Café Habana

Delicious, authentic Cuban and Mexican food served right here in Malibu.

Above is the Grilled Corn Mexican Style – a MUST. The cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime juice come together to put on a fiesta for your tastebuds!

Café Habana is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite restaurants. I crave it often, and it is the restaurant I missed most while in our 3-month quarantine. In fact, I have spent my last 3 birthday dinners at this lovely and inviting spot. Read the rest of the post to find out what keeps me coming back!

The photo above captures my favorite entrée at Habana – the Brown Rice Bowl. This delicious meal comes with brown rice, black beans, shredded cheese, sour cream, and a meat of your choice (I always get the mouthwatering, cooked-to-perfection steak). The dish also comes with avocado and corn salsa, but I choose to order the bowl without these ingredients (sorry to all of you avo-lovers, I unfortunately just can't get into it...).

Next up is another favorite of mine – the Fish Tacos Malibu Style. This delectable dish consists of grilled mahi mahi, cabbage, and oh-so-yummy chipotle crema. This dish is typically served with avocado and pico de gallo as well, but I like to order mine without. Additionally, the two hearty tacos are accompanied by beans and rice (yellow, Cuban, or brown), making for a very filling and wonderfully delicious plate. However, the highlight of this entrée is, undeniably, the chipotle crema – I can't stress enough how good this is.

Now here is the star of it all: the Plantains. Caramelized to perfection, these sweet, soft plantains are a necessary part of your meal at Café Habana. I even add them to my Brown Rice Bowl for some extra flavor and texture. You can have them as your appetizer, along with your entrée, or even as a dessert. So. Freaking. Good.

Finally, the greatest dessert of all time: the Churro Ice Cream Sandwich. Two crispy, yet doughy churros with a massive scoop of McConnell's Salted Caramel Chip Ice Cream in between... enough said.

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While Café Habana is on the pricier side – with $4 Grilled Corn, $16 Brown Rice Bowls, $16 Fish Tacos, $6 Plantains, and $10 Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches – they serve up ingredients and flavors you just can't beat. Go ahead and see for yourself, I promise you won't regret it!