Cabana Restaurant
“We had the Bocadillos – a sampler platter with fritters, chicken wings and empanadas for starter.”
“The Caribbean style shirt steak "Churrasco" and the seafood mix dinner "Mariscadas" was the star dish of the night.”
“It was less than $40 which you can not beat for such a huge portion that was split with 2 people and still left with many leftovers.”
Cabana Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Very nice service and amazing Cuban/Latin American food are two reasons to walk 20 blocks to Cabana (SayehZ!), and I think I walked 30 blocks and that was worth it, too!
It's a cute and colorful place, with a small bar by the front door, and full dining room in the back. I wouldn't call it deluxe, or a party-party like atmosphere like other Cabana's in NY (Seaport, now closed, that was the best!) and Queens (also great, I haven't been to the other Flushing and Florida locations). But the location is different, a local feel, and very neighborhoody even though it's in the big, bad city.
The menu was large with many hard-to-select choices for food and drinks. I think, for my first time, I made excellent choices.
Each and everything I tried were excellent:
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1. Empanadas Jamaiquinas — Spicy beef turnovers over pickapepper sauce ($9.95, 4.0 stars)
2. Maduros — Fried sweet ripe plantains ($5, 4.5 stars)
3. Frijoles Negros — Traditionally prepared black beans. Large portion! ($5, 4.0 stars)
4. Yuca Frita — Yuca fries served with mojo de maiz (a garlic sauce). ($6, 4.0 stars)
5. Arroz con Pollo — Chicken sautéed in sofrito with chorizo and spanish olives simmered in a caldera of saffron rice. ($21.95, 5.0 stars)
I tasted my gf and her daughters entrees, and they were both so good:
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6. Ropa Vieja — Shredded skirt steak, onions, bell peppers and plum tomatoes ($20.95, 4.5 stars)
7. Pollo al Ajillo — Marinated boneless chicken breast sautéed with garlic, white wine and fresh herbs ($21.95, 4.5 stars)
For drinks/cocktails, I recommend:
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8. Coconut Margarita ($12, 4.5 stars) — totally delish, and the Mango Margarita ($12, 4.0 stars)
Overall
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I think their mission fits, "We don't have customers – we have Guests". Very well taken care of by the server and supporting staff, chefs and all. Nearly a 5.0 star experience.
Many of the staff couldn't hide their expression of unhappiness that they were at work. Our specific waiter was friendly but didn't seem to understand my rather simple order and also sort of "forgot" about us after the food was served. The garlic lemon chicken was not good – the sauce flavoring was off for some reason. The chicken was otherwise tender and well prepared, but the sauce gave it a strange taste & it caused the meal to be pretty unsatisfying. The portions were very small. You can get much more chicken of better quality and taste eating at Sophie's, although Sophie's has somewhat rude staff in a hole-in-the wall environment. This place, Cabana, seemed to do a decent job with the atmosphere. The black beans were not that great either. I won't be back as there are much better options in the area as well as a constant supply of new places to try.
Rocked up here at lunchtime one Friday, and asked for a table for 1. I hadn't realised how popular or busy it would be, after noticing the slightly perplexed look on the staff's face I offered to sit at the bar.
The bar had a few others at it, both drinking and eating and it was a great spot to people watch the people coming in for Friday work lunch. I ordered a frozen margarita which was amazing as I was quite warm from wandering around the whole day. This also came with tap water, which I was thankful for, as I hadn't eaten much that day.
For food, I opted for the lunch day, which was either a soup or salad and a choice of main. Went with the salad, which was fairly basic but fine and the bbq chicken with yellow rice and black beans. The chicken was really tender and moist and I loved the black beans.
By the time I was leaving, the group beside me were on double shot number 3 and were clearly enjoying their friends birthday! Definitely a popular place.
DIS PLACE IS ROMANTIC AF. Came with a stranger(ish) and left as…mmm question mark? haha. But really, beware. I'm not sure if it's the magic of the food, the lighting, the seating, but whatever it is, there's something. I can attest because there was drinking involved (the drinks here looked really delectable though). In addition, be ready to listen in on some intimate conversations to people next to you. I had a blast listening on people's first dates. Fun pastime for me.
The ambiance is definitely on the fancy-er side? Fancy casual? We got a app/entree combo of Camarones de Coco Coconut dipped shrimp over maduro mash and Paella Valenciana. Really big portions, especially the rice. MMMM, the rice was so effing good. There were lots to baggie. I think it was appropriately priced for NY prices and proportions. Yeah, itdks man. I BLAME YOU, I blame your awesome ambiance on heartbreak. Low key kidding. 🙂 Would come back for the giggle and good food.
The Quick: Solid 3.5 with great lunch specials- big portions and quick service. The Ropa Veija is delicious and comes with a soup/salad. Overall nice spot.
The Details: When a Cuban restaurant does not feature my favorite authentic Cuban dish, vaca fritta, I am always a little weary. Besides missing this classic, Cabana offered plenty of delicious menu options. The Ropa Veija was very juicy and flavorful and unlike the traditional style, it did not have olives (I hate olives!)
The restaurant has a good amount of tables in the back and is never overly crowded. Nothing extraordinary, but a nice spot for sit down lunch where you can be in and out in 40 mins.
The Damage: Lunch special ~ $15 per person. Dinner entrees are ~$20/$25.
What a nice surprise on the UES. This food was phenomenal. Portion sizes and flavor were two highlights. Our drinks were strong and well priced. Really enjoyed the sangria. We started with a mixed appetizer platter and you really got a good bang for your buck. You got to try multiple things and all were very yummy. Personally, the wings were my favorite as the sauces was finger licking good. For my entree, I ordered the churrasco steak and it was cooked perfectly and was so delicious. I didn't want it to end. Luckily between the appetizers and heaping portions of rice and beans, I had leftovers to take home. We ended the meal with the flan which also, like all aspects of our meal, was supremely good. I was dining with my boyfriends Latin family and friends and all of them raved about the meal, which is always a good sign when you're dining at an establishment that harkens back to their traditional cuisine. I would definitely be back. I have other places I really like that serve similar food, but many aren't that close to me, so this is a great spot not far from home that I can frequent for really yummy Latin dishes.
Deal Seeking Diva tip: Order the mixed appetizer platter as it's almost the same prize as all the single appetizers but your get almost double the amount of food as the other apps. Really great choice since you get to try 4 different things and they don't skimp on the portions.
Always a big fan of the Cabana that used to be at the South Street Seaport so I was pretty happy to find they had another location when that one closed down. The food never disappoints and they have great lunch specials. Portions are pretty big. Service is usually pretty good. They also have a nice bar at this location!
Came to Cabana over the weekend. My 1st time and definitely not my last. Not sure if 5 pm is late lunch or early dinner but anyways that's when I came. And happy I did, as far as timing, because there was not a crowd until we were concluding our meal.
I've been to a few Cuban spots in Jersey and in Miami. The only 2 cities I trust for Cuban besides Havana (on my trip list) and have always had the best in spices and flavor. But as of Saturday, this is my new favorite Cuban spot! It is a small, quite narrow restaurant and you will be kinda close up on the dinner parties' laps next to you but don't fret you all will become friends/family! lol!
The customer service is very welcoming and attentive to anything you need and any questions you may have. I ordered the chicarrones (sp?) with black beans and yellow saffron rice. MAN, the flavor and huge portion had me in heaven!!!! You will definitely be unable to eat it all. So plan to take at least 1/2 of any of their entrees home. I also ordered the spicy beef empanadas for my appetizer. So delicious!
I'll definitely play around with the menu next time I stop through but I was beyond impressed with the authentic Cuban eatery and can not wait to come back!