Amir Shisha

Havana


Lebanese food has recently gained traction in Havana, with several new openings, including this restaurant in a tranquil glass-fronted house that evokes 1960s LA. Spinning the Middle Eastern magic are dishes such as kafta (oven-baked minced beef), shish taouk (marinated chicken kebab) and shawarma (shaved meat in pita bread), served against a backing track of Arabic-style music and dancing.

There’s low-slung seating indoors, complemented by a cool patio where you can snuggle down with a shisha (water pipe) for CUC$6.50.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Havana attractions

1. Acuario Nacional

0.35 MILES

Founded in 1960, the national aquarium is a Havana institution designed primarily for Cuban visitors, who arrive by the legion. Overseas visitors, be…

2. La Maqueta de la Capital

0.47 MILES

Havana itself is somewhat dilapidated in parts and so, ironically, is this huge 1:1000 scale model of the city, which looks as though it could do with a…

3. Russian Embassy

0.48 MILES

In case you were wondering, that huge Stalinist obelisk that dominates the skyline halfway down Av Quinta is the Russian (formerly Soviet) embassy,…

4. Fundación Naturaleza y El Hombre

0.67 MILES

This tiny museum seems to confirm the adage 'small is beautiful.' It displays artifacts from a 17,422km canoe trip from the Amazon source to the sea that…

5. Memorial de la Denuncia

0.94 MILES

The former Museum of the Ministry of the Interior was remodeled in 2017 to form this far more interesting (if propaganda-ridden) look at US actions…

6. Iglesia Jesús de Miramar

1.06 MILES

Despite its modernity, Playa cradles Cuba's second-largest church, an aesthetically pleasing neo-Romanesque structure topped by a giant dome. Built in…

7. La Casa de las Tejas Verdes

1.32 MILES

Emerging from the tunnel under the Río Almendares, your first glimpse of Miramar is the so-called 'house of the green tiles,' a subtle hint of the…

8. El Bosque de la Habana

1.5 MILES

Running along the banks of the Río Almendares, below the bridge on Calle 23, is this welcome oasis of greenery and fresh air in the heart of the chaotic…