The eating habits in the Oriental /Eastern Cuba/ differ drastically from the ones in the Occidental /Western Cuba/. Pastries, potatoes tomatoes, traditional rice, beans, chicken (criolla), crabs, pork, and bananas prevail around Havanа.
If you are a pizza-lover Havana is your paradise! I know quite a lot of places in the capital where you can buy pizza for 0.10 – 0.15 EUR.
You can always visit the local restaurants where you will be served a huge plate of chicken, rice and potatoes. However, you might have to wait sometimes for over 30 min and the hygiene is also not si high.
The restaurants for tourists are also many and dinner there will cost you between 10 and 17 USD. After serious research, I finally found a great restaurant for tourists where you can enjoy some big portions of delicious meals for around 8-10 USD. But again, you will have to wait in line to get a table.
The Oriental is rich in fruit and fish. In smaller towns, there are plenty of interesting little stores offering meat – mostly pork /you won’t see this in Havanа/. Don’t be surprised to see a lot of bananas for cooking /platanos/. There is also a huge difference between prices in the capital and the province. In Havana, you pay mostly with Cuban CUC /dollars/, whereas in the rest of the country you use the national currency – the Cuban Pesos.
This is how I paid only 0.25 EUR for double ice cream, a soft drink, and a cake at the sweetshop in Holguin. The prices are similar for all the small towns, especially in Oriente. In Havana, such pleasure will cost you around 3-4 USD. The capital citizens suffer much from this price difference since their income is the same as in the province, but their expenses are higher.
This is my breakfast while in Santiago de Cuba:
Make sure you try a freshly squeezed guarapo – sugar cane juice and the main ingredient in the Cuban rum while fermenting. This will cost you 1 Cuban Pesos which is o.05 EUR.
Naturally, You will be tempted to try Cuban cigars that can be found everywhere in Cuba, especially in the streets of Old Havanа. However, keep in mind that there is a 99 % risk for you to buy rubbish rather than high-quality cigars. I have heard a lot of people complaining about palm leaves stuffed in their cigars, this is why it is very important to know the cigar maker. I am lucky enough to know a guy who has rolled cigars for more than 40 years. Everything I bought from him was carefully examined by experienced cigar smokers and was highly rated. The official price, though, is a lot higher. If you have decided to take some cigars home you are allowed to carry no more than 50 pieces or two boxes. Come to Cuba with me and see how cigars are made 🙂
- Find out more about the fruit and vegetables in Cuba here
- Food in Cuba – а detailed survey
- Cuban cigars and how to avoid fraud
