Hi,Iam interested in eating in paradors rather than hotel restaurants,and wonder if anyone has any good recommendations..Price range,say,$10 to $15..in both Vedado and Habana Vieja..Many thanks

Hello reafirth:

First off, private restaurants in Cuba are called Paladares and are generally located in private homes. Thus, you probably won't find any in Habana Vieja (old Havana) as this is a high tourist area.
That said, you can just about ask any cab driver for a recommendation or most other Cubanos and they can steer you to one. Most are in Centro or Vedado areas of the city.
In Habana Vieja, on Calle Obispo (a very bohemian main street) there are many outdoor cafes where you can get a meal in your stated price range. My favourite of these are just off the southwest edge of Plaza de Armas at the corner of Obispo and Oficios. There are three cafes in a row. Cafe La Mina, Casa del Agua la Tinaja, and Dulceria Dona Teresa. All offer good food and great ambience on the outdoor patios. Many times I have had a nice meal there (normally lunch) and you should be able to easily stay within budget depending on how many Cervezas you drink.
I also stay at a Casa Particular (private guest home, legal) and have enjoyed many great meals with my host Cuban family.
One of my favourite restaurants is EL ALJIBE in Miramar area of the city. It offers a great house specialty, Lemon Chicken. Grand and not too pricey. Two people with a bottle of wine will run about $40 USD depending on how pricey a wine you go for. Their wine selection isn't too bad either. Mostly from Torres, a Spanish company, but good none the less. The El Aljibe is maybe a $5. cab ride out from Habana Vieja and is right near the Canadian embassy. Across the street from it is a place called "Sandwichterria" (spelling isn't definite) where 4 of us have eaten for about $25. USD total.
You must think all I do is eat when in Havana, but what the hell, vacations sure aren't the time for diets.
Have fun and enjoy the Cuban experience.
Steve

This past May we ate at a wonderful parador in Centro Havana called La Guardia. (Look up restaurants in the Fodors destinations, Havana- restaurants. It is highly rated by Fodors as well) We had no problem walking there from our hotel in Old Havana. It's a 20-25 minute facinating excursion thorough an interesting Havana neighborhood. I highly recommend this restaurant as well as the walk to it, since you get to experience Havana--its people, its distinctive neighborhoods, its shops, and at the end of your walk you're rewarded with wonderful food. Price was about 20USD and worth every penny of it. It was the best food we had in Cuba.

Oops, meant to say paladares (as Steve says) not paradors.

And, this morning my spelling is off. The restaurant is La Guarida, not La Guardia. The restaurant entrance is a little hard to find on the street, since it appears to be an entrance to a group of apartments within a building. A man was sitting at the entrance and asked if we had reservations, which we did (our hotel called for us). We entered, went up a flight of stairs to an open area, a large space with huge windows where some laundry was hanging. Then we went up another flight, a beautiful ornate staircase, to the floor where the restaurant was located. The restaurant itself was a series of small rooms each filled with all kinds of decorations--statues, art items. It made waiting for the food a treat in itself. It was a great experience--food and place.