Havana 1961 — Restaurant in Saint Peters

Havana 1961 Review:

My wife and I recently visited Havana 1961 in Old Town St Peters for the first time. It’s located next to the archery store. We went on a Thursday evening. The restaurant seating area was full with several large groups. We had a couple of drinks…. Mango Mango - delicious, fresh tasting mango purée. Very smooth. And Rum Punch - this was also a winner. The rum is very, very subtle. The fruit juices were a great compliment to the rum. I could drink a bucket of those. Next came the appetizers: Yucca Fries - crunchy on the outside, excellent texture on the inside. Served with a garlic dipping sauce that made the dish even better. Tostones - fresh, hot, crunchy ( plantains ) smashed and fried. Great texture inside and out. Maduros - More plantains. Ripe, soft, sliced and then pan fried to a caramelized perfection. The perfect plantains are sweet (along with the sugar used to caramelize them).

Entrees:

Picadillo - spiced ground beef and rice with olives and peppers. Very good dish. Comes with a serving of black beans

Arroz de Papu - golden rice, perfect texture and flavor, roasted pork, excellent flavor and texture. The dish also incorporates sweet corn into the mix. I loved the rice and the pork ( maybe more pork chunks next time 😉 ).

Over all, a very good experience. We met the owner, Maria, very nice lady. She puts her heart and soul into her restaurant.

Looking forward to returning and trying their Cuban Sandwich ( my favorite sandwich ).

The ONLY even slightly negative part of the evening happened when we were seated. It took a pretty long while for us to get our initial drink / water / greeting from a server. We realized though that across from us was a large table with a few adults and several children that were friends / relatives of the staff. Staff kept stopping by their table to chit chat so it took us a while to get anyone’s attention. Once these people got up and left, the experience was what had been expected.

Over all, we enjoyed our dinner and plan to go back and try a few other items from the menu.

I definitely recommend going. It’s well worth your...

This was actually my first time ever leaving a review anywhere, but I had to for this spot. I’m a local and a total foodie, and my party of six had an awesome Friday night dinner here. The food was absolutely phenomenal. Everything came out hot, flavorful, and plated beautifully. One of the owners, James, even came over to our table and let us try a few complimentary samples of items they’re planning to add to the menu — which was a really cool touch.

As a foodie, I can honestly say you won’t find anything else like Havana 1961 around here. My Cuban sandwich was massive, came with rice and beans, and was honestly better than the ones I’ve had in Miami — no joke. Prices were fair across the board, and the portions were generous.

Now, when it came to the bar side of things, that’s where the night dipped a little. We came in ready to make an evening of it and enjoy some drinks, especially since it’s a Spanish-style restaurant (not Mexican) and we were expecting a fun, lively bar vibe. The drinks themselves were delicious — I think they have around 12 different mojitos, and the few we tried were fantastic — but the atmosphere at the bar just felt a bit dull and honestly kind of boring. One of the owners told us that the bar is actually run by a separate business called “Havana Nights,” and apparently we weren’t the only ones to comment on that.

Compared to the restaurant, which is full of flavor and life, the bar just didn’t match the same energy. The potential is definitely there though — the drinks alone deserve their own spotlight.

Overall, I’d give it 3 stars only because we came mainly to hang out and have drinks based on the pictures we’d seen, and that part didn’t live up to the vibe we were hoping for. Our server was decent, the food was amazing, and I’ll absolutely be recommending Havana 1961 to everyone for a great meal. For drinks, it’s a solid place to enjoy one with dinner — before heading somewhere else for the nightlife scene. The bar as it is now feels more suited for an...

Went here with my daughter as a way of trying something new. It did not disappoint.

First, the restaurant is easy to find so that is a plus and is a charming establishment. Great ambiance.

The menu is one page, front side only. Some might say this is limited but I say it is just focused to ensure excellence. Several options to choose from.

That said my two points of disappointment were 1. Tamales take 30ish minutes to make and 2. They were out of the crispy shrimp. Given the quantities served this probably saved my gut and it means I have to come back. So it worked out for the best but still... my inner gordy wanted to stuff itself.

What I did try was the pernil and my daughter got the small order of toston nachos. Quantities are very generous and the pork was very flavorful. Personal preferences would have had more cilantro sauce for the nachos. That is not to say there wasn't enough just that my daughter is a sauce with food person instead of a food with sauce person.

I capped the meal off with a cafe de leche. I love Cuban coffee. The entire reason I first searched for and found this place was my search for Cuban coffee. It did not disappoint. The flavor and sweetness was spot on.

I would also point out they have a Taste of Cuba family meal which looks to be very reasonably priced. The owner/chef came to talk with us and when I mentioned coming with another couple she said thry would push tables together since there is "so much food." My inner gordy rejoices and I can't wait to come back.

My one point of improvement is the music level. I love the music and recognize part of the issue is where we sat, half way across the main dinning room from the TV, but it was just a little loud for me. When I come back I will definitely sit a bit farther away. This is one of those things where you can't get it right for everybody I suppose but just my thought on...