What to eat and drink in Cuba: dishes, etiquette and dietary tips

Cuban cooking is Spanish-Creole: pork, black beans, rice, cassava and plantain, built on garlic, sour orange and cumin rather than chilli. The heat level is low, so most dishes suit cautious eaters.

Where you eat matters more than what you order. Private paladares cook to order and compete on quality; state-run restaurants often serve from a short, fixed list. In 2026 shortages mean menus change weekly, and the best meal is whatever the kitchen actually has that day.

Start with ropa vieja, shredded beef stewed with tomato and peppers, and moros y cristianos, black beans and rice cooked together. In Oriente the rice dish is congrí, made with red beans and often pork fat.

Pork is the national meat: lechón asado is marinated in sour orange and garlic and roasted for celebrations and weekends. Picadillo, minced beef with olives and raisins, is everyday lunch food, and ajiaco criollo is a root-vegetable and meat stew.

Sides carry the meal: yuca con mojo is boiled cassava under a garlic-citrus sauce, and tostones are twice-fried green plantain. On the coast, paladares grill spiny lobster. For sweets, look for flan and, in Baracoa, cucurucho, a coconut and honey sweet in a palm-leaf cone.

Rum is the base of the bar culture: mojito (rum, lime, mint, sugar, soda) and the daiquirí, both US$3–6 in 2026. Cuban coffee is strong and sweet, served as a small cafecito or a larger café con leche.

Tap water is not for drinking; buy sealed bottled water and use it for brushing your teeth if you are cautious. Fresh fruit juice and guarapo (sugarcane juice) are common at street stalls; ice quality varies, so ask for drinks without ice if you want to be careful.

The legal drinking age is 18 and loosely enforced. Drink-driving is illegal and penalties are serious after any accident.

Book paladares ahead in Havana and Trinidad; the good ones fill up, and they buy ingredients for the number of diners they expect. In casas particulares, tell your host a day ahead if you want dinner, because they shop specially for it.

Cash rules the trip. Foreign cards rarely work in Cuba, so carry enough for every meal and keep small notes for street food. Tipping 10% is normal where service is private.

Expect shortages to shape the menu. If a dish is unavailable, take the kitchen's suggestion rather than hunting for a specific plate; the substitute is usually what is fresh.

Meals are social and unhurried. Wait to be told to start, keep your hands visible at the table, and finish what you take; wasting food reads badly when supplies are short.

In a casa particular, dinner is a favour rather than a service, so give a day's notice and thank the cook. In paladares, a 10% tip is standard. If you are invited to a family meal, bring something small for the table rather than money.

Vegetarian eating is possible but monotonous: rice, beans, eggs and plantain. Beans are often cooked with pork or pork fat, so ask for 'sin carne, sin manteca de cerdo'. Gluten-free travellers are helped by rice and cassava staples, but bread and sandwiches are wheat.

Nuts are rare in Cuban cooking; lobster and shrimp are common, so shellfish allergy needs care. Pharmacies are often empty, so bring your own medication, including adrenaline auto-injectors if prescribed. Show a written Spanish card before ordering.