A Rustic Restaurant in the Center of Havana

To say that El Aljibe is the restaurant with the best chicken in Cuba is only half the story. Ever since its opening in 1993, El Aljibe has not only offered chicken in all its variations but they also offer outstanding red meat, fish and seafood dishes. El Aljibe surpasses the expectations of its most demanding customer. The restaurant's specialty, which also happens to be its most popular dish, is both exclusive and unique: roast chickenbearing the name of the restaurant.

This dish is marinated with a mixture of orange juice and garlic but the exact combination is a secret as well as the actual cooking process. This is a family recipe created at the original Finca El Aljibe restaurant that delighted visitors in the 1940s. The recipe seemed lost in time but reappeared at the new restaurant in Miramar, Havana, managed by the same family. The chicken is roasted brown on the outside but juicy and soft inside. It is useless to ask for the details of the recipe in question. The chef, Ignacio Milián, will not say a word about it, just that the chicken's exquisite taste comes from the special marinade and the traditional manner in which it is prepared.

As with all the main courses at the restaurant, the roast chicken is accompanied by white rice, a thick black bean stew, fries, fried plantains, and salad.