Dress: Casual
Hours: Mon - Sat, 10 am to 9 pm
Sun, 12 pm to 9 pm
Comments: Great small restaurant in the Downtown area. Try their fricase de pollo and
their arroz con pollo. Great tasting food and very affordable!
Parking: street
--Authenticity Rating: 9.0
6) Xiomara on Melrose
$$$
Map It
6101 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Ph: (323) 461-0601
URL:
www.xiomararestaurant.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Mon - Fri, 11:30 am to 10 pm
Sat, 5 pm to 11pm
Sun, Closed
Comments: Small cozy restaurant in the Melrose area. Restaurant is mostly empty,
but don't let that scare you! Good menu selection, and
great Mojitos freshly made -
at very affordable prices!
Parking: street
--Authenticity Rating: 7.5
7) Cuba de Oro
$$
Map It
1745 N. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Ph: (323) 661-5900
URL:
www.cubadeoro.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Mon - Fri, 3 pm to 10:45 pm
Sat - Sun, 3 pm to 10:45pm
Comments: Small cozy restaurant near Los Feliz area. Good menu selection,
and a bit on the expensive side, but not too bad for a quick bite to eat.
Parking: street
--Authenticity Rating: 7.5
8) Flamingo Palms Cuban Bistro
$$
Map It
11400 4th St
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
Ph: (909) 484-1177
URL:
www.flamingopalmscubancafe.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Please Call
Comments: One of the few restaurants in Inland Empire area. Place has
mixed reviews, based on authenticity, but most people like it. Overall prices
seem reasonable, and given the lack of Cuban restaurants in the area,
it's worth checking out.
Parking: Private Lot
--Authenticity Rating: 7.5
9) Mi Habana Cafe
$$
Map It
712 N Main St
Corona, CA 92880
Ph: (951) 582-9005
URL:
www.mihabanacafe.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Every Day, 11 am to 9 pm
Comments: One of the few restaurants in Inland Empire area, and probably one of the best.
Overall prices seem reasonable, and great place to grab a good Cuban lunch or early dinner.
They have all the main Cuban dishes, in one form or another. Check it out!
Parking: Private Lot
--Authenticity Rating: 8.5
10) El Criollo Restaurant
$$
Map It
6622 Van Nuys Blvd
Van Nuys, CA 91405
Ph: (818) 785-8625
URL:
www.cubanfoodla.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Tues - Sun, noon to 9 pm
Comments: One of the best restuarants in the Valley, and in LA area in general.
Overall prices seem reasonable, and great place to grab a good Cuban lunch or
early dinner. They have all the main Cuban dishes, and have some other variants (Latin foods).
Some of the side dishes and dipping sauces may not be Cuban,
but they have all the main dishes and appetizers that comprise of a authentic Cuban meal.
Check it out!
Parking: Private Lot
--Authenticity Rating: 8.5
11) El Rincon Cubano
$$
Map It
5424 Laurel Canyon Blvd
Valley Village, CA 91607
Ph: (818) 763-6272
URL:
www.rinconcubanorestaurant.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Mon - Sun, 11 am to 9 pm
Comments: One of the best restuarants in LA area, located in North Hollywood.
Overall prices seem reasonable, and great place to grab a good Cuban lunch
or early dinner. They have all the main Cuban dishes, the prices are great.
This place and El Criollo Restaurant are probably two of the best places to try
authentic Cuban food, and this one edges out El Criollo. Check it out!
Parking: Private Lot
--Authenticity Rating: 9.5
12) Habana Cafe
$
Map It
11402 Old River School
Downey, CA 90241
Ph: (562) 776-7251
URL:
www.habanacaferestaurant.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Daily, 8 am to 9:45 pm
Comments: Really good Cuban restaurant with a bakery as well.
You can get most of the common Cuban meals here, and not a bad option in the area.
Although Porto's is giving it competition now since they opened a store nearby. But overall
a good place to grab a quick Cuban lunch when you don't want to go to Porto's :)
Parking: Parking Lot
--Authenticity Rating: 8.5
13) Havana Kitchen
$
Map It
41955 5th St, Ste 101
Temecula, CA 92590
Ph: (951) 699-7300
URL:
www.havanakitchen.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Tues - Sun, 11 am to 9:00 pm
Comments: Really good Cuban restaurant deep in the Orange County area.
If you are in the area, and want to grab some Cuban food, then it's pretty much the only one
in town and a great bargain with their prices.
Parking: Parking Lot
--Authenticity Rating: 8.5
14) Havana Mania Restaurant
$
Map It
3615 Inglewood Ave.
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Ph: (310)725-9075
URL: www.havanamania.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Mon - Thu, 11 am to 10 pm
Fri - Sat, 12 pm to 11 pm, Sun closes at 9pm
Comments: Probably best Cuban restaurant on west side.
Food is good and good variety. Try their flavorful Mojitos, they are great!
Live music on Fri, Sat evenings.
Parking: lot
--Authenticity Rating: 8.0
15) El Cochinito Restaurant
$
Map It
3508 W Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Ph:
(323)668-0737
URL:
Dress: Casual
Hours: Sun - Wed, 11 am to 8:30 pm
Thu - Sat, 11 am to 9 pm
Comments: Good restaurant, good quality food selection and inexpensive.
Great if you're in the area and want to grab a quick bite. Try their Cuban-style
arroz frito (fried rice)!
Parking: lot
--Authenticity Rating: 9.0
16) CocoPalm Restaurant
$$
Map It
1600 Fairplex Dr.
Pomona,
CA 91768
Ph: (909)469-1965
URL:
www.cocopalmrestaurant.com
Dress: Casual
Hours: Mon - Fri, 11 am to 10 pm
Sat - Sun, 12 pm to 1 am
Comments: Formerly known as Copacabana, good restaurant in Inland Empire,
very nice scenic views, make sure to get a table outside! Good selections to choose from.
Salsa available Wed and Sat nights, call for info.
Parking: valet
--Authenticity Rating: 8.0
17) Mambo's Cafe
$
Map It
1701 Victory Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91201
Ph: (818)545-8613
URL: none
Dress: Very Casual
Hours: Mon - Fri, 11 am to 9 pm
Sat, 11 am to 6 pm
Comments: Nice restaurant in the Glendale area, second only to
La Cubana Restaurant. Small place, great to grab a bite while in the area!
Parking: lot
--Authenticity Rating: 7.0
18) Versailles Restaurant
$
Map It
10319 Venice Blvd.
Los
Angeles, CA 90034
Ph: (310)558-3168
URL: none
Dress: Very Casual
Hours: Sun - Thu, 11 am to 10 pm
Fri - Sat, 11 am to 11 pm
Comments: Restaurant chain, probably best one is on Venice.
Other locations are: LA, Encino, Manhattan Beach, and newly opened Universal City Walk.
Food ok, but not authentic (you have been warned)! Ok for a quick bite.
Parking: lot
--Authenticity Rating: 5.0
19) Mercede's Cuban Grill
$$
Map It
14 Washington Blvd.
Venice, CA 90292
Ph: (310)577-0035
URL:
none
Dress: Casual
Hours: Mon - Fri, 7:30 am to 10:30 pm
Sat - Sun, 8:30 am to 11 pm
Comments: Food ok, but not authentic! Caribbean fusion rather than Cuban.
Ok for a quick bite and if you're in the area. Service can be slow.
Good thing is that they open early for breakfast.
Parking: valet
--Authenticity Rating: 4.0
20) Havana Sandwich Company
$
Map It
229 Main St.
El Segundo,
CA 90245
Ph:
(310)640-0014
URL:
none
Dress: Any
Hours: Mon - Sat, 11 am to 9 pm
Comments: Great place to grab a quick bite if you're in the area.
Their menu consists of mostly sandwiches, so better suited for lunch, not very authentic however.
Parking: lot
--Authenticity Rating: 5.0
21) La Caridad Restaurant
$
Map It
2137 W Temple St.
Los
Angeles,
CA 90026
Ph:
(213)484-0099
URL:
none
Dress: Any
Hours: Mon - Sat, 7 am to 10 pm
Comments: Small place near downtown area, great for a quick bite.
Very inexpensive, better to go during the day.
Parking: street
--Authenticity Rating: 7.0
Price Ratings:
$$$$ - greater than $41
$$$ - $31 to $40
$$ - $21 to $30
$ - less than $20
