I travelled throughout Cuba for two weeks before properly spending time in Havana, and in every city and town I encountered friendly locals, who had almost a glint of innocence about them.
In Camaguey, a travel companion accidentally left his card in the ATM machine, and a local woman rescued the card, hopped in a bicycle taxi, and chased us down the road to return it to him, expecting nothing for her efforts.
So it’s understandable that by the time I arrived back to Havana I may have grown somewhat complacent, having been met with honesty and integrity everywhere else across the island.
WHAT A MISTAKE!
Fortunately for me, it didn’t leave me too out of pocket. A few dollars here and there, though a few times too many for my liking.
Unfortunately for one of my travel companions, she was not so lucky. The first night we arrived in Havana she had her bag snatched – right off her shoulder – whilst standing in front of the casa (house) where we were staying. Whilst bag snatching is on the rise in Havana, after spending a total of 7 nights in the city I concluded that this incident was an unlucky freak occurrence. Yes, it can happen, but it’s not an epidemic….yet.
What I found more common were cheeky scams by the waiters in the restaurants. Scams that have been quite clearly set up with the sole intention of putting their diners a few extra dollars out-of-pocket i.e: overcharging. And not just once, or twice, but every time a customer sits down at the table.
After a couple of meals in Havana, I began to notice a pattern. The waiters would suggest something, perhaps a house specialty. It would turn out this specialty was not listed on the menu, and when the bill arrived, the price would be higher than what would seem reasonable, based on the rest of the prices in the restaurant.
FIRST INCIDENT: THE 30 CUC ($30 US) BEER
We were excited to go to the only micro brewery in Havana. On their menu they listed various beer servings, from a pint of beer for 2 CUC ($2) ranging to 3 litre for 12 CUC ($12).
Being a large group the waiter suggested we take the 5 litre. Of course, we obliged. When the bill arrived the price was 32 CUC ($32) for five litres of beer.
Now I’m no mathematician, but if one pint of beer is 2 CUC ($2), and three litres of beer are 12 CUC ($12), how can it be 20 CUC ($20) more for the extra two litres?!
The waiters argument was that since the 5 litre beer was equivalent to 15 pints, it is charged exactly at that, despite the sliding scale of prices they have listed on their menu for the other measurements of beer. So 15 pints at 2 CUC ($2) each was 30 CUC.
The maths say it all: It was an obvious set up money making trap. And with many tables in the brewery topped with the towering 5 litre serving of beer, it seemed we weren’t the only ones to make the mistake.
SECOND INCIDENT: THE 6 CUC ($6) COCKTAIL
I had learnt my lesson the first time round, but we asked before entering how much the cocktails were at this particular restaurant and the waiter told us they were all 3 or 4 CUC ($3-4). The menu reflected this too, so we didn’t think about the prices any further.
Another girl in our group ordered a glass of Sangria, and since I was a bit over drinking rum I jumped on the Sangria bandwagon without thinking about the price (we had already enquired, after all). In all the other bars in Havana, Sangria was the same price as other cocktails – 2-3 CUC ($2-3) – but when our bill arrived the Sangria priced at 6 CUC ($6) per glass.
Of course, it turned out the Sangria was not actually listed on the menu (we didn’t realise this until the it came to paying the bill). Naturally, I raised the issue with the waiter but of course he wouldn’t compromise.
I left the restaurant calling them ladrons (thieves). It was a shame because the food was actually quite nice, but their rip off tactics were not cool.
THIRD INCIDENT: THE 7 CUC SALAD SANDWICH
For starters, I should have never gone to Sloppy Joes.
Once an iconic bar in Havana Vieja, it was popular in the 1930’s during America’s prohibition period, when American visitors would come to Cuba and take advantage of the never ending Rum and being able to drink outside their country. The 1959 Cuban revolution put an end to Americans visiting Cuba, and subsequently Sloppy Joes closed down – 90% of their customers were American so they ran out of business pretty fast.
It only reopened last year and now it’s a tourist trap in a different way – selling sandwiches and burgers to eager tourists who are tired of the rice and protein feast that makes up the average Cuban meal. It’s not somewhere I would usually choose to go, but I went along with the crowd (and I’ll be honest – the thought of a sandwich was appealing!)
My fault.
I asked the waiter for a sandwich with just salad, egg and cheese, and was pleasantly surprised when the sandwich came out exactly as I was expecting (Cuban’s version of sandwiches are usually ham and cheese, cheese and ham, and cheese or ham, so this was something quite ‘exotic’).
The rest of the group had burgers, double burgers, sandwiches with meat,cheese and salad, all of which were priced under 5 CUC. The bill for my salad sandwich was 7 CUC. I don’t eat meat and as all the sandwiches listed in the menu had meat on them I asked for something different. Therefore my sandwich was not listed on the menu, hence the seemingly inflated price. I had been stung…again!
The waiter argued that the egg and the cheese were more expensive so I had to pay more, despite the fact that right in front of us on the menu I was pointing out to him that there were sandwiches with egg, cheese, AND meat, priced at 4-5 CUC ($4-5).
The words ladrons slipped past my lips again. But now I had learnt my lesson for once and for all.
Granted these things don’t leave you much out of pocket. The worst damage is the battered ego. How did I, an experienced traveller, fall victim to cheeky scams by greedy waiters? I should have known better!
So I have taken many words (as I tend to do, whoops) to get to the point of the story.
So the moral of the story is?
When eating out in Havana Vieja, always ask about anything suggested by the waiter or anything not listed or clearly priced on the menu. Check the bill throughly before paying, and check your change too.
Oh, and eat in the Vedado neighbourhood where the food is better and the waiters are friendlier.
What kind of tricks and scams have you fallen victim to whilst travelling?
Vedado: The waiters are friendly and the fish come decorated!
Escape Hunter says
Tricksters… just like in Central- and especially Eastern Europe.
But the prices you’re quoting there aren’t that cheap. Beer and cocktails are around those prices (just a bit higher) in Spain’s Costa Blanca.
I remember having a few drinks last year at Alicante and Benidorm. A cocktail cost around 5 EUR.
Cyra says
Haha, pretty much!
You’re right, prices aren’t that cheap in Cuba. Basic items are for locals, and you can find cheap street food around that you pay for in national pesos, but anything that is considered “luxury” is paid for in the CUC rather than national pesos, even for locals. The value of the CUC is the same as US dollars. I definitely found prices were similar to Spain.
Tamara says
It’s interesting to see things on that front haven’t changed. I had some similar experiences when visiting Havana back in 2000! If anything, I’m sure tourists need to keep even more on their toes in some places. I only had the chance to visit Havana, so I hope to have the opportunity next time to explore more of Cuba.