raysrestaurants

In early February, I went to New York City for an internship interview, and I met up with a friend who attends New York University. I asked him to take me to some local hotspots that weren’t too expensive but still well-known and delicious, so he took me to an interesting place called Café Habana, a Cuban-Mexican eatery on a residential corner of Elizabeth Street. Most of the things on the menu were under 15 dollars which is a great deal for the quality and uniqueness of the food you can get there.

One drawback was the small size of the place. Space is limited so expect a wait of about 20-30 minutes if you drop-in, and when you do get in, you’ll be eating on a pretty small table. First impressions regarding the size aside, however, the food was awesome. I would suggest starting off with the Mexican style corn, which was corn topped with chili powder, cheese, lime and butter. It was messy, but delicious!!! After that, I had the Cuban sandwich – a 7 dollar treat that was quite filling (I brought half of it home because I was full after the corn and half of the sandwich). Other specialties included the skirt steak with rice and beans, the pollo mirador, and the mango and jicama salad. Personally, the corn was my favorite, and when I go back next weekend, I’m planning on buying two orders.

In any case, I hope you have the chance to visit what I consider one of New York’s gems. The service was friendly and fast, and the crowded environment was balanced by the very familiar feel of the restaurant. It wasn’t the best eating experience of my life, but it made my belly really happy.

Here is the info:

Café Habana

17 Prince St., New York, NY 10012
at Elizabeth St.

212-625-2002

Happy eating everyone,

Ray

Trackback URI | Comments RSS