Havana Express Cafe & Bakery

This review is not for a recent visit. I haven’t been here in a while, I have visited this café only a few times, to be honest I only get the flan here, which is very good.

If you are sick of Starbucks try this place out. Makes the best coffee in Astoria. I hit it up 2 – 3 times a week.

I was so excited when my wife told me about a Cuban Bakery located in Astoria. Cuban bread, yay. Pastelitos de carne, double yay. All those pastries that I use to enjoy in my 6 years living in Miami, triple yay. Sadly, Havana Express Café & Bakery is a below average bakery.
You walk into Havana Express Café & Bakery and it just does not have that aroma of baked goods. You know that whiff of delicious goodies waiting for you to take home. Lighting made the bakery look closed or going out of business. A display case completely empty. Whats happening here?
Now this is Astoria which I think is the capital of bakeries. There are more bakeries per person than anywhere else in the city. On Saturdays everyone is buying bread, pastries, etc. They are all busy with customers and baking activities, but Havana Express Café & Bakery looked depressed.
Shelves did not look appealing. They had 3 or 4 loafs each of the various breads they made and they looked old. Cakes and the various pastries looked like they were made Tuesday and this was 10:45 Saturday morning. They all looked old and unappealing.
I should have known to just say «thank you» and out the door, but I spent $ 4.50 for 2 pastelitos de pollo. Now, I wanted carne, but none available. This is Saturday morning. You are not selling cronuts at Dominique Ansel Bakery. Com’on man. The selection they had of pastelitos just looked staled, old, but I still bought 2 pastelitos. In my heart, I thought it would be delicious. I was so wrong. It was hard and not soft. It was old. I was pissed. Pastelitos are suppose to be soft to the touch, flaky and airy. They just melt in your mouth after a couple of bites. Not.
I guess I am mad at myself for spending money on something I knew would not be good. Shame on me. Bad boy Billy V, very bad boy. Ouch…
Overall, Havana Express Café & Bakery is not Dominique Ansel Bakery or Artopolis. It is a below average bakery in Astoria. I am sure the coffee is good, pastries and pastelitos when they are fresh, but back to bakery school for you Havana Express Café & Bakery.

My husband and I frequent this place quite a bit because it’s right around the corner from us and we do favor some of their food items. We often get the semolina bread and have it sliced; their empanadas are also very good, the chicken and cheese, fried and baked. We also like their fried cod. I like their cappuccino, but I do have to ask them to serve it to me with less milk; no matter how many times I wave, «hi» to the owner on my way to work he still doesn’t do this for me automatically.
On certain days of the week they have a live band playing and it gets quite a crowd– I know, you wouldn’t have thought for such a tiny space and the mismatched tables.
Don’t get the grilled cheese sandwich here. I’ve made better at home. The turnovers are good, the cakes may have been in the display case for too long. Even though the croissants here are supposedly made on premises, Martha’s is better.
When I first saw the «business for sale» sign I was confused, but when I visited on a weekday for lunch they were relatively empty and the owner had a hard time breaking my twenty dollar bill, so I think it’s legit and though I think it’s nice of the owner to try to sell his business and not just leave all his Cuban loving customers in the cold, some aspects of this little shop needs revamping.

Love this bakery they make the best cuban sandwhiches. If you havent tried one please do. :)

This place gave off a mildly depressing vibe. Not sure if it was the crappy soap opera playing on the too-​big flat screen TV or the fact that it was pretty empty given it was lunch time on a Saturday. The cuban sandwich was decent, while the ropa vieja was a little on the bland side. The employees were very friendly and seemed like they really cared about their customers.

Excellent all around. Wish the Cuban sandwiches were more consistent. They do have there off Days. But still very best when they get it right. The pastelitos de Carne are awesome but ask them to warm them up it really brings out the flavors hidden inside.

Got roped in once cause the owner was on the street outside telling us how great the Cubano was, the cuban turned out to be pretty average, but they do make really good baked goods.
For food I give them a 3 baked goods I give them a 5

I haven’t had a cuban sandwich in a long time and just to think that there was one right in my neighborhood and I just found out aww man have I been missing out. Delicious pastries especially the Canolis (my fave) the cubano sandwich is finger-​licking good!!! Coffee is just the way I like it. The owner Carlos is very friendly and charming. He welcomes you and makes you feel at home while you wait.

When I moved to this area, Havana Express was the first place I walked into and I immediately felt at home. Everyone who works there is super friendly and goes out of their way to hear how you’re doing, even on your first visit. I already knew I would be frequenting this place after such great service, even though I hadn’t tried the food yet.
Like many New Yorkers, I’m a big coffee fan. This iced coffee is fresh, strong, and always has just the right amount of milk, if you want it. Always puts a smile on my face.
…But the best part are the SANDWICHES! The Cuban and Pastrami sandwiches are some of the best I’ve ever had, and as a Florida native, I’ve had a lot of Cuban food! Lastly, if you have a sweet tooth like me, try a fruit tart. They are out of this world.
I don’t write Unilocal reviews but I had to for this place! Can’t wait to go back again this week!

Stopped by the other day for lunch and had the recommended Cuban sandwich. WOW! It was awesome and very filling. I also tried the chicken empanada and that was also very delicious. I will definitely come back.

Owner was very nice — the Cuban sandwich definitely a delish and must-​try when in Ditmars. It’s a small bakery/​café type of place you should go. No frills, just food.
I know there were other bad reviews on here and I assume these people didn’t have a great experience, but I do think the owner is trying his best to accommodate diners. I mean, you gotta give it to the guy for trying!

I luv the place !!! Cool Latin jazz music, great Cuban sandwich and real espresso coffee. Try it you’ll like it !!!

Havana Express Café & Bakery claims to make the «original» Cuban sandwich. I remember looking at their signage perplexed. Are they really purporting to have created the Cuban sandwich?! Cojones, that’s just blasphemy! Waiting while my Cuban sandwich was made, the friendly owner and I got to chatting. So I teased him a bit about his claim. He balked and said the sandwich was created in the 30’s but that he makes the «original» sandwich while others create knock-​offs. I see now, he isn’t being purposely deceitful, this is an issue of semantics. What he means is that he makes an authentic Cubano, sticking to it’s true ingredients. (He reminds me of «Native New Yorker» Unilocal thread chick who asked how long it takes for someone to become a native New Yorker. Oh gawd, her confusion will live on in infamy).
In any event, I forgive him because he’s sweet, and original or not the Cubano is killer. So good and big and yes, it’s authentic with all key ingredients, hot and pressed. It’s made with actual Cuban bread, though not as hefty as other Cuban sandwiches I’ve had, it is however long and filling. The bakery also carries Cuban finger foods, like a variety of empanadas, kipes and also non-​Cuban pastries like fresh croissants, in addition to a wide assortment of European desserts. Apparently, according to the owner, his sweets are coveted the city over as he sells pastries and cakes to restaurants and other establishments. Everything is made in-​house. Havana Express Café & Bakery is a basic, no frills take-​out bakery with a few seats. In the summer to enjoy nicer surroundings, I’d recommend taking your food and picnicking in Astoria park. Oh yeah, and when ordering your coffee, don’t pass up the chance to get an «original» café con leche.

When I saw the name of this place (in my head I said) I need to come! Since I left Miami, the only thing I really miss is the Café con Leche and el Tostado… So I was super excited to wake up in the morning to grab my Cup of Cuban Joe.
Walking in felt cozy… The gentleman seemed very friendly as he welcome me. I order, can you Guess? Café con Leche y tostada… Togo. So I waited, paid and ran to my car so I can take my first sip of my cup of love. Mmm was it good. I was a happy camper. But why did I give this place 3 stars you ask? It’s because when I open my white bag to take a bite of my beloved tostada, my smile turned upside down. They gave me 2 slices of toast (a bit burn) with butter. For those that know what a tostada is would understand my disappointment. For those that don’t I’ll explain. Basically a tostada is a piece a cuban loft bread speared with butter that is flatten on a toaster iron grill (whatever that is called). That’s it.
Okay okay, maybe they have other great items on the menu which I haven’t tried yet, but since I was craving for something so simple and to be sadden when they gave me something that I wasn’t expecting, threw me off. Sorry, if you couldn’t make a decent (legit) tostada, why should I try anything else… :(But the Café con Leche was yummy, no complains there. :)

Went here for the first time tonight & was very impressed. The proprietor of the place is a long time Astoria resident with tales to tell and a great attitude. We each ordered the Cuban sandwich — pretty much my favorite food of all time. It was made in the traditional way — pulled pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, pickles, all on pressed Italian bread (pretty much identical to Cuban bread). The balance of the flavors was amazing. I could’ve used a bit more pickle, but that’s just a personal preference. This was nonetheless an amazing sandwich.
The place is cool, w/​tables as well as an espresso bar counter. I will definitely go back & check out the espresso at some point. An overall charming experience & very close to the 31^st St station (last stop on the N & Q trains). Worth the trek, especially if you like Cuban Sandwiches!

Lurch behind the counter was extremely condescending to me. I asked for the caramel coffee, and he said he didn’t have anything like that (I’ve ordered it before). I tried to order again using the spanish name (café dulce de leche) and he asked me if I meant the «café con leche», and called me a crazy gringo. I grabbed a menu, and showed him where his menu said café dulce de leche. I don’t know what the problem was, but I’ll never go again. Bagel house on Ditmars has better cuban sandwiches anyway.

LOVE it.
This is my go-​to café for breakfast and coffee on the weekend in between errand running. For 3.50 I had toast, 2 eggs and AMAZING home fries. In addition to a good cheap breakfast they have great coffee and desserts. Also love the owners, super super sweet people.

I used to always walk by this place and was drawn to their disco ball. I’ve had their cannolis and rainbow cookies at an office party. Their sweets are absolutely divine. Their muffins are delicious as well — moist and just the right amount of sweetness.

It’s next to impossible to find a genuine Cuban bakery. Havana Express is a dream come true for me.
Their pasteles are excellent and I haven’t had a better Cuban sandwich anywhere in New York. I’m going to frequent this bakery a whole lot.