Habana Cuba, San Jose

Habana Cuba, located in San Jose, serves up traditional Cuban food. The interior decor is meant to evoke a tropical house, perhaps one you might find in Cuba. It’s tucked along a commercial street near downtown San Jose.

Theresa’s cousin Larry and his wife Han were generous enough to give us a gift certificate to Habana Cuba as a gift. They also got one for themselves, so we decided to all go one night to try it out.  Each certificate was good for 2 people and included one appetizer, 2 soups or salads,  2 entrees, one dessert, and pitcher of sangria. We decided to go family style so we could sample the various offerings.

The Sangria came first, containing the requisite crushed fruit, served in pitcher for the table. Nothing that was outstanding, and about average on the spectrum of sangrias I have had in the past.  Appetizer were served next: Prawn Ceviche and Cuban Sandwich

The ceviche contained cooked shrimp marinated in a cucumber mango salsa accompanied by fried plantain chips.  The crisp starchy chips served as a good counterpoint to the acid and moisture of the ceviche.

The Cuban sandwich (bocaditos) contained the house slow roasted pork, along with the traditional mustard, pickle, and cheese on a grilled and pressed roll.  The pork was definitely the star of the sandwich, outshining the other ingredients.

A nice sized bowl of chicken soup with noodles, potatoes, and corn (sopa de pollo).  From the color, you would expect a very tomato-y, acidic soup, but surprisingly it was not and best described as “homestyle” cooked.

We ordered a variety of stews: Carnos con Papas (beef),  Chilindron De Cordero (lamb),  and Ropa Vieja (beef). And we ordered the Lechon A La Cubana (slow roasted pork). Entrees were accompanied by rice, grilled plantains, and black beans. The pork was definitely the best dish we ordered, flavorful and making you want to eat more.  The stews all seemed to share the same taste profile, as we could not differentiate much difference among the three stews we order. I think next time, we will stick to the roasted pork, skip the stews, and perhaps try some of the other dishes there.

For dessert, we opted for the flan and the coffee tartufo (coffee gelato with coffee sprinkles). The portions were a bit smaller than I would have expected from a standard dessert, but that could have been because they were part of a larger package. Both were average, with no real standout features.

Verdict:
Not having much experience in eating Cuban food, I am not able to judge the authenticity of Habana Cuba’s food or how it measures up to similar places in Miami. The food resembled “homestyle” cooking, like something I would imagine a typical Cuban family would produce.  The roasted pork is worth a trip, so definitely order that when there.  However, as I mentioned before, if sharing, I would only order one  stew and try some of the other dishes. Portions are pretty generous, so getting appetizer, soup, entree, and dessert was quite a bit of food. Sharing appetizers and one entree per diner should be plenty and satisfy all but the largest of eaters.  I would skip the dessert and go elsewhere for that. I would not put Habana Cuba in my regular rotation of “favorite” restaurants, but it is a  a good “destination” restaurant for groups that are looking for something a bit more ethnic.