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As is true all over Cuba, puerco (pork)—prepared the usual variety of ways—figures largely on the region's menus. Carne de res (beef) is also common, as are pollo (chicken) and cordero (lamb). Entrées often come with the traditional arroz congrí (fried white rice with beans and pork), which is sometimes called moros y cristianos (Moors and Christians). Restaurants in coastal cities and resorts have plenty of seafood on their menus, especially langosta (lobster), which abound in the reefs. Because commercial fishing is controlled by the government, however, seafood isn't always as fresh as you might think, even on the coast.
Restaurants are scarce outside Trinidad and Cienfuegos, though every town has a few paladares (private eateries), and many casas particulares (Cuban homes whose owners have been allowed to rent out rooms) have permits to serve food. Most large beach resorts are all-inclusive, but food quality varies, especially at their buffet restaurants. Because all-inclusiveness confines most beach visitors to eating in their resorts, destinations such as Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo have not developed much of a dining scene.
Payment, tipping and reservations. Reservations are rarely necessary, and though there's no tipping policy per se, most travelers feel better if they tip as many people as possible—in and out of restaurants—as Cubans earn paltry wages. You'll be expected to pay in convertible pesos, but credit cards are accepted in all government restaurants and hotels, though never in paladares.
This small café with a hardwood bar, brass lamps, and wooden ceiling has been in business since 1866. The view, overlooking Plaza Martí, probably isn't much different than when it opened, and it still serves ponche de la parroquia, a rum-and-milk cocktail that wily young men once gave to chaperones. (Once drunk, the chaperones would be less likely to interfere should the young men try to steal kisses from their girlfriends.) Though the menu has a wide array of beverages, dishes are limited to sandwiches, pollo frito (fried chicken) and bistéc de puerco (grilled pork).
The low building with the fat pillars south of Parque Martí's bandstand, dates from the 1840s and evokes Cienfuegos's French heyday. Today it's a popular tavern, the perfect place for a quick Cuban coffee, a mojito, or light lunch.
They make a great selection of cheese sandwiches.
You'll occasionally hear live music in the late afternoon and early evening.
Its only decoration may be a pastoral mural covering one wall, but locals are drawn to this popular restaurant on the western edge of town by the food, the prices, and (we suspect) the air-conditioning—rather than the decor. The menu is a mix of Cuban and international dishes, with such local standards as escalope de puerco (breaded pork) as well as a selection of pastas and pizzas.
A few steps from the Iglesia de la Soledad, this open-air restaurant has several tables overlooking a courtyard and a dozen more in back, surrounded by potted plants and colored glass. The menu is Cuban, but includes variations on common themes. Try the bistec mayoral (steak in a wine sauce on toast) and pollo grillé al huerto (half a grilled chicken with vegetables).
Set in the Plazuela de Jigüe, a tiny plaza shaded by one tree, this colorful and historic restaurant (dating from 1720) seems to say "come on in." Its bright interior has high ceilings, chandeliers, and landscapes hung on white walls. The menu ranges from bistec de cerdo grillé to enchilado delangosta (in a red sauce). The specialty, pollo al jigüe, is a Cuban version of chicken cacciatore.
Down the hill from the Plaza Mayor, across from the Museo Histórico, this building is as historic as any in Trinidad: wooden ceilings, brass lamps, terra-cotta floors. The menu is traditional to match the address—bistec de cerdo grillé (grilled pork steak), bistec de res en cazuela (stewed beef), filet de pescado grille (sauteed fish fillet). Sometimes there's live music at lunchtime.
Between the muddy Río Yayabo and the Calle el Llano, this ancient yellow manor house with a large, tree-shaded terrace is an appealing spot. Seating is available on the terrace, which has a river view, or inside, where the terra-cotta floors, thick columns, and wide arches attest to the building's lifespan of almost three centuries. Specialties are pollo a la quinta (chicken in a vegetable tomato sauce) and vaca frita (strips of beef sautéed with onions), and an array of criolla dishes.
Trinidad's best paladar is a few blocks south of the Plaza Mayor in an elegant 19th-century home. Upon entering, you may feel as if you've stepped into an antiques shop, but at the back is a garden courtyard complete with candlelight and taped music. The menu is surprisingly varied, with several vegetarian dishes and such rare ingredients as olives. The service and ambience are first rate, but it's the food that keeps this tiny restaurant packed.
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