Dining and Drinking

Santiago de Cuba offers a good number of restaurants with a range of traditional Cuban food, as well as all sorts of international cuisine.

What are known as "paladares" are restaurants which operate from private houses and are the perfect option when it comes to enjoying traditional Cuban cuisine. One of these is Doña Nelly, on Avenida Carnicería, 412, with a Cuban menu of excellent quality offering things like "congrí" rice, white rice with black beans, fried chicken or fish, salads and a wide range of side-dishes such as sweet potato, plantain, yucca, or "malanga" (similar to sweet potato).

Another "paladar" offering exquisite flavours and attention is the restaurant Las Gallegas, on Avenida Bartolomé Masó, between Calle San Félix and Calle General Lacret, offering a similar menu to the one above, and also a variety of delicious Cuban desserts such as preserved fruit and fresh cheese.

Other alternatives include the cafés and restaurants in the hotels in the city, among which Balcón del Caribe, next to the Castillo del Morro, is well-worth visiting, offering a Cuban and international menu and excellent service.

The café at the Hotel las Américas offers light meals such as pizza, fried chicken with fries, cold drinks and beer, with the added advantage of being open 24 hours.

The restaurant Don Antonio in the Parque Dolores is one of the best in Santiago, with an excellent menu of traditional Cuban dishes. Try the smoked ham and all the other pork delicacies they offer. Next door, you will find the bar El Marqués, with a great selection of drinks and cocktails. La Isabélica, on Calle Calvario, is the perfect place to taste the best Cuban coffee.

On the road towards El Morro, is San Pedro del Mar, specializing in seafood. Enjoy your meal and the stunning view of the Caribbean and Santiago's mountains.

On Calle Basilio, in the former residence of Emilio Bacardí, is the restaurant1900, beautifully decorated and offering the best traditional food, with specialties such as roasted suckling pig. The restaurant Casa Grande is also renowned for its elegance and service, as is the hotel which bears the same name, offering Cuban specialties and succulent desserts.

The Perla del Dragón, on the Parque Dolores, offers an excellent buffet with traditional cuisine, at very reasonable prices. In the same area, there are several other restaurants, including fast food joints, Italian restaurants, etc.

On Plaza de Marte, you will find the Buró de Información Cultural, with its Patio de los Dos Abuelos, where you can enjoy the sound of live traditional music, while you sip a long drink and have a bite to eat.

Surrounded by beautiful Colonial buildings, near the Parque Céspedes, is the UNEAC (Cuban writers and artists'union), with an art gallery where you have the chance to admire the work of local and national artists, and a pleasant patio where you can sit and enjoy a long and refreshing drink.

The Casa de la Cultura also organizes events every weekend, and you can enjoy them while you sip on one or two drinks.

Enjoy Santiago, the capital of AfroCuban culture!

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