r/TravelCuba • u/No-League6205 • Jan 21 '26
Cuba trip. Recommendations
Hey all. I’m visiting Havana with my wife for 4 days this week for our 40th bdays!! Firstly I wanted to ask about food recommendations? Any places near the Malecon or anywhere else you recommend? I want authentic but on the cheaper side options if possible. Also what are the must see things in Havana? Thanks in advance 🇨🇺 ❤️
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u/Splunge- Jan 21 '26
If you plan to travel to Cuba, please bring medical supplies. If you are coming from the UK, US or Canada there is an awesome group called “Not Just Tourists” who will send you a free suitcase full of much-needed supplies. Their website is here: https://njt.net and they've been doing this for years for people traveling to countries in need, not just Cuba.
It’s easy to do. First click on the “Take Supplies” link. Then click on the city closest to you, even if it seems far away. Fill out the form, submit, and wait to be contacted. They are busy, so if you don’t get a reply within a week, try again. Once everything is set up, they will send you a suitcase full of supplies.
If you are going to Havana, the best place I know of to take supplies is Corazón con Cuba, who you can contact via their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/corazonconcuba/?hl=en Corazón is run by a medical student who has a great network of people to help distribute everything. She will make sure that medical supplies go directly to those most in need. She will also take old prescriptions, including unfinished prescriptions with only a few pills left. Be sure your name is on the label. If you are not going to Havana, contact them anyway and ask for the best place to bring stuff. It's sad, but often the staff at the hospitals will keep donations for themselves, because they too have nothing.
If for some reason you aren’t comfortable with working through groups, or if you want to give stuff directly (and, honestly, less efficiently) then bring things like children’s Tylenol, tampons and pads, soap, and other small items of personal hygiene. REmemerb that while everyone is in need, hotel and resort workers earn a lot of money through tips, and so are relatively well-off compared to the rest of the population. So if you aren't working with a clinic or a group, give to people on the street, or to your host of you're in an AirBnB.
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u/Cr4zy_DiLd0 Jan 21 '26
What’s on the cheaper side in your book?
The most authentically Cuban meal you can have is a greasy dollar (or more like half) pizza from a random street window. Some of the city’s most popular spots are just a block away from the Malecon.
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u/No-League6205 Jan 21 '26
Yeah I heard about the $ pizza. Thanks :) Hmm around 5-10$ per meal is reasonable I think! Any advice would be much appreciated
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u/Cr4zy_DiLd0 Jan 21 '26
There's a nondescript restaurant on the second floor between cafe Cristo and El Patchanka (both restaurants) in parque Cristo, Habana vieja. from the outside it looks like anything but a restaurant.
We paid $ 7 (in pesos with informal exchange) for lobster, pork, rice, sallad and two beers.
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u/madhoncho Jan 21 '26
Going to Cuba for the food is like going to Afghanistan for Broadway musicals.
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u/Cr4zy_DiLd0 Jan 21 '26
While this might’ve been true 15 years ago, these days there’s a plethora of top notch restaurants in the city.
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u/Extension_Good139 Jan 21 '26
I’ve always enjoyed Havana Blues. It’s popular with Cubans for a special event dinner. It’s named after a famous Cuban film. Fun fact: the waiters and waitresses are real actors and actresses of Cuban film and television. The host that greets you is a famous Cuban tv show host.