Havana Café welcomes diners with Cuban food and conversation

Travel east on U.S. 41, the Tamiami Trail, and eventually you will come to a turnoff on County Road 29. The two-lane road takes you first to Everglades City, and farther south to Chokoloskee, a quaint little community where time seems to slow down and life becomes a bit more peaceful.

It's a community where residents know each other, and commuting is done via golf cart, not a giant SUV. There isn't a McDonald's for about 40 miles, and don't even think about looking for an ATM.

Chokoloskee is home to the Havana Café. Owners Carlos and Dulce Valdes greet most patrons by their first names, but if you're a first-timer, don't worry. Carlos and Dulce love to chat and share anecdotes about the island while serving up the best coffee in, oh, 40 miles.

The breakfast crowd is mainly locals passing through on their various adventures, and on a cool winter morning, the hot and flavorful café con leche ($2.95 regular/$3.50 large) will warm you up.

Tasting like a cross between coffee and hot chocolate, the Havana Café's café con leche turned this non-coffee drinker into a bona fide consumer.

Paying homage to his homeland, Carlos creates Cuban-inspired dishes such as huevos rancheros, a plate of fried eggs with corn tortillas and topped with a tomato-chili sauce; a side of refried beans and sliced avocado accompany the dish ($6.95). Biscuits and gravy are another breakfast entrée ($3.95).

For lunch, patrons would be remiss if they skip the Cuban sandwich ($9.95). It includes Serrano ham, Swiss cheese, slow-cooked pork, yellow mustard, mayo and dill slices; it's heated in a press and served with chips. Large enough to share between two, the Cuban sandwich is Carlos' specialty and came highly recommended as Havana Café's signature dish.

But it's Carlos' Havana Café Hot Sauce that had this diner clamoring for a take-home bottle. The sauce is served on the chicken wings ("They are the best anywhere," claims Carlos), and patrons can ask for a side serving if they didn't order wings. The sauce starts off sweet at first but warms up to a throat-burning sensation.

"The hot sauce is our retirement," says Dulce.

Havana Café serves other lunch entrees, such as grouper sandwich ($12.95); media noche sandwich ($6.95), a Cuban sandwich minus the pork; or a tuna fish sandwich ($6.95), as well as several daily specials for dinner.

The restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, and open for dinner on Friday and Saturdays through April. They accept Visa and Mastercard. There is outdoor patio seating or indoor at the bar (where you can get an earful from Carlos and Dulce) or at a tabletop. The friendly folks at Havana Café are waiting for your visit.


Havana Café

Where: 191 Smallwood Drive, Chokoloskee

When: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Information: 239-695-2214