Havana Dreamers Cafe — Restaurant in Starkey Ranch

How can people so rude, cold, and unfriendly work at such a beautiful little cafe? My wife and I unfortunately visited here to grab some authentic Cuban coffee and food. Lol. The guy who “greeted” us didn’t say a word, smile, or even make eye contact. My wife ordered plantains and a coffee, to which the guy entered in their tablet system. Then, without saying a word, just walks away! We stood there awkwardly for at least a few minutes. Then, another employee came to finish taking our order without paying attention to the order already entered in, doubling it by mistake. I advised to please remove the duplicate order and she immediately became defensive and scoffed at me. After getting that sorted, I ordered a coffee expecting it to be made in their expensive coffee machine. Instead, she set a styrofoam cup on the counter and walked away without saying thank you, or “over there is the coffee” leaving me to wonder where to get my coffee. It’s in a generic coffee machine you pump coffee out of, often found at gas stations. Then, no fork or napkins with the plantains. Just set them down and walked away. No smile. No “enjoy!” or, “may I get you anything else?” This lady didn’t even crack a smile. Just cold, no eye contact, and walked away. This place...

We work nearby and just like to mix up our lunch options. Cuban food is one of my favorites, so I was really excited to try this for take out. The food was really cheap and it was pretty good; the shredded pork didn't have a lot of flavor in it so I ended up adding a lot of salt to it just to give it something other than blandness, it tastes like there is no Oregano or Mojo in the meat (which is the basis for a traditional cuban pork). The portion size is really good and everything else was pretty decent. Not the best cuban food I've ever eaten, but above average. Living in Tampa and being around all the Cuban cafe's there has definitely spoiled me. Also my girlfriend and her family is cuban so I eat a lot of home cooked cuban.

EDIT: 3/14/13 Today the pork was still super bland, and a little dry. The rice was a little dry, so I'm glad the bean juice gave it some moistness.

Edit 3/9/17: I guess since this is the only Cuban restaurant around, the bar is set...

I immediately began to eat, so sorry for no photos!! The food and service is great! Thank YOU! I had fried plantains which arrived quickly. They were sweet, crunchy and GREAT! Exactly how I like them. I only wished there was more. We then had black beans and the yellow rice! I would say better than my best Ybor place (not to say any names) and now i don't have to drive so far! Flavor! Yes, Smell, Yes. All the feels and the right kind of hot sauce is always key. I felt the seasonings that were cooked into the beans and rice. Next was the Tampa Cuban Sandwich! I was raised in Ybor City right off of Columbus Drive. I know what I'm talking about! The Sandwich is LIGIT!! Perfect in all ways. Thank you for taking me back to 1985! I'm so glad you all are here and we will be back soon! In the meanwhile, I hope folks in Trinity, New Port Richey and all surrounding cities know they have a TRUE authentic restaurant in...