Grocery shopping in Cienfuegos

There is a large covered fruit & vegetable market up the hill from Hotel Union. Closed on Mondays/ Sundays & Saturday afternoons. Everyone calls it the "mercado". You'll find a butcher too on the left side of the front entrance. There are frijoles (beans) onions, garlic, carrots, and much more and numerous fruits - pineapple, melons, tomatoes etc. Best to have CP. money - every vendor has their prices per pound posted. Bring your own bags.

Also throughout town there are street vendors selling from roaming handcarts.

Kitty corner from the mercado is a store for pastas, olives, tomato sauces, beverages and beer.and fruit juices and cheese.

You can take a bici-taxi back to the marina slip if there are 2 of you. Pay no more than 3 CUC but I buy the driver a cold beer too.

In Ponta Gorda there is a large grocery store (near the marina) that is decently stick too for frozen chicken, luncheon meats and supplies.

Enjoy.

You will find a dearth of spices. Best to bring your own. You will find imported olive oil, sunflower oil and vinegar. Although you will find some chicken cubes, all purpose Vegemite type powder.

The grocery store I mentioned near the marina has large glass walls - you can't miss it and they stock coffee.

Agromercado, meaning some fruit, vegetables and meat shouldn't be difficult to find,make sure you go very early in the morning when the most is available.You will find shortages of milk, juice,coffee,eggs and many other supermarket items, no shortage of rum and other liquor,ever.This last trip that I took in in April there was no juice or milk to be found throughout Cuba unless you go to the hotels,private restaurants or resorts.The supermarkets in Havana which are probably the best stocked on the island were in sad shape,I've never seen the shelves so empty at the supermercado 70 and the other large supermarkets in Havana in the I6 years I've been going to Cuba.If you come across the items I mentioned that were hard to find,especially things like eggs,milk,juice and coffee ,stock up, you might want to bring Parmalat milk.Also if you end up at Marina Hemingway in Havana avoid their market also as it was nearly empty , drive into Havana and locate Supermercado 70,the Palco market is in terrible shape also,avoid it.

Cactusbite, when are finally going to run for Mayor of that burg?...

Cheers,
Terry

in April there was no juice or milk to be found throughout Cuba unless you go to the hotels,private restaurants or resorts

Uh,oh, what was that stuff my casa hosts in Havana served me in April to put in my morning coffee?

Your hosts could have stocked up on powdered milk when it was available and milk deliveries happen sporadically, either polvo(powdered milk) or condensed milk both have to be mixed with water, you will rarely find fresh milk with week away expiration dates like you'd find in Europe or N.America, don't worry,you had milk : )

I can tell powdered from fresh and that wasn't powdered, nor did t seem to be watered condensed.

Milk that goes bad in a few days especially in a place like Cuba with its shortages and warm climate is just not practical.

If you think it was milk it probably was. Of course to say no milk throughout Cuba is absurd - even more absurd re juice that every casa particular in Cuba would have been serving. Some people's knowledge of Cuba in not necessarily first hand lol.