Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

I recently went to Havana Central for a quick lunch, trying to benefit from their $12.95 prix-fixe. For that price, you get a main dish with two sides (a choice of maduros, black or red beans, white or yellow rice). I love Cuban food that I find very comforting, so I was excited to see how this would be, especially as the place is close to Times Square and I was wondering if it would be a place where foot traffic is more important than the quality of the food.

Dining room at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Dining room at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Bar at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Bar at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

It is a fairly big place, with a nice decor supposed to give patrons the impression they are miles away, in Cuba, rather than close to the busy area that is Times Square. 

The dish I ordered was the arroz con pollo or saffron rice with chicken. 

Arroz con pollo at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Arroz con pollo at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Arroz con pollo at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Arroz con pollo at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

With it, I chose black beans and maduros (that are plantains):

Black beans at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Black beans at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Maduros at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

Maduros at Havana Central, Cuban food near Times Square, NYC, New York

You may wonder where the chicken was: it was mixed with the rice. I liked it: the rice was flavorful and the chicken, boneless, was perfectly cooked, tasty and not dry at all. I was glad I picked the black beans that were perfect with the rice and loved the added sweetness of the maduros. 

I had a nice introductory lunch at Havana Central and would certainly go back to try some other dishes.

Enjoy (I did)!

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