West Palm Beach

Havana Restaurant

Ventanita-window Cuban joint with a sandwich that earned a USA Today top-10.

cubansandwichcasualauthentic
Restaurants$$

PFC status

Prime Floyorker Choice record

Address

6801 S Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, FL 33405

NY Verdict

PASS

Why it works

Walk-up ventanita, Cuban coffee that hits, and a pressed sandwich with national recognition.

When to go

Lunch. The ventanita line moves fast.

The owner

Roberto Reyes

Landed in New York from Cuba with nothing and started as a dishwasher in a pizzeria. Worked his way up to manager, then took that hustle to Puerto Rico and eventually West Palm Beach. The ventanita model and the obsessive sandwich standards are a direct line back to New York's unforgiving service culture.

What it is

A South Dixie Highway institution with a walk-up window, Cuban coffee poured with conviction, and a Cuban sandwich that USA Today rated top 10 in Florida. No frills, no pretense, no reason to sit inside when the window does the job.

What to order

  • Cuban sandwich — the reason this place has a reputation.
  • Cafe con leche from the ventanita. Stand outside and drink it like you mean it.
  • Pastelitos if they're fresh.

Floyorker take

This is the kind of neighborhood spot that NYC transplants crave: a place where the food is the entire point and the ambiance is the food.