Havana Central

Excellent food. Excellent atmosphere. Excellent service! The manager Abedellah makes you feel warm and welcome. He present fosters a wonderful eating out experience!

I shall never eat out anywhere else…
This is the place to go, for my wife and me. As soon as we got our table, we were greeted by the nicest and coolest server I can ever remember, Nancy. She was also training a new server. Nancy let us settle down, got our water quickly, made us feel very comfortable with the tempo of the service. She helped us thoroughly with the specials.
We first ordered the empanada sampler, beef, chicken, broccoli and cheese. The broccoli and cheese empanada was soft and creamy on the inside, crunchy on the outside. The chicken was sliced small, was very saucy, and also crunchy on the outside. The beef was probably the best empanada I ever had in my life. With the standard ground beef flavor, mixed in with the perfectly crunchy shell I could’ve just ordered the beef empanada as my main course and I would’ve been ok. Actually luckily there’s more we ordered. We also had the Mazorca Estilo Havana and that tasted just like one of my favorite dishes, Elotes. It comes cut for sharing, and I am glad we could share because there would be so much more to eat.
I ordered the Arroz con Pollo, and my wife had the Vaca Frita. The Arroz con Pollo was a great simple dish, generous serving with a choice of black or kidney beans, I had the black beans. It tasted fresh, chicken was just the right amount of flavor, and with the beans, was perfect. The Vaca Frita is an amazing experience altogether. The rice and egg are a terrific combination with the thinly shredded fried beef and beans. Even now my mouth is watering thinking about it, I would reward myself with this meal whenever there is a great thing to celebrate. The salad is also a great add on to even out the fried shredded beef, rice, and egg. The serving was also generous and am so happy we had to take it home. We also ordered a side of plantains, expertly prepared, perfectly sweet.
We became so full, and was so happy Nancy reminded me of desert. We ordered a pair of cappuccinos, a Tres Leches flan, and a coconut flan. The Tres Leches was incredibly soft and milky. Very sweet and worked great with the cappuccino. The coconut flan stole the show though. With crunchy strands of coconut, this desert was something to remember. It was a perfect flan, and perfectly sized. My wife and I almost had a fight on who got to finish it.
As good as the food was, I want to say that Nancy played a big role in how great of an experience we had. She was always there, available to check if we needed anything, was so friendly, made me feel like she was family, which really makes eating out so much more fun. As a result, Havana Central at Roosevelt Field mall will be my number one choice to eat out. Great food, great location, great service.

Friend suggested Havana Central over drinks and appetizers. He had visited the one in Manhattan.
Let me tell you– finding Havana Central if you are not familiar with Roosevelt Field it’s like finding a needle in the haystack and driving around in circles. One cannot cut across to get around from one end to the other end. I was in front of Dick’s Sporting Goods then Neiman Marcus. My friend literally had to walk over get in car and give me directions. LOL…
We decided to sit at the patio and hostess walks out and ask «Two for lunch?». We said yes, she said what is your name? She hands us the menu and goes back into the restaurant.
Nice waiter come out and chats with us and ready to take order. He was the only waiter in the patio area and this was like 4:20 PM. I ask him what are the drink specials for we were there for Happy Hour. The waiter said there were drink specials. I said were they 2 for 1 or half price, etc???
We ordered drinks– Classic Mojito (like the coconut) and Margarita (It was okay) — very light on alcohol which was good for I do not want to be liquored up. Then we ordered a second round of drinks. On the bill the drinks were listed as 6 dollars which is a good deal.
Havana Central has an extensive menu, but since I was there for first time and no idea what to order. I asked the waiter and he gave his recommendations.
Had the Coconut Mussels and my friend had the Mango Salmon.
The place is simply beautiful on the inside as I headed in to use the bathroom. It was early and not a lot of patrons yet. Couple of people at the bar.
I found out about their $ 1 Empanada Special for Tuesday flyer posted on the back of the toilet door. OMG! Way too funny.
Make sure you check your bill before charging your credit card or paying cash. They added on a dessert trio which we did not order. The bill from $ 90+(without tip) went down to $ 78+(without).
Will be back to try their empanadas, if I am ever in the neighborhood again.
After a long day of shopping at Roosevelt Field, nice to kick off heels and have a Classic Mojito out in the patio for you will feel that you are out of NY.

I was here for a work dinner in the private room. THe menu was preset, but everything turned out great. The food was authentic and the service was excellent.
The place had an overall good vibe.

Mojitos! I’ve been here numerous times and everything is soooooo good. From their signature mojito drinks to the empanadas, corn etc everything is yummy. Customer service is always on point. I love the vibe you get when you walk in. The décor and live band definitely makes a statement. Sidebar: I was lucky enough to meet the owner at a Unilocal event! Nice guy! He mentioned that there was a new location in Jersey which is perfect for me because I’m in Jersey every weekend. I definitely will be checking out the other location.

This is my second time coming here and although I wasn’t too pleased my first time, I decided to give it a second chance. We came for a job dinner and evidently our expectations were WAY too high. We had a contract in place that covered us for unlimited salads, appetizers, and fountain drinks. We were also going to be seated in a private room with a private bartender.
When we walked in, we were escorted to the back near the bar where three high tables were set up. The table seated nine people which was not adequate for our twenty person party. It took about fifteen minutes for a manger to come out and talk to us. They «misplaced» our contract but we managed to work a seating arrangement out.
We were seated at a couple of booths in the front, which I guess was okay. Not the private room, but okay. They completed disregarded the salad memo and brought out the appetizers which were finished within five minutes due to our party size. We waited in hopes that more appetizers would come. We had to let our waitress know that we wanted more. Her response was «how much» which was shocking since they were suppose to be unlimited. She also said that they were out of chicken skewers. Once again, we had to request them since they were a part of our contract. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that they were out of chicken. Like how? Anywho, the waitress returned with the news that they managed to work it out, and that they were able to accommodate us. What changed within those couple of minutes? Should there really have been a need for me to speak up ?
In conclusion, so much for «unlimited» appetizers. We got three rounds of food and that was it. I will NOT be returning and will not be recommend this restaurant.

I was pretty disappointed with this place. First let me start by saying that this place is beautiful and ambiance is awesome, however they need a better system and need to better organize seating. As I arrived we were told that for a party of 2 it will be an hour wait, which I was totally fine with, an hour and half later we were finally seated and no one in site for about 15 minutes… Oh and let me add that we were seated in a very small table that was not stable and wobbled pretty bad so we asked the buss boy if we can move to the next table which was more stable… Until someone from the group next to us came and decided to argue with us and tell us that it’s there table and they have been waiting for it.
We decided to call it quits and leave… As we left one of the managers tells me «thanks for coming have a goodnight» i proceeded to tell him that we haven’t even be taken care of or seated in a suitable table for us to sit in… He proceeded to try and find us another table and actually got us a booth, everything was going well and they were cleaning the table… But wait there’s more, he comes back and apologizes and tells us that the booth is not available because it’s reserved for someone and that we would have to wait for another table. 2 hours later we called it quits and enjoyed our night somewhere else. Certainly not retuning here, thanks.

The first time I came here was for a baptism in their party room. The room was very spacious and had ample space for the amount of people there. The party was open bar and the wait staff kept up with our party of heavy drinkers. The mojitos and sangria were delicious. The party was cocktail style, so the waiters came around with finger food. The corn and mini Cuban sandwiches were memorable. They were tasty but nothing out of this world. The main entrée was a whole roast pork (pernil) with rice and beans. The pork was moist and flavorful and went well with the rice and beans. I’m not a fan of onions, but the pickled onions that came with it was excellent. The party was well organized and we left super full.
The second time I came here was on an impromptu date night with my husband. It was a weekday and the place was surprisingly busy. We were seated immediately. The waitress came and took our orders right away. I ended up getting the pernil again and my husband got the ribs. We also got an order of maduros to share. I felt like our waitress was disappointed that we didn’t order alcoholic drinks. Our food also took forever to come out, plus our maduros never made it to our table. Our waitress only checked on us once while we ate. She was apologetic about the maduros, but it didn’t seem genuine. The ribs were so tasty, but the pernil wasn’t as good as the first time I had it. It seemed like it was reheated. The flavor was good, but the meat itself was dry. I’m not sure if I would come back after this last experience.

This restaurant provided the most delicious sangria I have had in a long time. The waiter Juan came to table and made it in front of us and it truly was an enjoyable experience. Definitely recommend you come and taste how good it was!

Their mofongo alone is deserving of the five stars, you can seat me out back in the parking lot and forget to bring me a delicious passionfruit mojito, and I’d be content chowing down on their heavenly roasted pork mofongo con pernil!
The stuff is just that good… Then again, so is their deliciously fresh and natural tasting passionfruit mojito. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to have passionfruit straight off the islands, you’ll respect this mojitos flavor for real!
The service was okay to be honest but the food spoke to us like a long lost Latin lover.
The Picadillo was spot on Cuban and a lot like my own (no I’m not Cuban) the issue here was he asked me what kid of beans I wanted with my rice and I got absolutely none… I moved on as it was a small disruption to the huge flavors in that dish, my girlfriends dish, and the melt in your mouth [Mexican] Street Corn; please do yourself a favor and order this, but save some for me! They call this Havana street corn with Cuban spices… «Mazorca Estilo Havana». I don’t know where it originated but my oh my does this white boy enjoy all things Hispanic!
I can’t wait to go back.

Great fun place for a night out on the town. Authentic Cuban dishes and drinks along with some great live music.

Havana Central was a let down for us. Cuban food is so full of flavors and we didn’t get that experience here.
We started with empanadas and although they were good they were not that big. That last thing we ate that had any taste.
— Garlic Chicken was really a let down. It was basically a flavorless Italian dish.
— Pernil Asada was ok but really could have been much better.
— Chocolate Empanada’s for dessert were really bad. A complete let down.
The service was slow too!

TLDR: Convenient location but this is a chain Cubanesque restaurant, don’t expect much.
At the behest of other Unilocalers and after seeing this venue at Sugar, a Unilocal charity event, I decided to make a res for 10pm on a Saturday. We arrived at the mall, this restaurant is tucked away in a corner and isn’t very visible from the round about road. You’ll find it if you turn in at the parking lot by Seasons 52 and hug the side walk going towards Bobbys Burgers.
We enter and 4 young ladies are behind the counter. I tell them we have a 10pm reservation and give my name. We are seated at the room all the way on the right on a two top middle table. Our waitress comes over and happily takes our drink order. A mojito for me and a Diet Coke for my friend. We ordered the plantain chips for the app. Takes awhile but the drinks arrived and soon the plantain chips. They were good but under salted. We sat there waiting for our server. It was awhile so we flagged her down and asked for salt and a round of drinks, rum punch and another Diet Coke. I agree with other Unilocalers, the drinks felt very light on booze. We sit for awhile, and I notice the room has recorded music playing and there is live music playing in the other room. It felt chaotic as I couldn’t enjoy either.
Soon our drinks and salt show up. We ordered our main entrees, vegetable paella and seafood paella. As I salted the plantains I realized, once my hand was full of salt that we never received napkins or cutlery. A runner comes and serves our food, and we asked him for more cutlery. He gets us forks. I assumed he would bring us a set that came with a cloth napkin maybe included a knife, that I saw others using, but he didn’t so we asked for napkins and got some paper ones. Onto the food.
It was awful. A bowl of mostly rice with a couple cold clams, mussels and salty shrimp. The vegetable paella was the same rice base with some string beans and a few pieces of broccoli. I tried some and then looked up at my friend, «forget it, it’s awful,» I proclaimed and he agreed. Then I saw a familiar face.
Nicole from the Sugar Unilocal event was there. I spoke with her at the event when my friend recognized her from a bar in wantagh we went to years ago. She was friendly and asked us about the food. I truthfully told her it was horrible. She told us that it’s not one of the dishes she would recommend and next time to order X, Y, Z and to ask for her. We made some small talk and paid the bill.
As we walked out people were dancing in the small dance area which made it hard to navigate out without interrupting the dancing. We went elsewhere for dessert.
If Nicole bartended, I might visit for a drink or two (at 12 bucks a drink, I wouldn’t have too many and I’d assume the booze would be a bit stiffer at the bar) but I wouldn’t be back for the food alone. The cute cabana seats may be nice for birthday parties.

If I could give this place a 10 star it would get it. The ambience was a 10. The food was a 10. The server was a 10. The LIVE music was a 10. The price was a 10.
This is a must place to visit. Always make reservations and you will be seated right away.

I’ve been here one too many times; sometimes for brunch and sometimes for dinner. The experience is always different but
never terrible. I don’t feel as though their food is authentic Cuban food but the good service and clean environment they provide is admirable and evident. I’ve ordered so many apps and entrees and I can safely say that I never hated any of my picks. One of my favorites from here is their chicken empanadas which is seasoned so well and has the perfect crispy outer layer. Ultimately, this venue is mostly for people that are into «safe» fine dining because in most cases you may not be in love with your meal but more than likely you’ll be satisfied with your meal here.

Read and heard amazing comments about this place. Maybe I had too high of an expectation before I walked into the doors which made me think this place is just a OK.
I walked in here on Valentine’s Day at 7:30pm. The wait was only 35 minutes so it wasn’t too bad. Because the restaurant is in Roosevelt Field Mall, so the wait was a pleasant walk around the mall.
There was live music on Valentine’s Day, it wasn’t too loud, people were dancing, the vibe was great. We had the Handmade Empanadas (3 Spanish dumplings): chicken, beef, and cheese, and Tostones Rellenos (4 plantain tarts): chicken, taco meat, beef, and shrimp. They were amazing! Or I was too hungry.
For entrée, we ordered the Costillas Estilo Havana en Salsa de Guayaba (Guava-​Glazed Havana Style Ribs) and Lancon al Vino (Braised Pork Shank).
The ribs were really good. The sauce was unexpectedly good. Mixed with pineapple chucks, it matched with the description on the menu that that I would want to lick my fingers after I was done and I did. I substituted my side with steamed broccoli, but for some reason they came separate and late. So initially, my ribs looked kind of sad with half plate empty.
The braised pork shank on the other hand wasn’t up to standard. I don’t think it was cooked long enough as it was still kind of hard to cut. The sauce was interesting, I wasn’t too sure what it was nor did I like it.
The service was ok, there ware some confusions in the kitchen, I surely wouldn’t mind some free salmon or chicken, but they surely weren’t mine. But I guess it was Valentine’s Day and the kitchen was hectic.
Overall, I think it worth a visit.

The service was friendly and efficient and there was a fantastic live band playing Cuban classics. The décor is welcoming and unique; it looks like they’re going for a South Beach casual feel. That’s about it.
I started with a small and watered-​down mango margarita. It looked pretty, but the flavor and alcohol content were lacking. The white sangria later on in the meal was much better.
As an appetizer I had a lobster-​filled avocado. It was green and watery to the point where I had to send it back. Our server insisted that he’d find a ripe avocado and he would have the dish made again. The replacement was an improvement, still nothing to write home about.
Beware the pork taquitos — they’re not traditional rolled taquitos… they’re miniature (three, two-​bites-​sized) folded crunchy tacos. They may have been a cute snack, but overly ambitious and unrealistic as a $ 10 appetizer.
The Affogato — vanilla ice cream with a side of espresso and a shot of Bailey’s — was the only part of the meal that was worth having a conversation about.
Havana Central is reminiscent of a Latino Cheesecake Factory of sorts. The food has no warmth or personality, only an elaborate (and grotesquely overpriced) package catered towards those unbeknownst of the love, thought, and authenticity that is the food of Latin America.

Came here after an Elite event held over at Spuntinos. The wayward crowd of me, Justin, Vinny, & Donovan. A lot of first time introductions tonight, but we all became fast friends.
We were greeted by the manager Juan Carlos who was very friendly & accomodating. We sat at the bar where we were attended to by the awesome Toya. Toya was everything you want in a bartender. Friendly, playful & took pride in the drinks she was making. Vinny & I had Mojitos & She asked each time if the drinks were to our liking & what we thought could make it better.
Justin & I being the food lovers we are, ordered some eats. Justin ordered the Mofongo & I ordered the Guava BBQ wings with Diablo sauce on the side. Justin & I agreed the food was not as good as when we were here the last time. The Diablo sauce was not hot at all. I thought Diablo meant devil indicating they should’ve been hot as hell, but they weren’t. I can’t comment on Justin’s Mofongo but he wasn’t as happy as the last time he had it.
I believe we all had a great after party that night. A few more drinks & some shots were had along with a great conversation with Juan Carlos & Toya… shhhh Vinny left, so he missed that. It was a good night, just wish the food could have been better. Would definitely return because Juan Carlos is a man on a mission to make this place one of the best out there. I’m rooting for you man! 2-​2-​2016

My family and I ventured out to this restaurant in Long Island since my step-​dad found this place online. We went for my sister’s birthday since she was craving Cuban food and man it was a great choice coming here. We walked into the restaurant and it were greeted by the staff at the table. The atmosphere was very live, with music playing, people talking and a lot of laughter.
We got sat in a booth that had a curtain to it. So if your family wanted a little more privacy you can pull the curtain that isolates your booth from the rest of the restaurant, which I thought was a nice tough.
We made reservations for this place since we read that it gets very busy and crowded at night time. So make sure if you’re coming with a big party or just in general, make a reservation so you don’t have to wait! Once we got there, we were seated right away.
Service = phenomenal.
Our server’s name was Carlos and he took great care of my family and me. Always made sure our water glasses were full, updated us on our food status, was very accommodating with any substitutions or changes we had to our orders, was interactive and very friendly, and overall made sure that my family and I had a great experience at the restaurant.
I had ordered the Mango Mojito and the Seafood Paella and both hit the spot. The Mango mojito was very good and strong. The Seafood Paella was delicious. It came in a black pot that kept the food hot and a separate plate to eat off of. So the entire meal the rice and seafood stayed hot and never got to room temp or went cold. Only thing I would say is i just wish there was more seafood in my paella and less rice, but that’s just me being greedy.
My mom had ordered the pork shank, which was the
. Amazing. Delicious. and Mouth Watering. Next time I go back to the restaurant I will definitely be ordering that to try a whole plate of it.
If you’re looking for a nice, delicious Cuban restaurant with a great atmosphere and awesome service definitely check out this place!

4.5 stars
After enjoying an Elite event here almost two weeks ago I knew I had to come back and dine in; Boy am I happy I did! Havana Central has now become my favorite spot for Cuban eats.
After some light shopping in Garden City, I brought my family here for dinner. I ordered a mango mojito to start that was decent. The size of my cup was disappointing but I made sure to sip it so it would last the entire meal. To start, we ordered the appetizer sampler with an additional order of empanadas and gobbled everything up. The chicken and shrimp sofrito empanadas were so good, filled to capacity and with that chimichurri sauce?! Yo «I’ll put that sh*t on everything!»
All of our entrees were perfection, mango glazed salmon with mashed yucca and charred veggies Yummers! My mom and I shared this entrée and we were happy with our choice (I had a similar dish at another restaurant the night before and it was less than mediocre). The mango glaze was flavorful and complimented the salmon and charred peppers/​onions perfectly. The mashed yucca was smooth and starchy, a nice compliment to the dish. Pernil with picked onions and rice and beans was thoroughly enjoyed. My aunt said she’d never had pickled onions before but they complimented the pork well. My cousin gobbled up his garlic chicken with rice and beans quick so I guess it must have been good.
Our server Joseph was super friendly, made great suggestions and made sure we were always taken care of. We called him Triple B, on the low lol, Bubbly and Bald with a Beard. Hell be alot easier to spot now so make sure you guys check out Joe.
They have live music certain days, great Happy Hour specials and $ 1 empanadas on Tuesday, I will definitely be returning