Havana: Everyone knows this place.

Havana
105 S. Main Street
New Hope, PA
215-862-9897
www.havananewhope.com


NHY Overall Rating: 6 of 10
Food: Variety of American, Carribean, European and Latin America
Serves: Lunch and Dinner
Price: $$. A little pricey for the portions. A burger will start you at $12 and that doesn't even include fries. Dinner entrees will run you from $15-22 (even just a salad entree is starting around $15).
Ambiance: Artsy. Comfortable. Nicely decorated.

Comments: Almost everyone who visits New Hope is somehow introduced to this place. They have been around a long time and have renovated quite a bit to become a larger more dominating restaurant/bar/club. Although I have visited more to drink out on the very large and scenic outdoor patio (complete with colorful lights and heating lamps), we have also eaten here quite a bit and to say the least, the food is pretty average. For first time visitors to New Hope this would not be my recommendation as the service and food is definitely not consistent.

As far as brining the kiddies, I think Havana is pretty accommodating to that during the day; not so much at night as the bar atmosphere really takes over.

I have had their Apple Pecan Chicken Salad ($15) which I would say with confidence was good. I have also tried their Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas ($14) which were horrible and I am not sure how you can even mess that up. The Black Bean Nachos ($12) were good but basically I could have eaten the whole dish myself; the portion said "large" but only if you are a midget.

For dinner, they have items such as Lump Crabcake-Cajun Remoulade ($22), Pan Sautéed Tilapia ($16) and Tequila-Lime Duck Breast ($18). They have an array of pasta dishes as well. If you are in the mood for a sandwich you can find on their menu items such as Chicken-Spinach and Asiago Panini ($14) and BBQ Brisket Sandwich ($14).

Although the name implies a taste of Cuba, you will not find much of this here. In general, the food is satisfactory and the service depends on the day. They probably have a higher turnover therefore the training and level of experience is not consistent. My biggest complaint overall, being a local, is that I feel this places does not have the cozy New Hope flavor and also is a bit over-priced, especially for drinks.

To touch on the bar and entertainment side of Havana for a second I would have to say that they do have the market when it comes to this. Other than John and Peters, Havana is really the only other places that has bands and other types of entertainment. During the week they have karoke night (Mondays), which is basically a handful of local types that support each other through their addictions to sing (and make a fool of themselves).

They also have Kinky Quizzo on Wednesdays which is really fun if you can make it out with a group. I believe they have an open mic night as well. Their bands on Thursday through Saturday are usually a mix of cover bands that play rock and pop, those that play jazz, blues and then those of what I would say falls into a whole other category. This is usually the night I turn around and go to John and Peters. It is best to find a night when they have drink specials since drinking there could cost you an arm and leg. Don't try to impress to quickly buying a big round unless you have a big bank account that won't shrinking just a tad. They have a nice selection although some beers you can only get at the outdoor bar (the good ones). Service has been fair at the bar. Again, it really depends on how busy they are and as you go into the later part of the night (about 10-1pm) you are likely to wait a few minutes unless you have a cute butt smile.

Update: Their onion rings are the bomb!