The best restaurants in Havana for a good, nice and cheap bite

If you decide to visit the largest of the Antilles, we recommend that you let yourself be inspired and advised by a travel agency specialized in Cuba.

Then we suggest that you enjoy its colonial villas, the paradisiacal beaches of Cuba, adventure activities in its incredible nature, its rich and varied culture with a multitude of private field trips and guided tours to discover the music, dance, art and architecture of Havana and other provinces of the island.
And of course, we will advice you also get closer to gastronomic culture and discover its culinary art, because in cuban cuisine you will find incredible and pleasant surprises to delight your senses.
In Cuba in general, and in Havana in particular, there is a growing trend for good food: restaurants with the coolest unmissable rooftops and paladares offering fusion, design and signature cuisine.

Many travelers ask us where to eat in Cuba. We provide all our travelers with a Cuba restaurants guide with the best recommendations of Cuban cuisine, restaurants and paladares (private restaurants). All of which, we have visited and tasted, so we know they will not disappoint you.

Actually, sometimes eating well and cheap in Cuba becomes a bit difficult, so we show you our selection of best value for money spots.
In all of them you can enjoy tasty Creole food and taste recipes and typical dishes from the Cuban cuisine without affecting your budget much. CubaUnique has visited them all, and we assure you that their good service, the excellent quality of the food and the good prices, will make you not regret following our advice!

Antojos: if you crave a tasty dish

Very close to Plazuela del Ángel, in Callejón de Espada, a charming street in Old Havana, you will find Antojos.
This palate will fascinate you, because you can sit down to have a snack at the tables that are located in the middle of the alley to recharge your batteries after walking through the colonial city, under large umbrellas that provide exquisite shade, or inside, where a simple decoration , creates a very cozy atmosphere. It is almost a tradition of the house to take a photo in the interior seat that reproduces the style of an old Chevrolet.
Believe us when we tell you that in Antojos all the dishes are exquisite The specialty of the house is Creole food (the main dishes are served with white rice and black beans aside).
It makes you want to try the full menu, which ranges from a tasty bread with roasted suckling pig, to a peasant ajiaco, barbecued pork ribs or fishes catched that day on the grill. The tapas they offer are also great, the croquettes and the Creole salpicón have no equal in Havana !!
Its cocktails are also very innovative. Proof of this is the Antojos mojito, which has pineapple juice instead of lemon, and the result is unbeatable. The portions are very generous and the prices… too!

El cuarto de Tula: when less turns out to be much more

“El cuarto de Tula, que cogió candela, se quedó dormida y no, no apagó la vela”, goes the chorus of a very popular Cuban song. And after that, one of the best paladares that we show you in Havana to eat well and cheap is named.
El cuarto de Tula is not listed in any tourist guide or top 10 of restaurants in Havana; but it is a treasure, like so many in the Cuban capital, that we want to share only with you.
It is located in the vicinity of modern Havana and old Havana, and very close to the Callejón de Hammel, where you can discover more about the universe of Cuban folklore and religion, this an ideal place to recharge energy (and calories) before delving into the magic of Habana after dark.
In this Cuban paladar, which is also a hostel, they serve a meal so delicious as to revere their chef and take a nap afterwards and forget everything (even putting out the candle!).
The menu is wide: from 'ropa vieja', or roasted pork slices, to risotto or sushi. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful and the bartender makes some lemonades frappé very tasty and ultra-refreshing!
There is no house specialty here, as all the dishes are, like their prices, very special: starters that look like main courses, or main dishes served to share.

Amigos del mar: authentic 'seafaring' vibes

Imagine a sunset in Havana, feeling the sea breeze and tasting delicious seafood for an excellent price. Well, the ideal place is Amigos del Mar.
A calm atmosphere and simple decoration, like the life of the fishermen who are seen from the terrace casting their nets from the boats. This is what makes this paladar special. The luxury is undoubtedly in the food that is prepared here, from the sea to the table!
With really fresh products they prepare a magnificent ceviche, which competes with the excellent shark stew, the colombo de cobo casserole, the fisherman's pot with aioli and croutons or with octopus and lobster.
An extra*. As this place has access by sea, you can make a different and original entry on a boat if you set this in advance with our travel agency to Cuba, after a boat ride on the Almendares River in Havana.
Enjoy its fantastic spots by the sea with the special twist of a good rum and a Cuban cigar to live an unforgettable experience.
A good combination that we propose would be to dine in this palate and then get to the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, which is located a few streets away and enjoy its good cultural atmosphere and good music with live concerts.

Shamuskiao: delicious and innovative vegetarian dishes

If you are more into vegetarian or vegan food in Cubawe also have a recommendation, and a very good one! At CubaUnique we like to have options for all tastes, so we have discovered Shamuskiao and tasted its cuisine and as we have loved it, we want to invite you not to miss it!
Among the delicacies of this place are the vegan burger, the vegan taco, the grilled vegetables with pesto, the vegetarian paella or the unsurpassed eggplant stuffed with gratin vegetables.

Ideal to visit if you decide to travel to Cuba as a couple, or with a group of friends with different food preferences, because in Shamuskiao they also serve more traditional Cuban food, always very well combined with vegetables. For example, they serve grilled chicken or pork fajitas and 'ropa vieja' with vegetables.

Its menu offers vegetables juices (something very rare to find in Havana) which are impressive: celery, spinach, beet or carrot juice share space with the traditional juices of guava, pineapple, frutabomba (papaya) or melon.

Located in the heart of Old Havana, treat yourself to a pleasant experience in this place with minimalist decoration, cozy atmosphere, excellent service and super good prices.

Habanera: an architectural and culinary luxury

Just a step away from the 5th Avenue of Miramar you can find the paladar Habanera, in a mansion built in 1930 which in spite of its cheap prices shows a high quality in its cuisine and the exceptional luxury of the neighborhood where it is located. It is an almost mandatory stop after a tour around the modern Havana.
In its refurbishing, the hydraulic tile floors, the French windows, the forged ironwork and the marble staircase were preserved. We especially recommend it, if you are spending your honeymoon in Cuba to enjoy a romantic dinner under the star light on its large terrace with plants and fruit trees, or for business meetings if you are in a business trip in Cuba, for the sobriety of its decoration, its elegance and for the tranquility of its private rooms.

If you thought that dining in a luxurious place in Havana meant spending a lot of money, Habanera proves that this is not always the case. Just as its architecture is outstanding, so is its Cuban food. Its combined fish and octopus dish, its Campanario beef tenderloin, or its eco-menu with offers of organic cuisine, make this bar-restaurant an exceptional option. We adore it!

So, if you are thinking about organizing a trip to Cuba whether it is with your family , with your group of friends or with your classmates, with your couple or even in your honey moon, on your own or in one of our tailor made trips that we organize with great detail and care in our agency of tailor-made trips to Cuba, don't miss any of our recommendations to travel to Cuba without complications and to know about the evolution of COVID-19 situation in Cuba. We suggest some of our most popular preset routes , and, if possible, spend at least 10 days in Cuba so as not to miss the essentials, and above all, we recommend that you let yourself be carried away by our tips to live the authentic Cuban culture. Don't forget to enjoy the best Cuban cuisine either!

Article written by Gabriela Rodríguez, independent Cuban guide.

Video produced and edited by Javier Ernesto Hernández-López.

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