Havana Rumba Express

The new "fast casual" version of Havana Rumba will apparently be at 2210 Bardstown Road. That's in the Douglass Loop, where Desserts by Helen used to be.

Any idea when?

Any idea when?

Don't know about the opening date, but Consuming Louisville has more details from Havana Rumba:

We finally had the contract signed and are working on our new location: Havana Rumba Express & Tapas Bar. The location is where Desserts by Helen used to be, and also the location next door, where Mucho Queso used to be. We are bringing the wall down and making the whole space one location. The address is 2210 Bardstown Rd 40205. We are in a pure creative mode now so details are not finalized yet. On one side we are going to have our fast casual concept HR Express, with our Cuban staples that people have come to love and affordable prices; and on the other side we are going to have a tapas bar like you would find in Spain: Small tapas at incredibly affordable prices.

http://consuminglouisville.com/2013/02/ ... s-loop.php

The new "fast casual" version of Havana Rumba will apparently be at 2210 Bardstown Road. That's in the Douglass Loop, where Desserts by Helen used to be.

Good news right in the hood.....
I am kinda curious about the parking though, word on the street is that CVS is going into the complex where Ear-X-tacy was and looking at about 20 spots behind them shared with Graeter's, Heine Bros?
Assuming the metered spots along the side where Cafe Lou Lou is will be a first come basis during the evening for them?

They opened up tonight. Right now it is dinner only Monday-Thursday 5-10, Friday and Saturday 5-11 but they plan to open for lunch and on Sundays progressively at a later time (per their Facebook page). I was in for the soft opening and it is really a great concept. The setup is similar to a Qdoba where almost everything (except for sandwiches) is already made. You pass through the line collecting things as you go and take your food straight to the table. Sandwiches take a few minutes to make and they bring those out. You will find some old favorites from the full service establishments, and a few new items such as the Lomo Saltado which is my new favorite. They also have a build your own salad option which is a great add on to the meats. There is a bar as well with a separate tapas menu. I didn't try anything from the tapas side yet, as I was full and still consuming the bite sized cuban pastries long after I should have been. Everything was really good in comparison to other restaurants in the fast casual segment, and I think you will be hard pressed to find a better value/quality ratio in the area. Note there are also pictures of the menu on their Facebook page as well.

Totally relevant to my interests. I'll be stopping by there for dinner**!

Edited: Because I can't read...

I am assuming they have a full bar?

Yeah they have a full bar.

...really a great concept. The setup is similar to a Qdoba...

We have been looking forward to this and watching progesss, because it is within stumbling distance of the house. It looked like a Qdoba-type setup from peeks during construction. But, "great concept" and "similar to Qdoba" don't fit together for me. We'll be there early and often, though, I'm sure.