Havana Kitchen in Temecula was such a great experience from the moment we walked in. The ambience was welcoming and relaxing, with beautiful Cuban decor and salsa music playing that instantly made it feel like home. The cashier was incredibly friendly and helpful, which made ordering easy and enjoyable. Although I was a little disappointed they didn't have some classic signature dishes like yuca con mojo de ajo or moros, the food absolutely made up for it. I ordered the Ropa Vieja and took the cashier's recommendation to try the yuca fries on the side, while my son ordered the spicy Cuban sandwich. Everything tasted incredibly authentic and fresh. The flavors truly danced in my mouth and honestly brought me back to being in my grandpa's kitchen. Even the yuca fries paired perfectly with both dishes, which surprised me in the best way. The prices were very reasonable and comparable to other Cuban restaurants I've visited, especially considering the freshness and quality of the food. I do wish they offered more Cuban desserts, but I ended up trying the coffee cake and it did not disappoint -- moist, soft, and full of flavor. Overall, this place gave me such a nostalgic and comforting experience. I'll definitely be coming back, especially with my parents so we can share those memories together. Highly recommend! read more

Havana Kitchen - Ropa Vieja - Cuban Shredded Beef Bowl or Dish - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

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Sadly it priced itself out of 5 stars. The quality is good, just not great any more. I actually started learning how to make beans and rice Cuban style on my own. This was our go to place for so so long but it is a once in 6 months place instead of every three weeks. read more

The food here is excellent! Their Cubano Sammie's are delicious! As are the potato balls (hey, is Mr Potato Head missing two??? ..joke..well, I used to be funny. ;) empanadas, rice, black beans, and legendary YUKA FRIES! The Cuban coffee is friggin' awesome here.....it's so authentic, I think I saw Fidel Castro's relatives in the corner drinking some...(yet another joke right out of my tool box....) It's a casual and clean joint, walk up to the counter, order, and they'll bring your order to your table when it's ready... Prices are fair, especially for being right off Temecula's Front Street, where dozen of dining establishments are waiting for your dining pleasure... Highly Recommend! read more

I love that the restaurant describes itself as, "casual, California Cuban" as it's exactly that! You go to the front, order your meal, and find a seat. The place gets crowded on weekends but they're pretty efficient. I love the beef empanadas, they're loaded with meat and olives to make this rich flavor that pairs so well with the chimichurri. I also ordered their signature latte which was so creamy and really hit the spot. read more

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Good food, service is great. Lots of seating options and good for large parties with seating outside. You really can't go wrong with this menu. Everything is delish. The decor or vibe could use some updating maybe, but still a solid place to go to in downtown. Would recommend and I would come back again. read more

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Place is located in the Old Temecula plaza so the parking can get packed, mostly street parking nearby. I came here to try their Cubano sandwich, beef empanadas and potato rellano. They did sell out of their potato rellano which is seasoned potato balls but I got my empanadas and a spicy Cubano with a side salad. The salad was good, fresh and crispy with a vinaigrette dressing. The Cubano was good, bread slightly burnt at the bottom when they left it on the presser for too long. It was still good, the roast pork and ham was juicy and the mustard was not overpowering the spicy mojo sauce. The pickles gave a nice crunch and the melted Swiss cheese went well with the rest. The empanadas I got were the original beef with seasoned ground beef and chicken mojo which was filled with shredded chicken in mojo sauce and melted cheese. I liked the beef more but both were good. The sauce that came with them goes well with both. The staff is nice and the place is clean but dim inside. Water cup is self served and you order on the register before seating yourself. read more

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I love this place so much. I used to come here regularly when I lived in old town and sadly I live much further away so I don't get to come as often but I regularly recommend it to people. I did however pop in this morning for breakfast while in the area. The cashier was super sweet and helpful. (brunette with bangs, I didn't get her name) I had to start my day with a tuxedo mocha and the Spanish scramble. Cuban coffee is the best and it was just what I needed. As far as the food, the black beans are my favorite but the scramble is awesome as well. I will continue to send people here and I always look forward to my next visits. read more

Havana Kitchen - View from my table - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

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Ordered the original Cubano sandwich. They put mayonnaise on it. Mayo DOES NOT belong on a traditional Cubano. I couldn't eat it. Putting mayo on a Cubano is a sacralige. It's not on the menu description, I had to ask. The staff confirmed that mayonnaise was on the sandwich. I sincerely hope that the management fixes this, because this is, otherwise, a wonderful restaurant (even though they don't have a soda fountain ). The mayo on the Cubano left me wretching in the bathroom. So wrong. The empanadas were good, though. read more

I'm genuinely sad to have to post this because the food here has been great when we've visited in the past. Also, I called in to speak to a manager, or owner, and Brea could care less about the feedback. I hope the actual owners understand that their staff is awful. I was really trying to give them grace because I understand being busy but when flat out don't acknowledge your customers and then act like we're an inconvenience, it is not okay. Mia took our order and was not pleasant. We could barely hear her when she was answering our questions and the look on her face, my goodness, you'd think we walked in being rude or something. Next is the cleanliness, or lack of. Tables full of dishes and not cleaned off. The owners really need to take a look at what's going on here. Best of luck, will not recommend this place or come here again. read more

Mia and Brea are absolutely AMAZING!!!! We came to Havana Kitchen for some Cuban food, as my hubby's family is from Cuba and loves visiting restaurants that serve authentically. The food was good but because of them, we are looking forward to coming back! They were busy, but the front crew worked so well together that they kept everything running super smoothly. Thank you, Mia for being so kind, informative, and pleasant with conversation. And Brea, you helped us with our complicated order, we're super nice, and made sure we were happy as we snacked away. I hope management gives them a raise and shows them how important they are because they make this place special. read more

Havana Kitchen - Really nice, hot oat milk latte....mmmmm - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

Oh man, I do not like giving low reviews but here it goes: I am huge on customer service and will only return to a place that gives off positive energy. I tried this place for the first time in Temecula on a Friday meeting up with some friends. The Yelp reviews were all pretty good so we decided to try it out. I will say it was not busy and service was quick. The reason why I am not returning is due to the employee taking our order. Horrible customer service. I felt as if I was bothering her while placing my order and throughout our stay. Mind you I only asked if they had a vegetarian option for the empanadas because I was doing lent and if I could have a glass of water with my order. There was nothing friendly about her, she was not attentive or helpful throughout our whole stay. For food I ordered 3 veggie empanadas, plantains and a cuban latte. Of course I loved the plantains and the cuban latte. The empanadas were fine. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The overall ambiance feel it gave me was kind of sad. Again, the food was fine but I will not be returning. read more

Havana Kitchen - 3 Veggie Empanadas with plantains - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

I really wanted to try something a little bit different and I have never had a Cuban coffee They were offering a delicious honey latte ... it was smooth. It was sweet and it was just the right strength of coffee. This place is very popular. They allow dogs on the outside patio. They do have some vegan and some gluten-free things on the menu. We chose not to eat lunch there, but the coffee was delicious. read more

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Haven't been here in years, place to me hasn't changed. Decor is the same, very quiet on a weekday, and service was friendly. Lighting is dim. There are table height tables inside and outside and there are also bar height tables and seating. -Chicken Safforn Bowl had a lot of flavor. -Havana Chicken Bowl was pretty good. Also had a Materva Yerba Mate Soda which was real sweet. There is a display with bakery items. Only soda is canned, water is from a water jug and serve yourself. Order first and seat yourself. Or if it's busy find a seat and send someone to order. read more

The best food even better is the service. Toni is the best person to get best buffet I've ever gone to.

We stopped here to enjoy some good Cuban food. It's a self service place where you have to go to the counter to place your order and then they bring it to your table. I waited in a rather long line to place my order and when I got to the front the girl told me that food would have a 1 hour wait. I asked her if we could order beers and French fries while we waited and she said "we don't sell French fries". I then responded "Well I see Yuca Fries" on the menu. After that I decided she was rude and she didn't deserve our business. I don't recommend going here unless you have over an hour to spare and you know the "lingo" otherwise they will turn you away, read more

The lechon bowl was out of this world. My husband, who is Cuban , said it was one of the best he has ever eaten . Generously seasoned with mojo, and we treated ourselves to both the extra avocado and the papa relleno. I used to have a papa relleno for lunch every day in HS. This was outstanding! The cuban coffee was perfect, and I had the decadent hot chocolate. We live in the Redlands, so it's quite a ways for us. But this time when we have a dr's appt this far away, we'll look forward to it. PS your staff was lovely as well. read more

Near the entrance, there's a tiny sign that says to order at the counter and seat yourself, but I didn't see it until we were walking out the door after eating. Customer service is much to be desired. Employees aren't very helpful, friendly or attentive; and pretty much stood by the register/counter area talking amongst themselves. However, the food and coffee are great. The Cubano sandwich was delicious, as well as the ropa egg bowl. My son and husband also enjoyed the empanadas, 3 of which we took to go, and stayed crispy. read more

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Cuban food yummy! Ambiance great with friends like coffee house vibe. Outdoor dining if weather nice, I like best! Coffee so good, empanadas so good! Love this cute cozy yummy place! read more

This place was a huge disappointment. We saw a sandwich board at the intersection that tempted us into getting coffee. We ordered our drinks to go. The barista came out with two giant mugs of coffee. I said "oh, we asked for these to go" she set them down and said "okay, bring them up front" which was weird like why not just take them back yourself? So then we grab our drinks and follow her up to the counter. She gestures for us to hand them to her over the glass partition. We do and coffee spills. She pours them into paper cups where more coffee spills then hands them back to us. After wiping down our cups, I can tell you that the first taste of coffee was cold and watered down. Definitely not what we were expecting. We had to remind her we were also waiting for our pastries. The pecan cinnamon roll was dry and hard, the pecan bar was not worth another bite. Neither one of us were happy with our order but we walked outside to enjoy the last bit of sun on a Sunday afternoon. We must have walked about a block before simultaneously deciding to look for the closest trash can. I wish I could have just walked back and asked for a full refund but instead we just threw twenty-something bucks down the drain. I don't recommend this place one bit. read more

This was our first visit, and the food, together with the aromatics, was truly exceptional. There was more than enough to take home. My fiancé and I look forward to returning. read more

Placed order for a bowl and an empanada.. 11am food great but I waited 40 minutes??? This always seems to be the case..never experienced a waiting time this long as this place read more

Stopped by Havana Kitchen tonight with high hopes for some good Cuban food. We ordered two Super Cubanos and the ropa vieja - nothing too complicated. The wait time was brutal. A full hour for our order, and the place wasn't even packed. I get that good food takes time, but an hour for sandwiches and a standard Cuban dish? That's pushing it. The food itself was tasty when it finally arrived, but by that point we were pretty frustrated. For a casual dinner spot, the service speed really needs work. Might give it another shot during off-peak hours, but right now the wait times are a real problem. read more

Havana Kitchen - Super Cubano - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

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Wow! Just wow! What a wonderful dining experience! First of all, let me start off by saying that my sandwich was truly one of the best i have ever eaten. I almost got out of my seat to meet the maker but i was too distracted by the delicacy between my fingers. So, whoever you are, thank you. Additionally, the blonde girl with glasses who took my order was so sweet! She brought such a welcoming vibe to the establishment. We had a wonderful conversation and it really made all of the difference! I was having a very bad day today and coming here completely turned it around. I definitely recommend coming here. Thanks! read more

Havana Kitchen - Delicacy - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

I really wanted to like this place, ordered potato balls to start with. It took the 35 mins for 3 potato balls to go. I wish they would have told me there would be a wait cause they didn't. I ordered a sandwich too and that took about an hour to get to me as a to go order.... And I wish I would have looked at the previous ratings because it looks like this has happened before and they should definitely look into a better system on getting food out to customers. read more

Love this Cuban spot! The red + golden glow makes it super cozy and relaxing. Every little detail in the décor--from the artwork to the meaningful words on the walls--really captures the authentic spirit of Cuba. The food is fresh and light (never greasy!), and the coffee ... wow, so rich and aromatic--I couldn't leave without grabbing two bags of beans! Friendly staff + cute little details (even a cat ) made my visit extra special. Definitely coming back! read more

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Great spot. Very tasty Cuban sandwich, rice and beans, and all with great service. A few good beers on tap as well

So I used to love this place. I'm not going to lie the food is delicious. However, last time I came here during my lunch break I was informed at the time of placing my order that my Ropa Vieja sandwich would take 45 minutes to an hour + to make. I had to leave without placing my order. Then today as I was about to leave work I thought about placing a take out order for a Ropa Vieja dish. I placed my order (thinking I'm ahead of the game) then less than 10 minutes later I get a phone call from them to tell me my dish would be ready AFTER 5!!! Mind you it's 2:30 when I placed the order. Never in my life have I heard of a restaurant that takes more than 2 hours to make a dish, if it takes that long then why not start making the "Ropa Vieja" in the morning so that it can be ready for their lunch time. It's crazy to me that a restaurant can continue to stay in business. Both times I was looking forward to their food, and both times I was disappointed. Im sorry but I don't think sitting around and waiting 2 1/2 hours for one dish is feasible. I used to come in and order my food and get it within the hour, what happened? New management? I don't know but it's not what it used to be, and that's a shame. read more

Nice little place with Cuban inspired menu. Baristas each created their own coffees. Quant inside. Service was very friendly and courteous. read more

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We decided to come and try this place since every other place around had a lot of people. There was a lot of people during to graduations and stuff. Plus we wanted to give it a try since it looked like it was new to the area. Maybe it's been here and I just never noticed it. We walked in to the place and it was also packed with people but not as the other places. We get in line and get to the front counter to order with the cashier already giving us the heads up that the wait is 30 or more minutes for the food. We decided to stay since every other place was probably the same. I ordered the chicken plate that comes with black beans , white rice and fried plantains. My husband ordered the original Cuban sandwich and a side salad. I also ordered a glass of red sangria. We went to sit outside since the inside was a bit stuffy. They weren't kidding about the food taking 30 to 40 minutes. I think we waited about 40 minutes before the food finally arrived to our table. My chicken dish was delicious, I had them flavor the chicken in a cilantro sauce and it was delicious. The rice and beans were also very good. My husband also enjoyed his salad and the sandwich was a pretty good size sandwich. Let's just say the food was worth the long wait. Now that we know that this place is good , we can come back next time we are in Temecula. read more

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Best spicy cubano I've had! We also got the chicken saffron rice and that was delicious as well! So much meat! Highly recommend this restaurant. Order at the front and self-seating service. Very comfortable atmosphere. read more

I am writing this so that the owners will improve and obviously the owner was happy that they made over $1 k per hour. That's typically not a conversation that I like to hear - not after you wait over an hour for your food. We frequent this place for few years now. Food is good. But waiting for more than an hour for food.... Nah. I rather drive to portos for affordable and better food. read more

This was our GO TO place every time we went to Old Town!! I always ordered the Steak Dish with the Cilantro Marinade, my wife would get the same but Chicken, Well, that's when the disappointment started, the steak used to be a piece of NY and they would cube it. Now, the NY is gone & they now replaced it with a cheap piece sirloin with grizzle, and the chicken breast is now the that cubed bagged Tyson stuff, and you raised the price by 2 bucks plus!! NOT COOL!! I get that things are more expensive, but when you cheapen the quality of your food & raise prices!! People will notice especially regulars like we WERE!! Won't be returning to Havana again and that a shame!!!! read more

We just discovered this little gem on our latest Temecula trip. We loved this place so much we ate breakfast here 2 times. Everything we ate was delicious- we tried the potato balls, empanadas, plátanos, steak and eggs, and several sandwiches. All were great! Coffees were great as well. read more

You cannot go wrong with this place! Their food were so good that I had to get another round of empanadas, AND ordered to-go to take home lol the soup was really good, the rice, good, everything i ordered, good! the coffee and espresso was pretty top notch. it's pretty pricey but its worth it. Staff, super nice! And I really appreciate a smiley helpful staff wherever I go. read more

Havana Kitchen - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

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10/09/2024 (4:45 pm) The place had a few customers sitting and eating inside and outside. I definitely beat the dinner rush. But since it is a weekday, I wasn't sure if there was much of one. The young female employee greeted me as I came in and gave me a few minutes to peruse the menu. When asked for her recommendation of chicken empanadas to choose from, she recommended the Chicken Mojo. I ordered a chicken empanada, a potato ball, a veggie empanada, and an original Cubano sandwich. I docked one star because it was going to take 40 minutes for my order. The young female employee was upfront about it when I ordered...but damn that's a long time for a take out order! I walked around Old Town Temecula and visited a few stores before heading back. My order was ready when I arrived. My food was still warm when I ate it, about 15 minutes later. The potato ball was okay - fried well and soft on the inside. The empanadas were yummy - crunchy exterior and well cooked and seasoned filling. Great recommendation for the Chicken Mojo empanada. The cubano sandwich was delicious! There was the right amount of everything in it. It was a good size for me. But if you have a bigger appetite, I would get other sides or order it as a meal. I think the meal comes with beans and plantains. I would definitely come back for the cubano sandwich and empanadas. I did get one piece of sweet plantain with my sandwich. Now I will definitely order some next time. read more

Havana Kitchen - TOP: Empanadas and potato ball BOTTOM: Original Cubano sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

Delicious empanadas!!! Great variety to choose from. Came in for coffee and empanadas. Everything was perfect Clean, and relaxing atmosphere . Parking is limited you may need to park and walk a block or two to get here . Servers were professional and kind. read more

Never a disappointment when choosing to eat here. Well except today they didn't have the super amazing soup I was craving.... But it turned out okay because I got to try the Chicken Grill sandwich and it was so good!! And it was big! I was full after half so I got two meals out of it. My daughter had the Chicken Curry as she will always choose the curry if available while eating out, and she said it was really good. It was her first time trying the sweet plantains that come with every dish. They are such a yummy treat. She ate mine too! I'll have to go back again soon for that soup, so I hope they read this and won't let me down again lol. A couple things... this is an order at the counter and wait at your table kind of place. Every time I've been here it does take a while for your food to be out so be prepared to wait. Totally worth it. They have tables outside and it's nice and quiet on 5th street. Dogs are allowed outside but not inside. It gets very crowded on the weekend. Restrooms are always clean. They are also a coffee shop and have a breakfast menu. They also have a vegan menu! Really a lovely place. I recommend everyone gives them a try! read more

Terrible service. Our receipt was stamped 12:14p, we got our food 45 minutes later and it was cold. The cappuccino took an additional 45 minutes. The food is okay, but the service was horrible. They claimed they lost my order ticket, twice. read more

Havana Kitchen - I just got my drinks No excuses, poor service. - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

I was married to a Cubano... Cuban food and culture is everything to them. I learned a lot including cooking and tasting (my favorite ) I've been to every Cuban restaurant in Los Angeles and Orange county (including south Florida) this by far is the best Cuban food!!! It's blows Porto's away when it comes to entrées.... Portos would be number one in their bakery items but Havana Kitchen is 10 STARS I tried the Ropa Veja, sandwiches, empanadas and plantains. The black beans and rice was perfect! We came twice over a 5 day trip implant to come back the day we leave, so we can take food home with us. Thank you to the staff and the chef's read more

Havana Kitchen - Ropa veja, slow roasted pork (Cubano sandwich) and plantain - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California

Food was delicious and staff were friendly but they were short a cook so my food for one took over an hour. The owner apologized but would have been better if they offered something to nibble on while waiting. read more

Havana Kitchen - Roast Pork Bowl - Cuban Near Me - Temecula, California