Habana Outpost — Restaurant in New York

My family and I came across this place quite by accident after another restaurant down the block ran out of food. The place was colorful and inviting which lured us in to check it out. The name of the place told us it was Cuban, however, they serve both Cuban and Mexican food. And FYI, they don't serve Cuban-Mexican fusion food and the items from these respective countries are listed separately on the menu. Once you place your order with the cashier, an electronic number system tells customers when their food can be picked up outside from a permanent food truck that is part of the whole restaurant. I ordered a Cuban sandwich; it was delicious. My wife and son ordered traditional Mexican platters with all the authentic fixins'. Besides the food, there were several things about this place that really struck me:

This place was the first restaurant in New York City to be solar powered. This place recycles rain water for their bathrooms. This place is colorful and festive with a lot of tongue-in-cheek commentary displayed throughout. Children get paper placemats and crayons where they can color in an cartoon outline of rapper Biggie Smalls. Who does that?! The entire restaurant closes during the cold weather months and reopens in the Spring. Diners have a choice between indoor or outdoor seating. Outdoor seating is a lot more fun. The owner of this place is very socially responsible and gives back to the community in a big way. This place supports local artists.

This is one of those restaurants that's not just a gastronomic experience, but a visual feast as well. Come for the food, but stay...

AN OVERPRICED, GRUMPY-STAFFED, ADULT SLURPEE VENDOR MASQUERADES AS CUBAN RESTAURANT. i’ve gone to Habana Outpost a handful of times — when it isn’t closed for months on end. After my meal last week I won’t be going back. Not that i’ll be missed! i realize i have a minority opinion here — that many people rate HO pretty high; i’m sure it’s mostly because of their buzz from the adult slurpees. But for me, this last time really just capped off a long list minor irks about this place. I’ve posted pics of the food they charged me $13-16 for — a pretty typical meal there, I’d say: pretty bland, pretty unappealingly slopped on the plate, and very overpriced. Beyond the food, which my kids could make better, the service is borderline offensive. Not sure why the staff is so unhappy. Like, really! Why? Is it a top-down thing? Is the owner just super horrible and makes everyone’s lives there miserable? Because they all lose their jobs on the regular when he closes the restaurant for 6 months a year? Is it that people complain all the time that HO ONLY TAKES CASH…. oh but you can pay them $3 (plus your bank charges) to use their ATM…… anyway. There are so many choices in Fort Greene; for me there is no reason to ever go back to Habana...

This place is amazing. It has beautiful and colorful ambiance, both inside with its murals and outside, in the extensive patio eating area. The food is fantastic. I had a roast pork taco which was divine, and the roast corn, which comes with a coating of cheese, was absolutely fantastic. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Habana Outpost is also CASH ONLY, so come prepared, though there is a for-a-fee ATM across the street, under the giant mural of the Notorious B.I.G. rendered as a South American revolutionary. The way it works is that you wait in what might be a fairly long and slow moving line, order your food, then wait for your number to appear on one of a few light up displays, then you go and pick it up. There's also a separate drinks line at the bar.

There's also music and there was a DJ when I was there, at dinnertime on a Sunday. The music wasn't so loud it would interfere with conversation. Margaritas seem to be a big thing here, too, and there's a station outside selling nothing but them, allowing you to avoid the lines inside if that's all you want.

The patio area is really big, with lots of seating and reasonable amounts of shade. Outstanding place...