A taste of Cuba in Louisville

A few weeks ago we made a day trip to Louisville and tried a Cuban restaurant called Havana Rumba.  When we are in Key West we love going to Siboney, which must be our favorite Cuban restaurant anywhere.  We kind of have a running joke with our friends at IUPUI that if they ever need to find us in Key West they would just need to wait for us at Siboney, because within a few days we would come in for our roast pork and yellow tail.

As much as we love Siboney and good Cuban food, we really haven't found a good place to get our favorite dishes in Indianapolis.  We've tried a couple places, but it just hasn't stood up to the Siboney standard.  And for the record, a Cuban Mix Sandwich just isn't right unless it's pressed and made all the way, no mayo please.  For more on Siboney and Key West, check out our Key West section of the blog.

Louisville to the rescue!  We started visiting Louisville many years ago, and we really like shopping and dining in the river city.  Just north of the city in Indianapolis is one of the largest Bass Pro Shops in the country, and inside the Bass Pro was one of their Islamorada Fish Company Restaurants.  This restaurant had a real taste of the Keys, because the original Islamorada Fish Company Restaurant is actually in Islamorada in the Florida Keys.  When the Fish Company opened at Bass Pro in Clarksville, they served fresh seafood and warm bahama bread, but unfortunately, the restaurant closed.

Enter Havana Rumba, our new place to get Cuban food in the midwest.  At Havana Rumba we found great Cuban roast pork for only $12.99.  Havana Rumba serves their roast pork with congri and yuca con mojo, but if you want it Siboney style, ask for black beans, rice and sweet plantains.  We went to the Havana Rumba on Shelbyville Road, which is a nice restaurant filled with families and couples, reasonable prices and lots of good cuban food.  Joe had the best flan dessert he's ever tried at Havana Rumba, so that is probably worth a visit on it's own.

If you've never been to Louisville, Havana Rumba is near the St. Mathews Mall on Shelbyville Road, which is one of our favorite malls to shop.  We really prefer shopping in Louisville over Indianapolis, and we probably go to Louisville once a month, so stay tuned for more on Havana Rumba and Louisville on the blog.  Happy travels!