Habana, Irvine CA

Incredibly delicious food and beautiful atmosphere! Definitely put this one on your list of places to eat at!

I ordered the Rum Pepper Shrimp dish with sweet plantains and mashed purple potatoes for sides and my husband ordered the medianoche (aka Cubano sandwich). I also ordered a piña colada without alcohol. The rum pepper shrimp dish was a perfect combination of flavors with a creamy orange sauce, perfectly cooked rice for the style of dish, chunks of mango and other vegetables, along with some type of string shaved squash on top. This dish is seriously one to remember! My husband said the medianoche was perfect, except he wished they used a more upscale yellow mustard since the other ingredients were so high-end. He even finished all the fries because he said they were so delicious - the perfect size and balance of crunch with softness, a great flavor and also great with the spicy dipping sauce. The sweet plantains were exactly how they should be - caramelized on the outside with a warm squishy inside. The purple mashed potatoes tasted just like regular mashed potatoes. They were good, but not elevated like the entrees.

The atmosphere was relaxing and beautiful. As we walked in, we were offered complementary champagne rose, which was a nice touch. We sat in a comfortable booth outside since the weather was nice. I only gave 4 stars on the atmosphere because the sun was eventually cooking us in our booth. They eventually pulled the shade down, but it was only right before we left.

Wonderful food here - definitely worth a visit!

TOTALLY SPECTACULAR! We had only just moved to Irvine a few days before when we visited the incredible Irvine Spectrum Center. And then we saw the Habana restaurant.we had to have lunch here! Rey Abreau the restaurant GM and hostess Laura were extremely welcoming when we turned up about 1pm. Laura escorted us to a lovely table on the outdoor patio. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL RESTAURANT! A friendly server named Juan came by shortly after we were seated and offered us glasses of Rose.we declined because we don't drink wine. We did ask for glasses of water which arrived promptly in beautiful tall glasses. Being our first time here we decided to order THE TASTE OF HABANA APPETIZER (2 pork croquetas, 3 chicken empanadas, 3 vegetable empanadas, banana-habanero ketchup, fire roasted tomato sauce). WHAT A GREAT DEAL! Our lunch order arrived before we could blink and looked MOUTHSATIONAL! The empanadas tasted truly delicious.and the pork croquetas were sensational. I saw a server deliver a pretty drink to a nearby table. I wanted one. I GOT ONE! My wife told me it is called a SHIRLEY TEMPLE! It tasted fine. We thought about dessert.they have some great sounding desserts on their menu. TIL NEXT TIME! Another server named Steve brought my wife a complimentary (non-alcoholic) alternative to a Shirley Temple.my wife adored it. WE WILL RETURN FOR DINNER VERY SOON!

This was my first time dining here and the experience was amazing! Our server was extremely attentive, very polite and timely. The food was DELICIOUS lol and she even nurtured my request for an annoying amount of ketchup.

The place is beautiful. But the food was nasty, my aunt ordered the grill chicken, and they brought fried chicken, and it was hard it was not even good enough to take home, I order the salmon, and it was raw, and cooked in some areas and others were raw, and the plantains were hard it tastes like it had been refried all over again it just was not fresh. The only thing I like about the restaurant was the scene it is a beautiful place to visit but not to eat. I love good fresh food and this place didn't deliver.

Absolutely Love the atmosphere, it has a Classic retro feel. The greeters were amazing and even gave me a cute glass of Rose’.
Our waiter was good but very busy and forgot a few of our appetizers. Our food was good maybe a little pricey but the vibe and atmosphere and drinks made up for it!

Great food and a beautiful location. They got the order wrong, but they were nice about it

Amazing food, environment, and service! Alfredo introduced Cuba’s traditional food and culture so well that we had a wonderful evening here!

Rey the manager was very welcoming. The minute we walked in the restaurant, Rey was there to greet us. Our server Ruby was also accommodating and offered us complimentary glasses of rose. The facility was clean. The atmosphere was pleasant. The food was exceptional!

We ordered calamari and chopped salad for appetizers. For entrees we opted for popular dishes such as seared ahi tuna and seafood paella.

We topped off with delicious banana flambé with table side presentation. My wife loved the fire show! The reviews did not disappoint. Thanks Rey and Ruby for the extraordinary service!

Really neat place. Interior decorating gives a real Cuban feel. Food was delicious. I had the Steak churrasco and key lime pie for dessert.
It was very busy and loud. I think the waiter was a bit overloaded so that was the only ding. Though he was very pleasant and helpful with recommendations.

AJ gave us the best customer service. I was visiting from Louisiana on a work trip and my friends and I were looking for a good time and great food and AJ was able to provide that for us. We loved him.

This place definitely did not disappoint! We came for dinner, and we were very satisfied with our attentive server. Our food was outstanding, it had just the right amount of spice and a very subtle yet noticeable fruitiness to it, and the atmosphere is one of the best I’ve ever seen! It just has such a good vibe about it. I’ll definitely be coming back for more, and I would definitely Would recommend third to anyone in town!

The food was good but not worth the price. It's not authentic Cuban food. I have had better Cuban food at other places for a third of the price here. That being said the actual restaurant was nicely decorated and looked really fancy.

Been here several times for the Sunday buffet brunch. Was really sad that they don’t have this anymore. They don’t even have the bakery either. Two things I really love about this place and now it’s gone.

Well, we still have to give this place a try right. We were greeted right away and was seated really quick too. There was a lot of parking because they are located at the Irvine Spectrum. It was nice that they offer you a complimentary sparkling rose.

The ambiance in the whole restaurant is very beautiful. They really capture the feel of the Cuban aesthetic. Love the music. Bathroom is very beautiful and clean.

The food was ok and expensive. The menu did capture the authentic Cuban food but more of the expensive side. So we ordered the following:
Appetizer:
- ceviche tropical. A very refreshing and great way to start our meal.
- taste of habana. It was ok. The vegetable empanada was the best. There was this pork meatball. It was ok….
Food:
- Caribbean pancakes and added $2 for bananas. This was shared with my husband and my toddler. I was a little disappointed. The server forgot about the bananas and when he brought it in it was very small like the very small bowls where you put ketchup.
Not worth the extra $2. I really thought they would have added this in the pancake mix.
- lechon Benedict. It was ok. It’s a-little too sweet for me. Not really my thing.
- short rib picadillo hash. This was really good. Everything was the perfect balance.

Overall, I will be giving this place 3 stars because of the ambiance. I really missed the Sunday brunch buffet. I also missed that you can order a coconut and they can add alcohol to it. Another thing that I missed is the bakery. It’s really not the same.

Unfortunately we had a surprisingly under par service this evening at this place. Waitress looked and acted like she was very tired and not happy to be there. All dirty plates were left at the the table even when desert was served. I had a hard time finding space on the table for desert plates. I had told the waitress that it was my daughters birth day. She did not try to make it special at all. The food was ok though.
Overall I think this place is overrated. We’re gonna take a long brake from visiting this place.