This is what happens when you leave a Red Bulls game, walk toward your Uber and get stuck in a ridiculous downpour. Because, despite the name, the New York Red Bulls reside in Harrison, NJ. Anyhow, we first used Mambo for cover and then it became a shelter in which to hunker down and finally a place to eat drink and be merry. But mostly drink. And be merry, I suppose. After some drinking. It all makes sense, I promise.
Harrison is not a city I’m terribly familiar with. I think I mostly pass by it on NJT on the way into NYC. It seems to be mostly industrial sites and the newly renamed/sponsored Sports Illustrated Stadium. To be fair, though, a ton of apartment complexes and condo-type things have sprung up all around the stadium in recent years. With places like Hoboken being incredibly pricey and Jersey City getting increasingly expensive, I gather that areas like Harrison, which is connected to the city by the local PATH, have become great alternatives. In come the yuppies and in come the places yuppies need to eat. Though I’m not certain people use the term yuppies in 2025. Let’s call them youngish people with decent jobs and enough disposable income to go out for slightly upscale Cuban food. Slightly.
I feel like my compadres ordered some pork-oriented appetizers, of which I didn’t partake. Though I did mow some tostones and guacamole while simultaneously drinking several Modelo Especials. Yes, it was a low rent feast — and guacamole is not, in fact, Cuban — but it was all of a piece. One of my crew drank more than his share of Cadillac margaritas (while also double-ordering Modelos and possibly a Heineken or two) which is a thing I don’t even understand. I make a mean margarita, frankly, that is basically just silver tequila, fresh lime juice and simple syrup, but nothing in it is aligned with a major American car manufacturer in the twilight of its societal resonance. Whatever happened, that shit ran him over like one.
The bartender was incredibly patient and understanding with our hectic ordering and “cut him off” throat slashes as the evening moved forward. The atmosphere was friendly and the surroundings fun and bright. I’m pretty sure the soundtrack — at least what I could hear over our rather boisterous conversations — was a mixture of decade-specific pop music and 27 remixes of modern Bad Bunny songs. Not a bad serendipitous evening in a town that definitely feels like it’s on the upswing.
705 Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard South – Harrison
973/400-0234
mambocubanrestaurant.com
