Habana's Boardwalk Cuban - Tallahassee

Read some great reviews and we needed a place for a quick lunch so we were very glad we stopped in. Franklin greeted us as soon as we arrived and it was apparent we just missed the lunch rush which was a good thing for our schedule. Franklin was our server and his positive attitude and service with a smile set the tone for a great experience. I ordered the lechon with black beans and sweet plantains, and added a side of white rice. It was all executed very well. The sweet plantains had a little crust which I like and the lechon was flavorful and plentiful. I think my only regret was not ordering and cafe con leché. I think it would've been great for the ride home but I may have had trouble getting to sleep lol. Excellent value, great food, and attentive and friendly service! Great job Habana's Boardwalk.

Suburban area authentic Cuban restaurant. The service was top notch!!! Frederick did a great job of making our lunch an enjoyable experience. He said that the owner was his uncle and it is apparent that he has great pride in his family and heritage, and making the restaurant a success. He was one of the best servers that we have ever had, including high end establishments. The food was great, so much so that my husband made sure to pack it into our cooler for our three hour trip home. Give it a try when you are in the Tallahassee area, three miles off of I-10, so it's too good to pass up if you are traveling in the northern part of the sunshine state.

A few months ago the picky eater suggested Habana's Boardwalk out of the blue. It had been a good while since we had eaten here, largely due to my fear that the picky eater wouldn't have anything to eat besides bread and flan. Needless to say I didn't waste any time heading here because these opportunities don't come often. Fingers crossed that there would be a simply seasoned chicken or pork dish the picky eater could enjoy. Well butter my back side and call me a biscuit : . She loves the Lechon (roast pork and I discovered the Chipotle Pork Chops on the special board and we have been regulars for those two entrees ever since. The flan is delicious for dessert when they get it right. There have been a couple of times where it was overcooked with close to burned crust on the top and bottom. Just say no when they bring that out. We don't go at peak lunchtime so parking is easy in the strip mall parking lot. The interior is simple and comfortable enough. There are quite a few tables for 4. Service has always been great and food comes out timely.

It seems to be that I crave Cuban food on Sundays. Given that the other Cuban place in Tallahassee has horrid reviews from fellow Cubans, well, I've heard that Habana's is the only decent place for Cuban food in town. They are, unfortunately, closed on Sundays. As it turns out, I finally craved Cuban food on a day other than Sunday, which meant I didn't have to cook it myself, and more so, I could finally try out this restaurant. Yay! We went on a Friday night and we ordered a lot of goodies. To start off with, if you're a beer drinker like my companion, be aware they have a selection of it. I mention it as I don't believe it was listed on the menu. They also have wine. As for food, the better question is what didn't we have. We started off with croquetas and chicken empanadas. The croquetas were sheer perfection given that they didn't make me horribly miss Miami. The empanadas though? They were tasty, but they were a bit dry. I'd recommend cooking the chicken in them less and having a sauce to boot. Our main dishes were pork chunks and breaded steak. My companion had his pork and he inhaled it. The moro rice that came with it was good, too, but the French fries, he said, needed work. As for my breaded steak I got it with rice and fried yuca. The yuca came with a sauce, which may or may not have been the same one we got for the croquetas, and this was out of this world. The even better part? The portion was massive and I got three meals out of it. The service, too, was spectacular. Maria attended us and we even got to talk about recipes. She wants to learn to make picadillo, and well, I'm hoping to return soon to ask her if she finally made it.

So good!! I've now been there twice. The first time I went I ordered the chipotle pork chops and they were delicious! The picture below is from my second visit; I order the lechon, and it was so juicy and flavorful! My server was Sarah. She was amazing! The space is small and intimate. This is now one of my favorite restaurants in Tallahassee.