It really kills me to write this review, because it's about your mom.  Your mom took such great care of you growing up! Now imagine your mom is now running a cigar lounge.  Every time you visit, she makes you an espresso, tries to feed you, puts your feet up in a recliner, and gives you slices of Apple in between cigars to cleanse your pallet.  Okay, obviously I am not really talking about your mom, but Brenda, who runs Cabana Cigar Lounge in Encino, CA.

 What does "Mr. D" above, think about the Cabana Lounge?  "Man I miss that place, every day. It is like your first crush. No matter where you are, no matter what your doing all you want to do it get back to her, be close to her and spend your time with her. That place is great."

One Sunday recently, a buddy and I went AWOL on the wives (and we later paid for it in Spades), arbitrarily stopping by the Cabana Cigar Lounge.  Brenda, one of the partners, immediately was pushing free Espresso, Coffee, Chili, Hot Dogs, and Carrot Cake on us.  Then she invites us to sit on the reclining sofa (there were several), hands me the remote and brings me bottled water. Brenda did not know us from a hole in the wall, yet all this occurred before we bought our first stick.

 

Operators of Cabana Lounge, who prefer to be just known as Brenda & Chris.

After telling her the Cigars we wanted, Brenda retrieved, cut and torched them for us. Even better, I handed her my credit card from the recliner.  Pure Bliss. All of a sudden watching the Patriots get snuffed out in the last 3 seconds by the Bills seemed far less painful now.  Brenda's hospitality made the Pat's loss nearly numb. What? Brady threw four interceptions? I lost how much $? Who cares, Brenda had just handed me a slice of carrot cake and the world was a better place. In the other hand was a Gran Habano 60 gauge Corojo #3 Maduro. With cake in one hand & cigar in the other, it occurred to me at that moment that it was the best cigar shop experience I've had, well, ever.  I got to have my cake and eat it too.  Brenda was not alone in cigar paradise.

 

One of several 50" Plasma TV's at the Cabana Lounge

Brenda was working alongside Chris, who was just as hospitable.  He forced me (how dare you!) to take the best seat in front of the Plasma TV, just before Brenda handed me the remote.  It gets better, they were both laughing at our jokes. Could this place be cigar heaven? "We've been here a year and have done zero advertising" Brenda said.  Of course!  Who needs marketing when you have Brenda, who is clearly the goodwill, or true equity of the business?  It really kills me to write this review, because a year from now I'll be fighting ten guys for that remote, and Brenda's attention. No worries, I've got a plan. I'm going to open a cigar shop and have my mom run it.