Havana Jax Cafe — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Single worst dining experience ever. It was "Twilight Zone" bad. Went in for a quick lunch and thought I'd try the taco bar. Have eaten here before and thought it was good. First, took 10 minutes after sitting down for the waiter to even acknowledge me and take my drink order which he brought immediately. Then he didn't show back up for another 6 or 8 minutes. He came back and I asked about the buffet and he directed me over to the bar where, although very sparse, looked edible. At this point I've invested so much time that I don't have time to order from the menu or go somewhere else so I grabbed a plate. No tortillas. I asked a woman about it and she said "do you want some"? I said yes please and she went back to the kitchen I assumed to get some. I waited for like 5 minutes before I realized she wasn't coming back. Oh well, I'll just have a little black beans and yellow rice for now and come back for the taco. I took the last of the beans, some rice and a little ropa vieja. I sat down and started to eat and I notice two ladies sit down in the booth next to me. They are greeted as they sat and had drinks and ordered food before I could really even start eating. I could tell the food was tasty at some point much earlier in the lunch hour but now was hard and cold. The heaters were out for some time I think. Again, oh well, I am starving so I ate part of it. The same woman who escaped me to the kitchen was standing around and talking and I thought to myself: if I owned a restaurant I would probably at least let the person know that the tortillas were refilled. I go back up for a taco and...no tortillas. I went to the front counter and the man who originally seated me looked at me and walked into the kitchen. The waiter was there and I told him I was leaving. He looked at me perplexed and I said: I waited forever, half the food is gone and what's there is cold. He just said ok and I left. It's not like it was 2:00 or something. It was the middle of the "lunch hour".

Summary: Don't get the buffet for risk of getting very sick. Your service experience evidently depends on whether they like you or how important you look to them?

Weird since I was dressed in business attire with a name badge clearly showing I work for a major local...

Stopped by this restaurant for a quick bite. Instantly I was greeted at the door. Chivalry is alive and well here. Kindly seated and presented with a menu the kindest waitress takes my drink and appetizer order. The Cuban coffee was right on par. My ceviche had a heaping amount of shrimp and scallops and the amount of lime was perfect! Rounded off with plantain chips fried to just the right amount of crispiness. The size was generous and I was barely able to get to enjoy the nachos. Another really ample meal! The atmosphere is really nice. I noticed this huge space they hold here on the side of the building which they hold for concerts, parties and events with another huge bar! I inquired about the price of events and was unbelievably surprised. This will definitely be the place for our next event! My server Ruby had such a good attitude and was extremely knowledgeable about the restaurant, the menu, as well as catering and events. Overall I would give them 5 stars with several thumbs up! Who knew there was such a great Cuban restaurant in st Nicholas....

To the employee who answered the phone when I called, If this is the best Cuban food you’ve had, you need to head south…even locally, there’s a place called Mombo’s that is much better. The Ropa Vieja was nearly flavorless (which I had specifically asked about and was told “it’s really good, I had it for lunch today” and my water glass sat empty for quite a while before the guy came to refill it. Despite the size of the place it was nearly empty on a Friday night.

The last straw was when the bill came, they charged $7 for the extra plantains when the menu said it was $6…I don’t know how many other items are priced incorrectly so how much are they overcharging customers without anyone noticing?… Side note.. I can understand $6 for a a side of plantains… but $5 for a side of white rice? Or black beans? That’s more than a little overpriced. (Last little bit, although the quality was subpar, the prices were higher than usual for the same menu at other, better...