You won’t find these restaurants in any guidebook and their owners will deny their very existence, but the paladars of Viñales serve some of the best food north-west Cuba.
A paladar is a family-run restaurant. Most are illegal in Communist Cuba where private enterprise is frowned upon.
In Viñales, paladars are particularly hard to find. A man on a street corner might whisper “langostino” in your ear. Don’t ignore him. Later that evening, you will find yourself stumbling down a track in the moonlight to a candlelit table in a field.
A cart will arrive pulled by a bullock, loaded with home-cooked food and ice cold beers. You will be served the freshest, naughtiest lobster tails you’ve ever eaten. Just don’t tell anyone about it.
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