Food with a Flair

Haab Comes to Leonard and Grand

New Mexican restaurant Haab is the most colorful thing on the block.Featuring giant windows, an open kitchen, exposed brick walls, handmade hanging lanterns, and an impressive front wall of stacked bottles of Jarritos—red, yellow, clear, two shades of orange and green—Haab is an incredibly inviting space. Though somewhat modestly-sized—the interior can accommodate around thirty people and the outdoor area out front can hold an additional thirty or so—the restaurant is cozy and energetic-feeling, just the kind of place one would want to come and relax after a hard day of work.

“You can eat good food anywhere, but it’s style also, the place,” said co-owner Joaquim Velazquez, over interview. “How it looks counts a lot. Basically [the restaurant] was inspired by this neighborhood. The neighborhood is not typical. I was inspired to decorate the restaurant how artists might decorate it.”Additionally, Velazquez said, Haab’s color concept was inspired by the bold stripes of color present in the serape, the Mexican blanket.

It’s always something of a gamble to open a new business, particularly a restaurant—a fact Velazquez was aware of. A native of Puebla, Mexico, Velazquez has worked in the restaurant business for twelve years now, and the new Haab in Williamsburg is his second restaurant. The original Haab, located in Woodside, has been going on strong for five years now.

“I was stressed about the economy,” Velazquez admitted. “But I have a lot of good feelings about this neighborhood, basically. This neighborhood is growing up really fast, and I thought it should be a nice chance to open a new business.”Indeed, Haab seems to hold a prime location, just close enough to the walking traffic near Lorimer, but just far enough to stake its own claim.

As far as what kind of food Velazquez and company will be cooking up, the 33 year-old restaurant owner prides himself on their special dried chiles, sauces, and marinades. “We’re doing original chiles from Mexico. We focus more on the taste. For us, to eat something without chile, it has no taste,” he said, laughing. With an affordable range of traditional fare—$2.50 steak or chicken tacos, $2.95 shrimp or fish tacos, burritos for $7.95—the restaurant is sure to please. Other notable offerings include freshly made horchata—a popular drink in Mexico made of rice, cinnamon, vanilla, and water—as well as daily specials, like chilled gazpacho ($4.95) and sautéed tilapia ($13.95).

Local residents seem excited about the new restaurant—Haab has been open for just four days and already it’s gotten six three or four-star reviews from people on Yelp.Until they get their liquor license, Haab will be functioning with a BYOB policy—another reason to visit soon. Once the license comes in, expect happy hours, says Velazquez.Haab is located on 202 Leonard Street between Grand Street and Maujer Street. Hours are from 10am-midnight on Tuesday through Saturday and 10am-10pm Sunday and Monday.

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