Along with Havana’s continuing culinary revolution, here is part two of all the best privately owned restaurants (paladares) in Havana offering a new level of style and flavor in Cuban dining. Few state restaurants can compete for ambience and flavorful fare, although many are improving as they convert into workers’ cooperatives.
Don’t miss The Best of Havana’s Paladares Part 1!×Vedado abounds with great paladares, and every month at least one quality private restaurant opens up to take advantage of the new legal space. Here’s my pick of the litter.
I regularly dine at Le Chansonnier (Calle J #259, e/ 15 y Línea, tel. 07/832-1576, daily 1pm-1pm), a gorgeous restaurant in a vast, venerable mansion with soaring ceilings, moldings, beige leather banquettes, and sensational art by Damián Aquiles—testament to owner Héctor Higüera Martínez’s Parisian sensibility. Creative fare is highlighted by delicious sauces. The marinated octopus in garlic appetizer is to die for. Other winning dishes include spicy crab appetizer, duck with salsa guayabana, pork loin with eggplant, and roasted rabbit in mustard sauce. The menu is ever-changing. Most dishes cost less than CUC15.
Leather banquettes line the walls at Le Chansonnier. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.
Héctor’s influence is also all over Atelier (Calle 5 #511, e/ Paseo y 2, tel. 07/836-2025, daily noon-midnight), another chic conversion of a 19th-century mansion—almost medieval in feel—adorned with fine Cuban art and, coincidentally, run by Héctor’s brother and sister. Daily menus—printed in script on government ration cards—might include candied duck and red snapper ceviche or a superb squash soup (CUC5) and chicken with shrimp a la crema (CUC12). Now head to the rooftop terrace and sink into a sofa to savor a postprandial stogie. Reservations recommended.
What’s not to rave about at El Cocinero (Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, tel. 07/832-2355), a favorite of la farandula (the in-crowd)? Visionary entrepreneurs have turned an old red-brick factory that once made cooking oil into a superb paladar and lounge club. You ascend a spiral staircase in the old chimney to a classy second floor restaurant (chicken with criolla sauce, CUC5; pork ribs, CUC5) and open-air rooftop lounge club with castlelike wall; the latter serves tapas such as whole octopus, gazpacho Andaluz (CUC3), and baguette with goat cheese (CUC5). Leave room for the artisanal ice cream. It hosts live jazz.
Serving some of the best Italian fare in town, Mediterráneo Havana (Calle 13 #406 e/ F y G, tel. 07/832-4894, daily noon-midnight) truly evokes the Mediterranean with its white and, well, Mediterranean blues in this converted 1920s mansion. The Italian chef achieves sublime heights with his superb ravioli (CUC6.50), lasagna (CUC5.50), and lobster spaghetti (CUC9), plus pizzas (from CUC4.75). The braised goat with herbs and olive oil is delicious (CUC6.50).
For pizza, I head straight to La Chuchería Café Sport Bar (1ra esq. C, tel. 07/830-07098, daily 9am-midnight), another hip straight-from-Miami demonstration of private know-how with its Philippe Starck translucent plastic chairs. There’s usually a line to savor delicious thin-crust pizza in the air-conditioned retro-themed diner or on a patio facing the Malecón. It’s also a great place to start the day with crêpes or a classic American breakfast (CUC3.50). Plus, it has reasonable burgers and great sandwiches and creative salads. Waiters dress in hip South Beach attire.
In Nuevo Vedado, La Casa (Calle 30 #865, e/ 26 y 41, tel. 07/881-7000, daily noon-midnight) is worth the drive. This 1950s modernist house has its original modish decor and is lush with tropical plantings. La Casa serves such delicious dishes as octopus with vinaigrette, tomatos, and onions (CUC7), ham and spinach cannelloni (CUC75), pasta chicken curry (CUC9), and rabbit with mushroom sauce (CUC9). Matt Dillon and the Kennedys are among the famous clientele. Savvy owner Alejandro Robaina is usually on hand to fuss over guests. He has added an elegant bar upstairs with hookahs and music videos.
Wow! In 2013 Italian fashion model Elisa Avalle and Cuban partner Dasmary Camejo opened the chicest restaurant and lounge club in Havana: Milano Lounge Club (3ra #2404, e/ 24 y 26, tel. 07/203-4641, daily noon-midnight). They remodeled a 1947 glass-walled modernist manse in all-white post-modernist South Beach style, then snagged a Cordon Bleu chef, plus a second chef formerly with Cuban embassies in Paris and Canada. It has air-conditioned dining, plus a patio and a dining option on the lawn under medieval-type tents. The menu changes monthly. How about a starter of octopus salad with potatoes, tomatoes, olives, and capers (CUC10)? Then maybe filet mignon in Roquefort sauce (CUC14) or langostinos flambéed in cognac (CUC13). And a divine dessert such as tarta de chocolate (CUC6) or tiramisu (CUC5). The house mint lemonade is to die for, as is the Café Shakerato—cold coffee with cream and a dusting of cacao. It even has a lounge, and a DJ spins hip music outside.
At the homey Corte de Principe (Calle 9na, esq. 74, tel. 5255-9091, daily noon-3pm and 7pm-11pm), Italian owner-chef Sergio serves probably the finest Italian fare in town on a simple alfresco patio with a quasi-Italian motif. Go with Sergio’s nightly recommendations (there’s no written menu), such as a divine beef carpaccio with mozzarella and olive oil, eggplant parmesan, and garlic shrimp. Leave room for real Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Sergio over-chills the red wines, so call ahead to have him open a bottle ahead of time. And if only he wouldn’t smoke in his own restaurant!
Beef carpaccio with parmesan, arugula, and olive oil at Corte de Principe. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.
A one-of-a-kind for its riverside setting, Río Mar (3ra y Final #11, La Puntilla, tel. 07/720-4838, daily noon-midnight) has a sensational locale and a ritzy modern aesthetic. Choose the alfresco waterfront deck or the snazzy air-conditioned interior. The fusion criolla menu includes artfully presented ceviche (CUC5), beef carpaccio (CUC8), lamb with red wine and rosemary (CUC10), and chicken in blue cheese sauce with malanga purée (CUC15).
Reservations are vital at Cocina de Lilliam (Calle 48 #1311, e/ 13 y 15, Miramar, tel. 07/209-6514, Sun.-Fri. noon-3pm and 7pm-10pm), in the lush grounds of a 1930s-era mansion romantically lit at night. The brick-lined patio is shaded by trees and set with colonial lanterns and wrought-iron tables and chairs. Lilliam Domínguez conjures up tasty nouvelle Cuban. Her appetizers include tartlets of tuna and onion, and a savory dish of garbanzo beans and ham with onion and red and green peppers. Entrées include such Cuban classics as simmered lamb with onions and peppers; chicken breast with pineapple; plus fresh fish dishes and oven-roasted meats served with creamy mashed potatoes. Budget CUC15-25 apiece. It closes for two weeks in summer and the month of December.
By the shore, the suave South Beach-style Paladar Vistamar (1ra Av. #2206, e/ 22 y 24, tel. 07/203-8328, Tues.-Sun. noon-midnight) uniquely appeals for its ocean view. This modernist villa on the seafront is popular for its high-quality seafood. It also serves continental fare as well as Cuban staples. Starters include mussels in white wine sauce (CUC8), while main dishes include swordfish fillet with parmesan sauce (CUC13.50) and Mediterranean-style seafood pasta (CUC12). I never fail to order the Serrano stuffed with honey and fig paste. Leave room for a thick slab of lemon pie topped with meringue.
Out in Jaimanitas, Paladar de Santi (Calle 240A #3C23, e/ 3raC y Río, tel. 07/272-4998 or 5286-7039, 1pm-4pm and 8pm-12:30am, by reservation) is basically a riverfront shack with no menu, but the best sashimi and nigiri you’ll ever eat. Santi, the fisherman-host, brings in his own catch daily and kills and guts the fish to serve minutes before you eat it, prepared with some olive oil, coriander, and soy. Santi also serves octopus and fish dishes. It has two private air-conditioned rooms and bilevel riverside dining.
Excerpted from the First Edition of Moon Havana.
