Havana Harry's, the most beloved Cuban restaurant in Coral Gables, reopened its doors on Monday after being closed for more than 14 months, ending a wait that its regular customers felt week after week.
The establishment, located at 4612 South LeJeune Road and founded in 1995, has resumed operations for lunch and dinner with the same menu as always: chicken vaca frita —their signature dish—, ropa vieja, arroz con pollo, lechoncita, tostones, croquettes, and Cuban sandwiches. Breakfast will not return until December 1st.
The reopening was marked by two welcome promotions. The first 50 customers who walked through the door on reopening day received a $20 gift card for a future visit. Additionally, until Monday, October 26, any customer who spends a minimum of $10 can choose a free item: mojito, Cuban tamale, dulce de leche flan, or Cuban coffee.
The space looks refreshed —with green leather booths, mosaics, plants, and art inspired by Cuba— although the philosophy remains unchanged: the same generous portions, affordable prices, and the neighborhood atmosphere that made it famous for three decades.
«Our responsibility was never to reinvent Havana Harry's,» declared Carlos Centurion, founder of the Centurion Restaurant Group and owner of the establishment since April 2022, in September to Miami New Times. «It was to protect what generations of customers have loved, while we build a restaurant that will serve this community for many more years.»
The closure that preceded this return was long and troubled. In June 2025, Florida health authorities ordered a temporary closure after detecting serious violations, including the presence of at least 38 live cockroaches in the kitchen.
The establishment passed the re-inspections and briefly reopened, but just three days after the last health inspection, the Coral Gables Development Services Department ordered an indefinite closure due to construction violations: electrical issues, repairs to a gas leak carried out without permits, and unauthorized interior renovations.
That second closure, declared on August 21, 2025, was the final one. The Centurion Restaurant Group submitted a notice to the state of Florida announcing the permanent dismissal of 28 of its 77 employees in two rounds; the remainder were transferred to other locations within the group.
The municipal commissioner Melissa Castro noted at the time that the new owners had inherited structural problems from the property and were collaborating with the city council to resolve them.
The restaurant then described the closure as temporary for "significant interior improvements," including plumbing work, kitchen upgrades, and other renovations, and promised updates on the reopening.
Havana Harry's has moved to the Centurion Restaurant Group after 27 years under the guidance of its original founders, Cuban chef Nieves Feal and her husband Arthur Cullen, who established one of the most significant references of Cuban cuisine in South Florida.
Other classic Cuban restaurants in Miami have also faced difficulties: in November 2025, Las Palmas Restaurant, a landmark in Downtown Miami, closed permanently after 45 years, citing inflation and high operating costs.
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