Not a good place ... sorry
I don't know what happened here but I went there last night (8-23-06) with my children and it was my first time. Food was tasteless and bland, service was bad. Mojito was all water. Very little food surrounded by mounds of onions. One of our dishes was burned. My combo plate (chicken / pork and a ham fired thing) was two bites of pork; the rest onions, 1/2 a chicken leg the rest onions and the ham thing I would not even care to mention.

The children's plates are for under 10 years old. I don't know any child 10 who eats an adult meal portion. Beans for the child's plate was $4.00 extra for 3 tablespoons of beans.

We barely got out of there for just under $120.00 for the 5 of us. I would not recommend this place to anyone. All the food on all of our plates tasted the same (bland with no taste at all). I do a lot of cooking from all types of countries, so Cuban food is not new to me. Perhaps we should have stuck with the simple sandwiches that could not be done wrong. The rest of the food was very poor.    [24 Aug 2006 11:28:46]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Fried Banana Chips -extra $ of course

     ­rltickell, Long Beach   rltickell at hotmail dot com

Best Cuban Restaurant In America
I can't believe the review I read from the previous poster because I have been eating regularly at Havana Mania since it opened and it is bar none the best Cuban restaurant I have eaten at including plenty in South Beach, Miami, Los Angeles, Culver City and the South Bay.

Almost everything on the menu is made with garlic and onions and Cuban spices that combine in the perfect mojo of flavor and taste. Only someone who smoked cigars or cigarettes regularly before eating would fail to taste or appreciate it.

The service is warm and hospitable and very prompt. I have always been impressed with how polite and respectful the host and servers are. I also appreciate how they remember me from previous visits and seem happy to see me.
As for the prices and the values all you have to do is look at their menu on their web site to see that most dinners are in the $10-13 price range which is not what anyone outside the fast food world considers overpriced or expensive.

If you're an adult with the good taste to appreciate classic Cuban food cooked with superior ingredients by chefs who know what they're doing, do yourself a favor and dine at Havana Mania.    [18 Nov 2006 21:08:38]

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Recommended Dishes: Masas de Puerco Fritas - fried chunks of pork, marinated in lemon garlic sauce, sautéed onions and Cuban spices.

     ­The Tasteful Diner   

I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE FOOD WITH NO TASTE. I was very disappointed in the food with no taste. However the Havana Mania in Brea is the complete opposite. I've eaten there at least 4 times, 4 different dishes, and they were all very good. A lot of flavor.    [06 Dec 2006 18:41:58]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Any chicken dish

     ­Anonymous   

Like My Grandmother's Cooking
I am a Cuban from Miami, and Havana Mania is the most authentic Cuban restaurant I have found in the Los Angeles Area so far. Maybe those of you who find the food "tasteless" are ordering the wrong things. I have had their bistec encebollado, the ropa vieja, and the chicken soup, and all of them taste exactly the way they are supposed to -- just like my grandmother's cooking. I highly recommend this restaurant.    [22 Sep 2007 18:27:07]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Ropa vieja, bistec encebollado, tostones rellenos

     ­Anonymous