UES Eateries Accused Of Racism For Not Delivering To Harlem
Citibank To Charge All Accounts That Drop Below $1,500
Bronx Teacher Suspended For Assigning Story On Masturbation
GoCaGa, BoHo, iTri, And Other New Neighborhood Names
L.I. Pet Abuse Suspect Ran "Animal Concentration Camp"
When out-of-town relatives pay the occasional weekend visit, Gothamist is happy to play tour guide to the culinary and cultural delights of our fine city. But sometimes even the best-laid restaurant plan can fall apart on a technicality, forcing us to improvise. For instance, two weekends ago, we had planned a grand tour of The Gates and a little museum-going, but first we needed a hearty brunch to start the day. It was a cold, windy Sunday, only 10:15am (those out-of-towners are quite the early risers) when we arrived at Public, only to discover that it wasn't scheduled to open until 11am! Already hungry, and now freezing cold, we looked around and spotted Cafe Habana.
The first thing we noticed was that it was open; the next, that some people were congregated outside the tiny little place, thereby vouching for its quality (or so was Gothamist's wish). We didn't know much about this place, besides the fact that it was available and reasonably priced, so we jumped at the opportunity to step in the from cold and give it a try.
Once inside, Gothamist and family were seated into a snug little booth. We were lucky to have gotten the central location we did, as those who were seated in the back corner of the cafe seemed somewhat trapped by the waitstaff and the constant movement of diners who needed to make use of the one bathroom, cleverly hidden away behind a Virgin of Guadalupe bamboo curtain.
The food at Cafe Habana is a mix of Mexican and Cuban (the name "Cafe Habana" itself refers to a Mexico City cafe, in fact). But for brunch, they also offer typical American options like French toast and omelettes. Gothamist got a chance to taste the chilaquiles with green sauce and black beans on the side as well as the brioche French toast with fresh fruit. Both were delicious and rather reasonably priced (the brunch entrees range from $5.75 to $8.50). We'll definitely be paying another visit in the near future, if only to try the Cuban sandwich and the Mexican-style corn on the cob ($3.50), which is grilled, slathered in cheese, and doused with lime.
The place is tiny and fills up fast, so Gothamist recommends this specifically for an earlier-than-usual brunch, although once the spring weather arrives, waiting outside a bit for a table won't be so bad anyway.
Cafe Habana, 17 Prince St., (at Elizabeth St.). Phone: 212-625-2002.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
cafe habana's corn is like crack on a stick. i love it.
am i reading this in the year 2000?
wow, cafe habana is good for brunch? and it's really crowded? NO WAY. next you should check out this little place called Magnolia Bakery. I swear, no one's ever written about that before, either...
I live a block away, and while I've been there dozens of time, it's for the quick, cheap and convienience factor. Why there are constantly throngs of eurotrash muddling around outside and packs of yapping murray hill girls complaining outside ... still blows my mind. REally ... c'mon people, a destination place?
yeah, not sure this is such a recent discovery for a lot of new yorkers. perhaps it should be mentioned that equally as delicious, cool atmosphere, not nearly as crowded/overhyped/eurotouristy:
cubana cafe. there's one in soho and there's a new one in carroll gardens on smith st. their corn is pretty delicious too. good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. huevos rancheros- a tasty breakfast at $6.
Wow- I am astonished at the highly emotional replies. FTD- you must think you're something else... who do those Europeans and Murray Hill girls think they are invading your space and all...
Lucy BBQ on 18th in ABC Carpet and Home building also has the killer corn. Oh it is SOOOO good! And try their shrimp soft taco plate. No joke, it is so tasty.
Lucy BBQ on 18th in ABC Carpet and Home building also has the killer corn. Oh it is SOOOO good! And try their shrimp soft taco plate. No joke, it is so tasty.
ps. what are people so pissed off about? so what, cafe habana has been around for a long time. there's annoying people on cellphones yapping everywhere.
The best thing about Cafe Habana is that if you are a waitress there, Lenny Kravitz might cheat on Gina Gershon with you.
this AND the pigeon dunks story the other day? wow, gothamist, that new "trends" section is a GREAT idea! you guys are even more on top of things than the Post!
i always thought that place was a refuge escape pod from cuba the way it gets overflowing packed even when every other place within 5 blocks (besides the bowery mission) is empty.
Good lord! You got in during brunch?!
!!!
you gothamists should stop eating at the high priced fancy eateries and try some more authentic places with character like cafe habana. i can't believe you've just discovered this. good lord. and you have to go BACK to try the corn on the cob? that's the first thing you get.
You know, some of the Gothamist readers are so snarky and just plain haters. It's just a posting about a restaurant on a blog that you don't pay for. Please. Get a life.
who the hell has never heard of this place. Nice job being 4 years late on the cafe habana hype, Gothamist.
we have lives msnickel, and i assume you do too otherwise you wouldn't be posting comments on here as well.
i think you have to agree reviewing cafe habana now is incredibly lame, meanwhile they review places i would never even want to go to half the time.
and yes the site is free but i am guessing they do well with their advertising because of readers like us.
Wow, tough crowd.
Tell you what. Since you people don't like my gf's choice for brunch, I'll happily accept your donations to finance reviews of ANY SINGLE PLACE YOU CHOOSE. You will also have to spend countless hours persuading the phone-person on the reservations line to actually get a table for us, but hey, you guys are so bleeding edge hip-cool-down-with-it, you shouldn't break a sweat, right?
If this is not acceptable, then please be patient. I'm sure the wonderful people at Gothamist will soon be kicking off Utahist or Wichitaist, and then you can read about your hometowns, you cliche hipster doofus wannabe tourists.
As long as she and I are financing the meals related to these reviews, you are going to sit down, STFU, read them, and LIKE THEM.
geez people, it's just a restaurant review. back to more important issues at hand, i.e., the food. i'm glad you found cafe habana. the other dishes are pretty good but the grilled mexican corn is yummy and justifies cafe habana's existence.