Havana Sandwich Company

I’ll probably change jobs before I change sandwich company. A staple of my lunches for years, Havana has sandwich variety for me with the Irish (sauerkraut), Reuben (coleslaw), Big Al, and Crispy Jerk Chicken (blue cheese) that are all flavorful and tasty. The sandwiches all include bread with the right crunch and softness, perfect balance of condiments, and satisfyingly flavorful meats.
So now I’m having a remarkably good sandwich, but with my half-​sandwich combo are these fries I ordered. Hey, it’s a real potato, cut up and fried (so eat it quick). It’s got seasoning salt on it. It glistens with oil. These are fries that rival In-​n-​Out, McDonald’s, and the rest. There are times I forgo the sandwich (I’ll eat it later) and enjoy these fries. The cut is not shoestring, but not thick like steak fries. They don’t travel well in a takeout bag, so please keep that bag open for optimal crispiness!
If you choose to park in the front lot, it gets competitive. However, a lot in the back usually has you covered. Sports is usually on the television and there’s some good bottled beers including those from the El Segundo Brewery here. The WiFi is fast (really!). Lastly, I’d be remiss to not mention their garlic chicken plate and pork bowls — it’s called Havana Sandwich, but it is not the only thing good here.

Food was cold and gross. Didn’t taste like real Cuban food. I.e., bland flavors. I grew up in Miami and lived on the stuff, so I was excited to find this place, but it ended up a disappointment.
Obviously they microwaved the food, at least they could have made sure it was hot. Additionally the customer service was bland too. Not bad, but not great either. Employees were glued to the TV.
I’m not coming back. Although they do have wifi…

Amazing!!! Was in the area, got recommended by a close friend of mine that works in the area. Nice big sandwhich, but the best part was getting some frijoles negros with arroz with some platano fritos to go with my sandwhich !!! It’s a must try spot!

Manager is argumentative and unprofessional. The prices are moderate and the food is good. The customer service sucks.

If I was just going off food alone, I would have given this place 4 or 5 stars. Food was flavorful, and this place smelled like heaven.
Customer service. They may need help in this area. Or maybe the cashier was having a bad day. Nevertheless I was very disappointed at how the cashier talked to myself and other guests.
I would definitely eat here again. I just hope the customer service improves and this place would be a favorite for me.

This has turned into a regular lunch stop for me. While I usually just get the «Miami» Cuban, I have to say that it is solid every time I get it. Very consistent. I’d like more beans with the sides, and the pulled pork could be fattier, but in general: great, authentic, Cuban Sandwich. There have been one or two visits where I wasn’t as wowed as others, (hence the four starts) but overall, the experience is way positive.

Original Cuban Sandwich, Miami Cuban Sandwich, and Breakfast Burrito are good. Had the Original Cuban sandwich on my first visit and was surprised to find that the meat wasn’t dry like at many other places where I’ve had a cuban sandwich. Wasn’t amazing, but with the pickles, cheese and condiments it hit the spot. Also tried the breakfast burrito one morning with chorizo, egg and cheese and it was pretty good. They forgot to add sour cream like I asked though. That seems to happen often to me. Miami Cuban Sandwich is the same as the Original only it has salami. I like it better.
Pros:
+ Miami Cuban Sandwich
+ Original Cuban Sandwich
+ Breakfast burrito (chorizo)
Cons:
— Fries are kind of soggy
— Soggy bread

This little place is a gem. The cubanos are pretty good and great to take to El Segundo Brewing

my friend recommended this place as i was starving & filling up at the chevron right across the street.
he said, i’ll get you an original. extra pickles.
boy did he choose one of the best sandwiches ive ever had!!! i prefer hot sandwiches rather than cold so this was perfect.
it had ham, pulled pork, cheese, mayo & mustard i believe and yummy yummy pickles.
for the size & price, ehh i expect way more. $ 8 and it’s pretty thin, but i don’t mind paying $ 8 for the taste. its soooo good. i will go back & try other sandwiches, or just get a million of their original. its legit!!!

I’m giving this place 4 stars because of the great service, the value and the portions (sandwiches) are huge.
Well, (here we go…) Me having been to Porto’s & other Cuban restaurants/​bakeries & worse, being nit picky Puerto Rican (3^rd gen.), who loves both Cuban & PR food (not too much, but some similarities) I have to be honest in saying it didn’t meet my expectations and that I’ve had better. Still, the food is decent and offers lots of variety and deliver if you use the apps (grub hub etc).
The sandwiches were good and very filling, I had to save my other half for later.
If your in the area & want to try, you should! I do want to try their other plates:) It’s always nice to have choices in El Segundo, this place just adds to the fast growing list!

I called Havana Sandwich Company at the last minute to place an appetizer order for 40 people, but unfortunately they weren’t in full operation because of the holidays.
They offered to make me sandwiches as that was all they could do. I asked them to cut them into fourths and stick toothpicks on each sandwich to also make them look more like hors d’oeuvres.
Once I arrived, the tray of lechon mini sandwiches were hot and ready to go. I ordered their guava cheese out of curiosity and a black coffee, and enjoyed the pastry as well.
I was told that guests at the party asked who brought the sandwiches since they were so delicious. It was a big hit!
This is the type of spot I would frequent if it was in my neighborhood. I loved the experience and it’s probably the best lechon sandwich I’ve tasted so far!

I ate here a year ago and thought the Cuban Sandwich was pretty good. Although, I was totally disguisted with today’s lunch… Ordered the Ropa Vieja plate, Cuban fries, and a cookie.
— Sanitation behind the counter was very poor… food slopped everywhere around the serving dishes where the rice, beans, and other side items stay warm
— When handed my cookie on a plate, my had instantly became sticky from the dirty plate
— Decided to eat the cookie anyways an found a hair half way through
— When the Ropa Vieja came out, it was cold and on a dirty, sticky plate as well
— Unwrapped the silverware to find a spoon with food only partially scrubbed off
Needless to say, but I stopped lunch right there and will never go back.

So I will caveat this review with the understanding that my expectations for cuban food are VERY high. I’ve only had cuban sammiches in florida and this cuban style food in south america and REALLY good cuban restaurants here. So you can imagine that my review is going to be biased.
First off, this is really a lunch place. Its fast, there’s good seating, a parking lot (small and shared with many other businesses), decently priced… But overall, I’d say the quality of food just isn’t there. What makes cuban food so special is the depth of flavors in all their food. In fact, that’s what makes the traditional cuban sammich so good is the amazing flavors they get out of the slow cooked pork. Watch the movie «Chef» and you will understand. When it comes to the plates, they should be big, bold, complex deep flavors which means lots of ingredients, low cooking temps, and long cooking times. I dunno, i guess i have a special romance with these «not so common» food generes. It should be special everytime, its not just a burger.
On the plus side there’s an outside patio where I can have lunch with my pups, though it resides pretty much in the parking lot which leaves a fairly unsavory atmosphere.

I love these hidden gems that are right in front of my face!
Since great Mexican food is hard to find in the LAX/​Westchester/​El Segundo area, its good to know that I can fall back on Cuban-​American for comfort food. I can’t believe Ive driven by this place so many times and never noticed.
Havana Sandwich Co offeres a great selection of sandwiches and meals that are Cuban American, traditional Cuban and even mix it up with other nationalities (i.e. Irish!). For reals… check out the menu.
The 2 things Ive tried here were the Cuban Sandwhich and their breakfast ham sandwich. On both occasions I was not disappointed. Plenty of items being thrown in and each packing plenty of flavor. And if you’ve never tried Plantains with your meal, you’re missing out. HSC also has a great variety of Latin American soft drink choices! I Love seeing all the cool label designs on the cans and Im sure they’re all real tasty. They may offer alcoholic drinks but Im not sure.
A bonus for me was trying their Café Cubano. HOLY CRAP!!! If you love your coffee with a knock-​out punch of caffeine… never mind that big chain brand. Try Café Cubano you’ll be up for Deeeeeeeeeeys!
MISC:
Ample parking in the private lot and your choice of inside or outside seating. There’s a TV playing ESPN inside too.
OVERALL:
Already planning my next visit to try their version of Ropa Vieja! I had that in Miami and am looking forward to trying it here. You know to compare and contrast.
Ay Los Watcho Amigos.

I am writing this solely based on my personal tastes and the experience I recently had. Benefit of the doubt that others had a better experience, but not me. The Cuban was far from Cuban and the pastrami was rubbery and so fatty that we were forced to not eat. I hope others had a better dinner than we did — see pic…

OMFG!!!
The flavor is AMAZING! Great Cuban food.
Gots me a new spot to frequent.
Place is clean and staff is friendly.
Better than Versailles for sure.

Had a craving for a soup and sandwich combo and decided to check this place out. Got there before noon and there was plenty of parking. Walked in and there was a pretty decent crowd.
I like that they have a variety of sandwiches to choose from, but the one that caught my eye is the pastrami reuben. I noticed they didn’t have any kind of soup on their menu, so I didn’t bother. (I did notice some Unilocalers posting pictures of soup from here but assumed they’re only served on special days, maybe???)
Went ahead and ordered my sandwich. My mind must have been wandering because by the time I remembered to ask about the soup, I’d already been rung up. Cashier said they do have soup — chicken noodle. And they do soup and sandwich combos. (They should REALLY put this on their menu. More options are always better.)
I didn’t want the hassle of cancelling my order, and re-​ordering. I figure, if I like the sandwich, I’ll most likely come back.
My sandwich was ready in a few minutes. The verdict — I felt this sandwich was more of a coleslaw sandwich. The amount of meat was fairly abundant, I’ll give them that. But the flavor coming from the coleslaw and the dressing completely overpowered the flavor of the meat. I hardly got a taste of pastrami in the sandwich.
Only consumed half of it. It just didn’t do it for me.
I would probably come back to try their original. Not anytime soon, though…

Having never been north of the Mason-​Dixon line prior to Living in Los Angeles for 7 years (2002 – 2009), living on the West Coast opened my culinary world to a cornucopia of different cuisines. Being a New Orleans native, I was exposed to awesome food my entire life. But that food consisted solely of Southern food, Cajun food, Italian food and creole food.
After settling down in the heart of El Segundo, I began venturing out and trying out the local fare. One of the very first places I tried was the Havana Sandwich Co. (HSC). I loved that I used to live only 3 blocks from HSC and enjoyed walking there for lunch and/​or dinner on dozens of occasions.
Having never tasted a Cuban sandwich before, I thought this place was the best ever. And now, having eaten at several different Cuban restaurants, this no frills spot still ranks among my favorites. After having tried the «traditional» Cuban sandwich, I started getting the Miami Cuban, which simply adds salami to the mix. But it adds a whole new dynamic to the sandwich.
The plate lunches /​dinners are also awesome. I always got the roasted pork plate and was never disappointed. The rice and beans seemed authentic and kudos to the mango salsa atop the rice. The real treat is the plantains. They remind me of the caramelized bananas in bananas foster and are dripping in syrup. Can I get an AMEN?
The weekday lunch crowds get pretty crazy, and parking is extremely hard to find. But I only ate here for weekend lunches or dinner; therefore, it was never too crowded. The restaurant was always clean and the staff was always friendly. I can guarantee that I’ll be back.

my first time at this place and the sandwich was amazing! the sandwich is 5 stars. I got the original Cuban an it was amazing. it’s $ 9 for the full one and I would definetly get it again. the only reasons why I gave it 4 starts is because of the service. the man who took my order was by very nice and was not very helpful. that was the only thing wrong. definetly I would come back.

We enjoy coming here for Cuban food. I like their Cuban sandwiches and the seasoned fries. My girlfriend likes their plates. Either way, their food is very tasty and you get a good quantity for the price.
They also have «tropical smoothies» for you or the kids.
Parking can be a bit tight if it’s lunch time but it’s usually pretty easy parking for dinner.
I’ve had a few of their Cuban sandwiches and prefer the ones with pork. The others are good but the ones with pork taste better to me. The ropa vieja plate is my girlfriend’s favorite, especially the plantains.
Give it a try, I think you’ll like it. Enjoy!