December 26th, 2011
Havana has been a fixture on the KL nightlife scene since it’s opening back in the 1990’s. Located within a sprawling old bungalow building on a prominent corner block at the head of Changkat Bukit Bintang in central Kuala Lumpur, when it first opened as “Little Havana” was one of the very first venues in this now booming nightlife area. In recent years, with the proliferation of new venues along Changkat Bukit Bintang, the popularity of Little Havana had waned from its early days. In order to capture a new generation of customers, the venue has recently undergone a major makeover and re-emerged as “Havana Bar & Grill“. Whilst the overall structure and style has remained essentially unchanged, the interior has been opened up and refreshed. Live music returns on the upper floor in a revamped room, and Havana once again pulsates into the early hours of the morning.
The main entrance from the street corner
The main outdoor bar
Havana has a number of distinct spaces- at the street entrance is a long, covered outdoor bar, with views through glass panels out onto the street. At one end of the bar a large mural of a Latino party scene provides a colorful backdrop to the space. Running down one side of the building exterior is a rustic outdoor grill and dining area. In a paved courtyard setting, large roughly hewn wooden tables feature, and at the end is a large open kitchen and grill serving barbeque steaks, ribs and lobsters.
The mural at one end of the outside bar
The outdoor dining area and flame grill
The flame grill kitchen
Interior dining tables and kitchen
Moving inside on the ground floor is another large bar running parallel to the outdoor bar, and some further tables for indoor dining. Some red upholstered lounge seating lines the internal wall, whilst overhead fans circulate the air. The dining menu specialises on grilled steaks, ribs and burgers. Prime cuts of Australian beef are popular, as well as the Havana Burgers and Turbo Dog BBQ Ribs– marinated overnight in beer and southern spices, slow braised and flame grilled with a home-made BBQ sauce. The selection of Bar snacks include Calamari Rings; Chicken wings; Nachos, etc.
The bars are serving Cuban style cocktails such as caipirinhas, mojitos, and margaritas. Havana’s forte is their range of rums- including Matusalem Gran Reserva– a dark rum aged 15 years; and the famous Mount Gay Dark Rum. Local and imported beers are available on tap and by the bottle; other drinks include a large selection of cachacas and tequilas, plus other premium spirits and high quality house pouring wines. Special deals on beers are available in the generous “Happy Hours” promotions.
Upstairs, there is a further bar, with high tables and stools, and lounge seating in booths. On the weekends international DJs play songs on request until late. Outside an open balcony runs the length of the upper floor and overlooks the street and KL skyline.
The internal bar on the ground floor
Ground floor bar and lounge seating
The Havana balcony features it’s own bar
Cajun Chicken Wings
Turbo Dog BBQ Ribs
Mozzarella Burger
Havana Bar & Grill
Address: 2 & 4 Lorong Sahabat, corner Changkat Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Reservations: +603. 2142 7170
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Havana-Changkat-Bukit-Bintang
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 4:00 pm ~ 3:00 am Saturday & Sunday 12:00 pm ~ 3:00 am
Music: Friday & Saturdays from 10:00 pm JUKEBOX NIGHT with resident and international DJs playing song requests
Special performances from local Live Bands every month or so
Promotions: Happy Hours- Monday to Sunday until 9:00 pm on draft beers
Food photographs courtesy of the venue
