Trinidad
Drift a few blocks from the centro histórico and crowds disperse without any measurable drop in food quality. Music is the theme in this interesting nook,…
Must-see restaurants in Cuba
Habana Vieja
This aptly named restaurant in Habana Vieja’s ‘barber’s alley’ is run by the grandson of the former chef to Meyer Lansky. He’s revitalized the notorious…
Habana Vieja
Esto no es un café (this is not a cafe); it's a restaurant conjuring up thought-provoking dishes that pay homage to art icons. Try the Pollo Pollock …
Regla, Guanabacoa & the Forts
On the eastern side of the harbor in the small community near the forts, this private eating option gets filled up with tourists on their way to the…
Habana Vieja
Located in a restored colonial mansion on the outskirts of Old Havana’s oldest quarter, Jíbaro is a great option for authentic Cuban food and much-praised…
Vedado
A three-way explosion of Cuban, Italian and Spanish cuisine is guaranteed at this salubrious spot slap-bang in the middle of Vedado's hotel quarter. Bank…
Matanzas Province
Make Plan B your plan A when visiting Cárdenas – particularly if you’re in the mood for ice cream. This diminutive place with five tables rustles up…
Regla, Guanabacoa & the Forts
Unsignposted, hard to find and consequently almost 100% local, this is a rare private restaurant in Guanabacoa, where the food culture doesn't seem to…
Varadero
Like most restaurants in the busy crossroads of Santa Marta, Atlantida is set up mainly for Cubans, but has recently garnered a good reputation among…
Havana
A huge place next to the Pabexpo exhibition center that sprawls beneath a series of open-sided thatched bohíos (traditional Cuban huts), Palenque offers…
Viñales
A commendable attempt to fill a void in Cuba's food market – ie vegetarianism – La Berenjena inhabits a smart two-story house with an awning-covered…
Havana
Ocean-flavored dishes such as ceviche, red snapper and grilled octopus are served in a fern-filled patio or a cooler indoor dining area; this doctor is…
Havana
Once considered one of Havana's finest government-run restaurants, along with El Aljibe, El Tocororo has lost ground to new private competition in recent…
Havana
Less a conventional eating space and more a tourist complex, Dos Gardenias sports two main restaurants (choose between a grill and a pasta place), a…
Habana Vieja
Relocated from Miramar’s residential area to bustling Calle O’Reilly, Tabarish is housed in a restored colonial building with high ceilings and wrought…
Vedado
In a country where ordering food used to be a rather taxing experience, Woow makes it incredibly easy. It combines a handy location on Vedado’s main…
Restaurante Presa de Florencia
Ciego de Ávila Province
A traditional open-sided restaurant under a thatched shelter on a small island in the middle of the Florencia reservoir. It serves straight-up Cuban food…
Vedado
This two-piece restaurant has an open terrace upstairs (Motivos) with a barbecue and a no-frills international menu, and an air-conditioned space…
Vedado
Cuba finds solidarity with Iran in Havana's first and still only Iranian restaurant, corralled in a lovely colonnaded mansion on arterial Calle 23. Sit on…
Café del Ángel Jacqueline Fumero
Habana Vieja
Guarding the small, heavenly square behind the Iglesia del Santo Ángel Custodio, minimalist Fumero (all white walls and clear plastic chairs) is run by a…
Havana
There's all sorts of stuff going on at this joint at Marina Hemingway, from beer-swilling boatmen to warbling American Idol wannabes hogging the karaoke…
Camagüey
Camagüey has made Agramonte-like efforts to carve culinary quality into its historical inheritance. This lovely plaza-hugging colonial cafe melds…
Varadero
A posh 'floating' restaurant in the Marina Gaviota, state-run Kike-Kcho pushes its lobster, which is caught locally and stored on-site meaning it's ultra…
Isla de la Juventud
An open-air place on delightful Presa El Abra, 4km southwest of the center, this is where pineros (people from the Isla) go on weekends to partake in…
Habana Vieja
Sheltered in the Lonja de Comercio building with seating outside in Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, El Mercurio flirts with elegance (waitstaff in…
Holguín
A painstakingly restored wedding cake mansion with a full social atmosphere. Tuck into paella or chicken stuffed with vegetables and cheese; there are…
Trinidad
Set in a back patio under a giant ceiba tree, this upscale cafe specializes in pollo meloso (chicken in honey and lemon sauce). Order Trinidad’s favorite…
Viñales
Looking less rustic than some of its Viñales brethren, La Cuenca's narrow covered terrace and funky black-and-white interior are rather tempting. The food…
Holguín Province
Four kilometers and a short taxi ride east of Guardalavaca's main resort strip, this modest-looking local house in the village of Cuatro Caminos is well…
Havana
Small, discreet Miramar house turned Italian restaurant, with indoor and outdoor front-porch seating as well as a bar set up in what was formerly the…
Habana Vieja
Habana 61's menu features Cuban classics with a fresh twist. The lobster is among its most popular dishes, but the traditional ropa vieja (shredded beef)…
Varadero
Going strong since 1993, Dante takes its name from an entrepreneurial chef who continues to rustle up good Italian fare to complement the serene lakeside…
Habana Vieja
This attractive state-run restaurant has a resplendent interior filled with memorabilia from the building's previous incarnation as a printing works. The…
Regla, Guanabacoa & the Forts
Near Dársena de los Franceses and a battery of 18th-century cannons, this dramatically sited waterside restaurant lies in the shadow of La Cabaña fort…
Havana
A medieval parody built in the Batista era by the silly-rich Gustavo Gutiérrez y Sánchez, this crenellated castle in Miramar has found new life as a…
Trinidad
Simple, hearty Cuban food and the usual Italian suspects emerge from this kitchen, all made with love and served at reasonable prices. Mains are preceded…
Outer Havana
Sandwiched between Parque Lenin and the Jardin Botánico Nacional, Las Majaguas is a tourist-free zone where locals come to play pool and other bar games…
Vedado
A bold, adventurous neighborhood joint with checked tablecloths, Idilio epitomizes the Cuban culinary scene as it spreads its wings and flies. Anything…
Outer Havana
La Ceiba is a thatched ranchón at the northern entrance to Parque Lenin, close to where the galloping horse hustlers congregate. Come here for the…
Santa Clara
In this new era of competition from independents, state-run places have to perform better, and this one certainly has had a go. In a glamorous former…
