Las Marías

CA3
Style of food: Cuban/Creole
Cost: Cheap
Type of place: Paladar (private)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for: The three Marias are all very charming. Cute. Personal.
Worst for: Those expecting more. This is a small neighborhood place.
Calle 48 No 1107, entre 11 y 13, Playa
(+53)7209 - 2140
Open noon-midnight daily

  • Las Marías is a small charming outdoor terrace in the heart of Miramar, which re-opened on Christmas Eve 2011. More to the point, it is a family affair between María Ofelia, her daughter Marilé and granddaughter Marisol. If this is too much oestrogen for you, there is Julio César who takes care of the kitchen. There are perhaps six tables set beside a nice bar around the side of a typical Miramar mansion with an increasing amount of green shrubbery. Pleasant, warm.

    Marilé is the heart of the place, charming, attentive, and busy. She takes care of her customers and then finds time to chat. She should run courses on multi-tasking to some other people I could care to mention! The atmosphere is low-key with Cuban musicians playing some nights, while on others a TV will play innocuously in the background.

    The food is anchored by the large charcoal grill, which provides for a range of fish and meats as well as a range of other dishes from the smallish kitchen inside the main house. Specialities include Filete de pescado con camarones en salsa bechamel y queso gratinado (fish fillet with shrimp in béchamel sauce au gratin) as well as surf and turf kebabs. Other dishes include octopus, grilled prawns and ropa vieja (shredded meat). The prices are pretty reasonable with a Crema de queso (cream of cheese soup) only CUC 1.50 and chicken dishes at around 5 CUC. Everything is fresh bought directly from the fishermen, which showed in the quality of some of the fish we tried. Desserts include a very tasty, Mermelada de guayaba con queso (guava marmalade and cheese) 1.50 CUC.

    You should be warned that the Marías have developed their own completely lethal cocktail ‘Las Marías.’ This consists of Havana Club 7 años, mint, and blue Curacao, lemon y hierbabuena.

    
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