I discovered I don't like Cuban food. My co-worker made a reservation. Two of us got the pulled pork, one the enchiladas, one pork chops with the bone in, another got a salad, and I couldn't see the last two. Three of our seven were members of the clean plate club, two were full, and two didn't care for the meal. This place only gets three start because the service was SLOW. For the most part, everyone enjoyed the food. The empanada appetizers were great. read more

Havana Grill - Enchiladas - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had the Carne Asada, and it was cooked medium rare just like I requested. The meat was very tender but did require me to add additional salt to get the true flavor of the meat. Note to chef - don't be afraid to season the food! The salsa and the guacamole trio were very tasty but the guacamole lacked salt and spices. I really enjoyed my spicy margarita and my husband loved his old fashion. My husband said they deserve 3.75 stars because the service was great. read more

Havana Grill - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Just do this. We did a guacamole appetizer.. seriously the best guacamole I've ever had. That's saying A LOT. Then I had the Cuban sandwich, date had chicken Cubano salad. My sandwich was FANTASTIC!!!!! Sweet potato fries done perfectly. Did a side of congri, some sort of rice dish that will knock your socks off. Threw it all down with a glass of the house Pinot noir and ended with a slice of chocolate cake. Service was great, music level APPROPRIATE: not loud, we could easily talk and enjoy each other's company. Idea: create a semi authentic desert such as fried plantains and rice cooked in coconut milk and vanilla. Think about it, guys.. either way, WE WILL BE BACK read more

Havana Grill - Dining room - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Overrated, overpriced. No flavor, small drinks. This is not even close to Cuban food. Please don't spend your money in here. Not worth it

Wow. I love Cuban food and this place had me wanting more the next day. Our plates were perfectly cooked and really packed a punch with every bite. This may be the best Cuban food I've ever had, and it's even better than the Cuban food in Miami. I will say that the empanadas were good, but I've had better. Overall I really enjoyed the food, and atmosphere here. read more

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Looking for lunch around the loop I try Cuban food But was mix of favs Guacamole jibaritos ? Well I order Mojito cubano Jibarito and side of congry but I need something real spicy so I try the $.75 habanero sauce Mojito was good Jibarito whit fries Jibarito was bland Service on point Thanks I will try the ropa vieja next time read more

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Such a phenomenal spot in river north on a nice night eating outside. Outstanding service and attention end to end. Really recommend and while the calamari was just okay, the main dish I got (steak sandwich) was perfect and with the most flavorful fries and delicious sauces! read more

Really fun resutarant with a great location and outdoor eating. They have really great mojitos, with many flavor options. They clearly cater to the 20 something crowd, with a lot of tequila options and mojito flights. The food is pretty good too. read more

This is my 7th trip here. First with the family. Love the atmosphere. The food is always great. Service is very attentive. They have a great variety of foods, including a very nice vegetarian options. Love coming here. read more

Havana Grill - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Only been for drinks. The place was empty, it was me and a couple at the bar. The drinks are really good but tiny, so I finished quickly. The bartender was talking to his coworkers, not paying attention but when he did start to pay attention, he gave it all to the couple next to me, ignoring me. He was very nice to them, very dry with me. I was ready to buy more drinks but seeing as though he was focused on the people next to me, I said forget it. When he did talk to me, I asked for the check instead and he said "that's it?" Clearly disappointed that I'm not spending more money. Why would I? There are many more places to go for drinks after work. I tipped the typical 20 percent instead of the 75 percent I planned on spending. You can't expect a phenomenal tip with sub par service. I won't be returning. read more

Havana ooo nana! You must try the chicken chimichangas ($11) Best food on the menu hands down. They come as an appetizer and are broken into pieces so you can share very easily. It is a fairly large appetizer. They come in the most delicious dipping sauce. It is so savory and delicious. You can eat spoons of the sauce. The steak sandwich is also good, but I'd do the chimichangas if you have to decide. And... the restaurant turns into such a Latin dance fest later in the evening. They move the tables and have a little dance floor and DJ/ live band. They even have disco lights. read more

The best Cuban food and mojitos! They have dancing Friday's and Saturday's and a delightful patio in the summer. It truly encapsulates the Cuban essence with delicious food, drinks and lovely environment. read more

Great service. Delicious food. Amazing flights. A must try if you're in the area. We had empanadas and other yummy authentic foods. read more

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The best steak sandwich I have ever had. I was so hungry that I didn't take a photo before I ate. Great servers, great music, and not too crowded at lunchtime. I would come here every day if I could. read more

Havana Grill - Havana Steak Sandwich that i already ate - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Havana Grill is excellent. Truly the best seafood tacos in the city!! The flavor is out of this world. read more

Havana Grill - Seafood Tacos - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have dined at Havana Grill a few fines. The food is always fresh and flavorful. Tonight I had the tostones for appetizer and the Combo Paella for my entré. The paella was outstanding with baby scallops, squid, 3 large shrimp, 2 huge mussels, chicken and pineapple. I also had the original caiparinha, I must say that this is one of the few places I have found in the city which matters a truly authentic caipirinha! They are not difficult to make but most places just don't do it right I highly recommend Havana Grill for authentic Cuban add Latin flavors read more

Havana Grill - Paella - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great atmosphere, had dinner with friends here. Ordered the Mojito flight and the jibarito. Mojito (guava, original, mango) - all of them were delicious and wow has a kick. Jibarito was cooked perfectly had fries as a side and it was seasoned well. I also shared some apps with my friends, this salsa with like plantain chips, calamari (needed more salt) but great texture. Overall, we had a great meal, service was good they followed up and refilled our drinks in a timely manner. read more

Havana Grill - mojito flight (original, guava, mango) - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The BEST steak sandwich I have ever had! Must have again! The servers and very kind, great music, and AMAZING food. read more

Havana Grill - My finished Havana Steak Sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I always love this place! I had my birthday dinner here and my mom also had her birthday dinner here. We love the downstairs area because it's kind of secluded - perfect for large groups or private parties. It's cozy downstairs with candles and nice decor too. The only downside to this place is that the upstairs a bit small, so I would sit downstairs if I had to choose. The staff is SUPERB. Our server we had recently, Heriberto, was top notch, and attentive to everything we needed. The food is delicious and the portions are very large! I can't ever finish my meal, so I get leftovers (score!). The Ropa Vieja is classic, but the Pollo Limon y Coco is to DIE for. Their menu is so large, I'll have to come back and try more of their different menu items. Pro-tip: this place is known for their delicious mojitos. They have lots of different flavors! The dessert is also scrumptious: their flan is really good, the chocolate fudge cake is delicious and the strawberries and cream is out of this world. Also, on Fridays and Saturdays, the upstairs turns into a Spanish nightclub at 11pm... live music with bongos and dancing. They move all the tables and people come dressed up. If you're a dancer, come later on the weekends! read more

What a nice authentic Cuban oasis in this busy river north neighborhood! We were having a Friday after work happy hour in one of many bars near by, decided on this restaurant for dinner because of their amazing mojitos. I've never been to this place, was super excited to try something new, especially authentic Cuban restaurants are rare in Chicago. Everything about this place screams Havana, like a restaurant inside someone's home. The music, the ambiance tights together perfectly. We were taken to the basement (for larger groups) after we walked in. We ordered a pitcher of mojitos right away, took a while for it to be brought out but it was totally worth the wait. Definitely the best mojitos I've ever had. Very fresh ingredients with a good amount of alcohol. The menu is easy to read with lots of options, chicken, beef, pork, seafood, vegetarian all covered. I went with the crab cake appetizer and ropa vieja ( the most Cuban dish ever). Crab cake had great flavor, loved the mango salsa on the side, the hot black bean sauce was great too, wasn't sure what to do with it though. The ropa vieja blew my mind. It tasted so authentic with so much flavor, the beef was perfectly cooked, and a nice portion too. The service was overall pretty great, generally a long wait for things to come out. (It was a busy night, totally understandable) I really enjoyed their authenticity, amazing food and drinks, affordable couldn't ask for more. read more

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This is my husbands and I favorite spot! We celebrate anniversaries and events here! Food, drinks and service perfect! We even came here at noon after our wedding day!!!!! This is a small, delicious little piece of Havana in the middle of our beautiful city! read more

Havana Grill - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

When I find a place I love, I go there a second time just to make sure it's real. Both my visits have surpassed my expectations. Finding well seasoned vegetarian options is a frequent challenge I face when dining outside and Havana is just the place to go when you want authentic and rich flavors in Latin cuisine. In just one bite, you will find a true testament to their use of fresh ingredients. Both times, I started with their classic Mojito pitcher, and their guacamole which is so flavorful and limey, my only complaint is that the portion of guacamole is a bit small. The pico de gallo and the other sauce isn't something I particularly care for and I would rather have more of the guacamole than those other two sauces. On both visits, I have gone with friends and we ordered a diverse range of entrées both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and everyone has been beyond satisfied with their selections. The service is impeccable and in a time where every restaurant is running low on staff you can see that this does not discourage their attitude and they are frequently checking on the tables every chance they get. The loud music on the patio adds to the ambiance and lets everyone feel free and have a nice enjoyable time. Wishing Havana and their hard-working staff continued success! read more

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Love the ambiance and the mojitos are to die for! Just like the ones you get in Cuba. Chips and GuacamoleCarne Asada Love the ambiance and the mojitos are to die for! Just like the ones you get in Cuba. Chips and GuacamoleCarne Asada read more

So happy to see this neighborhood gem back open for take out! Food was even better than we remembered - crunchy salty chips and super fresh guacamole was the standout - and everyone was so nice as usual. Will definitely be back for more to get through these quarantine days and will have to see if we can get some mojitos to go! read more

To start off, I only gave Havana 4 stars because I can't choose a 4.5 lol. We decided on Havana for drinks and dinner after the great reviews! There was a bit of a wait after 7pm or so but we ended up grabbing seats at the bar as soon as they opened up. We ordered the Empanada trio plate, Sweet Plantains, and a few other tapas I can't remember the names of. The food was really tasty and seemed authentic! Loved the decor, lighting fixtures, and vibes (reminded me of my recent trip to Cartagena, Colombia) and the bar was AMAZING! Both layout and variety all sectioned off by type to make it so easy for the customer! The bartenders were sooooo friendly and attentive and checked-in on how our food was also. BUT the Caipirinhas (cocktails) were SO STRONG no one could finish it (I know usually this is a good thing but not when money gets wasted) hence the rating =( ...But if you're down for strong drinks though have at it! I definitely recommend coming here for some great tasting food and a fun lively vibe for a night out. I didn't get to go downstairs to where they have live music and dancing but I feel like it would've been cool... but I'LL BE BACK! read more

My boyfriend and I were in town for my birthday and we were looking for some late night restaurants and stumbled across Havana. A lot of the places were closing and the Cuban/Mexican music here caught our attention. It was a cute candle lit restaurant, lights were very dim, awesome music and nice waiters and waitresses. I ordered the pork chops with broccoli and jalapeño mash potatoes. Amazing and very flavorful. The only thing is the sauce was a little too sweet and thick. I found myself using the mash potatoes to wash the sauce a bit. The jalapeño mash potatoes are to die for. My boyfriend ordered the Tilapia tacos, which came with black beans and rice. It also came with some sauce. You have to try it with the sauce. The mango martini was amazing ! The waitress even took care of my birthday cake ! This is also a nice bar to stop by around midnight. It has a Dj booth and some fun people :) read more

Havana Grill - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had the pleasure of dining here during a business trip. My friend who, suggested this place and the food was amazing. I had crab cakes for my appetizer. Our waitress took our drink order right away and brought it fairly quickly. Everything else about our actual service was a wait and chase effort. We had to flag her down to take our entree order. I ordered the pollo horneado con plantains. It came with a side of mashed sweet potatoes . Next, We had to flag her down for a drink refill, which we never got. Upon getting teady to leave, We had to flag her down for our bill. We couldn't get her attention, so my coworker went inside to get assistance from management. Our entire time eating was about thirty total minutes. Our wait time in between was an hour and 15 minutes. Our food was brought out by two different people. Our bill of two apps, two drinks, and two entrees, was combined into one large order, which was apparently difficult to separate between two diners. The workers were super polite but the service was too slow for a non prime time. Had our server been more attentive this could have easily been a five-star review. read more

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This is one of the BEST Cuban Restaurants in Chicago. They have EXCELLENT customer service, food & libations. The Restaurant converts into a party atmosphere on Friday & Saturday Nights with a live Cuban band, it's really awesome. I would HIGHLY recommend Havanna to all tourist as well as locals. read more

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I had a steak cubano and the plate size was great! Also tried had the plantains and they were super yummy.

Cuban sandwich was 5 star and so was the carne asada. Tortilla soup was best I have had. Loud, fun relaxed atmosphere.

Was in town for a couple of days and was in a serious mood for some authentic Spanish food. Came across Havana on yelp and read the reviews. Upon entering the restaurant service was polite and quick. Me and my group were attended and seated quickly during the evening rush. Major thumbs up for that. Now to the food, I ordered a ropa vieja. It was absolutely amazing! I have to say it's one of the best I've ever had. Only draw is that the portion is type small. It's not a knock just a heads up. My friends also order the Cuban sandwich, pork with rice and everyone was blown away by their food. So Havana you get two big thumbs up! Lastly, the drinks. I ordered a mojito which was absolutely great! It's almost addictive so beware it's that good. Hope this helps! Thank you Havana for the great experience. read more

Let me preface my review by saying that I wouldn't necessarily recommend this place if you weren't specifically looking for a restaurant that serves Cuban food, but it is pretty good! The service is almost *too* quick. We didn't have enough time to eat our appetizers before the entrees came out from the kitchen, which isn't necessarily the *worst* thing. The staff is on top of drinks and you will never wonder where you server is. It's a smaller place, so the noise can get pretty loud.. I wouldn't recommend this place if you are looking to catch up with other people. Overall, decent place and experience. I definitely think, overall, you can go to better restaurants in the area for comparable pricing, but the service here is great and the Cuban food is good. So if you are craving Cuban food, it is worth the try! read more

Havana Grill - Carne con Tequila $21 - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Got almost robbed here, don't recommend Sad because we were recommended to go here in particular read more

This restaurant is trash! I ate here and ended up in the hospital with food poisoning. Be cautious when making your selection to dine here. I then attempted to follow-up with the manager. Go figure the woman answering the phone refused to let me talk to him and hung up in my face. There are other restaurants in the area with elite customer service and it's likely you won't get sick. Proceed with caution when patronizing this restaurant. Follow-up: I called back the following day and was able to talk to Noe, the manager. He was extremely helped and apologetic. He displayed the customer service I should've received the first. Thank you Noe. read more

Delicious Authentic Cuban Food with fantastic service. Highly recommended to all Cuban food enthusiasts. The Cuban sandwich reminds me of Key West Florida! The drinks are out of this world!! read more

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Good latin dinner spot in the busy River North area! I have been here several times and have never been disappointed with either the food or the service. On my last visit here before hitting a few bars in the area I opted for the steak sandwich with a side of yuca con mojo and everything was so flavorful! The sandwich has a side of french fries and sweet potato fries so that should be a good enough portion but not sure why I ordered the yuca on the side (Yuca was great too!) My friend ordered the Cuban sandwich and he really liked it as well. They have a great selection of mojitos and caipirinhas with many different flavors to choose from. Note that they have daily (mon-friday) drink specials so check the board when you walk in to see what they are or ask the friendly servers. When I was there it was $20 pitchers of margaritas which is a good deal if you are with someone else who wants to share the pitcher. Overall the experience was great and the food was also great so I will for sure be back to Havana if I am craving some Cuban food in that area! read more

My husband and I were looking for a low-key spot to have a couple drinks and be able to hear each other in the area. The bar at Havana didn't appear to be too busy so we stopped in for a drink. We learned that their drinks menu was very reasonable so we both ordered a peach and mango mojito at $8 each- a steal for this area. Both drinks were excellent. We wanted the flavored mojitos but we could have opted for the pitcher of the house mojito for $20, their Friday special. For food, we split an order of the Tostones. I personally prefer the yellow plantains to the green ones since they are sweeter but these were still good. I especially enjoyed the garlic sauce they came with. Service was excellent here. The bar tender was quick with refills and the food came out quickly. I'm excited to return and see what their dinner menu is like. read more

Havana Grill - Tostones - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My girlfriends and I love coming to this place and Salim, Arturo, and Brody are so amazing!!

I went to this establishment with my closest friends all from different backgrounds. As I am a server I noticed ours never checked on us. The beginning of the night we asked about an industry discount which the host told me was available. Later The sever never gave it to us then applied the tip hisself without a bill over $600 dollars. I knew he was judging us at face value and didn't believe we were going to tip well. The food was amazing as well as the drinks but I was uncomfortable he treated us like we could not afford it. He still received a great tip over the amount he placed. Hopefully In the future this establishment is welcoming and trusting of people with all different background ages and ethnicities. read more

Delicious dinner, but gosh did it get loud on a Friday evening! I found myself yelling across just a two-person table. We shared the Pollo Horneado con Platano (chicken) and Vaca Frita (beef). The chicken breast chunks were a little dry, but well-seasoned and infused with the plantain leaves it's baked in. It came with a delicious side of sweet potatoes - wish there were more! The shredded beef was juicy with a perfect balance of citrus, and comes with some tasty rice & beans. Their meat portions are generous, but I was craving more carbs to complement my protein intake. Will be back, but maybe not during peak hours so I can actually have a conversation over a meal. :) read more