Havana Alma de Cuba

This place is hands down the best latin restaurant I've found in Manhattan. The food is awesome, which is of course most important. But the place itself has a great vibe. Very cool, narrow layout, but not cramped at all. The waitstaff is friendly and accommodating (in New York, imagine that!), and they play great music to boot.

If you want latin food, and you're downtown, go here!

Pros: Delicious food; incredible wait staff; fun vibe

Cons: None!

Posted 09/01/09

This place is amazing! The restaurant is really nice, and the food is delicious!!!! :)

The empanadas are outstanding, the ropa vieja is AMAZING, and you must must must have desert. And the flan is one of the best you'll ever have.

Pros: food food food!

Cons: none!!

Posted 09/01/09

Came for a casual double date and sat in their "Cabana Room" which is next to their charming garden. It was a little tight but you don't notice after a couple of mojitos- the Mojito 23 with aged rum and champagne was great!! Ordered the skirt steak which was tender and not overly seasoned. Very tasty! The yuca con mojo paired well with the steak. It was too bad we didn't sit in the front room with the music because as I was waiting for the bathroom, it sounded wonderful. Service was decent but our waiter was funny and entertaining. Good atmosphere! Will be back

Pros: music, food

Cons: narrow restaurant

Posted 08/22/09

I would never eat here again. The food was absolutely horrible.

Pros: Nice atmosphere

Cons: The food

Posted 08/19/09

I took my parents here recently on the recommendation of a friend and was completely disappointed and embarrassed at its mediocrity. The food was all rather bland, except for the squid, which was extra salty. But the worst was the service. From start to finish. The host was on the phone when we arrived and wouldn't even look at us or say "one moment," so we were eventually seated by a bus boy. He never apoligized. Our waiter was soooo slow and when he did appear was completely bored and apathetic. In the end, we all decided to communicate our displeasure by docking part of his tip.

Posted 07/12/09

Below average!! The restaurant is cramped; barely any room to walk. The live music was too much and on top of a table. The food was ok, I've had better Cuban, the sodas were in very small cups. The tres leches's sponge cake tasted dry and stale. For the rest you guys do the math!

Posted 07/10/09

I celebrated a birthday over the weekend at Havana and it was a blast. Not only was the food great, but the atmosphere and service was great. I will definitely return to Havana. Thanks for making my time there special....

Pros: Great cuban food

Posted 07/08/09

Attitude from the waiter right at the start. He gave us our menus, he spent some time taking another tables order, & then came to us. When we weren't quite sure of what we wanted & asked him about some items on the menu, he hissed at us & gave a warning, that we can only sit at the table for 1 hour. During the meal he never came once over & asked if there was anything he could get for us. The food was just average, nothing great & Overpriced. My friend had the seafood paella, which the flavor of the rice wasnt quite good and had vey little seafood in it. Overall, this is not a place I would return to, nor recommend.

Posted 07/06/09

The first time I went to Havana was a night out with my honey and the food and atmosphere was great. A year later I returned to Havana to celebrate a friend's Birthday. We were a group of 15 and I found the food even better than the first time! The music set the mood just right and the staff was very friendly and helpful with the menu we all agreed it was a great evening.

Pros: Best Red Snapper

Posted 07/06/09

You got to be kidding me this place needs a ZERO rating but too bad that the site doesnt have one. Oh my GOD i dont know where to start. The service was horribly lazy slow and rude. The food wasnt worth the money we paid for. I asked for the manager but a busboy came to our table barely understanding what we were saying.

Posted 06/29/09

people who write a reiew problably dont know about cuban food food is grate may be some body that i know was woorking in that restaurant because he left his writing bad things about the place but for sure Im a customer for long time and the food and driks are good the staf is exellent

Posted 03/06/09

It's a good place to eat with friends in new york city when you want to get food. The fries are great and taste great. The drinks are nice

Pros: Location

Cons: Lighting

Posted 02/17/09

We were seated in a small back room with some old DIRTY STAINED CURTAINS hanging over our heads with NO MUSIC at all. It was already too late to find something else and i didnt want to admit to my girlfriend that i made a BAD CHOICE, but the worst came later. Next to us there was a SQUEAKING DOOR that led outdoors to another room. Every time someone would open the door COLD AIR would come in. Our FOOD TOOK FOREVER to come out and when it came out, it got cold right away from the constant opening of the door. The SERVICE was very SLOW and UNPROFESSIONAL. We had to ask all the time for water and drinks. The SANGRIA was very SWEET and MOJITO was very WEAK on alchool. I paid around $ 200 with tip to get in exchange the WORST VALENTINES DAY DINNING EXPERIENCE EVER

Posted 02/15/09

Went in the dead of winter with a few girlfriends. We were promptly seated in the outside area as requested, it has a cute tent over it so you are warm but your still siting out in the garden. It is a bit crowded back there but after a few mojitos you dont even notice. We had two pitchers of mojitos, coconut and regular, delicious! Our food was delicious, our bill was reasonably priced! We were having such a good time that without noticing we closed out the restaurant. We weren't even rushed out and when we apologized for taking so long they encouraged us to stay longer! After we cleared our table we hung out by the bar and smoked cigars. It was the best and most unexpected tuesday night! And we will definetly return. I recommend this place to everyone, it can be romantic and fun!

Pros: Everything

Cons: A little tight in the back

Posted 10/05/08

Went for brunch this past weekend and can't believe what a deal it was. Food was excellent and very flavorful - I had the ropa vieja and my sister had the arroz con pollo. Portions were generous, and for only $14, brunch came with cafe con leche as well as a giant pitcher of sangria (the sangria alone is over $30 on the dinner menu). Nice ambiance and friendly service as well. Can't think of a better way to spend a lazy weekend morning.

Pros: food, brunch prices, service, atmosphere

Posted 09/02/08

Excellent food!! Romantic atmosphere. Don't sit outside if raining. If you don't like very loud music, sit in the back room. Good service. Could get expensive once alcohol is involved.

Posted 08/27/08

good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good

Posted 08/20/08

We made a last minute reservation on a Saturday night for 4. The restaurant was full but we got a table outside, very nice and more quiet.
Two of us took a mojito and it was excellent! The food was very good and the good point is they didn't rush to give us the check after we were done.
I would definitively recommand this restaurant.

Cons: Ambience, price

Posted 05/31/08

Friends of ours recommended havana alma de cuba and we decided to give it a try. The restaurant has many rooms, a front room, a small garden room, garden and huge room for big parties. We made a reservation early and got to choose the garden but later the restaurant got really packed. The garden was very quiet and peaceful, perfect for a date. It is a great place to relax and have good meal.
The staff was well prepared and attentive. The maitre was so cute, polite and generous at the end he gaved us complimetary cigars. He told us that they were hand rolled cigars and they roll them at the restaurant on tuesdays and wednesdays. I picked one for my dad because he loves cigars.
I definitly got to come back with my family, especially my father would love this place.
I had a wonderful experience at havana and i`m giving it a 5 ***** rate.

Posted 05/24/08

Me and my boyfriend have explored many spanish restaurants. The food at Havana Alma de Cuba was not as good as everyone raved about. The portions were small and was overpriced. The meal didn't have as much seasoning as it should. The Sangria tasted watered down. The seating was tight. The only thing that we did like was the live band.

Pros: Live Band

Cons: Everything else

Posted 05/23/08

I came for the first time with a friend who loves this place. I was astonished how well they treated us and i said to myself thats why he never stops talking about this place. The restaurant was packed with people. I believe the name of the manager was Sandro, recognized my friend and came to greet us at our table. He kept checking on us many times and was making sure that everything was going well with our table( by the way, he was such a good looking man).
We were seated in the front room where the music was playing and had a fun time. Hospitality, service, drinks and food were fabulous. To tell the truth i didn`t expect this. I can`t wait to go back!!

Posted 05/10/08

I have been This place so many times and i can say that this place is one of the best in the city.Higly recommended.

Posted 05/04/08

We were walking on christopher street and saw this place it looked full of people and decided to get in. Since we didnt have reservation we were told to wait for the next available table and so we did.
A few moments later we were seated in a beautiful back room, which was perfect to bring a date, very romantic.The food was good, but the drinks and service were exellent!!
We will definitly go back!!

Posted 04/29/08

Yesterday i brought a girl on a date and let me tell you guys it worked great. We sitted in the garden area. It was beautiful and very romantic. The service was friendly and professional and the food was good!!
Good spot for a date!!

Posted 04/24/08

As a new yorker i go out a lot and like havana there aren`t many places to eat great food, have a great service, listen to wonderful music and have the best mojitos ever!!!
I strongly recommend this place to every body, but make a reservation because its very hard to get in because it`s becoming very popular

Posted 04/24/08

I was there on a friday. Do make reservations before you go on a weekend because it gets packed!!!! There is not much I can say about the food except that it was some heart fullfilling tummy satisfying food. The chimichurri sauce is off the hook!!! and their seafood paella was plate licking good (although not recommended since it might burn your tongue)....I would recommend the steak which was a decent size portion for the price (around 17-20 bucks)...it came with casava which was very well cooked and the yellow rice and beans sides were very tasty...I will also recommend the sangria ($35 for a jug) which is one of the best I had and I have had it at a lot of places. The place is great for groups and couples. It was very beautiful!!! Definitely good for a romantic date - I promised I would take my beau there...decorations remind you of summertime so I cant wait to go back when it is summer and sit outdoors...overall I give it an A+ and would recommend it to anyone up for some good cuban food...

Pros: Everything!!!

Cons: none I can think of!!

Posted 04/07/08

We made a reservation for 9PM. Reservations are a must as the restaurant is always packed with people.
The manager was extremely nice, always attentive. Our waiter was excellent and really quick with the drink and food order. The food was good nothing extraordinary but I eat this type of food all the time because I am Hispanic. Also the price is very economical.
The only complaint I have is that the space is really cramped.

Pros: Service, Food

Cons: Cramped Table

Posted 03/02/08

I love this place!! This restaurant serves a very good quality of food at a very good price. I consider myself blessed to have Havana in the neighborhood. Since i come here all the time, i know the manager and all the waiters who take good care of me. They are very friendly and make me feel like im part of their big family. I brought all my friends and family for serveral occasions and they keep coming back. I`ve never been disappointed by this place! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
Highly Recommended!!!!

Posted 03/01/08

I threw a bday party for my sister last night and it turned out great! They were so flexible and did everything I had asked. Everyone enjoyed the food and mojitoes. The service was the best though, our waitor was awesome at knowing when anyone needed a refill on their drink. The restaurant itself is pretty small but the room we reserved was just the right the size for what we wanted. Overall a really good experience that I would recommend to others.

Posted 02/29/08

We were entertaining our friends who were here from Europe. The food was good but the service we got was unprofessional and rude. To begin with, we were not asked for desert and handed the bill. So we our self had to ask for it. When we were in the middle of our deserts we were again handed the bill and the waiter kept on coming ever couple of minutes to check the bill was paid or not. Finally we were told to leave althought we offered to buy another pitcher of sangria. We were definitely not happy with this as our evening was cut short So we decided to tip 12% of the bill which was not a small amount considering the amount we racked up as the bill. At this point the waiter was rude to us, stopped us on our way out and argued with us. This was totally unprofessional. So guys if you are entertaining people this is not the place as you might get insulted in front of your friends.

Pros: good food, parking

Cons: horrible service, no value for money

Posted 02/23/08

I celebrated my girlfriends birthday this saturday at havana and we had such a great time.
The first thing to start with is the warm hospitality and the friendly service. The mojitos were great, the best i ever had in the city. The food was very tasty. I had empanadas and the chicken special, both were delicious!! For dessert i had the chocolate cake which was to die for!!
I strongly recommend this place!!

Posted 02/09/08

I can't say enough about this place. The food was amazing and well prepared. The staff was just the right amount of attentive (not hovering over you and not ignoring you). the drinks were really good as well - I highly recommend the mojito pitcher.

Pros: great food, drinks, price, and service

Cons: watch out for some of the glass walls - they're not doors!

Posted 02/01/08

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city! I've been here many times with family and friends and have never had a bad time. It can be annoyingly busy now and then; but it's worth the squeeze to hear the live music on weekends and the roast suckling pig is heaven! But the kicker is the sangria, my favorite in the city.

Pros: Food, Music, Value

Cons: Can be crowded

Posted 01/03/08

I`ve never been disappointed from this place. The service is amazing starting from the moment you come in (they are very accomodating) and the moment you leave everyone is very thankful for dining with them. I`ve created a special bond with this place and i feel part of the family and i`m treated as one. I went there last week with some friends of mine because one of them had the birthday. We had a VIP treatment as usual. The manager offered us a pitcher of Sangria and to the birthday girl the best dessert in the house Tres Leches with a sparkling candle and having all the staff singing and wishing her happy birthday was amazing. I strongly recommend this place as the best place to have a good time.

Pros: Manager, Service, Ambience

Posted 12/15/07

We arrived several minutes late for our reservations due to some transportation issues. Upon entering we waited for approximately 5 minutes before any one acknowledged our presence. Finally the hostess verified our reservation. However, she did not say anything like, "It'll be just a couple more minutes" or "You can wait at the bar. Instead she left the reservation stand. After a couple of more minutes of waiting the manager came over and re-verified our reservation. He said something to us and we thought we were supposed to follow him. Hence, we finally followed him through several rooms before he told us huffily that he had asked to wait at the bar. So we trooped to the bar where the manager offered us two Mojitos of free charge. This went a long way to soothing our feathers until we were seated. Then we received the worst waitress. She took our order perfunctorily and then disappeared for the rest of our dinner. I flagged her down to order to two more Mojitos to drink with our entrees. She took our empty glasses. We did not see for another half an hour until she unceremoniously dropped off the dessert menus. Once again I couldn't get her attention to remind her of the Mojitos. She finally came back to ask us if we wanted dessert. At that point we were too fed up to have dessert. I reminded her of our Mojitos, told her to cancel them, and asked for check. At that point the restaurant was pretty empty but it still took her over five minutes to get the check. At no point did she apologize for her oversight. The food was good but the unacceptable service spoiled whatever positive memories I have of the place. Enter at your own risk.

Pros: good mojitos - if they ever get to your table

Cons: TERRIBLE SERVICE

Posted 11/15/07

Fun and spirited ambiance (live music), delicious food (esp. paella) and sangria. great staff, hilarious to have a wine expert on staff -- he helps make the place, though. small bathrooms with a wait if you drink too much so be careful. I go back and recommend this place without hesitation. Worth the wait if you really want good Cuban food.

Pros: great food, great staff, great music, great ambiance

Cons: long wait (but worth it so make reservations in advance)

Posted 09/21/07

I had dinner at havana with my friends a couple of days ago and everything was amazing.
The food, the service, their mojitos and sangria are extraordinary. They have a beautiful garden but we were seated in a lovely private room because there were no open tables available at that time. We loved it there and for the garden one more reason to come back!!!

Posted 09/08/07

The place is set up beautifully and elegantly. The food is great. Sangria is excellent. Take a date to this spot. Service was excellent and prompt.

Pros: Service, food

Cons: none

Posted 09/01/07

When my Mom and I first arrived (at 6pm) we were greeted by an overweight, bald, 40-something man. We thought he was the owner, since he was obviously in charge. He turned out to be our waiter and seemingly "in charge" of all the other employees.

Even though the place was almost empty, he had the hostess take us to a seat in the hot (unairconditioned) back room. When we said "no" she took us back to the front. But instead of just a decent table, she seated us right next to the bar, where musicians were busy setting up their instruments, bumping into our table. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE PLACE WAS ALMOST EMPTY! We finally asked baldy, politely, if we could move, since the whole room was almost empty! He refused! He pushed our table slightly away from the musicians, as if that would solve it. After getting bumped and banged several more times, I decided to MOVE US over to the next table ourselves. We ate as fast as we could to get out. Luckily, the food and drink was very good because the ambiance and service totally sucked! They didn't even bring us bread with our entree. When I asked if bread was served with the dinner, baldy told me WE HAD TO ASK FOR IT. What???? I would never go back there again!

Pros: Good Food and Sangria

Cons: Absolutly Horrible Service!!

Posted 08/05/07

I made a reservation for a party of 6 at 8pm, however when we got there they said they had us down for a 7pm reservation and we couldn't be seated. Instead of trying to accomodate us and apologize for the mistake that they made, the manager started to argue with us and said it was our fault! Since when does a restaurant make a mistake and then blame the customer?! Judging from my experience and the other reviews as well, if you want good service you should avoid this place at all costs!

Cons: HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE

Posted 07/28/07

I come here all the time, because i`m addicted to this place. Maybe you are asking why? The food is delicious and the service is great. I love chuletas de puerco, ropa vieja and for dessert Tres leches. These are my favorite dishes. I brought my friends and family for birthdays and other celebrations. I would suggest to everybody this place. Oh i almost forgot to tell you to make reservations because this place is very crowded and you would have to miss a wonderful dinner!

Pros: hospitality, food, service

Posted 07/28/07

First of all when you step in Havana alma de Cuba they make you feel like you are the most important person in this world. I organized a party a few day ago with the manager who was very kind and accomodating. He arranged a good deal for my party. Everyone of my party had a wonderful time. The sangria and the mojitos were the best that i ever had. The quality of food and service that i had here it`s hard to find and you have to pay a great deal if you do. I think this restaurant should raise a little bit their prices.It was my first time in this restaurant and i`ll definitly come back with more friends!!
Thank you so much Santro

Pros: Manager, Service, Food

Posted 07/28/07

I love this restaurant. The service here is definitely awesome, they literally treat you like a queen. The service is very fast. THe waiters are so chivalrous. The food here is really good. THe back seating area is very romantic. You must try the tres leches, if you order it as a b'day treat, they bring it over with a candle that sparks. Lastly, the location is awesome, christopher st.

Pros: Service, Food, Ambience.

Cons: A little cramped.

Posted 07/22/07

This was my third time eating here and it was a wonderful experience. I asked to be seated in the back section, but was told that no tables were available so we were seated in the front section. It actually was quite nice because of the live Cuban music they have starting on Thursday night through the weekend. We ordered our drinks and then the hostess came up to me and said that a table had opened up in the back and if we wanted to, we could move. I really wanted to sit in the back because it's quieter and nicer with candles on all the tables and more romantic. The food was excellent...I had the Ropa Vieja and it was great. I also ordered a mojito which was ok but not that strong, and next time I go here, I'll probably skip the drink. I also had the Mocha Flan which was really good. I really enjoyed the service. The hostess was great, and the servers were really nice in terms of pulling out my chair for me, answering our questions about the menu, and our food arrived very quickly. I highly recommend this place for a date, if you can get a seat in the back section. The service was excellent, the food was fresh and delicious, and the atmosphere (especially in the back section) was great.

Pros: Service, Atmosphere, Food

Posted 07/20/07

Went for brunch on Sunday at 3pm. Place was empty and they were not serving brunch, even though the website says brunch till 4pm. Outdoor patio was closed. Food was OK, prices as advertised. Server was great, no complaints there. Considering that there are many other places that serve the same food in NYC i would say if you are passing by then stop by but don't go out of your way to make reservations.

Pros: Good cheap Cuban food

Cons: Confused management

Posted 05/26/07

My family and I (about thirteen of us) went to Havana Alma de Cuba yesterday to celebrate my graduation and I was thoroughly impressed. When they realized that my grandmother was handicapped they did everything in their power to make her feel comfortable. They were so accommodating and understanding. I had never seen anything like it in New York City before. The waiter had all types of suggestions for us and the food was incredible. It was a job well done and an around great experience. I would recommend it to anyone looking to eat cuban food.

Pros: Great customer service

Cons: It's not in my neighborhood so I can go there everyday!

Posted 05/16/07

Went to Havana Alma de Cuba last night. I had made 9pm reservations and we arrived at 8:40pm and we were seated. We were seated in the back room, we would have like to be seated in the front room because that's where the live music is but that was ok. The front room was a little tight and after a while the music would have probably started to annoy us being that it was a little loud. The service was good, our waiter was very attentive to our needs. We ordered Mojitos, 1st time me and my girlfriend had tasted them and we did not like them. My girlfriend said that they tasted like cough syrup. I don't know if it was just this placed or if it's the way that they're suppose to taste. We didnt drink them and ordered a pitcher of Sangria which was really good. I got a nice buzz from it. The appetizers were ok, we had shrimp in garlic sauce. I order the "Ropa Vieja" for dinner with yellow rice and red beans which was good although the serving was a little
small. My girlfriend had The Paella which I found to be really really good. It was so good that I finished off what my girlfriend could'nt. I've had Pealla at "Cafe con Leche" in the Upper West Side and it did not compare. I've been told that Cubans make mixed rice dishes very soupy and I found that to be true last night. It had an "asopao" (soupy rice) taste to it. And it was a generous portion, enough for 2. I'am Puerto Rican so I know spanish food and this place was ok, I would go back again if only for the Paella. Oh, one more thing...it was a little dark, kinda hard to read the menu with the little candle that they had at each table.
They say be carefull of the reviews on here because they may be from people who have a vested interest in the restaurant that is being reviewed but let me assure you that I'am not a friend or relative of the owner and I have not invested any money in this restaurant :-) It was a nice place with good food, good service & a nice atmosphere...but there's always room for improvement.

Pros: Good food, good service, nice atmosphere.

Cons: Somewhat small portion of certain dishes. Tight seating.

Posted 05/12/07

Great place! Excellent place to have a birthday dinner or group gathering if your book in advance! The back room and outdoor bit give the restaurant a charming flare. The food is excellent, and the menu is very simple. Wait staff made great recommendations, and we had a brilliant time there! Highly recommended!

Pros: Service, Atmosphere

Cons: Front room is a bit tight

Posted 05/10/07

To telI my experience in few words for a first time walk in, its: 1) make a reservation this place is so popular
2) the service is friendly and professional 3) Sangria it`s very good, Mojito is great.
The food its worth trying. For dessert: Go for Bombon Cubano it`s delicious.

Posted 05/07/07

My boyfriend and i, were having a walk around when we met this restaurant. It`s a couple of months we don`t eat cuban, (since we were in Miami) that`s why we decided to get in and give it a try. We were greeted by a well mannered maitre, whom asked if we had a reservation. We were asked to wait about ten minutes and we did so. After a while he was so kind to seat us, because this place was so crowded and many people were waiting to get a table. Our waiter was very polite and with patience explained which were the best dishes of the menu. On waiter`s recommandation we ordered two appetizers: Papas Rellenas and Sandwich Cubano(really good), for main course Ropa Vieja (Deliciuos) Paella Marinera ( very tasty) and for dessert: the tres leches (out of this world). Ah i almost forgot the best mojitos ever had in NY. The service was PROMPT i drink a lot of water while i eat and my glass was never empty. Compliments to the diregent of this orchestra. I was impressed!!

Posted 05/05/07