Kadir-Quentin

This restaurant is absolutely amazing! The food is wonderful and gives you the feeling as if you were in a noble restaurant somewhere in Downtown Havana. I can especially recommend the Yucca fries or Cuba's national dish, Ropa Vieja, both are just amazing 🤩! So if you're hungry and in Hoboken, give it a try!

Spence Harrington

The Cuban in Hoboken is one of those rare spots that gets everything right — the food, the service, and the overall vibe. From the moment you walk in, you’re hit with the amazing smell of fresh-pressed sandwiches, roasted pork, and Cuban spices. Every visit has been consistently great. The Cuban sandwich is the standout for a reason: perfectly crispy on the outside, warm and melty on the inside, stacked with tender pork, ham, melted cheese, pickles, and mustard on fresh bread. It’s easily one of the best Cubans I’ve had anywhere. Beyond the Cuban, the menu has so many winners. The ropa vieja is packed with flavor and always cooked just right, the empanadas are golden and flaky, and the sides like plantains and rice & beans are seasoned perfectly and taste homemade. You can really tell everything is made with care and quality ingredients. The staff deserves a shout-out too — always friendly, welcoming, and efficient, even during busy hours. Orders come out fast, everything is hot and fresh, and they’re happy to answer questions or make recommendations if you’re unsure what to get. The atmosphere is casual, laid-back, and perfect for a quick lunch, takeout, or an easy dinner. If you’re anywhere near Hoboken and craving authentic Cuban food, The Cuban is a must-visit. Consistently great food, solid portions, fair prices, and excellent service every time. I recommend it to everyone and will definitely keep coming back.

Gregory Ortiz

If you’re looking for a place that instantly transports you to Havana through food, music, and atmosphere, The Cuban is a must-visit. I recently had dinner here, and I can honestly say the food was nothing short of amazing. From the moment you walk in, the vibrant décor and Latin beats set the mood, but it’s the flavors that make this restaurant truly unforgettable. We started with the empanadas, and they were perfection: crispy on the outside with a rich, flavorful filling that felt both comforting and exciting. The plantains were another standout. Sweet, caramelized, and golden-brown, they hit that perfect balance of crispy edges and soft, tender centers. They’re the kind of starter you could happily order over and over again. For the main course, I had the ropa vieja, and it absolutely blew me away. The beef was tender and juicy, cooked low and slow in a savory tomato-based sauce with peppers and onions. It paired perfectly with the rice and beans, which were seasoned just right. Every bite felt like home-style cooking, elevated by attention to detail and flavor. A friend at the table ordered the garlic shrimp, and I stole a bite. It was incredible. The shrimp were plump and perfectly cooked, swimming in a garlicky butter sauce that was so good you wanted to mop it up with bread. Of course, you can’t have a Cuban meal without a proper drink, and The Cuban did not disappoint. The mojito was refreshing and balanced, with fresh mint and lime giving it that burst of brightness without being overly sweet. It paired beautifully with the food and made the whole meal feel even more festive. We ended with dessert, and the flan was smooth, creamy, and just the right level of sweet. The churros were also a hit: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, dusted with cinnamon sugar, and perfect for dipping. It was the kind of ending that leaves you smiling all the way home. Beyond the food, the service deserves a shout-out. The staff were welcoming, attentive, and genuinely friendly. They checked in often enough to make sure we were taken care of, but never in a way that felt rushed. The atmosphere overall is lively but not overwhelming. It’s a spot where you can have fun with friends, enjoy a date night, or even bring family for a special meal. Overall, The Cuban has everything you want in a restaurant: amazing food, great drinks, friendly service, and a fun, energetic vibe. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to come back again and again because you know every visit will be as good as the last. If you’re craving authentic Cuban flavors in a vibrant setting, this place should be at the top of your list.

+15

Varun Srikanth

This place has such a fun vibe from the moment you walk in. The place gives off real Cuban energy with the decor and music. Starting off with a coconut rum drink was very refreshing and fresh never had anything as such before. We tried the empanadas and they were fresh with a flavorful twist, especially with the black bean puree on the side. The aguacate chips with Cuban-style guac were surprisingly good. I wasn’t expecting much but they were honestly a standout. We also ordered the vegetarian paella and it came out sizzling, packed with grilled veggies and full of flavor. The food overall was hot, fresh, and worth every bite. The staff inside was super friendly and warm, except for the Indian host at the front who gave us a weird look when we walked in. No smile, no greeting, just felt like she didn’t want us there, which made things awkward for a second. It stood out because everyone else was so nice and welcoming. Apart from that, everything was great. The food was 10/10, and I’d definitely come back again to try more. The whole place has great energy and makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a little slice of Havana.

+19

Jane

I ordered takeout. The portion size was relatively large for the price, and the food tasted good. The staff are very friendly.

Megan Gill

Tried Cuban food for the first time and it was an amazing experience! The portions were generous, and the flavors were incredible. Our waiter was attentive and made sure all my allergy restrictions were carefully followed. They even made us custom mocktails that were absolutely delicious. The ambiance was warm and inviting, with Spanish music playing in the background and a cozy interior that made the whole experience even better. Highly recommend this place!

Wendy

I was not expecting to find a Cuban restaurant this good in Hoboken. Definitely recommend the Ropa Vieja, the Churrasco, churros and tres leches. We also ordered a whole fried red snapper, but as expected fish it’s not their specialty. Prices are reasonable. We got Espresso Martini and Guava Mojito (my favorite).

+2

Ji Young Yoon

Food is so good! Both steaks were juicy and tender and flavorful! Great service as well! Decent cocktails.

Matchazen

One of the first restaurants we ever tried in Hoboken, and still a great option for Cuban and Caribbean flavors. I have been back to eat there more than once and the food and service is excellent and if the weather allows, they have nice outside dining options as well.

Decent nachos and the service kinda sucked even tho I was one of the only ppl at the bar lol.

Came here on a Tuesday night, we got the nachos appetizer, ribeye and Cajun chicken pasta. There was more chicken than pasta and it was well seasoned. The ribeye was decent and the nachos had good taco seasoning layered. We got to watch the dodger game. For price, quality and service I would come back here.

Quite Loud🤬 Reason Being Sports Game Night Fans Cheering Screaming Yelling🙉🙊🙈 My sister and I were there dining. It wasn't quiet as usually it is. Don't ever go on a game sports night cuz you won't be able to hear one another talk or have any conversation. Other than that it was relatively good restaurant to eat. The sports bar is right next to the dining room. It's not even separated so you don't have really have much of a choice!!

Vlad Go

food is great but overpriced. I asked for medium roast but it was well done, not a single red spot. Fish of the day was $38 cocktails are quite cheap and not bad for $12-14 but very light meaning that alcohol was too much diluted

Jonathan G

Was a little disappointed in the food. Feel like it used to be better. Service was great. Happy hour prices are great. Still a Hoboken staple. Had the vaca frita, empanada sampler and pollo criollo.

Jacqueline Aguilar

This place is great! However, really busy during the Friday night rush. The atmosphere is nice and cozy. They have two fooors of seating. It looks small from the outside , but they lead us toward the back and up the stairs and we found a close knit corner to sit; close to other restaurant goers. But that’s just the setup. Our wait staff was super nice! 👍🏼 the food was delicious - the kitchen due to the Friday night rush had a lot of mixed up orders. I got the wrong plate and drink several times. However one of my drinks was on the house :) we had the vaca frita - delicious!! Definitely recommend! We also had plantains and cream of spinach - it’s soup but I used it as a dip! Equally delicous! The Mar y Tierra was cooked to perfection! The potatoes came with a nice smoky flavor .. come any other day of the week for dinner service ! Highly recommend.

+4

Libinski 0G

We have been here many times, and it was fun every time. The drinks are nice, staff are friendly, and the latina music always brings fun in the air. The food is good here, beautifully presented and nicely flavored. The quality has been consistent, and it stands out in the neighborhood. A lot of fun at this place when the weather gets warmer. Having a couple of mojitos outdoor in the summer here is priceless.

+10

We ordered all you can eat bundle for ribs, wings, shrimp, fountain. Friday night is a busy night, so they miss you order sometimes. I wait my ribs for 30 mins. More employees are required in busy hour, otherwise customer will lost patience.

Servers and hostess were great. Appetizers were good, drinks were good, but the food is not the same anymore. Every time I order pasta with chicken it's under cooked, I started getting ribs and they are always burnt I get extra BBQ to see if it helps with the burnt flavor but no. I don't know what's been going on lately but it's not what it used to be.

Donna Micci

Perhaps this place has improved. I stopped going there because they simply do not know how to cook chicken. From my experience, it is ALWAYS dried out. I don't understand why they can't get this right. However, I'm going to give them another try – but not with the chicken. Try the salmon. It's excellent!

Jennifer Sheridan

We had a reservation. Our sever was tending bar and had help tending to our table. The other staff did an ok job at helping but our drinks were not refilled as needed. Our food arrived and it was obvious that the plates had been under the warmer for awhile. My pork was ok but not especially flavorful. The skirt steak was tasty but they Yuca fries were overcooked and unseasoned. No one came to check on us after the food came to see if everything was as expected. Our bill was incorrect and when I asked one of the servers he told me he wasn't our server and walked away. I knew that but no one was helping. I soon discovered that there were 2 checks and one was correct but I had to figure that out myself.

Rafael Santos

Great service and decent pricing. Food left a little more to be desired. Shrimp was a little bland as was my salmon. The paella and the steak were good.

Context: Store closes at midnight and I came with my 9months pregnant wife right around 11pm. We just wanted to get one of the desserts. They gave us the option to sit down at the bar so I asked them if we could sit on the padded seat booths instead of high rise chairs since my wife was pregnant and also the fact that the couple right in front of us was seated at the booths and there were other people sitting there as well as seen in the pictures. Anyways, we ended up sitting at the bar area and ordered the dessert which was good. But the customer service made me give this rating.

First time at a Applebee's with Wife and kids. We were greeted by a lady asking how many. I said five. She put us down and looked at the restaurant for five seconds and told us "Give us about ten minutes.". We sat down and I looked into the restaurant. I observed many waitresses walking around. They have a bar island in the middle of the restaurant. It was a Sunday so it was busy. We got called and were sat at our table with menus ready. We waited for 12 minutes before a server acknowledge us, to let us know they would be with us, yet many servers were talking near the entrance. (Hmm...it was Sunday and busy...) When our server came she asked us for our drink orders and when we did she asked if we needed more time to order. (Uh really?!?) "We're actually ready!" We placed our order. Kids got their dish. Wife and I were not impressed. I had really small portions and my wife's meal tasted like a frozen meal heated on a skillet(or microwave). Maybe because it was Sunday, and it was busy we hardly got any attention (yet the servers and waitresses hanged out in the front talking). Maybe I was expecting to much. We probably could have done better at Wendy's then here. Coming back? No thanks. Tried it, disappointed. I had to try it. I did. They did not leave a good impression. Thanks but no thanks.

The servers are always the best but the chefs (probably) are always messing up my stuff, I ordered medium well and they gave me well done, which is okay but the steak was so burnt I chipped my tooth, it was a small chip but it still sucks 😭. My husband ordered well done but got a bloody steak instead, the server said they would try to remove one of the items from the bill for the inconvenience but left it the same. I understand it was Valentine’s Day and it was super busy but it kind of ruined our dinner.

The food was expect when coming to any Applebees but they had mentioned that the food was cook homemade at the restaurant. Not only that I had flagged the manger "Ellie" the closing manger about the food not tasting right and wasn't good and said what should I do with ? And continues to say we get it frozen , package and put in a fryer, Looked at me in confusion and not trying to understand the issue. Like you guys don't know how to use a fryer or what ? , So I said I would like a refund and said alright then. And rolls her eyes in front in me. As a manger myself and to be treated with no respect and with no empathy about how I was feeling as a consumer. Not only that she was repeatedly rude to her own workers/employees while closing with her fellow team. Joseph was fabulous. Thank you Joseph you need a raise. And not only the manger didn't say sorry at all and never came to check in with me. Manager should never show their temper or frustration when working in a social environment and setting . It’s an embarrassment and disgusting to see Applebees is hiring non ethic managers such as “Ellie “ to fulfill a role that is provided in any manger job description and still can’t do the bare minimum. Thank you but no thank you.

I think Applebee's is an okay chain. A tad better than Chili's, but not much. It was national cheeseburger day, so we headed out to Applebee's for a burger. A nice special too! Parking is difficult here, but we found a place to park and walked in. We were seated by a nice young woman. We looked over the menu and said yup, cheeseburger! Our waitress came by - Not friendly at all and it felt like she didn't want to be there. She took our order and barely said a word. The drinks arrived and she put them down and left - no conversation and I don't think she even said a word! Next, the food came. Plates dropped off in silence, then off she went. The food was very salty - I don't like it when they oversalt food. My drink went pretty quickly and I was looking to call our waitress, but she disappeared. I finally grabbed a busboy and he refilled my drink. We finished our meal and our waitress was nowhere to be seen. I asked a gal walking by if she could get our waitress for us. Our waitress came by, refilled our glassed and left. Not a word! We paid our bill and left - VERY DISAPPOINTED! We will not go back to this Applebee's. We know what to expect and this was a huge disappointment.

Christina Marrero

Disappointing first visit. Despite having a 9 PM reservation, we were told to wait and to order food at the bar due to having only one chef. After being seated, it took over an hour for three appetizers to arrive. The staff seemed disorganized and unprepared, especially for a holiday night. Unfortunately, we won’t be returning.

angel perez

It was my first time in New Jersey and I chose the worst restaurant in my live, we arrived before 9:00pm and the first plate arrived at 10 :40 pm(a Cesar salad) can you believe that !!! They said that no have personal in the kitchen, but nobody can boring at least a glass of water ??? Uf 🤨 Almost get new year here. Happy New year 🎊

Ingrid Ros

We had a table reserved for 8pm on December 31st. There were no table ready and we were asked to wait together with the other 15 guests. Only 1 barman, 2 waiters and 2 cooks. We had to wait for 40 minutes to finally get a table. After another 15 minutes, no waiter came to the table asking if we wanted to drink something or even to bring water. We left without having a drink and without having dinner. Other guests did the same, what a shame!

Alana

Attempted to walk in for a drink at 5pm on June 4th. The host held me at the door to “see if the bartender was ready”, because they had “just opened” (online says they open at 4pm) he then told me to come right on in! “I” greeted the bartender and let him know I was just coming in for a quick drink, since they were advertising a $5 happy hour beverage. The bartender immediately said “we don’t have anything that’s $5!” I told him about the sign outside, and he just stood there shaking his head “no” without even attempting to see what I was talking about. I left. If people don’t want your business, don’t give it to them.