Spanish
Expensive
Joint venture with Spanish group

The Café del Oriente is a bit self-consciously grand, but the service is excellent and the majority of dishes very well cooked. The café menu downstairs differs from that of the upstairs restaurant, but if you’d like to see both menus the staff are flexible from serving from either one of them on both floors. In general there’s perhaps a tad too much emphasis on fruity additions to savoury dishes, but the Café’s Filet Mignon melts in the mouth and the Caesar Salad’s the best we’ve tasted on either side of the Atlantic.

Spanish
Moderate
State restaurant

One of our favourite choices for dinner in Old Havana, La Paella has a relaxed, intimate and charming ambience fully in keeping with the lovely boutique hotel (Hostal Valencia). The trademark paella dish is not perfect but pretty damn good and the wine selection not bad either.

International/Caribbean Expensive
State restaurant

Santo Angel is a high quality restaurant on the North West corner of the beautiful Plaza Vieja. The best tables are on the terrace although there is also plenty of room inside. It is expensive but worth it the dishes are imaginative and original (try for example the almond chicken in a sherry sauce).

Eastern (Lebanese)
Moderate
State restaurant (Habaguanex)

Al Medina opened a few years ago as a Middle Eastern restaurant housed inside a lovely 17th-century building which was formerly a boys school. The menu features a large collection of meze dishes, grilled chicken and other staple Lebanese dishes including falafel and humus. Good for a light lunch or dinner if you fancy a change. The courtyard is very pleasant to eat in.

Creole/Caribbean
Moderate
State restaurant (Habaguanex)

Despite the international renown of La Bodeguita del Medio the actual food is generally a bit of a letdown. The place is worth stopping by for a mohito in the attached bar (although bear in mind you will be cheek to jowl with camera touting tourists). The restaurant does retain a certain ambience even though the best tables are reserved for Sammy Davis Junior amongst others.

Cuban/Creole
Moderate
State restaurant (Habaguanex)
* Dedicated to Benny More

Located on the corner of Plaza Vieja this restaurant is dedicated to the revered musician Benny Moré. The band, memorabilia and general decor create a lively and popular atmosphere which makes it a good option if you like his music. The food is pretty average with the house speciality of lobster and shrimps typically overpriced and upsold.

There are not many signs of a restuarant hidden behind the busy bar which is open 24 hours. This was apparently one of Fidel’s favourite hangouts after the Revolution. Now as an average Spanish-Cuban restuarant serving the normal criolla fare there is nothing to really recommend it but equally not so terrible either.

Italian
Moderate
State restaurant

El Patio was formerly an 18th-century colonial palace and is located on one of Havana’s most picturesque squares (Plaza de Catedral). There is no better place for people watching and is the perfect place for a drink any time of day or night. A good band plays most of the day. Unfortunately the food is somewhat overpriced and unspectacular. If you don’t care about the money spend 20 bucks on a pepper steak and sit back and enjoy.

International
Moderate
State restaurant (Habaguanex)

The Floridita is something of a cliché but a good one. Service is excellent and the ambience classy. The bar features a cordoned-off seat of former regular customer Ernest Hemingway. Food is good but expensive; thermidor lobster will set you back CUC 42.

Cuban
Cheap
State restaurant (Habaguanex)

Definitely in the slightly dodgy category even if this simply reflects enthusiasm of the touts to get you inside. Certainly the claim to be Vietnamese is tenuous at best. It is, however, cheap and eatable offering the best value in Old Havana.

Jewish
Moderate
State restaurant (Habaguanex)

This restaurant is located in the lobby of the beautifully restored Hotel Raquel (the stained-glass ceiling is a real highlight of Old Havana). Included in the partly Jewish menu are Hungarian goulash and Israeli salad. Kebabs also feature heavily, with Shashlik del Edén, a combination of plainly cooked fish, chicken among the specials.

Italian
Moderate
State restaurant

La Dominica enjoys a lovely setting next to the restored Colegio Universitario de San Gerónimo in between Plaza Vieja and Plaza de Armas. Patio tables are the order of the day outside of the heat of summer when the formal interior offers a chilled alternative. The food and service are both good with pizza and pasta heavily featured. Not quite as tasty as Prado y Neptuno and don’t ever expect the credit card machine to work but almost as good as it gets in Old Havana.

A fantastic place to go if you enjoy your dinner with live flamenco. It does become quite loud so probably not so good if you want to chat. Service is good, the sangria excellent and the tapas pretty spot on (spicy potatoes, chorizo and shrimps in garlic being the highlights), the only real drawback are the main dishes which are a bit of a letdown—stick to the tapas.

Creole
Moderate
State restaurant (Habaguanex)

La Mina is a large rambling complex which includes a sweet shop, bar, café, ice-cream parlour and restaurant. Located right on Plaza de Armas the view of the square is lovely. Unfortunately the food (pork, chicken, fish) and service is unspecial falling into regular tourist class which simply picks up passing trade rather than really attracting people.

This bar is increasingly popular with tourists and Cubans alike, a fact which makes it something of a rarity in Old Havana. There is a microbrwery located inside which provides its own unique beer which is excellent. The bar has been restored beuatifully with long wooden tables inside and great people watching patio tables outside. The food is pretty basic, keep to the grilled pork or chicken, but relatively cheap and after a few beers who really notices anyway. Non-alcoholic drinks served other than beer.

Chinese
Moderate
State restaurant (Habaguanex)

The only Chinese restaurant in old Havana is set on a very busy tourist throughfare through old Havana but never seems to attract the passing tourist trade. It is a shame since it is a peaceful place with reasonable food. Look out for the red Chinese lanterns hanging outside.