Dining at Nazdarovie, Havana’s Soviet-Themed Restaurant

Nazdarovie, Havana, Cuba - Soviet-Themed Restaurant

Are you stuck in Cuba, tired of all those retro cars and have nothing to do? Do you want to visit the USSR but don’t have an intergalactic space machine? No te preocupes, amigo, I have just the place for you. Follow me and let’s eat… 

If you check out my Cuba guide, we went to Habana for 2 days, then Cienfuegos, then Trinidad for 2 days, and back to Havana (we had to get back home somehow lol). Our tour guide mentioned some kind of Russian restaurant near the center, and seeing how much I freakin’ love the cuisine of my motherland, we couldn’t resist. After a quick ride in our retro taxi cab, we arrived at Nazdarovie.

If you watched any film that has an Eastern European character — usually someone in the mafia or the bad guy with a shitty accent— you’ve already heard the word nazdarovie (на здоровье). It literally means “to your health” and is one of the few Russian words people know … and use in the wrong context :(

But today’s blog post isn’t going to be a grammar lesson. Oh no, it’s way better. Today I’m going to be reviewing my time at another Nazdarovie – Havana’s only Soviet-themed restaurant. Let’s go check it out!

Nazdarovie, Havana, Cuba - Soviet-Themed Restaurant

It was hard to miss the restaurant, especially because there was this cool dude dressed up in the traditional Soviet navy uniform, and who was more than happy to take photos with some potential sunburnt comrades.

Добро пожаловать!
Welcome!

Nazdarovie, Havana, Cuba - Soviet-Themed Restaurant posters

Since the restaurant is located on the roof, I had to climb about two or three flights of stairs. Along the way there are vintage propaganda posters from the USSR – the ones above are encouraging records in sports and better quality restaurants.

 

Nazdarovie, Havana, Cuba - Soviet-Themed Restaurant

Once I was inside, it was like stepping back in time to my childhood – retro cartoons were playing on the TV, 90’s music was blasting from the radio, and even the carpet looked like it had been taken from my grandma’s apartment 

I’m pretty sure the designer was over the top, because every little detail looked like it was imported back from the Soviet Union. Communist posters, photos of Fidel Castro visiting his buddies in Russia, and little knickknacks like a samovar and nesting dolls decorated the restaurant. They even (somehow?) managed to bootleg a vintage hockey jersey and a huge USSR flag to hang from the walls!

 

Давайте есть уже
Let’s eat already…

Nazdarovie, Havana, Cuba menu

If you ask any Russian or Ukrainian person how they feel about their national food, most would shrug their shoulders and say something along the lines of “it’s alright.” There’s not much variation and most meals resemble a neat little pie chart of 33% meat, 33% potatoes, and 33% mayonnaise carbs.

But not me! I take every chance I can get to sample Russian/Ukrainian food in other countries. Like some sort of KGB food critic, I order my standard meal of vareniki (cherry dumplings) and see how good it is compared to the real thing. This Ukrainian wanna-be jet setter has tasted vareniki in New York City’s Brighton Beach, Japan, Brazil, and even Dubai, so how did Nazdorovie stack up against the competition?

… It didn’t. There were no vareniki on the menu. *Insert sad music from the world’s smallest violin* 

Nazdarovie, Havana, Cuba - Soviet-Themed RestaurantHungary? Czech out this plate of food – aren’t you Russian to eat it too? *ba dum tss*

The vareniki mission didn’t go as planned, so I ordered the Voyage Through the USSR food sampler ($11.50), which included a pickled salad, different types of sausages, pelmeni (dumplings with meat), holubtsi (stuffed cabbage roll), and potato vareniki (!!). The serving size suggested it was for two people, but when you’re hungry, ‘suggested’ is a word that means absolutely nothing.

One of my favorite things about this dish were the sausages – they tasted like the ones from my childhood and were so delicious! I think there were about two or three different types, and they had this amazing smokey taste. The vareniki, of course, made it to the top three, as did the pelmeni, which had lamb and beef.

Nazdarovie, Havana, Cuba foodVoyage through the USSR  //  Blinchiki with Cheese 

Moving on, what’s any good Russian dinner without dessert? If you’re invited for dinner, there’s going to be at least three or four different cakes, cookies, and other sweets waiting at the table – and just like the Godfather, you can’t refuse. ;)

For dessert, we ordered the Blinchiki with cheese ($3.50), which was also pretty good. It’s a thin crepe filled with sweet ricotta/cream cheese and topped with sweet jam and mint. It’s not exactly the same as the one we eat at home, but that’s because Cuba has a shortage of dairy products.

 

Nazdarovie, Havana, Cuba - Soviet-Themed Restaurant

There are tables inside the restaurant and on the balcony, plus a little bar area if you want to stop in for just a drink. If you look at the menu above, Nazdarovie has a ton of drink options – ranging from classic Cuban cocktails like mojitos to imported Russian vodkas.

Also, one really cool fact that I learned was that all the employees of the restaurant are kids of Soviet immigrants. Our waitress’ mom was from Russia and her dad was Cuban, and they even have two Russian grandmas come in and the desserts! She mentioned that there are over 50,000 Russians living in Cuba, especially those who want to relive the culture of the USSR – how cool is that?

На здоровье и до свидания!
Nazdarovie and until we meet again!

That face when you heard too many “In Soviet Russia…” jokes >:(

So, how do I rate my experience at Nazdarovie? I absolutely loved it! While the food wasn’t the same as my grandma’s (she threatened me if I didn’t write that), it was very close to that homemade style that we have in Ukraine, Russia, and the other ex-USSR countries. If you’ve never been to Eastern Europe and want to try the food, here’s your chance – I would recommend the sampler plate to get a little taste of everything, or any of the pelmeni, stroganoff, or shashlik dishes. Everything was reasonably priced and the atmosphere was unique. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you end up booking a trip to Kyiv or Moscow. 

For more info, you can check out their website at http://www.nazdarovie-havana.com/ or visit them at Malecon # 25, Havana!

Havana's Soviet-themed restaurant
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28 thoughts on “Dining at Nazdarovie, Havana’s Soviet-Themed Restaurant

  1. I love little places like this in other countries where for a moment you feel like you are transported to that country! I am going to Kiev in December so I will take note of those foods you say I should try. This was a fun read- I’ve pinned it too :)

    1. Thank you so much, Jess! Omg how exciting, let me know if you need any help with Kyiv – Ukraine is my native country! <3

  2. I LOVE themed restaurants!. I also love that the people working here are the kids of immigrants. Who knew there are so many Russians living in Cuba?! I surely didn’t. Great post!

  3. Wow, I didn’t know that existed at all! What a cool little place. The food might not been as good as your grandma’s but it looks like it was pretty awesome

  4. Ooooh, I was waiting for this post, Luda!!! Love it! I really want some pelmeni and blinchiki now… And how neat that the menu even uses some Russian.

    PS: I’m definitely sharing this post on FB :)

    PPS: What’s the giant matryoshka on the table in the last picture?

    1. Thank you so much!! <3
      You're right, it was really cool to see how authentic they were (especially the Russian font and decorations)
      I think it's just a giant matreshka, but I didn't try to open it - darn! Should have checked it out to see if it's a real nesting doll ;)

  5. I ate there when I went to Cuba in February. It was one of the highlights of our trip. I tried to order vareniki too with potatoes, but they were out and that was a HUGE bummer. But, I really enjoyed the borscht!

    1. Woah, what a coincidence! What a bummer about the vareniki, but glad you liked the borscht!! :)

  6. I’m in love with your puns. Czech out this plate… Hahahaha… I’m still laughing! The soviet themed restaurant seems like so much of fun!

  7. Hi
    Themed restaurants are very nice and beautiful and I like its decoration and food decoration.Thank you for sharing this article.

    Regards,
    Lovely

  8. Hey I liked the puns, and of course your recommendations! I’m a Cuban girl mad about Eastern Europe culture. Definittely Nazdarovie is a mut for me already!
    Thanks for sharing it! :D

    1. Thank you! It was so cool to see a little piece of Eastern Europe when I visited Cuba :) Let me know what you think of the food!

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