Casa Havana Cuban Grill

Steak is good.
Chicken is ok kind of dry.
Fries are ok, kinda oily.
Plantains are good.
Rice and beans are ok
They give free bread and lemon sauce, that is ok

I’ve been told it is now a Vietnamese restaurant

This place is closed down! Raising prices probably did it, as I commented a few mths back

Highly impressed!
We tried the
lechon asado plate (comes with black beans, plantains, rice, salad),
bistec sandwich
papas rellenas
beef empanada
pina soda
All were delicious and flavorful. A lil pricey but I dont mind supporting a local business and understand that times are tough
It would be 5 stars except they were out of ham, aka no cubanos :(
Will be back! It will be nice to not have to drive all the way to costa mesa for decent cuban food

A great fast food type Cuban place. The food is pretty tasty, service is fast and friendly, and prices are not too shabby. I kind of wish this place was more of a sit down restaurant with full bar, but it is really hard to find full bar places in Whittier as it is, so I’m not surprised. Dessert was excellent too, guava cheesecake is to die for.

it’s been a while since i last reviewed this location, and i have been back several times. and i would like to say that this location can be VERY adventurous!
there are a lot of items that aren’t listen on the menu that you can order… IF you know what you are ordering.
not to sell the food on the menu short, the whole thing is great!
5 out of 5 i say!
i recommend HIGHLY!!!

Casa Havana has really sold me on Cuban food. My first experience at the restaurant blew me away. It is nicely and authentically decorated with drums and maracas with the representative colors of the old country :). The servers are very professional and friendly, and they are attentive to your gastronomical needs (i.e. they’ll help out about with your order.).
As for the selection, the variety really impressed me. Whether you’re in the mood for pork, steak, or chicken, or craving an empanada, they’ll have something for you. I was actually enticed to get a sandwich just so I could try the garlic fries (I like places that go for the twist on the traditional type of food.). In the end I picked the Lechon Asado (Grilled Pork).
When you’re waiting to be served your food, the server gives you some bread with this delicious dipping sauce — I think it was oil, lemon, and garlic. I highly recommend trying that! When the food came it was flavorful and filling! You get rice and black beans with any tapas plate, but also some sweet plantains for dessert! I loved that touch!
It really filled me up and convinced me that this is a place I should add to my usual haunts. Try it! ;)

Whittier is not known for their eateries and this place is not the norm for the area. So when cruising down Whittier Blvd. (Not that kind of cruising), and seeing a sign dancer holding, swinging, dancing, what ever you call it, that says Cuban Food; I almost lost it.
It’s a nice place. Was it the greatest Cuban eatery? No. Was it horrible? Not even close. It was an A-​OK place, 3 stars.
I’ve been on a roll with places like this, but what killed the experience was the prices. I felt the prices were a little over the top. I ordered two sandwiches (granted, they come with a nice portion of garlic fries), order of potato balls (2), order of empanadas (2) and two large drinks (which were more like small) for $ 38. ??? Wow!
The food itself wasn’t bad. I got the Media Noche/​Midnight, the pork sandwich. The meat was good and flavorful.
The GF got the Pan con Ropa Vieja, beef sandwich. She liked her sandwich, but both of us agreed that we do like Porto’s better.
Inside the place is real clean and the counter girl was very nice. Hopefully soon they can lower their prices or maybe kick up the food and menu a bit. Whittier is not known for their eateries and this place is not the norm for the area.

I’m trying to psych myself out to go again. The first time I went I had the Lechon Asado. It was way too salty! To the point that I didn’t finish the pork, but rather tried to fill myself up on rice.
The waitress asked how everything was, so I told her it was too salty. She mentioned that others have complained of the saltiness as well and that they tried changing the recipe but that it’s still too salty.
The reason I’m trying to talk myself into it is because, not only was the food salty, but it was pretty pricey. My husband ordered a plate of bistec; I had a lechon bowl, and 2 sodas. Grand total was $ 31. I wouldn’t have thought twice of paying $ 30 for that if the food was better.

Great atmosphere to begin with. They have Cuban style music and some Cuban style decorations. The service is very friendly and you’re greeted immediately with a smile and a hello when you enter the building. You walk up and order and they bring the food to you once you’ve sat down.
The waitresses are easy on the eyes (does that count as a review?) and are very attentive. The food came out hot and smelling good which led to an amazing taste. They’re pretty authentic with their food and the names are even given in Spanish so you can pronounce them correctly. They even have Cuban desert and Cuban coffee and sodas.
Point being it was an over all great experience and I’ve returned on more than one occasion. It also seems to spice up the neighboring food area in The Quad of Whittier by adding some diversity. Great place to eat and I would recommend it all and especially for those who wish to be adventurous and explore some exotic foods.

This place is amazing, all the food is delicious, and the imported sodas are yummy.

I’m gonna make this quick: I was hungry. REPEAT HUNGRY! So I decided to try out the Cuban place in my area. I’ve had other Cuban places before Portos and Tropicana which are both very good. I decided I’d try this place out. I thought, «Maybe it’s a hidden gem, maybe I’ll get to eat it and tell my friends (if I had any) about it.» So here we go: Other than the girl at the counter who gave me a blank stare (I normally get this from women so it’s not a big deal and I am not going to lower the rating because of that) I ordered my food quickly and sat down.
Remember I was hungry and could’ve eaten anything. Even McDonald’s eshh.
The food came and it looked delicious. Ummmm Media Noche all for me. Simple and wonderful! But guess what, I took one bite and RAHHHHH. When a person is hungry, bites a sammy, and has a near gag reflex that is bad. I swear the meat tasted like it had been sitting out there for a while. Probably meat from yesterday or from earlier that they left out and reheated. It was bad, but stupid me just kept on eating — trying to convince myself that I was being delusional and that it was good. NOPE. It was bad. Oh and then I looked and they FORGOT to put CHEESE on it. OH LOL.
The girl was nice enough to get me a new sandwich (I think). So I tried it again when the newer sammy came. The meat tasted slightly less bad but probably because the Swiss cheese masked the taste a bit. I don’t normally complain but I was honestly going to tell them that their food was bad. The only thing that I liked was the fries, but that’s because they weren’t old… they were good. But who would come here just for the fries when I could go to Jack N’ The Box and get the same amount of quality or even better.
I would have given it a 1 if the fries were bad LOL. I’m being nice right now. :) Owner of the restaurant if you really want to eat some good food go to Porto’s or Tropicana. Then go back and eat your food… notice the difference. Aim to make your food as good and you will be a success. Also that area you are in is a bad area. All businesses fail there. Move somewhere else. Just giving you some words of advice.
bye

My order — Cuban Sandwich, Croquetas, and a kid’s bowl (with lechon instead of chicken). The kid’s bowl came with lechon, rice, black beans and a platano. The meat was good, but the platano was meh. Cuban restaurants (and I have eaten at my fair share) always seem to drop the ball with the platanos. If they have a hard center and/​or do not fry up sticky and soft, DO NOT SERVE THEM! The croquetas were some of the BEST ham croquettes I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t order the sandwich ever again. The pork was very dry and bland and it was more like «would you like a little meat with your bread?»
That aside, I must say the service was top notch;very attentive staff. The place is a little small, but they are expanding and even without the expansion, it is set up and decorated quite nicely. Don’t plan on bringing a large group (more than 10) until they expand because they really can’t accommodate it, but that wouldn’t keep me from returning.
As for prices, most items seemed reasonable. The one exception was the chicken soup. It was listed as a special and it was NINE dollars! Was this soup made with a chicken akin to the goose that laid the golden eggs? I’m just sayin’

Pork, don’t fail me now!
Pretty good pork, blah rice and halfway decent plantains.
LECHON (roast pork)
Actually pretty good! Nice crispy outer bits, tender and juicy insides, just enough fattinesss, decent marinade… good stuff, just not great.
FRIED PLANTAINS
Banana mediocrity at its finest! The rice
was lesss than mediocre by the way…
To my awesome whittier/​la habra folk… just a tip, go to Moro’s for the rice and plantains then swing by here just for the lechon… and you gots yourself a 4 star Cuban affair.
Maybe my pork standards are too high… maybe I should quit pork for a while… what is the meaning of life?!
Ah, who am I kidding… I’ll quit pork when I’m dead.

Pretty good, but theres better a few miles away.
I love Cuban so I was super excited to try this place out. Its still new, so many I will give them another go someday.
I had the Cubano sandwich. It was just «Meh.» The slow roasted shredded pork was not good at all and I ended up pulling it off the sandwich. It had dry, hard ends and was more like a sliced pot roast than «slow roasted and shredded.» The bread was just ok and the ham was mediocre. I probably wouldn’t order it again.
My friend ordered the Ropa Vieja and it was just OK. A little chewy and overcooked, swimming in semi-​greasy sauce. The black beans were flavorless and watery. The rice was fine, but then again, its just rice.
The best part was the empanadas. They were flavorful and moist with a delicious sauce. Would order them again if I ever go back.
I would highly recommend going to MOROS in La Habra just 10 minutes away. MOROS is legit Cuban food with great prices, flavorful authentic Cuban food and friendly staff!

The food is great and we are really big fans. My favorite is the Ropa Vieja Bowl. The fries are also delicious!
Would have given 5 stars, however, we had a big order we wanted to place today at work, (MONDAY) and we called and called and no one answered the phone. No machine or answering service. We drove over with everyone’s money to place a birthday order and it turns out they are CLOSED on Mondays. REALLY?! Could you perhaps put it on the menu to let your loyal customers know of this?

We decided to check out this new place and try some cuban food because of the reviews from other Unilocalers! The chicken and steak dish platter was delicious! The owner even gave us complimentary marquitas (fried plantains — almost like banana chips) with a side of yummy garlic sauce! mmmm!
The restaurant was very clean and welcoming! I believe they’re going to renovate the place to make it bigger and add some entertainment/​live band!
Anyway, if you’re around the area, you should check it out! It’s worth the trip! After dinner, you can check out the shopping plaza adjacent to this hidden gem!
Enjoy! :)
*smile…it’s contagious!”

After seeing this on Unilocal I looked forward to checking out Casa Havana. Located next to the Quad shopping center, Casa Havana is located in a strip center with plenty of free parking.
The restaurant is super clean and fairly small but is decorated with a nice Cuban flair and Cuban music playing in the background. I placed my order at the front counter with who I suspected was the owner who was really friendly and helpful. After I placed my order the Cuban soda, utensils and plate were brought out by asap the young Cuban waitress. Within minuets my combination arrived with Croquetas, Tostones, Empanada and a Papa Rellenas. All the items were yummy but my faves were the Empanada and Papa Rellenas. For my main entry I went with the Lechon Asado — Delish pork roasted with a mild spice and topped with grilled onions and a garlic sauce. This entrée included a bowl of black beans, rice and fried plantains. I thought this was reasonable for 10.00 and the quantity was so large I took some home.
Overall Casa Havana provided a solid dinner with reasonable prices in a nice atmosphere. I’ll return here again, especially BC it’s so near to home.

I’m not sure what was more shocking, that there aren’t any Cuban restaurants in Whittier or that the first one that opens up is actually good. I mean, Whittier never gets anything right so we’ll see how long it takes for the City to shut down this gem for playing their salsa music too loud or something.
On to the food. I’ve only been there for lunch once and tried the lechon asado. It was perfectly cooked, tender, moist and had a mild hint of citrus in the marinade. I will come back to try other items but the lechon was so good that I could come back just for it. It came with a side of white rice and black beans which I immediately mixed because that is how I prefer it… el moro style. The rice was fluffy but the beans were a little too watery. Not bad though. A coworker had the sampler plate and raved about the empanada. Another had the pollo asado and got a thumbs up but the bistec de palomilla got less than rave reviews.
This is a great, affordable lunch spot and will get you in and out quickly for $ 10 bucks. No foam or paper plates either!

Yay for fast Cuban food in Whittier! Who would have thought it was possible for decently priced, yummy tasting Cuban food to be available right here in the city? I mean, this city.
My brother and I tried Casa Havana the other day and were really surprised how good the food was. I ordered the chicken bowl, which came with black beans and sweet plantains… I really would like to have it again. It was fast food, but it was goood.
They also have a variety of unusual sodas. I tried the yerba matte soda, which was too sweet for me. Reminiscent of Cactus Cooler. Not a fan.
Can’t wait to try it again, though it has been a while since my last visit.
Logistics: located in a small plaza across the street from Staples, next to Scotty’s Family Restaurant. ALSO in the plaza is a really good panaderia, consistent baked goods smell in the air wafting over from it. Park in the small lot, or street park.