A fantastic Cuban themed restaurant. We've been to their NYC location dozens of times. Here not as much, but that will change. The food is really good. Ropa Vieja and the pernil are my go to's and they are on point. Service is also above board. The thing with this place is the experience, between the decor, food and ambience, it always feels so elegant and special. Add a bonus star if you catch the live Cuban music. read more

Happen to see advertisement outside stating free dinner for Kids with the purchase of an adult entrée. The good : Overall food was good, we ordered empanadas (shrimp and beef ) they tasted really good with the accompanied chimichurri sauce . We got our boys skirt steaks with fries and my wife and I had to half chickens and pernil respectively . Their mojitos are really good but unfortunately, they didn't have lemonade (soda ) so we ended up paying. $6 each for kid sized house made lemonade which was kinda a waste as my older didn't like it and I didn't want to bother sending it back . The bad: I am taking off a star because we had to wait a long time to get our check. I had asked for the check and a doggy bag, but had to flag my waiter down again to remind him to bring my check. Apparently the kids eat free special has to be approved by a manager . It felt like we waited 15-20 minutes till we got our check , by that time my kids were extremely irritated and my wife was pissed off. I know it's not the waiters fault but the restaurant wasn't that busy and I can't see why they couldn't have gotten this taken care of earlier . Sadly because of this incident, my wife does not want to come back here anymore knowing it takes forever to check out . read more

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Went to HC for lunch As always the service, food and ambiance were great. The courtesy and service from the staff is highly appreciated. The food delicious, I had "asopao de pollo", chicken soup with the rice cooked in along with potatoes and corn; it tasted as good as my "abuela's". The restaurant had just opened; I appreciated how clean it was and the readiness of the staff. The manager stopped by to greet us. I recommend HC: great location, free parking and handicap friendly, don't forget the delicious food. read more

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We really like this restaurant my kids enjoyed it so much that they are asking to return. We took advantage of the Friday deal, which is kids eat free on Fridays with an adult purchase. All of our food was very tasty and delicious. Our drinks too. Even my daughter who does not like steak decided to try it and love it. The service was amazing and fast five stars to the staff. The place was amazing and clean the music good. read more

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Dinner tasted great! Feels like I haven't had the Cuban from here in a while. But the sandwich was very tasty along with the sweet potato fries. Wifey loves her ropa vieja and has some leftovers for lunch tomorrow. But she too said the Cuban was tasty! Lil man loves cheese empanadas. According to him, while good they're not the best he has ever had. Churros were not anything special and I don't think are worth the $9. Service was quick and attentive and friendly. But I would think so given that it was slow evening and not many diners when we were there. Very chill spot. Plenty of seating for dinner service on a Wednesday night. Have been here before where it has been pretty busy. My only complaint/question is when we walked in the host asked if we had a reservation. We said we didn't. But looking around there was plenty of seating. So I wasn't sure why we would need a reservation. Second, she asked for a phone number and name but didn't explain the reason why. Wifey gave her the deets but I was curious as to why this was necessary. read more

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Came here for happy hour with one of my girlfriends and we had so much fun! The atmosphere is electric on a Friday night. The was live music and dancing and even the severs were upbeat and matching the energy of the music. The food was very delicious and memorable. I highly recommend! read more

Havana Central - Mar y Tierra I Steak & Shrimp - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

The Live salsa music band was amazing and the ambiance was family friendly. This was the perfect place to end a day of shopping and it had great decor. The food was decent and the service was great. We will definitely be back! read more

Havana Central - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

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I met up with two friends here last Sunday afternoon around 12:30pm. No wait and we had no reservations. It could be because they opened at noon that day haha. There was some parking when I arrived but when I was leaving around 2pm, there was absolutely no parking. The decor in the restaurant is very pretty. They have a gorgeous photo op at the front with a very pretty greenery backdrop and a neon sign that says "Havana Central". They even added some spooky characters to the backdrop I'm assuming for Halloween. There are both indoor seating and outdoor seating. We chose to sit inside even though the weather was beautiful out that day. The booths were all spacious. I noticed a private room at the back I'm assuming for private parties. Our waitress was very attentive and nice. One of my friends ordered a Havana Hurricane (alcoholic beverage) which he said was delicious. He said it had the right amount of alcohol and wasn't too strong. It was also very "Instagrammable". It looked like a lot of drink and he actually didn't finish it due to that, not the taste. For his entrée he ordered the Vaca Frita (Crispy Shredded Steak) which he was happy with. My other friend ordered the Maduros (Fried Sweet Plantains: 7 pieces) and Camarones Al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp). It came with a lump of yellow rice at the center. She said it was so good, she cleaned her plate. I ordered Arroz Con Camarones (Shrimp and Rice) which was also very good. There were some rice that was a little hardened but still overall, had a great flavor. The sauce is tomato based. Both my Vaca Frita friend and I had to take leftovers home because it was a lot of food. Before we got our food, there was a lady going around offering to take photos with her DSLR camera. You get one complimentary photo with a Havana Central border and if you want to purchase more, I think it starts at $20/photo. Cute little souvenir! The bathrooms were very clean and just as nice/clean looking as the restaurant dining area itself. When we were leaving, it looked like the live band was setting up in front of the Havana Central greenery backdrop so I was a little disappointed to have missed that! According to the sign at our table, they have Live DJs Spinning Fridays 7-10pm, Live Latin Music Saturdays 7-10pm and Sundays 3-6pm. The next time I come back, I definitely want to check out the Live Music! I just don't know how loud it'll be because without the music, the noise was minimal so I was able to converse with my friends without having to raise my voice. read more

This was my second visit to Havana Central. We were here to celebrate my best friend daughter's birthday. Everything was going well until my order was brought out incorrectly. When I placed my order, I specifically asked the waitress to omit onions and peppers and she agreed it would be done. I had to reorder something totally different because I didn't want them to pick out the onions and peppers and bring out the same order. The waitress should've spoken to the cook first before placing the order in my opinion. I was the last one in our dinner party to receive my food because of this situation. The other issue that I had with the waitress is we ordered drinks and she completely forgot to bring our drinks to the table until I mentioned to one of the servers. The drinks were served when the food arrived. This experience will not stop me from eating here again. read more

Everything was fresh and delicious. I would definitely come back. The arroz con pollo was probably the most flavorful I've EVER had. So good. read more

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Did I go on a bad day? The food was underwhelming. No flavor. Service was friendly and great though. read more

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Had a great time! Came here on a Saturday and they had a live band. I would come here again, the food was great especially the appetizers and the passionfruit margaritas read more

Havana Central - Drink menu - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

Stopped here for quick bite on our trip to the mall-Food is good but a little over priced. Service is really efficient and drinks are great! read more

Havana Central - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

Business is closed. :( I loved this place, the food the atmosphere, the rewards program, unfortunately they closed their business. Tried going there today only to be disappointed they closed. Sign on the door said their manhattan location is still open. Too far for us. Hope they will reopen. Closed as 9/21/25 read more

Havana Central - Sign - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

Came here for a late dinner for my friends boyfriend's birthday. We got here at almost 9 which was pretty close to their closing time at 10 so I did feel a bit rushed by our waiter. I forgot the name of my drink but I believe it was like a passion fruit pina colada; it was very sweet but delicious. As our appetizer, we shared a fried calamari which was not that great, was a bit greasy. As my entree, I had their salmon with mango sauce which came with rice and beans. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the sauce was a nice balance. The rice and beans were very tasty as well. I would return and arrive a little earlier to see if the service improves. read more

Havana Central - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

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I had a very great experience. Service was quick and friendly. The beer could've been colder, but I'm not complaining. The food was delicious. Very rich in flavor. They had a very nice dessert menu as well. They had light music playing in the background which helped with the experience. If you're in the area check them out. A little pricey, but worth it. read more

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Friends of mine came over to visit from Ecuador and they had nothing but positive news about Havana Central. They loved the food, service and ambiance. Thank You for making me look good. read more

Came in here with a group of ten and had reservations. Service was generally quick and our waiter, Jose, was very on top of checking in with our table and making sure we had everything. We started with some drinking recommendations such as the white sangria (pitcher) and the pitcher of the passion fruit margarita. Both were excellent and very fresh and sweet. I had the rum flight which was comprised of four drinks featuring rum. The Cuba libre, Havana colada, rum punch and the blue Havana. All were very good and the Havana colada was reminiscent of a creamy egg nog with nice cinnamon spice almost like a Coquito. Overall drinks were pretty good, a bit slow to get to our table but it's understandable as we had a large group and they generally brought out everything all at once. Onto the appetizers, our group had the yucca fries, empanadas (shrimp, chicken, and ropa vieja) salsa and chips with guacamole. Yucca fries were well seasoned and crispy. The sauce was interesting like a Chipotle mayo aioli. The empanadas were a good size and very satisfying. Definitely don't skip those they're great. For the main dishes most of our group got the surf and turf, which is the grilled skirt steak and garlic shrimp. It came with yellow rice and beans on the side. One person got the mango glazed salmon, one person got the vaca frita, which is sliced crispy steak with cilantro rice and a fried egg. Another person got the garlic shrimp. They also had a monthly special menu and from that menu we got the lacon al vino, which was a pork shank slowly simmered in red wine served with mashed yucca and Moro rice. Overall the portions were very big and were had plenty to share. The steak was ordered medium though I recommend medium rare or even rare as skirt steak can get a bit tough if over cooked. The garlic shrimp were fantastic and the sauce was great for dipping the steak into should you not want the default chimichurri sauce. The lacon al vino was probably the biggest portion and had the most depth of flavor. It was sweet, tender and paired perfectly with the yucca mash. For dessert we had the mango mousse, it was very sweet and a bit over the top with whipped cream and Nila wafers. Not really heavy on the mango flavor and tasted a bit over processed. The other side of the table shared some classic churros with a chocolate and caramel dipping sauce. Overall, a wonderful restaurant with amazing service and top notch food quality. Will definitely be back to try more of their expansive menu. Totally worth the trip out of your looking for a new Cuban spot. They had live music on Saturday and it was great vibes. read more

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The restaurant is really nicely decorated with warm lighting. We came here around 1:30pm and got seated immediately. They seemed to also be setting up a stage for a band performance later in the evening. Guava Ribs ($24.95) w yellow rice + black beans - I got the guava ribs and it came with a side of either white/yellow rice and black beans/salad. I was a bit nervous to get these ribs based on the other reviews saying they were dry, but that was not the case. The ribs were really good, crispy but also juicy. It featured a sweet glaze and was topped with a mango salsa (not spicy). There was a good portion of yellow rice and beans, seasoned wonderfully. I would definately order this dish again! 5/5. The waitress was really attentive and checked in on us occasionally, bringing napkins and filling our water. I will say, it did take a bit for our food to come out and when I was still working on my meal, like 3 different staff members tried to clean up my meal though haha but I don't think they were trying to kick me out since it was too busy. read more

Havana Central - Guava Glazed Ribs - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

Not a great first impression - I walk in to give my name for the reservation - the lady at the counter is looking at another employees photos - until I spoke up to give my reservation. Once seated our drink/food orders were taken - it took forever for everything to come out, and when the food came out, we still didn't have our drinks (shoutout to the guy who kept refilling our water) it wasn't crazy busy, so I don't understand the long wait. The salmon dish was good but the steak was dry and not much flavor. The inside decor is pretty and there was a live band playing. read more

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Although this wasn't my first time at a Havana Central establishment, this was my first visit to the location in Garden City. The food, service, and overall ambiance of the establishment was far better than my experiences at their other locations. Although my husband and I ultimately decided to order our food to go, we were surprised that the quality and quantity were not compromised. This Garden City location of Havana Central left an overall strong first impression. Havana Central is located at the Roosevelt Mall with its own private entrance. With that said, parking is shared among the mall parking so it is plentiful and free. If you don't find a spot right away, be patient as people are consistently coming in and out. The restaurant itself was well lit, decorated, and well-maintained. At the time of our visit, the establishment was busy servicing patrons during happy hour, regular dining, and takeout. The hostess was extremely welcoming, friendly, and patient with our questions as we decided what to order. She made us feel very comfortable to wait inside while our order was being prepared consistently checking in with us as if we were dining in. The food came out in a reasonable time and was within the quoted time we were told by the hostess. Our order consisted of: - Empanada Sampler (beef, ropa vieja, and shrimp) - Cuban Sampler (with a tres queso and a shrimp empanada) - Sandwich Cubano Clasico All of the empanadas were tasty. They were stuffed with their respective fillings. Although they were all tasty, my standout favorites included the tres queso and shrimp. The Cuban Sampler provided us with many of our favorite items including the maduros and tostones. The chicken wings were cooked well and perfectly seasoned. The chimichurri sauce that came with the sampler complemented all of the items perfectly. Our only gripe was that we had asked for a side of extra chimchurri. We were promised to have it, but when our order came out, the woman who gave it to us wouldn't double check, "guaranteed" it was in the bag, and was trying to hurry us along. Unfortunately it wasn't. Other than that, my husband's Cubano Sandwich was also good. I didn't get a chance to try it, but he didn't have any complaints with it and said he would definitely order it again in the future. We're looking forward to paying a visit to this location of Havana Central upon our next visit to Garden City. A dine in experience and trying more items on the menu are part of our plans for next time. If you're still trying to decide whether to dine here, go for it. Solid food and experience. read more

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I can't explain how much I love this restaurant! Whenever I come home to visit, this is my go to for some good home Cuban food. Located outside of Roosevelt field mall, Havana central is an energetic and lively restaurant with amazing food and decor. When you walk in, you're welcomed by the liveliness of the restaurant and the Cuban music in the background. Everything I have ordered here is delicious and cooked to perfection. The service is always quick and friendly and the staff always have good recommendations. Everything we ordered came out so quick. I will be back! read more

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Super cute Great portions Happy hour was a huge W we had drinks and wanted MORE so delicious We had passion fruit mojitos and it was cute and delicious had a mango one too The food portions are huge They even had someone offering to take pictures for you!! I love that!! It's the small details read more

Havana Central - C - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

My gal pal & I were craving something Cuban and this was steps away from our hotel. We walked in and it was such a beautiful place! The ambiance was incredible with the fantastic music alone! We were greeting by our fabulous server and were starving so we ordered some appetizers. We got these delicious drinks! My Piña Colada was OMG AMAZINGGGG! I immediately wanted chips + guac. My friend wanted plantains. We then placed our regular food orders and were sooooo excited for our food! Everything was great (other than it being extremely warm inside) they trulyyy made me feel like we were in Cuba! All in all a perfect meal with an even more wonderful friend! I highly recommend! read more

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The service was great, but the food was just okay. Not Cuban food, more like Cuban Style food. The beans were bland, not seasoned and the rice was over cooked. The Cuban sandwich tastes good even though the pork was dry. read more

Havana Central - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

Attended a work reception at Havana Central. The door is modern without being over the top. Our reception was held over by the bar. We had a limited menu with a limited set of drinks. As a matter of fact, we had select appetizers to choose from All of the appetizers and drinks were on point. I had the Coconut Mojito, which had a stick of sugar cane in it. One thing to note, they had fresh popcorn , which had a mild seasoning on it. Very different yet delicious. read more

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Enjoyed a great meal on a late Sunday afternoon with my family. Food and drinks were great and my three kids enjoyed every but and got a kick out of the live music! read more

Havana Central - Havana hurricane - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

I have been going to the Manhattan location for years and have felt that the quality especially of the empanadas has gone down. But this location is doing something to bring the quality back up. The crust was crispy and the inside was perfectly flavored with beef and one with chicken. The Avocado salad was good. The shrimp and rice and black beans was very good. The yellow rice and shrimp plentiful and full of flavor. The service from Tamia was five star. Tamiami was pleasant and patient with our party of four. All of our questions were answered and suggestions were given. She showed us the monthly specials. Food and drinks were served right on time. We were all pleased with our food. Shout out to the manager, Anthony for coming around and checking on us and answering our questions also. Great food and service! read more

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I had to change my birthday plans at the last minute and decided to give this place a try. Everything was delicious. Our waiter was just the right amount of attentive and ran into one of my former group leaders who is now a manager there. The kids portions were great and had great options. My daughters loved the food. The empanadas were all so good. There are lots of photo opportunities and beautiful art in the walls. There was a live band playing music. I got a fedora and they sang happy birthday to me. Great time read more

Came on a Friday night during their kids eat free promotion. The restaurant itself is spacious and plenty of seating. The music was uncomfortably loud. We came to eat, not clubbing. Sigh...Lots of enthusiastic staff in this establishment but ours was lacking that. We were seated shortly after arrival, the waiter seemed to be in a rush to put our drinks and apps in. Didn't really explain the menu item we questioned. The app sampler was very nice. Beautiful presentation and delicious. Both Pernil and The shrimp and rice were well seasoned and tasty. However, the drinks were inconsistent. Had ordered two mojitos, one of them came with the sugar still sitting on the bottom of the glass. Overall, not the worse experience bcuz the food was good. read more

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Solid Cuban spot in Garden City! I enjoyed the lively music and the pretty decor inside the restaurant. My husband and I shared the Caribbean Wings and thought the sauce was tasty. It wasn't spicy at all, which I liked. I was craving a Cuban so I ordered the Sandwich Cubano Clásico. The bread was soft and toasty. There was plenty of pork but I would have preferred a little bit more mustard. read more

Havana Central - Caribbean Wings - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

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I came for a weekday happy hour, and they have quite a few drink options. $7 margaritas and mojitos, but an extra $1 for fruit flavor, so I went for some mango. It was fine for a happy hour drink. We got some Havana street corn as appetizers, which had a minimal dusting of spice (paprika mainly) and butter. Looking at the photo on their site, they definitely did us minimal on that. We also shared empanadas and sliders, but both of those were good but pretty standard. For a group get together, I guess it was fine. It was hard to get water refills. The food was fine. The drink was okay only for the happy hour price. It's not bad, but I didn't think it was anything special. read more

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Sadly this was very disappointing. We were seated right away. Waiter also came right away and took our orders. Our empanada sampler appetizer was really good whereas my cubano was both soggy and dry at the same time. The bread is definitely not supposed to be soggy considering it's pressed but it was and that alone ruined the taste. The pork was dry with the taste to match. Fries were really good though. Our waiter also disappeared and we had to flag someone else down to get a drink refill. Cuban sandwiches are my favorite so this was a let down. read more

Food, Service and Ambiance is Great! Wife and I Love it especially our Waitress Maria. She's just wonderful. Maria we Love Ya. read more

Havana Central - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

I'll preface this by saying that I've lived in Miami most of my life, so I have extremely high standards for Cuban food. This wasn't the best I've had, but it was definitely good. We got the Caribbean wings, which came with a very generous portion in a huge bucket. They also have a wide variety of drink options, with different sizes, flavors, frozen, and liquid options. We got the vaca frita and the ropa vieja, two classic Cuban dishes, which were both very good and flavorful. It's part of the mall, so probably plan to park in the parking garage and walk a bit. read more

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My husband and I arrived to havana and were greeted immediately! I love it here! The vibe is always cool, friendly, happy, there's music playing, and people are always laughing and smiling! We started off with empanadas as appetizer and we chose to do one chicken, one beef, and one cheese. All three were delicious!! Another starter, was the signature guacamole and chips. The guac is always so delicious fresh, and good here that we always eat it so fast!! For entree we both got churasco with yellow rice. And as usual, it was just the way we love it! Medium, full of flavor, soft, tender and delicious!!! We always enjoy coming here for dinner! read more

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Reserved a table for two with outdoor seating. amazing ambience and vibe. Nice area for shopping and a nice lunch. Our server was amazing. She was so helpful, and always had a smile on. very accommodating. The food was a 9/10 ‼This was our first time trying this restaurant and would definitely go back again. The steak was cooked perfectly and the shrimp and the rice was so flavorful. love. read more

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Food, service, and ambiance is always good at Havana every single time I go! I have been going for years but this is the first time I got the Cubano & it was delicious! read more

Havana Central - Latin American Near Me - Garden City, New York

I was interested in Havana Central for some time. I'm so glad that we went. Cuban food is one of my favorite type of restaurants. From Miami to the 5 boroughs I find myself comparing to find the most authentic restaurant. Havana is definitely in the top 3. The food was excellent. The Ropa vieja is my numeró uno dish and Havana did not disappoint. My plate arrived at my table so fresh that my rice couldn't keep its cylinder form. It's a family atmosphere verse a intimate setting. I personally prefer intimate but that in no way takes away from Havana. Being as it's connected to the mall it has a younger crowd which can be annoying in my eyes. To each is own. Great establishment and we will revisit. read more

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The food is excellent, the service was good and the ambiance is sexy.Every time I'm the my time spent eating is pure love.