Havana Catering

I used Havana Catering for a birthday party for my Mom at my home this past weekend. The process of ordering was so easy. There is a wide variety of packaging/​pricing and dishes to select from to make it fit any budget. Amanda was friendly and offered great suggestions. The food arrived exactly as scheduled and the gentleman who delivered it was very helpful and polite. He laid everything out in order with labels and serveware and then explained how to serve each dish. And of course, the food is AMAZING! All of our guests (even fussy kids) loved the food! I seriously do not know why I would cook for another party ever again! I highly recommend using Havana for your next party!

I catered with Havana twice. Once through my job and once for personal. Everything was amazing! I almost wanted to pretend I cooked it. Loved the name tags for the food items. Everyone loved the food and there was more than enough for the amount of people we had. They even deliver! We’ll definitely be using you guys again. Thank you!

The staff raved about your food and I couldn’t be more appreciative of your excellent customer service. As a result you are my first choice for catering in the East Bay!

We used Havana to cater a holiday party at a wine bar in downtown Walnut Creek. In terms of logistics, it was flawless. They delivered the trays of the tapas we chose and they were on time, professional and thoughtfully prepared. The presentation of the various tapas was beautiful and each and every one of our guests RAVED about the food. We only chose six items, yet there was something for everyone. Some of our guests were embarrassed because they did not just return for seconds, but thirds and fourths. I would normally recommend the standout favorite dish, but that would be impossible because all of the dishes were superb. We can’t wait to have Havana cater our next event. They made it so easy and memorable.

I used Havana Catering to cater a Christmas party at my home. With Amanda’s help, everything went very smoothly, and she was a pleasure to work with. We had the buffet dinner, which included the mini Cubano Sandwiches and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus for tapas. Dinner was the Spinach Mango Salad, Lechon Roasted Pork, Plaintain Crusted Chicken, Cuban Corn Sauté, and Queso Fundido.
The food and heated buffet servers were delivered right on time, and the set up was flawless. I also rented the little frames with food descriptions so that people knew what they were eating. My guests all loved the food and couldn’t believe how tasty it was. The biggest hit was the Questo Fundido (a mildly spicy mac and cheese), and I liked it so much that I ordered more of it for my Christmas dinner!
I was able to enjoy my party without the hassle of cooking and cleaning up, thanks to Havana Catering. They did a superb job and I would definitely use them again!

Havana Catering does an amazing job! I am the Marketing Director at Mercedes-​Benz of Walnut Creek and Havana has catered for a few of our events now and they have done nothing but amazing work! When using them a weight is lifted off my solders as I have full confidence that they will take care of all the catering needs of the event. I highly recommend them for any function, big or small! Joelle and Amanda are always very helpful and quick to respond to any of our event needs. We are looking forward to the menu they have put together for our employee Christmas party next week.

We have had Havana food before and always delicious. My now husband’s work uses them to cater often. So when choosing a place to cater our wedding it was a no brainer. Havana did not disappoint! Amanda was our coordinator and through the entire process she was helpful, answered all questions big or small and helped us choose a delicious menu. Havana will take care of ordering all tables, chairs, linens, etc. It was like having a full on wedding planner! We had the mojito bar which you absolutely cannot beat, and a variety of food for our guests to choose from. Everyone was happy.
The staff and servers could not be friendlier and really added to the fun party theme of our wedding. We will not hesitate to use Havana again for another function.

We recently had Havana cater a party for 50+ people at house. From the time of ordering to delivery and setup they were really easy to work with. The food was delivered on time and they setup the food with heated platters.
All the guests raved about the the tastiness and quality of the food. We did not order Tapas, but a few main dishes which included Chimichurri Steak, Plantain Crusted Chicken and Queso Fundido (a tasty version of Mac and cheese). We also ordered the cheese platter and the awesome Mango Spinach Salad.
I can tell you that there was certainly enough food for us to have leftovers for a couple of days after the party. We will definitely use them again for any future events.

If I was going to grade Havana Catering on customer service alone (beginning from the first contact) — this would be 5+ Stars. The service was professional, contacts were timely, they accommodated my short timeline, delivery fee was extremely reasonable and delivery was exactly at the time they promised. Since I was transferring everything to my own serving platters I didn’t need set up help but they did offer that. I ordered the Heavy Tapas Platter (this gives you 20 pieces each of 6 different tapas). I also ordered one additional Tapas tray because there were going to be 12 of us and I wanted us all to fill up on the tapas. While the tapas (which all included sauces) were delicious, lucky for me that I had made 3 additional appetizers, a fruit and cheese platter and a dessert because the portions were surprisingly/​shockingly small (with the exception of the Lechons) and I would not have accomplished my goal everyone filling up on appetizers alone. Honestly, the crab cakes WERE just a little larger than a quarter. Other than the Lechons, I would recommend doubling your order for items like the shrimp ring and crab cakes. I would use them again but next time I know what to expect.

We have had Havana cater for us twice. Once for 150 people and a second time for 50. These guys get it right and are super easy to work with. Once our event was over, there was a line for food as word had spread throughout the office that Havana was there. After having Havana cater for my event, I’ve become the most popular guy in the office!

We had this place cater a party we hosted for lunch on Saturday. Food was decent but I have to say the portion sizes are horrible and deceptive from the pictures they have posted. After we called the restaurant and complained we never heard back from their owner Joelle. As customers it isn’t too much to ask for a call back now is it? We never heard from her until my husband emailed her and posted a Unilocal review. Her response back was horrific. She called my husband immature and «angry» and that we were making threats on «social media». We are only posting this because we feel cheated. This is so shocking that she is in the business of serving customers. Based on the tone of her email back to us, I’m now in fear for my own family and kids because this person now has my home address. See owners toxic response below– shows her character — my event was Saturday lunch not Saturday night as the owner stated. we did not send a nasty email but sent one email and one Unilocal post. That’s what unhappy customers do. and as you can see by the pictures we posted the proof is in the pudding. No need for extra sauces or garnishes (the owner alludes to the apparent inaccurate pictures we had posted) to disguise the fact that there’s very little chicken on the skewer. What a total rip off

After reading all the reviews, I chose to cater from Havana’s for my wife’s 40^th birthday. After spending $ 650 on tapas, we had to order pizza since the portion sizes are SUPER SMALL and we ran out of food. This was embarrassing and a result of the tapas portions being extremely TINY. The posted pictures are deceiving and we feel cheated. The crab cakes are slightly larger than the size of a quarter and most of the chicken skewers weren’t even the length of a regular toothpick. If I would have known the portions sizes were made for miniature people, I would have ordered from elsewhere or more. Trying not to let this spoil my wife’s 40^th, we finally called last night, upset and were told the owner Joelle would call us back immediately but still have not heard back from her. We just went to the restaurant on Bonanza street to drop off our dishes and the employees and I believe restaurant manager, were SHOCKED and embarrassed to see the portion sizes and poor quality of work. If the chef is new, fire him immediately, and if this is your actual portions sizes and presentation for your catering menu, please provide accurate pictures and let your customers know that the catering menu provides MINI PORTIONS of the images you display. You have falsely misrepresented your catering service and as you have ruined a special night, I will make sure to spread the word. Never again Havana’s and although your food tastes decent, cheating people to make a couple of extra $$‘s is costly. Consumers beware and I’m not sure why they aren’t any un-​staged photos on Unilocal.The pictures I’ve attached are what the food REALLY looks like.

We had Havana’s cater our wedding a few weeks ago… and it was a great choice!
Going through the process was so simple for my wife and I. We took her matron of honor with us to our food tasting. Not only did we try the food we were leaning towards, but Joelle had us try the boniato & sauteed corn, and I’m so glad she did! We decided on the lechon, chicken adobo, boniato, sauteed corn (so yummy!), and the arugula salad. And, of course, some plantain chips… a necessity for any Cuban meal!
The food was so tasty! Our guests raved about it. Even my Cuban grandmother was loving it! She loved that the boniato was fresh… and wants the recipe for the corn!
Working with Joelle and Amanda was a breeze as they are both prompt and communicative! I highly recommend Havana’s.
Thank you so much for being a highlight on our special day!
I look forward to eating at their restaurant again & bringing back the memories of our wedding day. (And feeling like I’m back in Cuba with all the colorful décor)

We celebrated our daughter’s wedding on Oct. 17^th and she wanted to have Havana cater the affair. Havana was Mike and Emily’s first date 4 years earlier. They came in for tastings and chose the dishes they wished to have at their wedding reception. Our caterers, Liz and Jonathan were absolutely amazing. They were celebrating their 6^th anniversary together that evening and so I felt like we were celebrating them as well. They were very professional and upbeat and did things I hadn’t even thought to ask of them. As professionals, they knew exactly what needed to be done and without being a huge presence, took care of everything. I highly recommend Havana Catering for your next affair.

We used Havana Catering for a dinner party (20 guests) we hosted and thoroughly enjoyed the outstanding food and wonderful service provided by Amanda and her staff. Our guests were also impressed with the food selection.
We chose the following:
Salad — Roasted baby beet arugula, hazelnut crusted goat cheese, roasted shallot saffron vinaigrette
Sides– spicy yucca chips, queso fundido
Entrees-​Plantain crusted chicken, paella
Tapas — Corn and pea empanadas, crispy spiced chicken wings (these were the best!!)
We highly recommend them for the quality of food, promptness in delivery, and ease of the menu selection process!

I used Havana Catering for a work event I hosted at my house a few weeks ago. The food came on time, the gentlemen helped me set everything up, and explained what each dish was.
It was my first time tasting their food and I didn’t know what to expect. The food was phenomenal and all of my colleagues and their kids LOVED it.
We ordered the ahi tuna tartare, the mini Cubans, the prosciutto wrapped asparagus, twice fried plantains, mango spinach salad, chimichurri steak, «lechon» roasted pork, Cuban corn sauté, Soarito rice, black beans and for dessert we had chocolate pots de crème and caramel rum flan.
I couldn’t get enough of the mini Cubans, ahi tuna tartare, chimichurri steak, lechon, Cuban corn sauté and caramel rum flan! I can’t wait to try other items from their menu and look forward to catering from them again.

I contacted Havana about catering my 50^th Birthday party. I received an immediate response from Joelle who informed me that Amanda would be contacting me. I later heard from Amanda later that day. From start to finish I have had nothing but great communication from Amanda. Any questions that I asked her she answered fully and to my satisfaction. I ordered the «Heavy Tapas Party, which allowed me to choose 6 items.
This is what I ordered:
1) Yucatan BBQ Chicken Skewers Crumbled Peanuts
2) Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Citrus, Manchego Cheese Snowflakes
3) Dungeness Crab Cakes Pineapple Aioli
4) Shrimp Ceviche Tomato, Cucumber, Jalapeño & Cilantro, Spicy Yucca Chip
5) Stuffed Piquillo Peppers Herbed Goat Cheese, Panko Crust
6) Mini Cuban Sandwiches
And I added on an Artisan Cheese Plate for 10 people. I ordered to feed for 25 people and it fed double that. My guests all told me how much they LOVED the food and how delicious it was. The set-​up was quick and the presentation was absolutely beautiful! I would DEFINITELY use Havana again for my catering needs. Amanda it was great communicating with you via email. Thank you guys for having great customer service.

I LOVE Havana’s catering and restaurant!!! I have used them for catering 3 times now and every single time has been delicious! My coworkers love it and get excited every time I tell them that I’m ordering Havana. The person who delivers the food is always nice and courteous and the presentation is awesome. Thank you Joelle for having such a fine establishment!!!

Recommended!
We had them cater our corporate product launch celebration event — a cocktail party for total 80ppl, and finger food only, so we ordered the «Heavy» Tapas Party. We all like it! The event set up was quick, presentation was beautiful and professionally staged, not to mention their food is awesome! I have been receiving positive feedbacks from all the guests since then.
Our choice of 6 tapas are
–Yucatan BBQ Chicken Skewers (Try!)
–Adovado Spiced Lamb chops, Chimichurri Sauce (Try!)
–Bite Size Cuban Sandwiches
–Ahi Tuna Tartar, Spicy Yucca Chips (Must Try!)
–Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
–Herbed Goat Cheese, Panko Crust
–Twice Fried Plantains
Havana helped renting all the Cocktail bar stools, glass wears, china ext., they have staff here setting them all up and breaking down after the event. I like them!

Last week, Havana catered lunch for my staff meeting. I ordered for 70 people and had it delivered to my office. The gal that delivered our food was on-​time, very nice and was quick setting it up. The food was hot and fresh. The meeting was on a Friday and I had to provide non-​meat options for those who observe Lent.
This is what I ordered:
Chimichurri Steak Skewers — Delicious, tender and very tasty
Corn and Pea Empanadas — yummy!
Mango Salad — MY PERSONAL FAVORITE This salad was filled with color and flavor.
Plantain Crusted Chicken — Delicious and crispy (considering the travel, I was pleasantly surprised)
Vegetable Paella — WOW! What a treat! I’ve also had Havana’s Paella (with meat) in the restaurant and wowweee, this dish is amazingly delicious!
Sides:
Corn Sauté — Delicious!
Queso Fundido — basically pasta shells and cheese ON STERIODS! This dish was one of MY FAVORITES! I think I ate 3 servings of this.
Rice and Cuban Black Beans — very yummy! The beans are delicious. You cant find black beans like this anywhere around here.
The whole experience from ordering to eating the leftovers several days later was excellent. I will definitely have Havana cater again. Next time, I will be sure to order Mojitos to go with our lunch. Thank you Joelle and staff at Havana!