Casual Habana Cafe — Restaurant in New Milford

So I had this placed bookmarked based on the reviews and pictures I saw for a very long time. I decided to come to this location first instead of the Hackensack NJ sister location they have which I read was not to great so I had huge expectations. My friend and I were greeted by a very sweet hostess and seated right away. The customer service by the staff all night was great. Everyone was knowledgeable of the menu and helpful answering questions we had.

The restaurant is decent looking; some of the decor is unique and the seating was somewhat comfy nicely spaced so you have privacy with your party. However, the bathroom is toward the entrance which is kind of interesting or maybe that just me. Those who frequent the bathroom should by the bar area so you wont have a lang walk to go back towards the entrance to use the restrooms. I would stick with a party of 2 - 4 for comfort because this place has nice size interior from what I could see larger parties may be somewhat tight and squeezed. The ambiance overall was pretty cool easy on the eyes and looked like your normal Cuban NJ/NY restaurant with a little more class than normal.

Drinks (3.5 out 5 stars) - Their Coconut Mojito was was good but could have been stronger per my friend. They gave her another drink to replace that one which was slightly better lol but it was during happy hour so no real biggie there. I liked the little sugar cane in the drink which made it look a little more sexy than normal. I had the virgin Passion Fruit Margarita which was pretty good with decent flavor but I have had much better.

Tapas (3.5 out 5 stars) - "Pollo Borracho" Sugarcane & rum glazed chicken chunks was okay could have been amazing had the chicken been more tender. It was not fresh tasting but the sugarcane and rum glazed helped masked the toughness of the chicken. Chicken Empanadas were decent but I have had much better. The shell of the empandas was soft whch was good and the chicken inside could have better seasoned. The dipping sauce it came with was actually very good. Camarones al Coco" coconut shrimp served over pineapple & avocado salsa. Now this was AMAZING !!!!! one of the highlights of the night for me WOW DEFINITELY A MUST ORDER !!!

Entrees (3.75 out 5 stars) "Mahi Mahi Tropical" Coconut crusted Mahi served w/dry mango & toasted coconut salsa was what my friend order and her fish tasted pretty good and was a perfect blend with the mango coconut salsa which was very good. The portion was about right I guess for the price $17.00. I ordered the "Arroz Con Pollo de la Abuelita" All natural shredded chicken & saffron rice casserole and I have to say i was extremely disappointed in my meal. I frequent have Latin based foods and this is one of my favorite dishes but they did not live up to my expectation on this one. The chicken was bland with no seasoning and had a toughness to it not tender at all. The sides "Frijoles Negros" Cuban black beans were PHENOMENAL !!!! definitely choose that as side per my recommendation. "Tostones" Twice fried plantains were okay as well but that dipping sauce it came with was Very GOOD!! (I never asked what it was).

Service (4.0 out of 5 Stars) - Our waitress was very unintrusive & they were great about pacing the meals/appetizers The owner/chef came and asked how we were doing introducing himself which was pretty cool and appreciated as a customer. They made a couple of mistakes on my order by giving me "Yuca con mojo" Steamed Yucca instead of the Yucca fries and also having olives in my Arroz Con Pollo when I requested that not to be in my order but all good.

Overall I see mostly everyone had great experiences but for me personally the food was okay. The customer service was above average and friendly great hard working staff which was appreciated. I would recommend coming during happy hour during the week to try some Tapas and drinks to see if it works for you but for me I would give them another chance possibly but wont make...

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE We had visited both locations (Hackensack and New Milford) with friends and family for years, but we had a horrible experience on Easter weekend.

After being seated, we ordered 2 entries (Churrasco and Chicken in Garlic Sauce ) , 7 tapas (Yuca Frita, Grilled Calamari, Chorizo, Chicharrón, mariquitas, tostones and pollo borracho) and 4 drinks ( 2 sangrias, 2 cappuccinos ) for 4 people.

The waiter takes the order and then comes back and says that entries could not be shared. It sounded weird since the place is not a Rodizzio neither an all you can eat buffett...so we all decided to order 8 tapas since the entries could not be shared. The waiter leaves and another waiter comes to the table a few minutes later , and says that if we want tapas we can not have a table for the 4 of us. That we need to get up and find a place in the bar.

The restaurant was not even close to being full at the time we arrived. The food we ordered first, was worth more money than just 4 full entries. Many tables were empty and we expressed that to the waiter but he did not care, so we decided to leave.

Upon leaving, I saw the owner arrive and I was cordial saying hi and shook his hand like I always do. I complained to the him about what had just happened and to our surprise, Instead of apologizing or asking for facts , he got all riled up and angry and started yelling and cursing in front of my wife. “That it was his business and he could do whatever he wanted there”. That if we did not like it, we could leave. To what I wanted to respond but he just said “get out of my f$&@ng restaurant. I can do whatever I want here”. What astonished me the most and what I will never forget is what he said in the middle of his rampage...That “the reason why he had his restaurants in New Milford and Hackensack was because he did not like to deal with spanish people like us” . Which is actually ironic since he is Cuban and owns a Cuban Restaurant. It was a very racist comment, specially since I can assure you, more than 80% of the people that work for him, are hispanic and also many of his customers.

To the owner: We used to recommend this place to everyone that wanted to try spanish food. You lost customers that visited your place for friends and family gatherings. For birthdays and special occasions, your restaurant was one of our favorites.

From what I noticed on your yelling, I came to realize that you don’t care because we are hispanic ...just like you (don’t forget that ). But I will say this, Me, my wife and our families won’t ever go back to your place or recommend anyone to visit your restaurants. The way you yelled in front of my wife and the way you disrespected us with your ironic spanish racist comments have no excuse. At no moment I yelled at you or disrespected you, for you to react the way you reacted and to disrespect us the way you did.

I won’t recommend this place to anyone after being yelled at and disrespected for just making a complaint about the way my wife, my 2 friends and myself were treated.

With all the tensions nowadays in this country, the least I would expect is racism from another hispanic person. We are all the same, and if you don’t like dealing with hispanic people, then you are in the wrong business. There are many other spanish places in which my friends and family are always welcome like Rumba cubana, Havana 59, Cuban Pete’s, Son Cubano, Tapas in Englewood and North Bergen, Noches de Colombia , Villa de Colombia, Choripan, among many others... many choices of good food and owned by people that value their customers and that are proud of their ethnicity. At no other place we have ever been treated the way you treated us.

I can not even count how many times I visited your place but I know and you know, we were there many times. I regret every single dime I spent at your restaurants and every single person I have referred to visit them.

I learn from my mistakes and It won’t...

Overall Thoughts: This is a spacious, beautifully decorated restaurant serving up a varied selection of traditional Cuban dishes and quick, friendly service. The dishes were full of flavor and the one cocktail I tried was delicious. Note there's a3.5% surcharge on credit cards.

Food I tried: Oxtail Empanadas (4.5/5): This was good, with a super crispy exterior stuffed with flavorful, tender oxtail filling. Each order comes with 3 empanadas, but unfortunately you can only get one type of filling type.

Pulpo a la Plancha (seared octopus w/ twice-fried plantains) (4.3/5): The octopus was chewy on the inside, crispy/charred on the outside, and had good flavor. The fried plantain chips were pretty good but could've been crispier.

Rabo Encendido (slow braised ox tail) (4.2/5): This was good and flavorful, but pretty hard to chew with all the tough cartilage and bones.

Arroz Frito con Aguacate (cuban fried rice with chicken) (4.6/5): The fried rice was delicious, full of flavor, and the guac on top added a nice creamy kick of salty flavor. The chicken was extra $ but I wouldn't get it in the future because it was a bit overcooked.

Ropa Vieja (4.5/5): A classic, this dish had good flavor and pairs well with the dirty rice and beans.

Yuca con mojo (4.2/5): This side of steamed yuccas was buttery and mild in flavor. It was a good palate cleanser in-between bites.

Lechon Asado (4.3/5): This dish was good and had great flavors, but the meat was a bit dry.

Habana Spice cocktail (4.8/5): This drink was sweet, spiced, and really delicious. All the drinks on the menu looked delicious and creative, and I'd be interested in trying more!

Flan de la abuela caridad (Traditional cuban creme caramel abuela's recipe) (4/5): This flan was quite sweet, creamy, and eggy in flavor. It was good, but maybe wouldn't be my dessert of choice next time around.

Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5 Food: 4.4/5 Ambience: 4.8/5 Service: 5/5 Overall...