Pilar Cuban Eatery Opens In New, Larger Space

Pilar Cuban Eatery‘s grand reopening kicked off at 3pm this past Sunday, January 25 and for many locals, it wasn’t soon enough.

There was already a line at the door at 397 Greene Avenue when staffers opened up, said general manager Pat White during a brief pause in tending to the steady stream of customers who took turns filling the restaurant’s 60 seats — lovely dark wood seats and tables — ordering Cuban sandwiches, paella, various tapas and a delicious dry, funky bottled Spanish cider called sidra.

That’s good news for owners Ricardo Barreras and Lisbeth Moreno, who opened Pilar over five years ago inside a smaller space a few blocks away at 393 Classon Avenue, bringing classy and comforting Cuban food to a community where they quickly became a favorite.

Not only does the restaurant have nearly three times the space, but it will also have an expanded menu, bar and outdoor seating (around 20 seats on the Greene Avenue side),” Barreras told us last month.

“It’s a very custom-built space and it has a lot of surprises,” Barreras enthused. “Our approach has been to make the best version of Cuban dishes we can and we’ve gained a great following. Now we’ll have the space to match.”

Dinner hours are from 5-11pm Sundays through Thursdays, and 5pm-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Lunch and brunch menus will be phased in in about two to three weeks, and the dinner menu will also expand — to include, among other things, oxtail!

There are six beers on tap, including local IPAs, red and white wines, and sherry. There is no delivery as yet.

According to White, there will also be live music in the Afro Cuban style in the future.