Our best spots to eat and drink in Havana

Let’s be honest, there is nothing we love more than eating and enjoying the local specialties when traveling. It’s our little pleasure in life and the one I enjoy the most #Foodie.

We didn’t do anything different when traveling to Cuba. We had a great time getting lost in the streets of Havana and finding our favorite spots to eat and drink at. Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to the best places to eat and drink in Havana. Places where you absolutely have to get a drink, a bite or even a five-course meal!

PATCHANKA | BAR & RESTAURANT

During our first day in Havana, we discovered many of Havana’s best spots. We ate, drank and visited the city. We also stopped at Patchanka Bar and Restaurant for our first Cuban beers and some mojitos. The atmosphere was typically Cuban, there was a band singing Cuban music, we had a great time. The food was good, but nothing more. I recommend visiting Patchanka Bar and Restaurant for the atmosphere and the affordable cocktails.

LAMPARILLA TAPAS & CERVEZAS 367

You have to visit Lamparilla tapas & cervezas 367 for its unique decor. The walls are covered with American vintage decoration with a Cuban twist. We had amazing cocktails, which were a little bit too fancy for Cuba!

AZUCAR! LOUNGE & BAR

This bar is located on the second floor of a bright yellow and blue building. The spacious bar overlooks the public square; Plaza Vieja. Note that prices are expensive compared to most Cuban bars. Per instance, we ordered a papaya margarita for CUC 11. The average price for a drink in Cuba is CUC 4,50. That gives you an idea. On the other hand, the atmosphere and the view of the public square were totally worth the price!

EL DANDY | BAR & GALERIA

A small vintage looking bar, with only a few seating spots. We’ve had a number of cocktails and we had some of the best fresh Pina Coladas of our life there! You visit for the affordable drinks and for the Cuban “street bar” atmosphere.

5 ESQUINAS TRATTORIA

Where to begin!? We had been in Cuba for a couple of days at that point and hadn’t eaten anything that blew us away #ToBeExpected . We were looking for a GOOD restaurant and found 5 Esquinas Trattoria on our way to visit the Museo de la Revolucion. We had a thin crust homemade Italian pizza, with handmade pasta and a focaccia fresh off the oven. It was so delightful while being super affordable. We even tried to go back for dinner, but the restaurant was fully booked. You must visit when craving good Italian food. It was not Cuban food, but who cares? Haha!

EL ASTURIANNO

This 3-story restaurant offers several options. The first floor offers typical Cuban dishes, the second floor offers Spanish dishes and the third floor offers Italian dishes. We waited for 1 hour for the 2nd floor. I must say we ate well, we shared several dishes including a paella, Cuban croquettas and a Cuban pork dish. The plates were so big that we brought a lot of leftovers back to our Airbnb and had that for lunch the next day for the 6 of us #lol. For the amount of food you get, the prices are super affordable. Don’t expect the Spanish paella to taste just like the one you had when visiting Spain. For the Cuban standards, it was very good as well as the marinated pork.

After all the negative comments I’ve heard about Cuban food, I must admit we ate pretty well. However, as Léa said in one of her posts about Cuba, you always have to opt for either cooked, fried or boiled food, to avoid being sick. That said, I quite enjoyed Cuban dishes! 😉

Where did you eat in Cuba?