Havana-Jax Cafe

Worth every penny !! Good food is great, but good food consistently year after year is better. I give this place a full 5 stars for delicious food every time I come. Seriously … You have to eat here.

We were driving down during the late afternoon from a long vacation in Tennessee. Our family was crazy about having authentic Cuban food. It was an amazing experience. Clean place, great service, good food! Awesome Cuban food. I will recommend this restaurant to anybody who is seeking good Cuban food.

I came here for the lunch buffet because that’s what I’ve been told I need to try. It was solid! I really enjoyed the small selection (don’t think china buffet variety) rather a small sampling of Cuban food. My favorite was making my own tacos. The beef was so flavorful and I borrowed cheese and toppings from the salad portion of the bar to add to my tacos. Also use their little taco stands to build two at a time. Plenty of plantains and even had plantain chips.
Two stars comes because of the ambiance. There is no way around it but that it needs to be updated and is underwhelming. Dark inside and each table/​booth had a heavy tablecloth on it that comes down pretty far. So much so I felt like I had a blanket covering the lower half of my body. Strange feeling. Also for some reason the ice from the glasses sweats and leaks into the paper placemat creating a small flood under the plate. Again kinda strange.
Food is tasty and I will be back at some point but will probably try another lunch spot or two in the meantime.

We wanted to try Havana because we had their mojito at a charity event. It was the best mojito! I’m so happy we decided to have dinner here. The food was tasteful and delicious. I had the roasted pork. Wow, that pork was tender and full of flavor. It was like pulled pork. I thought it would be an actual roasted pig. We got salmon salad and it was so good. Salmon was cooked perfectly. It was juicy inside and the sauce was amazing! The steak was not anything special, but it was good. Our meal came with rice, beans, and fried plantain. We also go dessert, but I don’t what it was. The server got it for us. All I have to say is that it was creamy and amazing.

Yummy Cuban food for an inexpensive price! The owner was adorable and quite friendly. His presence alone enhanced our overall experience.
Went with a large group, no complaints about the food. It was fairly authentic, which was a pleasant surprise for Jacksonville. Would recommend to anyone wanting Cuban food in a fun and funny atmosphere.

Muy worst experience ever. Service was. Terrible and the coke had no soda and the bread was old. I am a Latin and I would not recommend ever !!! The waitress treat us badly with no manners

The owner waited on us I think, a real character and a fine host. We started with the tapas sampler. Jen loved the pork. The plantains, which I usually don’t like, we’re superb. There was also fried Yuca, as an experiment and it was great. The lime garlic sauce made the dish complete. I had the black bean soup which was very straight forward. Just onions and beans, well executed, not overdone or overspiced. I had the scallop tapas, which I included a picture of. They were perfectly tender and the portion was decent. They were garnished with the thinnest plantain chips that I have ever had. The waiter asked us if we wanted dessert and when we replied in the affirmative, he suggested the café con Leche with the pia quinta a brandy soaked bread pudding. Also wonderful. The owner/​waiter was charming but a little difficult to understand. He seemed to be a little into telling us what we wanted instead of letting us order. I can’t drink alcohol and had no idea what he was bringing us for dessert or that it had alcohol. Luckily I avoided the bread. I know what you’re thinking but we didn’t order off the menu for dessert so I couldn’t know. I should know better but that’s a huge strike against what would ordinarily be a fairly prefect experience. Jen had the Cuban sandwich and loved it.

Very disappointed tonight. Food was amazing. Ordered the chicken and rice and the server asked if I wanted red beans or black. I assumed it came with the entrée. Them got my bill and he charged me additional 4 bucks for beans. I brought it up. He advised it was additional. I have eaten here for years but I will NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN. Very disappointed. Now I know why no one was in the restaurant. Over priced!

I have eaten here many times and have always enjoyed the email. Everything tastes like the Cuban food I grew up eating in Miami! Live the appetizer that has tostones, fried yuca and chicharrones with a side of mojo. Yum! It’s located where beach and Atlantic meet.

We were welcomed by the owner as we walked in, and he ended up being our server for the night. He lavished attention on my mom and I, as well as made recommendations. We tried the Cuban sodas, which were delicious, as well as the empanadas, papas rellenas, and Havana bean dip. Everything was fresh and wonderful. We hope to come back for dancing in the Cuba Libre Bar!

Wow, what a pleasant surprise. Outstanding food and quite authentic. No doubt we will be back and soon!

Food tasted excellent. at least whatever was left on the buffet because we came close to 1pm and food was not refilled. I wish we were warned about this when we came in. We left full though.

Stopped by for the lunch buffet. Food was delicious and very flavorful. Priced at just $ 10, it was a great value. Really enjoyed my visit. Staff was friendly and welcoming. Will be back!

This place is really good! The host is warm and welcoming. The food is delicious. The environment is clean. There’s plenty of seating and the best part DANCING on the weekends. My first time here. I would return when I visit Jacksonville again.

I have been wanting to eat here for sometime, what a dissapointment. Food is flavorless and give you small portions and they charge way to much for what you get. Don’t waste your time or money. Go to Mambos for Cuban food it is really good or Puerto Plata is a hidden gem! This place is a disgrace to Cuban food. They have one job and it is to cook, they cant.

I attended a dinner celebrating the kick-​off to a wonderful 2015 with friends and colleagues from The H.I.L.L. of Northeast Florida. Given that this organization is devoted to the workforce development of the Hispanic community in our region, we thought it was appropriate to celebrate with a dinner at one of Jacksonville’s first Hispanic restaurants.
Havana-​Jax has been serving the Jacksonville market for over 20 years, and when I’m craving that uniquely Cuban flavor without having to make the trek to Miami, Havana-​Jax is my go to Cuban restaurant.
The group had a variety of Cuban dishes: the quintessential «Lechon Asado» (roast pork), «Ropa Vieja» (shredded beef), Cuban Sandwich, Chicken Steak, and «Arroz Con Pollo» (Chicken and Rice). None of the dishes disappointed, and the foodie in me, got all to share.
As for the service, Monday night is a slow night so we got top notch service. Everything came out piping hot and the servers were very attentive to our needs. Even when the computers went down, these pros did not fret. They quickly resorted to the old fashion way and wrote up manual tickets. Wow… I haven’t seen one of these in a long time!

The Havana — Jax café is unique in Jacksonville. It’s hard to find authentic Cuban in North Florida. I have been here several times over the years and make a point to stop back in if I am in the neighborhood.
The inside of the restaurant is rather small and unassuming. They recently started a lunch buffet which has a decent selection and it is quick. The inside of the restaurant side is nothing particularly spectacular it’s just a nice quiet restaurant.
On the other side of the building is the Cuba libre bar. The inside of that is done in old men’s club Cuban décor. There are leather couches and leather chairs in small seating groups. It is dim and the bar is of a good size. The interior of the bar is extremely pleasing to the eye, it just feels comfortable in there. I have not been there at night for dancing but it looks like it would be a lot of fun. Sometimes I will just stop by in the afternoon for a drink and hang out in there mostly by myself. It’s that comfortable of a place. I’ve not had any bad food here and I look forward to coming back. The staff is always friendly. I’ll post some pictures so you can see the inside.

My rating is a 4.5. I grew up in Miami/​South Florida and I left there in 2002 so I know good CUBAN food and it is next to impossible to find GENUINE Cuban food in North FL.
So last Thursday 10 JULY 2014 we had lunch here. This was our first time there so my wife and I ordered our South Florida dishes and they were Really-​Really good! I had the «Palomilla Steak with Black Beans and rice and she had the «Ropa Vieja (Old Clothes) with Black Beans and rice. I had ordered the «Yuca Frita» and it stayed TOO long in the fryer so that kept this review from being a «5»
Café Cubano and «Pio Quinto» for dessert was SPOT-​ON and our server «Araceli» spoke to us like valued customers even though this was our first visit it has become a favorite restaurant for us and we will return for dinner next time and some dancing especially MERENGUE dancing!!!

This place is just a hidden gem. Of course, we are biased as the waiter Miguel has been our server for years and even knows what we order down to the drinks.
Our table always orders mojitos– the best my husband has ever had– and diet coke and water for me. He brings me a carafe of each because I’m extremely thirsty. My husband always compares the mojitos he orders to these.
Our friends get the picadillo. They apparently love it because they order it every time. Perfect seasoning, hot and fresh. While we are waiting we get hot Cuban bread. It’s always a hit.
We order the masitas de puerco with yellow rice, black beans and tostones with mojo. They have the best mojo we have ever had perfectly balanced with garlic, lime juice and olive oil. We also have the chicharonnes de pollo. The sweet plantains are fabulous.
My friend had the Palmillo steak and apparently it wAs great because he didn’t offer me a single taste and it was gone with a quickness.
We also had a Cuban that was right on the money. Yum!
Miguel hooks us up with a dessert to share. Whether it’s flan or tres leches we haven’t been let down. It’s our favorite Cuban place in Jax! Highly recommend.

My girlfriend and I ate here last night. The food was good, but kinda pricey. We ordered the chicken and pork and flan for dessert. The yellow rice was excellent. We both substituted the beans for extra plantains.
The service was just ok. Food came out quick, but our waiter did not refill my girlfriend’s coke. I guess since we’re close to the end of our meal, he doesn’t want to waste opening another can:) He did refill my water really quick though.
Havana-​Jax deserves 3 stars. Good food followed by an average service and average looking establishment.