Cafe Habana

Great margaritas, great food. Was almost turned off by the negative Apple reviews, but decided to give it a shot and it didn’t disappoint.

Fast service, amazingly delicious organic, grass-fed beef burger, beautiful surroundings! Highly recommended to stop through Malibu and eat here.

I feel like they have the best tacos I have tried in a long time. You have to try the steak taco at Cafe Habana. Heck, try the shrimp one too. Heck, make it a taco fest because their tacos are really that good. They also make anything steak so darn delicious. Their steak dinner with rice and beans was also nice. I love their cut tomato that comes with the meal. It’s soooo good. If you want to grab drinks they also have a bar. I love the vibe and the staff are very sweet and helpful. Tell them Toni said to check them out. Those tacos are worth the drive if you don’t stay around Malibu. Oh one last thing… Apple Maps will take you to the wrong address. At least mine did. Their entrance is located on cross creek not on PCH. Have fun and happy eating.

A great place for a meal. Our family enjoyed everything; especially the plantains and the corn.

Stop by for a caipirinha, Russ will be behind the bar making magic! Great atmosphere, a classy ambiance with a very friendly staff.

I tried this place about 6 months ago when I was in search of a Taco Tuesday deal. Unfortunately, this place had no such thing. I ordered two tacos (steak and salmon) and they were served with beans and rice. I got a beer with it and my bill totaled about $25, which wasn't really ideal, but I really enjoyed the food nonetheless. The meat quality was very good. Both had a very soft texture and it seemed to just melt in your mouth. They were also seasoned very appropriately; not too much and not too little. The texture of the beans were so smooth that they were almost creamy. Even the rice was nice and moist with lots of flavor. The chips and salsa were pretty good as well. I really liked the atmosphere of this place. It had somewhat of an elegant, high end appearance inside, but had more of a cozy feel as I was sitting at the bar. The bartender was very personable and friendly. The place was not that crowded, so we chitchated about hiking, basketball, and some other things about the LA area. It's definitely always good talking to locals about what to do in the area. Overall, while this wasn't particularly the kind of place that I had in mind, the food was very good. The prices aren't low but the quality does kind of make up for it.

This place doesn’t get enough attention! Cafe Habana is a great spot for casual v delicious food: dinner/drinks. Great management, great staff made the experience wonderful! - Margarita was made w freshest lime juice (really different!) - Kale* salad (w separate on a side) salmon was rare-delicious, salmon was perfectly cooked: moist, tender, buttery, just perfect! **prep urself for some jaw work with any kale salad, haha. - Chicken enchilada was also tasteful, all of their ingredients were super fresh and (personally-surprisingly) all Organic. Pics were taken after 30 mins being in a box. Would def recommend this place for spontaneous great dining/lunch/drinks!

Cafe Habana, located in Malibu, is really, really good! The chips and salsa are fresh and spicy, and the margaritas, made with Casamigos, are excellent! The Street Corn is the best I’ve had. The Fish Tacos are absolutely perfect, even the rice and beans on the side are far better than average. Don’t forget the Plantains!

The food was SO GOOD (all caps). Go here!! You can also make any of their alcoholic drinks virgin. Service was friendly and atmosphere is so cute and charming. Definitely insta worthy.

A favorite place for good food, a chill atmosphere and great drinks!

The service was smooth and welcoming. The food had excellent texture and seasoning. It was a pleasure to dine here.

Walking into this restaurant felt like stepping into a small corner of Havana — the vibrant colors, the music, and the energy instantly transported me. The atmosphere was warm and nostalgic, reminding me of the kind of places you'd find tucked away in Old Havana, where food and soul go hand in hand. The owner was incredibly gracious and clearly cares deeply about the place. You can feel their passion in the details — from the décor to the authenticity of the menu. They made an effort to greet us personally, and it made a real difference in how welcome we felt. That said, our experience with the service was a bit disappointing. Our server seemed more interested in flirting with the host than actually doing their job. They were inattentive, forgot parts of our order more than once, and left us waiting far too long for basic things like water refills. It took away from what could have been an outstanding evening. I’d come back for the food, the vibe, and the hospitality of the owner — but I really hope the service tightens up. A place this special deserves staff who match its heart.

Incredible, kind, and friendly staff. Drinks are delicious. Seating is so comfortable! Could sit here for hours and people watch. Izzy is so kind :)

Great service and staff, and amazing playlist to listen to on the patio. The owner/manager is especially personable and friendly.

This place should have more stars: the food is amazing, organic and the waiters are nice. Dope spot!

Wanted to get Mexican in Malibu and near the beach. Perfect spot. Went early so no crowds, plenty of seating (outdoor private enclosed patio was fantastic). Fish tacos Malibu style were delicious!

This is sooo yummy!! I think our servers name was Israel but he was so fun and nice I love coming here always. This place is amazing the food is so delicious it tastes like my hometown. Love this place

Café Habana is cool. Boyfriend and I went there to enjoy Sunday Funday, limited menu options. Staff was cool margaritas were great but filled with a little bit too much ice.

Very nice, cozy, hidden from the craziness of the world place! Friendly, caring personnel. Churros with ice-cream - yummy. BUT they have NO hot beverages, no coffee, no tea, bummer... Had to try strawberry monjito instead for breakfast, lol. Please hire a barista :)

Visited from Miami. They have the best calamari and shrimp tacos I've ever tasted!! I was blown away by how rich the flavor and taste was. I can only assume all the rest of their food is equally as excellent. Definitely recommend 👌🏿

I love this place. Always had good experience. Delicious food and cozy atmosphere. I love the brown rice bowl and the chips. My favorite is carne asada.

We ordered a classic cesar salad that came with its own 8oz chicken it was good and tender. I also ordered their fish tacos that came with the rice and bean they were very well seasoned I enjoyed them.

Came for a late lunch. Service was great, food came out hot and fresh. A little skimpy on the avocado and the spanish rice was lightly flavored but it still made for a great meal. Get the dessert ice cream churro, even if you're full, its not that big but deliciousness is over the top!

Café Habana Malibu sits in a prime location—just off Cross Creek, close enough to the action but far enough to feel a little more tucked away. It’s got a laid-back, beach-adjacent vibe, which works for what it is, though the decor could use a little more personality. Not a dealbreaker, but you don’t quite get the warm, transportive feel you’d expect from a Cuban-Mexican fusion spot. The waitstaff? Excellent. Everyone was friendly, attentive, and genuinely seemed happy to be there—which always adds to the experience. The menu leans short and sweet—some might say limited—but what they do offer is solid. Think decent tacos, better-than-expected elote, and a couple of standout cocktails. It’s not trying to be Bestia or Guelaguetza—it’s more casual hangout than destination dining. The food falls into the “good, not great” category, but for a sunny afternoon with friends or a laid-back lunch stop while strolling Malibu Country Mart, Café Habana earns its place. It’s not a culinary revelation, but it’s reliable, comfortable, and well-placed. A solid 3.5 stars rounded up for vibe and service.

asked for an inside table and they sat us on the on the patio. i’m sure it’s really nice out there on a warm summer day. restaurant was busy on a saturday evening. waiter was nice, but mostly kind of ignored us. strawberry basil margarita just tasted like a regular margarita. looked nice though. carne asada was delicious. wish it came with plantains, but you have to order it separate.

We were a little disappointed the capuchino machine was not working. However the cafe con leche was definitely delicious! The food was great. The enchiladas and Carne asada were the best. The lemon chicken was lacking flavor but the caramelized plantains and rice made up for the lack of flavor.

Stopped by for lunch when we were spending a day in Malibu. Pleasant outdoor seating area. Calamari was good. Tacos were ok. Service was friendly, but no sense of urgency. Visiting from Chicago, sometimes we have to adjust our expectations of good food and service. Maybe good for Malibu, overall decent.

Hi, been a customer here a while now and one day rolled up, tried to order the good ole chicken tinga tacos just to be hit with BAM. No longer on the menu. Are you kidding me ? What? I sat there staring at my shoes and said oh what to do. I guess I’ll get the corn? Corn just corn is all I eat now. PLEASE CHEF BRING CHICKEN TINGA TACOS!!!!!!

Signage at street entrance is difficult to see if your first time here. Dog friendly eating areas, but be prepared for a crowd as very popular with locals. Generous handicap parking close by entrance.

Cute location in a nice area. Overall, in my opinion food was basic but it came out a bit on the expensive for the full experience. The guacamole was fine - but not necessarily worth it. I got the piña colada - I am still not sure if there was alcohol or not but it was tasty and sweet to my liking. But - in case you want something a bit strong it might not be a good pick. The asada was apparently really good. My bowl was average. Mixed with the sour cream, it was okay, but still got some weird pieces of chicken (fat or hard parts) - I know it can happen but it did gross me out a bit. Staff was nice. It was nothing terrible, but nothing crazy - average restaurant in my opinion.

I visited here for the second time and in summary it's a decent meal with some great drinks. Nothing about this place has a wow factor, although I do get a sense that it has some heart... at least the bartender does. I think it's a decent experience without too much effort in the sense of you just show up and get sat right away. The staff is nice and attentive but not your typical corporate server type. If you're out shopping and looking for an easy meal, check it out! Foodies may not be impressed.

We had the fish tacos and the cubano sandwich. The tacos were just OK. Felt like the seasoning needed to be tweaked. The cubano was good with perfect cubano bread. the Pork was a bit dry, like it spent too much time in a crock pot. Service was attentive and good. The place is a bit dark, so you might have a rough time reading the menu.

So this place was just ok. Wanted to get some fish tacos and try something new. . There's no indoor seating due to covid (obviously) but you can sit anywhere outside. You have to order at the bar. The bartender was super nice and friendly. We order their Habana burrito and fish tacos $18 bucks each. Their drinks $5 bucks (no refills) each. And $13 bucks for guacamole. Sorry to say that guac was not worth $13 bucks. We added to it for more flavor. Our entrees we're good. Ultimately it's ok food with nice staff but super over priced.

Food is great. Prices are great. The service sucks. I have been coming here for years only because the burrito is really good. Sometimes the food you order comes quick, but more often, even if the restaurant is empty it will take forever. So if you are in a rush during lunch, don’t go. Odds are they will take forever. Servers are too busy chatting by the bar rather than serving costumers and when they do come up to you, they make it look like they are doing you a favor. The food comes out simply warm, just enough to not complain that it is cold. Also, they do no take cash. They just don’t tell you that upfront, they tell you when it is time to pay. Overall, they need to change whoever is managing the servers because by far the worst costumer experience in Malibu. Every time I walk out unhappy about service, but comeback because the burrito is fire.

We got take out, and everything was fresh and well cooked. I got a shrimp taco, a steak taco, my husband got the burrito and we shared the corn and a guacamole. Everything was a little bland. You could tell the ingredients were quality and they were cooked nicely - not overcooked steak or rubbery shrimp - but everything needed salt, or spice, or both. The salsa or red sauce that came with our food was like tomato water! The corn was good but it also lacked flavor. The guacamole was completely bland. The burrito was very good, I think the red rice in it carried the flavor. I’d get this again because there is so few options in Malibu especially for any kind of tacos or burritos, but if I were somewhere with more options I probably wouldn’t unfortunately.

The place is clean and well maintained. The food is nowhere near Mexican. The guacamole is mashed avocado with barely any flavor. The magaritas were too sweet and not enough alcohol. Maybe get the rice bowl. Can’t screw that up. The lady that served us also had a bad attitude and wasn’t too friendly. I wanted to like this place but I feel like they need this. Maybe they’ll get it together.

Being this close to the ocean, there's just no excuse not to salt the food! It's a simple menu, but simple doesn't have to be tastless. The atmosphere was really nice, but the service was very very slow at lunchtime on a Tuesday. We had a group of 6, but there wasn't anyone else at the restaurant when we came, so the 40 minute wait for fish tacos from the time of ordering is unacceptable, in my opinion. We had to flag down the waiter for drink refills. Wouldn't recommend trying to sneak in a work lunch here, especially if you are in need of electrolytes.

Paid $100 for over priced fish tacos; they were plain. Not flavorful at all. Luckily they had salsa to save the dish.

Slow service. We saw our waiter maybe 3 times. Food was pricey for what it tasted like. We had to go up to the bar if we wanted anything. Baja Fresh has better corn. Cuban sandwich was not a Cuban sandwich.

Beacause of the name I was expecting Cuban dining, but most of the items in the menu is overpriced mexican dishes and the drinks are primarily tequila-based. Although it's nice cozy place service was a little slow before we got to order and there was maybe a total of 5 tables max. To make matters worse, the General Manager himself spilled an entire glass of water on me. My shorts and even the inside of my shoes were soaked, and he didn’t offer a compensation, or acknowledgment of the inconvenience. For a restaurant at this price point, that level of service is unacceptable.