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.

Poor décor with cheap red table cloths being the highlight. Foodwise, the specialty is Pollo Lanzarote with honey-basil sauce. Not so cheap given how basic it is. We would strongly disuade people from visiting this Paladar at present due to reports of aggressive overcharging.

The Hotel Nacional is a must see fabulous place. In the heart of the city overlooking the Malecón you will drive past it repeatedly. There are a number of restuarants within the grounds of which La Barraca is probably the best. Set in the lovely gardens this is a traditional ranchón (ranch) and serves drinks in ceramic mugs and a succulent all-you-can-eat chicken menu. The other feauture restaurant is the Comedor de Aguiar which is very grand, a little intimidating, expensive with beautiful chandeliers and immaculate waiters.

Wooden tables with rustic leather chairs are laid out in a small corridor in a train like fashion. Written-all-over walls in bodeguita-style with Che Guevara pictures is a nice try but still in Centro Habana kitch range.

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.

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.

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.

If you want an opportunity to chat with an interesting paladar owner then look no further than this friendly and welcoming paladar overlooking leafy Calle 25, near the university. The décor is provided by an impressive weapons collection which is the key to a long and interesting family history. Traditional Cuban fare is the order of the day-frijoles, tostones and big pork chops.

This painted, peach-coloured 1920s mansion has two indoor colonial-style dining rooms and an outdoor grill restaurant. , Both offer healthy-sized traditional Creole dishes which are reasonable value without being of exceptional quality. The inside dining room may leave you somewhat cold, it misses that x factor which is a shame since the décor including stained-glass ceiling lamps and contemporary paintings is impressive.

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.

l

On a backstreet one block from Zanja, this Chinese cultural association is named after a town in Guangdong province in southern China. The cool, spacious restaurant has great service, and is always full of Cubans. Expect good-quality dishes-all the Cuban favourites, as well as a few Chinese classics.

Worth the longish taxi drive to the suburbs. Lilliam and her team serve huge portions of delicious Cuban and International food in an artfully-lit, jungly garden with water features, statues and huge trees towering overhead. It can be slightly unnerving sitting under the latter when flowers, seeds and assorted wildlife start splashing into your soup, but Lilliam's regulars just keep their cool and treat them as garnishes.

A stone's throw from Hotel Meliá Cohíba, do not be put of by the ugly exterior, inside lurks a cosy paladar with soft lighting and a collection of grandfather clocks. The family can seem a little weird and wonderful at times but manage to produce excellent food in a nice atmosphere. One of the best steaks in Havana.

One of a set of good quality Miramar paladares, El Diluvio is truly Italian and has one of the only traditional clay ovens which explain the quality pizzas. Real Italian flavour is also provided for a range of pastas. The service is excellent and the chef excellent.

The high prices can't really be justified, nor is it suitable for an intimate experience, but La Divina Pastora really does have a fantastic view of the bay. The food is nice enough, but doesn't turn up any real surprises.

This friendly paladar hides out in a newly painted but crumbling Vedado building. Make your way up to the first floor, traipse across the living room, down a long gloomy corridor to the kitchen and up to the roof terrace on a pretty steep spiral staircase. When you eventually get there, it's all worth it for the kitschly lit, quirkily decorated rooftop dining area. Try the huge breaded pork schnitzel ($5). Traditional Creole dishes abound in hearty, tasty portions.

Doctor Café is an expatriate favourite for good reason. Fresh fish as well as beef and lamb steaks cooked on a large BBQ are all excellent and the overall ambience is comfortable with a steady buzz and good quality service.

El Aljibe is one of the busiest restaurants in Havana, catering to the business and diplomatic crowd as well as to many large tour groups. The reason for the steady stream of clients is the best Creole food in Cuba; rice, beans and chicken really do not get any better than this .The atmosphere is provided by palm leaf/bamboo themed designs, attractive during the day.

If you want to eat rabbit this is the place to go. A good quality state run restaurant set in a 1960s redbrick exterior which belies a 17th-century Tudor mansion replica. The restaurant opened in 1966 and its style was an idea of Fidel‘s powerful personal secretary Celia Sánchez. The mushroomy Conejo Financiera ($8) is recommended.