Pilar Cuban Eatery Reviews

We were staying with family locally. The cafe is busy, morning, lunch and evening so book ahead (!) We went for brunch. and opted for the Cuban Irish breakfast. Good choice with interesting alternatives to the usual 'Irish' fare with chorizo sausage and bean casserole which were delicious. Excellent, attentive service: you felt that they appreciated your custom. A few have commented about the noise: we didn't find it so, and the atmosphere of the place was very welcoming. Good value. We'd go back and strongly recommend.

My daughter and I enjoyed sandwiches here at dinner time, but although the food was good, the service was slow and the acoustics were terrible. The management should consider putting up some baffles or something to tone down the hard walls and ceiling. It would have been quieter to eat outside on the street, but it was raining.

We returned from the Caribbean to NYC on a cold, rainy, classic North Atlantic ugly day. Ugh. But friends recommended Pilar (in a new location on Bedford at the corner of Greene) and that was a perfect bookend for the trip. Terrific Caribbean comfort food - the pollo con arroz was a great antidote for the nasty night. Good Cuban music, friendly, helpful waitstaff - thanks, Fatima - and excellent food. Highly recommended.

Went to Pilar Cuban Restaurant based on the recent rave reviews cropping up all over. Yes, the food is good. Not excellent... good. Some of the dishes were, quite honestly, bordering on mediocre! The staff is friendly and attentive. The cocktails were FANTASTIC, as was desert and coffee. That's a huge plus; too many kitchens concentrate on appetizers and entrees, foregoing the after-meal. What I did NOT enjoy was the sticky table and floor, as well as the uncomfortable seating! C'mon guys. Something so basic as cleanliness should be a given. Clean the place up and let's try it again!

Just ran into this place on our first evening in NYC. Staff is great, the atmosphere very authentic! Didn't try the food, but drinks were good and it´s a perfect place to observe the great dynamic so typical for Williamsburg.

The food was perfect, staff very nice, ambiance ok but a little bit cold. We really enjoy that place, and the churros were incredible. Unfortunatly It was our last night in Brooklyn, because we will have been all nights eating at this place!!

Nice evening at Pilar - good food and attentive service without being overbearing. Marinated pork was tasty, and our children had two different dishes they liked. We will return.

Dinner with friends. Mango passion fruit mohito. Yum. I had empanadas and yucca. Wished I had gotten plantains. They looked great.

The place is nice, food is good, the people is kind and the prices are reasonables. the pillar grilled cheese sandwich its outstanding!

Cool and unpretentious joint. Friendly service. Menu based on sandwiches and few salads with a Cuban twist. I enjoyed Cuban interpretation of burger.

Even though there is little for a vegetarian to eat, the food is wonderful. The place is often a bit loud with people and or recorded music but it is a favorite for my wife and I to go to get good food. The service is always good; friendly, efficient, and helpful. The prices are reasonable and the wine list is OK, not extensive by any means but reasonably priced selections.

The cocktails are inventive and delicious as were the appetizers. Nice Upbeat vibe too. Service was excellent. The mains we had, fish and steak were both delicious and my wife and I both stated me will be back. Only issue I had was the small little folding wooden chairs for the un-lucky person not getting a place at the bench seating along the wall. Theses are the chairs you would try to avoid at all cost in your grammar school auditorium....That being said when we do go back I will bring a cushion...lol

Food was surprising in a way I didn’t have something similar before but my dish missed some flavour...making a bit blend. So in a long term you get bored off. Waiters were changing so during our stay we were served by 4-5 people making this a bit confusing. In general place promised more than delivered...I missed the spice...

So good. Food was outstanding and service was top notch. Great location for people watching while staying in Brooklyn.

Magnificent restaurant. Made a great 1st impression, from time we entered service was attentive, server Franco was good. Their signature drinks were decent (lil pricey but they were good) Appetizers were on point ( stuffed tostones, olives n cheese delicious) entrees were amazing good variety of choices for every appetite. Dessert was spectacular and I'm not big dessert eater. Overall experience was spectacular. Would be going back. Have a few other menu items we have to try.

Pilar is a great neighborhood cafe that has been taking COVID seriously- they take temperatures for anyone entering their cafe, have sanitizer available, menus online and they built an outdoor structure with heat lamps and tables well spread apart. Great cocktail and seafood selection. Their shrimp and salads are wonderful plus they have a great selection of daily specials. Good for families, friends, and couples.

Enjoyed shrimp Creole empanada, shared Cuban nacho, camerones al ajillo (shrimp dish), Cuban sandwich. All were pretty good. Serving staff was not attentive but pleasant in taking our order. Comfortable atmosphere.

There are few unique restaurant experiences that don't involve gimmicks. This was it. The service people were attentive, with just the right amount of friendly (not fake), informative and relaxed. I had a very nice experience here! The food was truly excellent! I had 3 courses, and I just have to go back for more! Inside, the restaurant is bright, pretty and gives an air of tranquility even with the Cuban music in the background fueled by high trumpet sounds. Next time I will bring friends and explore more about the Cuban palate.

Stayed in a B&B in Bed-Stuyvesant and walked the half mile here with 8 year old grand daughter. She is reasonably adventurous and LOVED the cuban burger. She insisted on returning the next night and we did a third night when she was otherwise occupied. All the meals were excellently prepared and nicely served.

We stopped here on our first night in Brooklyn because the restaurant we intended to go to was fully booked. We were not disappointed- the food was delicious and the staff were great. Good vegetarian options too.

We arrived early but found the place packed. We sat at the bar where we amused ourselves withe the menu and mojitos for half an hour before being seated. The food was served in a timely manner. The presentation was awesome. For example the maduros were a visual and gastronmic splendor. The chickpea and cauliflower salad was unique and equally presented. We were a party of four and were hard pressed to find any flaws. I cannot wait to return with more friends. The owner was on premise and working as hard as everyone else. The decor was tasteful especially around the bar. I recommend this for place for dates, meeting with special friends, and for anyone interested in trying excellent Cuban food.

Tasty food, very good chicken sandwich. Friendly service and nice Cuban music and atmosphere. Really enjoyed my lunch.

Thought the food with their overpriced and tapas sized portions was cute and kind of reminded of the new tapas style curry restos in britain. was hoping more of a Cubana Cafe kind of meal. food quality was OK but just dont see the point. service kind of slow, nice people, nice place to hang out, just not a real cuban food experience

I went there for lunch and the food didn’t meet my expectations. The food wasn’t that great the rice and beans nothing to grave about or anything else to say the least. The Cuban sandwich was horrible they can’t possibly call it a Cuban sandwich it had no flavor at all. This place is not worth it don’t waste your time or money there are many other Restaurants in NYC that’s are better and worth it. I don’t recommend this place.

This was our first stop after arriving in Brooklyn. We dropped in for lunch, and were not disappointed. Although I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the food prep, the menu contains all the traditional dishes you would expect. I had the Cuban burger with chorizo, which was a great. The service was friendly and the food was tasty in a light filled space.

Pilar has recently moved to Bedford Avenue. The corner position is airy, very bright. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Food was good, wine suggestion as should be. Very nice. Must go.

The restaurant is very inviting with Cuban character and the wait staff was extremely friendly. We started with Mariquitas (fried plantain chips) which comes with a side of spicy cilantro sauce. Crispy and both really well seasoned. My girlfriend had the veggie plate and I had the Arroz De Pollo. Again, everything was really flavorful, well seasoned, and well cooked. Great authentic tastes and the portions were all good. We ended with a fantastic dessert of churros and chocolate (which also had some dolce and caramel drizzled too). Overall great meal from start to finish, waitress was attentive, vibe was cool and intimate but inviting.

I just had dinner there with my son two months ago and the owner/mgr came running out after us when we were just outside the door. She wanted to know if we paid or not.She said she didn't see us pay. She was very rude and disrespectful. I feel that she should have asked our waitress. They are obviously unorganized. I left a generous tip for our waitress. I will never eat there again. I don' but like to pull the race card but..........I hope the owner is reading this. YES I will continue to let the world know every chance I get.

One of the selections recommended by Lisa, our server, was empenadas. We have eaten empenadas in many Hispanic restaurants and these empeneadas are very good. To enhance the flavor the empenadas are served with a green sauce that was outstanding. The sauce was creamy and cool. The empenadas were filled with beef and chicken. Among the entrees we selected were the pernil, picadillo, and two seafood dishes-zarzula de mariscos and camarones al ajillo. All of these entrees were recommended by Lisa. First the pernil, we make pernil at home and our pernil is very good. The pernil at Pilar is also very good. The pork was succulent, moist, and tasty. The only negative is that the pernil portion was small for a person that is hungry. The pernil was served with black beans and rice, and a few fried pieces of yucca. The black beans and rice were very good. A hint, if you have a choice of a side select the black beans and rice. The picadillo is a ground beef cooked with potatoes, olives, sofrito and spices. The entree was also very good. This entree was also served with black beans. Once again, the meal was very good but small for a hungry person. The camarones al ajillo was also very good, except, the shrimp was slightly over cooked. We think the shrimp was probably cooked first and continued to cook while the other meals were being prepared. Lastly, the zarzuela de mariscos was very good. The meal is similar to a seafood stew. very similar to an Italian zupa de pece. The seafood is very fresh and very tasty. The pieces of seafood are small. There was enough of the zarzuela to adequately feed a person. Lisa was a very good server. The meals and beverages were promptly served. We enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant. The restaurant is not fancy but adds to the dining experience. There are about a dozen tables. The Pilar Cuban eatery that we ate at is on the corner of Greeene and Bedford Avenues. It has a great corner location but the address is 397 Greene Avenue. The above description is for that location. We think Pilar moved to this new address.

This restaurant, the owner goes up and above what I expected. The wait staff is very friendly and helpful. The owner personally came by and suggested some great choices as he explained in detail. You have to try the stuffed tostones with shrimp! Amazing!

Stumbled across this cute little spot while wandering the neighbourhood and so glad we did! I had the pescado al ajillo which was served with rice, peas, avocado and maduros. The plate was beautiful but smelled so good I couldn’t help but dive in before I even thought to take a picture. It was a great fusion of flavours! I forget what my friend had but it looked just as good as mine! AC was pumping and service was on point.