Welcome to Cuba

I usually don't go out of my bubble of American food, but of course my best friend insisted we try Havana Central. I have to say, it was one of the best restaurants I have been to. I also went back for my 17th birthday dinner. Havana Central has many locations but the one I went to is located at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island; a major tourist attraction. We went to Havana Central on a Friday night and come to find out, they have live music on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It was very welcoming and made the environment fun. How much better could it get after that?

The inside of the restaurant looks simple but as if it is on an island. The booths have curtains separating one from the other and there are standard dark brown tables and chairs. The waiters were very excited that we came and they ensured I'd be given the best service. It was a plus to know that they cared about their customers. The one thing that caught my eye was how perfectly the food was placed on the plate.

When I received the menu, it was in Spanish but there was an English description of the main dish so it took some time to read everything and figure out what enticed me the most. The menu had many things on it that I have never tried or even heard of. I wanted to order everything and have a tasting-dinner but that would be a costly tasting. For my appetizer, I ordered fried calamari. Fried calamari is my FAVORITE appetizer and it was cooked perfectly here: crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I cannot remember the name of the entree I ordered but, it was shrimp with yellow rice, and black beans on the side. My plate looked like a piece of art and it took me a moment to take it all in. However, I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture of my meal before I started eating (as you can see in the picture). The food was served in large portions, so this was one of the rare occasions I did not finish my food. I considered this a good thing though because I was able to have a midnight snack for later.

This restaurant is perfect if you enjoy Cuban food or just a lively environment for dinner. I am sure the food will immediately capture your attention. Also, it is conveniently located next to a mall and a movie theatre; the perfect location for shopping and then a movie/dinner date. I enjoyed my time here mostly because it was not what I was used. I recommend going out of your comfort zone in terms of food. It might be way better than you think.