Havana Cafe

Five stars for Havana Café! A few visits later, I am completely in love. Their food is consistently fresh and delicious. Havana Café’s no-​frills breakfast options are simply prepared but always tasty and plentiful. Generous portions and great quality without the DC prices. Winning.
Havana Café also gets raves from many reviews for exemplary service. The owner and his staff are so, so nice. They always greet customers with a smile, and are very obliging. And they’re honest and fair, too. Today, I ordered the #5, which is two eggs over easy with home fries, toast, and your choice of bacon or sausage. I asked for no meat so they immediately adjusted the cost of my meal at the register. That’s good service. And the total cost for such a nourishing, filling breakfast? Less than $ 5! Yes, less than a small pumpkin spice latte.
Some lucky Washingtonians work right above the food court, where this eatery is located. I don’t, but I actually rather walk 10 minutes more just so I can have their homey breakfast and lunch meals.
I still think the fish in one of their lunch combos could be seasoned a little more, but maybe that’s the Cuban style? Mild fish with more heavily seasoned sides? Anyway, not going to knock them for this since the majority of their clientele come for the chicken, which sounds absolutely amazing from all the starred reviews.
In this day and age, there are only a few places that leave a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Havana Café is one of them. With its neighborhood diner atmosphere and food, Havana Café is something that’s missing from DC’s chain-​heavy, impersonal, careless businesses. So glad they’re here and hope they’ll be here to stay for a while.

Delicious roasted chicken, tangy fish, vegetarian rice and beans, side salad with amazing house dressing. They have been there 16 years, and it’s a favorite among many people who keep returning, like me, as often as they can. And it is affordable Thank you for your business!

I am not quite sure what is so great about this place. I ordered the spicy chicken with rice and plantains. The spicy chicken came with a lot of chicken, which is uncommon when you get such a cheap meal! However, I wanted it to be spicy, as advertised. I didn’t taste anything spicy. Without the green sauce on the side, my chicken and rice would have been lacking in flavor. The worst part of the meal was the plantains. Mine were soggy and not crisp, as I like them.
Maybe I’ll go back, maybe not. Hopefully I just ordered the wrong things.

I’ve been coming to Havana Café for years. Never bothered to write a review, because I don’t have other Cuban places to compare it to. That changed last month after I had the pleasure to sample authentic Cuban food in Miami. It made me realize and appreciate Havana Café that much more and what a great place to get a taste of authentic Cuban food in DC.
Make sure to try: rotisserie chicken, masitas (fried pork), spicy chicken and Cuban sandwich. If you get rice as side, ask for extra sauce on rice.

This is my go-​to place for Cuban food in the DC area. Love it!!!

Havana Café is a hidden gem of DC eateries. Literally underground in Downtown DC’s «international food court», it doesn’t get much visibility, but what it lacks in publicity, it makes up for in a savory menu.
Coming from a lifetime of eating legitimate Cuban food in Miami, I had a hard time adjusting to a lack of the cuisine in DC. Most places in the area that claim to serve Cuban food are both mediocre and outrageously overpriced. Not so at the Havana Café. This place knows how to dish up all of those tasty Caribbean flavors, in a food court/​to-​go setting, and for fairly reasonable prices.
Top recommendations: masitas de puerco, pressed Cuban sandwich, and fricassee de puerco. They also make great yuca and excellent white rice.
If you’re craving Cuban/​Caribbean/​Miami food, or if you’re just looking for a new lunch spot to test out, do yourself a favor and give Havana Café a try!

Thank you, Unilocalers! I never would have tried this place were it not for your reviews… and I’m so glad I did.
It’s right across the street from Management Concepts, where I was attending a three day training. I stopped into Havana Café for two of those three days. I would definitely recommend the chicken (which was fantastic) over the shredded beef (which was only okay). The yellow rice is amazing. Don’t leave their stand without loading up on that!
The court also has good seating options, and is easy to get in and out of. Meals under $ 10! Give it a try!

I like these guys! Their Cuban food is totally credible — not as good as some of the Cuban food I’ve had outside of D.C. (where there are more Cubans, generally!) but nonetheless much closer to those than some establishments in D.C. (for example, Sophie’s about a block away). Sometimes Havana Café can be a little greasy, especially with the friend yuca — or too dry. Small price to pay for a more authentic place however. Thumbs up and worth going to.

Just read an article in Washington Post/​Express regarding Havana Café:
«If you’re craving something a little more traditional, the following restaurants offer an authentic take on the Cuban sandwich.
Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine, 1134 19^th St. NW; 202−833−1005
Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar, 801 Ninth St. NW
Havana Café, 1825 I St. NW; 202−293−5303»
Congrats to the new management at Havana Café!

Empanadas are excellent!

Really great food! Amazing prices for the location.
The breakfast is outstanding. Pancakes, French toast, and bacon egg and cheese sandwich stand out. Very good prices.
Lunch is great too. Cuban sandwich, the roasted chicken, the SPICY CHICKEN STEW, and ropa vieja are all very good and come in large portions.
TIP: you can ask for a smaller portion, it’s a dollar or two less.
Also try the yuca and pupusa with the pickled slaw– so good! One of my favorite places.

I passed by the other day and got me a side of yucca. They were perfect. Crispy gold deliciousness served by a very friendly guy. So today I decided to go for something more and ordered their fricase de puerco which is like a potato and pork stew, along with yellow rice and black beans, and of course yucca! Well, I have to say I am glad I grabbed the hot sauce and salt pepper at the end of the counter because everything was very bland. Very bland! Rice and beans had no taste at all. The pork and potatoes would come apart with a touch of the fork, which tells me they toook their time to cook it… it unfortunately also lacked in flavor. Some garlic, parsley and salt would already have gone a long way here! Now to make matters worse the yucca was not real yucca today! It was some doughy fried industrialized thingy that was nowhere close to yucca! Disappointed :/

Visiting DC and in the mood for Cuban. So we stopped by this place. Very small and cozy spot and the staff is very friendly. I had the pollo guisado and it was excellent. I had it with the cab and the pairing was perfect. If you like Cuban make your way to this place. You’ll love it.

Had a late breakfast here this morning. It was wonderful. The western omlette was light and fluffy, with good ingredients and the potatos were made in the restaurant, and not by some factory and reheated. Also, the people behind the counter were very nice to deal with. Haven’t been here before, but I’ll definitely be back.

Went to Havana Café for lunch the other day for the first time, and I have no complaints. I ordered the quarter chicken with sides of rice and fried yucca, and it was very good. The chicken was moist and tender. The service was fast and prices were very reasonable. I intend on coming back to Havana Café and will update the review as I try different dishes.

I’m from Florida originally, am a big fan of Cuban food, and can’t believe I’m giving such a positive review to a food court kiosk. The food is as good as any Cuban restaurant in DC and would fit right in as a $ 15 lunch downtown. I’ll take it just as it is with a $ 7 price in the food court. The pork (masitas) is tender and very tasty with the sauce giving it even more flavor. I had it with good fried yucca and yellow rice, and added a side of plantains. If you want a good Cuban lunch and are in the area, save your money and stop here. I’ll be back next time I’m in the area.

This is a nice fast food cuban restaurant. I will be frequenting this place when I need my cuban food fix. It has your basic cuban food fare. It needs a little more seasoning but hey maybe that is just me. I still enjoyed the food and look forward to going back again.

Nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement, but this place comes close. I found this place yeeeears ago and still think of it from time to time while I work not anywhere near Havana Café. However, when I’m in the area, I make an appointment w/​myself to visit and get my Cubano on.
This place has never disappointed. The flavors that go into the food always hit the spot. The ropa vieja is my all-​time fave. I get it w/​white rice and — despite what others say here — flavorful black beans. If you need more salt on your beans, get the little salt packets and suit yourself, but do not dis these beans. The beans are fine – always are. Or maybe someone had an off day and forgot the salt.
The portions are always plentiful and serve as excellent leftovers.
Though not in their control, I wish the community dining area would step up its game in wiping down the tables. It looks like a hot mess when I go to sit down and eat my Cuban delights, and that can dampen my food spirit a little.

Oh I so hate giving this place two stars. Hate, hate, hate doing it.
So much so that I have been here about six times now and have tried almost everything in hopes of something so stellar that I could find another star, or two, for them.
The reason why is that the owner might be one of the sweetest people walking the planet right now. Seriously. He is so friendly, so helpful, and so kind that I always walk away thinking, «Dammit, I am going to give it five stars because interacting with this gentleman is such a pleasant – and rare – food service experience.»
But, alas, I can’t. Even as wonderful as he is.
The main complaint I have can be summed up in two words: Heat Lamps.
Of course, I have never had something made fresh to order here like a breakfast sandwich and have only tried the lunch offerings, which are varied.
But from the Cuban sandwich to the quarter chicken to the Ropa Vieja, it all sits under a heat lamp. And that heat lamp renders things that seem like they are made of quality ingredients and were indeed very tasty at one point… well, not so tasty and, worse, dried out.
And I do realize (maybe with the exception of the sandwiches) why these things cannot be made to order… but there must be a way to prevent them from drying to the point of desiccation under a heat lamp.
Again, they taste like they were made with good ingredients but hours baking under heat lamps kind of rob them of their former glory. And dried out Ropa Vieja is just a travesty.
I am not Cuban so cannot speak to the authenticity but my main problem is the stage treatment they get before they ever meet the stage of your mouth.
(But the owner is still awesome)

Oh Havana Café. we’ve been friends for so long.
Every morning on my way to work, I cut through the underground international cafeteria and pass this place. And every day I see the man behind the counter, smiling and preparing food, looking absolutely happy. And every day I’m so jealous of his awesome attitude.
About once a week I get breakfast here, just because it looks sooooo good and it’s sooo cheap so why not? Plus, it’s just a joy to interact with them. The cashier is all smiles and they are very quick to prepare the meal as well. I have to admit that the french toast/​BLT/​eggs/​bacon/​whatever I end up getting for breakfast is not exactly healthy… but that is why i’m craving it in the first place, right?
I went here for lunch once, and it was pretty good but not as good as I was expecting from all the rad reviews. Next time I won’t get the beans, pretty flavorless. The meat was delicious though!(Chicken) Mmmmmmm…