The owners of Old Havana Sandwich Shop announced today that the restaurant will serve its last Cuban sandwich on Sunday. The original location at 310 East Main Street is closing to make way for COPA, Roberto Copa Matos and Elizabeth Turnbull’s new restaurant, to open by mid-March at 107 West Main Street. Read more about COPA here, when the owners revealed plans to the INDY back in November. Old Havana’s press release is pasted below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Old Havana Sandwich Shop will Serve its Last Meal Sunday, February 18
DURHAM, NC – Old Havana Sandwich Shop, which has served its award-winning Cuban sandwiches for the last 7 years, will close its doors on Sunday, February 18, 2018.
The decision to close was made by owners Roberto Copa Matos and Elizabeth Turnbull as they prepare to open COPA in mid March, just down the street at 107 W. Main Street. The couple says they’ve been delaying the closing as long as possible, but they must now focus on the upcoming opening of COPA, which will be the nation’s first truly farm to table Cuban restaurant.
“We aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to Old Havana yet, but it’s become clear to us that we need to focus all of our energies on COPA right now so we can welcome our guests as soon as possible to the new space,” says Roberto, who will be the chef at COPA.
Since it opened in January 2011, Old Havana has garnered a fiercely loyal following for its pasture-raised slow-roasted pork. But fans of the shop’s sandwiches need not mourn for long—most of Old Havana’s lunch menu will be moving to COPA, just a few blocks west on Main Street.
“When we opened Old Havana 7 years ago, we had no idea where this adventure would take us,” says Elizabeth. “We’re in a similar place today. But we know that COPA is the right next step for us, and for our guests.”
As they prepare to move to 107 W. Main Street, Roberto and Elizabeth have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help them raise the final funds needed for build out and furnishings. To date, they have raised 57% of the $20,000 goal. The Kickstarter campaign ends February 28, and the money raised will only be released if the campaign is fully funded.
In addition to the well-loved lunch menu of Old Havana, COPA will feature a dinner menu inspired by 19th-century recipes that have been lost to time and memory, many of which have been featured in Old Havana’s “The Lost Dishes of Cuba” dinner series. The full bar in the new space will highlight the best of Cuban-inspired cocktails, including classics like the Mojito, Daiquiri, and Hotel Nacional.
“Old Havana has been a place of growth, joy, and dreams coming true,” says Roberto. “It is my hope that COPA will be the same.”
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