3.23 Cafe Havana

Monday I traveled north about 10 minutes to Cafe Havana, a Cuban restaurant in South Bradenton. It's located a couple of blocks from the route north to ballparks like Pittsburgh's McKechnie Park and the Phillies Bright House Field, so it's a convenient stop. Cafe Havana resides in a typical strip mall, but one that hosts many Latin-themed businesses including a market, several bakeries and a clothing store.

It's a medium sized restaurant, seating 100 at capacity. They also have an in-house bakery with a fairly large display case of those products.

Their specialty is the Cuban sandwich, but I was there for dinner so I ordered a steak dish, with onions, beans, plantains and rice. I chose this meal, in part, for a comparison with a similar meal at Mi Tierra in Sarasota, and because the picture of it on the menu was appealing. I also bought two chicken epañadas to eat today for lunch.

Overall the meal was outstanding. The beans and rice mixed together were excellent, and so were the plaintains, which were tender and sweet. The onions added flavor to the steak, which otherwise was tender, but didn't have noteworthy distinction.

I would give a slight edge to Mi Tierra, based on the steak, but I liked the plantains better at Cafe Havana. Both are wonderful places to stop, which I'd highly recommend if you are ever here.