In New York, Habana Outpost has been a restaurant associated with art, sustainability, doing good, and delicious food. After a bit of a bumpy road, the Brooklyn favorite has opened a location in New Orleans at 1040 Esplanade Avenue and hopes to bring the success of its other locations to the city.

Sean Meenan initially started the company in Manhattan as Café Habana in 1997. Tess Kramer, manager of Habana Outpost in Brooklyn, describes that he saw a space at a diner in New York City’s NoLita [North of Little Italy] neighborhood and set out to create a pillar for the community.

“He created a space that supported local artists and he would bring in kids from art school to create eco-conscious art projects,” Kramer said.

“The goal was to create a place where everyone feels welcome,” Meenan added. “The first Café Habana was in an old diner and the great thing about diners is everyone feels comfortable. At Café Habana we want to bring people together.”

In addition, Habana Outpost is a well-thought-out restaurant that strives to contribute rather than take away from its environment. In 2005, Habana Outpost opened in Brooklyn as the first fully solar-powered restaurant in New York City. Meenan is creating restaurants that are as eco-conscious as possible; the New Orleans location of Habana Outpost is powered by geothermal and solar energy, and the disposable products used in the restaurant, including plates, napkins, and straws, are compostable.

“Habana Outpost has the spirit of Café Habana in a more casual setting,” Meenan said. “Habana Outpost is meant to bring the community together and give back to the community through the environmental work.”

In New Orleans, the restaurant features a waste recycling system from Hungry Giant which collects discarded waste. Meenan described it as a type of large-scale garbage disposal that grounds down waste which is then dehydrated into a nutrient-rich dirt-like material. This dirt is then collected by Schmelly’s Dirt Farm to be composted and converted into soil for farming.

Meenan said, “We say that the restaurant is table-to-farm because everything can go into this system to create dirt.”

Habana Outpost’s menu from chef Leo Martinez has a variety of tacos, nachos, and bowls, is inclusive of vegans, and has gluten-free options. Highlights include Grilled Corn on a stick, which Food Network called “The Best Thing to Eat on a Stick.” Grilled Chicken Tacos with cilantro, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and homemade salsa verde. Grilled Gulf Shrimp Tacos with cilantro, guacamole, chipotle mayo, pico de gallo, and homemade salsa roja. Grilled Chicken Quesadilla with flour tortilla, cheddar cheese, topped with crema, and homemade salsa verde, and served with a side of jalapeños. Traditional Nachos, tortilla chips layered with queso, cotija cheese, beans, pico de gallo, crema, jalapeños, and guacamole and served with a choice of chicken, pork, eggplant, or shrimp.

One of the restaurant’s specialties is its Cuban Sandwich packed with roast pork, ham, and Swiss cheese, and sides include queso and chips, guacamole and chips, and rice and beans. Chef Leo’s Cuban Sandwich is considered one of the best Cuban Sandwiches in New York, and Chef has brought his special touches to Habana Outpost’s New Orleans menu.

In addition to his restaurants, in 2006, Meenan started an outreach program called Habana Works, which, according to the Habana Outpost website, promotes urban environmentalism and contributes to the communities in which he continues to do business. Habana Works provides educational programs to neighbors and residents.

Since its inception in 1997, Café Habana and Habana Outpost have expanded to nine locations, including the one in New Orleans.

The road to opening a New Orleans Habana Outpost location started in 2012. It came with pushback from residents of the historic French Quarter neighborhood who were hesitant to welcome a franchise restaurant to their midst. Located in a decades-long abandoned gas station and the former Villere’s Pharmacy, residents worried Habana Outpost would become a 24-hour party and event spot rather than a restaurant content to serve a Mexican-Cuban fusion menu and margaritas. However, from the beginning, Meenan, who moved his family to New Orleans in 2012, stated that he planned to operate Habana Outpost as a standard restaurant, which is what the space is permitted for.

According to Richard A. Webster and NOLA.com, in 2016, two weeks after the council voted in favor of Café Habana opening a New Orleans location on Esplanade, a group of French Quarter residents opposed to the restaurant sued the City Council and the Planning Commission, seeking to overturn the vote. Neighbors were also concerned that the façade of the former gas station would be changed drastically. However, Meenan proposed a plan that stayed true to the original building’s design and integrity.

After years of red tape, New Orleans’ Habana Outpost finally opened in February with little pushback.

The restaurant is hard to miss, with a 1965 Lincoln Continental parked out front with “Habana Outpost” printed on the side and a fleur de lis mural next to a large patio with plenty of seating and a splash pad. Tucked behind a gate and a canopy of plants, Habana Outpost feels more like a hidden island getaway than a restaurant outside the historic French Quarter.

Inside, the restaurant displays art by local artists, such as a portrait of Mahalia Jackson done by her great-nephew, visual artist Nesby Phips, an eleven-foot mural of an alligator created by Leslie Charleville using Gyotaku, a Japanese art form, and original artwork by Banksy, the elusive world-renowned graffiti-artist, which was moved from its original location at 1606 N. Robertson St. in the seventh ward and restored by Elise Grenier.

With the summer slowly moving out and cooler temperatures beginning to move in, Habana Outpost’s patio is the perfect place to spend an afternoon enjoying cocktails and lunch.

Habana Outpost is open Thursday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.