Zafra Kitchen
“This restaurant is BYOB, and they still came outside and checked on us regularly and kept our ice waters full in the summer heat.”
“The outdoor seating is also lovely because it's tucked away on Willow Street rather than bustling Washington, which allows for some peace and quiet.”
“Favorite dinner items: camarones coloraditos (shrimp in red mole sauce w polenta and kale) and churasco (steak w chimichuri sauce).”
Zafra Kitchen
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I have been to Zafra before, but avoided it for a bit after a not-so-great churrasco. The other night, an old friend and I decided to go for a meal, wine, and catch up session. We started with maduros and the pork skewers. As much as I love maduros, these were not great. They were dry and flat, not plum and moist like I like. The pork was ok, but the cubed and fried yuca with hot paprika was delish. It served as a good starchy base for our bottle of wine.
For an entree, I had the ropa vieja, which was out of control. The meat was so tender, it was like butter, a perfect topping for the salty rice and earthy black beans. My friend had chicken enchiladas, which were also extremely tasty. There was a lovely balance of mosit stringy chicken, tangy green sauce, and cooling crema. Both dishes were very delicious and well prepared. Simple but effective.
Of course, we ordered dessert. I got the dulce de leche crepes, which were what dreams are made of. The two folded pancakes enveloped thick sweet caramel sauce and were coated with cinnamon sugar. To die for. My friend got the rice pudding that had an adult flair with a hint of anise and lots of creamy sweetness. All in all, this was a good trip and BYOB is best!
I live right around the corner from Zafra, and am so happy I finally tried it out! They have a great menu, friendly staff, a fun atmosphere AND they're BYOB.
We came on a Friday night, and it definitely fills up, but staff is very attentive and efficient.
As an appetizer, we ordered Platanos Maduros. They were okay, but seemed like they were missing salt or some type of dipping sauce. My boyfriend ordered Camarones Coloraditos- shrimp with kale, rice and beans in a red mole sauce. He really enjoyed it. I ordered the Churrasco Entrana con Chimichurri- a skirt steak with rice and beans. It was delicious and was served as a very large portion…could definitely be shared as I took half home!
I'd love to come back in the spring to take advantage of their outdoor seating and enjoy a pitcher of sangria!
Yum yum yum – loved this tapas restaurant. Came here on NYE for dinner before we went out. We tried the Patatas Braves, Pimientos Del Piquillo Relienos De Frijol Refrito Y Tres Quesos, Pinchos Morunos, and the kale. The patatas bravas were by far my favorite, crispy and the sauce was amazing. The kale is a must – I got it because a previous yelp review had recommended it. All I can say is my boyfriend who typically hates kale loved this dish. The pinchos were awesome especially with the yuca that its served with.
Will definitely come back soon to try the entrees as well. Also they are BYOB. If you bring wine they can turn it into sangria for you. We didn't try that but will next time!
What a great place to go in the summer! We had outdoor seating and it was wonderful. They have some good vegetarian/ vegan options. The waitress was very knowledgeable about vegan diets– THANKS!
I had the veggie platter with kale, pumpkin, rice and beans. Simple, good food. Tastes homemade and fresh. It was a little pricey ($18) for all veggies though.
My friends loved their dishes too (steak, chicken etc.)
Service was attentive and good.
We did not have alcohol but I heard the waitress tell the next table it is BYOB.
Nice place to go in a small group for tasty, simple Cuban food.
The food was delicious but the service was awful.
Food:
You have to order the Argentinian skirt steak entree. The fried mashed potato ball was amazing as well as the empanadas. The sausage tapas was sub-par, but the kale side was good. The free bread wasn't anything special and doesn't need to be served.
Service:
it took them forever to bring me water and had to ask a few times before we actually got it.
I came here for brunch on a Saturday afternoon. To start, my table shared plantain chips and empanadas. Both were delicious, but the empanadas were the star. For my entrée, I had the steak and eggs. It came with a very large piece of skirt steak, black beans, 2 eggs, and rice. The dish was just about perfect, although when asked how I wanted my steak done I asked for it medium and it was close to well-done. A skirt steak is thin and hard to get right. They should stop asking how you want your steak done to lower expectations. Besides that, my meal was fabulous. The black beans were the highlight, mixed with the rice and hot sauce; YUM. This restaurant is BYOB, and they still came outside and checked on us regularly and kept our ice waters full in the summer heat. Great service!
We came here with a friend one night and had a really good time and meal.
Decor: I'm not quite sure how to describe the decor of the place, but it is certainly striving for authentic _____ (Cuban? Latin? unsure). There are a handful of tables inside but we sat outside (as it was a beautiful night). If you had a HUGE group of people you should probably call ahead but a normal four-some (+/- 2 or so more) shouldn't be a problem for them to accommodate.
Bathroom: Well kept and clean.
Staff: Our waiter was a really nice guy who promptly took our order and delivered our apps and meals in the same manner. He also refilled our waters regularly (which is always a big plus!).
Food/Drink: It's BYOB, so that's always fun. For apps, we started with a Tamal De Pollo Y Rajas and some Platanos Maduros (both were fantastic) and then moved on to the Ropa Vieja (enjoyable, rather large portion) and the Churrasco Entrana Con Chimichurri (delicious! and a big portion!). All of the food came out hot, ready to eat, and tasted wonderful.
Value: Prices are right where you'd want them to be for a place like this. The level of service, and the food quality/taste, just makes the deal even sweeter.
This is easily one of my favorite spots in Hoboken and I can't wait to come back.
I came here for a girls' dinner. We decided on this spot because of the BYOB (didn't try the sangria as there was a $15 charge). We ordered an array of dishes to share. The food was all very good, but the service not so much. I hadn't seen my friends for quite some time, so we took our time eating and chatting. The waiters and waitresses came by our table multiple times trying to clear food that we were still working on. They also stared at us from behind the bar- very rude. Because of this and despite how good the food was, I won't be coming back.