Habana

Came here for OC Restaurant Week. The place is beautiful with charming decor that transports you to Havana. It is clean and the staff is the friendliest I've ever seen. The manager even stopped by our table to vhat and see how we are enjoying our food. They also offer a complimentary rosé which is a lovely touch.The restaurant week deal is 25$ for lunch. It gets you a choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert. We got the cheese and veggie empanadas for our starter, lechon frito and cheese tamale for our entrees, and strawberry cream and flan for dessert. We also ordered the bellini flight. Cheese empanadas- Crispy crust filled with gooey melted cheese blend. It was accompanied with a sweet and tangy mango slaw and a green sauce that enhanced the flavors. Such a great way to start a meal!Veggie empanadas- The crust was nice and flaky and it was filled with a spiced vegetable blend. It was nice and hearty and also comes with the slaw and dipping sauce.Lechon frito- This is my favorite! Generous pieces of deep fried pork that has a slight crunch outside and juicy and soft inside. Paired with black bean rice and a salad.Cheese tamale- This was nice and soft and filled with cheese and drenched in a sweet and spicy sauce. It was pretty filling. Paired with black beans, rice and a salad.Strawberries and cream- Sweet strawberries tossed in a creamy yoghurt sauce and finished off with toasted coconut flakes. It was a refreshing palate cleanser after the meal.Flan- This is rich and cream. The flan is wonderfully smooth and has a lovely hint of vanilla.Bellini flight- Served in a cute personalized board. It comes in mango, pineapple, tamarind, and blueberry flavor. They are all quite refreshing! The mango embodies the fruit flavor and is nice and sweet. Pineapple tastes fresh and lively. Tamarind gives you a light kick. Blueberry is juicy. Fun combinations altogether!Thanks so much for this delightful experience!

Great service, delicious food & beautiful ambiance. Dined in to try the 3 course lunch for Restaurant week & left satisfied. Cute spot for date night or to meet a friend for lunch too !

It's beautiful inside! We ate inside on a Wednesday for their brunch service. It felt cozy and it looked beautiful and the decor was awesome. The food was delicious! Do not skip the dessert flan!

I went here for a Friday dinner and made reservations just in case, for outdoor seating. When we arrived and checked in with the host, they welcomed us with a free glass for sparkling rose (only 21+), which is a nice touch. We got the ropa vieja which is a shredded beef dish with buttered white rice, black beans, and plantains. We also got the rum pepper shrimp.The ropa vieja is so juicy and flavorful, pairing wonderfully with the rest of the ingredients in the dish. I liked the plantains and the rice in particular, and I wished they gave more black beans for the dish.The rum pepper shrimp is quite hearty and the shrimp is very fresh. They had mango and jicama on top, along with a bed of white rice, which increases the depth and texture of the dish. However, it is a bit overpriced for what they serve ($39.50)Service is decent as water refills are present and they deliver the food in a timely manner. It was a bit strange they still gave us a dessert menu even though we were full and just asked for the bill. Overall, the food and ambience is good to try once, but it is a bit pricey and I would only recommended for a nice occasion.

What a great Valentine's Day theme! We double dated and it was our first time going there so we had a lot of fun. The music was great, loud but not too loud where we couldn't have a conversation. They filled up the place with many red floating balloons and looked so festive.The special Valentine's menu was top notch with great selections no matter what diet you're on.We had their cheese & chicken empanadas, ceviche and fried calamari as our appetizers and they were all so yummy and filling.Our entrees were the ahi tuna, seabass, salmon, all were cooked to perfection.Desserts we had were flan and strawberries and cream with toasted coconut, YUM!!!Service was always attentive even as crowded as they were. Great memories were made and we can't wait to go back!

I made a reservation about a month and a half in advance and had plenty of time slot options for the day after Valentine's Day. I received a text 10 minutes before my reservation letting me know that my table was ready, and we were seated immediately upon arrival--I really appreciated the efficiency.Our table was next to an aesthetic display with candles, adding to the cozy ambiance. We loved the dim lighting, the hanging plants, and the overall atmosphere of the restaurant, both inside and out. The music was great and really complemented the vibe.For drinks, my boyfriend ordered a piña colada, and I had a non-alcoholic mojito--both were delicious. We started with the ceviche, which was fresh and paired perfectly with the crispy plantain chips. For our entrées, I had the roasted chicken with rice and beans, while my boyfriend ordered the paella. We both enjoyed our meals--while I've had better Cuban food, we'd still rate our dishes a solid 8/10. We ended the meal by sharing the key lime pie, which was absolutely incredible.Our server was attentive, provided excellent recommendations, and paced our courses perfectly. Overall, we had a great dining experience and would definitely return!

Located inside LAB anti-mall, there's plenty of parking in the back. Recommend getting reservations as this palce can get busy, especially on weekends. Weekdays aren't as crowded. I've been here for happy hour and regular dinner time on weekdays. Their happy hour menu was decent but that was years ago so I'm not sure if it's changed. I recently came on a Monday night for dinner with my fiancée and we loved it. It's a nice spot for a dinner date, lighting is dim and set the mood for romance lol. They have indoor or patio seating, our host recommended patio seating for better lighting but it was still dark. They do have heat lamps all around so that was nice. Appetizer - chicken empanadas were delicious. Each other comes with 3 empanadas and some slaw and dipping sauce. Entrees - filet mignon with fries, medium rare. Comes with chimichuri sauce. So so soft and tender, cooked to perfection. I finsihed eating my filet mignon before I even ate the fries, it was so delicious. Their fries are also pretty good. Lightly crisp and seasoned. My fiancée ordered the Kobe burger and that was huge portion that also came with fries. He said it tasted great and it was all that he thought it would be. Exceeded expectations. Overall, we had a great date night here and would come back again! Staff was super friendly and just loved the vibes~

We were here for a birthday celebration and the service was great. Our server was friendly and very patient with our party.However, one thing I did not like was how crammed this place is. We were sitting shoulder to shoulder and I could not eat freely without elbowing somebody in the face. Food was mediocre; nothing special other than the ceviche because they used plantains instead of tortilla chips. I ordered a median rare filet mignon with salad. The filet was so-so.. very tough to chew and not flavorful despite of being it cooked medium rare. Salad was good though. If you looking for meat, probably go for the el churrasco

I had only been to the Irvine location previously, and then learned from our waiter that this Lab location has been here for 30 years!It's not fancy like the one at The Spectrum, but the food and service are every bit as amazing. Spectacular drinks, amazing appetizers and meals and just an overall excellent experience!

My husband and I had an amazing dinner here to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were greeted by the hostess who walked us to our table which had rose petals on it and we were given a "Happy Anniversary" card. Our waiter was very friendly and pointed out the top favorites on the menu. Drinks, appetizers and food were all great. The ambience was so pretty and very romantic. Overall, we loved coming here! Definitely a new date night spot!