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$$ | Vedado |
Housed in an old renovated oil mill, this place is easy to find, with its name branded in giant letters across the towering brick chimney. Located at the edge of Vedado, it might be a bit of a trek to get here, but it's definitely worth it for one of Havana's trendiest eateries. Step inside to the clanging of an old ship's bell (indicating a new customer has arrived) and climb the winding staircase into the mill itself. Stop on middle level for the industrial-chic restaurant, where tasty Cuban and international favorites are served, or head on up to the atmospheric terrace to enjoy gourmet snacks and cocktails. There's everything here, from lobster tail, fish croquettes, and octopus cooked in garlic to ribs, lamb curry, and goat-cheese club sandwich.
Calle 26, e/Calles 11 y 13, Havana, La Habana, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential, Closed Sun.
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$$$$ | Centro Habana |
Still Havana's most famous paladar, La Guardia has reached almost legendary status. Enrique Nuñez and his wife, Odeysis, have transformed their early 20th-century town house into a fine paladar. It's so photogenic that scenes in Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate) were filmed here. The three-floor climb up the squalid but picturesque stairway generates an appetite-enhancing adrenaline. The daily special is never what Enrique and Odeysis need to get rid of but rather what they hope will make you happiest. Look for cherna compuesta a lo caimanero (with coconut and spices) or conejoal aceite de oliva con caponata (cooked in olive oil with a sauce of eggplant, peppers, and onion). On Sunday the restaurant is open only for brunch from noon to 4.
Calle Concordia 418, Havana, La Habana, 10200, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential, No credit cards
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$$$$ | Vedado | European
For decades, the elegant dining room in the Hotel Nacional has been one of the city's premier establishments. Despite the table-side shrimp-and-rum flambé performances, which are always entertaining, the atmosphere is generally subdued—even when the place is full. The wine list is excellent, though pricey.
Hotel Nacional, Calle O y Calle 21, Havana, 10400, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$ | La Habana Vieja |
Located down the trendy Callejón de Peluquerros, lined with new paladares, bars, and art galleries, this eatery offers some of the tastiest and most innovative cuisine in Havana Vieja. Think Cuban-style fajitas or wild rice with peanuts and curry. Vegetarians will be delighted with the choices, which include a savory eggplant cake, topped with a tomato salsa and melted cheese. The decor here matches the excellent food, with bare brick walls, original tiles, stained glass windows, and old black-and-white photos lining the walls.
Calle Aguiar 22 e/Ave. de las Misiones y Pena Pobre, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
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$$ | 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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$$ | Miramar |
Located near the seafront in the open air, this is one of Havana's best seafood restaurants. Shrimp, crab, lobster, grouper, snapper: every type of seafood available in the Antilles seems to find its way through this bustling kitchen. At night, the restaurant turns into one of Miramar's most popular nightclubs, with a host of live bands and DJs.
Av. 1, e/Calle 16 y Calle 18, Havana, La Habana, 11500, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | 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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$ | Centro Habana |
Also known as Casa de la Parra (House of the Grape Arbor), this simple, yet elegant restaurant only specializes in typical criollo and Cuban food, despite the name. Sit inside under old wooden beams or outside on the patio under shady grape vines while dining on the classic menu that includes such dishes as morros y cristianos (rice and beans), boniato cocido (boiled yam), various grilled meats, and fish and vegetable fried rice. Although the price is right, make sure to check your bill before paying as sometimes they overcharge.
Calle Brasil (Teniente Rey) y Calle Bernaza, Havana, La Habana, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$ | La Habana Vieja |
Those on a budget should try this lovely little place located in the gardens of Café del Oriente, which is just around the corner. A favorite with locals on their lunch break, tables are set among the tropical plants and trickling fountains, and it's always packed. Typical Cuban fare is served, as well as an array of filled baguettes. Portions are big and you won't pay more than CUC$5 for any of the main meals.
Calle Amargura 12, e/Oficios y Mercaderes, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
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$ | Centro Habana |
While both its decor, neighborhood, and context may be Chinese, this restaurant has very little to do with the Orient. (Frankly, rare is the Asiatic face at any Havana Chinese eatery.) Very popular with locals, there's always a queue halfway out the door. The restaurant's menu includes a wide variety of food that is popular with Cubans. The grilled chicken criollo-style is grand and not dry at all, while the shrimp in a cream sauce is delicious. Prepare yourself for king-size portions. Daily offerings and the chef's selections are stapled to the menu daily.
Havana, La Habana, 10200, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$ | Centro Habana |
Situated right across from the Capitolio, it might be easy to miss Los Nardos if it wasn't for the long queues. Popular among locals, hefty portions of red snapper, rabbit or chicken and lamb stew are served up daily. There's virtually no exterior signage, and the restaurant is decorated with locally crafted wooden lamps, tables, and chairs, giving the dining room an eclectic decor and a romantic ambience. Make sure that you are on the first floor—and not the upper floor, which is another less stellar eatery.
Paseo del Prado 563, Havana, La Habana, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$ | Habana del Este |
This place is a little far out of town, but hitch a ride on one of Guanabo's quaint horse and carts, and for a couple of CUC's, you'll be there in no time. Set in a rustic dining room with a large outdoor patio and open kitchen, this lively paladar serves some of the best pizzas you will find in the whole of Cuba. Watch as your pizza is cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven in front of you.
Ave. 5 y Calle 502, Havana, La Habana, 10900, Cuba
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$ | La Habana Vieja |
From its beginnings as the 19th-century Europa Café, the onetime famous colonial-style café and candy shop has reopened as a restaurant serving Cuban and international cuisine. As is typical here, a band plays live Cuban music, greeting visitors walking down Obispo towards the port. Dishes are uninspiring, but if you just want a cheap and simple lunch, this place is good. Plates include basic grilled chicken fillets, traditional Cuban hashed beef, and simple sandwiches cooked by chef Ernesto. There's an extensive cocktail list and an impressively stocked bar. As is often the case in Cuba, the restaurant even sells tobacco products.
Calle Obispo 112, adjacent to Aguiar, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | La Habana Vieja |
Formerly named El Patio, Restaurante Paris is still a romantic and atmospheric option for a meal. It might be hard to pick a spot here: tables are either out on the Plaza de la Catedral or in the patio of the colonial house in which the restaurant is located. The criollo menu is complete, and although the food and service fall short of the spectacular settings, the quality of the ingredients is good. Most notable are the array of seafood dishes, such as lobster in salsa criollo or grilled fish.
Plaza de la Catedral 54, Havana, La Habana, 10100, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$ | Centro Habana |
Its name means "heaven's temple" in Mandarin, and this temple to Chinese cuisine has enough worshippers that you'll be lucky to find a spot inside. No matter, though, as there are tables outside as well—all the better for watching passersby on Chinatown's wildest street. Prices vary wildly depending on what you order, and while the food is cooked by Chinese chef Xio Luo, it could be a little fresher. Certain dishes (such as the crispy duck) must be ordered in advance.
Calle Cuchillo 17, e/Calle Zanja y Calle San Nicolas, Havana, La Habana, 10200, Cuba
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards
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$$ | 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
