If you’ve always wondered what Cuba was like beyond cigars and vintage cars, start packing: It’s time to witness a country at a moment of pivotal change. Havana is a party, no doubt, but it’s also a confusing place for Cubans and tourists alike. Cubans have a saying, No es fácil: It’s not easy. It applies to everything—food especially—in a place where cab drivers make more than doctors, and where a meal in a home restaurant can easily cost a month’s state salary. It’s a tricky city to break into, but with a little planning, it can change your life. Here are our seven tips to unlocking Havana.
1. Ice Cream
Don’t get funneled into the foreigner section at Coppelia, the Soviet-era ice cream cathedral. Just wait your turn in the lines of locals. Order five scoops “ensalada” with galletas de polvo, cookie dust, and share.
2. Paladares
Cubans have been running privately owned paladares, or home restaurants, for years, serving everything from tostones to sashimi with increasingly liberal interpretations of “living room.” The more established ones are your best bet for food in the city. These are our favorites:
Café Madrigal, a lively tapas bar on the second floor of filmmaker Rafael Rosales’s house in the Vedado neighborhood, is decked out with Cuban cinema kitsch. Sip a Ron Collins on the balcony, but dine elsewhere.
At La Cocina de Lilliam, Lilliam Dominguez and her family make a mean ropa vieja (old clothes) with mutton instead of beef, which is hard to come by legally in Cuba. You’ll need a reservation for dinner at the sprawling mansion near Miramar.
Gaze out on the Jaimanitas River at Santy Pescador, a hard-to-find fisherman’s shack a cab ride from the city. Santy’s serves just-caught fish and surprisingly good sushi.
Swedish filmmaker Michel Miglis opened his Swedish-Cuban fusion restaurant Casa Miglis in his Centro Havana home. Opt for Grandma’s meatballs or a Swedish Negroni.
Can't make it to Havana? Mix up a perfect daiquiri at home. Photo: Peden + Munk
3. For a Great Cocktail, Try a...
If a drink exists, Cubans have made it with rum. Rum’s prevalence and the high quality of nationalized brand Havana Club mean it’s easy to find a good cocktail anywhere. But for your classics, there are standbys you can’t miss:
Daiquiri
...at El Floridita, Hemingway’s favorite haunt. It’s touristy, and a frozen drink will run you $6—high for Cuba. The place feels like Cuba in the ‘50s (or the American fantasy version thereof). Skip the food, and be sure to tip the band.
Mojito
...at the iconic Hotel Nacional, either in its backyard overlooking the Malecón or inside at the Hall of Fame. Cuba’s mojitos aren’t too sweet. Veteran bartender Ángel Pérez Vega says the secret is to lightly crush the stems of minty yerba buena.
4. Cultural Institutions
To get a sense of how massively the island has contributed to the arts, visit the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Its Cuban collections rival that of any international museum. The sprawling art gallery/concert venue/bar Fábrica de Arte Cubano feels more like Brooklyn. On any given night you’ll find a movie, an exhibition, a concert, and dancing, not to mention several bars.
5. Coffee Talk
Cubans love their coffee, but it can be hard to come by the good stuff. Grab a shot of espresso from a street vendor in the early morning: He’ll pour it hot and presugared from a thermos into either a plastic cup or a glass that you give right back so he can wash it for the next customer.
6. Havana Street Food
Buy guava pastries or little doughnuts from vendors along the Malecón in the morning. Look for guarapo, a sugarcane drink, and seek out maniseros selling homemade peanut candy. Fresh juice and fruit shakes are always delicious. Be sure to try a batido de mamey, a shake made from the beloved fruit. Beware street croquetas.
Illustration by Claire McCracken
7. The Practical Stuff
Like any city, Havana has its quirks. It’s essential to do your homework before you hit the ground. Things are changing rapidly, but with some street smarts and a game plan, you’ll have the time of your life.
Currency
Cuba has two currencies, moneda nacional and the one that tourists and businesses use, called the peso convertible (CUC; $1 US = 1 CUC). U.S. credit and debit cards don’t work there, so take cash. (There is a 10 percent surcharge for changing dollars to CUC in Cuba.) You can change money at hotels and at currency houses called CADECAs. Don’t change money on the street.
Safety Illustration by Claire McCracken
Cuba is extremely safe, partly because state police are everywhere and surveillance is assumed. But beware of “friends” you meet on the street who offer, say, to take you dancing, especially if you don’t speak Spanish. Hustling tourists is a lucrative profession. Nothing sinister, but you might end up buying an entire bar an unplanned round.
Getting There
Americans can’t book flights to Cuba as tourists, though things are changing fast. Removing travel restrictions will require an act of Congress, but categories for travel are broader than ever, and now basically work as an honor system. Your best above-board bet is to find a people-to-people program like Classic Journeys’ that gives you freedom to explore the city.
Where to Stay
Casas particulares, the room-rental system Cubans have used for years, make it easier (and cheaper) to find a nice place to stay. The simplest way to book one is Airbnb. Quality ranges widely, from private villas to the closet off someone’s bathroom, so research. Look in the leafy Vedado neighborhood, and expect to pay $30 to $40 a night for a room in someone’s home.
