I came with some friends for happy hour! We had their guava & jalapeño margaritas - they were great. We also enjoyed some of their tapas - empanadas, wings, coconut shrimp, yuka fries. My friend got their vaca frita. Food & service were great - definitely would come back for their happy hour. They renovated the place & it's pretty cute! Definitely a great spot to catch up with family & friends over some cuban food & drinks. read more

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I came here on a Mother's Day. It was a 30 minute wait to be seated. I would have liked to be informed the wait was going to be longer as we ended up waiting an hour. The drinks and the croquetas were top notch. The main entrees were okay I feel the quality was not there. The staff were friendly. I would return but maybe not on a special occasion. read more

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This is our go-to weekly happy hour spot for a cute mother-daughter date! The happy hour is only available at the bar, FYI. The service is always friendly and attentive. we've never had a bad experience. Sometimes things can be a little slow, but sitting at the bar definitely speeds up the process. Today we ordered the tapas sampler, and it was delicious. a perfect sharing plate with a little bit of everything. My favorite part was definitely the yucca fries (I'm a fry fiend!). For my main, I had the bistec palomilla with yellow rice and maduros. The portion was perfect, everything was flavorful, and of course, it came topped with fries! I also asked for their dipping sauce on the side for a little extra flavor -- highly recommend it. read more

Casual Habana Cafe - Tapa sampler - Cuban Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

For Hubby's birthday, he requested some Cuban food. I had a GrubHub coupon, and I had Casual Habana bookmarked, so that's how we decided on this one. We had: -Masitos de Cerdo (fried pork chunks) with dirty rice and sweet plantains - both the pork and the rice were dry. The sweet plantains were not bad, and I normally don't even like these -Chicharron - I preferred this over the pork chunks. Probably because they were fattier. It also came with a nice pickled beet salad -Cuban sandwich - pork was dry. Seems to be a common theme here. The plantain chips were a nice touch though. I also wish it came with some kind of spicy sauce because that would have helped the dryness -Caldo Gallego (white bean, chorizo, morcilla, and kale soup) - this was more like a stew than a soup. The flavors were good Maybe we just didn't order the right items but I don't think I'd order again. read more

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Chicken empanadas are good Shrimp in creamy sauce is absolutely disgusting. I don't think they put any seasoning And it doesn't even come with rice Disrespectful read more

If you're craving authentic Spanish cuisine, this cute little spot is a must-visit. The ambiance is cozy and the drink menu is full of fun tasty cocktails. The Paella was my favorite, so much flavor, perfectly cooked rice and packed with seafood. The Chips and Guac are simple but perfectly executed. And don't skip the Plantains--sweet and addictive! If you're in the area, I highly recommend checking out both this location and their New Milford spot. read more

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Ordered a Tilapia sandwich. Very little Tilapia in the sandwich. Very disappointing. The sandwich bread is big, but I open the sandwich and the Tilapia covers only about 50% of the bread, AND the Tilapia was very thin, could not even taste the Tilapia. Wow, this place use to be good, what happen! I work in Hackensack, and will NEVER ORDER AGAIN! read more

The food, service & vibe are excellent here. Finally got to eat outside here after a too-hot summer. It was everything i needed and ceviche. Will always come back here bc always a good time. read more

really great food. just wish they had pictures on the menu so i could see what the dishes look like. the dish i got was good just wasn't what i was expecting. my friends dish looked better than mine and made me wish i ordered hers. also not sure why they put the sides (rice and sweet plantains) on a different dish, would of been better if everything was on one plate. read more

Casual Habana Cafe - Cuban Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

Food: delish Cuban fare! Decent vaca frita and robo encendido Service: friendly, not too attentive Ambiance: crowded tight seating arrangements Street parking only read more

Food was great and had so much flavor. I love Cuban food and this did not disappoint. Reasoning behind 3 star was due to the service at the front door. read more

Service was excellent. From the moment I walked in with my cousin we were acknowledged and seated. The waiter was patient and attentive but not overbearing. He gave us suggestions and was such a delight ! Food was simply delicious and amazing. The food here is cooked with love! Food was well seasoned and although the portions at first looked a bit small it was definitely filling. Ambiance is for anyone who is looking to go out on a date or to just hang out, the space is a bit small but it gives you enough distance from others read more

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The food is always fresh and delicious here. Some of the best ceviche you will get too. The arroz moro and maduros are my favorite sides. The baby pernil is another great dish. The service and staff and friendly and the ambiance is welcoming. Drinks are great too. read more

Very well decorated cafe. Good vibes. For the most part I think it's worth visiting. I enjoyed the tapas. Out of the three I ordered I recommend the bacon wrapped dates. That was something unique I never had it was salty and sweet. As for entrees, it took such a long time for all the entrees to come out. Therefore the mains were all warm but not hot. Not truly enjoyable when your food is more cold than expected. I personally had the Mahi Mahi and while this fish isn't my go to, they've cooked it well. This one is worth ordering; It had a nice flavor with mango purée bits. Out of all the sides the black rice and beans are the best to pair it with. The other I would recommend is the churassco. My friend had the salmon but found fish bones in it and the pernil we ordered was dry but the flavor was on point. Overall it was a mix on the food. However, the service was top notched. Very friendly and attentive. read more

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The food was so so delicious. We ordered the shredded pork and the baby back ribs. The ribs were seasoned to perfection and so well cooked. I highly recommend. The shredded pork is a bit salty for my taste. The environment is casual, and has a bar. Waiters are nice. I'd definitely go back just for the ribs though. read more

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From the time we walked in the door everyone was exceptionally friendly and ...The food was phenomenal. This was a gift for my entire family to go here and then to a show, it could not have been a better night. read more

It was ok... I met someone that raved about the food... Service is prompt,ambiance was peaceful... Probably will not come back... read more

Let me start off by saying that the food is usually excellent - and the service isn't bad. Today, the chicken was dry and overcooked. Tasted like leftovers. The Cuban sandwich had tons of fat from the pork- they couldn't even bother to cut it properly. It was super fatty and gross half of it was inedible ... as for the service- They gave us a wait time of a half hour, and when I showed up at the time I was supposed to, they said the kitchen didn't get the order and it would be another 15 mins. I came back and the hostess walked by me and ignored me. After another ten minutes waiting for her to come back, I had to flag her down and ask her how much longer. With an attitude I can't even explain, she said she was going to pack to up now. It's like she didn't even want to be there... and then to have half out order be crappy, it kinda made me think I wouldn't go back. read more

Every item we ordered was superb. The staff were equally amazing and friendly. I can't eat very spicy food, so our server made recommendations that were perfect. read more

Once again, Casual Habana came through with flying colors. We stopped in for lunch and enjoyed a wonderful meal. I had the mamey shake, with milk, and it was so good, refreshing, and came in a mason jar. Our appetizer was the ham croquettes. They had a slight crunchy coating and the garlic dipping sauce complemented them perfectly. Our entrees were both delicious. The palomilla steak came with onions, topped off with thin fries, and a side of white rice & black beans. The grilled chicken breast was smothered with onions, thoroughly moist, flavorful, and the accompanying moro rice and sweet plantains makes it my favorite meal of all cuisines. Our server, Aless, was professional, cordial, kept us very comfortable throughout the entire meal, and is an asset to the restaurant. You will definitely enjoy your meal at Casual Habana and I look forward to a million more meals, here. :-p read more

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First off I love the remodel of this spot- much brighter than before. I've been here several times and always enjoyed the food. It was my first time coming for dinner and we were seated right away. Our waiter was super patient and nice. For appetizers we tried the toston montado which is the skirt steak, onion jam with chimichurri sauce over a crispy plantain along with the yucca frita. The toston montado is a must try- so savory and yummy! For the entree I had the ropa vieja with beans and yellow rice- it was delish. Food is always spot on! read more

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Had to give a quick review as soon as I got back to work! Its my Birthday, our server Juan was very nice, got us our order and also suggested we try all of the empanadas which were absolutely delicious. I'm Cuban so i know my stuff, and if you want some REALLY good food, please take it from a Miami born Cubanita raised in Jersey this spot is it! Please also try their delicious mixed guava drink que rrrrrrico oh and flan. Get your butts there as I am only vetting this location and thank you Juan ;) wink! read more

Loved the place. What a beautiful place. It can get busy for dinner - but easy to get table. The food was great. The bartenders were on point. The service is impeccable . All staff were great. read more

Came here to grab a bite to eat with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time. I also hadn't come to eat here for years so I was excited to come and eat here again since the food is pretty good. The waiter was attentive and discussed the specials with us. We ordered the guacamole to start which was delicious and came with a lot of chips. We then ordered the shrimp in garlic sauce and ropa vieja. Everything tasted delicious and the portions were a good size. We ended our meal with the flan which was absolutely delicious! Overall, food was as delicious as I remembered it! What I also liked is that we did not feel rushed to leave since we stayed after to talk and the restaurant was packed! Overall, a good experience. read more

Dear Casual Havana Management Team, I'm writing to share feedback from my recent experience at your restaurant: My party arrived Saturday at 6:00 PM and was told the wait time would be 90 minutes. We decided to leave--but just 15 minutes later, we received a call informing us our table was ready. While leaving, we overheard another group being quoted a two-hour wait. We then walked to a nearby restaurant and saw several of your potential guests head there; that restaurant was packed, while your dining room remained mostly empty by 8 PM. If the quoted wait times had been more accurate, we--and likely other guests--would've stayed. read more

Churrasco with chimmichuri was great. Rice and beans were a good side. Love the guac app and sangria. Good service

There are so many great things here but my favorite believe it or not is the tamal with the garlic mojo appetizer - I usually eat two of them!!! Not one even make it long enough for a picture! Also love the picadilo. But it's all very very good. And the price is right. Very right. read more

Casual Habana Cafe - Nice outdoor seating. - Cuban Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

Sadly, the New Milford location was closed on Monday so I tried to grab some rice and beans and quesadilla for my kids. Waited about 3 mins for her to take my order and then another 8 mins for her to give me a total, in which she asked "do you really need it?" Yes. I do, that's why I asked. Then she said 20 mins--I get to the restaurant and it's empty. Why did it take 30 mins for rice beans and a quesadilla? I'll never know. Avoid this location. Go to New Milford instead. read more

This is probably the best Cuban restaurant in the area. This is a small place, very modern, with up to date renovations. It's perfect for a date, family dinner or to catch up with friends. The lighting is dim and the vibes are right. They serve alcohol here which is a plus as well. I love their mojitos! They are strong too, love that! Usually when I come to this restaurant I get the oxtail empanadas, with the garlic shrimp and grilled chicken. Sometimes I get the churrasco if I'm starving (comes with a huge portion). Everything here is fresh and so tasteful! It really makes you feel like you're back in Cuba! The ropa vieja is so soft and tender, it literally melts in your mouth. Match that with some rice and Maduros, FORGET ABOUT IT! The grilled chicken is so healthy and juicy it's out of the world. (If your dieting this is a great choice w some avocado). There garlic shrimp comes with this creamy garlic sauce that is so good with bread (4/5 pieces of shrimp). I just love everything here to be honest. Last but certainly not least... the oxtail empanadas... FAVORITE THING ON THE MENU! Usually comes with 3 an order, or you can order them individually. When I say I would die for these, OMFG. The best empanada I literally have EVER had. The meat is tender, so delicious. The dough is fried so it's just soft enough. Lastly, they add this side sauce for the empanadas.. I have no clue what it is but it is so so so good. I give this place 5 stars for the oxtail empanadas PERIOD. Everything else is just a plus. read more

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I typically never order fish when I'm out to eat however this pineapple crusted fish was out of this world. The restaurant is so clean and cute and dainty. Our waitress was exceptional and kind. 10/10 would recommend. read more

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Hello, My fellow foodies, I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! So I wanted to share with you my experiences at Casual. I have had many meals here over the years and have not been disappointed. That being said, I remember when the Hackensack location opened in 2007 and I had the pleasure of meeting, the owner and chef Benito Rivera. During our initial conversation, it became clear that Benito had a passion for his guests and a culinary vision for the restuarant. One of the more memorable moments for me, was when Benito hosted a cigar event at his party room in Hackensack for Rubens Cigars. Over the years the menu has evolved and the food has been consistently good. So today, I took my 92 year old mother for lunch and ordered the Pulpo (octopus), Chicken soup and Steak sandwich. The soup and octopus did not disappoint, however the steak sandwich left a lot to be desired, and it was a total disappointment for both of us. The steak was overcooked and dry, the sodium content was so overwhelming, that it masked any other flavor that the sandwich offered and even though I ate half, I did not completely enjoy it. Let me be clear, that this review is not a hit piece on this wonderful restaurant, but an honest attempt to bring attention to this specific menu item that was not satisfactory. Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience with you! Enjoy the New Year Foodies, Peter read more

There empanadas are really good but the staff here always messes up my order every single time. I order a grill chicken with onions and they give me a different order every time. This last time they gave me raw rotisserie chicken that I now have to airfry in order to actually eat the meal. Their service has gone down sooo bad over time, they always mess up my order or pricing for things. Price keeps going up and food quality going down. read more

Casual Habana Cafe - Pollo a la Plancha - Cuban Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

There isn't anything on the menu I wouldn't try. From their sandwiches to their arroz and ropa vieja! Everything taste fresh regardless of the time or how busy they get. Great customer service and authentic ambiance. 10/10 recommend! read more

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I came here when I was craving beef on a random Monday at 4PM and had no regrets. The inside was cozy and bright, but the music was kind of loud for a before dinner vibe. Service was medium to fast, but there was only 2 other tables besides us at the time. We came so hungry I forgot to take pictures before eating, hence why the food is half gone in photos, but I got the churrasco and my fiancé got the pernil. Both were excellent and we had trouble finishing our dishes and the portions were not bad for the price. I also loved their sides and love getting their beans with rice which I didn't get a picture of. Dinner is great but I want to add that I have been here for happy hour and it is kind of expensive for the portions you get (very tiny mini appetizer plates). You also need to be seated at the bar to get happy hour deals, which I was sad about since I thought I could get happy hour drinks even though we ordered dinner. Overall a nice little place with consistently good food and fair portions, but I have no clue how service could get when they are packed. I also wouldn't come back here for happy hour. read more

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Excellent tapas menu, only caveat is the empanadas only being 1 choice and not a mix for the 3 empanadas served, but overall a great experience. read more

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I was looking forward to trying this place but my experience wasn't the greatest. The first strike was when I was trying to call to make reservations. I was put on hold several times for long periods of time. I had to call about 3 times before I could make the reservations. When I finally got to someone the lady told me they only make reservations for the outside igloo but if I call the day of, 15 minutes before I could try to get an indoor table which sounded good to me. So the day of I called the restaurant about 20 minutes before and the lady told me there were no open tables but when I get there they can try and seat me inside. When I arrived the whole story changed. They had an open table and they let the man that came after me have it. I was informed that the manager said they cannot sit me inside which really annoyed me. They shouldn't have given me misinformation. I asked to speak to the manger, Alex, and he explained and I told him if this was relayed to me I wouldn't have an issue but it wasn't therefore I was annoyed. I came all the way there so we just went with the igloo outside. The igloo did have heat but it was in the parkibg lot and serveral work trucks came back there and was a distraction. Another man named Alex was our waiter and he was good and attentive. For drinks I got the sangria and wine and my friend got the mojito which she liked. The sangria was not the greatest. For an appetizer she got the shrimp in garlic cream sauce which she said was good. For an entree I got the Camarones Enchilados and she got the salmon. My shrimp was tasty and so was the yucca but the dirty rice was hard and crunchy. My friend said she liked the salmon and yellow rice. The bill came to about $90. So all in all my experience was not the greatest and I probably won't return. read more

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Took a friend for her first visit and we were both very happy with everything. She has a bunch of issues and has to do vegan so I suggested the Fried Rice and she thought it sounded great. She got that huge portion and thought she was gonna take half of it home but she wound up eating almost all of it. I ordered the Churrasco and it was cooked a perfect medium rare, I had the moro and fried plantains on the side and it was all perfect. We sat in one of the igloos in was great. A little heater provided enough warmth to be comfortable the entire time. read more

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Love coming here for happy hour. They have great drinks specials and tapas! I always get the spicy margaritas. Empanadas are delicious, I usually get beef and spinach & cheese. The coconut shrimp is also yummy. I usually sit at the bar and it usually gets packed by 6 so make sure you get here to grab seats! I heard their food is good too but I haven't tried their entrees yet. Bartenders and staff are all nice. It's a small restaurant but you can't miss it. It's across CVS and there's plenty of street parking. read more

Casual Habana Cafe - Tapas: Guacamole Cubano, Guayaba y Queso Empanada, Rabo Empanada, Camarones al Coco - Cuban Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

Can not believe I am just discovering the food at this amazing hidden gem in Hackensack. The food is really amazing, freshly prepared, not to mention the taste, and decor will have you feeling like you are in Havana. The portions are generous, the prices are great. Parking is very easy, with ample street parking. Due to COVID they are doing out door dining on the patio between 12-9/ 7 days a week, not sure about holidays. You can place your order online via door dash. I really like their Arroz Frito Con Aguacate, Empanadas with Manchego y Espinaca, Yuca Frita, Plantanos Maduros, and Ensalada Casera. They also have great traditional Latin drinks. Definitely will be making many visits to this restaurant. Thank you for awesome service!!! read more

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All 5 stars well deserved! When you want to escape reality and visit Cuba, this is it From the ambiance to the food, everything was satisfying and delicious. I ordered a quick/light lunch on a short time I had. (Was attending Jury Duty) The waiter recommended me the chefs special Churrasco Steak on tostones with a chimichurri sauce, and I decided to pair it with their house salad. A must try! I had a virgin guava mojito on the side in a togo cup, since I was leaving in a short time. Service was great all around, everyone was nice. They were able to accommodate me for the quick turnaround timeframe I had for lunch. Will be returning more often!! read more

Casual Habana Cafe - Guava mojito - Cuban Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

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