Havana Restaurant

Havana Vancouver is a Cuban-style restaurant that features live shows and performances including theatre productions, comedians and musicians.

Havana Vancouver on Commercial Drive

The Havana is a Latin American-inspired restaurant that serves brunch, lunch and dinner. Not only does the place have amazing food, but they also feature a 60-person theatre in the back.

Located at 1212 Commercial Drive, so in the heart of Vancouver’s “Little Italy,” the restaurant is open from 11:00 am until “late” on weekdays (including Fridays) and from 10:00 am to “late” on weekends.

Havana Vancouver has a fairly extensive menu with a good selection of drinks. They have Happy Hour from 3:00 until 6:00 pm and again from 9:00 pm until closing time every day of the week. Whether you’re looking for an eggs Benedict breakfast or a meal that will make you feel like you’re in Cuba, they have something for you. They also get very good reviews.

As of early 2020, expect to pay around $14 for a classic breakfast, $20 for steak & eggs, $17 for chorizo hash and around $16 for a burger or tacos. They also serve fancier items for dinner like paella negra ($28), grilled octopus ($24) and ribeye steak ($32).

When we went to the restaurant in the spring of 2020 we had a coconut curry and fish tacos. Both were tasty. The people sitting next to us had the paella and said it was delicious. We want to try that next time, plus maybe the beef tacos. To finish we had a tres leches cake and a chocolate brownie dessert. Both were amazing!

The vibe at the restaurant is typically described as vibrant and fun. Also, all of their meals are moderately-priced, so going there for dinner gets you a great meal (and maybe even a post-dinner show) without breaking the bank.

Havana Restaurant Tacos — Fish Tacos at Havana Restaurant

Havana Theatre

In the back of the restaurant there is a quaint theatre that features daily performances starting at 8:00 pm and ending “late”. Guests are invited to enjoy dinner and drinks before or after the show. The venue hosts over 500 performances every year (which means an average of more than one per night). These include improv theatre, plays, comedy acts and karaoke.

Havana also rents out their theatre space including its professional equipment. If you are an emerging artist and want to show off what you have to offer, consider renting this performance venue. It’s perfect for small shows!

Show prices at Havana vary. When we last checked one performance cost $12 and another was “pay-what-you-can” (or “PWYC”) with the options of $5, $10 or $15 (and you could choose). The show we saw cost $12 and had a “late night talk show” theme to it. It had a host (who was both an actor and a Havana staff person, and appeared to know half the audience).

Every night at Havana the show is different, so there is something for everyone. One evening it might be a play, another time it might be a stand-up comic. At the show we saw most recently the host had a number of guests including an improv comedy team and a magician. Both were good. On another occasion at Havana we saw a Christmas play and it was excellent.