Best restaurants and what to eat
Cuba
Havana’s cuisine reflects the city’s role as Cuba’s historic crossroads: Spanish colonial traditions, Afro-Cuban flavors, and Caribbean ingredients meet in richly seasoned, comfort-driven dishes. The capital is especially known for slow-cooked meats, rice-and-bean staples, tropical sweets, and iconic rum-based cocktails.
A classic Havana rice-and-black-bean preparation, deeply savory and fragrant with garlic, onion, cumin, and bay leaf. It is hearty, creamy, and central to the city’s everyday table, often served beside roast pork, fried plantains, or stewed meats.
A beloved Cuban rice-and-pigeon-pea dish with a fluffier, more separated texture than black-bean rice. In Havana it is a staple accompaniment for grilled or roasted meats, prized for its smoky seasoning and satisfying, home-style depth.
Twice-fried green plantains, crisp at the edges and tender within. In Havana they are one of the city’s most popular savory bites, best enjoyed hot with salt, garlic sauce, or as a crunchy side to seafood and pork.
Ripe sweet plantains fried until caramelized and soft, with a glossy amber surface and rich tropical sweetness. They balance salty, savory Cuban dishes beautifully and are a staple on Havana plates.
Boiled cassava topped with a bright mojo of garlic, citrus, and olive oil. Silky and earthy beneath the sharp, aromatic sauce, it is one of Havana’s most emblematic side dishes, often paired with roast pork.
Cuban-style corn tamales are soft, richly seasoned, and wrapped or cooked in husks rather than presented in the firmer Mexican style. In Havana they are often enjoyed as a rustic, fragrant street or home dish, sometimes with pork and a touch of lard.
Havana’s most iconic cocktail, combining white rum, lime, sugar, mint, and soda into a bright, cooling drink. Traditionally served tall over ice, it is refreshing, aromatic, and inseparable from the city’s bar culture.
A simple but emblematic Havana mixed drink of rum, cola, and lime. Crisp, sweet, and citrus-lifted, it is served over ice and associated with the city’s modern cocktail identity.
A classic Havana cocktail made with rum, lime, and sugar, known for its clean balance and elegant sour profile. Often served shaken and well chilled, it became a symbol of refined Cuban bartending.
A signature Cuban aged rum associated with Havana’s distilling tradition, offering notes of vanilla, oak, caramel, and warm spice. It is commonly sipped neat, with ice, or used as the base for classic local cocktails.
An aged Cuban rum style with a smooth, rounded palate and flavors of molasses, baking spice, and toasted wood. While tied to eastern Cuba, it is a nationally recognized rum often enjoyed in Havana bars and homes.
A Cuban rum brand with a lighter, supple profile that works well in cocktails or over ice. Its mellow sweetness and easy drinkability make it a familiar part of the island’s drinking culture.
Havana’s best-known shredded beef dish, simmered until tender in a tomato-rich sauce with peppers, onions, garlic, and spices. It is deeply savory and comforting, usually served with rice, beans, and fried plantains.
Slow-roasted pork with crisp skin and juicy, flavorful meat, marinated in citrus, garlic, and oregano. In Havana it is a centerpiece of celebrations and a benchmark of Cuban roasting tradition.
A fragrant rice-and-chicken dish colored with annatto and perfumed with sofrito, vegetables, and herbs. In Havana it is a family classic, rich, satisfying, and ideal for communal meals.
A Havana-style ground beef hash cooked with tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers, and spices, balancing savory, briny, and sweet notes. It is a distinctive local comfort dish, usually served over rice or with plantains.
The celebrated Cuban sandwich of Havana, built with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on Cuban bread. Pressed until hot and crisp, it is one of the city’s most iconic handheld meals.
A softer, slightly sweeter Havana sandwich served on egg-rich bread and filled with roast pork, ham, cheese, pickles, and mustard. It is a famous late-night favorite with a warm, melty, balanced flavor.