Havana Central

This formal Times Square offshoot of the fast-food original in Union Square takes the basic precepts of its forerunner into swankier digs. Solid, reasonably priced renditions of Cuban classics—roast pork, ropa vieja—are whisked to your table in enormous portions with the usual heaps of rice and beans. But it’s best to veer toward less traditional offerings, like a Cuban sandwich stuffed into a crisp empanada and sweet-sticky ribs with ginger and mango. Faux palms and repro posters channel Hemingway’s Havana, as do retro cocktails like the original daiquiri poured over ice. The food may not be worth its own special trip, but as a pretheater option Havana Central makes sense.