"We found an absolute gem in downtown Bartow! This authentic Cuban restaurant had some of the best Cuban food we've had in a long time. The Cuban sandwich was perfectly pressed and packed with flavor, and the fried pork with onions was tender, seasoned perfectly, and absolutely delicious alongside the yellow rice and black beans. Every bite tasted homemade and authentic. The atmosphere made the experience even better. The walls were filled with quirky, fun artwork, vintage Cuban décor, and old antique signs that gave the restaurant so much character and charm. You could tell a lot of love and personality went into creating the space. The staff and owner were incredibly friendly and welcoming, making us feel right at home from the moment we walked in. Great food, great people, and a fun atmosphere -- definitely a place we'll be coming back to whenever we're in Bartow!" read more

Christine and the rest of the staff are always a pleasure. Food is always fresh and made to order. The fish dinner with rice and black beans is a household favorite. Helpings are generous. Come as a customer, leave as family! read more

WORST CUBAN SANDWICH - EVER! Last Saturday, I was really craving a Cuban Sandwich. I saw the reviews on Havana Delights and decided to try it out. First, let me start by saying that I was born in Cuba. I came to the US and lived in Miami most of my life. I know Cuban food. When I walked into the restaurant on a Saturday at 1 P.M. and the place was totally empty - my instincts told me to turn around and walk away, but I didn't. BIG MISTAKE! I looked at the menu and saw a 12" Cuban sandwich for $13.50. I figured - hum - I'll eat half now and take the other half for dinner tonight. Well, that didn't quite work out. Look at the pictures I've posted. I got the sandwich and WOW! WHERE'S THE BEEF! This sandwich is a joke! Although, this sandwich tasted good (Of Course, take Cuban bread put butter on it and toast it - of course, it is going to taste good). But this is NOT a Cuban sandwich! Well, I should also mention that besides this horrible excuse for a Cuban sandwich, the service was bad! Since my food was served, the server totally ignored me. Never came by and asked how the food was or was there anything I needed. Trust me, if he had asked how the food was, I would have told him! If this review sounds a little angry, my apologies. I try to be positive in my reviews, but this bad representation of a Cuban sandwich does upset me. After I came in, a couple entered the restaurant and ordered the same thing I had. I was tempted to tell them that the Cuban Sandwich which they ordered is not a typical Cuban Sandwich. But, I didn't want to possibly disrupt their lunch, so I did not say anything. It bothers me that this couple will walk away with this misrepresentation of a Cuban sandwich. Please if you come to this place. Take what I have said with a grain of salt and don't walk away with disappointment. Try other places and enjoy a true Cuban Sandwich. read more

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Manjar!!!! Best Cuban sandwich I've had in a while! We're not local but we would eat here often if we were! read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - 12" Cuban with black beans and yellow rice! - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

Hubby and I ordered the Cuban Sandwiches today. Both were fresh and delicious. Yes, a little on the thin side but still tasty. The pork was juicy and delicious. read more

I did pick up today and ordered an Elena Ruth and a Cuban. I waited the 20 min before heading to the restaurant. It wasn't ready so I waited for it and paid. It was hot inside, too. Only one table was full. I was a little bothered because the woman working (Not sure if it's the owner etc.) had no gloves on as she was removing sandwiches from the grill, putting them on the paper and wrapping them all while she had been doing the register, refilling drinks, etc. Then, I got back to work to eat my Elena Ruth--it clearly has ham and not turkey on it like the description on the menu. Sadly, I don't think I will give up my lunchtime again to make that trip from the office. read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Elena Ruth- had ham instead of turkey. Little cream cheese and hardly any strawberry jam. - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

I was surprised to find a Cuban restaurant in downtown Bartow. I dined in twice in the evening and there was plenty of parking spots. The server is a delight to talk to and very knowledgeable about the Cuban food. read more

I came here because I was visiting my step mom who lives about 15 minutes away. I seen this Cuban restaurant and knew this is where I wanted to bring her for lunch. My good friend and I drove 1.5 hours up, picked her up and drove her for lunch. Seriously it was worth the drive. All three of us got the pork chunks with yellow rice and beans. My friend and I got 2 Cuban coffee each and she got an unsweetened tea. I also ordered some sweet plantains. All three of us finished our food and I so enjoyed the meal. The service was good and the staff was very polite. I highly recommend this place. While there I seen several people eating their Cuban sandwiches and they looked very good as well. When I come visit again, I will be back here. read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Pork cubes - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

I ate there twice in 2 days as I traveled in the city. It is a small, local family place. The staff 2 ladies are kind, caring, I felt like home. The owner came to our table checking on us. He told us that everything is made from scratch, the sauces, meats and sides. Food was tasty really fresh, made to order. My nephew asked a food which was not on the menu and they made it for him. It is not a modern fast food place where everything comes from the boxes or from the freezer... Also they don't rush you out, you can sip on your coffee and chat as long as you want to. They treat you like family. Will go back again when I travel there again. I enjoyed the food and the time I've spent there. Thank you :) read more

Perfect name because this place is delightful! Things we tried: The Miami Sandwich- Excellent Chicken Empanada- Great Ham & Cheese Empanada- Good Guava Empanada- Great Sweet Plantains- Excellent Devil Crabs- Good Service- Super friendly! We will be back to try more!! read more

Placed an online order and when I arrived to pick it up they had no record of my order despite having email proof. The gentlemen in line next to me also ordered ahead and they never bothered to make his order. I ordered two chicken and one ham and cheese empanadas. I left to head back home to Tampa and should've tried the food before hand because they gave me nasty guava and cheese empanadas and when I tried to call and ask if they could write my name down so I could come back another day since they were closed she told me her name is "Chris too" and then hung up without actually solving the problem read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

4.5-5 stars! We were in the area and found this little spot and ordered carryout. Received our food promptly and it was hot and fresh! This is definitely home style food, like if your Tía (Aunt) cooked you a meal :) Our steak sandwiches and empanadas were very tasty. Cuban bread was delicious! Sandwich just needed a little more seasoning in our opinion, & the steak had some gristle. Would stop by again if in the area! read more

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Base on everyone review. I went yesterday to try it out. I was super excited I keep forgetting that's my little downtown does have other restaurants other then the pizza place. I got there around 6:00 because it stated they were open till 8! Well when I got to the door their was a big orange sticker. The peek through the window and it was empty. I don't know what happen if the health inspection shut them down? Did they go bankrupt? I was super bummed. I got in my car and Yelp other places to eat. read more

deliciosa comida un ambiente muy casero como dice en el restaurante come as a guest leave as a family

Wry good Cuban and reasonable prices. Staff was super friendly and was clearly a mon & pop business. I really enjoyed it and will be back the next time that I'm in the area. Oh! I also must say the dining area was quite clean as well. read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Inside - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

Definitely not in Highland City. Often these Yelp promo alerts have zero sense of local geography. Shouldn't hard to fix.

Was in Bartow and decided to try this place. I'm from Miami so I love Cuban food and it did not disappoint.. I had the Cuban sandwich, tostones, & ham croquettes, it was all delicious and had it of flavor! Highly recommended 5 out 5 read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Cuban Sandwich & Tostones - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

The beef and pork were a bit salty. The service was good. There was a decent variety on the menu but I suspect they're better with the sandwiches. read more

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Great food. Very friendly staff. Service was fast and food delicious. Definitely recommend. Liked the atmosphere too.

Ordered lunch from this place, for the very first time ever..... and it will be my last! I ordered a Cuban sandwich (add mayo), some cheese fries and Maduro. The fries (at a cost of 3.50 an order) were not only weak and boring, but most non-existent being there were only 11 fries in the box. The maduros, well they were fine. Those are kinda hard to mess up. My Cuban sandwich (add mayo) SUCKED!! The pressed aandwich had ZERO crunch (which is desired of a pressed sandwich)... the ham was almost non existent (1 really thin slice), the so-called cuban pork resembled and tasted like tuna fish from a can, which made the whole sandwich smell just as nasty as tuna in a can. Overall, it was just GROSS and the people who made my food ought to be ashamed of themselves for "pretending " to know real cuban food, much less serving such garbage to customers and calling it Cuban food. I will NEVER eat here again, and I will DEFINITELY be warning everyone I know about this horrible food! read more

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Very authentic amazing food with great prices. The ingredients are top notch and the staff is very friendly. It is a mom and pop cafe and exactly what I need every time! Can get busy at times but always worth the wait! read more

Great little Cuban spot near the courthouse - the food and service were excellent. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a quick lunch in downtown Bartow or someone traveling through town and wanting some good Cuban food. The Elena Ruth sandwich is pressed Turkey with cream cheese and strawberry jam - it is really yummy! read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - The Elena Ruth Sandwich - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

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Best Cuban food in Polk County, in fact it would be difficult to find better Cuban food in Miami. The service is excellent, very friendly and attentive and all the food is wonderful. Definitely recommend. read more

Good food, reasonable prices, very attentive staff. Was not crowded for lunch, which was a pleasant surprise.

Once again they hit it out of the park for my birthday. The crab cakes were cooked perfectly with their delicious hot sauce. My fried pork chunks were excellent with their beans and rice. We also ordered shrimp scampi cooked to perfection, steak sandwich delicious as always, grilled chicken steak was really good and the empanada was delicious. Thanks for a great night see you soon. read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Fried Pork Chunks with black beans and rice. - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

I got the pork chunks meal with yellow rice and black beans, via DoorDash. They were, in a word, amazing! Moist flavorful and delicious. I got a side tostones with mojo dipping sauce, also delicious. I cannot wait to order again! Enough for two meals, in my opinion. read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Pork Chunks and Fries Green Banana, so good!! Delivered with doordash. - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

I don't have anything bad to say about Havana Delights! The food is absolutely amazing and the staff is fantastic! They welcome you like your family! Love Havana Delights!!!! read more

Great restaurant located in the retro main downtown district in Bartow, Fl. The food was amazing. The Bistec a la Palomilla has a Cuban/Miami style authentic Spanish sabor. Amy our server was amazing going the extra mile with recommendations. This place is a must try if you are in Bartow, FL. read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Havana Delights - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

Been stopping here for years when going to Orlando from Ft. Myers.... its like seeing old familia... great people making great authentic cuban food. read more

Havana Delights Cafe & Catering - Medianoche and Yucca.. - Cafes Near Me - Bartow, Florida

Wonderful authentic Cuban food! Great service, affordable and quick service too! I had the shrimp in a tomato sauce with onions, yellow rice and black beans. My husband had the pork sandwich and tostones! The food was hot and so authentic, just like my abuela would make. read more

Saw this place has 4.5 stars and after this experience I cannot see how. Placed an online order and when we arrived to pick it up they hadn't bothered to make it and had no clue what my order was even though I had email confirmation of placing it. I ordered chicken and rice along with 2 chicken and 1 ham and cheese empanada. Instead of chicken they gave me guava and cheese which was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted. I called to see how they could fix it another day since they were closed and I live in Tampa and all the woman said was that it's up to me how it gets fixed and when I asked her to just write down my information so I could call or come in a different day she just said "my name is Chris too" and hung up on me read more

I was vending at the art fair downtown and needed a quick bite. I had the pulled pork, and it was so delicious! When the owner found out I was one of the artists, she gave me a discount and urged me to come in for free refills of soda. Next time I'm in town I will definitely visit here again. read more

I wish you could give zero stars. I had a group of 14 I needed to feed. This place had great reviews so we gave it a try. I placed our order online, using the ordering platform on their website. It said the order was confirmed and would be ready at 1:15pm and they charged me $300.58. Showed up to get the food and they didn't have it. The lady behind the counter said we didn't order anything. Told her we placed the order online and had been charged. By this time I also had the confirmation email showing everything we ordered and the charge. She claimed our confirmation number and email were fake. Then had to call Wells Fargo and get the authorization number for the $300 charge her business took. She finally realized it was a legit order and made it. The food was not good, I personally got the pollo con papas. I had 1 potato in my meal. The rice and beans were good. Save your money and go elsewhere. read more

I've only been there once and the food is mediocre and the prices are too high. Won't go back.

Dinner tonight was delicious. Great service and excellent food. All of our food was delicious. The oxtail was fresh and the special! Get it while you can, you won't be disappointed! We will be back! read more

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Strolled downtown Bartow and came upon Havana Delights. We had the Cuban and a steak sandwich. Both were great! And the cafe con leche...perfect for a cool Florida day. The staff was beyond friendly. First visit, but won't be our last. Highly recommend! read more

We ordered a Cuban sandwich and empanada as we were on our way home. Everything was ready early- tasted delicious. We will definitely pick up food here again when traveling through! Thanks! read more

This was by far the worst Cuban food I've ever had. The chicken and rice is nothing like real arroz con pollo. It was disgusting. The tostones were covered with salt. The restaurant looked filthy on the inside. If I didn't order online I would have never ate anything from there. I would strongly advise you to avoid Bartow like the plague. There are no decent restaurants. I made the mistake of not eating in Tampa before I drove across the state. read more

Awesome food and wonderfully unique atmosphere! Authentic variety of choices in Cuban cuisine and genuine people!

Great food, Excellent service. I come here every time I get to Fla. I will drive over 50 miles just to eat there. Owners are some of the kindest people I have ever met and the food is soooo good. A cute little diner that is nicely decorated. read more