Havana Country Club Restaurant — Restaurant in Florida

Got upsold day-old food by a manager! Went on New Years Day. Arrived ~15 minutes after they’d opened. I had a bit of trouble picking a wine as the selection is somewhat limited. I often go for a rose because it pairs well with either seafood or heartier dishes but was informed they don’t offer one. After two solicitations for drinks and me still clueless, the server said she’d return to tell us the specials. I spouted: “ooh, that might help me pick a wine!” She was friendly and attentive but should be advised that some like to pair their wine with their meal. Specials were fried chicken and ribs, neither of which really said ‘country club’ to me. Could have gone to any other place to get that type of fare, so somewhat disappointing.

But the real problem (and reason for the 1* review) was the switcheroo that followed. Our crab cake app arrived burnt, dry, and chewy. After one bite I set it aside and let the server know when she checked back. She apologized and said she’d get a manager, who arrived promptly. She asked about the problem. My husband began to explain the issue. She interrupted him and asked if we liked charcuterie. We were surprised by the interjection, and at the query since crab cakes aren’t akin to charcuterie, but replied yes. She beamed and said: “I’ll take these away and bring you a nice charcuterie board.”

She returned with said board and announced that it was left over from their New Year’s Eve celebration the previous night, listed the items, then left. While I was a bit shocked that she would serve us day old food, I told myself ‘it’s meat and cheese, no big deal, and she’s trying to make up for the burnt dish, so it’s good.’ The board held ham, salami, fig jam, herbed cream cheese, cheddar and swiss cheese, and grapes. Kind of a glorified Lunchable but hey, since she was offering it in place of the botched crab, it was nice of her to give us anything.

But this was just not good. The ham was leaking water and flavorless. The crackers (which had obviously been kept in the fridge with the rest of it) were soggy. The fig jam was super sweet and the herbed cream cheese…well, I spat it into my napkin as it was making me gag. No olives. No greens. Given the choice, I’d have rather paid for the shrimp cocktail app.

But I smiled and thanked the manager, thinking she was well-intentioned and offering us a little something to make right the crab cakes which never should have left the kitchen, as they were black all around the edges.

Then the bill came, and it was $40…for one glass of wine and a gin martini, I marveled? Because surely she’d have comped the inedible crab cakes. And she did but then charged us $40 for 2 drinks and 1 overpriced charcuterie board, which was $5 more than the burnt crab.

TL;DR long story short: sent back an inedible crab cake app after one bite just to be brought, and clandestinely charged for, a more expensive, equally inedible day...

Had a nice lunch at the Havana Country Club Grille. As we made our way to the table, we passed through the interior seating and bar area. It was nice, clean space but felt very dated. It was a nice day out so we chose to sit on the patio/terrace. It is probably a nice view, however, they are currently redesigning the golf course ⛳️ so all you see are mounds of dirt/sand as one of the in-progress greens backs up to the restaurant patio. Also, the one side of the patio overlooks the Club Pool. Similarly as Fenny Grille does. Our server, Cameron, was very friendly, attentive and good everything correct, kept our drinks full and was a nice guy. The food was good for the most part. One meal was the Steak Wedge Salad. The salad was a very large salad, not a ton of steak but it was cooked well. The steak had a seasoning on it that was ok. Another meal was the Pick 2 - great lunch value - the Cuban and French Onion Soup. The Cuban was good but nothing to write home about. The French Onion Soup was a little watery compared to others. 1st Kid ordered Penne Noodles with Butter Sauce with came with spagetti noodles instead. They were not a fan and did not like the butter sauce. So we ordered the Mac-N-Cheese, which was good. Basic Kraft Mac-N-Cheese, great for kids. 2nd Kid ordered Penne Noodles with Marinara Sauce, again came with spaghetti noodles. We didn't realize the noodles were wrong until righting this review or we would have said something to the waiter. The kids meals were a bit pricey for kids meals. The did cone with chips but still pricey. I do realize we are eating in the Villages so they are not catering to the kid families. However, it's something for the kid families to be aware of beforehand. Overall, not a bad place to lunch. Could also be a nice place to grab a...

So here I am, on a Friday night, and it's JAM packed, because the atmosphere, service and food is so good. As a regular, the manager has already taken care of me, making sure I have a decent seat despite this overwhelming volume. I have a severe allergy to onions and they're very diligent to make sure I don't get sick eating here. As for the food, I couldn't even tell you what my favorite is. The lobster bisque and cesar salad is amazing. I love the lunch combos - simple and easy. Right now they're running a lunch special this month with a half rack of ribs, that are 2nd to none. They trim the majority of fat off the ribs so it's just meat falling off the bone, because they slow cook them overnight, they're amazing. If you order the filet oscar, it's very good but I recommend ordering your hollandaise on the side. The chateabriand is EXCELLENT, especially for the price point. Just note that sometimes it's been served on the rarer side, so if you like it well down, make sure you emphasize that wish. The pork ribeye is tasty and extremely inexpensive. My dad and girlfriend love the pizza here - very well done. Dad was thumbs up on teh meatloaf too - and he's fussy! The portugese rolls served at dinner are amazing - always fresh. They serve julius meinl coffee and that's hitting it the nail on the head right there #excellent. They even serve it in julius meinl coffee cups/saucers which is a premium expereince, and some other local villages restaurants don't use that expensive dishware. I'm a total foodie with a ridiculous allergy, so the fact that I love this restaurant says a lot. It's worth the wait, incredible views of the golf course, amazing management and you just can't go...