If there’s one thing I’m against, it’s brunch. I won’t be caught dead sipping mimosas and eating eggs with a group of people at noon on a Saturday. But that’s not to say I don’t crave the occasional runny egg at an odd hour. Luckily, that’s what The Haab Mexican Café is here for.
Located on Queens Blvd. at the junction of Woodside and Sunnyside, where plenty of international hidden dining gems can be found, The Haab is among the best. I arrived on a fairly snowy winter day and was greeted with the bright highlighter yellow walls and windows lined with colorful Jarritos soda bottles.
It might have been 3 p.m. on a Saturday, but I was there for one thing and one thing only: chilaquiles. This humble egg dish is one of my favorites on the planet, but something of a rarity even in a city as vast as New York. I pretended to scan the menu before blurting out my true intentions: chilaquiles with eggs over medium in that vibrant green sauce (though it’s also offered with red).
I was tempted to order an agua fresca, but it seemed sinister to not order coffee with my eggs, so I settled on Mexican coffee made with star anise, cinnamon and piloncillo, a Mexican brown sugar with a flavor similar to molasses.
As I waited for my eggs, I threw in an order of two tacos, as well: al pastor (pork with pineapple) and pollo (chicken).
I was the only customer when I ordered, but just as my food came out, my friend Danny showed up to meet me. Chalk it up to the subpar snowy weather, but I couldn’t understand why more people weren’t eating Mexican breakfast on a Saturday afternoon.
The chilaquiles were everything I had been looking forward to. Soppy, soaked tortilla chips, completely covered in verde sauce and topped with two eggs that were bound to ooze their precious, golden yolks, coating the whole plate into a big saucy mess. The Mexican coffee had sweetness, bitterness, and just enough warmth from the cinnamon to keep me cozy and make me want to stay a while.
I poked my fork into the two golden yolks and watched them drip amongst the chips. The mixture of sour cream, cotija, and that vibrant, herbaceous sauce mixed with the egg yolk created the dressing of my dreams. The chilaquiles, starting at $16 an order, were so filling and satisfying that I could hardly finish them, but that’s what friends are for, and Danny shamelessly split the messy concoction with me.
While I was less excited about the tacos, one bite into that juicy al pastor reminded me that tacos seldom let me down, especially when they’re as authentic as the ones at The Haab. The Haab’s tacos are no-frills, with sliced radish, juicy limes, double corn tortillas, and all the fixins: onions, cilantro, and avocado sauce. They could just as easily have come from a street stall in Mexico City as from this quaint, Sunnyside eatery.
The Haab has an extensive menu, but eggs seem to be the main attraction. They offer egg sandwiches all day, with toppings like jalapeño, tomato, onion, cilantro, bacon, chorizo and oaxaca cheese. They’re served on either a roll or croissant with prices starting at $3.50. They also offer omelets, huevos tapatíos (two eggs over easy with chorizo on crispy corn tortillas), scrambled eggs with veggies and/or meat, and cold sandwiches like ham and cheese or BLT, starting at $6.
If you (like me) are unwilling to spend $40+ on a mid-day breakfast with boozy concoctions (which, yes, The Haab has micheladas and cervezas) but do occasionally crave eggs in the afternoon, The Haab Mexican Café is here to deliver.
- Address: 4722 48th Ave, Woodside, NY 11377
- Phone: (718) 729-4838
- Hours: Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sundays 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Prices: Egg sandwiches $3.50 to $6.50; Chilaquiles $16 to $19; see extensive online menu for more price information
- Takeout and delivery available; no reservations
Have a suggestion for a great hidden dining gem in your neighborhood? Reach out to Kaitlyn with your recommendations at nomannomad.net@gmail.com.
