Havana

Two co-workers and I went for lunch today to Havana, the new restaurant occupying the old Mambo Grill space. They’ve really opened up the space compared to Mambo Grill, but to me at least, it felt less welcoming than before. I hadn’t checked the web site before we tried it out, but its description of “pan-Latin dining and mojitos,” with all the phoniness such a label implies, accurately sums up the feel of the place. The menu has some Cuban food—black bean soup, Cuban sandwiches, a “Cuban salad” and a number of Mexican dishes including tacos, burritos, chimichangas, and “quasadillas.” Enna and I both ordered a Cuban sandwich and a side of black beans and rice, and Brandon ordered a chicken burrito. The Cuban sandwich had the traditional ingredients, pork loin, ham, cheese, pickles, but was served on what appeared to be an over-sized hamburger bun that was not pressed at all. I also could not taste the pickle for the life of me. So it didn’t really sate my craving for a Cuban sandwich. The cut of pork loin, however, was very high quality and much better than the sometimes more mysterious pork loin you can get in a Cuban sandwich at a more authentic Cuban restaurant. The “Latin fries” which included sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and taro fries were nice. Sort of like getting Terra chips instead of potato chips. The black beans and rice bowl was quite good. I might have been happier having just had that for lunch. At $16 a person with sodas, I doubt any of us will be back any time soon. We all felt that the food was okay, but not as good as much cheaper more authentic restaurants. It made any concerns about price or authenticity one might have about Xoco seem like quibbles in comparison.

Havana
412 N Clark St
Chicago, IL
312-644-1900

I went to Havana last Friday with some friends of mine who were big fan of Mambo's. I found it to be very similar to Mambo, except a better seating area and a slightly different menu.

I had a Caesar salad, my girlfriend had a Cubano salad which were identical to the same dish on the Mambo's menu. There was nothing amazing in the food, but it was a solid, good deal.

Our main reason for going to Mambo/Havana was the half priced mojitos on Friday, which they delivered on pretty well. It's not the best mojito I've ever had in my life (at the moment that belongs to The Violet Hour when Mike R made one for me with ango on the mint leaves), but they are solid especially for the price.


I think my recommendation would not be to go for the food, but if you are wanting a great place to go for mojitos after work, it's recommended.