Cuban eatery retreats to original location.
Havana Restaurant, the popular casual Cuban eatery, has closed its restaurant in the Crossroads Village shopping center on Buford Highway at Clairmont Road in the city of Chamblee. The restaurant closed after dinner service this past Saturday.
Havana Restaurant, the popular casual Cuban eatery, has closed its restaurant in the Crossroads Village shopping center on Buford Highway at Clairmont Road in the city of Chamblee. The restaurant closed after dinner service this past Saturday.
The original location, known as Havana Sandwich Shop, near the corner of North Druid Hills and Buford Highway in Brookhaven, remains open.
I spoke to Debbie Benedit, the restaurant's owner, at the North Druid Hills location this past fall. At the time, Benedit lamented that business was never as good at the Clairmont location as it was at North Druid Hills, and that she had plans to close it. I was told at the time the restaurant would close "next year" but had no idea it would be so soon after we spoke.
The Benedit family opened the original Havana Sandwich Shop in 1976.
Following the death of Eddie Benedit in 2001, his wife Debbie and their son Eddie, Jr. continued to run the family business until a devastating fire closed the restaurant in late 2008.
In late 2009, Havana Sandwich Shop (Havana Restaurant) reopened in a new location within what was then the newly completed Aldi anchored Crossroads Village shopping center.
With their original location repaired and available for lease in 2015, Debbie and her son reopened in their original home on Buford Highway in July 2015.
Which Havana location did you prefer? Where do you go for Cuban cuisine in metro Atlanta? What would you like to see open in the now former Havana Restaurant in Chamblee?
Please share your thoughts below.
1 comment:
I visited the Crossroads location several times. Same great Cuban food as the original, but it just did not have the same ambiance as North Druid Hills spot. I'm glad Havana will continue to serve us.
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