You may expect to meet an Italian, French or Mexican restaurant in Havana, but it is hardly expected to find a Swedish restaurant in this city. The owner of the Casa Miglis is Michael Miglis, a Swedish film director and music producer. He came to Cuba for to first time in the late 1990s to make an interview with Hemmingway’s shipper Gregorious Fuentes that in real life was the man that got the fish in the book “The Old Man and The Sea”. Michael Miglis prepared a number of music video clips with many international artists on the island, like Tatoo, Teddy Bears, A-Teens, Dr Alban, Arash, Lumee Dee, Ceasars Palace, and he has pioneered some cultural projects. The Cubaton project is the most known one that includes a lot of music productions and a full-length movie, shown on the cinemas worldwide in 2012 and 2013. With the help of his Cuban wife’s family, he launched out to open a restaurant with the bar inside to create a meeting point for creative people and artists from all over the world. He was inspired by his Greek father of Michael Miglis that had a restaurant and bar in Rhodes, Greece. This story is for those that ask why there is a Swedish flag in front of the restaurant.

The worn façade of the building from the 1920s is in great contrast with the tastefully decorated inner. The ceilings are high. From the modern wooden furniture to the tableware, everything has the trace of the Swedish heritage. The walls are covered with different contemporary art pieces, placed into empty picture frames. The chairs are high up above the small bar Impala. The Swedish candleholders stand out. There is also a stage for live music performance.

The first Scandinavian restaurant in Cuba offers popular Swedish dishes that include the proverbial meatballs with mashed potatoes, as well as Cuban specialties. The specialty of the house is Swedish meatballs with red cranberries of the forest of Sweden. It is cooked according the recipe of Michael Miglis’ grandmother. It is also recommended to taste the lamb stew, braised in a rich and spicy tomato-based sauce, and the ceviche as the starter. The toast skagen (prawns on toast) is also an option that looks for a light snack. The menu is designed by the Swedish cook Jonas Anderson. The staff is very kind.