The food is fabulous, the service was good, the atmosphere was the best. My family is Cuban and I love this place. Nothing beats my Abuela's cooking but this comes close. Pros: Ambience Cons:... More

The food is fabulous, the service was good, the atmosphere was the best. My family is Cuban and I love this place. Nothing beats my Abuela's cooking but this comes close. Pros: Ambience Cons: Cost
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I have now been into Havana three times with my boyfriend and every single time I'm impressed with almost every aspect of the place. By far it is the trendiest place for a romantic dinner anywhere... More

I have now been into Havana three times with my boyfriend and every single time I'm impressed with almost every aspect of the place. By far it is the trendiest place for a romantic dinner anywhere in O.C. The food is latino imspired dishes and everything I have tried has been exquisite. You cannot go wrong with anything on their menu and this is definitly true with their seafood offerings. Wine list is fun and accessible to less rifined palates (like mine) but there are still a lot of high end wines for the ballers. The staff is young and really chic but still manages to be attentive. Even the bartenders were cool inspite of being busy. ours looked a bit on the young side to be making drinks but then everyone there looks under 21 even the managers. Every seat in the house is dimly with church candles and the whole restaurant is a converted warehouse that manages to look both post-industrial but somehow still upscale. Bottomline; A fun and romantic expirience and always a new surprise from the cool staff. Pros: Great food and ambiance Cons: Hard to find parking on weekends.
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I have always liked Habana but NOT ANYMORE! I did like it enough to go there for my Birthday a few times. I have visited the restaurant about 7 times in the past few years or so. This is why I am... More

I have always liked Habana but NOT ANYMORE! I did like it enough to go there for my Birthday a few times. I have visited the restaurant about 7 times in the past few years or so. This is why I am SO Dissappointed! They changed their menu, the service has gone down hill, and the food is just not good anymore. Its like a different restaurant....maybe they changed ownership, I dont know!? Our Empanads (appetizer) was blan to say the least-and served cold! I ordered the flank steak cooked medium and it was incredibly tough and chewy (hard to eat). The Special of the night was the T-bone Steak which was served to my boyfriend cold and lacking flavor. The fried Yucca tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for years (chewy, cold, and gummy). The fastest we saw our server move was when we put our Credit Card on the table-he was right there to swiftly pick it up! Why was he ignoring us the rest of the night and not bringing us bread (like all the other tables had), not refilling our waters, not asking if we wanted to order more drinks, not asking if we liked our food, etc....... The best part of the night was my Mojito. I'm sad that Habanas is lacking the flair, service, and good food it once had......that said I will not ever eat there again. Its good to go for the drinks and atmosphere, but dont even look at the menu! Pros: Drinks and Ambience Cons: The food and service are both horrible. You fel ripped off at the end of your meal.
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Great entrees and superb wine list but the desserts are weak! I highly recommend the seared ahi. (It has this delicious flavorful rub and is served on a bed of lightly sauteed but heavily seasoned... More

Great entrees and superb wine list but the desserts are weak! I highly recommend the seared ahi. (It has this delicious flavorful rub and is served on a bed of lightly sauteed but heavily seasoned red and green peppers.) As far as the desserts go, the cafe cubano is good (it's super chocolatey) but just not fabulous. Cons: Desserts aren't very fabulous.
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We've been visiting Habana for about 5 years and the last 4 or so have been consistently great. I'm so glad they changed it up from what was a bit corporate to the cool spot that it remains today.... More

We've been visiting Habana for about 5 years and the last 4 or so have been consistently great. I'm so glad they changed it up from what was a bit corporate to the cool spot that it remains today. There aren't enough original restaurants in CA. I don't know what they do to keep it fresh, but it continues to be something we look forward to. On our last trip, we stopped in for a quick lunch and 5 hours later found ourselves still enjoying the spot. We started on the patio and had a great steak sandwich and crab cakes and glass of house sangria. A few tables down was "Big Poppi" and a few Boston Red Sox, who must have been in town to play the Angels. Even with the high profile guys down the way, our server and the manager continued to drop by our table and check in with us - which was nice. After the sun set, we moved into the bar, where the bartender made us some great Mojitos with a premium Rum... we had a few. We met a few locals in the clothing industry at the bar and after chatting them up, we were sat at an inside booth to enjoy a great dinner. I had a fresh fish which tasted as if it was just line caught and my girl enjoyed the steak special and she couldn't stop raving about the mashed potatoes. Habana will always hold a spot n our hearts. Love it there! Pros: Service, Ambiance and friendliness Cons: Parking
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I was really excited to try this place after hearing good things about it, however I was slightly disappointed. I went on a Saturday evening with my boyfriend and our server was not too attentive... More

I was really excited to try this place after hearing good things about it, however I was slightly disappointed. I went on a Saturday evening with my boyfriend and our server was not too attentive to us although it was early in the evening and he was not busy at all. I ordered the plantain coated chicken breast, but it was just a friend chicken breast without much taste. I must say that my boyfriend's half roasted chicken tasted better than my dish. Also, the mojitos were overpriced and weak. Overall, it was a let down.
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My bf selected Habana for our first date over 3 1/2 years ago and it's still a favorite. As was mentioned before the Sangria is to die for! As is the Chicken Picadillo. And I have to restrain... More

My bf selected Habana for our first date over 3 1/2 years ago and it's still a favorite. As was mentioned before the Sangria is to die for! As is the Chicken Picadillo. And I have to restrain myself from ordering the crab cake sandwich everytime I go there for lunch because it is absolutely delicious (but those calories don't make it worth it). Definitely check this place out if you're on a date. It's a great first date spot. Not too pretentious, yet not too grubby either. It strikes the perfect balance of casual hipness. But like someone else said, parking is an issue in The Lab... and one that doesn't look like it will be resolved any time soon. Pros: Hip yet romantic atmosphere and great food Cons: Parking!
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I went on a date here last nite and it was wonderful. I loved the urban trendy deco.... We had some tasty sangria at the bar on the house because we had to wait for our table, the food was... More

I went on a date here last nite and it was wonderful. I loved the urban trendy deco.... We had some tasty sangria at the bar on the house because we had to wait for our table, the food was delicious and the chef was very friendly and helpful. I had plantain encrusted chicken and my date at the bistecca and both were so tasty, we ate every morsel! lol.....highly recommend it for a date or even a larger party.
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The bar is a little small, but the marinated tequila and the mojitos are what Habana is known for. Love the candles and outdoor seating for a hot summer day. Nighttime is the best, though. The... More

The bar is a little small, but the marinated tequila and the mojitos are what Habana is known for. Love the candles and outdoor seating for a hot summer day. Nighttime is the best, though. The shrimp coctail with plantains is devine (albeit a little small). Nonetheless, I plan on returning very shortly for a romantic dinner again. Pros: Ambience, Food, Outdoor dining Cons: Small bar area
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I have gone to Habana for cocktails before. The ambience is intimate and comfortable (the interior is lit with at least 100 candles), but I had yet to dine there. Well IO received my chance and was... More

I have gone to Habana for cocktails before. The ambience is intimate and comfortable (the interior is lit with at least 100 candles), but I had yet to dine there. Well IO received my chance and was not disappionted. The menu is spectacular, and the Cuban fare provides a nice change of pace to your average steak and seafood dining. The wine list, while adequate, is lacking just a tad. But hey, just order the Sangria, and savor the food! Pros: Ambience, Fantastic Food, Romantic Cons: Parking, A Tad Loud
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