It was raining on this gloomy Friday, and we wanted to eat somewhere close to Rockafeller. I recalled we had tried to walk into this restaurant on prior days with no success. I looked them up on OpenTable and saw that they had openings throughout the night. We figured it was worth a shot to try to walk in, and we found success. We were seated next to the door inside a glass section of the restaurant towards the front at around 6:30 PM. There was a live trio band playing Cuban style music, and some people dancing near the entrance.
Ambiance & Service
The noise level in here is quite loud, so it’s quite suitable for tourists or people that want a vibrant atmosphere. The decor feels like a typical latin inspired restaurant.
The service was decent, and it was pretty fast. I was a bit irked when they took our order of batidos and assumed we wanted milk which was an extra dollar.
Food
The Mango Batido ($6.5 without milk, $7.5 with milk) tasted good. It tasted like if you bought frozen mango and blended it with a bunch of ice and added some milk. Do keep in mind that when we ordered this, we didn’t explicitly say we wanted milk, but it was served to us anyways. If you don’t want to pay the extra $1, definitely speak up and tell them you do not want milk.
The Passion Fruit Batido ($6.5 without milk, $7.5 with milk) tasted ok. This was rather tart and not the best passion fruit drink I’ve had.
The Ropa Vieja ($27.95) came with braised shredded beef, peppers, and onions. It was served with yellow rice and a side of beans. The yellow rice gets its flavor and color from saffron. The braised beef is pretty flavorful, and it vividly reminds me of the type of meat you find in tacos in general. Outside of that, this is pretty standard, and there wasn’t anything that stood out.
The Recorrido por la Havana ($29.95) was the Pork Lover’s Trio. It came with a tower of pernil, ropa vieja, and chicharrones de pollo. It came with yellow rice and a side salad. I did not realize it would come in this tall tower, but it was fun to look at first. It was actually not so great pulling food off the tower since the plates would rattle against the cage as you pressed on it.
The chicharrones (top) were basically fried chicken pieces. The meat was tender, and the texture was nice and crispy. Keep in mind that there isn’t much batter, so it’s just the meat itself that is fried.
The pernil (middle) was pretty decent. It was flaky and had some decent flavors. I really felt like I wanted some tortillas here.
Lastly, the ropa vieja (bottom) tasted like the main dish that my partner ordered.
The Flan ($8) came with vanilla bean custard with caramel topping. There really was nothing unique about this, but my partner was craving for it.
Final Verdict
Havana Central is simply a no-frills, inexpensive restaurant that fits the Times Square tourist crowd and satisfies Cuban food. Compared to other Cuban places we’ve been to, we still recommend Victor’s Cafe for a more posh set up. However if you’re really craving general Cuban food and don’t want to walk, this place is acceptable.
Yelp Jabs
I had better Cuban food in Little Havana, Miami but I still rate this 5 stars because the ambiance was unique, I felt like I was in Havana, Cuba at the Tropicana! My eyes ate too! The 1st time I went there, I was so dazzled by what I saw on a Friday night, the place was packed.
The ambiance might be unique for Times Square and would probably be the only selling point for this restaurant. This Elitist went there for the dancing and not really the food.
If you’re headed to Broadway for a show, Havana Central is the perfect pre-show dinner spot. It sets the stage for a night filled with flavor and culture, making your visit to the theater even more special.
If you’re looking for “perfect” Manhattan food before a show, definitely skip this restaurant unless you have a small budget and really want Cuban food. There are much better dinner places nearby.
Revisions
- Dec 1, 2023 - Initial revision.