Atlanta's Havana Restaurant Set To Reopen November 2 at 3979 Buford...

WHO: Debbie Benedit, pronounced WHAT: Havana's official grand "re-opening" WHEN: Nov 2, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. WHERE: Crossroads Village, 3979 Buford Highway , Atlanta, Ga .

[Havana]

Ok Atlanta, are you ready? Havana has found a new home. We will be located at 3273 Buford Hwy, 1/2 mile north on Buford Hwy at the entrance of Northeast Plaza Shopping Center. Our projected opening date is January 1st!! The new location has plenty of seating, and more importantly plenty of parking! With the extra spac...e we have aquired, we have decided to add something special to the Havana experience. Friday and Saturday nights we will have a live Salsa band performing for our customers. We are looking forward to serving all of you very soon.

[kenstepp]

I missed them. It was one of the best places to eat in Atlanta. Great food ,tacky place. But they totally pulled it off.

[Ryan]

This is not the new location of the old stalwart that burned down in 2008. That new location is located farther north in the north east plaza shopping center.
These guys are clever though; they almost got me.

[Havana]

Dear fans of Cuban cuisine:
My father, Guido "Papi" Benedit, opened the Havana Sandwich Shop on Buford Highway in February 1976. Papi, myself, and my older brother Eddie, all worked together to bring to Atlanta Cuban recipes from my mother and grandmother's kitchen. In 1986 I left the sandwich shop to open an automotive shop next door. Over the years, like many immigrant families, various members of our family moved in and out of the restaurant. In 1996 Papi retired leaving Eddie and his wife, Debbie, to run the business. After Eddie's passing in 2001, Debbie continued to run the sandwich shop with her son Eddie Jr.
Folks grow and things change over time. I moved my automotive shop away from Buford Highway. We were all shocked and saddened when the old Havana Sandwich Shop burned in October, 2008. In January, 2009, my sister in law, Debbie Benedit told the Cherokee Tribune she was joining her son to run the Cuban sandwich shop in Canton Her words were "..we decided to stop feeding strangers in Atlanta and start feeding our neighbors". I naturally thought they had intended to abandon Atlanta, Buford Highway, and all those strangers.
When my wife was laid off in March, 2009, and came back to work at our automotive shop, I decided to return to the restaurant business, as Cuban sandwiches have become so popular now they are sold in Publix groceries. I knew we could recreate the home style Cuban cooking that was so loved. We incorporated under the name you've been seeing, and began to look for a suitable location on Buford Highway.
June of 2009, my sister in law, Debbie, and nephew, Eddie Benedit Jr., leased space further north on Buford Highway intending to open "Havana 76 Café". We wished them well. In October 2009, they put up the new signs saying "Havana Restaurant" right before they opened. As she is the most well known of the old Havana Sandwich Shop, and as my father's old restaurant had the sign saying "Havana Restaurant", I happily concede it to them and wish them well. We are not them and they are not us.
So let this talk of the "real" Cuban sandwich shop end. I am my father's son and refugeed here with the rest of my family. I have as much right as anyone to try to serve you the best Cuban food available. We will be opening in January, 2010, at the entrance of NE Plaza Shopping Center Let our food do our talking and may the best Cuban sandwich win. Stay tuned for the name change.
Thank you for your support,
Willie Benedit