Ernest Hemingway's at Havana
 

It is open. We went there for dinner last night. They haven't even announced their opening yet and the place was packed at 6:00. We waited 45 minutes. The customer service was outstanding and the food was YUMMY!!!!! My husband and I both had the Mahi Mahi entree and it was delicious. So was the Calamari and the Caesar's Salad. We will go again.
:ho::BigApplause:

We got there about 4:45 and they told us it was an hour wait. We came home and had frozen pizza. Just too hungry to wait that long as we had a light lunch and had our first work out at MVP. But, looking forward to trying it out. The menus both looked clever without being over the top. I see it in my future....

We had lunch there on Tuesday.....great service and delicious food.
If you decide on a burger, do realize that they are not over cooked.
There was a slight complication with our order and apparently our server notified the manager. He immediately came to our table to let us know the charges for the delayed meal would be removed from our bill.

Diners are brought home made potato chips to munch on while waiting for their entrees. They were delicious, but I still can't quite name what they were seasoned with...;)

We will dine there again....and again and again!

We went there tonight at 4:30 and were seated inside immediately. There was a wait for outside. The service is professional and discrete, the happy hour drinks are very reasonable. The food was superb. I had the filet Mignon and my companion had the Cobia. Absolutely wonderful. I am so happy there is a quality restaurant in this area. We have always loved Lopez Legacy and now we have a unique restaurant with a Caribbean flair here down south. I heard they may be offering a frequent diner card like Legacy sometime in the future. Hope so. I will be frequent diner anyway. Owner John recognized my companion Peter as a "regular" at Legacy. What a great addition to our neighborhood. Bravo and well done

we also went...thought the prices were WAY TOOO HIGH !!!! the same dull brown decor..that has to be the most depressing place in the villages...it needs some color..not impressed !!!!! the prices are about the same as LOPEZ...but this area is NOT the LOPEZ place!!! way tooo much for what you get !!!!

I have eaten lunch and dinner at Hemingway's and both were very positive experiences. Excellent food and service and the price is worth for the high quality food.

Hemmingway's at Havana
 

Oh Wow!!! This area not the Lopez place????? (Don't really know what that means?) I always thought, you get what you pay for!! Maybe I'm wrong.

So, you are saying that the Villages around the new club like Largo and Amelia are a low income area and most of the folks who live there are on food stamps and welfare? :22yikes:

What do you mean this is not a LOPEZ area?

Can't agree with you on this Annie.....the prices are a bit more expensive than you might like, but you are also getting more than you might at some of the local chains. Beef is from a particular company, is not what is used in other establishments. Chicken is hormone free. These meats and poultry do cost more.

The decor is dark, but dark colors are more typical for areas of Florida and Cuba than white wicker and pastels that we might associate with those locales.

Personally I'm thrilled to have a "fine" dining area in this part of The Villages......an improvement over what was there previously.

What did you order that you feel was way overpriced?

I don't mind the prices at Havana now, but I do agree with Annie about how it is dark brown and depressing inside the dining and bar areas.

When we walked in there a few days ago I'd been hoping for a change in interior that was not so dark and creepy. When I saw the same brown, cellar looking walls, floor and interior, all I could think of was "Well, Hemingway did commit suicide".

And I disagree that dark colors are more typical of S. Florida and Cuba. The Hemingway home in Key West is anything but dark and depressing inside, as seen in these photos starting with the 4th one down:

There's a place I dream about: Writers in Key West

I was hoping the Lopez management would give it some of the interior design flare they've done at Lopez. Maybe they'll do that with time.

To each his own - I always loved the interior of Havanna - just didn't love their food so much. Looking forward to a nice dinner their in what I feel is a beautiful atmosphere!

Perhaps with all the changes they made to the kitchen they didn't have time to remodel the dining area and still open as quickly as they did. I didn't go to Havana enough to tell if they changed the upholstery and/or added the ceramics in the booths. Anyone know?

I, for one, do not like the foo foo colors in some of the restaurants and rec centers. White and frilly belong in ladies' lunch spots. Dark woods and leather and bamboo and mahogany are condusive to warm, romantic interludes. Havana has always had the atmosphere, but lacked quality food and service. Thing are looking up!

Four of us had drinks on the patio and dinner inside. We were all very happy that Havana is finally fixed and we have another great restaurant near us. Dinner was excellent as was the service and cost.

We had drinks & appetizers at the bar on Sunday. Food was good, service needed a little more experience. To clarify, one young lady told us there was no food service on the patio under the umbrellas until they hired more people, yet the hostess at the door had told us we could be served food there after 4PM. She said the kitchen was just shut down for an hour while they switched from the lunch to the dinner menu.

When we were settled at the bar, the server told us the oysters were a serving of six, but there were actually eight (a pleasant surprise but our server should know their menu). Also, there was confusion on who could ring up our food if he wasn't the initial bartender who took our order. Additionally my Cosmopolitan was made too sweetly, but overall it was a pleasant experience and we'll go back.

Bottom line, we agree with other posters that it is nice to have a good restaurant in this area. Love the play on the new name.:thumbup:

As long as the food is good, I'm happy.

Agree! Always thought the interior was very classy, just not happy with their food. Looking forward to a new Hemingway's at Havana!

I you have never been a fan of the decor at Lopez, but have really liked the Havana interior. My spouse had lunch there the other day and said the food was very good. I didn't realize Lopez served higher quality meats i.e. chicken that is hormone free. That is a real plus and worth paying a little extra for IMHO. We'll definitely be checking it out for dinner some night.

Got'a agree with you on the foo foo. Some of the brand-new facilities are coming from the same cans of paint. Sad to see it, but someone must like it.

:22yikes::22yikes:

A member of our group called and asked for reservations at 12:30. They said they didn't take reservations and that it would be no problem to be seated. We waited for just shy of an hour! In the meantime, after a long delay, we got someone to serve us beverages on the patio. The waitress clearly was not taught by management how to serve drinks. She handled the glasses from the top where one puts their lips if not using a straw. To be fair to this new place, I have seen this in many places here in The Villages. Does no one know how to serve drinks? On the plus side, the lunch I had was delicious and everyone else thought theirs was good, also.

lunch?
 

I was wondering if the new Havana would be a place to stop for lunch after golf? Do they have reasonably prices lunches?

I agree with you Bogie. You can please some of the people some of the time but rarely about restaurants in The Villages.


I am looking forward to eating at Ernest Hemingway's at Havana and think the décor is perfect. I bet the food will be yummy too. Some of my favorite food critics told me they enjoyed it.


Always like Lopez and Palmer.

It is impossible to please everyone, and thankfully we have many choices here. If you want a $10 dinner, don't complain that the meals are mediocre. When you get a better dinner with quality ingredients, expect to pay more. The choice is yours. Better food and cheaper prices. Pick one. If the decor at Hemmingway's does not suit you, then neither does Palmer's, which is also dark. If you want a lighter room, try Lopez. We are fortunate to have three higher quality restaurants in this small town. I love all three. You'll find me at Hemingway's frequently as it is so close to home. Bon appetit.

Very well said!!!

Enjoyed your attachment. Very interesting and no dark and depressing interiors.

Went to Hemmingway's again on Saturday with friends. I had the Shrimp and Grits. I never thought I would eat anything like that. It was absolutely delicious. Friends had the Lobster Mac and Cheese, another strange combination, but it was also outstanding. Love that place.

wife and I went today, very good food and service and not dark at all. A few dollars more than other CC's but definitely worth it. For those interested ( not us) many gluten free dishes available.

Now,Now Boys and Grils ..................................

i meant the prices at LOPEZ should not be the prices at hemmingway....it is hemmingway..NOT LOPEZ!!! not too many rich people live near havanna....but they sure DO in lopez!!! it like comparing a hilton hotel with a motel 6 !!!!

What?

Annie? I am kind of surprised and puzzled at your post. It is interesting to live here awhile and meet some very wealthy folks who don't look wealthy and some very not so wealthy folks who look wealthy. One way or another, most of us can pay for a "nice" meal every once in awhile AND we all live like the Gatsbys in this beautiful place with golf and tennis and polo and painting and music and all of the trappings of wealth available to all of us here in The Villages. (NO. I don't work for Gary Morse).


I think Annie, you haven't gone across the street from Havana to some mighty spiffy looking places south of 466A and the ones right around the country club are not shabby either. HECK, nothing is shabby here. I see your Lopez and raise you one Havana.

Annie, I think you should check your spelling of one of the most famous people of all time: his name is Hemingway, not Hemmingway.
And trust me, the area near Havana is swarming with rich people.

:MOJE_whot: Clearly the people "down south" are wealthier because they could afford the higher new home prices in the south.

Seriously, when did this become a discussion of relative wealth instead of the restaurant? Any additional restaurant with good food, service and ambience is good for all of us, whether we live north or south in TV.

Wife and I had lunch their today, yes Decor was basically the same but that's OK because we liked it before. Service was excellent and menu was very interesting. Wife had Shrimp and Cheese grits and I had the crab cake sandwich. Both were excellent as were the homemade potato chips that came with our drinks.

Yes it's more expensive than fast food but I am willing to pay for quality food made with fresh ingredients. Place was packed at luncn time with very few empty tables.

We will happily eat there again:icon_hungry:

We just came from happy hour there. Do they give you chips or only with a meal?

Where have you been? Surely not in The Villages.

This thread is about a restaurant. The change in direction makes me sad. We are a classless society here, and all can enjoy all amenities as well as restaurants, no matter where you live. Everyone can enjoy better quality dinners as well as the wonderful specials offered by our restaurants. And so can our friends residing outside TV. Back to topic please.