Considered by Experts to be one of the best restaurants in Havana, the Hotel Sevilla’s Roof Garden is another place that has a lot of history.
The Hotel Sevilla was the first luxury hotel on the island, and opened on March 22nd, 1908, and quickly became one of the favorite spots in Cuba, due to its architecture, decor, and the excellent service.
I think that we all like to know the stories that surround cities, both our own and thoe that we visit. Every corner, building, or even city block has something interesting to tell us. This is certainly the case with Hotel Nacional and its famous restaurant, the Aguiar. I always wondered where that name came from, since the word is not used much in Cuba.
The restaurant wears its age proudly, since it was founded in 1830 by the Curray family, a Spanish family based in Cuba, and its name comes from the enormous painting on the central wall of the establishment, which shows the city of Zaragoza, located in northeastern Spain, near France.
Due to the constant threat of pirates, or fearing an attack by other colonial powers such as Great Britian or France, at the beginning of the 16th century, Spain decided to severely garrison Cuba, with an efficient defense system in Havana, especially of its main maritime access point. The Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli lead this mission, and this led to construction of the Castle of the Three Kings of the Hill between 1589 and 1630. This well-known Cuban fortress extends along the high banks of the entry canal to Havana.




