Cigar Lounge in Bayside: Harry's Habana Hut House Blends

Harry's Habana Hut sits at 214-09 41st Avenue in Bayside Village, Queens, a few steps from the Bayside stop on the Long Island Rail Road and around the corner from the restaurants of Bell Boulevard. Locals call it HHH or simply the Hut. It is a cigar shop with an open lounge where anyone 21 and over can sit down and smoke, and its house-blend cigars start at $15. It opens at noon every day and stays open until midnight Thursday through Saturday.

The building has housed a cigar lounge since 2007, according to a 2018 StogiePress profile, and Harry Mordjikan has owned and run it since 2015. That profile told his story: born in Bulgaria, he came to the United States with his parents at 17 and worked in food, beverage and entertainment. While living in Florida he did a radio bit called Harry the Bulgarian on a Fort Myers morning show, interviewing people on the street.

Cigars run in the family, too. The same profile noted that his wife's uncle was the late Cano Ozgener, the founder of CAO cigars. The shop's own website describes Harry as a seasoned smoker who is well-versed in recommending a cigar to your liking or as a gift, and calls the lounge his home away from home. The house motto is blunt: life is too short to settle for subpar cigars and mediocre customer service, and the shop says it visits tobacco fields in person to judge its suppliers. The shop won Best Cigar Shop in Queens in the Best of the Boro awards in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The real reason to visit is the shelf of exclusives made for the shop. The HHH 1972 is a box-pressed toro, 6 by 52, rolled by Rock-A-Feller Cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua, and sells for $18 a stick or $180 for a box of 10. The 1972 Liga Especial was a 2023 limited edition made for Harry's 50th birthday, sold as a five-pack for $65. American Glory, the shop's first limited edition, comes from the Black Bird factory in the Dominican Republic and costs $18.

There are more house cigars with personality. The F-14 Tomcat is billed as the original camouflage cigar, created for the shop's Air Force and military customers, at $18 for a single or $180 for a dressed box of 10. Harry's Bad Ass Blend is the cheapest of the house smokes at $15, and the Virtues HHH Exclusive Blend five-pack is $75. Beyond the exclusives, the custom-built floor-to-ceiling glass humidor carries a wide range of brands and limited releases.

The lounge is fitted with handcrafted wood wainscoting, comfy club chairs and a gilded tin ceiling. There are two seating areas where you can light up, mingle and watch a game on one of the HD flat screens, plus a private party room and free Wi-Fi. The shop also handles catering, events and rentals, and one reviewer on its site thanked Harry for a birthday party that packed the house. When StogiePress visited in 2018, the front had seats against the window and a big TV, and past the checkout counter a double row of black leather club chairs led to a small semi-private area at the back.

Outside, the shop is easy to spot. StogiePress described a black awning with a bright yellow HHH sign on 41st Avenue. Inside, a customer review on the shop's website sums up the layout as a first-class humidor, an open lounge smoking area and a private members-only area, which is a fair description of how the room works for walk-ins and regulars at the same time.

Regulars can rent a private locker to keep cigars humidified year-round and store their own bottles of liquor. A large locker is $400 a year and a small one is $350. Every locker member also commits to a $600 minimum yearly spend, and in return receives a $600 HHH gift card to use in the shop. The 2018 profile noted that the Hut does not serve alcohol itself, which is why the locker pitch mentions bottles.

The accessories counter is well stocked. The shop carries lighters from S.T. Dupont, Xikar, Lotus, Vertigo and Jetline, a good selection of Xikar cutters, and a range of humidors. It also keeps Boveda humidity packs, ashtrays, hats and butane on hand, along with handmade bronze accessories by 2 Saints Paris. For online orders, the website asks customers to send their requests directly rather than relying on a full web store.

Early afternoon on a weekday, soon after the noon opening, is the calmest time to talk through the house blends with the staff. Thursday to Saturday evenings are livelier, with games on the screens and the lounge open until midnight. On Sunday through Wednesday the doors close at 9 pm, so plan an early evening on those nights. Private parties can take over the party room, so call ahead for a weekend group.

The Hut is in the middle of Bayside's busiest blocks. Bell Boulevard, a few steps away, is lined with restaurants, bars and cafes, which makes dinner before a cigar easy. The Bayside LIRR station on the Port Washington Branch is a stone's throw away, so Manhattan visitors can ride out from Penn Station or Grand Central rather than drive. For a walk afterwards, Crocheron Park, with its pond and lawns, is a little over half a mile north.

Address: Harry's Habana Hut, 214-09 41st Avenue, Bayside, Queens, NY 11361. Hours: Sunday to Wednesday 12 pm to 9 pm, Thursday to Saturday 12 pm to 12 am. Entry: open lounge for guests 21 and over, with a members-only area in back. House cigars: Bad Ass Blend $15, HHH 1972 and American Glory $18. Lockers: $400 large or $350 small per year, with a $600 yearly minimum returned as a gift card. Transit: LIRR Bayside station.