El Cocinero

The restaurant calls itself a restaurant, terrace and lounge, and it spreads over several floors of the old factory. There is a roofed dining room, a garden terrace with plants, an upper terrace with views across Havana, and at the top the bar-mirador, set up as a lounge for watching the sun go down.

Its position between Vedado and Miramar puts it close to the Hotel Nacional and the Plaza de la Revolución, and many guests combine dinner with an evening at Fábrica de Arte Cubano next door.

The kitchen cooks Cuban classics alongside international dishes. The restaurant itself singles out ropa vieja, the slow-cooked shredded beef, as well as lobster and garlic prawns (camarones al ajillo).

Take your drinks up to the rooftop and keep them Cuban: a mojito, a Cuba libre or a cubanito, the Cuban take on a Bloody Mary, made with rum. The bar also has a list of international cocktails and spirits.

From Marina Hemingway, El Cocinero is about 20 to 25 minutes east by taxi through Miramar. From Old Havana the ride along the Malecón takes around 15 minutes. Ask the driver for Calle 26 between 11 and 13, by Fábrica de Arte Cubano.

Its Instagram page lists opening from Thursday to Sunday, from 5pm to midnight, while its website gives longer hours, so confirm before you go. Reservations are taken by WhatsApp or on the landline, and the website has a booking form. The rooftop is run as a sunset lounge, so book ahead if you want to be there at that hour.