Havana Nights at Havana Lounge

A chill is slowly creeping through the air, the days are getting shorter and darker. It’s time to pack away those swimsuits and shorts, because the fun of summer is over and the slog of winter will soon be upon us. If only there was some place in town where we could re-live those warm, carefree days…

No, I’m not talking about . Gross. Rather, Havana Café and Lounge recently opened on Newark Street, near River Street. Havana took over the spot that used to house (, and am still sad to see it gone), but you’d never be able to tell just by looking at it.

Gone is the exterior wood paneling, replaced by floor-to-ceiling glass windows and potted foliage. Inside, the entire space has been gutted and re-built from the floor up. First you walk into the bar area, with a white granite bar-top, green palm frond motif on the walls, and huge arrangements of exotic flowers. In the back is a small private lounge area with leather couches and an oversized painting of a marlin as a map of Cuba. To the side is the main dining room, with white tables, deep mulberry and green accents, and a very modern fireplace built into the wall. In all, the design is beautiful.

“[My father and I] felt like, while there are great Cuban restaurants in Hoboken, we needed to bring the atmosphere,” said co-owner Alex Becerra.

I sat down at the bar and met Rolando, the bartender, though that is a bit of an understatement. Looking down the bar at the row of creative drinks, I thought, this man is an artist! So, I asked him for whatever drink was most popular and he suggested a Coconut Basil Mojito, made with coconut rum, basil infused simple syrup, Coco Lopez, mint and lime. I took a sip, and it was magical.

Here’s an aside: last year I jetted around South America for awhile, because, why not? The last weekend of the trip was spent in a beautiful private bungalow on the Amazon, where I basically laid around in a hammock and sipped pisco and talked to a parrot all day. It was the most relaxed I’ve ever been in my life, and sitting at Havana sipping fancy tropical cocktails and listening to jazzy Cuban music almost brought me back there – well, except there was no French-speaking parrot.

Anyway, next, I tried out the Cucumber Mojito-Tini (here’s a recipe!), which tastes exactly like I imagine a spring day would taste. Ronaldo cut up almost half of a giant cucumber, muddling it all up with mint and lime, before adding the gin. The mojito-tini’s are $5 during Happy Hour, which runs 5 to 7 p.m. every weekday.

Havana also has an extensive wine list, with glasses of red and white from $6-10, champage at $7-9 and bottle service from $200-250. Behind one of the bar’s large flower arrangements is a beer tap, with offerings like Stella Artois, Budweiser and Hoegaarden. In bottles are, of course, Corona. But why would you want to drink beer in a place like this?

It was telling that, of the group of women seated next to me at the bar, one of them exclaimed, “You crossed the Hudson!” Sure, maybe the lady just really wanted to see her friends, but I’m sure the Cuban lounge atmosphere didn’t hurt her decision either.

In all, I loved Havana Lounge. The décor was beautiful, the patrons were upscale working professionals, but not stuffily so. The bartenders and staff were more than welcoming and hospitable, and the drinks they made were incredible. I can’t comment on the food, of course, but if you’ve got a couple of bills in your pocket and you want to imbibe some seriously thoughtful drinks, I highly recommend Havana. So in all, drumroll please, I think I have to award this place ten frosty mugs (no, ten frosty mojito glasses with sugarcane swizzle sticks and muddled mint). When the snow starts to fall and I get all depressed because I am wearing six sweaters and a puffy jacket, know that I will be back to Havana for a little taste of summer.

Havana Cafe and Lounge, 32 Newark Street.