HavAnnA Cafe of the Everglades

The only Cuban kitchen for 40 miles in any direction, tucked on Chokoloskee Island a mile past the 1906 Smallwood Store where the pavement gives up. Started in 2003 by Cuban-born fisherman Carlos Valdez and his wife Dulce, who borrowed to buy the building in 2005; passed to David Ardelean and Aaron Tabor after the pandemic, who kept the recipes and added a handful of American plates. The Cuban sandwich, ropa vieja, and palomilla steak read like a Little Havana lineup dropped into mangrove country, and the Cuban coffee is ground fresh. Courtyard tables under strung lights and folk-art murals; the crowd is fishing guides, park rangers, and off-road riders passing through.

What to order

The pressed Cuban sandwich with a cortadito, or the ropa vieja plate with black beans and sweet plantains. Breakfast (8a–noon) is huevos rancheros with Cuban coffee.

Hours

SEASONAL — open early October through Independence Day weekend · CLOSED mid-July through late October (verify reopen date by phone before routing)