Eating Cuba

Being a vegetarian who usually eats vegan at home, I expected dining in Cuba to be a challenge for me.  I decided ahead of time to look for vegan meals but settle for vegetarian.  This plan worked out relatively well, particularly in Havana and Trinidad, both tourist destinations.  It was more of a challenge elsewhere.  My Lonely Planet Guide to Cuba (2021 edition) and advice from my lodging hosts helped.  But sometimes, I just read menus at restaurant entrances.     

Someone had suggested before my trip that I should have no problem – just eat rice and beans (called Moros y Christianos – Moors & Christians – in Cuba).  Yes, Cubans eat rice and beans (often with pork mixed in) at home but if they can afford to eat out, they want to bite into a juicy steak or another carnivorous option at their favorite restaurant.  I also suspect that Cuba has few vegetarian or vegan tourists.  Thus, very few restaurants have rice and beans on the menu. 

In Cuba, a vegetarian needs to improvise:  Muñoz Tapas in Trinidad (Antonio Maceo 476A) fixed me a dish of Moros y Christianos on request.  To make the meal more interesting, I ordered sliced tomatoes which I chopped up and mixed in with the beans and rice.  The friendly staff and second floor terrace looking over the city made for very pleasant experience.

Salads?  Forget it.  A Cuban salad consists of tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers and I’m not very crazy about cucumbers.  Sorry – most restaurants had no lettuce, cabbage, spinach, carrots, radishes, etc.  Maybe they had trouble finding these vegetables in the local markets or maybe Cubans don’t eat them.

So my default meals wound up being pizza margarita or pasta with marinara sauce.  Practically every restaurant from the hole in the wall to somewhat upscale had these options available.  As much as I love pizza, I got a bit sick of it after a while.

Another warning:  Restaurant service tended to range from slow to glacial.  Most of the time, that didn’t bother me as I was in no hurry and was devouring a couple of books while waiting for my food. 

I only ate at paladares (privately owned and operated restaurants) and not larger government-run establishments.  Technically, it’s illegal for U.S. citizens to eat in the latter.  They may have more variety and even more vegetarian/vegan options since they cater to European and Canadian tourists.

A fairly good cheese pizza with black olives at the Mesón de la Plaza, Máximo Gómez Sur 64, Sancti Spíritus.  I saved a couple slices for my lunch the following day while hiking in the mountains southwest of the city.  Behind the pizza is an old 33 LP record serving as a placemat.

Jibaro was my favorite restaurant in la Habana Vieja (Old Havana).  It usually had a good veggie option on the menu which changed daily.  It was a laid-back hole-in-the-wall and the prices were reasonable.  I loved the fruit drink and chocolate torte!  The red pay phone at the entrance (top left photo) actually works.

The Lonely Planet Guide to Cuba gives this Chinese restaurant high marks and so do I.  My noodles with vegetables were nicely spiced and the ambiance was A+.

This little café in Old Havana actually has granola with yoghurt and fruit as well as pancakes with fruit and syrup.  Good luck finding these breakfast options anywhere else in Cuba.

This was the only restaurant with good veggie options that I was able to find in Santa Clara.  On the left is a pasta dish with lots of veggies; on the right, soft shell tacos with greens, cheese, tomatoes, and a tangy sauce.

A restaurant with a nice ambiance in Trinidad.  I ate there twice on their second floor terrace and enjoyed spaghetti with pesto sauce, bruschetta, and a killer chocolate cake with ice cream.

You pay for the setting at this overpriced restaurant with very slow service located on the bay in Cienfuegos.  My eggplant appetizer (top left) was too small but the vegetable soup was good.  Lagarto is Spanish for lizard which was not on the menu.

The best meals I had in Cuba (almost all vegan) were at the Rancho Bee Hole in the Topes de Collantes mountains north of Trinidad.  Turned out I was the only guest for the three days I was there.  After my first huge lunch (two photos on the left) which included fish, I asked the manager to please make me smaller, vegetarian meals.  Thereafter, the cook turned out excellent vegetable and bean soups, fried plantains, flavored rice, guacamole, salads, and fruit.  The meals cost me $10 for lunch, $10 for dinner, and $5 for breakfast – a good deal considering much of the food had to be driven in from Trinidad and I had my own cook.

The breakfasts were also first rate:  corn fritters, fried plantains, guacamole, bread, jam, fruit, and tea.  At breakfast, they also provided corn chips, crackers, nuts, and little candies which I put in baggies and carried along on my hikes.

 

I was really hoping for a good Chinese meal at this restaurant in Sancti Spíritus but it was closed.  Several other recommended restaurants I tried to find in Havana, Santa Clara, and Trinidad were also closed.  Covid has had a very negative impact on the Cuban economy in general and tourism in particular. 

 

© Will Mahoney 2022

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