El Olivo, Vinales, Cuba

The main street in the small town of Vinales is packed with restaurants catering to tourists.

Vinales has become one of the most popular spots for visitors to the Caribbean island, thanks to its incredible natural beauty and its location just two hours west of Havana.

With increased numbers of tourists comes better infrastructure, including restaurants. Unfortunately, the standard of dining options in Vinales lags behind the demand.

One bright spot in the culinary landscape is El Olivo, which truly merits its inclusion in popular travel guides. As a result, the small restaurant often has queues outside, even early on a Wednesday evening in low season.

However, the half-hour wait was certainly worth it once I was presented with my piping hot lasagna. The cheese topping was perfectly melted over the tasty meat and tomato filling, which just cried out to be mopped up by the hunks of tasty bread provided.

Cuba is full of restaurants which promise to deliver familiar favorites and fail miserably. El Olivo is a remarkable exception in that it does not charge exorbitant prices for wonderful food.

My lasagna, a starter of croquettes and two beers came to just $12. I would heartily recommend El Olivo to anyone visiting Vinales, especially if you have been eating traditional Cuban fare of pork, beans and rice for the majority of your stay.

El Olivo

89 Salvador Cisneros

Vinales, Cuba

53 48 696 654