Raquel Hotel – Jardín del Edén

CA3
Style of food: Jewish
Cost: Expensive
Type of place: Hotel
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for: Jewish food, beautiful ceiling to the hotel where located
Worst for: Not convinced how good the food is and often is a little quiet
Amargura esquina a San Ignacio
(+53)7860 - 8280
Open noon-11pm
  • 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 your breath away. Magnificent. The Jardín del Edén (Garden of Eden) restaurant offers traditional Jewish dishes and is set inside the Hotel Raquel. It is next to the Lejaim (toast to life) Lobby Bar and is very much art Nouveau in its décor. Blue predominates on the screens as a colour of paramount importance in the ancient Hebrew culture, as well as some traditional symbols, such as the Star of David and the Menorah or sacred seven-branched candelabra.

    Included in the partly Jewish menu are Hungarian goulash and Israeli salad. Kebabs also feature heavily, with Shashlik del Edén, a combination of plainly cooked fish, chicken and meat all cooked in accordance to kosher rules. How good is the food? Honestly, this is not really my favourite style of food and while I thought the Hungarian goulash was reasonably prepared, it didn’t particularly excite me either.

    For some reason, the Hotel Raquel also sees slightly off the beaten path of many tourists (despite being so close to the ubiquitous Plaza Vieja), which means that it is often lacking in any real buzz. Given the beauty of the building, we would recommend that you stop by and take a look at the restaurant for yourself. We are distinctly undecided!

    
  • Marina Hemingway – Pizza Nova

    Marina Hemingway – Pizza Nova  LH 2

    Once upon a time the Pizza Nova was one of the better Havana restaurants serving good quality pizza in the upmarket Marina Hemingway. Perhaps the competition just got better and it is now simply relat …

    Don Ricardo

    Don Ricardo  LH 2+

    On for a good Irish pub in Old Havana where you could get a meat pie and a pint of Guiness. Don Ricardo is an Irish restaurant, but how Irish is a little debateable. The place recalls the founder of t …

    La Amistad de Lanzarote

    La Amistad de Lanzarote  LH 2

    We had dinner here once a few years ago. We have never been back. The décor looks cheap and there have been reports of aggressive overcharging. Food wise, the specialty is Pollo Lanzarote, chicken wit …

    El Castillo de Farnés

    El Castillo de Farnés  LH 2+

    In the 19th century, this building was home to a grocery store. Later, Francisco Puig bought the establishment and turned it into a cheap restaurant, which he named Castillo de Farnés after a fortress …

    La Dolce Vita

    La Dolce Vita  LH 2

    Cuba Absolutely Review: July 2012 Oh, La Dolce Vita. Named after the famous Italian film, this looks fabulous, chic, and elegant. Miami style. An awning out of a corporate tennis tournament covers the …

    La Cabaña

    La Cabaña  LH 2

    La Cabaña has a great view of the city but truth be told is a relatively basic place. The Cabaña Restaurant Bar has a private air-conditioned room for 30 people with live music. The rooftop terrace ha …

    Juana la Cubana

    Juana la Cubana  LH 2+

    This is an outdoor restaurant with quality food and reasonable prices. You have to take a picture with Juana la Cubana’s horse and then sit back to enjoy a good Cuban Creole meal.

    Don Cangrejo

    Don Cangrejo  LH 2

    Cuba Absolutely Review: December 2011 I once ate in Don Cangrejo years ago. This is a state-run seafood restaurant with a lovely view over the ocean. Fresh fish dishes include red snapper, grouper and …

    Mi Jardín

    Mi Jardín  LH 2

    Mi Jardín used to be the only Mexican place in Havana. The place shows its Mexican colours through Mexican flags and other Mexican memorabilia in the main inside dining room. Outside in the attractive …

    Casa Española

    Casa Española  LH 2

    What do you do with an old castle in the middle or Miramar? Turn it into a restaurant of course. This is at least easy to find driving down 7ma (7th Ave.). This house is a medieval parody built in the …

    « 12 of 14 pages »