I came with a small group of friends, and everyone was quite satisfied with the quality and flavor of the food and sangria. For dinner I had the varadero rice with shreded chicken and shrimp. For dessert — the guava/​cream cheese is a must try!
One negative is that the place can be a little tight — meaning you cant help but listen to other people’s conversations when they talk loudly.