Bella Cuba
Affordable Cuban dining in Santa Ana, within walking distance of South Coast Plaza
Located in Santa Ana, but just across the street from South Coast Plaza, Bella Cuba has been serving Cuban food for over a dozen years. As contrasted with Costa Mesa’s Habana and Isla in La Palma – dining spaces that have been decorated to evoke 1950s, pre-revolutionary Cuban bar vibes – Bella Cuba is lower-key, offering a fairly modern, family restaurant-style setting that wouldn’t feel out of time or place regardless of the cuisine on offer.
The come one, come all approach extends to the menu: If you’re looking for a fairly affordable, no-frills Cuban meal, this is the place to get it. Most of the appetizers are $9 or less, and many entrees are under $18, though beef and seafood dishes tend to push into the low $20s. Exceptions include a Cuban paella at $43 (for one person) and a fried whole red snapper for $38; a lunch menu keeps almost everything under $15, including garlic chicken and a Cuban sandwich.
Some of the items we ordered were pretty good, most notably the sirloin steak with onions and plantains, and the Flan Cubano. Other appetizers, including empanadas, croquetas, and papa rellenas, arrived looking and tasting pretty basic, followed by entrees and desserts (most notably a very plain Tres Leches cake) that largely did the same. The yellow rice with shrimp, which looked appealing on their menu, struck us as overpriced for such a small portion of seafood in a large bowl of rice.
Overall, Bella Cuba was a one-and-done experience for us – we haven’t been back after our first visit. But we would certainly go back if we were looking for a more affordable Cuban meal than Habana in the immediate neighborhood.
Stats
Price: $$
Service: Table
Open Since: 2011
Addresses
3940 S Bristol St. Suite 114
Santa Ana, CA 92704
714.545.5711
Instagram: @bellacuba31