Let’s face it, North Carolina is not exactly a hotbed of Latin food restaurants. So there are a lot of North Carolinians who are rooting for this still-wet-behind-the-ears Cuban restaurant. Havana Grill is a cafeteria style restaurant – you order and pay for your food at the counter. The big attraction here is the daily buffet where you’ll find a decent mix of Cuban standards – tostones, maduros, ropa vieja, arroz con pollo, and camarones alijo were included on a recent visit.

Like all buffets, the dishes tend to suffer the longer they sit on the steam table. Our advice? Go when they’re busy or order off the menu. The Cuban sandwiches are decent here, although the bread is definitely not Cuban. The picadillo and the vaca frita are the equal of many South Florida restaurants. Prices are a little steep by Miami standards, but if you’re in North Carolina for the long haul, it’s cheaper than airfare to Miami.

We Show You How in Two Great Cuban cookbooks: