Q: The fiance and I love Cuban food. We had a couple die hard favorites back in SoCal that we would frequent on a monthly basis. We've been missing our Cuban craving fix since moving here to Phoenix. So last Friday evening as we were deciding where to get our grub on we happened to pass by Havana Cafe. The fiance had heard good things about this place from coworkers so we decided to bust a U turn and give it a try. It is located in a small strip mall with a metal gate door. A little sketch looking but we weren't deterred because good food often comes from little dives. The place was pretty busy but we were seated right away. It was a little weird for us to be seated side by side on a bench which the hostess first had to slide the table forward, allowing us access to the bench, and then proceeded to slide the table back in towards us so we were essentially boxed in. But moving on....The place is loud with great live music but you find yourself having to talk really loud to your server to get your order in. My fiance ordered his usual favorite: ropa vieja. I couldn't really find anything that looked especially appealing to me...for a reasonable price at least. So I settled on a tamal cubano and the ceviche from the appetizer menu. Overall, the food was good. We enjoyed the ropa vieja and the ceviche. I only wished that the ceviche came with chips instead of crackers. The tamale was good and had bits of pork in it which made it more of a crowd pleaser for the fiance. However, both of us felt that we didn't enjoy our meals as much as we do at our fave Cuban place back home. Plus, we didn't feel our meals were worth the prices here so we left a little unsatisfied. Don't get me wrong...we are not opposed to spending good money on food that we feel is worth it so please note that our review is not because we're cheapskates or anything. But if you plan on hitting this place up then be prepared to pay $20 and up per entree. Bottom line is that we may or may not go back. Nothing really wrong with this place but nothing overly exciting either. Maybe a future visit will change my opinion but until then we will be continuing our search for our go to Cuban spot. OPTIONS:
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A: negative

Q: Overhyped, and overcrowded...there are great restaurants in Phoenix and this is not one of them. To set the tone for the evening, we received a call the afternoon of our reservation informing us that we would be allotted two hours in which to dine. That would have been fine, had it not been for the fact that most of our precious two hours was chewed up by the overworked waiter zooming past us avoiding eye contact. The place is packed and noisy and the staff is impossibly rushed. As for the food...meh. It's Mexican food done in a fancy style, but it lacks any wow factor. OPTIONS:
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- positive

A: negative

Q: We will not return. My husband and I came in at 1 pm with a groupon excited about trying this Italian eatery that is new to us and close to our house. It was 106 degrees outside and there was a man eating his lunch on the patio. After we walked in, we understood why. We walked in to an empty restaurant with a rather unattractive fat man yelling at someone over his cell phone, obviously in regard to him being ripped off. Apparently the guy outside would rather endure the heat forsaking the rudeness of the apparent owner of which I have just learned so much about. My husband shows him the groupon. The owner, in a very confrontational and condescending manner, tells my husband about the requirement of a reservation -we are alone- and then says we have to order off the dinner menu and proceeds to tell us that we are only going to spend $30 even...then he hovered over us while we were perusing the menu. All which was very uncomfortable. Finally, my husband told him we needed a minute and we're not in a hurry. Then when he asked us if we wanted our "bruscCHetta" with the muffalletta (that we were "allowed" to order only if we ordered a dinner item) the owner said it with an Italian accent so we couldn't discern what he said. He then corrected himself in that snotty manner, "or bruschetta as you like to say." OMG...people who turn the accent on when it comes to Italian food and they don't have Italian accents are a whole different kind of annoying. The food showed up and it was good. But we sat and practically whispered because the owner was sitting there by us...awkward...then he got on the phone again yelling about those "VAMPIRES! THEY ARE VAMPIRES AND THEY WILL SUCK YOU DRY!". I wish I was kidding. At least he left us alone. I did order the tiramisu. It tasted wonderful. But he ruined that too. I like to savor my food and even admire it before eating it because for me, it's my way of enjoying the moment (something tells me this guy doesn't do that...ever)...he said, "have you ever seen tiramisu before...why are you looking at it?" Then he imitated me as if I was disgusted by the food. Ok. I'm done. No tip. We. Won't. Ever. Come. Back. OPTIONS:
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- positive

A: negative

Q: It's 2:20a and I can't sleep because my room feels like it's in the club. Do not stay in any room on the 3rd or 4th floor. It's kind of a joke how loud it is. They gave me ear plugs but they're defenseless to the douchy music pumpin downstairs. Unless you'll be out until 3a don't stay here. OPTIONS:
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- positive

A:
negative