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I smell just awful. Over twenty-four hours have elapsed* since my visit to Habana Libre and still... FUNK NA$TEE. Like I switched out my Dove deodorant for a big stick of pureed, reconstituted garlic, washed my hair in the fryer and gargled with red wine (for about 4 hours). Plus I have gas. Just gonna put that out there, gents.
But astute readers will notice that I have indeed awarded Habana Libre 4 stars so I have decided that the unholy stink may just have to be my new Eau de Toilette. Suitors be damned!
One of the greatest things about Habana Libre? It's toasty in there!! Like so warm that it makes me think I'm actually in Cuba, sipping an exotic cocktail and being fanned with a palm leaf. Juan Carlos (Que guapo! Que macho!) has just said something insolent and now I've upset my mojito ... right in his face. Ai papi!
But as En Vogue would say, back to life, back to reality!
We quickly honed in on the Habana appetizer sampler for two. I hope you like fried food! And garlic sauce! I know I certainly do. The crispy, buttery plantains paired exceptionally well with my Cote-du-Rhone Syrah. Yes, I selected the wine myself at Binny's. I may or may not have had to ask my bar manager to write it down for me earlier in the day at work...
For my main I selected "camarones en ajillo" which translates to big, ole fatty shrimps swimmin' in their own garlic butter bath. Phwoar!!! This is the part where Juan Carlos starts to recoil surreptitiously as I'm trying to talk to him. Ovidalo! Mas vino!
The next time I come here my goal will be to order something a little lighter that won't have me breathing hate at my companion. Does that exist in Cuban cuisine? Or am I asking for a vegetarian German meal?
Flan would also have been nice. Damn these anti-dessert sorts.
*I began this entry about 10 days ago and then promptly put my thumb right up my butt. Figuratively. Bitch don't play that.
Decided to go get some food here before the Bulls game.
Got the ham croquetes, which were like many other croquetes I have had, savory and dense. Almost like a desert, yet not.. I'd probably try the fish or guava ones if I were to order them again.
Pollo asado was my entree'. This was pretty much as good as you can get for take out roasted chicken. Falling off the bone tender, very well seasoned.. I could have eaten 5 more of them no problem.. Comes with rice, black beans, and a few fried plantains.
While I was sitting there waiting for my food to be done, I got to witness the most ridiculous birthday celebration I have ever seen. Straight up turned the sub far right and blasted cuban music that was shaking the whole restaurant. Then they all busted out maracas and started dancing around it was hilarious. Reminded me of some bad karaoke nights I have seen when I was wasted. I think there was a DJ hiding in the kitchen mc-ing the birthday song.
I will definitely be back to Habana Libre. It's just really authentic cuban food that hits the spot.
Look at this as a teaser review... more to follow.
I was waiting for a table to brunch it up on a on Sunday at Flo and was needing a coffee fix. So I wandered here as they were opening and got a Cuban coffee to go. Very friendly, very quick, and amazingly good coffee. That's it. I see BYOB, so I'll be back for a legit meal in the near future...
Habana Libre has been pretty disappointing. It appears I may be alone with that opinion! I've eaten there 3 or 4 times now, and each time said I wouldn't bother going back, but wanted it to get better. The pork dishes I've tried have been dry, and WAY too garlicky. I have not been impressed with anything I've had there. I do want to try their sandwiches, though. I like Cuban food a whole lot. Just not from here I guess. What may be the last straw was calling to place a carryout dinner order, and they don't answer the phone. Tried 3 times. Voice mail. If they expect me to go there, order and wait...that's not gonna happen. I'll probably get sucked into trying them again since they're so close to home and all, but not anytime soon.
A Cuban BYOB! I didnt know places like this excisted! Down in California there isnt many Cuban restaurants around, muchless that were BYOB.
The food was great! a scent of garlic on most things, and I love garlic.
I had a steak sandwich and me and my friend shared a side of black beans and rice.
nice place, I recommend it
Fantastic little cuban place in the East Village/Noble Square area.
Started off with two empanadas and boiled yuca. Chicken empanada was seasoned to perfect, both were delicious crispy. The guava filling seemed like a jelly and arguably was a touch over sweet, but a delicious change of pace from savory empanadas.
Ropa Vieja. Best I've had in Chicago as far as the meat goes. Perfect. The black beans and plantains are both solid, and the only disappointment is the rice, and the lack of cilantro all over the place.
The fajitas "with a cuban twist" are fantastic. For one, you get a large serving, rice, black beans, and fantastic plantains. The meat is seasoned spectacularly (this seemed to be a theme).
Average to generous portions, extremely well-seasoned food, great service, BYOB.
Dude.
I don't think there are words to describe the state I was in last night.
It was intense and beautiful. And perfect.
Birthdays are strange. I mean, it's a bunch of people celebrating you being born. When really, you did nothing to deserve such celebration. Your mother did all the work. You just cried a lot and took a few lousy first breaths. I've just never really understood it. I like attention just fine, but only when I rightly deserve it.
So in my mind, birthdays should be about having a good time, without a great deal of fuss being made over the celebration or myself. Which is why I'm incredibly glad to have spent my latest birthday at Habana Libre.
My group of 6 on a Monday night waited maybe 5 minutes maximum for our table. The service was...slow at best but the food more than made up for it.
You know when you're so incredibly full to the point of bursting and you think you might die if you eat anymore but the food is so insanely delicious that you Just. Can't. Stop. Eating?
Yeah. That was me last night. It was that good.
Jibarito was excellent (Cubans are geniuses...plantain sandwich=orgasm). Chicken, steak and pork were also excellent. My friend had a pork something or other though that LITERALLY melted in my mouth. I wasn't aware that was possible. I don't even like pork that much (aside from bacon of course). But that...whatever it was...was divine.
Best birthday in a long time. Granted that had a lot to do with the cheap wine and fantastic company. But the food definitely factored in hugely.
I would go here again. In a heartbeat. Although probably not on a date. Unless he's turned on by my inner pig shoving food nonstop into my face.
*Le sigh* Yet another GNO review I had somehow forgot to compose.
Once again the lovely Angie picked out a great location. Had never really been in this 'hood, but was easy to get to via public trans.
BYOB - Rothschild Liquors just down the road.
Menu served family style:
Appetizers:
*Croquetas and Empanadas
Entree:
*Pechunga de Pollo Encebollada: Chicken breast prepared on the grill served with onions. Juicy chicken simmered just right.
*Veggie Fajitas: Traditional fajitas with mixed vegetables
*Ropa Vieja: Shredded beef with homemade tomato sauce - This easily being the highlight. The sauce was delicious. The beef was so tender.
*Arroz con Glandules: Puerto Rican rice with pork
Dessert: Coconut and Vanilla flan.
Great menu. Lovely restaurant.
Soooo... uhm... tonight, Habana Libre had not one, but three very large parties - 10+ people in each. Happy birthday, I guess? But screw you guys. You all ruined my dinner at Habana Libre.
Boy and I ordered ceviche as an appetizer. It took over twenty minutes for the server to bring us our appetizer. Entrees: Pollo asado for me, the red snapper for him. It was an hour from the time we ordered until we got our entrees. Mine was delicious. His was a different story. The fish was so overcooked that it was actually hard to cut. That's REALLY overcooked.
Moreover, it was really difficult to get to our table and to exit with the giant birthday party tables... would have had no problem with the birthday party(/ies), had there not been three of them at once, two of them seated at adjacent tables... servers were precariously squeezing past our table all night, in danger of spilling soup or ceviche or whatever they were carrying on our table.
Ceviche and the chicken were awesome, totally yummy. Everything else was super sucky. I will come back and update my rating accordingly, and hopefully there won't be three birthday parties happening the next time.
We went here a couple weeks ago and had a good experience. Not great, not bad... just good. Maybe a little better than good. A 3.5 instead of 3?
It's BYOB, but we didn't have any, so that's our own fault for missing out.
They take reservations for six or more, otherwise you'll have to try your luck.
The boiled yuca appetizer was decent with a bit too much garlic for my liking. I absolutely LOVE garlic, so that's saying something! My pollo asado was pretty good and I enjoyed the fried plantains and rice and beans.
For a weekend evening while they were pretty busy, we got the kind of service I'd expect. Not too attentive, but not horrible either. We had time to spare and still got antsy waiting for the food to show up and to get our check.
I'm not sure if all the people raving about this place just haven't had Cuban food before and that's why they were impressed, or if they had a different experience than I did. I wanted to love it, but just didn't. I'll go back again, it's just not at the top of my list to visit right away.
This place is great for a really good meal on a budget... BYOB and i don't think there is a cork charge - they give you an opener.
You do need some time to eat here though. It must be good to others as well since the wait was about 20 to 30 minutes. The room is hot; decor plain. The service is slower than other places, but it was crowded.
On an upside, they did not rush us to get out of there (there was no line by the time we were done).
FOOD IS REALLY GOOD!!!!
Empanadas and ropa vieja were very good. I had to eat seafood so i got the Shrimp Fajitas - they were excellent. All entres served with rice and beans - with plantains -- very good.
Parking was easy on a Friday night - bonus for Chicago!
I had a craving for Cuban food and I had a choice between Cuban and Indian... guess who won!
Came here on a Sunday night around 8:45pm and this place was hopping. There were only a few tables available, I was glad we snagged one.
Immediately upon entering we were greeted with a smile and shown a table, also brought immediately to the table... a corkscrew. Great timing and thank you for being BYOB.
The menu was huge with a lot of choices and I'm sad I missed the Jibaritos on it that Ralph mentions in his review cause that would have been my choice for the night but no, I must have been too overwhelmed that I went for the traditional Ropa Vieja, a mix of shredded steak in a delicious tomato sauce with green peppers and onions. It was so delicious and great if you're not afraid of salt, I love my food pretty salty which will one day contribute to my heart attack but until then I will enjoy my artery clogging practices. Also, the plate came with a side of white rice, fried plantains, AND a small cup of black beans.... we were considering ordering an appetizer but when we saw how much food we were gonna get, we knew we'd be too full just from the entree. And we were... so full! My compañero ordered the lechon and it was delicious, you can't really go wrong with lechon.
I will be back for your Jibaritos one day!
I hate to be a downer, but I don't get the hype. The food was great (the oxtail and snapper were delish), but the service was relaxed to the point of being crazy. I didn't mind that we didn't have one waiter throughout the night. I didn't even mind that we were left for about 45 minutes with an empty appetizer plate before we got our meals. But after we had been there for two hours, and we were all getting a little antsy for the check, the charm kind of wore off.
Then, we got the bill, and there were all these random amounts of money (in addition to our meal) added to the total. We wanted to ask what those charges were for, but alas, our waiter (of the moment) was gone. We decided not to bother and just paid it.
Too bad, because the food was good, and I would definitely want to come again if the service improved. It's tough to find good BYOB places!
I loved this place immediately as they actually spoke spanish to me after I spoke Spanish back. I've been trying to keep practicing my Spanish in the USA but I never get Spanish back (I spent a couple months in South America this summer). Usually I get annoyed looks and revert back to my (sort-of) native language.. umm English.
Anyways, the food here is great--definitely come here if you've never tried Cuban food--their menu is simple and easy to understand and delicious. BYOB, of course, and prices are fantastic. We got two entrees (Ropa Viejo (shredded beef) and Lechon (fried/shredded pork--more or less) which came with white rice/plantains/black beens, BYOB corkage fee and a guava dessert (kind of sweet). Total with tip-- $36.
Only complaints would that it took a decent while (for an ethnic restaurant) for food to come out, but this was all balanced out by the fun company, and more importantly, the fact that they didn't add the bill up correctly and gave us a 10% discount.
Just had a fabulously-fantastic lunch. And me, oh, my, cheap. The Cuban sandwich was a great deal for $7-big and tasty! My friends had the roast pork, YUM, which is served tender and off the bone with roasted onions, too. My other friend had the Oxtail-absolutely FAB. Great flavors and generous portions. All entrees were served with their signature rice and beans and a small bit of plantains.
The room is comfortable and spacious enough for larger parties. Service is relaxed, in a Cuban-I'm-in-no-rush-way. But the servers are generally friendly and responsive. And, oh, yes....BYOB. Very good.
Everything was good here. We waited for the arroz con pollo and it was a heavenly dream. Need to share b/c it is way too big to eat by yourself or even 2 people. They got this amazing sandwich that is made out of plantains instead of bread.....wow....Def going back!
I went with a group of about 10 people on a Saturday night. The place was packed and it definitely seemed like a popular spot. We all shared the large appetizer tray, I thought most of the appetizers were mediocre and kind of forgetable. On the suggestion of the server and all the reviews I read, I figured I had to try the sandwich on plantains. I was surprising disappointed in it, the meat was dry and bland and the plantains too crunchy. My bf ordered the oxtail which was exactly what I SHOULD have ordered! The sauce was soooo delicious, awesome with the rice soaked in it. The oxtail was fall of the bones tender and flavorful. I could eat that any day of the week!
I'd like to go back and try some of their other dishes, but I'd DEFINITELY go back just for the oxtail!
Oh I have so much to say about Habana Libre!!
Act One: I came here for a lovely Yelp GNO hosted by Angie M. It was wonderful. She had arranged for a fixed price dinner. We enjoyed empanadas and croquettes for appetizers, a nice green salad, then entrees of Arroz con Glandules, black beans and rice, grilled veggies, ropa vieja to die for, and grilled chicken dish. All of it was YUMMY!! To top it all off we had our choice of coconut and vanilla flan for dessert. Everyone BYOB'd and the total, including tax and tip, was $30 a person. Such a deal! They even wrapped up the leftovers for us to take home. Nice touch, Habana Libre.
Act Two: I was so impressed with Habana Libre that I decided to make this the site of a monthly dinner with my favorite gays (and we let Nick come along too.) I really liked the dinner we had at the GNO, but wanted to try other things on the menu and we did.
We had a lovely little sampler platter with empanadas, croquettes, some type of puffy potato ball with meat in it, plantains, and an additional order of civeche. Yummy-yummers! I could have stopped right there, but we had entrees to order. I decided on the garlic shrimp, and was able to sample the fried pork and the ox tail. The fried pork was charred deliciousness. I had never had ox tail before but, damn, that was good stuff! For dessert, I went with the coconut flan again while someone else ordered the mango sorbet (everyone else was too full!) The mango sorbet was so delicious and it was served in a hollowed out mango shell. Uhm...cute!
If you decide to go, try the ox tail. I was scared at first but I was told to "just put it in your mouth!" Damn, you sound like my prom date! Also, if you get the chance, take along a skinny gay man with 28-inch waist who never eats and watch him devour a half a chicken like he's on Survivor. Fun times. :)
Are you ready for this?
And by this, I mean extreme carb-loading before your fancy-pantsed ass saunters over to Sonotheque for a work-out. I have not found better starchy staples en estilo Cubano so close to a Chicago nightclub.
Yuca frita y yuca con mojo, frijoles, salad, tostones, and platanos maduros make a fine evening fabulous.
Super-friendly service adds a lot to the atmosphere. Visit often.
I never met Latin food I didn't like. Therefore, I was super siked when Habana Libre was the restaurant of choice for my friend's birthday. Super cute place, BYOB, and a delicious looking menu! We ordered a bunch of appetizer, including my favorite, plantain chips. House maid and super fresh, I ended up hogging the whole plate of them.
For my entree I had red snapper in a creole sauce and I asked them to make it extra spicy. it was super delicious! This entree was a difficult choice because it is a very big menu and everything sounds delicious. I hate to admit that I did not get to try anything else because I was completely transfixed on my red snapper and plantain chips. Next time I will be sure to leave room to pick at others' plates.
The only issue with this place was the service; it was a little sparse. Otherwise, it was a perfect birthday dinner.
mmmm. Cuban food.
once a month, a bunch of hotties gets together to have ethnic food. this month we decided on Cuban. so in an effort to prepare, I listened to Celia Cruz for a few days, and debated on becoming a communist, but thought that would be overkill.
i looked up the directions, because I have no reason to ever leave my flat...and found that it was a simple straight shot down ashland. couldn't be easier.
i was the first to arrive, bottle of wine in tow..because it is BYOB. the waitress asked if I was part of the "party of 5", which was great - they knew we were coming, and had set up a table special to accommodate us.
the rest of the crowd rolled in, and brought 3 more bottles.
i decided on the pollo asado, a half roast chicken in "cuban spices", I had no idea what cuban spices were...but hoped it didn't taste like Castro's armpit.
And it didn't. Lots of super yum food, and appetizers. The others ordered a shrimp dish, a pork dish, and ox tail...and a cuban sandwich...which was spiced up with a home made hot sauce. mmmm.
They had a nice selection of desserts, and served the mango sorbet in a mango shell, with two cherries on top. Nice touch. I ate one of the cherries, thanks to a generous co-eater deciding to share.
The atmosphere was very conducive to conversation, and quite intimate. I can imagine this place being really great for a date night. If I dated. Which as a virgin, I am nervous to do.
3 bottles later (we didn't drink them all), we said our good nights, as the restaurant was locking up for the night. FYI, they charge a 18% gratuity for parties of 5 or more, which was super fine.
I will totally go back here again. The wait staff was attentive, the atmosphere was great, and the space really allowed for my dinner companions to bond over slightly naughty conversation.
Check it out. You'll be muy contenido that you did.
Wow. Is all I have to say. Wow because the service was really really really really good. Really! And the food was very tasty. I went with a friend and we ordered the combination appetizer. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. and we also ordered the combination dinner for two and OMG! We were full right away so we took it home but the ropa vieja is amazing and so was the pork and the chicken. And another great feature!! BYOB. We went to the wine store next to HL and we got a bottle of Sangria.I would definitely go back and highly recommend it.
Review Fail!
It's taken me waaaaaay, way too long to write this review. I haven't procrastinated per se, I wanted to write something witty yet informative, maybe throw in a Castro joke/pun and some fun facts about Cuba. FAIL!
In lieu of something funny and interesting I'll get down to business:
[Insert Castro joke here - Fidel or Raul take your pick]
I strolled into Habana Libre for my very first GNO, kudos to Angie M for planning a fabulous dinner. There are 2 things you must know to make your dining experience at HL a success: (1) cash only and (2) BYOB.
To start we were served Croquetas, Empanadas, and a mixed greens salad. I tried the fish croquetas and veggie empanadas, both were tasty; the empanadas were my favorite I could have made a meal out of those alone. The salad was salad, not much else to say except the pieces of lettuce were big and the plates small making it hard to put much on your plate at a time.
Next we had our choice of Cuban rice or Arroz con Glandules. My spanish sucks, but reportedly Glandules is some sort of pork; sounds like a body part to me. Since I don't eat pork I went with the veggie-friendly Cuban rice - very tasty; the other rice also got rave reviews.
The rice was followed by the main dish. There were three dishes to choose from - chicken, beef, and veggie. I went with the veggies and found this part of the meal just good, not great. While the chicken and beef dishes looked amazing, the veggie dish looked like a boring plate of steamed veggies. Fortunately, looks can be deceiving and the seasoning they cooked the veggies with was very tasty.
I'm not sure if the veggie dish is a regular menu item, but being described as fajitas could lead to some disappointment if you order this. These are not the fajitas you think of when you order them at your local americanized Mexican or Tex Mex joint - no sour cream, tortillas, etc. here my friend. Still good, just different.
The meal was capped off with a choice of two types of flan. Flan is not my thing, but from the oohs and ahhhs it was the best flan ever.
[End with joke about how the US embargo doesn't have to prevent you from getting your Cuban on]
Hip, Hip Hooray for Girls Night Out in May!!!
Many thanks to the fabu Angie M who organized an utterly amazing Cubano evening out!! I can speak from experience and say it's no easy task to wrangle all the Yelp girls, assemble a fantastic pre-fixe menu *and* keep it all at $30 a head... it certainly helps to have an on-top-of-it party planner extraordinaire and what even trumps that is to have a delightful restaurant at your beck and call making the evening seamless and of course, tasty, which is exactly what Habana Libre did!!
The casual digs were perfect for our raucous crowd! This joint definitely has the feel of 'summer spot' written all over it... super chill, unfussy, wear your flip flops kind of place. You can expect the (slightly language barrier challenged) service to be just as lax as the décor, but hey, the Libre is BYOB so sip your tallboy Tecate and go with the flow.
Food was nummy in my Cubanita tummy with the highlights definitely being the empanadas - the chicken and veggie ones were TO DIE FOR - and the ropa vieja simmering away in the most extraordinary combo of caramelized onions, spices, roasted red peppers and a tangy, meaty, savory broth had each and every one of us lassies harmonizing in satisfied moans and groans. A bit lackluster were the croquettas and arroz dishes... with the croquettas being bland and the rice being dry it wasn't even remotely challenging for me to steer clear of the carbs at this meal, fortunately. Thank you for saving me from myself, HL!!
The crowning glory and a not-to-be-missed menu item is unquestionably the coconut flan... Seriously.The.Best.Evah.Do.It.
I'm stuffed just thinking about the dinner we had at Habana Libre. And it was a week ago, so what does that tell you?
First of all, BYOB. If you've read any other reviews, you already know it's BYOB. But I am personally suffering through difficult economic times, so BYOB is a plus.
Second, or maybe this should be first, you're going to walk right past it. Well, maybe not, because there is a big red and gold (or is it maroon?) awning. But when you see it, you'll think, "Is this hole in the wall where I'm going?" Yes. Trust me, once you're inside, you'll feel better. Especially if you brought your own B. Hint: It's next to Flo.
Third, the service. It's a little confusing. Yes, there may seem to be more than one person waiting on your table. It all works out in the end. And yes, you may have to tune your ears a little bit to the accents, or ask your server to repeat herself at times. She won't mind. You're not the first gringo she's waited on.
As for the food -- very nice. We started with the appetizer combo, which comes with empanadas, croquettes, papa rellenos -- mashed potatoes filled with ground meat and fried, yum -- tostones and fried yucca. It's served with a couple of sauces, one of which is this garlicky oil that I wanted to pour on everything. And because we're piggy-wiglets, we had to have the ceviche too. A very generous portion, served with chopped tomatoes and onions, because it's Cuban y'know.
For an entree, I was interested in the pollo frito, which is 2 chicken leg portions fried with garlic and lemon. It sounds simple, but it's supposed to be great. It also takes half an hour, so I settled for the fried pork. Crispity crunchity on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Other entrees included shrimp, roasted chicken, a big ol' sammich, and braised oxtail. I only tried the oxtail, but it was terrific -- falling off the bone, with a warm aroma and flavor.
We didn't save room for dessert, but I had some anyway. To wit, mango sorbet, which is one of my faves. What I wasn't expecting was for the sorbet to be served inside the mango shell. Very clever. And if you're piggy wiglets like us (see above), this gives you as opportunity to scoop out some additional frozen magoey goodness. Thank god I got a ride home. Though the area is busy enough that there are cabs a-plenty.
By the way, we managed to stuff ourselves silly (or stuff our silly selves) for less than 30 bucks a person. Tax and tip included. Good news in these difficult economic times.
Wow! What can be said that hasn't been said/written already? I love this place! Not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, you won't care once the food arrives. The best Ropa Vieja that I've had in years. The tostones are done SUPER thin, and SUPER crispy, very different to what I'm used to, but hey I'm all about expanding my horizons. My dinner companion, the very fun Emily N. had the pork special, which was tender, as tender as could be! (Yeah, we shared food! Mind your business!) The appetizer combo? Crispy fried goodness, the Relleno de papa is the best I've found in Chicago so far.
Brought home the Fried Pork for my honey, there were no utensils harmed in the eating of the fore mentioned fried pork. Now go eat!
I have just awakened from the food coma from last night's delicious dinner.
We had, what seemed, round after round of food brought to our table. First was the fish and chicken croquetas. I thought I tried one of each, but they tasted the same, so I'm not sure. Either way, they were delicious, especially with the sauce that came with them.
Second was the empanadas of the spinach, chicken, and beef variety. I had one each of the chicken and beef. I much preferred the flavoring of the chicken empanada.
Up next were huge platters of salad. I mean HUGE. It wasn't anything fancy. Just lettuce with some tomatoes, onions, and a oil and vinegar dressing.
Then finally, our main course. We threw down family style so everyone could have the chance have a taste. Grilled chicken with some onions. YUMMY! This was by far, my favorite main dish.
I know people are raving about the ropa vieja. I found it to be ok. I think it just wasn't up my alley, seasoning wise.
The staff could not have been friendlier. My one real issue was the size of the appetizer plates. They were tiny and somewhat difficult to get a good sized portion of salad.
I'm looking forward to returning to give the rest of their menu a try.
Sssssshhhhh.....come closer... I have a confession to make. Maybe it was the two whiskeys in me, maybe it was the delicious aromas and wonderful company (the aromas were from the food, not my friends, but I am sure they smelled lovely too)...but (as a non-red meat eater for environmental reasons) I touched a cow last night in ways that made me feel uncomfortable...
I took a few bites of that sucker (Ropa Vieja) and I must confess it was pretty succulent. I also really liked the spinach and cheese empanadas. The croquettas were basically mashed potato sticks (no complaints here), and the salad was dressed nice and lightly. The coconut flan was drool-worthy, and I could have bathed in whatever sauce it was swimming in (was that rum in it?).
Good food and good times; they handled our party of 15 well.
Mad props to Angie M. for finding this great restaurant for a lovely GNO outing!
It's BYOB but seriously, what's not to love about it? I mean it's tons cheaper to bring a bottle than pay per glass. Plus, I had the lovely opportunity to share a fantastic bottle of Pinot Noir with Beth M. We both agreed that we shouldn't be drinking a whole bottle of wine each, since we had to wake up early this morning.
The food was most delicious! The menu Angie put together for our prix fixe dinner was so fantastic, you'll want to come here and taste the flavor sensations for yourself. Now, I will describe what it was we ate that was most scrumptious:
Appetizers: a variety of empanadas and croquetas - fish, chicken, beef and spinach.
Salad: fresh lettuce leaves, tomato, and onions sprinkled with a light oil and vinegar dressing.
Rice: Arroz con Glandules which translates to Puerto Rican rice with pigeon peas and pork sausage, which was muy bueno! They also had a vege friendly version of dark rice and beans which I didn't get try because I didn't have enough room in my tummy.
Entrees: Ropa Vieja came served in this awesome sauce that added such flavor to the meat. Pechunga de Pollo Encebollada which translates to grilled chicken breast with onions. Those onions were amazing because they were caramelized and grilled to perfection! Plus, vege friendly fajitas.
Dessert: Coconut and Vanilla flan.
Fantastic food and wonderful times with fellow yelpettes made my night! Cheers to that!
I absolutely love the Jibarito with steak and the beans. Went there for the first time, did not really love the appetizers but it was ok to try. But would go again to get that sandwich and try other things esp after looking at the pictures posted. Had great service while I was there, but it was a very slow night.
BYOB, GNO... some of my favorite letters!
Forgot your wine? No worries. Check out Rothschild Liquors on the corner of Chicago and Ashland. Now you're all set.
To start, empanadas. The chicken ones were a personal favorite.
The ropa vieja was delicious, and this is coming from someone who has a love-hate relationship with the cow. The best part of the dish were the large pieces of simmered onion. Scrumptious enough to eat on a date, breath be damned (besides, your date should be enjoying this dish alongside you, no?).
Three cheers for our wonderful servers who were endlessly attentive and let us eat our main course family style so everyone got to try a little of each dish.
Dessert - coconut flan. I don't care if you don't like coconuts. Or flan. You will love this.
The ropa vieja is heaven. The vanilla flan is fantastic. Hell, even the basic grilled chicken and onions was moist and flavorful!
The staff at Habana Libre is incredibly accommodating, lovely and handled our party of 15 beautifully.
I 'heart' you, Habana Libre!
Found: One new favorite restaurant in my neighborhood.
BYOB: In these economic times, BYOB is the…
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A warm Spring evening. A bottle of wine in my hand. As I stood for a moment in front of Habana Libre- I hoped that this place lived up to the hype as I am a fan of Cuban food.
I pushed open the door and joined the large party that had gathered on this night for it was Girls Night Out on Yelp and that always means a fun evening of food, wine and lively conversation.
The menu was fixed so some of the amazing dishes on the menu will have to wait for me to explore on my own- as the picked dishes, while good, probably wouldn't have been what I would have chosen.
We started with some croquettes which were like fish and mashed potato sticks. The sauce was good but other wise a bit bland. Next up- the empanadas- tasty and hot and we had three kinds to try- beef, chicken and vegetarian. The chicken was my favorite- perfectly seasoned with a little bite at the end.
Next up the salad. Simply dressed this was really good- we just needed slightly larger plates to enjoy it on as for the entire evening-we ate off of appetizer sized plates. Finally to the entrees. There was Ropa Vieja and chicken and onions served with rice with sausage bits in it. All were very good- it's just probably not what I would have ordered.
Service was attentive, BYOB always makes for an inexpensive evening and parking is fairly easy along the side streets (watch out for permit only areas).
I will be back to try some of the other delights on the menu like jibartos, ceviche, plantains, salmon, just to name a few. Cuban food is one of my favorites and I haven't had it so easily accessible since I moved from Florida. Thanks Habana Libre!
A friend had recommended this place, and when the fellas needed a new place to try I thought we'd give Habana a shot, and it was an excellent choice!
The menu is quite extensive, with options for all (sandwiches, chicken, beef, pork, and seafood) but your vegetarian friends.
For appetizers, you'll get a portion of garlic buttered bread. We had the Habana Libre Combination for 2. Easily split among 4 people without having to ruin our appetite. The empanada was delicious, with the croquetas coming in a close second.
For dinner, I had the Lecho Asado. The pork came out well-seasoned, and tender (very similar in texture and feel to pulled pork for you BBQ type of folk). As I am a fan of garlic, I also poured on some of the garlic dipping sauce for more of a garlic kick. The Arroz con Glandules was tasty as well. I've always been a fan of fried plantains, and these came out soft, sweet and not too oily.
For dessert, we finished off with some Flan de Leche, a good amount of sweetness to polish off the meal.
The service was excellent and friendly. Our water glasses never spent too much time in a half-empty state.
The combination of taste, reasonable prices, accessibility and service makes it quite easy to recommend this place.
Metered street parking is available and some nearby residential portions are permit free. Accessible from the Chicago Ave bus, and a relatively short hop from the Chicago stop of the Blue Line.
Cute, cozy atmosphere and great food. And it's BYOB! The paella for 2 could easily serve 3-4 and it's delicious. Service is a little slow, so if you're in a demanding mood I'd skip it. Great for large parties to chill, drink some wine and catch up.
Habana Libre is mind-blowingly good. Affordable food, friendly - albeit a touch slow - service, and walk-able from my apartment.
Things to love:
1. Papas Rellenas. Ground beef+potatoes+deep fry = WIN.
2. The plantain in its myriad delicious forms.
3. The black beans and rice taste like magic. Seriously. I think they infuse them with the souls of humans who died in ecstasy.
4. Jibarito. Because there is no such thing as too much plantain.
5. Ropa Vieja. Because there is no such thing as too much awesome.
6. Lechon Asado. Stay not on the order of your going, but go at once to Habana Libre and order this.
7. Yucca. Do it.
What it comes down to is this: the mark of Habana Libre's excellence is its ability to invest something as seemingly simple as black beans and rice with such rich, complex flavor. Honestly, it's what keeps me coming back.
I ordered the palomilla enceballado (steak) while Anh got the lechon. I know Irazu is Costa Rican cuisine, but if I had to choose between the casado from Irazu and the palomilla from Habana Libre, I would choose Habana.
After trying the pork cubano dish at Nacional 27, I can't say the lechon at Habana is the best latin pork dish I have had, but I think it's excellent for half the price.
Next time it's jibarito and cubano time!
I agree, service can be spotty. I wanted to tip in Maxi pad denominations for their splotchy service. Kotex for the waiter and Walgreens generic for the waitress oughtta cover it.
I had just finished some serious studying and I was starving and ready to eat pie (Pi day 3/14!). My boyfriend was coming up to meet me in my neighborhood, so we met for lunch at Habana Libre.
We walked in and were seated after a couple of minutes waiting by the door. We were seated at a little table and I headed to the bathroom. When I came back, the server was at our table, asking for our appetizer order. We were so hungry that anything would have sounded good, but the empanadas she recommended sounded great.
These little guys came out after only 5-10 minutes, giving us plenty of time to peruse the menu. I really liked the empanada, filled with green pepper, onion, baccala, and green olives, but my boyfriend didn't like the texture of the fish. The server just said cod when she was describing the empanada, but baccala is a completely different taste than fresh cod, and it should be noted in the description of the dish.
We were warned when we ordered that my pollo frito would take 25 minutes to cook, which was really nice. 30-45 minutes later, we got our food. The pollo frito was delicious--it's 2 fried legs and things, served with garlic oil on top. It came artfully presented, and wasn't greasy. The skin was super crispy and I liked that it wasn't breaded, just fried. Yum. This came with standard white rice and black beans, which were a really nice, simple side dish to the rich chicken.
My boyfriend got the Cubano, his standard by which he judges Cuban restaurants, and he said this one did not disappoint. I have never had a Cuban sandwich before, but after trying his, I think I am in love. Two kinds of pork, cheese, pickles? Delightful. The bread was really crispy and I loved the textural contrast between the bread and the fillings.
The only complaint I have is the service was really slow. Like really slow. Service is a pretty low priority for me when I'm at a restaurant, but it took almost 15 minutes to get a to-go box and the check. When our food was taking extra-long, we simply got a "your food will be ready soon" in passing from one of our servers. We had two people serving us, kind of switching off, which was strange and may have contributed to the confusion.
I'll definitely be back, but probably for take-out.
This is one of the few places in the city that makes me feel like I'm not in Chicago anymore, it reminds me of being back in Central America.
Walking into this place beings you bright colors, small tables, and Cuban beats. Cheap appetizers make for a fun start to your meal. I don't recommend the croquets though because it's $4 for 3 small pieces. You're better off getting the Marquitas which are better to snack on with your B (it's BYOB.) For a reasonbly priced meal, I highly recommend that Jibarito Dinner, which comes with black beans and rice. The sandwich is absolutely delicious. Two great slices of plantain will replace the bread in your sandwich, and in between is some great meat, mayo, lettuce and tomato. I get it with chicken, which is always moist and perfectly cooked.
This is a great date spot, or a place to bring a few friends and a bottle of wine. Reasonably priced, extremely delicious.
Also, the Cuban Coffee makes for a great post-meal settler.
This is a difficult place to review. I will admit right off the bat, that after going here I have realized that maybe if the menu is in Spanish, I just prefer the dishes to be Mexican. Is that so bad?
So that aside, the food here is decent. I was expecting to be wowed after all of the things I heard about Habana Libre. I wasn't really anything. We ordered an appetizer sampler, and I tried the fried yucca and green plantains. I actually like the green plantains with the garlic sauce better than the sweet. And the yucca kind of just tastes like potato. So not bad, but not orgasmic either. To round out my meal I ordered a veggie empanada, which was really good. I also ordered a side of cuban rice which was basically white rice and black beans mixed together, with the bean juice making the rice black. I was not impressed. It was kind of weird, and I like black beans, just not with their black juice smothering my rice.
So overall I had a few good things here, but nothing stellar. And I guess when I eat mexican I love my whole meal; sorry cuba... your food just doesn't stand up in my mind. Habana Libre as a restaurant is nice inside, which you wouldn't really expect from the "Little Shop of Horrors" menagerie of plants in the front window... but I was surprised with the interior, and the service was good. So if you like cuban, give it a try...
Neighborhood: Noble Square
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Roscoe Village
Category: Cuban
Neighborhood: Noble Square
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Bucktown
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Mexican
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