"Secretary Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Rodriguez had a lengthy and very constructive discussion this evening. The two agreed they made progress and that we would continue to work to resolve outstanding issues," the official said in a statement after the meeting late on Thursday.
Both Parrilla and Kerry are attending the Summit of Americas in Panama that is taking place April 10-11.
The United States imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1961 during the Cold War amid tensions between Washington and the communist government in Havana.
In December 2014, US President Barack Obama announced that US authorities would seek to normalize relations with the island, easing travel and trade restrictions, but a full range of congressionally-mandated sanctions remain in place.
Other steps taken to improve the two countries' relations include plans to reopen a US embassy in the Cuban capital and the possibility that Cuba would be removed from the US State Department's State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
