Calle 10

CA4
Top Pick
Style of food: International
Cost: Expensive
Type of place: Paladar (private)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for: Modern and stylish décor, Reliably good food with attentive service
Worst for: Still lacks a certain sex appeal or oomph.
Calle 10 No. 314 entre 3ra y 5ta, Miramar
(+53)7205 - 3970
Open noon-3pm / 6-11pm

  • Calle 10 has had a makeover. Back in the day this was somewhere you would come to for a huge portion of pork ribs cooked barbecue-style in the owner’s back garden under a thatched roof (ranchon).  Now the restaurant has moved inside this beautiful Miramar mansion leaving only a couple of tables the small front porch.

    I like the new décor and style. This is modern, stylish without being overly pretentious. Large paintings decorate the walls, filling the place. The air-conditioning is left to work while the doors are left open which manages to cool the place without putting you in the freezer. This has become a reliably consistent and popular place, especially for lunch.  The international menu is excellent with a decent selection without following the trend to stretch to 20 pages. The soups are very good (we had the tomato and pumpkin) while the ribs and steaks were first rate.

    My only reservation is that it lacks a certain sex appeal or oomph. I can’t realty say why, maybe it is a personality thing, it all runs so smoothly that you are left grasping for the real identity of what is Calle 10.

    Fried shrimp legs at Calle 10:

    This delicacy that most restaurants (I am sure) would just throw away, has a better destiny in the hands of the skillful chef of Calle 10. This is not on the menu, so be sure to ask when you arrive if they have “pechitos de camarones,” and if they do, they will serve you this platter of little legs attached to the chest of the shrimps, battered and fried to perfection. They go like popcorn and they are addictive! And even if they don’t have friend shrimp legs that day, go to Calle 10, one of the best restaurants in town.

    
  • El Comendador Hotel – Bodegón Onda

    El Comendador Hotel – Bodegón Onda  LH 3

    The Bodegón Onda is located within the Comendador Hotel, which slightly confusingly is next to the more visible Hostal Valencia (one of our favourite places to stay in Havana). This is a delightful, i …

    Puerto de Sagua

    Puerto de Sagua  LH 3

    “The fish and shellfish that you have enjoyed here spent the night in Isabela de Sagua Bay.” This slogan used to identify the excellence of food served at Puerto de Sagua Bar & Restaurant, founded …

    Santana

    Santana  LH 3

    Santana opened in November 2011. I love the name (Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana) and although it has nothing really to do with the place, it does sound nice and is easy …

    La Barca

    La Barca  LH 4-

    La Barca restaurant is located next to El Templete and has also benefited from the Catalan Jordi Escarra’s inspiration and management. The site now occupied by the restaurant was once the property of …

    Hostal Valencia – La Paella

    Hostal Valencia – La Paella  LH 3+

    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 d …

    Unión Francesa

    Unión Francesa  LH 3

    The Unión Francesa is one of those places that seem stuck in a netherworld of not quite being sure what it is–state restaurant, association, paladar. I can never tell; it simply is not obvious. It is …

    El Baturro

    El Baturro  LH 3

    In 1919, Romualdo Lalueza, a wine and liquor wholesaler and importer from Spain, occupied the building where he had his warehouse and canteen café called El Baturro. Well into 1944, he advertised his …

    Raquel Hotel – Jardín del Edén

    Raquel Hotel – Jardín del Edén  LH 3

    The beautifully restored Hotel Raquel is another testament to the wonders being performed by Habaguanex, the Historian’s Office commercial wing. Opened in 2009, the stained glass ceiling simply takes …

    Castas y Tal

    Castas y Tal  LH 3

    Castas y Tal is located on the 11th floor of a large apartment building in Vedado, just around the corner from Hotel Presidente. The restaurant really has three discreet areas, a main dining room that …

    Al Medina

    Al Medina  LH 3

    Al Medina (The City) opened in 1983 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 dishes, gril …

    « 6 of 14 pages »