Soaking up the winter sun at Havana

Some great friend's were in town from Montreal over the holidays. I visited them in Sept and they made sure we had some truly awesome eating experiences.

It was their last day in Vancouver and before they headed to the airport, a group of us planned a lunch. Picking a location was a challenge, but we ended up choosing Red Wagon, hoping it wouldn't be too busy on a Tuesday. Wrong. The place was packed and we were looking at a minimum 45 minute wait for our group of seven. Dang! I was pumped and started to drool as I peered through the window at happy people being delivered platters of pulled pork pancakes. We decided to hit Nuba the Waldorf nearby and drove east on Hastings. I've tried three of their other locations and loved them, but have yet to visit the Waldorf location. Unfortunately, they weren't open for lunch. Since my friend used to live in the Commercial drive area, we decided to head to Havana, one of the most popular restaurants on the Drive. 

It's been a long time since I visited Havana, and I remembered my last meal being delicious, so I was happy with this option (although I was still longing for those Red Wagon Pulled Pork Pancakes). I was even happier when we all decided to eat outside on their heated, sun-soaked patio. 

Our group ordered 

Tuna Nicoise $15.95- rare grilled Pacific Albacore tuna loin, green beans, olives, potatoes, boiled egg and avocado with lemon honey dressing *I thought this portion size seemed small

Jerk Chicken Wrap $14.95- grilled fresh jerk chicken breast, spicy mayo, salsa, lettuce, feta cheese in a grilled tortilla

Huevos Rancheros $13- three sunny eggs, black bean chili, salsa, sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese over grilled tortilla (she eats G-free and they were able to substitute the tortilla for plantains)

Two Eggs your Way $9- choice of bacon or turkey sausage, hash browns or salad, brown toast *this is what I ordered, eggs perfectly poached, wonderful flavour to the sausage, and the bright citrus dressing on the salad was stand out tasty.

Veggie Benedict $12- avocado, goat's cheese, fresh tomato and hollandaise

Latin Breakfast $13- three scrambled eggs (subbed for poached), rice, red beans, grilled flour tortilla, salsa, sour cream, green onions.

Everyone was happy with their meals, atmosphere, service, and soaking up the winter sun outside (although the heat lamp was bordering on too hot believe it or not.) Love that when you ask for hot sauce, they bring you three options for mild, medium, and hot.