When patrons step into a Havana Rumba restaurant, Marcos Lorenzo wants their visit to feel like an event. As founder and owner, he has crafted an experience that transports Louisville diners straight to Cuba through vibrant cuisine, live music and warm hospitality.
“We want to bring the party to people,” Lorenzo said. “In Cuba, we are so poor we can’t afford to go out to eat very often. When you do go out, you’re going to be there 2-3 hours enjoying the music and taking your time. That’s the vibe we wanted to bring.” Lorenzo immigrated to the United States in 2000 looking for a fresh start. A civil engineer by trade, he found himself working in the restaurant business in Louisville and developed a passion for cooking. Four years later, he branched out on his own and opened the first Havana Rumba restaurant in St. Matthews, applying his engineering background to its daily operations.
The original 16-table location quickly developed a loyal following. When the space next door became available, Lorenzo expanded. He later opened Mojito Tapas in Lyndon (2007), a second Havana Rumba in Middletown (2010) and Havana Rumba & Tapas Bar in the Highlands (2013).
In 2019, disaster struck when the roof of the original St. Matthews location collapsed. Lorenzo was forced to relocate and reopened under a new name: Mojito in Havana.
Today, all four concepts deliver a similar lively experience while offering some distinct menu items.
“Each restaurant has its own signature dishes that are separate from other locations,” Lorenzo said. “We encourage our chefs to be creative and try different things. We don’t want to be like a chain restaurant where everything is the same. If it works, we leave it on the menu, but if it doesn’t, we can play around with it.”
Cuban cuisine is a fusion of many different types of foods and flavors, with Spanish, African and French influences, shaped by the island’s tropical climate and abundant seafood. These roots shine through in every dish at Havana Rumba. The menu features classic Cuban favorites such as Ropa Vieja, a Cuban-style shredded beef, and Fricassé de Pollo, a chicken stew. The Cuban sandwich is a customer favorite, loaded with roasted pork, ham, pickles and mustard. Plantain dishes, seafood, vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available. Most dishes are mild, with homemade hot sauce offered for those who prefer heat.
“We want to appeal to every single person,” Lorenzo said. “Anyone can come and find something they can enjoy.”
Quality is non-negotiable at Havana Rumba. Lorenzo insists on the best ingredients, reliable equipment and a strong team, all of which create the winning formula behind the restaurants’ success.
“I believe to be successful in this business you have to have great ingredients,” Lorenzo said. “You also have to have good equipment and most importantly good employees.
You put all that together, everything will work fine. A lot of our stuff is coming from Florida and can be more expensive. We buy products that get us the flavors we want. Every chef and cook in our kitchen is well trained before they go on their own. If it’s not up to our quality and what has worked for two decades, we don’t do it.”
Lorenzo always planned to expand, but said the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down some of his ambitions. After opening four distinct locations and successfully reopening the original, he is happy with where the business is today.
“When we opened we wanted to expand and grow,” Lorenzo said. “The plan was to open a new location every three years. When we opened a new restaurant, we pulled employees from new locations because they were trained and could help out with the new people. Then COVID hit. It was pretty scary, we didn’t know what was going to happen. We had a huge investment and were getting bills. We got back into our routine real quick. We are doing so great right now.”
Lorenzo said his work-life balance plays a key role in not expanding past the four locations.
“Restaurants are a tough business,” Lorenzo said. “Your busy days are over the weekend and if you have a family, you want to be with them. I’m not opening a new restaurant anytime soon. If you open a restaurant, it’s a lot of commitment and sacrifices. I am not young anymore. We’re so happy with the schedule we have because we have the mornings to ourselves and it’s not as demanding. Right now we’re happy with where we are.”
Catering has become a major part of the operation. Lorenzo built a dedicated commissary kitchen to handle this part of the business. Its menu features many of its most popular items and can be customized for any event, including weddings, receptions, dinners and birthday parties, and their spaces can be rented to host as well. All of the prep work for the other restaurants is also done at this facility.
“Catering is all through the business,” Lorenzo said. “The facility was designed for catering. We fix the food there, send it to the restaurants and they sell it. We do all the prep. It used to put a lot of stress on the employees to do the prep at the restaurants, but it’s a lot easier now.”
Lorenzo remains very happy with the restaurants and wants to continue making Havana Rumba a Louisville staple.
“We are doing a great business and are super busy,” Lorenzo said. “This has been a wonderful year with great sales. People tell us our food is a lot better than others. That makes us so proud and inspires us to keep doing what we are doing. It’s not only me. I have partners that have been with me from the beginning. They started as employees and are now running the restaurants. We are not partners, we are family. I’m very happy with the people who I have around me right now.”
For more information on Havana Rumba’s menu, hours and locations, check out its website at havanarumbaonline.com.
