La Cecilia

Lonely Planet review

La Cecilia is an upscale garden restaurant run by government company Palmares. The menu features mainly Cuban cuisine, especially lobster and steak; prices vary, but you can pick up quality meat bruschettas and tender ropa vieja here for as little as 6.00 , making it much cheaper than most eating joints nearby. On occasion La Cecilia hosts excellent live music in its attractive back garden.

However, rather than hiring the usual staid guitar trios, the management promotes full-on dance bands that knock out classic Benny Moré hits, with hip-gyrating rhythms and stabbing trumpets, well into the night. On quieter evenings La Cecilia is equally alluring, with acres of tables laid out under the romantic thatched-roof garden and large parrots squawking in their cages.