La Terraza de Cojimar

CA4
Style of food: Seafood
Cost: Moderate
Type of place: State
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for: Wonderful view over the bay, echoes of Hemingway
Worst for: Being a tourist trap
Calle Real No. 161 esquina a Candelaria, Cojímar
(+53)7763 - 9486
Restaurant noon-midnight; Bar 10am-midnight daily
  • Ernest Hemingway lived in Cojimar for some years and this was his favorite restaurant there, as evidenced by the many pictures of the American author here, including one with Fidel Castro. In one of the pictures, you can see Gregorio Fuentes, the model for the fisherman in The Old Man and the Sea.

    Another essential stop for Hemingway aficionados, La Terraza de Cojímar offers a fabulous view of the Cojímar Bay where Hemingway would go out fishing and from where he met the fisherman on which the Old Man and the Sea is based. The photos here are unsurprisingly of the great American and are superb.

    The dining room itself is light, airy, with pleasant clean lines, and great glass windows and lightwood being both easy on the eye. The old bar out front is atmospheric and perhaps more authentic in its wornness.

    The food here is all about the fish; they even have fresh lobster you can pick out. The fish generally is excellent, although the sides are a bit of a letdown. Reasonably priced, this makes a good option on your way back from the beach. Be warned that it can be a little tricky to find. Print off a map before you head out here.

    
  • Casa Lala

    Casa Lala  LH 3+

    Havana Chef has had a makeover and a name change to Casa Lala. It has the same delicious menu (including the suckling pig that I talked about in a previous column), but with lower prices. The place is …

    Barlovento

    Barlovento  LH 3

    Barlovento is a Mediterranean themed restaurant opposite the popular El Sauce nightclub. ‘Pepín’ who, while a mechanical engineer by trade always had an affinity for the kitchen, opened this new palad …

    Parrillada 84 y Quince

    Parrillada 84 y Quince  LH 3

    Translated Parrillada 84 y Quince means Charcoal Grill located on 84th Street on the intersection of 15th Avenue. What more do you need to know? This is really a neighbourhood place just off the busy …

    El Bacura

    El Bacura  LH 3+

    El Bacura is a great option coming back from a day out at the beach. This is a farmhouse-cum-restaurant and you are welcome to wonder around back where there is a weird and wonderful assortment of ani …

    La Casa Sarasua

    La Casa Sarasua  LH 3

    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 provid …

    Italia en Cuba (La Terraza de Miramar)

    Italia en Cuba (La Terraza de Miramar)  LH 3

    I liked the look of the place from the outside. This really merits the name, the Terrace of Miramar. Located on the second floor with a nice view you wonder just where all these houses come from. It i …

    La Dominica

    La Dominica  LH 3

    La Dominica enjoys a great setting opposite the restored Colegio Universitario de San Gerónimo and the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales. Patio tables are the order of the day outside of the heat of …

    El Bambú

    El Bambú  LH 3+

    Once upon a time this was the finest vegetarian in Havana. The Japanese Garden in Havana’s Botanical gardens locates this. The setting is wonderful, the Japanese Garden is a real highlight of the Bota …

    Habáname

    Habáname  LH 3

    This is really a relatively small walk-by place rather than a destination restaurant. This is not to be dismissive since we actually quite like the place and were several hundred of these types of pla …

    Torre de Marfil

    Torre de Marfil  LH 3

    The house now occupied by the Torre de Marfil (Ivory Tower) restaurant dates from the 18th century and is situated on Mercaderes Street, a part of town that in the second half of the 19th century was …

    « 6 of 14 pages »