Havana Rumba

As a Cuban I have to say that I’m very disappointed, food is not very good at all, I don’t think the cook is Cuban and the fact that all workers are Mexicans and they are even calling our food something different is really frustrating, plus as most Mexicans they don’t even look at you when they talk to you, so the waiter was taking our order and looking somewhere else. American people like it because they don’t know authentic Cuban food and they think this is perfect, it’s very sad to see how they are being fooled

I love Cuban food and this place was no exception. We came here while visiting KY and everyone we talked to already knew about this place. The food was delicious. Our waitress Carina was friendly. They had musical entertainment. A singer who sounded really good. My friends joked about using the singer for their upcoming wedding. We danced. We ate good. And the drinks were good too.

I stopped at Havana Rumba this past weekend during a trip to Louisville. I must say, that Havana Rumba came with great recommendations… and they did not disappoint.
Since we were headed to a cookout, we settled on the guacamole, empanadas, and Cuban Coladas!
The Cuban Coladas came out first. I was in love with the presentation! They tasted great and was a refreshing treat for a 80 degree day. It would have been perfect for sitting on beach in the Caribbean rather than in a strip mall in Shelbyville, KY… but hey… that’s life.
Next was the guacamole and beef empanada.
I am a big fan of guacamole so I knew that it would be a win… but the presentation was what wowed me. For one, in my lifetime of eating plantain, I have never thought of pairing it with guacamole! The whole thing was beautiful to look at! The empanadas tasted fresh… and were also pretty good.
We sat outside during our visit to Havana Rumba. They have a great patio with a tropical vibe. The only bad thing was that the patio looks out on random patch of land. A pond or something would be a nice addition!
Overall, it was a great visit and I will definitely be back to Havana Rumba if back in Louisville!

Love this place, the food is so tasty, always a good time when we come here, love to hear the guy play the bongos

When someone says «what about Havana Rumba?», it’s tough to say no. They have one of the best mojitos in town — so even if you’re only in the mood for drinks and an appetizer, this is the spot to go.
I’m not overly adventurous but highly recommend the empanadas, beef or vegetable. The side sauce is amazing. During lunch, you can also get this dish with a side salad. Their guacamole is also a great appetizer and big enough for 2 – 3 hungry people.
This location has ample seating, including a patio with comfy seating. They also have music on select evenings.

I came here for lunch. I had a vaca frita. It’s delicious. Ambience is great here. This is my first time here. I will be a regular customer for sure!!!

We are always checking out great spots for Latin American cuisine. We love it and the kids love it. We went here by chance the first time and have come back for the foods! We always get the Congri (rice and black beans together). They also have yuca with Mojo for side! As drinks dont forget to get Mojitos. Also their expresso deserves a special mention. They have live music some nights. The place is pretty big. The personnel is so nice! The place actually feels very authentic. They have all the Cuban hits including croquetas and ropa vieja. I highly recommend it.

Woohoo! What a fun night!
I came here with a group of my girls for Girls’ Night! We had such a good time! We made a reservation for 7pm. When we got there, we were given a pager to buzz us when our table was ready. The place was packed when we got there! Seriously, I had no idea it would be that busy, but it was Saturday night. I had never been before and didn’t realize how popular a spot it was. After about 15 mins, we were being seated, which was really impressive and I am so glad that we made a reservation, because there were people near us that did not make a reservation that had been waiting much longer.
After being seated we ordered a round of drinks. A few of us ordered something called a Sangrita, which you may guess from the name is a margarita with sangria in it. It was delicious, and therefore dangerous! You know a drink is going to be trouble when you can’t taste the alcohol in it! And it did not disappoint. It was perfect girls night fuel, haha!
For dinner, I ordered a house salad and an order of the calamari. It was all so delicious! Also another Sangrita :). The experience was so fun. They had live music, and people were dancing and really enjoying themselves. I was really impressed with the waiters, because they were all very upbeat and attentive, and it seemed like they really enjoyed being there, which is always really refreshing and makes the experience much better.
We will be back for another night on the town soon!

Dinner Visit:
OKAY/​GOOD:
Prices actually charged were exactly the same as on-​line menu.
$ 8.00 Jalapeño margarita: nothing special, should have ordered the happy hour half-​price margarita instead.
$ 4.00 half-​price Sangria, poured over a tall glass full of ice: not too sweet, not too dry. Perhaps an ok value but at half-​price only.
Ok seasoned butter for the complimentary boring bread.
$ 14.50 Puerco (Pork) Lechon Asado dish came with a generous helping of pork. But the Congris (Cuban Rice and Black beans) tasted like boxed Zatarain’s rice and beans cooked together. Yuca con Mojo received a second chance at home, and would have been filing, but the garbage can was its final destiny.
$ 13.75 Fricase de Pollo (Chicken): Dark meat smothered in tomato sauce, plus. Came with OILY rice… nutritional value of cooking rice with oil??? See if you can see the oil in the photo.
$ 3.99 BAD: Kid’s menu Frita Cubana Cuban-​style cheeseburger with fries. Consisted of a cheap bun with one cheap slice of cheese. Fries were cold. Fire the nutrition advisor for all those carbs and no energy booster, no protein! Take this off the menu!
BOTTOM LINE: We won’t be back.

After two visits I am ready to review. The service is amazing. Our waitress was very helpful. The guy who brought out the food was enthusiastic. The food is so flavorful without being spicy. We had a table of 5 and everyone was very happy with their choice. Save room or take home some food to save room for the tres leeches.

I don’t know what to say about this place. Overall my expectations were high but I was surely disappointed the last time I came here.
Presentation: Everything looks real nice, very authentic. The restaurant really feels like a piece of Havana. The front end of the car by the entrance is real too! With working lights. Last time I came here was on a Sunday and there were barely any people.
The food: we figured we’d try the ropa vieja (shredded beef) with tostones. Everything was ready in about 5 minutes since we were pretty much the only ones there. But it was a huge letdown. The beef was more vegetables and seasoning than actual meat and it didn’t even taste great. The tostones were ok and the rice was gone in two spoonfuls, so the quantity was definitely missing. The previous visit here I had Cuban sandwiches which were better but I consider those more of an appetizer or light snack really as opposed to a full meal like ropa vieja. The fries that I had were really good (sweet potato fries) and the sauce was something to talk about. Tasted like honey but not quite viscous as honey, it was more liquidy and sweet. Watch out for prices as well, the menu just looked expensive for such small meals. We were in and out in less than 20 minutes.
This restaurant needs to step it up in terms of authentic flavor for Cuban food. I am satisfied with the look of the place but the quality of the food is questionable. I’d recommend to go somewhere else for a better experience with Cuban food.

I love Havana Rumba. They have so many good items on the menu. First of all, their mojitos are the bomb. Yum yum yum. I typically order their Ropa Vieja or their Pollo Asado. Both are delicious and what surprised me is that both are relatively healthy if you’re on a diet. You also need to try the guacamole when you visit. It’s served with plantain chips which makes it that much better. Great food. Great service.

This was our favorite restaurant we ate at in our recent trip to Louisville. It was jammed on a Friday night but we were seated in about 10 minutes. Our server came to our table quick. I ordered a margarita and it was excellent.
My entrée was the Lechon Asado (marinated pork in spices and citrus juices), with the congruent rice (where the black beans and rice are cooked together). And Yuca con mojo a root in citrus juices and olive oil.
The pork was a large portion of tender, moist, juicy pork. The rice was tender, and the yuca was cooked to perfection.
My wife had the Cuban sampler with a tamale, empanada, and a papas relleno (a deep fried meat and mashed potato ball) All was excellent.
We also had the Piña Colada shortcake it was heavenly.
The service was excellent I will definitely return the next time I am in Louisville.

So let me preface my review by saying that the food at Havana Rumba deserves 4 stars but I can’t give them that because the service we received was just not up to par.
The fiancé and I came here on Sunday around 3:30 for a late lunch/​early dinner. I had heard great things and my parents love this place so I was definitely looking forward to the food. We were greeted and seated promptly and our drink orders were taken quickly. We received some complimentary bread with yummy homemade herb butter which was pretty quickly devoured as we were starving. We ordered beef empanadas for an appetizer but we received chicken — we didn’t bother to send it back because they were good. Really good. But be warned that they have olives in them (I had to pick mine out!)
This is where the service issue comes in: we couldn’t find our waitress so we had to place our order with someone else. After thoroughly looking around the restaurant, we found our waitress hanging out by a window and chatting with the hostesses. A disappearing waitress is just a pet peeve of mine and, theoretically, she could have been hovering over us because she didn’t have any other tables!
Anyway, we both ordered the Havana Rumba sandwich with sweet potato fries and after waiting for about 25 minutes, we finally received those delicious sandwiches. Seriously, they were so good! I would have liked a side of red pepper aioli but I couldn’t get the attention of any of the waitstaff so I gave up.
I will give Havana Rumba another shot but I probably won’t make a special trip again!

So let’s do the pros first. The food is awesome. I went yesterday afternoon with my fiancé. We both got the Havana Rumba sandwich, where were huge and very tasty with lots of meat and cheese. We also ordered beef empanadas. However, we got chicken, but didn’t make a big deal about it because they were still delicious.
Which is a good Segway into the bad. The service left a lot to be desired. We ordered with a server who turned out to not be our server. And then had to search around the nearly empty resturant for her to get refills and to go boxes. She was posted at a table with the hostesses. I could understand if they were busy not seeing our waitress, but not her socializing when she has tables.
We will give this place another chance. However I won’t make a special trip out there.

Great atmosphere & great margaritas. Never actually had «authentic» Cuban cuisine before but I feel this is pretty close, so yummy!
Could have just been the night we went but as it got later some very loud drums were brought out with a live performance. If that’s your thing you’ll love it, we were there for a quite dinner… so yea.

Havana Rumba has become the «go to» for my family and I to celebrate birthdays! The service is friendly and quick, the food is consistently delicious, the drinks are delightful, and the staff are incredibly accommodating!
My Tips:
* if you order a dish that comes with a side of plantains, but you don’t like those, replace them for another side! May I suggest the grilled veggies? They’re COVERED in a red tomato sauce and cheese and is a yummy way to add some veggies to your meal!
* Order the Vaca Frita *extra crispy* with a side of green chimichuri to put on your rice and meat. You’ll thank me later!
* If it’s someone’s birthday, they get a free birthday flan! Mexican flan is bland, but Cuban flan is LOVE!
* You will never regret ordering red sangria or an original mojito!
* The tamales appetizer makes a great meal for one!

It had been awhile since my last Havana Rumba visit so I thought I would visit it again. First lets start with our server Magali she was terrific! A server should know the menu top to bottom & how everything looks, is made and its taste. She knew every morsel of the food & drink menu. She has a little team with a couple of other servers (they were packed) all were attentive, very pleasant & quick to fill every need we had. We had Cuban Tamales which were very yummy Lechon Asado topped each with pickled onions & sauce. Tropical salad was very very nice great flavor delicious dressing an orange vinaigrette. Chimichurri steak was good as well black beans & rice spot on & sweet plantains were very good too. For dessert we had Havana Bananas which was good but the reason I didnt give 5 stars. The homemade ice cream had a good flavor but was full of ice crystals. I know its been sweltering here & making small batch ice cream in this weather is a monumental task but this should have been remade it really detracted from the dessert. One blip on an otherwise really good Cuban meal with wonderfully great service!

My experience at Havana Rumba this evening was so marvelous that five stars aren’t adequate. I want to gush, and perhaps for the first time ever, I’m afraid I will run out of superlatives. This visit was flawless in every way.
My partner and I were meeting friends at 5:30 pm, and our evening started as a comedy of errors. Our friends asked us to meet them at «the Havana Rumba on Shelbyville Road.» What they didn’t realize was that two Havana Rumba locations are on Shelbyville Road. So, we went to this location and they went to the other one.
As we entered the restaurant, we saw a lovely outdoor seating area under a huge pergola, with overstuffed rattan sofas and chairs, and ceiling fans overhead. We told the hostess that we might like to sit outside, and she sent someone to get a table ready for us.
My partner texted our friends, «Would you like to eat outside?» Our friends, thinking we were at a location without such a pleasant patio, replied that they thought it would be too hot. So, we asked for an inside table.
The hostess took us to a table, and my partner said he would prefer a booth. The hostess cheerfully took us to a booth.
We sat down, but quickly realized that even before we started eating, the booths were too small to accommodate our big bellies.
We flagged down a waiter and asked to move back to the table they had set out for us in the first place.
They moved us once again, and brought us drinks and a basket of delicious bread with garlicky butter. We devoured the bread as we waited for our friends (who were on their way from the other location).
Our friends arrived, and the first thing they said was, «Can we eat on that gorgeous patio?» My heart sank.
I don’t like to be high maintenance, and this would be our FOURTH table assignment. They were going to HATE us at Havana Rumba!
We asked anyway, and were moved to the patio. I apologized, but the person moving us said, «We just want you to be happy.» I am in awe that they handled us with so much grace.
One of our friends, a Cuban, summarized the food nicely, saying, «This is home style food like my mother cooked. It’s almost as good as what I would make!» Having enjoyed our friend’s Cuban home cooking, we knew we were in for a treat!
We ordered two appetizers to share: vegetarian empanadas and pork tamales. Both were excellent.
Entrees were steak with chimichurri, lechón asado (marinated pork), and Parilla Habanera (sort of a mixed grill for two.) I tasted each of these, and every new bite was better than the one before it.
I would say more, but it’s really late and I have run out of superlatives. Another visit to Havana Rumba is a must.
Next time, I’ll bring a Thesaurus!

Excellent food, good service. The presentation can be lacking at times, which I only mention because some people care about that sort of thing. The Middletown location is spacious and great for large parties. It’s also kid-​friendly. Today I dined with a party that had children. The hostess provided crayons and placemats for the kids. The menu has a large selection, including plenty of vegetarian dishes, if meat’s not your thing. There is a lunch menu every day but Sunday.