Havana Spice Cafe

Havana Spice was my favorite local Cuban restaurant. I use to patronize their Dixie Highway location until they closed it. It was months before they opened in Dadeland Station.
I was so elated when they reopened. However, after patronizing them several times I was very disappointed. No more chocolate flan and no more Cuban bread. The bread served was rolls.
Also the chicken breast dish I had was dry and tough. Guess that is why they closed.

Havana Spice is NOT closed! They just moved to another location, right across the dadeland Station north, where the Target and Michael’s are located.

Great low key place. Wonderful food and friendly staff.

It is now closed… JimmyZ’s kitchen is opening up here…

Havana Spice is my go-​to spot for Cuban food. The best pan con lechon I’ve ever had at a restaurant is here. I think they use magic mojo or something… it seriously is delicious. The staff here is friendly and pretty much know me and my friends by name (or face).
My only complaint is that there are stingy with the basket of cuban bread. They used to not be but, recently they mentioned that they are only able to give you a basket of bread if you ordered an entrée. So silly. Perhaps, some people have just gone to have the free bread? Who knows. Also, my friend is sad that they no longer serve chocolate flan. She was devastated.
In any case, I enjoy coming here, even ordering take out. The food is great and I’m always happy with the service.

Tried Havana Spice out last night for the first time. Everything we had was AMAZING, my husband calls it the Best Cuban he’s ever had and need I say he is not easily impressed. The Garlic Sauce for the Tostones was Heavenly! the Chicken Soup was flavorful and lemony and perfect! Moros was Awesome! I highly recommend this place!

Great Mideo nocha. Great food for a decent price, always my go to place. Try their Havana appetizer plate. One of my favorite items on the plate is the fried pork. In my humble opinion it is the best in the city.

No frills, good (and authentic) Cuban food, and nice, attentive waitstaff. The outdoor area would be excellent if it wasn’t on Dixie, but can’t control the location. Will return.

GEE. FREAKIN. WILIKERS. BATMAN. I had never ever had Cuban food in my life and WHOA, the taste bud gods are goin’ nutso! I despise of yucca roots, UNLESS it is smothered in garlic and butter like they made it here! WOW, it was amazing, the food was splendid, the service was great! She kept refilling our empty trays of cubano bread… for something that was free, it was very impressive. I went on a Friday, during lent so no meat for me :(SO I got the fish, shrimp with the yucca and black beans! LAWDY, the fish just fell apart in my mouth… this place was amazing… thank you Unilocal for being our wonderful guide to getting here…
one tiny note though: the plantains were yummy, but some of my sugar on top of them were burnt, STILL delicious though ^_^

This was my very first experience with Cuban food and WOW…
The bread they bring out is delicious and the portions are huge. I ordered the fish + shrimp, rice, black beans, yucca and plaintains and was not disappointed at all. The yucca is dripping with sauce and was every bit as good as making it at home, and everything was cooked perfectly.

I really like this place! I always get the pan con tortilla (egg sandwich) with ham and Swiss cheese… on point every single time. For my kids, I order the pollo a la plancha (grilled chicken) with white rice and black beans… they tear it up! The chicken has great flavor and taste like it’s been seasoned. The hubby gets something different every time and never complains.
This may not be the best Cuban food I’ve had but it’s close and the fact that the restaurant always has a place to sit when I go makes it even better. Servers are always nice and willing to help.
I’m glad I found this place a couple of years ago! It’s one of my favs! Will I be back… without a doubt! :)

There are always those restaurants that you have to wonder, «why are you empty?» The food, price, staff, and location are right — so what’s wrong? That’s Havana Spice Café.
I’ve had lunch here several times and it’s always a bleak affair with at most 3 tables occupied. If you like attention, that’s great; if you like to people watch and hear the hum of dozens of simultaneous conversations, then not so much. I usually order the Pan Con Lechon (heavily recommended at any Cuban restaurant, especially as a barometer of the quality of the rest of their dishes) and it’s always on point.
Even driving by later in the day/​night shows an empty lot. It has a very central location, I just hope it can get a bit more attention from residents and passer-by’s to continue being my de factor Cuban spot.

Been going here since I live in the area and usually go here for lunch or dinner. I cannot vouch for their breakfast, but the prices are great for the portions that they serve you. For lunch, I usually get a sandwich (Medianoche, Cubano, and Pan con Lechon) and they are all great. They are definitely big enough and for no more than $ 7.50 the prices are good.
For dinner, any of their entrees (Ropa Vieja, Churrasco, etc.) are great as well and they are more than big enough to fill you up. In fact, I often take a box home as the food is more than I can eat in one sitting. Additionally, the mariquitas are a favorite of mine as well. The garlic sauce that comes with them is extra garlicky so if you like garlic, you’ll love these!
All this being said, Cuban places are a dime a dozen in Miami, but this place is just as good as the rest of them. So, if you’re in the area stop by and get a good, reliable bite to eat. The wait staff are all friendly and are always on top of the ball!
The only drawback to the place is the parking situation. The parking is in a linear lot that is a pain and a half to get into and out of. Since it’s right along US-​1, it’s always busy with traffic and everything else. I really do wish that they had a better situated parking lot, but at the end of the day, it’s not a tremendous inconvenience.

Cool little Cuban café. Great sangria while listening to the light rail train overhead.

This restaurant provides excellent Cuban food. I love the Vaca Frita they serve with plantains. The service is good and quick. The food tastes very homemade and one can notice that the food is made when ordered. I have absolutely no complaints about this location. The food is exactly what you would go there and expect, quality, good, Cuban food and so inexpensive as well.

The food isn’t bad here but I have to say it is really overpriced considering the quality, the portions and the location.
Their sandwiches are ok, but the breakfast? Terrible. You’d be better off heating up some frozen pancakes and eating them at home. That’s exactly what it looked like when they served my pancakes — the butter was still frozen in its little plastic container. The bacon was undercooked. How do you screw up bacon?
And if you sit outside, the server will ignore you. Although this place is around the corner from my house and it would have been very convenient to come here for my Cuban food fix, I will not go here again.

The parking situation is tricky but the food is great! Try the pan con bistec and if your adventurous the oxtail in Spanish known as Rabo is awesome!

Horrible food.
I was visiting Miami this weekend and got excited to see the reviews for this place. I disappointed by everything.
We ordered some oj expectings omething fresh we got a carton of Tropicana. Ok fine. We could deal.
Then we got the food. The cod fritters had a bad smell, a weird texture, and an unpleasant flavor. I couldn’t even eat a whole one.
My grouper was ok. But the rice? complete mush. What Latino place doesn’t know how to make rice. The black beans, a staple of Cuban food, were tasteless.
My boyfriend had the ropa veija. less than stellar.
The only thing that was good was the bread. I don’t know how these people can say this is the best Cuban food in Miami.

Was stuck in 5pm Friday traffic hungry when I spotted this place on the side of US1. I checked Unilocal to see a lot of 4 – 5 star reviews so I figured it was worth a shot. The food was amazing! The service was fast and friendly. The restaurant and restroom were very clean as well. I took several pics of me and my girlfriend’s food. Hope this helps others!

This inexpensive and delicious small Cuban restaurant near my hotel was a good choice! As a foodie, I had to ask the Cuban concierge what’s his recommendation for good authentic Cuban food near the hotel and this was his first choice. And he was right! Gracias señor!!! The ambiance is very casual and the Cuban lady who attended our table was so friendly and attentive. We had the following:
1)Filete de Pescado al Mango — This Grouper filllet cooked in sweet homemade mango sauce was unique and surprisingly yummy. It’s $ 14.99 and comes with 2 sides, so we ordered frijoles negros and champiñones salteados which were equally good.
2)Ropa vieja — It’s only $ 9.99 and comes with 2 dishes too! So I ordered maduros and arroz, which went perfectly with my favorite shredded meat stew. It’s an excellent value overall, but I still think my Cuban friend’s ropa vieja is way better! 3.5 –4 stars
3) Flan de Caramelo — Pretty good! 4 stars
Service:A
Food:A–
Ambiance:B