Pilar Cuban Eatery
“Dinner is filling (try the Pernil, Quimbombo, or the Vaca Frita), their homemade desserts are delicious (guava cream cheese pie!), and be sure to try their Spanish sidras (ciders) on tap.”
“My go-to brunch spot — they have amazing Spanish ciders on tap, and just a great refreshing meal every time.”
“The portion sizes are great (I think they upped them due to previous reviews) and the quality is really noticeable.”
Pilar Cuban Eatery
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
7 reviews
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Really great ambiance and food. I had the grilled cheese with plantain and steak sandwich.
Both were really good, plus the bread was amazing. I hear Pilar has really good breakfast sandwiches.
Not the mention the coffee is great too!
It really saddens me that I have to lower my review for this place, my husband & I have been coming to this restaurant since they were at the first location, a tiny little spot that made amazing Cuban food. We came yesterday (Saturday) and thankfully the place wasn't that packed. We were seated by Fatima, after getting comfortable, we were asked to get because we were seated by mistake, which was rude! And uncalled for, if an employee makes a mistake like that, then deal with it. After the embarrassment my husband wanted to walk out, but I talked him into staying, since the gentleman that asked us to get up, stated that we will be seated in two minutes, which we were. Didn't know why we had to get up, for someone else to sit down, just to sit on the other side of the restaurant. Maybe they should have apologized to the people waiting & had them sit where they put us. That left a bad taste in my mouth….also lets make this clear for a place that so Cuban, they don't have one Cuban employee, they are marketing this place as a yuppie/hipster restaurant, I guess not even thinking about the people who originated from this neighborhood. Gentrification is sad I will tell you that! So if you are a born & raised brooklyn person, you will feel like you just walked into Ohio!!!
Okay now on to the food….Fatima was our waitress, and she wasn't that great!
White sangria tasted like it was made with champagne or sparkling wine, wasn't that great at all. But I let that slide because i remember how good the food was.
We started off with the croquettes, and boy have they changed!!!! Not delicious at all! Lacking major flavor! Guess they have to cater to the clientele they are trying to attract.
My husband ordered chorizo, and took one bite and spit it out! He said it was the worse thing he has ever eaten. I asked Fatima to please take it off the bill, and told her we didn't want it anymore.
For entree I ordered the usual, Pernil, white rice, black beans, the beans had zero flavor! How does CUBAN beans have no flavor is beyond me!
My husband ordered the shredded beef, which took fifteen minutes to come after I already had my entree on the table. RUDE!
I kept asking Fatima where is my husbands food so I can eat, and my food not get cold, but she kept saying five more minutes.
At the end we didn't enjoy anything! And left extremely disappointed, confirming how I am completely SICK of what brooklyn has become!
Last but not least, Fatima forgot to take the chorizo off the bill, so I had to remind her….
Basically if you aren't a yuppie/hipster and you like to eat food with zero flavor, but call it Cuban come here….
Starving and excited to try something new. I ordered the veggies and eggs for $14…two potato – leek croquettes served with two eggs, maduros, marinated butter beans and avocado, tomato salad.
I hated the texture of the croquettes. Why add the cheese, especially when it was not mentioned as an ingredient of the dish? Since it was a relatively light dish, I ordered the chicken empanada which came in pairs for $9 and a mild green sauce. For dessert, I wanted to live a little by venturing away from my usual love affair with chocolate. I ordered the passion fruit flan for $9. Unfortunately, the flavor of the fruit was very subtle. I later discovered that I am not a fan of flan either. Overall, I was disappointed with my meal and still can't figure out why I ordered the lemon – lime drink for $5. It was clearly bitter and a faux-pas on my part.
I wished the rotisserie chicken was available for ordering, but it wasn't 4pm yet. When reviewing the menu, be mindful that some items may not be available during certain times.
Our server, Tierny, was attentive, nice, and provided helpful insight on the menu. Friendly staff.
The restaurant looks great inside-out. It was a bit chilly though since the curtain was not fully drawn to keep the temperature outside from creeping in.
So after finding out my favorite neighborhood brunch spot closed I was looking for an awesome brunch spot to take all my money. Unfortunately I don't think this is it. Let me start out by saying I like the décor and that you can eat outside and the food is just fantastic!! The service is what got me. It wasn't horrible, but it was still bad. Our waiter after taking our orders came back 3 times to confirm what it was again and still manages to get it wrong. Just write it down if you're not going to remember. Then when we went to pay 2 of us were paying with cards and 1 with cash. So to make it as easy as possible I wrote the names of who was paying with cards and how much as well as the amount to pay in cash. Some how he managed to mess that up too. Please just pay attention to what you're doing. That's part of the job. If it was busier I'd understand but it wasn't. From now on I'll be ordering pickup from here because like I said before the food was great.
Found myself chair dancing here on a Friday night for the fourth or fifth time. And the woman sitting next to me was dancing the same salsa-like dance even though we weren't at the same table.
My point is it's too easy to forget stress and have a good time at cute, comfy, and kid-friendly Pilar. It's a true family style, sit-down environment that stands out from the bounty of local bars and eateries on Bedford.
In addition to comfortable tables, attentive service, passion fruit mojitos and interaction with other cute kids for dinner, we usually come here for the decadent, rich and flavorful arroz con pollo served with perfectly cooked sweet plantains (that burnt and crispy edge is everything). I'm not an expert in Latin cuisine so I can't speak to authenticity but Pilar's version of this classic dish is impressive and satisfying. Home cooking at its best.
The last time we went we also had a shrimp appetizer (new on the menu?). It was like a tart with with shrimp and very flavorful but not too spicy for my LO tomato sauce, baked in a pastry shell. I'll be looking for it the next time we go to Pilar, our home away from home.
A group of us went here for dinner. My boyfriend had the special beef empanadas and ham croquettes, my friend had the pernil, and I had the skirt steak.
If I am paying 18$ for a plate of meat, rice, and beans, I am expecting a relatively substantial amount of meat. Or at least more than 3 ounces. 3 measly ounces of steak. I am not expecting to have to fill up on rice and beans. If it was 10$? Fine. But 18$ for such tiny amount of meat? Ridiculous.
The food itself…the ham croquettes were very good. The empanadas were alright. I liked the pernil the best. The steak really wasn't good, it was tough and dry.
I am in love with this place. Visiting my bff in Brooklyn and this place is right down the street from her place. How cool is that??!
I have never had Cuban food before, maybe variations of it, but not quite authentic…UNTIL NOW. The food was so tasty and delicious. In fact, I went back there the next day and had brunch after I had just had dinner there.
Service was fast and friendly. Indoor seating, as well as some tables outside for days when the weather is perfect to be dining outdoors. It was a great introduction to Cuban food. I'm sure if I lived in Brooklyn, I'd be coming here quite often.
Will definitely be back here the next time I visit NY!
Enjoy!