What are your must eat or drink suggestions?
Jessica - Everyone raves about Cuban food but, quite frankly, I don’t get it. If you’d asked me on Day 3 or 4 I might have answered differently, but I spent three weeks on the island and I was soooo sick of rice, beans and fried plantains. Delicious, yes. Everyday? No.
However, that said, I did learn a little trick. Cuba uses two currencies; one for locals and one for tourists. Technically tourists are not supposed to use local currency for anything, and everyone will take your tourist dollar happily (1-1 with USD), but there are a few places you can get away with using local coins, and that’s at the local pizza and hamburger stands (don’t expect a pizza like back home — it’s much doughier).
Kate - For the most part, Cuban food is surprisingly bland because of the embargos. If you’re staying in a casa (vs hotel), you must eat breakfast and dinner with your casa hosts at least one time – they will make you a delicious spread of homemade food that you’ll love! We loved Cuban breakfasts which were filled with yummy fresh fruits such as mangos, pineapples, and guavas. Lunches and dinners typically consisted of a veggie platter, rice & beans, and a meat like chicken or pork. We also loved the fried plantain chips that we were treated to with some of our meals. In terms of eating out, one of our favorites in Havana was Waoo! You can see all of our recommendations for food here.
Eva - This is a very difficult subject as there is a food shortage in Cuba. There are not many restaurants or grocery stores and the options are very limited. Majority of travelers eat in places they stay in eating home-made meals cooked by their hosts, breakfast 5 USD, lunch/dinner 10 USD. Backpackers' diet consists primarily of pizza sandwiches and hotdogs. There are no must-eats, the food is very bland and 'tired looking'. One eats primarily to survive, even more so if you are on a budget.
However, if you are not on a budget, you can enjoy lobster dinners for 15 USD.
The best option I found was a Japanese restaurant run by an ethnic Japanese in Old Havana. Tasty, super fresh and cheap. (Intersection of Aquacate and Obrapia)