As we always say, good moments, a party of those shared with friends and family, are an unparalleled gift and they always find a proper complement in a well-served table. Traditions, identity, nationality and culture go well with the latter. That is why on these days AlaMesa suggests 7 places where Cuban cuisine is served, preserved, rescued, reinvented.
The note: More than just a restaurant: this place is a Project that recreates one of our most autochthonous cultural traditions, the Fiestas Cucalambeanas from Las Tunas province.
Thumb up: It is not just about eating but about an experience related to Cuban culture.
Thumb down: It is well away from the main population centers of the city, so it requires putting together an expedition for it.
Recommended: El Cuban peasant style roasted pork, and also the tasty and abundant meals.
The note: At the crossroads between modern and traditional, between appearance and content, this restaurant pays tribute to two magical cities that are a permanent inspiration: New York and Havana.
Thumb up: The cozy and quiet atmosphere and the high profile service: professional, proficient and very personalized.
Thumb down: It has a menu of over 200 dishes so it can take a while to decide (and you might not find what you want).
Recommended: This is a place to go with a group of people.
The note: A place created and grown with artisan hands from the very seed. Hecho en Casa makes an art out the minimal and everyday gestures. Possessed by an obsession with almost invisible details, it offers what it calls "authentic homemade food" that is just another name for that permanent inventiveness that Cuban cuisine is.
Thumb up: Its owner and chef, Alina, with whom is also a delight the exchange.
Thumb down: It's small, that has pros and cons that you yourself, dear reader, can imagine.
Recommended: The often ingenious ways in which they use vegetables and fruits in multiple and sometimes surprising preparations.
The note: With no artistic pretensions, droit au but, Conde Baraca is one of those places designed to restore either a tired traveler or one who is preparing for a tiring journey. A typical ranchón, surrounded by vegetation and with an large menu of traditional Cuban food with some recipes "stolen" from international cuisine.
Thumb up: It is totally predictable, but what expected is done properly: clean, fresh, well cooked, well presented and best served. The portions are generous.
Thumb down: Paraphrasing the author: "In a place of Havana ..." It simply can not be further away without leaving the provincial limits.
Recommended: The Garbanzos del Conde and the Parrillada la Estancia. And reinforcements to be able to cope will all that food.
The note: Located on the eleventh floor of a central Vedado building, Porto Habana offers what one of its clients characterized as a high standard version of traditional Cuban food.
Thumb up: The exceptional view of the city and the sea.
Thumb down: Well, it's on an eleventh floor, so accessibility is limited.
Recommended: The Picadillo a la Habanera and (remarkable for a restaurant) the national classic cocktails.
The note: A small corner in Old Havana, a carefully restored colonial house. It defines its art as “market cuisine” instead of Cuban cuisine, but that is not even a type of cuisine, it is a strategy that avoids tying itself to a menu and brings out the best of what is at hand… and what is at hand, is in Cuba ... ergo. The dishes born this way have influences from the Mediterranean and from other places, but with a clear national root.
Thumb up: The atmosphere of the place and of course the food that comes from the hand of an experienced chef.
Thumb down: The narrow inner staircase demands more courage than usual.
Recommended: The lechoncito mamón asado and the flan de guayaba.
The note: Nothing less than a classic architectural jewel, epitome of Cuban cuisine, the heart of Old Havana, small corner, maximum atmosphere.
Thumb up: Two word: the food
Thumb down: It is in a crowded space where it coexists and competes with several other restaurants. Competition is not always the most loyal and sometimes the victim is the visitor.
Lo recomendado: The frijoles negros dormidos and the ropa vieja. Is there anything more Cuban than that?
Have we forgotten a place? Recommend us your favorites.