La Zaragozana, cuban restaurant founded in 1830.
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.
The restaurant has a great location, on 352 Avenida de Bélgica (also known as Monserrate), between Obispo and Obrapía, in Old Havana. Its food and service marry taste with history, and are able to satisfy visitors from all over the world, particularly Spaniards, since the menu features typical Spanish fare, such as fish, prawns, shrimp, pork, lamb and chicken.
Among the famous dishes are: the timeless fried garbanzo beans with chorizo, the paellas, the Asturian bean fabada, and all sorts of seafood, all of which you can enjoy in an environment that’s welcoming and homey. The restaurant is decorated with napkins and pictures of famous soccer players donated by customers, many of whom are repeat customers due to the high quality of the food served. It currently has a style and feel that could be considered a Spanish “den”, with divisions in the downtown area, many Spanish inspirations and a few Moorish arches. The furniture is made of hard wood, and is exquisitely made, and there is a bar with high stools.
History suggests that the Curray family was disappointed by the clientele at first, since it was mostly merchants and suppliers. They felt that a luxury restaurant was the perfect place for family dinners, and not the place for business negotiations. The family eventually shunned their own restaurant, even calling it a “dive”.
In 1954, the Curray family, still wanting to open their ideal restaurant, opened another one called “1830”, which was the year that “La Zaragozana” opened its doors.
This restaurant also has booth seating, finely decorated, with room for 15 people. The bar has the same number of seats and it can seat a total of 120 diners.
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