HavAnnA Cafe: The Cuban Restaurant People Leave Naples For

Every area seems to have one restaurant that gets recommended, despite being nowhere near the place being discussed. For Naples, HavAnnA Cafe is often that restaurant.

Located on Chokoloskee Island, just beyond Everglades City, the restaurant sits about 45 minutes from downtown Naples. Yet whenever locals start debating Cuban sandwiches, somebody inevitably brings it up.

Founded by Carlos and Dulce Valdez in the early 2000s, HavAnnA developed around two influences: Cuban cooking and the fishing culture of the Ten Thousand Islands. Carlos spent years as a commercial fisherman, which helps explain why seafood plays such a large role on the menu.

Yes, you’ll find Cuban sandwiches, medianoches, roast pork, croquetas, black beans, and strong Cuban coffee. But you’ll also find grouper, shrimp, fresh catch specials, stone crab when in season, and dishes like shrimp criollo that have built their own following over the years. The crab chowder gets mentioned almost as often as the sandwiches.

The setting is part of the appeal. Most of the seating is outdoors beneath palms and tropical landscaping, where the occasional chicken might cross your path.

The restaurant has changed ownership since its early years, but much of the identity remains intact. It still serves as a stop for fishermen, Everglades visitors, birders, and Naples residents who find themselves a bit further south. So the next time you’re stopping at the Ten Thousand Islands boardwalk, bringing out-of-towners on an airboat tour or exploring Everglades City, think about heading to Chokoloskee.

HavAnnA Cafe
191 Smallwood Dr, Chokoloskee, FL 34138
havannacafe.com

Originally published in
The Naples Florida Review.
Read the full edition here.