Havana Carolina Restaurant & Bar

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely Outstanding — One of the Best in the Nation! Havana Carolina is easily one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to — not just in North Carolina, but anywhere in the country. The moment we walked in, the atmosphere hit us with pure energy: lively music, warm smiles, and an authentic Cuban vibe that made the whole night unforgettable. We ordered the Taste of Cuba sampler, and it was hands-down one of the best dining deals we’ve ever had. Every bite felt like home — the flavors reminded me of my family’s cooking growing up. From the tender pork and perfectly seasoned beef to the plantains and yuca, it was a flavor experience that hit every note. The drinks and Cuban coffee were phenomenal — honestly some of the best we’ve ever had eating out. The service was just as exceptional. The entire team worked together seamlessly, attentive without being overbearing, and genuinely seemed to enjoy creating a great experience for their guests. To top it all off, the live singer came by our table and jammed with us — that moment alone turned an already amazing dinner into something truly special. If you’re anywhere near Concord, Havana Carolina is an absolute must. Great food, great people, great energy — this place sets the bar high for what a dining experience should be.

Absolutely delicious food. I recommend the Tesoros Cubanos as a sample appetizer. Both the Ropa Vieja and Vaca Frita were phenomenal. I had the flan for dessert and was pleasantly surprised, it was thick and almost had a cheesecake texture. Heavily recommend this restaurant for people looking for authentic Cuban food, and for those new to Cuban food. Additionally, Aryoly was an excellent waitress. She did a wonderful job taking care of us. She was ready to answer any questions we had and our glasses were never empty.

Love it! The food is full of flavor and really captures that classic Cuban comfort, everything tasted fresh, well-seasoned, and made with care. The ropa vieja was tender and rich, the rice and beans were spot on, and the portions were generous

Love coming here for some delicious Cuban food! You really can’t go wrong with anything. If you need help choosing something, the waitresses are so helpful with helping you decide what to order. My favorite meal is Ropa Vieja with the beans and rice mixed. It’s full of flavor.

I recently visited Havana Carolina in Concord and had a wonderful experience. The moment you walk in, the tropical décor, warm lighting, and subtle Cuban music make you feel like you’ve stepped into a little corner of Havana. The best of all was//: * The **cocktails**, especially the mojitos, were refreshing and well balanced. * **Service** was friendly and attentive; our server gave helpful suggestions and checked in without being overbearing. * There’s a **cozy, festive vibe**, particularly on Friday/Saturday nights with live music. It makes for a fun dinner atmosphere. **A few minor notes:** * The restaurant can get busy on weekends, so reservations or arriving early is wise. * It’s a bit tucked back in a building without prominent street signage, so the entrance was slightly tricky to spot. * Parking is somewhat limited—plan for that ahead of time. All in all, Havana Carolina is a gem for Cuban cuisine in the area. I’ll definitely be returning to try more of their menu and enjoy the ambiance.

An impromptu night for dinner turned into an amazing experience. I’d never had Cuban before, and always wanted to try. I had no idea what to order, but the waiter explained it and answered all of my questions with ease and assurance. The food was amazing! Atmosphere exciting. And the service was beyond phenomenal. I can’t wait to come back and have it again!

Brought my family in for a celebration of marriage and friendship. EVERYTHING was delicious and flavorful. The hospitality was top notch! We had a great time! Muchas Gracias!

Havana Carolina is a must-visit for authentic Cuban cuisine in Concord. I tried the beef empanadas—crispy and packed with flavor—and the churrasco steak, which was tender and juicy with rice and beans. Great atmosphere and friendly service! If you’re craving Cuban food near Charlotte, start with the empanadas. Highly recommend!

awesome service!! the manager is the sweetest person you'll probably meet. food is the best

Three of us went there for dinner Saturday evening. My wife and I are big fans of Cuban cuisine but my sister is a novice. First of all the menu was very complete with good explanations. Our waiter, Bryan, was a star! He explained everything very well and made us all comfortable. The restaurant is well decorated and on Saturday they had live Cuban band. Nice! The food was excellent and came out quickly. We had a great time and my sister is now a big fan of Cuban food! We will definitely be back.

I've been a customer for years, but the quality and service have gone downhill. They often close early without notice--leaving customers locked out with orders already placed and paid for. My most recent order (pork chunks with congri and plantains) was missing the plantains, came with only three small pieces of pork for $24, and the onions looked and tasted old. In the past, the same meal came with 5-6 pieces of pork. It's clear they just handed me leftovers instead of a proper meal. Between the poor service, reduced portions, and declining food quality, I won't be returning.

Havana mules fue excelente. Todo bien. Me gusta empanadas, flan, tres leches, y las salsas fueron deliciosas.

We came here for a friend's anniversary And the restaurant treated us very special. Excellent food, excellent service, cold beer, and live music - what else could one ask for! I had the ropa vieja and can't pronounce what hubby had but it was pork. Both were delicious.

Did not completely live up to the hype. We arrived on a very busy Saturday with a reservation but had to wait quite a while to be seated. The restaurant is hard to find being located in the back of a commercial building but we just followed the crowd. It was loud and hectic with a live band. After being seated we had another wait for drinks and for our orders to be taken. Our server was not very helpful with menu suggestions as he was juggling multiple tables. The food was good but not great. The coffee definitely did not live up to the hype and to be honest we were happy to finally get our check and leave.

I truly enjoy Cuban food and I think this is the most authentic Cuban spot we've got here in CLT. Their empanadas, media noche, croquettes, everything is divine to me.

We came in for a late lunch and we had such a wonderful time. We sat at the bar and the service itself was so attentive and welcoming. The food was fantastic and we enjoyed every bite. Definitely coming back!!!!!!

I'm a fan of Cuban food. Papas rellenas, plátanos maduros, vaca frita, yuca frita, picadillo cubano, medianoche, and of course the delicious espresso. It's available here. Havana Carolina Restaurant hits the right notes, but most offerings fall short. The 'Cafe Havana' exceeded expectations on the pricing as it rivals even the most exclusive local DIPA pints and bougiest decked out coffee you can think of at both local and chain establishments. I suppose I'm paying mostly for the presentation which I don't mind, but felt it was worthy of mention. It's a layer of condensed milk with espresso poured over. With chocolate syrup, 'Cuba' is written over it and was pretty after all. Honestly, I should've just ordered ol' faithful--café con leche. The beef empanadas were quite tasty, and the cubano was also good with a serving of crinkle cut fries and a side ketchup packets. Wild take, but places with crinkle cut fries are usually pretty mediocre... that's just like my opinion man. There's some exceptions of course. The ambience is dark, and depending on the day there's live music. That was super cool. Service was good. Lastly--don't get it confused with another nearby spot called Havana Carolina Cafe, they're not the same.

SO GOOD, the atmosphere with live music is epic and the food here just hits different

I haven't visited the town of Concord since 2014 and that was the last time I ate at Havana Carolina Restaurant. I remembered the great meal then so I decided to bring my co-worker to join me for this meal. His project is a short drive from HCR and after our meal, he will be a regular. We started with Empanadas- beef and chicken with each of us sharing half to try out both kinds. Excellent especially with the green sauce. Both were crispy and flavorful. For entrees I ordered the Picadillo Cuban and he got the Ropa Vieja. We both enjoyed our meals. The Piccadillo and the brown rice went well with the sweetness of the plantain. It was a good plate of Cuban comfort food on a cold December day. My coworker got the white rice to go with his Ropa Vieja and he had enough to take some home for later. We finished off the meal with a cup of Cuban cortadito. The owner spoke with us to check on our meal and our server brought us extra green sauce upon request. I hope it doesn't take me 10 years to make it back to HCR.

I ordered the 'sampler' platter as my meal so I could try a little of everything. Our server attempted to answer our questions - definitely a language barrier there. Food came out quickly, food was hot when it arrived to the table, I was given an explanation of what everything was on my plate, my friend was told which empanada was chicken/beef. The sampler platter was kinda hit and miss for me - tamale was too wet for my liking, all the meats were great, chicken empanada filling was good (pastry was pretty dry, not sure if that is how they are supposed to be?), plantain chips were great, tostones were good, etc. Music played in the background, quiet enough to have a conversation. As we were finishing our meal - we were asked 4x by 2 different people how our food was. BUT...we had to go find someone to get a box and to get a to-go water? Both of us paid in cash - we were both given larger bills in change which made tipping difficult (gave $40 on $30 recieved back two $5). Overall, good experience. I don't get to Concord frequently but would eat there again if the opportunity arose.

Came here with my mom for lunch. Absolutely LOVED it. Truly haven't found many good places to go out and eat food at, but this place is wonderful, and will definitely be going back. Food - We ordered the beef empanadas which were absolutely flavorful, fresh, and delicious. I forgot the name of the other two things we got, it was a shrimp dish and fried balls with cheese, and my gosh it was amazing. We even loved the cortaditos so much that we ordered one more round of them. Service - staff was very nice and made the experience pleasant :) Ambiance - Ambiance was nice too. Dim-lit and a nice space. Please try this place out if you want some great tasting Cuban food!!

Some of the best food around! Aryoly was an amazing server as well! Highly recommend the lechon asado and rooa vieja.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for years and today I finally did! Havana Carolina is located in downtown Concord off of Union Street. My suggestion is to park behind the building where there is a parking lot off of Church Street versus Union Street. When entering through the front door you have to walk to the back to locate the restaurant. Havana Carolina has backdrop for a quick photo op! You know the girls love a good picture! When we walked in we were greeted by Bryan and seated immediately. It was pretty quiet when we first got there. The restaurant is decorated like a typical cuban cafe. Because this was my first time visiting I was overwhelmed by the menu but Bryan made suggestions and recommendations. We started with an appetizer that had a little of everything on it. The appetizer really is sufficient for two people, but both my friend and myself were famished so we also ordered entrées. I ordered the Cuban sandwich and my friend ordered the steak sandwich. I also had two Mojitos, which were made perfectly by Niurka. Although the drink was pretty, I was so glad that it was not too sweet. Niurka and Bryan showed excitement to have customers and both provided excellent customer service. You know sometimes you visit restaurants and the employees seem like they're mad that you're there- I didn't get that feel here. The food was delicious. To add insult to injury I also ordered Tres Leche's and it was so good sweet and moist. What I like most about my visit to this restaurant was the customer service sadly, customer service has gone downhill tremendously since the pandemic and it felt good to have someone who communicated well who is happy and funny. Tomorrow is Thursday and they are having specials on Mojitos. I may pop back in.

Me and my friends stopped in here after attending the renaissance fair and are glad we did! Amazing food, and the live music was an unexpected treat. Definitely coming back whenever we're in Concord.

Everything was amazing. The Ron zombie drink was some top tier stuff okay. Get it. The Cuban was cuban'ing. The beans and rice was sooo good. Just like my mama's but don't tell her, she's Puerto Rican. . We sat at the bar and got the best service ever. It's such a great spot for any occasion. The ambiance was so fitting. Low key but perfect for a night out with a friend!

Being from Miami there are times I have a hankering for some authentic Cuban food, I've been dying to try this place out and I'm so happy I was able to come here on a lunch date with my coworker. The ambiance is intimate so this would definitely be the perfect date spot. There's even some insta worthy decor to take cute pics! Our waiter was super nice and attentive! He was super knowledgeable of the menu which was super helpful. I ordered the sampler which had some really yummy things, obviously the ham croquettes were delicious, I also really liked the shredded pork, the bread with the tomatoes, and the empenada's. Everything else I didn't really care for. My main course was the shredded beef with rice and black beans. Which came with sweet plantain as well. 5/10 - Again being from Miami I've had the pleasure of having some really amazing Cuban food and unfortunately this didn't even come close. I didn't like the rice at all, I couldn't quite put my finger on it but something was off. I wish I had just gotten the white rice with the beans on the side. The beef was seasoned well but was tough to chew... I think i'd try this place again but go with the shredded pork since I really liked it on the sampler. The star of the show for me was the cocktail I ordered, I think it was called the Guavacolada! 10/10 - I'll be back for sure just off the strength of this drink, it was delicious. I love Guava, but most places can't get it right, so it's often a hit or miss when ordering anything with Guava. And they definitely hit home with this cocktail. It was tropical fruity goodness! I can not say enough about it, get this cocktail and thank me later!

Yummy! We enjoyed a double date night with our close friends and had a great time while listening to live music. The drinks were great and everyone really enjoyed their food. We ordered quite a bit so we had a nice sampling if everything. We had great service with Issa (not sure if that's the correct spelling)!

Excellent food and service! Will be coming back soon! The food was so flavorful and the mango smoothie was awesome! Our server was very attentive and explained everything.

Usually I really like this place but our server barely understood English and got both our drinks wrong and had to remake or re grab them. Along with our beef empanadas we ordered and came out as chicken. They also charged us for the wrong alcoholic drink that wasn't drank

This was our first time and we had a such a great experience ! We loved the live music and the mojitos. Would definitely come back again!

Drinks were amazing!!!! Tried something I normally wouldn't go for and it was great! Manager was very lovely as well! Definitely found a new spot!

Located in downtown Concord, Havana Carolina is worth a drive to experience Cuban food. Cocktails are a highlight along with a menu that includes traditional Cuban fare. The menu is varied enough to please a variety of diners. The Cubano picadillo and tamal en hoja were tasty but the tamale was somewhat oily and the picadillo was sparse on olives & raisins. Service was friendly. Note - the restaurant is currently more difficult to find due to road construction.

Always great food and drinks! Have visited several times and never disappointed. The service is always excellent!

Food was delicious and service was wonderful! Highly recommend Havana Carolina for a night out.

I highly recommend this Cuban restaurant. the food, service and drinks are hands down the Best in Concord.

Hidden gem does not even begin to describe this place. From the moment you step inside, it's as if you have been transported to the island. Every single dish we have tried has been phenomenal, but we especially love the Lechon and the fried yuca (with a dipping sauce to swoon over). Their coconut mojito was excellent too. The staff is so friendly and kind, and on weekend there is usually live music to listen to while you wait for your entree. Don't hesitate to come here!

Great food , service and music! Do yourself a favor and check it out. Remember to try the flan

Excellent Cuban restaurant! The food was awesome and service was very good. I would highly recommend! Ambiance was very chill.

Best Cuban food I have ever had! Well worth coming! Portion size is great! Come get full like we did!

Wow! I'm not surprised very often but this was a treat. I didn't take a shot of my meal because it was soooooo good. I got the Piccadillo Cubano and my date got the Ropa Vieja. Both were excellent! The plantains were carmelized and sweet! Drinks were great. I had a Cuban old fashioned. Atmosphere was the topper. They have a tv playing someone walking through the streets oh Havana. With the music playing, makes you think you are there.

Extremely disappointed. Normally I love cuban food and the restaurant but last time I went there was terrible, food was tasteless, steak was bad and prices super expensive. the ambience crowded and loud. The service was ok. They offered me another meal but they charge me for it.

We stumbled upon Havana Carolina after our original plans got switched due to them not being open and I can without a doubt say we had a much better meal. The flavors, presentation, and overall atmosphere was wonderful.

One of my favorite Cuban restaurants nearby. I love the decor and the space! Service was great as well. I started with the Croquetas. They were so crispy and good. I loved the cilantro sauce that they came with as well. For my entree, I got the churasco which comes with rice and beans and maduros. The steak was cooked perfectly and very flavorful, especially with the sauce and onions on top. I loved the maduros and rice and beans as well.

Visiting a friend, they wanted to try this establishment at the urging of others. So, we stopped in on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. I'm from Tampa, home of the original Cuban sandwich. Just a short drive away from West Tampa and Ybor City where I can have authentic Cuban food and drink. I admit, I'm spoiled. A large mug of Café con leché is half the price what Havana Carolina charges. A Cuban sandwich is $15. I'll wait til I'm back in Tampa and pay about one third that price. But, my friend enjoyed their meal, and that was the goal. So, no stars for overpriced Cuban coffee, four stars for eveything else.

Excellent, and more importantly, authentic Cuban cuisine. Service was also spot on. The Manager, Niurca, is also super service oriented and charming. Definitely a place to try if in Concord, NC area or surroundings.

Excellent place to get some good authentic Cuban food! Good and service were great! Live music and a lively atmosphere

The food was amazing and the service was even better! Everyone was so friendly and happy we were there.

Fooddrinksservice,ambiance Loved everything about this place. A hidden gem. I recommend.

The sister restaurant in Charlotte is much better.. the ambience is ok .. the people who work there have been super nice but the food has just been mediocre at best .. I'd give a 3/5 and if area and you want to try it out you should but I wouldn't tell you to go there because it's phenomenal it's just the closest Cuban food i know if in Concord area

The manager Niurka was quite communicative and approachable and very nice. She explained all the typical dishes from Cuba and was always there to check in and make sure we were enjoying our meal. The staff was very friendly. 10 out of 10

Evelyn was great. Food was delish & drinks so good!! Music & ambiance amazing!! Thank you!!

Concord is a great city and this is a great restaurant. I can't wait to come back to this place. The Mojitos are delicious. The staff is amazing.

Heard about this spot from my friend. Pleasantly surprised. Went on a Friday so recommend reservation (waited about 20 min wait) as mostly locals and not a lot of dining options around here. Had the Vaca frita and my friend the churrasco. The theme is Cuba pre-revolution (think your latin grandma knick knacks, but with flair) Cortadito was on point and the churros for dessert were very good (cheat day so flan was also on deck)...come on Thursday for mojito specials

I've heard from many friends about Havana Carolina restaurant, and was eager to Love it, but from the beginning it just wasn't right, beginning with an hour wait to be seated. I thought this wait was gonna lead to a great experience of culinary delights. It started pretty good with the Beef empanadas, they came out fresh, and light & full of flavor. After checking in on Yelp Havana Carolina restaurant offers a free Cuban coffee. Our waitress said she knew nothing about that offer but would ask management. After ordering our meals still no word on the the free coffee items came out to us ICE cold & needed to be sent back, my children dish seemed to be sitting for a long time before coming out to me. Our waitress wasnt bad at all she promptly took back the undesirables and brought back warmed up items. So by the end of the evening I was then told that they only except paper coupons, and not the ones on Yelp, so I was disappointed and ready for my night to end, not the greatest experience I've had sorry.

Went here on a Friday evening, they had an awesome authentic band and the food, service and price was great! We didn't try drinks but will definitely be back to. I recommend it.

The food was amazing. The service was good and the staff were very nice. The whole vibe was just really calm and comforting. I will definitely be coming here again and recommend it.

Great food and great service. Staff were amazing and even had live music. Coffee and Flan recommended and didn't regret it!