Top Mexican Chef Plans Restaurant in Cuba

They have already earned a place in the firmament of the world’s best chefs. Now Basque chef Andoni Luis Aduriz and Mexico’s Enrique Olvera have set their sights on one of the world’s toughest markets: communist-run Cuba.

The island has seen a restaurant boom in recent years, fed by market-style reforms enacted under President Raul Castro, though ingredients can be scarce.

The pair are eager to take on the challenge.

Aduriz’s restaurant Mugaritz, in Spain’s northern Basque region, was named the sixth best restaurant in the world this year by Restaurant Magazine, while Olvera’s Pujol in Mexico City ranked at No. 20.

“We’re at a stage where we don’t just want to cook good, creative, avant-garde food,” Aduriz told Reuters by telephone as he prepared dinner with Olvera at Pujol on Wednesday. “Why not do a project that aspires to be on a hypothetical list of the most fun restaurants in the world?”

Since 2011, restaurateurs in Cuba, who previously were limited to 12-seat establishments in their homes, can seat up to 50 people in rented spaces.

While state restaurants and joint ventures with the state can import luxury items, Cuba’s private restaurants, known as paladares, often struggle to find ingredients from supermarkets and other retailers.

In keeping with Cuba’s communist ideals, Aduriz and Olvera aim to create a restaurant that levels the social playing field.

“Gastronomy is not a privilege of people with money, but rather of intelligent people. Why not dream of a restaurant in which we manage to mix all social classes of people and no one asks who anyone else is?” Adruriz said.

It is not clear how economically viable the planned restaurant would be. The pair are still at the early stages, with no planned start-up date.

Havana’s dining choices now include inventive fusion spots, ethnic choices offering Spanish, Italian or Russian food, and white-tablecloth restaurants serving haute cuisine.

They serve tourists, foreigners including diplomats, and a growing number of Cubans who have access to hard currency from their jobs, small businesses or relatives working abroad.

“We are going through the beginnings of something that didn’t exist a short time ago,” said Pilar Fernandez, who opened her second restaurant, Casa Pilar, in Havana a month ago.

“This is going to create a new school in the world of Cuban gastronomy. With time, all these young people learning new skills will end up being good chefs.”

(Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta in Havana; Writing by Simon Gardner; Editing by Leslie Adler)

They have already earned a place in the firmament of the world's best chefs. Now Basque chef Andoni Luis Aduriz and Mexico's Enrique . . .

Follow Us On Google News | Get Our Newsletter



Trending News on PVDN

  • real estate puerto vallartaHow safe is it to buy real estate in Puerto Vallarta? Jalisco’s Real Estate sector at risk: AMPI Warns Informality threatens Jalisco's booming real estate market. AMPI urges mandatory professional standards to protect consumers and secure investor trust. The president of AMPI Guadalajara, Karen Julieta Correa Cabrales, has raised alarms over the high level of informality in the region's real estate market. She warns that this lack of regulation is jeopardizing both consumer security and…
  • cancunCancún Ranks as Worst Tourist Destination of 2025 According to Google Reviews A recent survey of nearly 100,000 Google reviews has tagged Cancún as the most disappointing tourist city of 2025. The Daily Mail study examined feedback from the world’s 100 busiest destinations and found that 14.2 percent of Cancún’s reviews were negative—the highest share recorded among all cities analyzed. That mark put Cancún two full percentage…
  • protest puerto vallarta trumpUS Citizens Abroad to Protest Trump’s Immigration Raids in Puerto Vallarta U.S. citizens residing abroad are set to hold a peaceful demonstration in Puerto Vallarta on June 14 to protest recent anti-immigrant raids in Los Angeles and to defend the U.S. Constitution and rule of law. The march, organized by the grassroots group No U.S. Kings Day and supported by Democrats Abroad Costa Banderas, aims to…
  • cjngLos Chapitos and CJNG Form Supercartel to Control Mexican Drug Trade Los Chapitos and the CJNG form an unprecedented alliance, escalating cartel violence and drug trafficking threats across Mexico. A new alliance between Los Chapitos, the faction controlled by the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, and the powerful Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) has alarmed authorities and analysts, potentially reshaping Mexico’s criminal landscape. The partnership,…
  • don-balde-killed-chiapas-border-operationDon Balde killed in Chiapas border operation Don Balde killed during a June 8 operation by the Pakal Reaction Force in Las Champas, Chiapas, ending his role as founder of the Chiapas-Guatemala cartel and CJNG collaborator. On Sunday, June 8, in the commercial border zone of Las Champas, Frontera Comalapa in Chiapas, elements of the Fuerza de Reacción Inmediata Pakal shot and…
  • Tropical Storm Dalila MexicoTropical Storm Dalila Mexico Will Bring Heavy Rains to Nine States Tropical Storm Dalila Mexico is set to form off Guerrero’s coast by June 14, unleashing heavy to very heavy rains in Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca and triggering alerts across nine states. The National Water Commission (Conagua) has issued a tropical storm watch as the area of low pressure designated “Four-E” gains organization off the southern coast…
  • 5-de-diciembre-puerto-vallarta-neighborhoodAmerican tourist dies in fall at Hilton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta A 20-year-old tourist from Indiana died after falling from a balcony at the Hilton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta. Authorities are investigating the incident. An American tourist died Sunday afternoon after falling from a balcony at the Hilton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta, a popular resort located in the city’s south hotel zone. Authorities confirmed the victim…
  • cancun-sargassum-arrival-cleanup-effortsCancun sargassum arrival prompts cleanup efforts on beaches Tourism in Cancun faces challenges as the Cancun sargassum arrival brings tons of seaweed ashore, but authorities ramp up cleanup with barriers, machinery and 7,500 meters of booms to keep prime beaches clear. Despite a record influx of sargassum, local officials and private operators in Cancun are intensifying cleanup operations to preserve the city’s beach…
  • crime-sceneItalian Tourist Dies After Falling at Sayulita Rental Property Sayulita, Nayarit – Early on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, an Italian tourist identified as 37-year-old Giacomo “N” died after plunging from an upper floor of a vacation rental in the pueblo mágico of Sayulita, in the municipality of Bahía de Banderas. Emergency services pronounced him dead at the scene, where he was found in the…
  • Tropical Storm WatchTropical Storm Watch Issued for Mexico’s Pacific Coast from Tecpan De Galeana to Manzanillo The Mexican government has issued a Tropical Storm Watch along its Pacific coast, extending from Tecpan De Galeana in Guerrero to Manzanillo in Colima. Authorities anticipate tropical storm conditions may affect the area within the next 48 hours. As of 3:00 PM CST, the weather disturbance, currently designated as Potential Tropical Cyclone Four-E, was located…
Scroll to Top