Where to eat CUBA 🇨🇺 Lausanne: Cuba Libre

Cuba Libre

Place du Tunnel 5, Lausanne

What we ordered: For three people: two orders of ropa vieja and one Cuba libre plate which consisted of a Swiss cut of thin roast pork and Cuban black bean rice. All dishes came with a side salad, plantains. The ropa vieja came with white rice. To drink we had nine cans of Cristal beer.

Note: if you reserve a table online as we did, you received 20% off the food on the bill.

Cost: 149 CHF / €150 / $163

Cuba Libre is a lovely, friendly, hole-in-the-wall-esque establishment in the heart of Lausanne near the Palais de Rumine, where the end of the Ottoman Empire was resolved or broken up, depending on one’s perspective. In Cuba, it would be a high-end affair because of the quality and wealth of the customers but in Lausanne, it is somewhere between ordinary and unusually authentic.

We ordered the most traditional of Cuban dishes on the menu, though there is an abundance of what could best be described as transatlantic “Latin” fare on the menu. In other words, what conforms most to expectations on this side of the pond.

Unlike many Cuban restaurants around the world, with tricked-out décor echoing the revolutionary shtick of Che and Fidel, there was none of this at Cuba Libre. Instead, what was on display was a flat screen projecting beaches and the vintage American cars that have not retired from the streets of Cuba because the weather preserves them nicely but also because where will the new cars come from? What improvement has Lada ever made on a 1950s Ford automobile?

There was also a wall of astroturf and neon and the sort of cocktails that were as much about the presentation as the drink, a sort of homage to an eternal bachelor or bachelorette party happening someplace with nice weather. Some arrived with sparklers, other patrons posed with theirs for the ‘gram.

In this regard, Cuba Libre felt more Miami than Havana. The food was fresh, the patrons had money, the workers get paid well and are motivated; people know there is somewhere called up to go. However, no one was dripping in Versace and Gucci. Lausanne is not Miami, after all.

The food was traditional at its best. The ropa vieja, a slow stewed beef in a light tomato sauce which it absorbs leaving no gravy, was perfectly stringy. The rice, plantains and side salad were all a nice compliment, bringing sweet and savory to the same plate. It also presented a nicely balanced meal of meat, starch and veggies.

The Swiss cut of thin roast pork on the Cuba Libre plate similarly popped as it was juicy and quite simply perfect, like a meat candy, in my husband’s words. He said the meat was like a dream and a highlight of Swiss Global Dining to date.

The dish came with Cuban rice and beans, a sort of dirty rice of black beans and a dash of pork commonly served in Cuban fare for the protein the legumes provide as well as the opportunity to stretch a ration. Along with a side salad of some lettuce and a few tomatoes as well as the plantains, the plate offered a similar balanced mash-up of flavors and sustenance as the ropa vieja.

We chased it all down with watery Cristal Cuban beers for maximum authenticity, avoiding the more sugary but substantial cocktails on the menu.

Whether you are looking for a place to lounge for a drink or two during happy hour or a fully substantial meal with authenticity, Cuba Libre is a spot to try when in Lausanne, if only even just for a happy hour. But get hungry after a few and order off the menu, and you will not find yourself disappointed.

How to get to Cuba from Switzerland:

From Zürich, Air Europe, Iberia and Turkish Airlines operate the fastest routes with layovers in Madrid and Istanbul. With a stopover in either city, flight times range between 15 and 19 hours approximately.

From Geneva, Iberia and Turkish Airlines are the best options, with total flight times including layovers in either Madrid or Istanbul ranging between nearly 13 hours and 18.5 hours.

How many Cubans are in Switzerland: About 1,750

Distance between Bern and Havana: 8,135 km

Distance between Cuba Libre and Havana: 8,089 km

Learn how to make Cuba's national dish, ropa vieja, and about its origins.

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