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$$ | Vedado |
Ring the bell of this cozy paladar to be let into a series of intimate rooms packed with an eclectic array of antique clocks, vintage musical instruments, paintings, lamps, and vases. For something typically Cuban with a gourmet twist, go for the ropa vieja (shredded beef in Creole sauce) with crunchy sweet potatoes. If you're looking for something a little more international, try the sirloin steak with blue cheese sauce or one of the excellent pasta dishes. Of the house specialties, the flaky tuna and vegetable tartlet starter or the lemon pie for dessert are particularly good.
Linea 753, e/ Paseo y Calle 2, Havana, La Habana, 10400, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$ | Vedado |
Housed in an old renovated oil mill, this place is easy to find, with its name branded in giant letters across the towering brick chimney. Located at the edge of Vedado, it might be a bit of a trek to get here, but it's definitely worth it for one of Havana's trendiest eateries. Step inside to the clanging of an old ship's bell (indicating a new customer has arrived) and climb the winding staircase into the mill itself. Stop on middle level for the industrial-chic restaurant, where tasty Cuban and international favorites are served, or head on up to the atmospheric terrace to enjoy gourmet snacks and cocktails. There's everything here, from lobster tail, fish croquettes, and octopus cooked in garlic to ribs, lamb curry, and goat-cheese club sandwich.
Calle 26, e/Calles 11 y 13, Havana, La Habana, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential, Closed Sun.
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
In a quiet corner next to the Hotel El Comendador, this restaurant offers an array of tapas, which includes various seafood offerings. On top of that, it also offers grilled fare such as vegetables, chicken, pork, and fish. Tapas servings vary from CUC$1 to CUC$3, a great deal in any destination. Seafood tapas menus can be had for CUC$12 for two persons. Service is rather slow, but friendly.
Calle Obrapía 55, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
One of the most sophisticated-looking eateries in Havana Vieja, this upscale restaurant sits on the atmospheric Plaza de San Francisco. Try for the upstairs corner table, which overlooks the plaza and has a view of the Sierra Maestra boat terminal, the Iglesia y Convento Menor de San Francisco de Asís, and the Lonja del Comercio (Commerce Exchange) across the way. The food is overpriced and only fair, but the suave decor does offer a nice ambience. Tempting dishes here, prepared by head chef Ernesto Rosario, include seafood à la crème or prawns sautéed with rosemary.
Calle de los Oficios 112, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | Vedado |
This chic paladar, situated in the penthouse of a Vedado apartment block, could very well be located in Paris or Barcelona with its funky decor and gourmet cuisine. Choose to dine inside the bright dining room, plastered in newsprint, or outside on the breezy terrace, which offers dreamy views of Havana. With a heavy emphasis on seafood with a Creole twist, the menu also offers meat and vegetarian options, all beautifully presented—think red snapper with clams, lobster and shrimp brochettes, tuna carpaccio, or slow-roasted lamb.
Calle M 257, e/19 y 20, Havana, La Habana, 10400, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Miramar |
Located near the seafront in the open air, this is one of Havana's best seafood restaurants. Shrimp, crab, lobster, grouper, snapper: every type of seafood available in the Antilles seems to find its way through this bustling kitchen. At night, the restaurant turns into one of Miramar's most popular nightclubs, with a host of live bands and DJs.
Av. 1, e/Calle 16 y Calle 18, Havana, La Habana, 11500, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | Miramar |
One of the better state-owned restaurants, El Aljibe offers a pretty open-air setting and live music while you dine. The criollo fare here is reasonably priced and served gracefully, and the place is always filled to the brim with clued-in diners (including such celebrities as Omar Linares, Cuba's finest former baseball player), as well as bus loads of tourists. The roast chicken in bitter-orange sauce, served with black beans and rice is famous, and it's worth coming here just to try it.
Av. 7, e/Calle 24 y Calle 26, Havana, La Habana, 11500, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
Another popular addition to Callejón de Peluquerros (Barbers' Alley), El Figaro's tagline is comida sin pelos (food without hairs). The menu, which was set up by the grandson of Cuba's celebrity chef Gilberto Smith Duquesne, is full of gourmet, stylized Cuban dishes, as well as international favorites such as ceviche or gazpacho. Try the signature dish of lobster cooked in coffee, cream, white wine, and cognac. Come later in the evening to watch old movies projected onto the outside wall (like a drive-in movie theater), while sampling one of their 15 varieties of mojitos.
Calle Aguiar 18 e/ Av. de las Misiones, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
Opened on the site of a warehouse that was frequented by Spanish sailors in colonial times, this little hideaway serves such creditable Spanish specialties as tortilla de patata (potato omelet) and gambas al ajillo (shrimp sautéed with garlic). The flamenco performances (nightly at 9) provide a bracing shot of atmosphere, although the Café Taberna just a couple hundred meters on tends to attract the crowds these days.
Calle Mercaderes 257, e/Calle Amargura y Calle Brasil (Teniente Rey), Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards
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$$ | Habana del Este |
Although prices are on the high side, the romantic location makes them worth it. Standing at the foot of El Morro, this restaurant offers splendid views over Havana and is a good spot for dinner after the cañonazo at La Cabaña. Your best bet is lobster; kept alive in an on-site tank, it's guaranteed to be fresh.
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | Miramar |
Set in a scenic garden, around small ponds and fountains, this is one of Miramar's best paladares, which also functions as a bar and lounge with good cocktails and some great live bands. Specializing in a variety of grilled meats, which are cooked on an outdoor charcoal grill, this place will definitely satisfy the carnivores among you. Other excellent dishes include shrimp teriyaki and fish fillet with clams in a green herb sauce. Vegetarians meanwhile will be happy with the starters of eggplant or fried chickpeas and mains of grilled vegetable platters, risottos, and pastas. Sometimes there is an extra cover charge for the music.
Av. 3, No. 305, esq. de Calle 46, Havana, La Habana, 11500, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
In the Hostal Valencia, this restaurant specializes in paella, just as its name suggests, and has won high praise for its Valencian dishes. House suggestions include grilled Caribbean seafood, Yoruba lobster with béchamel sauce, and buttered shrimp. In keeping with the cuisine, the large, airy dining room has a terra-cotta floor, a rustic feel, and is dressed in traditional Spanish furnishings. A signed image of a notable bullfighter, another of the running of the bulls, and even a memento to former president Fidel Castro Ruz dating from 1989 adorn the walls here.
Calle de los Oficios 53, esq. de Calle Obrapía, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | Vedado |
Once a private French restaurant, Le Chansonnier has now emerged into one of Havana's hottest paladares under the direction of Hector Higueras. In its modern chic interior, dine on fusion specialities such as seafood gazpacho, aubergine au gratin, roast chicken with mushroom cream, and their signature duck terrine. Make a visit the bathrooms to see the amazing artwork created by Damián Alquiles.
Calle J, No. 257, e/Calles 15 y Línea, Havana, La Habana, 10400, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
Ask anyone in Havana Vieja which places they recommend to eat and they'll almost always mention Mama Inés. Owned by chef Erasmo, who has cooked for everyone and anyone including presidents and diplomats, this intimate colonial-style paladar serves classic Creole dishes using the freshest ingredients. Erasmo himself is very humble and friendly, and always comes out of the kitchen to check on diners. Dishes are a little overpriced for what they are, but you are being cooked for by a famous chef.
Calle Obrapia 60, e/Oficios y Baratillo, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
Formerly named El Patio, Restaurante Paris is still a romantic and atmospheric option for a meal. It might be hard to pick a spot here: tables are either out on the Plaza de la Catedral or in the patio of the colonial house in which the restaurant is located. The criollo menu is complete, and although the food and service fall short of the spectacular settings, the quality of the ingredients is good. Most notable are the array of seafood dishes, such as lobster in salsa criollo or grilled fish.
Plaza de la Catedral 54, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
An elegant, intimate spot in the Hostal Conde de Villanueva, this restaurant specializes in dishes from Vuelta Abajo, Cuba's best tobacco-growing region. Try the pollo yumurino (in a criollo sauce) or the colonial-trapiche fish fillet, which is garnished with a piece of sugarcane dressed in a ginger sauce.
Calle Mercaderes 202, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
