Cabana

This place has been here forever & because of that u tend to forget it's here, it's been a minute since my last visit so figured it was time for an update.
We came early Sunday afternoon no problem being seated, once seated we started with some drinks.
I had the Pomegranate mojito hubby had the Watermelon mojito both very good decent amount of alcohol by the time we left had a nice buzz.
We got an order of the Yuca fries to start, good yuca nice taste & not greasy which I really liked good w the garlic sauce.
Main dish I had the Pollo al Ajillo, garlic chicken w rice & beans great tasting chicken went well w the rice & beans.
Hubby had the Arroz con Pollo, very good nice & flavorful we added chorizo.
For dessert Cafe con leche & a Tres leche cake which also comes w strawberry ice cream, very good ice cream , great tasting tres leche good together very sweet the tres leches the ice cream not as sweet.
Location wise small, nice bright colors for the decor, smaller menu than I recall which is a good thing, good service & some decent music playing.
Prices have certainly changed a bit on the high side , regular for now a days & they do give u decent portions so it's doable.
I decided to up the stars since so far the last few visits have been very good, a staple in the area this place is worth the try.

I am actually mad at myself for not dining at Cabana sooner! The service, food and drinks are outstanding. There are many flavors to choose for a mojito, but I stuck with the original and it was perfect. For appetizers, my friend and I shared the Bacalaitos, which are fried salt cod cakes with a creamy guacamole sauce layered between the cakes. We were hoping they wouldn't be greasy or overly salty, but this amazing dish was neither. The ceviche mixto was literally the best I've had in a restaurant in the area, and I have even ordered on a delivery app once since because the octopus, shrimp, scallops, and calamari with red onions is sublime. The texture of the seafood is exactly what one would want and is excellent quality.

For dinner, although we were actually full already, we shared a special of the evening which was steak with shrimp, plantains and rice and beans. The steak was so tender and perfectly cooked. The shrimp had the perfect bite and the seasoning perfect. My friend always likes to have a vegetable on the side, so we opted for the Cabana salad which was unique with mixed greens, tomatoes, heart of palms, queso blanco, onions, and a black bean vinaigrette. We left extremely happy and will be back soon.

Great food, questionable service. The server told us the special of the evening is just the "calamari fries" then went around other tables introducing a whole list of specials including steak, salmon, etc. When confronted he just apologized and said he would take care of us next time (??). Which is a shame because the food is actually great! Bocadillo for two is a great appetizer platter, with the veggie fritters and empanadas being the highlight. Ropa Vieja is also very good.

Hopefully they work on providing a consistent service to all patrons instead of being questionably selective.

Ive eaten at Cabana's numerous times and before the Manhattan location closed that was where I chose to dine. On 2 other occasions, I have ordered takeout from this location but never sat in until this experience.

The restaurant inside gives a sort of family feel. I came in on a Sunday night and there were not many parties inside; just about 5. We got seated immediately and were greeted by our server. We ordered drinks and food. The restaurant was playing music and was pretty loud from people speaking.

My partner and I both got Churassco with rice and black beans and they were good as usual. Our drinks were also very delicious.

This place always feels like home to me and I will return.

Stopped in for dinner on a Thursday night and it was busy and lively. We ordered a paella dish to share and the skirt steak along with a couple of appetizers. Everything was very good and our server was friendly and helpful. A variety of satisfying flavors in every dish we ordered.

Food (5/5): We got one of each empanada: shrimp, chicken, and beef picadillo which came with a side of fries. The empanadas were wonderful and delicious! Additionally we order the Beef Picadillo with rice and beans plus the Coco Cabana Pollo. The Beef Picadillo with rice came out fast and was flavorful and filling. By the time we got to the Coco Cabana Pollo we were already quite full so we had to pack it plus the fries, rice and beans.

Service (5/5): Absolutely wonderful service. The waitress checked up on us frequently, she refilled our water a few times, and was very patient and helpful when we got confused and had to adjust the sides on our order. The food also came out quite fast.

Ambiance (4/5): Solid restaurant layout with a long structure. When you enter you will see a nice bar seating area and then there are a bunch of tables across a long hallway-looking setup. There are seats towards the entrance behind the host table and seats further in the restaurant. The place had two bathrooms that were spacious and overall decently maintained.

My husband and I dined here for my birthday this past weekend. The place was so lovely with the music. I felt like dancing. The decor was simple and nice. I loved how they had paintings and colorful masks on the walls and musical instruments on the ceiling.

We ordered ceviche mixto and camarones de coco for appetizers. The camarones de coco included 4 coconut dipped shrimp with sauce and a spoon of maduro mash. The sauces for the camarones (shrimp) were yummy. The coconut dipped shrimp were okay; I didn't get much flavor aside from the shrimp. The ceviche was good. The ceviche was served with Malanga chips which were made from taro. Those were delicious. Wish we had more.

For our entrees, my husband ordered Pollo con camarones which is jumbo shrimp and a breast of chicken sauteed in a roasted garlic rioja wine demi glaze and served with saffron rice and tostones. I ordered the paella marinera which is seafood paella with lobster tail added. I enjoyed the paella. I didn't care too much for the lobster tail as it was overcooked. I tried my husband's dish as well and it was alright. I wish it was seasoned a bit more. The tostones were good.

For dessert, we ordered a slice of tres leches cake. The restaurant staff sang happy birthday to me and presented the dessert. It was sweet. I felt like a kid again.

By the way, the bathroom was clean and nice. This is important to mention because not all bathrooms are the same. Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience. I wouldn't mind dining here again to try other dishes.

The ambiance is a bit 1990s, and the service is very male-centric. Food was good and fresh. We had the fish cakes with avocado for appetizer. I had the churrasco and it was delicious and cooked mid-rare as requested. The chimichurri sauce lacked flavor.

The cocktails were really great. My cojito - coconut mojito - had balanced flavor.

$120+ for 2 drinks, 1 appetizer, and 2 entrees.

The best Cuban food in Manhattan...hands down. Starting from the creamy pina colada that is dream worthy to the juicy Churrasco with perfectly made chimichurri.

It's exceptionally challenging to find good Hispanic food outside of Miami. Although I don't live in Queens, I will happily trek all the way there.

I'll see you soon Cabana!!

We walked in on a Friday night surprise it wasn't really busy. We got seated right away. Waitress was very nice. Provided the house specials. I wasn't really crazy about the sangria. It taste water down and I felt the food wasn't as great but the place is good.