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Eating

You’ve got lots of options. They are:

Casa particular: You can eat in the house you’re staying in for some extra money. They technically have to pay an extra tax to do this now, but most don’t. I always paid $5 for breakfast and dinner, though sometimes their asking price was more. Recent travelers commonly report $2-3 breakfasts and $5 and up dinners. Prices are always negotiable, so discuss the price up front. They are usually very flexible on what and when they serve you; just let them know in advance. Dinners are usually large, generous affairs, typically with salad, meat, rice, bread, dessert, drink, and coffee. The family eats separately, probably because their portions are not nearly so large as yours.

Paladar: This is a private restaurant in a house. You generally get the same type of spread as in a casa particular. Costs have risen to about $7 for chicken or pork, more for seafood, and drinks are extra. You find out about these by word of mouth, from your host family, or from touts on the street. Note that if you eat lobster, it’s from the black market, as the goverment appropriates all lobsters for export.

Hotel restaurants: I never ate in a dollar hotel, though a kind Belgian once smuggled me out some chicken and bread from a resort hotel buffet which was decent. You’ll find a good selection of food, but prices are comparable to those in nice restaurants in developed countries, which is way too much in a third world country.

Dollar restaurants: Bigger cities have these, and they’re government run. They usually have a decent selection of food, but they’re a bit pricier than paladars, portions are smaller, and quality varies. This brief listing of Where to eat and sleep in Cuba rates a variety of places around the country, both private and government run.

Peso restaurants: These are on the street along with other dollar restaurants and the only way to tell the difference is to look at the prices on the menu. Unfortunately, some have started printing 2 columns on the menu (or 2 different menus), one with peso prices for Cubans and one with dollar prices for foreigners, and not at the market exchange rate. A Cuban might pay 10 pesos (50 cents) for a dish that a foreigner is charged $4 for. Those that are really in pesos, however, are very cheap, though the quality and quantity of the food varies. I didn’t have good luck finding good ones, but met others who did. It is getting harder to pay in pesos as a foreigner, and you may be able to pay for food with pesos but need dollars for drinks. Ask your host family for recommendations. Cost: 5-20 pesos for a meal, plus drinks.

Cafeterias: These are often government-run shops, sometimes private, usually either in an outdoor, patio setting with flies running rampant or in dark corner buildings with a bar setup. Offerings of the day are listed on a board and removed as the supply runs out. Mediocre selection and food. Cost: 1-5 pesos per item.

Street food: Private people sell pizzas; bocadillos (small sandwiches) with cheese, ham, other meat, or cream; flan; pastries (like cookies); refrescos (homemade drinks of all kinds, usually related to some kind of fruit); batidos (blender drinks, usually fruit and milk); ice cream; peanut/honey bars and other related concoctions. Quality varies, but it’s all dirt cheap at 1-5 pesos per item.

Dollar shops: Along with clothing and household goods, most stock foodstuffs, mostly dried and canned, but also drinks, crackers and chocolate. Dollar panadarias sell all kinds of bread, from large loaves to tarts and cakes.

Free market: All cities have a market, where farmers are allowed to sell anything they produce above and beyond their government quota. Prices are in pesos, so very cheap (e.g., 2 pesos for a kilo of tangerines), but quantity varies. In large cities there will be dozens of vendors; in some smaller cities only 2 or 3.

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