Varadero
Travelers rate this sequestered-away spot, which was once Varadero's Club Náutico. The restaurant is clearly aiming high with its impressive international…
Must-see restaurants in Cuba
Matanzas
Amelia del Mar brings tongue-in-cheek creativity to standard Cuban 'international' food through flashy presentation and then serves the concept in a neat…
Havana
La Esperanza recalls those old-school paladar (private restaurant) days when you felt you were dining in someone's home, and here you essentially are. The…
Viñales
With three deftly constructed wooden decks overhanging a panorama of tobacco fields, drying houses and craggy mogotes (limestone monoliths), 'Balcony of…
Valle de Viñales
A carreta is a simple oxen-drawn cart, but there's nothing basic about how this restaurant transports you up its steep steps and into the privileged…
Cienfuegos
The truly wondrous bayside setting at Lagarto (the lizard) is emulated by the food and made even more memorable by some of the fastest yet most discreet…
Habana del Este
This Guanabo private restaurant has been around for eons and is an open secret among habaneros, some of whom consider its thin-crust wood-oven pizzas to…
Cienfuegos
One of only two surviving private restaurants from the austere 1990s, Aché has taken on the new opposition and kept abreast of the pack. Interesting decor…
Santa Clara
The rooftop restaurant in the Authentica Pérgola casa particular is a great place to repose, preferably in the evening, amid potted ferns and in the…
Matanzas
An exclamation mark of artistic genius down by the river, the Talla could be your best bet for food among the new crop of bars and galleries hereabouts…
Cienfuegos
At last, a bar in French-accented Cienfuegos that wouldn’t look out of place in Paris. The Louvre serves the best coffee in town backed up by well-stuffed…
Sancti Spíritus
What, no Coppelia? Dulce Crema is Sancti Spíritus' long-standing provincial stand-in and is actually – ahem – better. Alternatively, hang around long…
Ristorante Italiano La Fontana
Santiago de Cuba
Pizza deliciosa and lasagna formidable, ravioli and garlic bread; mamma mía, this has to be the number-one option for breaking away from all that chicken…
Varadero
Varadero's best state-run restaurant is a steakhouse that serves relatively cheap steak and lobster in an old-world decor (stag's heads, horsey…
Havana
A popular place to eat well-loaded pizza, with cozy, old-fashioned touches such as vintage radios and old sewing machines that double as outdoor tables…
Habana Vieja
Crowding the cobbled street with its alfresco tables, the Lamparilla is perennially popular – your best bet for a seat is in the air-conditioned…
Habana Vieja
If you're down to your last few Cuban convertibles, want something quick and simple, or fancy a proper Cuban sandwich without the Miami glitz, drop into…
Habana Vieja
On Havana’s answer to Route 66, corner spot Chacón 162 features motorcycling motifs mixed with 1950s memorabilia on the bar and inviting alfresco tables…
Vedado
Havana's celebrated ice-cream parlor, housed in a flying-saucer-like structure in a Vedado park, is as celebrated as much for its queues as for its ice…
Havana
Belonging to one of several Spanish aid societies in Havana (in this case the Asturianos), Nardos looks like another distressed Havana tenement from the…
Havana
Popularly considered to be Havana's best 'Chinese' restaurant, Flor de Loto has one major caveat: it isn't actually that Chinese at all. Sure, the…
Habana Vieja
Aiming to lure in spice-starved tourists (especially curry-loving Brits) and educate Cuban palates in the nuances of Indian food, the Buena Vista Curry…
Santiago de Cuba
Bravo to the spectacular cliffside location sporting huge sea views. Classics, such as roast chicken and pork, are nicely presented. A busload of European…
Havana
There are many unusual juxtapositions at this Swedish-Cuban restaurant, hidden inside a battle-scarred tenement, where the cool Scandinavian-style…
Vedado
Clinging to its perch close to the Malecón, this sleek sports bar looks as though it has floated across the straits from Florida like a returning exile…
Vedado
The dark, bluesy interior is backlit by a fabulous 3D mural of Havana’s Morro castle and the waitstaff are all working actors from Cuban TV (check their…
Cienfuegos
When in Cienfuegos, it's practically obligatory to go to Club Cienfuegos, if not for the cuisine (it's state-run) then for the wedding-cake architecture,…
Vedado
You don't have to be a very important person to eat at VIP Havana, but it probably helps. This is Havana posing as Miami, with a large central bar, drink…
Havana
Spanish cultural societies have long had special legal status in Cuba, meaning that their restaurants (even in tougher times) have been able to offer…
Vedado
A decade ago Cuba and vegetarianism were about as compatible as Ronald Reagan and Leonid Brezhnev (ie: not very), but tastes have developed and the times…
Habana Vieja
Don’t expect fondue and chocolates. This quick-fire cafe on Habana Vieja’s main drag is named for one of the building’s former owners rather than the…
Havana
Lebanese food has recently gained traction in Havana, with several new openings, including this restaurant in a tranquil glass-fronted house that evokes…
Outer Havana
One of Havana's more unusual restaurants, Las Ruinas sits atop the mossy stone ruins of a sugar mill, with classical statues, elegant staircases and a…
Cienfuegos
Te quedarás means 'you will stay,' and you probably will if you can bag a seat on the small, narrow wrought-iron balcony overlooking El Bulevar. Sip a…
Vedado
Havana was once something of a desert for desserts – bad news for travelers who can’t live without a 4pm appointment with a slice of chocolate cake. But…
Havana
Adding a Miami-esque flourish to the time-ravaged streets of Centro Habana, Barbra is a highly ambitious private restaurant that leaves a vivid impression…
Vedado
Allying themselves with the granja a la mesa (farm-to-table) movement and utilizing a couple of agricultural co-ops in Guanabacoa, the Med serves…
Santiago de Cuba Province
Situated on the left of the main road about 4km east of El Oasis, this Palmares-run finca (farm) knocks out no-frills comida criolla (Creole food). There…
Havana
A hole-in-the-wall eatery on iconic Paseo de Martí, Tatagua features flavorful food and affordable cocktails. The two-story colonial building has been…
Vedado
It's not anywhere near the cathedral, nor does it look particularly ecclesial – but no matter. The best thing about La Catedral is that, by offering very…
