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    Havana Kitchen

    4.8 (141 reviews)

    Havana Kitchen Photos

    HAVANA KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Havana Kitchen

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    Inside: signage on wall
    Mark F.

    Seems like this is a delicious hidden gem in Torrey Pines that been around for a little over a year now. The small parking lot for this restaurant is shared with other business so I can see that could become an issue during peak times. Our first visit was on a lazy Sunday afternoon and we parked right in front of the entrance like a VIP. They have a row of barstools with a dining counter that runs the length of the windows outside along side the street, if that's your jam. Looks perfect to dine with your pup outside. Inside, there are plenty of tables with big windows facing the street that are perfect for people watching while you enjoy your meal. The staff are friendly. The food is yummy and served hot! The house coffee blend served here is awesome! I had an Americano and dropped in a bit of sugar, which all went down smooth and complemented my meal perfectly! We really liked the Loaded Yucca Fries that come topped with melted cheese, Roast Pork, aioli, Spicy Mojo & cilantro. I would come back just for these fries and their coffee honestly! The Ropa Vieja is decent here and so was the Cubano sandwich. I want to try their empanadas next visit. Overall, this restaurant is closer to my home than other Cuban restaurants and that convenience will bring me back for more soon!

    Havana Benedict with cuban roast pork.
    Michelle F.

    Who knew Cuban food was this delicious?!? Stopped in for a late breakfast on a Saturday morning. The place was empty but as soon as we got our food the line grew. The space is large with plenty of seating. For food we had the: Original Cuban sandwich. So good!! the bread was toasted to perfection. It's the best combination of mustard, ham, swiss, pickles and pork. A good size, totally shareable but you won't want to! Trust me. Pork Benedict. Delicious Cuban roast pork with perfect poached eggs. The perfect bite with the best seasonings. The beans served on the side were really good as were the potatoes. Unfortunately I saved all my room for the Benedicts. Beef empanada. Ordered it to go. This was my least favorite. Unlike most empanadas the dough was fried like a chimichanga- american style. All in all a great delicious dining experience at Havana Kitchen. Nice friendly staff, happy to help you narrow down your options. Although it's in a odd like pocket of La Jolla it's totally worth it the stop.

    Cari A.

    Great place to have a casual meal. Pros: -small, free parking lot next to the restaurant -friendly staff -they serve breakfast all day -the rice and beans were my favorite, even better the next day in my opinion -they make their own hot sauce -self serve water station is available Cons -n/a

    Cuban shredded beef
    Kevin L.

    Located in La Jolla, there's a large amount of indoor seating. We were greeted kindly by the employees working there. Cuban shredded beef (5/5): super flavorful. The beef was tender. The beans complimented the beef perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed the plantains. They were a bit on the sweet side but the crispy texture was so amazing. Tap to pay is accepted. Overall, Havana Kitchen is a spectacular place. Service was great as the employees checked in with our food and table.

    Empanada Combo
    Sydni S.

    So glad I found this spot because I'm always looking for a place that has some good plantains! I got the empanada combo and I loved this option because you get to try a few different empanada flavors but you still get the plantains, rice, and black beans as a side. There was plenty of seating and even a parking lot which feels rare for La Jolla.

    Chicken plate
    Kevin T.

    This place is such a hidden gem. I'm so glad I went to this place. Ever since my partner and I have eaten here, we've been back so many times. This is probably the best Cuban food I've ever had. Every dish I've tried is so good. Their empanadas are so flavorful and the meat to pastry ratio is perfect. All their sauces for dipping are so good I can't even decide on which is my favorite. If you try this place I highly recommend the ropa vieja and some chicken empanadas. The parking lot is small, but everytime I've come by, there's always been a spot to park. The workers here are so nice. They gave me some sauces on the house even though it's supposed to be charged extra.

    Katherine K.

    Very cute place decor wise and the staff is friendly. Their food left something to be desired, however. I tried their Loaded Yuca Fries (they don't give you much for the price, really enjoyed the first bite, but flavor went downhill with every bite), Veggie Empanada (my favorite thing I tried from here. I really enjoyed all the filling and the flavors paired very nicely together) and Chicken Cilantro Empanada (couldn't really taste the cilantro and the chicken was on the drier side. Should've been better). I wasn't a big fan of the dough they used for the empanada, but my friend enjoyed it. I'm not sure how their sammiches and other stuff are, but I probably won't be back to try out. 2.5 stars, but rounding to 3.

    Empanada Combo - 3 Empanadas of your choice with rice, black beans, and sweet plantains. I got chicken, beef, and oscar.
    Arnel R.

    An excellent place to go for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I feel like I could eat here for every meal, every day. We came for breakfast and my partner and I ended up getting the Benedict and the Empanada Combo. First, the Empanada Combo is sooo savory and comforting. I ordered beef, chicken, and the oscar. I initially wanted to try three different kinds so I could have some variety, but if I could time-travel back and do it all again I would definitely order three of the chicken. They are so so so so so good, and with the rice, beans, and plantains to go with it make it perfect. The Benedict was excellent. The egg, bread, and all the other ingredients blended together in one bite makes us happy. The poached egg with the creamy sauce was perfect! The flavors were all perfect!

    Havana Eggs Benedict
    T B.

    Still a great spot to get breakfast or lunch while visiting San Diego. Always trying new items and they are all great!

    Empanadas
    Casey D.

    Truly spectacular. This place definitely deserves more customers. Staff was friendly and helpful. Food was extremely flavorful! We got 3 empanadas ($11.75) - my favorite was the beef! We also ordered the steak sandwich, which left me wanting more even though I was already so full. Free parking lot (which is so hard to find on La Jolla). 10/10 would come here again!

    Pork plate
    Danielle G.

    I think after eating here every day for the past 3 weeks it warrants a review lol. Needless to say, this place is fire. The cubano, shrimp plate with mojochurri, and the roasted pork plate are my fav. The steak sandwich needed more steak. Owner/manager is super nice. Ambience is great and very clean. I love the music/vibes they've got going on!

    Steak saute, medium rare, with cilantro sauce ($19)
    Grace T.

    I came here with some coworkers on a Thursday for lunch. It was my first time trying Cuban food, and it definitely will not be my last! Free and plentiful parking in the lot. Small restaurant with a few tables inside. You order and pay at the register before taking a seat. I ordered a steak saute, medium rare, with cilantro sauce ($19) per Sarah's recommendation. The dish was seasoned perfectly and was so flavorful. I truly have nothing bad to say about it; everything from the sides (beans, plantains, rice) to the steak tasted delicious. Everyone in my party agreed that this place was a hit. Service was wonderful. Sarah and Alejandro were so hard working and kind. Definitely an unassuming, hidden gem that you should check out if you're in the mood for some Cuban food!!

    Shredded Chicken - so flavorful
    Rafid D.

    Wow... Wow is all I could say. This place hits on every criteria, the inside was very nice, the food was probably the best Cuban food we've ever had and the service was spectacular. We got the super cubano, which was the best cubano we've had to date. We ordered the plate with the shredded chicken and it was packed with flavor. One of the ladies at the restaurant stopped by us and was so loving and nice, she felt like family to us. This restaurant will be part of our rotation and a must go for San Diego.

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    2 years ago

    Best spot in La Jolla. Foods great, so is the service. Manager Sara was super friendly too. Will be back.

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    2 years ago

    Coffee was decent. Beautiful place to sit down and relax. Will stop by another time to try something new.

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    2 years ago

    Delicious food. Very friendly and helpful staff. Free parking in lot. We were very pleasantly surprised and would definitely go back.

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    2 years ago

    Delicious food! You got to try it. Don't miss out! Great service and atmosphere. I can't wait to go back.

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    2 years ago

    The food was AMAZING! Sarah, the manager was very nice and helpful. We got the brisket hash, steak and eggs and empanadas.

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    2 years ago

    One of the best Cuban places in San Diego! Customer service was also phenomenal. Would recommend!

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    2 years ago

    This was our first time here. The food is really good (like really, really good! Will definitely come again.

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    2 years ago

    Absolutely delicious every single time!! I love the food here. You will not be disappointed!

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    2 years ago

    Excellent food and friendly service! Had the loaded yucca fries and a beef empanada, everything was fresh and delicious.

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    2 years ago

    Stumbled upon this hidden gem. Delicious food, great service, and very clean--highly recommend!

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    Page 3 of 4

    Ask the Community - Havana Kitchen

    Are reservations allowed for large groups?

    Good day, appreciate your inquiry. yes we would take reservations for larger groups. Please contact Sara at 858-230-6424 and she will assist you. Thank you!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    $$

    For a moment, I was about to give a 4 start rating, not the 5 I ended up choosing, because a 5 star…read moreshould be amazing, reserved for the truly unique. But, I decided on a 5 because, in the more than 30 years that I have been dining at the Brockton Villa, I've never had a bad meal, nor a marginal one, they've all been spot on. It's easy to enjoy the perch on the side of the hill, with an immediate view of the Cove and the further views of the Shores, Glider Port and on a clear day, Torrey Pines. What comes with that view, is the smell of nature, and on Tuesday, it was stronger. It didn't interfere with our meal. The wait staff are all friendly, experienced, and approach the table appropriately. I can't relate to a setting where the server is there every couple of minutes. I tend to eat there more for breakfast and lunch, dinners less commonly. The menu is diverse enough for 2 picky eaters to always find something fantastic. On Tuesday, I had the clam and crab chowder and it was superb. I grew up in New England, the epicenter of chowders. I am known amongst friends, for the many chowders that I make at home. The salmon BLT is a recurrent favorite, as is the basic breakfast, tweaked to your preferences, with a wide array of protein options. Always grateful for knowing, without question, that a guest in town will enjoy a meal there.

    Im going to be perfectly honest this was by far one of the worst dining experiences I've had just…read morein general but what made it worse was that we visited this place while on vacation. The family was pretty excited to try this place out and by the end of the meal, every single member of my family (all 5 people) were angry. The service was horrific. We came during lunch, they were not particularly busy and we were seated within 5 minutes. Let's start with the food. I ordered a $25 Wagyu burger and it was unseasoned. Not under seasoned, UNSEASONED. The patty was overcooked. I asked for medium rare and it was well done to a point where it was not even remotely enjoyable. This $25 burger did not come with fries, it came with a very small bowl of salad that had no salad dressing. The wrap my wife ordered was mediocre and lacking any flavor. The shrimp inside was good but everything else was bland. The one thing that was good was the seafood chowder. It was excellent. Very flavorful and rich. The best tasting thing at our table were the children's tater tots and the clam chowder to be very honest. Now onto the service. The service is arguably worse than the food. The waiter looked annoyed to take our order but what is egregiously worse than that is that in our entire time sitting there eating our food for more than 45 minutes, our server (or any member of the wait staff) literally did NOT come back once to check on us or ask us if the dishes were good or to give anyone water refills (we ordered a coke and that was not refilled the entire meal). I want to reiterate, we literally did not get a refill of our waters or the coke we ordered 1 time the entire meal. Our waters were empty 10 minutes into the food arriving but because no member of the wait staff came by to check on us, we resorted to drinking out the water bottles we brought ourselves. We tried to flag down a member of the wait staff 3 times and after, my wife just said 'let's just try to get out of here as soon as possible. This is ridiculous'. I also want to be clear, we were not in a separate room or in the corner, the door of the restaurant was visible, the bar where they serve alcohol was visible from our table. The wait staff just chose not to check on us and ignore our hands in the air trying to flag them down. They came after more than an hour to drop off the check without saying anything to us or ask about how the food was. We were so angry by that point we did not even bother to ask for a refill of water or coke. We just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

    Photos
    Brockton Villa Restaurant - Interior

    Interior

    Brockton Villa Restaurant - Sweet & Savory Coast Toast

    Sweet & Savory Coast Toast

    Brockton Villa Restaurant - This is my Bloody Mary but they will bring one for you too.

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    This is my Bloody Mary but they will bring one for you too.

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