El Polinesio

Bayamo


This longtime staple debuted in the days when private restaurants could only seat 12 people and serve pork and chicken. Today's menu ventures into seafood with wine sauce and chicken with vegetables. What hasn't changed is the venue – upstairs in an open-fronted family dining room with five or six tables – and the service. Big smiles all round.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bayamo attractions

1. Ayuntamiento

0.15 MILES

In 1868 Céspedes proclaimed Cuba's independence for the first time in front of the columned Ayuntamiento.

2. Museo Provincial

0.17 MILES

Directly next door to Céspedes' ex-home, this provincial museum completes Bayamo's historical trajectory with a yellowing city document dating from 1567…

4. Parque Céspedes

0.17 MILES

One of Cuba's leafiest squares, Bayamo's central meeting point is surrounded by pedestrian-only streets, making it a rare and peaceful spot. In addition…

5. Paseo Bayamés

0.19 MILES

Bayamo's main shopping street was pedestrianized in the 1990s and reconfigured with benches and funky artwork. At its southern end you'll find wax museum…

6. Catedral de San Salvador de Bayamo

0.23 MILES

There's been a church on this site since 1514. The current edifice dates from 1740 but was devastated in the 1869 fire, so much of what you see results…

7. Capilla de la Dolorosa

0.24 MILES

This is the one original section of Bayamo's main church to survive the 1869 fire. It sports a gilded wooden altar.

8. Ventana de Luz Vázquez

0.29 MILES

A forerunner of the national anthem, cowritten by Céspedes (and, confusingly, also called 'La Bayamesa') was first sung from here on March 27, 1851. A…