Havana Cafe & Lounge

The service was so so and the food was overpriced for what it was. Churrasco was over cooked. The place does turn into a night club on the evenings.

This place is filthy. From the silverware, to the plates, to the restroom… all I can do is gag.
Wifey & I came in here solely because we bought a
coupon, otherwise we would just keep passing this play by as we always do. Some grimy old man in a t-​shirt and jeans poured me a water, and when I asked him if I can order a drink, gave me a really unpleasant, bunched-​up face and walked away. Later, a boy came over and asked me which mojito I wanted (tried to steer me towards the more fruity ones). Nice kid. Disgusting mojito. Might be the worst I’ve ever had.
Got a crap load of appetizers, most of which were meh. The only thing that was decent was the fried chicken thighs. Other than that, the chicken wings were absolutely disgusting (actually made me gag) and I did point this out to the waiter. He didn’t do anything about it.
The cuban sandwich had some kind of weird, breaded garbage stuffed in the middle, which just didn’t work for me.
All I can say is that I’m happy to be out of that place. Never again.
Note: you might be wondering why I gave them such a high rating (a full 2 stars). The only reason for that is because I forgot my credit card here, like a dumbass. When I called them, they held on to it and gave it back without any problems. Other than that, this place is a complete failure and I can’t wait till they get shut down.

This is my favorite place in Hoboken. I come as often as I can. The food is always good. Always. And the drink menu is extensive. It’s great to have a list of delicious run drinks to choose from. The passion fruit mojito and tropical white sangria are soo good. Service is great, music is great, and ambience is great. Love it here.

This place is DATED. The décor looks like it was hot in the 90’s but hasn’t been updated since. The booths have stains all over them and tears in them. The tables themselves have pieces missing. We had a reservation, sat down, saw how dirty the place was, and got up and left. It’s in SERIOUS need or a remodel.

I’ve had dinner here once and from what I can remember is was fine. I came here on a Saturday night because I heard from a friend that they had Latin music and dancing after 10:30.
Drinks– watermelon mojito, coconut margarita (over priced)
Reaction– yuck. mojito was very bitter which is due to over muddling. the margarita was crazy sweet and watery. Cuban fail.
Music– the DJ was not too bad but for me the clientele just made it not fun. This in no way is the fault of the restaurant. This review is for those that may want to come here for a little dancing with the caveat of knowing that due to the crowd you may end up in a fight more than dancing the night away.

One of my favorite spots in Hoboken! I come here at least a few times a month.
Their brunch is one of Hoboken’s best kept secrets. AMAZING prices. The entrees range from $ 7– $ 9… the portions are big… and they offer $ 5 brunch cocktails.
Have never been disappointed… tasty food… chic atmosphere… and friendly staff.

This place has decent food but no wow factor for me. Sangria was below average and food was average. Won’t be my go to Cuban place.

Really want to like this place more but their food just isn’t consistent. Service is pretty okay until they literally started moving out tables away to gear up for 10pm salsa night. To be fair, they did kinda warn us though, but we had like 13 people sitting there so it’s like just wait a few more minutes. I’d come back if I can find a groupon again only though.
Décor:
Swanky, Havana-​y
Service:
Okay
Drinks:
Coconut basil mojito was badass the first couple of times I came here. Today it was ridiculously sweet, I had to keep adding water to it to dilute it down. Good selection of unique cocktails.
Apps:
Empanadas — the spinach one is amazeballs, the other ones are good, but the spinach ones win, and I’m a meat lover
Tostones rellenos — with chicken, a titch bland, but okay, prob won’t get again
Fries with mojo sauce — mojo sauce is bangin
White bean chorizo soup — SO salty, almost inedible, had to take a gulp of water after each bite, no one taste testing in the kitchen? In retrospect, should’ve sent it back but we were with a large group and didn’t want to be that person.
Entrée:
Regular Cubano — just okay, not the best Cuban sandwich I’ve ever had, like medium
Chicken Cubano — actually liked this better, juicy and flavorful

Havana’s food was very delicious. I had the skirt steak and it came with two sides and they were delicious. The food in general used a little bit too much garlic but I didn’t mind. However what was very unappealing was when I had to use the men’s room and it smelled like urine in there. The bathroom was completely dirty and needs renovations.

Not a fan. Came here with a group of 6 for a late dinner, our order went in around 9:15 and the kitchen closes at 10 so we thought we were good to go. Sike. They start turning the eating area in to a lounge at like 10:45. So the last half of our meal was COMPLETELY rushed. to the point that we were all standing (bc they took away all of our chairs and tables but one table) when we had to close out our bill. There was someone on the waitstaff who was literally trying to grab the table my stuff was on once I signed the bill as I was getting myself together. Chillax.
They really should close their kitchen at 9 so they can properly set up for the lounge and not rush a group of 6 to the point that we’re all standing waiting to close out out meal. I get that one extra hour yields more $$ from the management perspective, but at what cost? I doubt anyone in my party will return there after experiencing that.
The food there isn’t terrible but average. They messed up on one of my friends orders so gave her a dessert on the house which was nice. And the location is rather central to everything. My recommendation: if you go, get there at 8pm or earlier so you won’t be forced to hurry and finish your food and leave.

Vaca frita. Looks delicious, but the meat was almost inedible. The flavor was good, but it was so dry and tough that I could not even chew through it. When I told the waiter, he almost laughed under his breath and told me that is how it supposed to be. He came back about 10 – 15 minutes later, with almost everything still on my plate, and offered to switch it with something else. Everyone else in my party was done with their meals. Yea, no thanks. Maybe if you offered that immediately. The Moro was also incredible dry and not good at all. The only good thing about the dish was the fried plantains. They were delicious. We also got the appetizer sampler, which was pretty good. The saving grace was the coconut mojito. That was amazing. I would come back for the drinks, but not the food.

I’m so sad, this place previously was very good! Until tonight when two mice decided to join us for dinner and had no shame while they repeatedly ran in the middle of the dining room. The waiter was not too concerned, his excuse was that pest control was there that morning causing them to come out.
I know restaurants have pest it is a given, but it is their responsibility to keep it maintained and maintained properly! So, I have to leave it with a one star.

Well what can I say? We had cocktails all around before a great meal… Mojitos, Martinis, Jack and Coke flowed !!!
My Peachy Pear Martini was perfect… deliciously refreshing and huge!!!
We began our meal with several appetizers for the table: Chicken and Beef Empanadas, Yuca Frita, and Calamari.
The Yuca Frita were plentiful, hot and crispy and served with an amazing garlic dipping sauce.
Both Chicken and Beef Empanadas were light crispy and filled to gills with tasty and meaty chicken and beef mixtures and served with amazingly delicious sauces and salsas.
Our entrees were Salmon A La Plancha, Ensalada De Caesar and Pernil Sandwich. All entrees were delicious fresh and served hot.
Thanks, Havana Café and Alan you’re a gem. The atmosphere was nice and inviting.
I and my friends enjoyed celebrating my 65^th Birthday at Havana on Friday, 10/​30/​2015.

One of my back pocket brunch spots to hit up when ever I’m in Hoboken on the weekend.
The prices are low and the food has some nice latin flare.
You can get your standards like eggs and bacon.
Or you can spice it up with chorizo, steak and eggs, eggs benefit on top of juicey ropa vieja (stewed beef).

Havana Café & Lounge is most definitely not my scene. No fault of there’s just not my scene. The place was nice and clean, and I guess trying to look like BED in Miami, without the beds. The crowd was a young (21 — 28 in age), predominantly Hispanic crowd. The doormen were really nice and pleasant.
The drinks however were terrible. My boy ordered me the worst caiparinia I’ve ever had, which tasted like Alka Seltzer with lime and sugar.
I felt bad for the women in that place, because there was no meeting room for them being that they only have one restroom in the place made for one person at a time. I thought there was a new release for Black Ops, or New Jordan’s because the line was so long for the bathroom.

I went to Havana Café & Lounge on a Friday night and had a blast. It’s a lot bigger than it looks. This lounge is perfect if you want to dance your butt of to some Latin music!
Pros:
1. They played anything from merengue, bachata, and reggaetton — basically every type of latin music.
2. People were dancing not just standing around.
Cons:
1. The music might be TOO loud so come prepared. You definitely can’t have a conversation in there.
2. Gets a bit crowded!
Cover Charge?
Yes, the cover charge was $ 10 at least for that Friday night.

Great food. Medium sized portions. Never knew eating a meal with such loud music playing would be that fun. Chicken is perfectly cooked. Do try the Moro and the red sauce with the chicken tenders. Great for groups. This deserves more, but the manager wasn’t really nice. So just 3 from me inspite of it being a great place.

Came by for an early dinner on a beautiful afternoon. We sat outside and the waitress was really sweet.
We ordered the stuffed tostones with shrimp but the light green sauce was cold and the popcorn-​size shrimp tasted like they came straight from the freezer. The tostones were also a little on the crispy side.
We ordered the churrasco with broccoli and tostones which were good. My shrimp enchilado with white rice and maduros but the shrimp and sauce came out very cold. I had a few but couldn’t finish.
The service was great and so was the ambiance but the food just missed the mark. Living in Miami I’ll keep my Cuban food experiences to the experts down South.

DINNER REVIEW
I’ve now been here several times over the past two years for dinner only. I haven’t stayed late to witness the club dancing, crowds, or the karaōke. I’ve eaten outside in gorgeous weather, inside with plenty of open tables, and inside on a crowded Friday night, where they were still able to find us a table.
The food is solid. Everything I’ve had has been really tasty: from Ropa Vieja to Vaca Frita.
On my last visit I came in a group of three and we gorged ourselves on the awesome appetizer sampler. For $ 23 that platter is a steal and has a little bit of everything. We also ordered the chorizo empanadas because those are not included in the sampler (but the spicy beef and shredded chicken ones are). SO good.
For my entrée I tried the breaded chicken stuffed with greens and cheese. it was a huge portion and pretty tasty.
You can’t go wrong with the Flan here. Get it.
Now, on to the drinks. There are a lot of them. Depending on your tastes, you may prefer ones over others. I feel that the 10 Grand is the best mojito that they offer and I will always order one. I used to like the Coconut Basil mojito, but I find it a tad too sweet. Honorable mention goes to the «Gin and Tonic with a Twist» which is a G&T with muddled blueberries. The winner? Why, the all-​Gosling Dark and Stormy, of course!
Service has always been good for me here but I have to say that, on my last visit, the service was outstanding. I wish I had gotten the name of our server, because he was so attentive and perfect with pacing our courses and drinks. I was really impressed.
A really solid experience all around! Not sure why they don’t have higher reviews, but again I’ve never experienced it as a night club. The food and drinks here definitely keep me coming back.

I loved the atmosphere, fire place in the bar, the bar vibe, the people, servers, and of coarse the food & drinks. I came here not planned and enjoyed it very much. I spoke with the bartender about my selections of coarse and helped me narrow down the appetizer (which were HALF OFF) & the drinks (which were HALF OFF) from 4 – 7:00pm.
I meet a friend there and we laughed, enjoyed drinks, and carried on with the night. I would have to say this place was perfect to complete my weekend shopping outing.
Its perfect for a date, drinks with friends, catching up, and honestly parking isn’t tooo bar from 4:00 — 6:00pm (before the crowd comes) on a Saturday night. This is also great for families to seat on the right side of the place.
I enjoyed myself and hope you do too.