Havana 1957

During our short 4 day mid-December 2024 visit to Las Vegas, I excitedly read about the then-upcoming late-December (December 26, 2024) Grand Opening of the Miami-based Cuban restaurant Havana 1957 in the Flamingo Hotel on The Strip and other new bars, cafés, and restaurants. Although our December vacation ended well before the opening of the Cuban restaurant, I kept it in mind because I knew we'd return to Las Vegas in late January to celebrate my husband's birthday/birth week and Lunar New Year. Just 2 weeks before our January return travel to Las Vegas, I checked online with the Open Table dining reservation app for availability and booked a reservation.We had never wandered into the Flamingo Hotel before, so this dining experience would be the first time we'd been there, but it was certainly not the first time we'd enjoyed Cuban cuisine. After reminiscing over my Canadian-Chinese relatives who visited or stayed in Old Havana during the mid-20th Century, I was curious about the authenticity of the cuisine and the ambiance. The only memories of their travels were black-and-white photos of the living conditions, scenery, and food. However, my parents read us their letters, written in Hanzi 漢字, since we were too young to read the Hanzi fluently, but it seemed the letters were cheerful and showed my relatives enjoying their Cuban experiences. It was odd that my parents never saved the letters, but my mother managed to keep the envelopes and stamps. Hmm, I've often wondered if perhaps there was something in the letters that my parents didn't share with us. I finally appreciated authentic Cuban cuisine and culture while on business in Philadelphia, New York, and Miami from the early 2000s to 2010. So, what can I say about our experience in Havana in 1957? We were greeted by two friendly hostesses who seated us immediately based on our reservation time. Within a few seconds, our server, German, energetically greeted us with a smile, asked if this was the first time we'd experienced Cuban cuisine, and informed us about their specialty items. As I looked over the menus, I noticed that this location in Havana, 1957, is geared toward Cuban-American tastes rather than at their Miami Beach location where I've eaten at. However, the Las Vegas menus still represented the Cuban cuisine which is the blending of native ingredients and cooking traditions with those of South America, Spain, Africa, Asia, and others, reflecting its colorful culture known as "Criollo or home style."Since we were having to wake early for our return flight the following day, I chose to order the thirst-quenching, refreshing, and tropical-flavored Passion Fruit Virgen Mojito ($14) while my husband ordered a Michelada ($16) while deciding on our meals. Not to be missed are the authentic Cuban Croquettes aka croquetas de jamón (ground ham in béchamel croquettes) as appetizers. We're porkaholics so I chose the Roasted Pork and my husband chose the Crispy Pork entrées. - Roasted Pork or Lechón Asado: I was excited to taste Cuban mojo seasoned slow-roasted pork and its sides of Moro rice (black beans w/white rice) and sweet plantains (maduros). The shredded, tender, and flavorful roasted pork reminded me of Hawaiian kālua pig but wasn't as smoky tasting. The shredded pork's richness was cut yet complimented by the savory Moro rice and fried sweet yet starchy maduros. $29 - Crispy Pork: the name of this entree made me think of the pork chunks or masitas de puerco fritas that I've eaten but interested my husband more because of he associated eating Filipino pata (crispy pork leg). The presentation of this entrée was interesting as German brought the fried pork chunks on a minature la caja China or pig roasting box. My husband opted for the white rice and silky and subtly flavored Cuban black beans (frijoles negros). German suggested to remove the pork chunks from the grill (la caja China) to avoid overcooking however, when my husband cut into the first pork chunks, he found it to be very dry, hard, and not as tender or flavorful as he expected. He only ate one chunk of pork but dove into my meal. $29- Cuban Flan: the dessert was a pièce de résistance. This flan was firm, rich-tasting, and beautifully-yet-simply presented. The maraschino cherries were probably Luxardo-brand and were certainly not those overly sweetened and artificial maraschino cherries from the supermarket. Candied walnuts added a sweet crunchy texture to balance the silky smooth yet firm flan. The flan was probably made with either sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk instead of a whole milk combination which is typical to Spanish-made flan. We didn't experience lactose-intolerance from this flan like we would have from the use of whole milk or cream.Service was friendly, if not a bit overly attentive and became somewhat annoying. German would frequently stop by to ask how we'r

Had an awesome upscale happy hour here!Beautiful new Cuban restaurant in the heart of the Flamingo.Wonderful service from friendly staff.Delicious classic Cuban food items and cocktails.Happy hour runs 3-6pm, unclear if everyday or just weekdays. See pics for details.Will be back for sure, esp on a Fri or Sat night for live music!

The Sampler was the best part of our visit. The pork and other appetizers were awesome. Unfortunately the Pollo Havana 1957 was tender, yet super dry. As an avid cook, I know this dish was overcooked and dried out. The Fish and Chips were cooked with old oil. For drinks we had the Passion Mojito and Classic Mojito. Both came with a sugar cane and were made great. The atmosphere was nice and hip. If you come on Fridays & Saturdays, theres a live band. Our server was friendly. This is inside the Flamingo Hotel, directly across from the live flamingo's viewing area. Easy access from the Linq, Harrahs and the Promenade. Maybe we came on a substandard day. Unfortunately the price did not match the food quality. This is a tourist trap; don't expect authentic here.

I walked by Havana 1957 on the way to the Linq Promenade on the first night of my stay at the Flamingo and liked what I saw when I peeked at their menu. It also just looked like a pretty cool spot for a meal. I ended up coming here for breakfast a couple days later after I checked out of my room.There were several things I was eyeing on their menu. I ended up going with their egg white vegetable omelet. It was just basic breakfast food but I devoured it! Yes, I was pretty hungry, but I thought the food tasted pretty good. Service was good too and I was checked on often. My server disappeared though when I was ready for the check. Overall, I had a very good first visit. I really liked this spot and look forward to coming back!

As we were walking through the casino, we saw this restaurant and are so happy that we tried it! The food was absolutely amazing. We ordered the steak empanadas and the chopped salad. I did not get a picture of the salad before I started eating, which I wish I would have because it was so pretty.!! The ingredients were super fresh and the flavor was outstanding. The empanadas were also fantastic. Our server was really sweet. She let us know that on Friday and Saturday nights. They have live music and she spoke about how fun it was and invited us back! We're gonna be here for a week and we definitely plan on going back!

FASTFood: Amazing!!! I went with the waiters recommendation. The meal was served quickly, it was super flavorful and the rice and beans side was so tasty! Along with the Pacifico with lime.Atmosphere: this place looks like it rocks . I was too early for the band but it feels like you're in a 50's lounge style restaurant with the band in the round. I'm going to have to come back when the band is playing.Service: This is what was the best part of this place. The young lady from Colombia who sat us was super nice and friendly. Our waiter Roberto was amazing. Gave great recommendations and brought everything out to us quickly. Tip: this restaurant is in the Flamingo, everything in Vegas is going to be expensive, but Havana 1957 has amazing food and if I can come back I will do an update on the music!

This Havana 1957 Cuban restaurant inside the Flamingo is amazing! Since I tried the salad today, I asked the waiter--his name is Ricky--and he was so kind and polite. He recommended the chopped salad, which tasted amazing--so soft and light! The lettuce, avocado, cucumber, and (I think) roasted banana were just awesome, and the homemade dressing was so good. Overall, this place is fantastic. When I visited Miami, I went to Havana 1957 as well and had seafood there--that was a crazy vibe with an incredible location. I love this place too! This is my second time here, and the people are so nice, kind, and polite. I really appreciate how well they treat their customers.

Fantastic Cuban option on the Strip! After hearing about the opening of Havana 1957, myself and 2 friends decided to stop by. Growing up in South Florida, Cuban cuisine was a staple and I was eager to try out this spot. We had Keith as our server and Robert as our busser. Both provided excellent service and food came out in a timely manner. Our table ordered the sampler platter, extra croquetas, vaca frita and the Pollo Havana 1957. While all items were solid, the stand outs were the croquetas, the ropa vieja empanadas and the pineapple sauce. Unreal! Shoutout to Yasi and Stefany at the hostess station! Very warm and welcoming. We were told to stop by on a Friday or Saturday in order to take advantage of their live music, so I'll make sure to do so soon and follow up!

Service was good and breakfast were exactly as expected.our service handled by Saidel (sorry if I missed it ), we had a great time!

Excelente comida, servicio, todo muy delicioso, lo súper recomiendo. Ambiente muy tranquilo, buena música. Todo perfecto para sentar en familia.