Brunch Bliss: Habana Takes Your Taste Buds on a Vacation
Paella is a crucial stop along Habana’s brunch buffet, but far from the only star in this ensemble cast. Photo credit The Vine
Habana in Irvine Spectrum has crafted a brunch experience that offers decadence and delight for all. From the warm greeting out front, where sparkling rosé, watermelon juice, and cotton candy are offered to diners and passersby alike, I knew I was in for a treat.
My husband and I arrived at the restaurant’s opening at 10 am, where I had been generously offered a comped meal for two for the purpose of this article. We easily found parking, not a typical scenario at the notoriously packed Spectrum. I thought maybe we would go shopping after our meal. Two hours later, slightly buzzed and impossibly full, I felt incapable of shopping much less stringing a coherent sentence together.
Here’s what you need to know about brunch at Habana.
Reservations and Timing
Make a reservation. You want to show up hungry, and hungry people don’t like a long wait. Start with a rosé or watermelon juice while you wait for your table, but don’t go crazy. There are serious buffet decisions you’ll have to make, and limited stomach space. Keep a clear head. Brunch is important business!
Go early. While the various buffet stations were continuously refilled and refreshed, the restaurant and waitstaff were both ready and raring to go at 10 am. Also, parking will only get more challenging as the day goes on.
Or go late. If you’re not a morning person and/or looking for a deal, you can save $10 by going to the buffet during its final hours (2-4 pm).
Request an outdoor table. While the indoor dining room is closer to the buffet area, and beautifully decorated in that well-loved Cuban mansion style the restaurant is known for, it is dimly lit. Unless you’re trying to camouflage dark circles from a late night out, sitting on one of the patios will provide better lighting to see all of your delicious food.
Eating and Drinking
Come famished, but pace yourself. You’ll want to get your $58 (or, if you arrive after 1:45, $48) worth by enjoying the incredible variety of food. Order your bottomless mimosa ($18), bellini ($19), or sangria ($20), and then get to work. It’s game time.
The flat meat steak is a must try. Photo credit The Vine
Don’t get distracted by the salad bar. What a waste of stomach space! Start with the carving station, you can dress freshly cut slabs of a whole lechón asado and flat meat steak in garlicky mojo sauce or chimichurri. Both the lechón asado and flat steak are specially prepared under the watchful eye of Habana’s Executive Chef, Victor Sanchez. Skip the sides served at the carving station. You can try the roasted green beans and peppers, along with the garlic butter Hawaiian rolls, later.
Ribs, corn, and roasted peppers await at the grill station. Photo credit The Vine
Don’t get distracted! Head outside for freshly grilled ribs, shrimp cocktail and ceviche. Come back for the corn later. No carbs yet!
Habana’s famous paella rests next to risotto and pasta, along with an enormous wheel of Parmesan. Photo credit The Vine
It’s time for carbs. Once you’ve polished off your plates of protein, stop by the paella station for tender, perfectly seasoned Bomba rice packed with shellfish and salmon. Not a shellfish or salmon fan? Ask the server to pick pieces of the protein you prefer. Also try the risotto or creamy pasta, both given a toss in a Parmesan wheel for extra cheesiness before landing on your plate.
Flambéed bananas with caramel sauce and ice cream make for a theatrical (and delicious) made-to-order dessert. Photo credit The Vine
Customize your food. Now that you’ve attacked the protein and carb stations, it’s time to dive into the custom order areas. While some buffets simply pile premade food out for customers to pick off, Habana offers several options for food to be made for the diner a la minute. Made to order stations for omelettes, pancakes, and flambéed bananas with caramel sauce and ice cream (pro tip: add the bread pudding to your flambéed bananas for a winning combo) all give the diner a chance to see their food prepared and customized to their liking.
Buffet rules dictate that a salad bar is never the first stop. Photo credit The Vine
You may now approach the salad bar (and more). At this point, it’s time to peruse the salad bar and heated stations. The salad bar includes fresh fruit skewers, and excellent roasted Brussels sprouts as well as fresh salads (I liked the one with beets), caprese, sliced meats and cheeses, marinated artichokes, and more.
The French toast skewer with fresh berries is impossibly delicious and probably deep fried, but when in Rome (or Cuba) we enjoy without guilt. An egg-centric area offers your eggs scrambled, in a frittata, and tossed with mushrooms and spinach, alongside a plate piled high with bacon. Mini corn dogs, Mozzarella sticks, waffles, and chicken strips are prepared to clog your arteries. There is so much food. It is, sadly, impossible to try everything without sacrificing precious space for the best part of any meal.
So much dessert, so little remaining stomach space. Photo credit The Vine
Dessert permission granted. At this point in the brunch process, we’re getting full. Luckily, our dessert stomachs are empty (except for the bananas Foster we already sampled). Luckily, the mini dessert portions allow for extended sampling. Enjoy excellent flan, tres leches, chocolate flan, fruit tart, guava cheesecake, meringue topped lime tarts, chocolate chip cookies, and more. I wanted to try more pastries, but sadly had reached capacity. It was time to go home and digest, figuratively and literally.
Is it worth the price?
Yes, $58 (plus drinks, tax, and tip) is a splurge for brunch—but so is booking a flight to Havana, and this might be the next best thing. Habana’s Sunday brunch isn’t just a meal—it’s a full-on experience. You’re not rushing through a crowded buffet line with lukewarm trays and sticky tongs. You’re sipping a mimosa under palm fronds, listening to upbeat Latin tunes, and sampling plate after plate of lovingly prepared food by smiling staff who genuinely seem happy you’re there.
The space appears to be a magnet for big celebrations: many appeared to be there for a birthday, bridal shower, girls’ brunch, or anniversary. Habana has struck a rare balance of upscale but unpretentious, indulgent but not overwhelming, and charming without feeling forced. They know what they’re doing, and they’re doing it well.
So should you spend $58 (plus drinks, tax, and tip) on brunch? If you’re craving a morning of luxury, variety, and serious flavor—absolutely. Just wear your stretchiest pants, skip breakfast, and cancel any plans that require critical thinking for the afternoon.
You’ll be full, happy, and already planning your return.
Habana offers brunch only on Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm. Brunch is $58 until 2 pm, and $48 until 4 pm.