A few places to consider for dining in La Habana / Havana:
("State" means this is a government-owned and operated restaurant; "Paladar" indicates it is privately owned and operated; star rating on a Cuban scale - like Cuban hotels, subtract a star for global comparisons...
and good service can be notable - as one famous Cuban said, the Cuban people are famously hospitable and welcoming - until you put them in a waiter's uniform".
)
El Aljibe ♦♦♦1/2 (State)
Address: Calle 7ma. e/ 24 y 26, Miramar, La Habana
Tel: (53 7) 204-1583 - 204-1584
Hours: 12:00 - 00:00 hrs.
This large family restaurant is managed by the son of a Cuban family - a number fled to Florida after the Revolution, but he stayed behind and was asked to manage the restaurant as a chicken specialty restaurant; he agreed as long as he was able to use his grandmother's recipe.) Lots of families, some groups, family style seating and service. Platters of tostones, extremely delicious slow-roasted chicken ("pollo aljibe"), some of the best "moros y cristianos" (black beans with white rice) and the like (yuca, aka manioc), flan for dessert - basically a price fixe menu. About 10 CUC iirc, beer, soft drinks.
Café del Oriente ♦♦♦♦ (State)
Address: Oficios #112, Esq. Amargura La Habana Vieja, CP: 10100, La Habana
(at Plaza San Francisco, AKA "Plaza de las Palomas" or "Pigeon Square")
Tel: (537) 860 6686 / Fax: (537) 860 9761
Hours: 12:00 - midnight
The Oriente has seating on the ground floor and upstairs, and is smack in the center of Habana la Vieja. Lovely furnishings take you back a century to a luxurious experience, and this is probably the most sumptuous in La Habana; upstairs is highlighted by a beautiful stained glass ceiling by Rosa María de la Terga. As well there is a dapper trio turning out lovely music to dine by. Selection of wines with some good Chilean selections offered, food can vary - our beef loin (probably from Brasil) was actually surprisingly good (and tasted more of grass feed beef). Service was attentive, food was not quite up to the standards of the décor, but still a nice meal - pricey by Cuban standards, but under CUC 50 with wine.
La Casa Española (State restaurant - ♦♦♦♦)
Address: ave. 7ma, entre 24 y 26, Miramar, Playa, La Habana
Tel: (53 7) 2069644
E-mail:
[email protected]
Hours: 12:00 to midnight.; Parrillada: 4:00 p.m.to midnight.
The house originally belonged Batista's minister of finance - and to a man who attempted to reproduce what he thought was a Spanish baronial house, so it has a lot of antique-ish furnishings and stained glass windows, etc. as well as a lovely outside garden (where food is also served). Spanish style food (platters of various foods, tasty sangría, lamb, chicken; moderate to expensive and tasty, good service. A bit dark, so for dinner be prepared. Their specialty (we didn't get it) is the "parrillada" mixed grill dinner.
La Cocina de Lilliam (I had to miss this one but it's highly recommended)
Address: Calle 48 #1311, entre 13 y 15, Playa
Tel: 209 6514
Parque Central (rooftop restaurant Neptuno) ♦♦♦♦
Address: (8th floor), Neptuno, esquina Prado y Zulueta, Havana 10100, Cuba
Tel: 53 7 860 6627
(Also lobby bar "El Pórtico", restaurants "El Mediterraneo" and "El Paséo" French and the rooftop / pool bar "Nuevo Mundo" with snacks)
The restaurant is open skies, so if it's going to rain, forget it! Otherwise, expansive views of the lovely rooftop pool, a good selection of wines and beef (Parque Central offers a steakhouse with 11 cuts of beef, undoubtedly imported, possibly from Brasil?) and dining with a three or four piece very lively Afro-Cuban musical "conjunto". Some good wines (Spanish, Chilean) available here, and attentive service.
Restaurante Divino (Paladar - ♦♦♦♦♦)
Calle Raquel No. 50 e/ Esperanza y Lindero. Reparto Castillo de Averhoff. Mantilla, Arroyo Naranjo, La Habana, Cuba.
Teléfono: (53 7) 643 7734
Email:
[email protected]
At Finca La Yoandra, about 1/2 hour out of town. This is my favorite restaurant in Cuba, I think. Gorgeous place, comfortable, lovely garden with nearby farm one can wander, attentive service, open kitchen, a lovely variety of decently priced food from Paella to smoked chicken, nice wines, etc. Not far from Cojimar if you are going to visit Finca La Vigía (ernest Hemingway's home and his yacht,
Pilar).
Museo del Chocolate
Address: Calle Mercaderes, corner with Amargura
Tel: (57 3) 866 4431
Well, kind of a museum, a great place to sit and sip a chocolate, hot or cold (but it's hard to get a seat) or watch chocolate bombons and truffles being made (not to say, you must eat one!) Needless to say, some hep was provided: Belgian aid, in fact, and the museum's crucial equipment came from Brussels! Buy a
churro (~ 50 cents of a CUC) from the stall down the street to complete your chocolate experience in the Spanish way.
Souvenirs, art, etc. As stated, American citizens / residents can bring back printed matter, CDs / DVDs, and art. (Nope, no cigars or rum.)
The best place to check a lot of art and the like (and souvenirs for those who can bring them back to their country) in one place is the
Mercado San José on the waterfront (near the church of Santa Paula) on Avenida del Puerto de La Habana
Full name: Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes San José
These warehouses, built in 1885, are covered and renvoated and hold a large number of kiosks and displays of art of various kinds, souvenirs, clothing, hats, etc. and often have music playing and exhibits as well. Some salespeople may seem aggressive, but not offensively so - they are merely trying to make a buck - OK, a CUC.
Outside, one can find several narrow gauge engines from the sugar cane trains (rail was built in Cuba to bring cane, which has to be processed soon after cutting, to the mills or
"ingenios" - passengers were never intended), as well as
"calesas" (horse drawn carriages), minitaxis that look like jack-o-lanterns or grapefruits cut away with two to three (tight) seats for passengers and a small motor.
Link to photo gallery / article Havana Times.
Beaches: Go east, yung man / woman, go east. The eastern beaches (playas del este) are 20 minutes out of town and decent, but much of La Habana's shoreline is
ironshore - jagged edges of fossilized and dead coral.
Things to do in La Habana: A good start is
this list from guidebook publishers Time Out.
A recent Trip Report on Traveling to Cuba with Grand Circle Travel, licensed from the USA:
"Cultural Exchange" trip to Cuba
(more to come)