Rice and beans. Chicken. Pork. Lobster. Prawns. Despite what guidebooks and travel websites of yesteryear say, the food in Cuba is not bad, though it can get a little repetitive after a couple of weeks.
But there are some hidden culinary delights on the island. Restaurants that hand out a sensory overload, whilst somehow making most of the sometimes limited produce that is available.
I did have to ponder how they do it. I mean, if one restaurant is offering peppers stuffed with three cheeses that are flavoursome and delicious, why is every other restaurant on the island serving up cheese that resembles mild cheddar on a bad day?
After eating my way around the island and talking to some of the owners of paladars, Cuba’s privately run restaurants, I reached a conclusion. It is possible to do something different, but it requires dedication.
Some paladar owners have family members living overseas who send them their supply of non-perishable ingredients and spices. Others are lucky enough to be able to travel outside the island, and make a quarterly trip to South America or Europe in order to replenish their dry stock.
Dedication and organisation aside, the one thing that has really allowed these restaurants to flourish is that the government has recently relaxed the laws in Cuba, allowing these paladars to up their game.
In 1993 when the government allowed Cuban citizens to begin operating restaurants in their houses, it was done as a way to pull Cuba out of the economic slump they had found themselves in. But the rules were strict. Paladars were only allowed to serve traditional Cuban cuisine; they were not allowed to experiment with their food, serve any seafood or hire any staff. All the employees were family members and they were only allowed to seat 12 guests.
In 2011 these restrictions were relaxed and at the moment paladars have no restrictions on the type of food they can serve. They are allowed to seat 20 people and hire Cubans as staff, which means the family can look to the wider community for chefs and gastronomes to work with.
The results are amazing, with some paladars now offering unique dining experiences which will hopefully help Cuba shake its reputation of being the island of bad food.
1 / El Poeta, Baracoa
The region of Guantanamo in the far east of Cuba offers a different cuisine to the rest of the country, simply because of its isolated geographical location and the wide variety of local produce available.
Much of Cuba is on the Caribbean, where the water is often too warm for good seafood. But Baracoa, a town in the north of the Guantanamo region, rests on the Atlantic which is known for its seafood fishing, meaning that a wide variety of fresh seafood is available. Coconuts and sweet lime are another speciality here, giving a burst of flavour to the local dishes.
Whilst some restaurants in Baracoa are quite happy serving typical Cuban dishes that can be found anywhere on the island, El Poeta is one of the only places in town committed to preserving the traditional dishes of the region.
The best of the Baracoan cuisine comes doused in coconut sauce, at at El Poeta I tried some fish cooked with this sauce, almost resembling a South East Asian curry . I loved the variety of different seafood, such as clams, but the winning dish for me was the stewed bacán – banana and coconut dumplings cooked in a well seasoned stew. The Baracoan cuisine uses more spice and flavour than usually found in Cuban cooking, and a small bowl of spicy coconut sauce was on hand to add taste to every dish.
El Poeta (the poet) is not just a fancy name picked out of a hat. The owner is in fact, a wonderful poet. Whether he intends to be or it’s just a party trick, I am not sure. I thought his antics of drizzling fresh sugarcane juice into people mouths and pouring in some rum at the same time, were enough to set him apart from the crowd, but upon leaving we were serenaded with impromptu poems.
2 / Starbien, Havana
El Poeta was the best restaurant I went to in Havana. Then I went to Starbien.
I am still not sure what got me first – the elegant Spanish Colonial style house, buried in the residential neighbourhood and hiding this seemingly out of place restaurant, or the menu which instead of screaming Cuban, gave off a Spanish and Italian flair. Or was it the classy but casual atmosphere with prices no different to any other restaurant in the country, leading this place to be filled with Cuba’s emerging middle class who know that for a different meal in Havana this is the place to be.
I will admit, I was sceptical about ordering the ravioli with blue cheese and spinach. But I did it anyway, because when I asked the waiter which was his favourite out of my three choices, he suggested the ravioli. I usually don’t like ordering filled pastas that don’t have a sauce, because if the pasta is not great quality there is nothing to disguise it.
It turned out, there was no need for this concern. The pasta was freshly made, the quality superior to some pastas I have eaten in Italy. The filling inside the pasta was bursting with flavour, and with the extensive wine list covering both Spanish and Italian wines, the meal was suitably washed down.
Another great dish that my dining companions ordered also was unique. In fact, I got slight food envy. The fish of the day, swordfish, was coated entirely in sesame seeds and finished off with a teriyaki style sauce.“It’s like eating sushi,” they said between mouthfuls.
The setting, food and wine work together to make Starbien a must for any visitor who wants to discover that Cuban food is not all “bad” after all.
3 / El Chanchullero de Tapas, Havana
On first glance, a few wooden tables inside a dark bar with walls covered in graffiti, you could be forgiven for wondering what kind of place you have ended up in. The interior of this bar is carefully designed to look shabby urban, with graffiti on the wall from previous guests, basic wooden benches and the dark atmosphere only broken by mismatched table lamps.
The menu is handwritten on brown paper menus, each dish priced at 3-4 CUC ($3-4). I nearly made the mistake of thinking that it would require a few dishes to kill the hunger pangs – this is tapas after all. But I settled for one dish, and when it arrived I realised that Cubans version of tapas are not small. Each dish comes surrounded by a mountain of seasonal vegetables and salad, a rarity for Cuban meals, then the meat, fish, or revuelto (scrambled eggs) in the middle. The revuelto with vegetables was a winner, but in fact all of the food was fresh and tasty. It was refreshing to enjoy a meal without rice and beans on the menu.
The accompaniment of a Piña Colada made with fresh pineapple and coconut made for a perfect evening, and with the bill coming in at less than 6 CUC ($6) per person, this has to be Havana Vieja’s best value meal.
Where to go for Three Unique Dining Experiences in Cuba:
El Poeta: Calle Antonio Maceo, entre Ciro Frias y Cespedes, Baracoa
Starbien: Calle 29 # 205 entre B y C., Vedado, Havana
El Chanchullero de Tapas: Calle Teniente Rey, 457A bajos, Havana Vieja, Havana
Have you been to Cuba before? Did you have any interesting food experiences?
Andrea says
Wow, this food looks both delicious and unexpected! I’m only familiar with Cuban food from living in Miami for four years – always loved it but this looks even more interesting.
Cyra says
It really was unexpected. Everyone told me I would be severely disappointed with the food, so it was a pleasant surprise. I think Miami is lucky because they have the Cuban ideas etc for the recipes, but they can actually get the ingredients all the time too! I can imagine Miami is an interesting melting pot of cultures.
Chanel | Cultural Xplorer says
Yum yum yum! Looks so delicious 🙂 Will have to check these out when I visit in the future!