café habana

It seems like only yesterday we were rejoicing over the arrival of summer. And now, as the beloved season of sunshine is slowly winding down, we can’t help but feel like we didn’t do enough. Like somehow we should have gotten out of the house a bit more. Even if it were only to sit on a bench or eat some food with friends. Because when all is said and done, that’s what a perfect summer day usually consists of anyway, doesn’t it? Quality time spent outdoors in the presence of good food and good people. So for the remainder of the summer, if you live in New York and frequent the neighborhood known as Nolita, you may just find us relaxing on a little red bench, chowing down on some Cuban food from an eatery called Café Habana.

Located on the corner of Prince and Elizabeth, Café Habana sits right next to Habana To Go, and both serve up the same menu of delicious Cuban favorites. From tender and perfectly seasoned chicken, pork, and steak (that can be served on a torta, in a burrito, or as an entrée) to sides such as tostones, spicy spinach, and rice and beans, a wrong choice doesn’t exactly exist here. Unless of course your choice doesn’t include an order of their Mexican-style grilled corn. Smothered with cheese and chili powder and served with a lime wedge on the side, this little snack could possibly have you headed down the road of an all corn diet – not that we would recommend that, though. And while this mouth-watering treat is always a staple on our visits, our main dish tends to change from time to time. This trip, however, we went with the “Sloppy Jose” BBQ pork sandwich. It contains that perfectly seasoned pork we mentioned earlier, topped with black beans, jalapenos, lettuce, tomatoe, and chipotle mayo. It adds a bit of heat to the meal, but when following a bite of our sandwich up with a sip of mango juice, we get a perfect blend of flavors and tastes. So check out their menu and all their locations HERE, and don’t forget to stop and say hello when you see us relaxing on that bench enjoying our meal, and quite possibly squeezing in a little people watching as well.