La Guarida is one of the most famous adress of Havana where to enjoy a lovely evening. Actually, La Guarida is not a real restaurant but is what we call a Paladar. Let's me explain you a bit more...
When times were even more difficult in Cuba, locals opened restaurants in their own houses and appartment to help them to earn some money. These restaurants were not really authorized but the governement tolerated them let's say. And this is what we call a paladar. La Guarida opened in 1996 in the third floor of a beautiful building.
Time of paladares has changed and they are not that hidden now. La Guarida looks like nowadays like a real restaurant. This is the place where celebrities and important local people like to come and to be seen. Have a look to celebrities pictures on the wall, Madonna and Mick Jaegger were one of them. However, despite the sparkles, the way to get there is quite interesting, giving you the feeling to arrive in a very special adress.
The stair is a illustration of Cuban History with Fidel Castro Litemoteiv : Patria o Muerte.
Have a look to the architecture and the details. La Guarida takes place in an ancient palace where all the details and the lightings are a testimonial to the past glory of decades quite far away....
I recommend to start the diner with a drink on the rooftop where you can enjoy a little of music and try to dance some salsa.
The restaurant is really beautifil, with lots of pieces of art. You will see, art is every where in Cuba.
The restaurant is displayed in three rooms, which is quite not surprising as it takes place in the appartments of an ancient palace. Food is quite sophisticated, mixing traditional cuban meals with new international cuisines, adding french, spanish or mexican touches. For a starter with a main course and wine, average ticket is around 40 euros, which I think is quite expensive for the country. Food is pretty good but not exceptional. Even though the decoration and atmosphere are quite pleasant, we found the restaurant very noisy and it became difficult to talk to each other by the end of the diner. This left us a bitter taste, however, we did not regret to have explored this very special cuban adress.
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