Habana's Boardwalk Cuban - Tallahassee

It seems to be that I crave Cuban food on Sundays. Given that the other Cuban place in Tallahassee has horrid reviews from fellow Cubans, well, I've heard that Habana's is the only decent place for Cuban food in town. They are, unfortunately, closed on Sundays. As it turns out, I finally craved Cuban food on a day other than Sunday, which meant I didn't have to cook it myself, and more so, I could finally try out this restaurant. Yay! We went on a Friday night and we ordered a lot of goodies. To start off with, if you're a beer drinker like my companion, be aware they have a selection of it. I mention it as I don't believe it was listed on the menu. They also have wine. As for food, the better question is what didn't we have. We started off with croquetas and chicken empanadas. The croquetas were sheer perfection given that they didn't make me horribly miss Miami. The empanadas though? They were tasty, but they were a bit dry. I'd recommend cooking the chicken in them less and having a sauce to boot. Our main dishes were pork chunks and breaded steak. My companion had his pork and he inhaled it. The moro rice that came with it was good, too, but the French fries, he said, needed work. As for my breaded steak I got it with rice and fried yuca. The yuca came with a sauce, which may or may not have been the same one we got for the croquetas, and this was out of this world. The even better part? The portion was massive and I got three meals out of it. The service, too, was spectacular. Maria attended us and we even got to talk about recipes. She wants to learn to make picadillo, and well, I'm hoping to return soon to ask her if she finally made it.

So good!! I've now been there twice. The first time I went I ordered the chipotle pork chops and they were delicious! The picture below is from my second visit; I order the lechon, and it was so juicy and flavorful! My server was Sarah. She was amazing! The space is small and intimate. This is now one of my favorite restaurants in Tallahassee.

We started with a cup of cafe con leche and it was perfect! My dining companion ordered the Cuban sandwich and it was exceptional. The moduros were very good- the best since Miami. My empanada was flaky and filled with a nice beef filling served with a cilantro sauce. The yucca fries were perfect! My ropa villa was so good I would definitely order it again. My service was excellent as well. I can honestly say that this is the best Cuban food in Tallahassee!

I've been here a few times and I love the consistency. The customer service is awesome. The staff are polite and accommodating. The food is the best part. The flavors and the smells just screams authentic. If you are a fan of Cuban food I recommend this; it's a change from the chain restaurants that we also enjoy. Also, the coffee is delicious!

I haven't been to Habanas in years but I was craving Cuban food so my husband and I stopped for lunch before a Costco run. We shared the lechon entree with moros and tostones and got the croquetas and an empanada to share as well. They only had a couple beer options so we went with the Mexican beer they had available. The service was prompt and friendly. They brought our entree out on two plates which was very nice since we didn't even ask, we are fine with putting a plate in the middle and going at it but this was obviously easier and the plate had plenty on it. I feel like plate sharing is a divided subject but I am in full support, I'm not trying to be hurting and suffering through the rest of my day especially if I have chores to take care of. The pork was delicious and the sauce was excellent! I'm looking forward to adding this to our pre-Costco run restaurant list. Gonna try the Cuban next time for sure.